<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Episode 15>

Eve-than’s eyebrows twitched at the calm voice. Eden continued without a care.

“Hamun said that everything around us is alive and that there’s a reason for each thing to be born into this world.”

“…”

“This tea was probably brought here after going through countless hardships, just so the Chancellor could enjoy it.”

Eve-than stared at Eden with a dumbfounded expression. I could imagine how crazy I must look right now, but I couldn’t give up.

Eden quickly took a sip of her tea and made a sweet expression.

“Mmm. It smells wonderful.”

“…”

“I think it’s herbal tea. Please, just take a sip.”

I wasn’t sure if this would work, but today Eve-than absolutely had to drink tea with me.

“It really does smell good.”

As Eden looked at him with desperate eyes, Eve-than returned her gaze with an incredulous stare. It was clear he doubted my fixation on such a trivial matter.

“If you think I put something in it, maybe you should switch with me…”

Just as Eden was desperately trying to negotiate, Eve-than lifted the teacup in front of me before she could finish her sentence.

Every tea that comes into my room is enchanted, and it has a high-level spell that changes color if any foreign substances are added. The tea’s color was fine, so Eve-than took a sip to cut short this pointless preamble.

With a thud, he placed the teacup down somewhat irritably, and at the same moment, a notification window saying “Quest Complete” popped up.

Success!

Eden’s eyes sparkled with newfound hope. It was a close call, though not an enjoyable one.

“Now you can speak.”

Eve-than’s voice was icy, much colder than before. But such things posed no issue for Eden, who had successfully completed the quest.

“Yes, I will now tell you. You’re such a kind person.”

Upon receiving Eden’s bright smile, Eve-than’s eyebrows subtly arched. He had never once been called kind in his life. However, the way she complimented him seemed to…

“…”

Like he was a well-behaved puppy getting praised. A slight discomfort washed over Eve-than, yet Eden remained oblivious and pulled out the story she had prepared.

“As you have been informed, I can provide information on all monsters that exist in this continent. You were wondering how, right?”

“…”

“You may find it hard to believe, but I naturally read the information about the monsters. Would it be more appropriate to say I can see it? Like receiving a divine revelation.”

At those words, Eve-than, who had been staring at Eden intensely, grew cold.

“…Are you joking right now?”

The words that came out after a pause were colder than his expression, but Eden wasn’t bothered.

“Of course not. I’m sure the Chancellor saw me during the founding banquet.”

As Eden brought up that day’s events, his gaze sharpened. He had certainly seen Eden that day, and was currently suspicious of the girl in front of him in relation to that event.

“How do you think I succeeded in catching Tannir’s attention that day?”

Upon hearing the name Tannir leave Eden’s lips, Eve-than’s eyebrows stiffened. He had just learned that the monster that had appeared at the banquet was called Tannir.

Tannir was an ancient monster, a special being that couldn’t be summoned without using summoning magic. Until now, it had only been discovered once in the past two hundred years, and there was no way a lowly Apprentice Priest could know the identity of a monster that scholars and I had struggled to understand.

“How did you know?”

Eve-than asked urgently.

“What?”

Eden looked puzzled by the sudden question.

“How did you know that monster’s identity is Tannir?”

Only then did Eden realize that Eve-than’s gaze was sharp as a knife. His previously irritated and tired expression was now anxious and tense, looking quite different.

Eden stared at him blankly before letting out a small laugh. The mixed feelings of wariness and confusion on his face made him look rather cute, even if it was absurd to think that someone could be so rattled just by a monster’s name.

After all, no matter how genius he is, he’s just a game character.

“I told you.”

Eden clasped her hands over her heart, smiling gently.

“I naturally see the information on all monsters.”

“…”

Still, Eve-than’s expression didn’t soften. Personally, he didn’t believe in deities he had never witnessed with his own eyes, but he acknowledged the power that came from the essence of magical energy.

However, he had never heard of any priest possessing such an ability. Not in the two centuries of brutal wars against monsters they had fought through.

The only ways to obtain information on monsters were either gathering fragments of bestiaries scattered throughout the continent or conducting experiments and research by capturing the monsters themselves.

“I’ve been like this since I was little. I don’t know how it works.”

Eden, with an innocent face, spewed out the lines she had prepared.

“But I thought it would be wrong to just hide this ability I’ve been given. Especially in times like these, when monsters are flowing into the Imperial Palace. Furthermore, since I witnessed one with my own eyes.”

“…”

“That’s why I came to see you, Chancellor. To use my ability for the benefit of more people. Surely, the divine had to be hoping for this and granted me this ability.”

As she clasped her hands together and pretended to pray with her eyes closed, it struck her that the hidden character’s role as a priest was quite appropriate. No matter what she did, she could just muddle through by saying it was the will of the gods.

‘Indeed, there was a reason for being a hidden character.’

Eden sighed softly, admiring her acting skills as she diligently played the role of the divine priest before both Asmun and Eve-than.

When she opened her eyes, she still saw his hard face, not believing her words even a little.

“…”

It didn’t work after all.

No, it was likely that knowing the identity of Tannir only amplified his suspicions about her.

“Can you prove it?”

Eden smiled brightly.

“Of course.”

Eve-than stared at her expressionless. The two soon left the Chancellor’s office and headed to the underground of the Imperial Palace.

Eden already knew there was a warp connected to the monster research facility in the palace’s basement, but she had to act surprised to avoid raising Eve-than’s suspicions.

“Oh my gosh. Goodness, Hamun.”

“…”

Eve-than walked coldly, not paying any attention to Eden’s surprise or lack thereof. The place he took her was indeed where the monsters captured for research were held.

Knowing a terrifying encounter was coming, she had braced herself, but facing the dreadful monsters in person was still a nerve-wracking experience.

“This way, please.”

Eve-than guided her to a location where high-class monsters, still unknown to the world, were kept to test Eden’s abilities.

When the gatekeepers opened the heavy iron door, the monsters bound by all sorts of magical restraints and unable to even make a sound were visible. As a giant, hideous creature resembling a massive eagle locked its gaze upon Eden, she swallowed hard.

Whoa…

“Can you read this monster’s information too?”

Eve-than inched dangerously close to the creature and glanced back at Eden. She tore her gaze away from the monster to look at him. His expression still reflected disbelief.

His character was likely built on being skeptical until shown otherwise. In some ways, he was similar to Asmun. Despite their significant differences in other aspects.

Eden raised her head to look at the monster with its wings tightly bound.

To meet Eve-than, she had undergone several trials and learned how to use this skill from the priests. One method was murmuring the name of the monster in her mind, and the other was…

“…”

Actually encountering the monster before her.

Then, sure enough, with a clear notification sound, a translucent window popped up over the monster.

The line about feeding on children over one year old made Eden’s forehead wrinkle. Just thinking about the horrific monster in front of her eating children sent chills down her spine, even knowing it was just a game.

“…”

Technically, I had completed the quest of having tea time with Eve-than, so I could slip away now, but for some reason, I didn’t want to. I still had a mission to save the Empire, so perhaps receiving the bestiary was also for the sake of a perfect clear. Moreover, establishing a way to continually meet with Eve-than seemed more advantageous in the long run.

“The name is Karsilande.”