<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 3>

“Are you going to the library again today?”

Rita asked, habitually cutting the bread made from Milo cleanly in half. Eden, holding the quickly emptied plate, stood up to answer.

“Yeah.”

As Rita marveled at this, Eden smiled gently and headed towards the library.

It wasn’t until the next day that Eden realized falling into this place wasn’t just a momentary mistake or a dream. From then on, Eden visited the library in the Temple every day.

“Are you studying the Holy Scripture again?”

Just then, one of Eden’s colleagues walked by and saw Eden spread out the Holy Scripture again, shaking their head in disbelief.

With a smile, Eden deftly covered up.

“Just not enough learning.”

“How diligent, really. Good luck, then!”

“Thanks.”

Once the colleague priest disappeared and the library fell into silence, Eden took a deep breath and really opened the Holy Scripture. Despite earnest reading, the bookmark was still at the very beginning due to the book’s immense thickness.

“……”

No matter how many times Eden looked at it, the daunting thickness almost made them lose focus, but they steeled their resolve and slowly began to read the Holy Scripture.

The scripture dedicated to worshiping Hamun was filled with fantastical legends and myths, much like any other religious text, so if treated as mere fiction, it wasn’t all that boring.

However, there was another reason Eden was genuinely studying the scripture day after day.

“It should probably be time to clear this…”

With the banquet only three days away, impatience was gradually creeping in. Eden muttered to themselves before rethinking and shaking their head.

“No, I should be sincere. Only a sincere heart can receive grace.”

Please help me, Hamun.

Just then, as Eden continued reading the scripture and internally praying, they heard it.

Ding!

The long-awaited refreshing notification sound rang in Eden’s ears. Eden quickly lifted their head to see a window pop up before their eyes.

『【★】Basic Quest Completed!

: Divine Power has increased to 20! Choose your reward.

<Prophecy Book/Item/Stat>』

“Ha! That’s it!”

So excited that Eden momentarily forgot they were in a library, they let out a loud exclamation before quickly looking around in shock.

Fortunately, there were only a handful of people in the spacious library, and they glanced at Eden before returning to their own tasks.

“Ahem…”

Eden looked at the window again, cautious of their surroundings.

Just as expected. The first quest to raise Divine Power naturally followed from reading the Holy Scripture and acquiring the doctrines.

‘Of course, the higher Divine Power I want, simply reading the scripture won’t be enough.’

But what I was aiming for wasn’t Divine Power; it was the rewards.

Eden’s eyes sparkled as they looked over the three choices.

This was identical to the method of progressing in <Last Kingmaker>. Completing quests would always grant those three rewards, and players had to select one to continue the game with that as their weapon.

The Prophecy Book contained hints or major details that could help in clearing the next episode.

The Item was given randomly; it might seem useless at first but was guaranteed to have some sort of use later on.

The Stat was just that—Stats. You could raise any desired Stat from those given, and how much could be raised depended on the quest’s difficulty.

All three were extremely desirable rewards, but this time Eden had a clear preference. Their gaze locked onto the ‘Item’ in the center.

“……”

Eden was making some predictions.

‘If this character is really a hidden one, then there should definitely be a similar item coming out.’

Taking a slow breath, Eden moved their hand to press firmly on the hovering word ‘Item.’ To their surprise, as they touched it, the word ‘Item’ sparkled, and a new window appeared above it.

『You have chosen an item as a reward. Player has received the item ‘XXXXX’.』

Before Eden could even finish reading the notification, their breath hitched. They immediately felt their pockets become heavier.

“No way……”

Is this really how a game-like progression works?

“Haha……”

It was absurd to laugh at this point, but since I entered this game world, nothing could really surprise me anymore. After all, it was a world where system windows floated around in the air.

Eden unhesitatingly reached into their pocket and slowly pulled out the item they held.

“……”

Eden’s eyes sparkled brightly as they examined the item.

With an item in hand, the rest was solely up to the player.

Eden immediately went to Priest Mobrin to volunteer for the founding banquet. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to gain entry to the banquet.

Since it was a once-a-year event and a sacred celebration of the empire’s founding, of course, the Chancellor also attended, and a few Apprentice Priests could accompany as part of the experience. Eden secretly proposed a deal to Hernah, the chosen Apprentice Priest.

“I’ll handle cleaning the Chancellor’s Office for two months!”

After some deliberation, Hernah accepted Eden’s offer, and thus Eden secured the opportunity to attend the banquet.

And finally, the day of reckoning arrived.

Since the Chancellor and the Imperial Palace were not very far from each other in the capital, the priests rode their horses and carriages towards the palace, and Eden too headed to the banquet hall where their first episode would begin.

“Wow……”

As the palace came into view through the carriage window, Eden couldn’t help but be awed.

I already knew that Hesmor was the largest and most powerful empire on the continent, but being cooped up in the Chancellor’s Office for a month had deprived me of the opportunity to truly grasp it.

However, the awesome grandeur of the palace, vast and splendid, explained everything.

Moreover, with the founding day party, the entire capital was lively with a festive atmosphere, making both the palace’s surroundings and its interiors exceptionally extravagant.

‘It really feels like a game.’

The priests followed the Chancellor into the banquet hall. Upon the Chancellor’s entrance, everyone gathered ceased their chatter and fell into solemn silence.

Eden, trailing at the very end of the priest procession, glanced at the nobles as they prepared to greet what seemed almost like a divine presence.

Given the existence of a state religion and the pressing need for Divine Power against monsters in the world, it was clear the Chancellor held power nearly equivalent to that of the royal family.

“Chancellor Sereman Laoc, I present myself to Your Majesty.”

Walking along the long carpet, Chancellor Sereman reached the emperor and bowed respectfully.

From a distance, Eden stood in line with the other priests and finally caught a glimpse of Sereman’s face.

With Sereman being incredibly busy, this was the first time Eden had seen his face despite staying in the same Chancellor’s Office for a while.

Of course, Eden had seen illustrations of the Chancellor through the game a few times, so it wasn’t massively unfamiliar, but it was still intriguing to see a character come to life.

“……”

Although he held such a huge title, Sereman looked young. While Eden couldn’t know his actual age, he appeared to be barely past thirty.

Yet, as someone who garnered the deep trust of the empire’s citizens, he exuded an impression that was both gentle and solid, inspiring trust.

Moreover, boasting uncommon quality, Sereman was undeniably handsome.

‘If the Chancellor looks this good, the characters I can pursue must be something else altogether.’

Eden caught a glimpse of Sereman’s long lilac hair. The well-formed, lengthy lilac strands somehow added to his mysterious allure.

Additionally, the deep purple eyes matched the Chancellor’s aura perfectly, generating an admirable impression.

“Celebrating the founding day of Hesmor, may the great Emperor keep the empire’s citizens safe from the treachery of monsters. I too will do my utmost to assist Your Majesty.”

Watching him, Eden suddenly pondered why the Chancellor wasn’t included as a pursuit character for the throne.

Perhaps being the Chancellor required maintaining neutrality.

“Once again this year, with the Chancellor’s blessing, Hesmor will remain a peaceful and prosperous empire.”

The Emperor smiled, apparently satisfied. Although his hair was graying, he still looked vigorous.

Eden observed the Emperor with fascination. The resemblance to the illustrations was so uncanny that goosebumps spread down the back of their neck.

It was only then that Eden remembered why they were here and looked around.

“……”

The vast banquet hall had familiar faces lined up. At the very front of the hall stood the 1st Prince Kiris Decland, whom I had once tried yet failed to make an emperor.

Behind him, the 2nd Prince Patriar Decland was also present.

And then…

“Ha… ”

Eden sighed briefly. Finally, they had located the main character they needed to pursue.

With pale light brown hair and dull green eyes, his expression was emotionless.

The man, so pristine and unblemished in appearance, bore an expression so stiff it seemed he had never smiled a day in his life. He was Ibthan Rainbarren, the youngest Chancellor of the empire, known as the hope of the nation.

Eden felt daunted by the iron-clad impression he held, unchanged from their encounters in the illustrations.

It felt like you could poke him and not draw even a single drop of blood.

“How am I supposed to persuade him…?”