<Isn’t This a Strategy Game? Episode 39>

Feeling a bit guilty, Eden tried to ease the tension by calling out to Asmun, but he remained unmoved. His face, fixed outside the window, looked either angry or lost in thought.

Eden hesitated about what to say and blurted out anything.

“The sword… was well used. It’s a legendary blade.”

At that nonsensical remark, Asmun’s gaze finally shifted towards Eden.

“……”

Ugh. With a cold glare that felt like it could freeze me, Eden became rigid. The awkward smile that had lingered at the corner of her mouth vanished without a trace.

It hit her like a ton of bricks that she had messed up, but it was too late to mop up the spilled water.

“What I meant is… if it hadn’t been for Your Highness’s sword, I might have died meaninglessly… you know… it could have been a disaster…”

At that, Asmun let out a small chuckle.

A chuckle?

Startled by his sudden laugh, Eden looked at Asmun. He still stared at her with a cold expression, parting his thin lips.

“You’re lying.”

Eden’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Lying…?

Bewildered by his incomprehensible words, she felt his head tilt slightly in her direction.

His crimson eyes lingered over Eden’s cheek. Because of the mixed toxins from Chupi and the goo from Seruka, her once pale cheek was covered in blisters and flushed red.

“The priest fears not death.”

As his low voice resonated, a sharp pang hit Eden’s heart. It was a ridiculous statement, yet it strangely pierced the core of her feelings.

She wasn’t afraid of death, but after all, this was just a game, and if she died here, there was the possibility of reset or escape. So inadvertently, she had become a bit reckless.

Had this been reality, she wouldn’t have been that reckless.

“That can’t be true. How could one not fear death?”

However, that was also true. Eden was indeed afraid of death. She feared seeing Hagen’ti die and the nameless Jepar soldier’s bones crumble.

She didn’t want to witness such things. No matter how much it was just a game.

“I’m afraid, but I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I know a way to resolve things…”

Eden made her excuse, but Asmun continued to regard her with his impassive expression. Then, in a voice as cruel as it was indifferent, he said:

“I will cancel our pact.”

At those words, Eden’s heart sank.

What?

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I think you have a greater mission than making me an Emperor, so you should pursue that.”

Asmun looked at Eden with his red eyes, which expertly disguised his true intentions.

“I’ll climb to the Emperor’s seat without your assistance.”

As he smiled without regret, Eden’s eyes widened. If that happened, everything would go down the drain. The main quest of the game was for ‘me’ to make Asmun the Emperor.

“Ah, no! That can’t be!”

“……”

“You promised. Everything I’ve said so far has been right, you know.”

Desperately reasserting her contributions, she found Asmun’s eyes unmoving, as if he had already made up his mind. His cold stare made Eden feel anxious.

“What about the pact? Have you forgotten?”

Eden clutched her chest, pleading earnestly.

“This can’t be canceled! You know that!”

“I know a way to cancel it. Don’t worry.”

Asmun said casually, smiling gently, and Eden’s eyes widened in surprise.

What? Is there really such a thing?

It was alluring, but not right now.

Eden pointed to the area where the markings were inscribed with both hands, trying to distance herself from him, sticking her body against the carriage wall.

“N-No! You said you’d allow me to help if I solved Count Retton’s issue. Keep your promise! I can’t accept this!”

As Eden, flustered, noticed Asmun staring at her with lowered eyes, she realized she had fallen into his trap.

She belatedly snapped her mouth shut, but it was too late. His face, devoid of any amusement, seemed to pierce through her inner thoughts.

“Just be honest with me now.”

“……”

“What’s the reason you must make me the Emperor?”

His quietly asked question was chillingly cold. When Eden kept her mouth shut in response, he continued.

“You have other reasons. I won’t buy that convenient excuse of it being the will of the gods anymore.”

Asmun calmly laid out his observations, never breaking his gaze on Eden. Although he didn’t believe in the gods, he understood those who did.

If Eden were truly a devout priest who prioritized divine will, she wouldn’t have dared to undertake such reckless actions. After all, she still hadn’t made him the Emperor according to the gods’ will.

When Eden vanished into the monster’s throat, Asmun felt a shock akin to the ground crumbling beneath his feet. The realization that he felt such shock turned out to be a significant blow. The pain he had momentarily felt still resonated vividly in his mind.

And when Eden emerged, having beheaded that monster, it felt as though everything beneath him had collapsed. He couldn’t deny that she had become an essential presence in his life, regardless of the meaning.

To come to rely on her to such an extent. Eden could not die now. She was a woman utterly necessary for his path to becoming Emperor.

As such thoughts crossed his mind, simultaneously Asmun’s heart grew cold with dread. Eden did not fear death.

That meant he had no leverage to hold onto her. Asmun couldn’t tie down the woman right before him with a foolish threat like a fateful pact…

“You don’t have to answer. I won’t cancel the pact.”

It dawned on him that all choices resided with Eden. And that truth was unbearable. Thus, Asmun remained lost in thought the entire time they exited the forest.

He had to figure out how to keep Eden tied to him.

“But if something like today happens again…”

“……”

“It will all be over.”

Yet, Asmun had one sliver of hope. The fact that Eden clearly had a reason to not let him go.

Watching Eden getting riled up over his declaration to cancel their pact, Asmun felt a sense of relief.

“You said you wouldn’t die before making me Emperor.”

As the carriage carrying the two of them rattled, Eden’s brown hair swayed along with it, spilling over her anxious face.

What was Eden hiding?

Not a spy for Kiris, nor a person hoping for his downfall. Eden genuinely wanted to make him Emperor.

Asmun was now truly curious about her intentions. He looked at Eden, who silently stared at him, and spoke in a warning tone.

“You must keep that promise.”

Whatever it was, he had to discover and hold onto it.

The road back to the capital was expected to be arduous, but due to an unexpected event, Eden was able to return to the capital quickly.

The Emperor, who had already heard about what happened in the Grand Duchy Forest, had sent precious teleport scrolls to the portal area. There were only three teleport scrolls.

It was clear who those ‘three’ were.

“I’m sure the Emperor would like to hear directly from you.”

Eden was taken aback by the unexpected circumstance.

“But I can’t meet His Majesty like this…”

The three people who went through trouble were in no shape to present themselves like this. Among them, Eden’s state after being inside Seruka was downright ragged.

“Shouldn’t we take a bath before going?”

“No, it’s better this way.”

Karon said in a firm voice, smiling gently. Eden shot a glance at Asmun, but he wasn’t looking at her. His indifferent attitude made her blood boil. After their earlier argument in the carriage, Asmun hadn’t given her even a glance.

The event quest was something she had done for her personal benefit, but the basic quest couldn’t be avoided, and Eden was starting to get mad at Asmun, who was treating her so coldly.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Eden nodded resolutely, no longer worrying about Asmun’s feelings. The three used the teleport scrolls and arrived directly at the Imperial Palace.

“This way, please.”

The waiting soldiers led the three into an expansive space that felt like something out of an old movie. A long red carpet stretched ahead, and the Emperor waited for them on a tall and grand chair at the end.

Asmun adeptly led the way, with Karon and Eden following closely behind. As they approached, Eden noticed several others looking at them beside the Emperor. She stole a quick glance at them.

‘Kiris…’

The anxious Kiris, who had come upon hearing the rumors, was trying to mask his nervousness with a polished smile. And next to him was…

“……”

Ibthan. Ibthan looked at Asmun with a puzzled expression before staring at Eden, freezing in place. Eden quickly avoided his gaze and tried to act nonchalant. She must have been annoyed to see him so starkly different from her confident self before—now a ragged mess.

And beside them were high-ranking officials, whose expressions varied, possibly the same ones she saw at the founding banquet.

While she had no idea what they were thinking, all of them seemed horrified at the sight of the three’s ragged appearance and couldn’t tear their eyes away from Eden, who looked as if she were the most curious of all about how anyone could look like this.

“Asmun Deckland, I present to His Majesty the Emperor.”