---

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a strategy game?”

Finally arriving before the Emperor, Asmun bent at the waist to greet him, followed closely by Karon.

“Karon Sitriel, Your Majesty, I greet you.”

At that moment, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Eden, who was left behind. Eden also bowed her head and offered her greeting.

“Eden Riliart, Your Majesty, I greet you.”

Finally, the Emperor spoke up.

“Are you the priest who can read information about monsters?”

I felt a sharp gaze piercing through me at those words.

Eden slowly lifted her head, daring to meet the Emperor’s eyes. The majesty of those eyes was enough to make my heart flutter.

Eden nodded and replied, “Yes, that’s correct.”

As she confirmed, I could hear small gasps from various corners of the room. No one would dare tell a lie before the Emperor, so Eden’s words were certainly true.

Eden realized that everyone gathered here had heard about me, yet they still doubted my skills.

‘This is going to get tiring, isn’t it?’

My name would undoubtedly become widely known now. Eden clenched her fist, resolute in her determination.

If things were going to get tiring anyway, it was better to be tired helping Asmun.

“Is that true, Karon?”

This time, the Emperor turned to Karon, who also nodded politely.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With Karon firmly affirming, the Emperor’s gaze turned curious.

“I’ve heard general news. A bizarre monster has appeared in the Grand Duchy Forest. What exactly is going on?”

“You’ve heard about the monster that has been causing severe damage in the forest near the western border.”

“Yes, I remember that. But I haven’t heard that this monster is a shapeshifting one.”

“No, the monster that Priest Eden defeated wasn’t the one from the rumors. It only appeared less than ten days ago, so the news didn’t reach the capital.”

Karon explained the situation in a calm voice.

“Eden defeated it… with her abilities?”

With the Emperor’s gaze now on Eden, she sensed that it was her moment to step forward. Karon nodded at her encouragingly, and after taking a deep breath, Eden took a step forward.

“Yes, Your Majesty. As you’ve heard, I have a somewhat special ability. When I see a monster, information about that monster is revealed to me.”

Those words elicited murmurs of amazement from the Emperor and several onlookers.

“The name of the monster we defeated was ‘Seruka.'”

“Seruka, huh. Chancellor, do you know anything about this Seruka?”

As the Emperor turned to Ibthan, who had been staring at Eden intently, he quickly gathered himself and bowed his head.

“I have yet to hear of any monster named Seruka.”

“So you know a monster that the Chancellor doesn’t?”

The Emperor’s admiration for the entirely trusted Ibthan only grew stronger.

“Go on.”

“The monsters appearing in the forest near the western border are called ‘Chupi,’ and the reason they kidnapped humans they couldn’t even eat was to offer them to Seruka.”

Gasps of shock echoed throughout the room. Even Ibthan furrowed his brow, taken aback by this unexpected information.

“Seruka is a dangerous monster that preys on humans, but you can’t use a sword to defeat it.”

“Why not?”

“The more you cut Seruka, the more it regenerates, and if you cut its neck, its head expands considerably.”

As Eden recited the information she had reviewed on Seruka during her journey, everyone looked at her with astonished expressions.

Kiris, looking somewhat anxious, clenched his fist and cast a glare at Asmun, who was silently observing Eden without a hint of surprise.

“So how do we deal with it?”

“This might sound a bit ridiculous.”

“It’s fine, so just say it.”

“To kill Seruka, you need to slice the flesh from the inside.”

At that, Ibthan’s expression froze in disbelief. Only then did he realize why Eden looked so ragged among the three of them.

“Wait, slice it from the inside? How is that even possible?”

The Emperor furrowed his brow and asked seriously, while Karon stepped in once more.

“Priest Eden entered the monster’s body.”

A murmur of disbelief spread through the room. Ibthan, who had been in a state of shock, finally let out a sigh of astonishment.

“So you actually managed to kill that thing, I mean, Seruka?”

The Emperor looked at Eden with a mix of admiration and shock, prompting Eden to quickly add,

“Actually, His Highness the 3rd Prince intended to do that himself.”

At that, Asmun, Karon, Ibthan, and even Kiris all turned stiff-faced.

“Asmun?”

“Yes. After hearing my story, he wanted to personally deal with Seruka, not wanting to sacrifice anyone else. But I couldn’t just sit by and watch over the noble Prince of the Empire for fear something went wrong, so I rushed in first.”

As Eden spun her tale, Asmun’s eyes grew cold.

“The fact that you could kill Seruka was due to the 3rd Prince’s sword. I snatched the weapon from His Highness in an attempt to deal with Seruka.”

At that, the Emperor looked at Asmun, both surprised and a bit proud.

“I always knew about the purity of the 3rd Prince. It seems His Highness’s dedication to the Empire is deepening.”

As the Emperor praised him, Asmun gave a small nod in response, though his face remained rigidly expressionless.

Karon took a moment to assess whether Asmun and Eden had time for such a conversation, while Ibthan gazed at Eden with an expression that suggested he had noticed something.

Kiris gritted his teeth, a simmering anger apparent on his face.

“If it weren’t for Priest Eden, there would have been serious trouble. To have the ability to see monster information… has anyone ever heard of such a thing?”

Just then, someone raised their hand.

“Your Majesty, I believe there’s speculation that the author of the Bestiary had a similar ability.”

“But that was over two hundred years ago. The author’s identity remains unknown.”

Ibthan bluntly cut in, causing the hand-raiser to lower their hand, looking sheepish.

“Right, yes. That’s why he wrote the Bestiary.”

The Emperor fell into thought for a moment.

It was true that the Bestiary existed, but it had long been scattered across the continent with the sealing of the Demon King, and the fragments possessed by the Imperial Palace didn’t even amount to half.

Recently, monsters had been rampant to the extent of crashing a founding banquet, and he sensed the presence of some force behind it.

If a new Bestiary could be completed now, it would certainly be of great help.

“Your Majesty, and I regret to state that we could not bring back Seruka’s corpse.”

Karon said flatly, and the Emperor looked at him incredulously.

“But the Duke of Yuren was supposed to send it.”

At those words, both Karon and Eden looked up at the Emperor in unison.

Asmun remained unfazed, as if he had been expecting this turn of events all along.

“But now that we’ve gathered all the information, there’s no need to study the corpse.”

The Emperor gazed at Eden with a satisfied expression.

Karon, who felt a bit smug after being shown up by Jepar, let out a quiet sigh only Eden noticed.

“I will bestow great rewards upon this expedition. And Priest, if you have any special requests, feel free to speak.”

Once again, all eyes turned to Eden.

Feeling the sudden pressure of their gaze, Eden cautiously opened her mouth.

“I don’t have any specific wishes… though could I perhaps go back and take a bath? As you can see, I’m in quite a state.”

As Eden smiled wearily, everyone stared at her with startled expressions. Even the Emperor looked taken aback before bursting into hearty laughter.

“Of course.”

With Eden’s request granted, the meeting was promptly adjourned. Karon headed to Ibthan’s Chancellor’s Office, while Asmun and Eden made their way back the way they came.

Walking together down the long corridor of the Imperial Palace, Asmun lowered his voice so only she could hear.

“You really are quite the liar.”

His low tone oozed sarcasm, mocking the lie she had just dragged him into.

This guy again! Whose lie was that anyway!

Flushed with indignation, Eden shot back, “Of course! I’d do anything to make you Emperor!”

She noticed Asmun’s breath catch as it fell into a tense silence.

Uh oh, did I overstep? Just as she was starting to worry, he suddenly turned to block her path.

Eden looked around in surprise but thankfully saw no one nearby.

When she turned back to Asmun, his expression was devoid of any amusement, simply serious.

“You need to understand. If I had known…”

“……”

“Even if it meant throwing everyone there into the monster’s maw, I would never have let you go inside.”

With that, Asmun shot her a fierce look before turning away.

Eden stared blankly at his retreating figure, letting out a weary sigh.

All she wanted now was to hurry back and get some rest.

 

---