<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 47>

Eden quickly pulled out some cleaning tools, just in case Sereman came back, and headed straight for Hagen’ti’s castle.

After climbing the long stairs and reaching the end of a dark corridor, Eden walked directly to the place where she first met Hagen’ti, without a hint of hesitation or confusion.

As she ascended the circular staircase, she heard a faint moan in the still air.

“Ugh….”

Eden’s steps came to an abrupt halt at that sound. Her eyes widened in realization; her suspicions had finally been confirmed.

She hurriedly quickened her pace, leaping two steps at a time, more anxious than her feet could keep up, breathless with anticipation.

“Ha… ugh…!”

Upon reaching the top, Eden burst through the slightly ajar door.

“Hagen’ti!”

There he was, just like before, clutching his chest and writhing in agony.

Just as she suspected.

Eden recalled that the day she first met Hagen’ti was a full moon night.

And how, when asked about his illness, he glared at the moon. Hagen’ti had been suffering in a tall tower where not a single beam of moonlight could enter.

Like most fantasy tales, the moon was the easiest motif to use when constructing a world.

Among them, the energy of a full moon, filled with dark energy, was surely the most convenient and believable element to torment a Great Mage.

Thus, Eden had anticipated that Hagen’ti’s inexplicable illness was influenced by the full moon, and indeed, her prediction was spot on.

“Hah….”

Unlike last time when he had completely lost his senses and was in torment, this time Hagen’ti reacted to Eden’s voice. He struggled to lift his head, spotting her rushing toward him.

“Wait a minute… just a second!”

Eden dashed over and sank to her knees in front of Hagen’ti, rummaging through her priest robe’s pocket.

From it, she pulled out a small vial, fumbling with shaky hands to open the cap before grabbing Hagen’ti’s arm for support.

“Take this. Quick!”

The moment Eden’s hand touched him, the relentless pain tormenting Hagen’ti’s heart dissipated in an instant.

“……!”

His pupils widened in disbelief, but Eden was too caught up to notice, as she pressed the vial to his lips.

Slowly swallowing hard, Hagen’ti gazed at Eden with tear-filled eyes, willingly accepting the medicine.

“……”

Eden watched him, tense with anticipation.

“Hah….”

A soft moan escaped his lips, this time devoid of pain—just a sigh of relief.

His flushed and battered face began to ease, the agony that had bent his back straightening, and she felt a joyful smile forming.

“It’s working!”

Eden squealed with excitement as she threw her arms around Hagen’ti, making him stiffen and stare at her. Her face, glistening with sweat as though she’d just run a marathon, was as drenched as Hagen’ti’s.

“Phew… I’m so glad, really…”

As the tension that had gripped her all day finally eased, Eden couldn’t help but rest her forehead against Hagen’ti’s shoulder.

Hagen’ti swallowed hard, gazing at Eden leaning against him.

“……”

Eden closed her eyes for a moment, stroking her loosely relaxed chest.

The medicine she had given Hagen’ti was stolen from the Temple—a pain relief concoction made by high-ranking priests using their divine powers. She had hoped it would help, and it turned out perfectly.

Although preventing Hagen’ti’s rampage was her main mission, such simple solutions wouldn’t resolve everything, yet it could certainly delay it.

‘And the most important thing is…’

Eden slowly lifted her head and examined his gray eyes, which were fixated on her.

Hagen’ti’s beautiful pink hair was once again soaked in sweat, and his pale face was marred with various scratches as if he had been writhing in pain.

Meeting his worn eyes, Eden smiled gently.

“I’m not late this time, right?”

At her words, Hagen’ti’s eyes, which had been glued to her without blinking, began to harden slowly.

Eden carefully reached out, brushing the hair sticking to his sweaty face.

The most crucial thing was that she could put an end to Hagen’ti’s suffering.

‘How could they leave him stuck like this for 50 years?!’

Anger surged within her at the ruthless creator.

Of course, this pain was likely just a dramatic plot element for the game, but even so, it was too cruel.

The idea that he would be left alone, silently suffering in obscurity until he eventually went berserk, was inhumane.

‘To torment him like this and then just say, ‘the Empire fell due to Hagen’ti’s rampage’—that’s just harsh!’

Thus, Eden found herself sympathizing with Hagen’ti’s untold hardships.

Despite knowing he was just a game character, she genuinely wanted to heal him. To her, it might be just a game, but for those living in this world, it all felt so very real.

The end of a game should be perfect, the story’s conclusion must be a happy one, and so, everyone should find happiness, including Hagen’ti.

Eden held onto his hand tightly, trying to comfort him, and flashed a bright smile.

“See? I said I’d take responsibility!”

As Eden confidently boasted and smiled, Hagen’ti’s breathing slowed down.

It was strange. Though he recognized that the pain that had gripped his heart moments ago was gone, something deep inside him felt a dull ache.

“Ugh, look at all this sweat.”

Hagen’ti, momentarily stunned, stared intently at Eden’s concerned face, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

“I think I need some water.”

Just as Eden made to stand up to find some water, Hagen’ti quickly grabbed her arm.

Surprised, Eden turned to him, noticing his dry, bleeding lips slowly moving.

“You don’t have to drink.”

His voice was parched and cracked.

“Just… stay here.”

It was a quiet request, but it carried a dry plea within that spoke volumes.

Eden hesitated but then returned to sit beside him. Hagen’ti still held her arm tightly.

“Look at me.”

Eden extended her free hand, cupping his sweaty chin gently. She carefully pressed her fingers against the wounds that were still weeping blood.

Despite the obvious pain of her touch, Hagen’ti didn’t flinch once, only gazing at her with unwavering intensity.

A white light began to radiate from her hand, slowly absorbing the wounds on his skin without a trace.

After several repetitions, as his pale face became clean and free of wounds, Eden retracted her hand, satisfied.

Hagen’ti, who had remained absolutely still during the healing, finally flinched as the gentle touch faded away.

“Much better.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. This is all I can do for now, but I’ll train hard and level up…”

Eden blurted out, but she suddenly realized Hagen’ti wouldn’t understand what “level up” meant. She awkwardly corrected herself.

“I’ll practice really hard and make sure you get completely better.”

“……”

“So don’t think about anything else, just wait a little longer. Got it?”

Eden placed her other hand over the one Hagen’ti was still holding as she spoke.

“……”

Again, she wondered if he’d pull away and vanish, but surprisingly, Hagen’ti held her gaze for a moment before nodding slowly.

His response felt so faint it could easily be overlooked, yet a wave of joy flooded over Eden’s heart.

‘Finally, this thick-headed guy recognizes my sincerity!’

It felt like finally receiving a nod from a wary cat that had only fled after food for months.

Eden swallowed her rising emotions and smiled warmly.

“Yeah, that’s a good boy.”

Eden, still held by Hagen’ti, released her grip and gently petted his soft, curly pink hair.

For a moment, she felt a slight tightening of his hand around hers, but that was it.

Hagen’ti let her touch him, merely continuing to gaze at her intently.

Overwhelmed with relief and excitement, Eden found herself lost in contemplation, unable to meet his gaze.

‘Thank goodness. For now, I can breathe easier.’

In reality, she had felt as if she was playing two games simultaneously all the while worrying about Hagen’ti.

But now that she had figured out how to ease his suffering and could smoothly participate in the hunting competition, her mind felt much lighter.

Tomorrow was the eve of the hunting competition. And the full moon rising was surely planned by the game creators.

However, they likely never anticipated that Eden would discover the full moon’s secret and bring the priests’ medicine to soothe Hagen’ti.

This was quite the unexpected turn of events. A thrill raced up Eden’s spine.