<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 57>

Eden looked over the chaotic icons moving around.

Karon was engaged in a fierce battle with a high-level monster, while Madam Marens was somewhere, completely frozen in place. She probably fainted when the magic wore off. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any monsters nearby.

Eden’s gaze quickly darted to find where I and Asmun were marked.

Sure enough, spotting our names alone at the outermost and rugged area of the high-level hunting grounds made Eden feel a breath of relief.

‘If I have this, I can clear the quest!’

“Your Highness!”

Suddenly excited, Eden looked up and was met by a handsome face that was surprisingly close. Startled, Eden held her breath and widened her eyes.

Asmun was staring at her with a gaze that cared not for maps or anything else.

“Priest.”

His calm voice seeped in impossibly close. Eden froze, unable to respond, gazing at the unreal face before her.

The quiet breath was uncomfortably close.

“The Priest exists for my sake.”

That was a rather out-of-context statement for this situation. Still, Eden could offer no rebuttal, eyes fixed on the man claiming ownership over her.

Asmun didn’t seem angry, but his crimson eyes were darker than ever, chilling something deep inside her.

“So…”

His gaze locked solely on Eden, it was oddly nuanced—a clean, firm look as if he had concluded something.

“You mustn’t have any other thoughts.”

The unwavering gaze slowly traveled down Eden’s face, lingering on her dry, cracked lips.

“I won’t tolerate even a bit.”

Her heart began to beat slowly at that gaze.

Eden understood well the meaning behind Asmun’s words.

He needed her; he had realized that to sit on the throne in this world, she had to be there.

Thus, his blind obsession stemmed from his inherent ambition, and to him, she was nothing more than a tool to ascend to the throne.

Even so, knowing all this…

Thump, thump.

Feeling her heart beat out of sync in her throat, Eden panicked at herself. It was clear that she had gone through too much and was somewhat dazed.

‘How could I feel this way about a game character…’

But no matter how much she denied it, the man in front of her was more real than anything else.

Her only salvation and hope.

Eden gazed at Asmun, whose breath was so close it felt like it could touch her.

Asmun was mistaken. He was the one who existed for Eden.

For Eden’s clear outcome. To send her back to her original world.

With a heart full of determination reflected in his fiery red eyes, Eden slowly parted her dry lips.

“…Then please promise that you will definitely become the Emperor.”

Despite the audacious condition, Asmun’s expression didn’t change. He merely looked at Eden with a more relaxed gaze and responded. It was his destiny and mission.

“I promise.”

“And that you will win this tournament as well.”

At those words, Asmun’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He likely knew too well that it was far too late for that.

Still, Eden’s resolute gaze did not waver and sparkled with determination.

“Absolutely.”

Ibthan looked up at the sky slowly turning red. The sun was about to set, and when it did, the hunting tournament would come to an end.

“…”

There were always big and small accidents during the imperial hunting tournament, and if it coincided with political issues or infighting for the heir within the imperial family, it was certainly an ideal time for incidents disguised as accidents, something Ibthan knew well.

“Hmm, that’s why I was strongly warned that high-level hunting grounds were dangerous…”

Therefore, it was easy to predict that Kiris, who was watching the situation with keen interest, wouldn’t miss such a golden opportunity, even without having eavesdropped on last night’s conversation.

Even so, the fact he didn’t actively defend and instead assisted was…

‘Because he had no intention of getting involved in such heir disputes.’

After all, Kiris’s target was Asmun, and Ibthan had no intention of siding with either of them.

If Asmun fell to Kiris’s schemes and dropped out from the heir competition, then his capabilities only amounted to that.

The Emperor evidently shared similar thoughts, which was why he had been neglecting the subtle psychological warfare between the three princes.

‘Strategically winning in a power struggle is precisely the quality most needed by the Emperor.’

“What happens if we don’t find them by nightfall? It could be a case of encountering monsters. The monsters for this tournament were particularly fierce.”

At Kiris’s murmuring that contained his wish, Ibthan’s gaze turned cold.

Ibthan was overlooking something crucial. Kiris was cunning, yet surprisingly had an astonishing instinct for insight, despite his simple and eccentric personality.

Kiris’s target at the hunting tournament was not Asmun; it was Eden.

“Immediately send out soldiers to search the forest.”

Ibthan suddenly recalled Jepar, who had come back with a stiffened face asking for a search.

After hearing the situation, Ibthan immediately dispatched soldiers to begin the search, but even by sunset, Eden still hadn’t appeared.

Alongside her, neither had Asmun nor Madam Marens.

“What do you mean Asmun and Marens are missing?!”

The Emperor, who had heard the news while staying at the Star Palace, erupted in fury.

Asmun was his son before he was a prince, and Madam Marens was a long-time friend of the Emperor, so his face was deeply troubled.

“We are currently searching. We’ve increased the troops, so we will find them.”

Ibthan bowed his head, calming the Emperor.

Kiris feigned concern as the Emperor arrived, making it seem like he was eager to search himself, playing the part.

Ibthan gritted his teeth in frustration. He was angered he hadn’t noticed where Kiris’s schemes were directed.

‘That peculiar loyalty must not have been visible only to me.’

Kiris would have instinctively sensed that Eden would not be swayed by him, and thus there was only one option left.

To remove her.

But Eden could not simply die so ignobly. That foolish 1st Prince didn’t even grasp a fraction of her value.

In the distance, Karon, mounted on a horse, quickly galloped towards Ibthan and came to a stop before him.

“Still nothing?”

Karon was on his way back from searching the mountains with soldiers upon hearing the news. Given his serious question, Ibthan merely nodded short.

“Yes.”

Karon’s face grew even more serious. The sky was now burning a frenzy of red.

“I think we need to go back and check again…”

Just as Karon was about to turn his horse around.

“Hey! Look! Someone’s coming over there!”

One of the soldiers shouted loudly, and everyone’s gaze simultaneously focused on one spot below the mountain. Indeed, two large, dark shadows were rapidly approaching.

Ibthan held his breath, intently watching the black shadows.

Soon the shadows were illuminated by the glowing sunset, revealing their true forms.

“Priest!”

As Karon shouted, Ibthan’s tightly bound heart dropped.

Kiris also looked towards the two horses rushing over in disbelief.

On one horse was Eden, while on the other were Asmun and the unconscious Madam Marens.

“Asmun! Marens!”

The Emperor sprang up, recognition flashing across his face in joy as he spotted the two.

The two horses came to a halt in front of everyone.

“Bring Madam Marens down.”

Ibthan quietly commanded the soldiers, who were dazedly watching him, to quickly approach and carefully lift her down from the horse.

Ibthan watched as Eden leaped off the horse.

The neat appearance before departure had vanished completely, replaced by a disheveled state as if she had rolled and fallen somewhere. Yet, her face bore an expression of triumph without a hint of fatigue.

Asmun, after handing off Madam Marens, dismounted and led the horse over to the Emperor, bowing respectfully.

“What happened? Why did you come with Marens? Moreover, that noble lady is…”

The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows at Eden. Soon, he remembered where he had seen her and his face cleared up.

“No, she is not a noble lady. It was Priest Eden, wasn’t it?”

Ibthan, with a stiff expression, noticed the magic crystal necklace around Eden’s neck. The color of the necklace was subtly faded.

The only reason the protective magic crystal’s color changes is when…

When the owner’s life is threatened.

When Eden bowed her head to greet, Asmun skillfully delivered the response he had prepared in advance.

“Yes. I happened to come across the Priest after her horse encountered problems, and we found Madam Marens collapsed on the way here.”

“Hah, Marens? That can’t be! Asmun, why do you look like that?!”

At the Emperor’s words, Ibthan, who had been watching Eden the whole time, realized Asmun’s appearance was as disheveled as Eden’s.

He was practically drenched in blood from his hunting attire, yet he didn’t appear tired or pained at all, which was puzzling.

“This happened while hunting. It’s not my blood.”

As Asmun casually replied, Kiris’s face distorted. Asmun’s gaze turned towards Ibthan.

“The tournament isn’t over yet, right?”