<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 58>

At the relaxed question, Ibthan glanced up at the sky, where the sun was barely hanging at the edge of the mountain.

He then nodded again at Asmun.

“Yes.”

Then Asmun stepped aside and announced,

“I’ll present the hunting spoils.”

Only then did people’s gazes focus on the horse he rode in on. Eyes went wide as they took in the pieces of monsters hanging off each side of the horse.

“Gasp…”

“Two, three, four…”

“Oh my gosh, it’s seven!”

“Seven? Did you say seven?”

Kiris also stared blankly at the advanced monster pieces, which had an advanced mark on them.

Until now, Karon’s hunt had been leading with four advanced monsters and one intermediate monster, and Kiris had two advanced monsters and three intermediates. But just like that, everything was ruthlessly shattered.

Moreover, Madam Marens was fine, and even Eden had returned unscathed…

Blood vessels popped in Kiris’s eyes.

“Seven? You hunted seven advanced monsters?!”

The Emperor, who had been serious just moments ago, now grinned with joy and asked. Kiris felt his head spinning.

Eden watched with a delighted smile as Kiris’s face turned red and flustered.

It was certainly not hard to find the remaining advanced monsters scattered around.

‘After all, there was a special map indicating the location of every creature in the hunting grounds.’

Asmun was highly skilled, so hunting the monsters he found was a walk in the park.

The clever map also reliably indicated that the soldiers were searching for them, and Eden had skillfully sidestepped them, stacking up Asmun’s hunting achievements until he finally arrived here.

It was all Eden’s intention to run over to where Madam Marens had collapsed to check on her.

‘This way, Kiris would get an inkling that I’ve somehow fallen into my own trap and would freak out.’

As expected, Kiris lost any composure and stood there, pale with dread.

The fact that Eden had returned safe and sound, and that Asmun was about to win, was enough to drive him crazy.

But that was just scratching the surface.

‘You’ve messed up now.’

Eden clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

Kiris had made a major blunder. He had drawn me, who was simply playing a game, into a world of over-investment.

“Seven monsters, huh? Isn’t this a new record, Chancellor?”

The Emperor asked as he turned to Ibthan, who had been staring at Eden until then. Ibthan adeptly turned to the Emperor and nodded.

“Yes, indeed.”

With that brief answer, a satisfied smile spread across the Emperor’s face.

“Then it’s clear that Asmun is the winner.”

Just then, Jepar, who had hurried back after hearing the news while searching the hunting grounds for Eden, finally spotted her and came to a halt.

As Eden’s eyes subtly shifted to Asmun, Jepar’s expression stiffened.

“…”

Standing at a distance, Jepar gazed at Eden, whose disheveled state had a proud smile plastered on her face.

“I guess I should go check on Marens.”

The Emperor quickly turned but hesitated, casting another glance at Asmun.

“Right, since the winner is clear, we need to award the prize. Do you have something in mind?”

Instantly, everyone’s eyes turned toward Asmun.

Eden was tense, not knowing what Asmun would choose as a reward. So much was happening, he hadn’t thought it through.

‘Oh no, this critical opportunity…’

Eden looked anxiously at Asmun. However, Asmun, unperturbed by the sudden question, calmly looked at the Emperor and spoke.

“Yes. I would like Reblem.”

The air turned stifling as his firm voice rang out. Everyone gaped at Asmun in disbelief, and even the Emperor couldn’t hide his astonishment, raising his eyebrows.

But among them, the most stunned was Eden.

“……”

Eden looked at Asmun, stunned as if he had been hit on the back of the head. Amid the panic and stubbornness around, Asmun remained as composed as ever.

“Ha ha ha, you want Reblem? The same Reblem you turned down before?”

“Yes.”

“What made you change your mind?”

The Emperor asked, his gaze sharp.

“I realized I too am the son of your Majesty and inherited your aspirations.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Asmun replied.

That statement left Eden, Kiris, Ibthan, and indeed everyone present, variously baffled.

What Asmun was saying was akin to declaring, “I too am a prince, and I’m ready to jump straight into the succession battle.”

“I’ll prove it.”

It was a clean answer full of spirit.

The Emperor looked at Asmun, seemingly taken aback, before bursting into a hearty laugh.

Both Asmun’s prize request and his recent response pleased him greatly.

“Very well. Reblem shall be yours.”

With the Emperor’s approval, Asmun bowed his head in gratitude.

Kiris was now red from the neck up, nearly exploding in rage, forgetting they were in the Emperor’s presence.

“Let’s go see Marens.”

The Emperor’s face had perked up, and he turned, leading his subordinates back.

As the Emperor left, the place turned hectic. Angered, Kiris stormed off, and the whispers intensified. It felt like everyone was buzzing with excitement over the unexpected outcome.

Amidst all the noise crashing in, it didn’t break through to Eden’s eardrums, just a dull roar. Eden continued to stare at Asmun, still frozen in disbelief.

At that moment, Asmun’s gaze landed on Eden.

Asmun’s appearance remained a mess, but his eyes shone brightly with an unyielding light. Meeting his gaze made Eden’s heart race again.

Ding!

A completion window popped up, shining above Asmun’s head.

Eden hadn’t registered the achievement window, his eyes meeting Asmun’s. As he flashed a faint smile, Eden felt a sharp pang in her heart.

“……”

The flutter in her heart was so overwhelming that she could sense not only Asmun’s gaze but that of three other men fixated on her as well.

Finally, the episode of the hunting competition came to an end.

Not only had the plan gone awry, but with Asmun emerging as the champion, a crazed Kiris questioned Madam Marens’s fainting incident, only for the conscious Madam Marens to affirm that it was merely exhaustion, so there was no way to overturn Asmun’s victory, which had already been secured.

With Asmun’s victory confirmed, Eden once again received a reward.

She had also cleared the quest to defeat one monster in the hunting competition, meaning she had actually gained two rewards just from that event.

There was one more reward, which was another level-up.

It seemed that her level had risen thanks to the help she got from Jepar and Asmun during the hunt.

Intermediate monster extermination, huh?

Now, she no longer needed to dig through the guides to know the power this skill held.

‘With just these weak hands of mine, I can wipe out those terrifying monsters.’

From Jepar’s and Asmun’s reactions, it seemed this skill had a high probability of being uniquely hers, just like the bestiary ability, and Eden was beginning to truly grasp the power of being a hidden character.

‘This is incredible.’

The earlier embarrassment of being dubbed a powerless apprentice priest felt utterly insignificant now.

As things started wrapping up, Eden recalled Jepar.

She felt genuinely sorry knowing that he had immediately rushed down to request troops after losing track of her.

Jepar’s hunting rewards were just two advanced monsters he had captured with her, meaning he had focused on searching for her at the cost of giving up the hunting competition.

Although she had participated under the pretense of helping him, in reality, she had just been a nuisance.

“Grand Duke.”

While resting after receiving simple treatment in the infirmary instead of watching the awarding ceremony, Eden spotted Jepar entering and immediately stood up.

‘The awarding ceremony shouldn’t be over yet, right?’

He must have come to check on her during the ceremony.

“You can sit down.”

Jepar urged Eden gently as he approached her. Contrary to her expectations that he might be extremely angry, his face remained kind.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes. I’m okay. Just a little banged up.”

She had bruises and scrapes from falling off the horse, but thankfully there were no serious injuries.

Jepar had listened to her explanation about how she had coincidentally met Asmun after falling from the horse and managed to escape from the monsters, so he didn’t pry for details.

“You must have been quite shocked.”

When Eden asked apologetically, Jepar stared at her quietly. His blue eyes abruptly grew chillingly cold, making Eden gulp without realizing it.

So he really was angry after all.

“I understand even if you’re upset. I messed up the competition for you and…”

Then Jepar chuckled softly.

“If the priestess had messed up, I suppose I would have been angry.”

His voice was tender, in stark contrast to his previously icy gaze.

“If that were the case, I imagine I would have been quite furious.”