<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 59>

The words that flowed out were ambiguous, and Eden could only stare blankly at Jepar, unable to respond.

He said no, but Jepar was clearly angry. However, that anger was not directed at me.

So, who was it aimed at?

‘Did he possibly catch on to Kiris’s little scheme?’

Of course, Chupi’s sudden appearance and the outburst were contrived, and Jepar couldn’t have missed the oddity of the situation.

But since the event was wrapping up, I couldn’t recklessly share my suspicions with Jepar lest it interfere with Asmun’s victory.

As I grew tense at Jepar’s unreadable expression, he suddenly smiled lightly.

“I’m really glad you’re safe, Priest.”

In an instant, the tense atmosphere melted away like ice in the sun thanks to that smile.

Jepar had a talent for manipulating the mood at will—it was clearly a natural gift.

“But at this rate, I can’t say I’ve repaid my debt to you, Priest. Protecting the aide is also the duty of a participant.”

Eden realized that Jepar didn’t want to dwell on the incident any further and quickly shook her head.

“No, it’s I who owes a debt to you, Grand Duke.”

Jepar watched Eden intently before lifting the corners of his mouth.

“So, we’re both indebted to each other, then.”

His tone was light, as if he didn’t want to burden Eden any further.

Besides, Jepar didn’t ask about the monster incident. It was a relief, as I still didn’t know what to answer, anyway.

Eden tried not to disregard his good intentions and smiled back at him.

“Now that I have an excuse, I can keep seeing you, Grand Duke.”

Hoping that Jepar, who could be upset about potentially ruining the tournament, wouldn’t avoid me anymore, this would allow for the hunting tournament episode to conclude successfully.

Jepar was needed for the story moving forward.

I felt a bittersweet twinge at thinking these thoughts while standing in front of someone so concerned about me, but there was nothing I could do.

Then it happened. Bang! Someone knocked lazily at the infirmary door and opened it without permission.

“……”

How they knew to come here, Asmun stood frozen, glaring fiercely at Jepar without a hint of surprise.

Jepar didn’t flinch and wiped the smile off his face.

“It looks like the award ceremony has concluded.”

Without even greeting Asmun, Jepar smiled at Eden and walked over to her, lifting her hand.

“Of course, we’ll see each other again. I will definitely come to visit you, Priest.”

With a kind response, his soft lips touched Eden’s knuckles. It was a polite and holy kiss filled with reverence.

Asmun’s face clearly hardened at Jepar’s provocation, and Eden was also frozen in surprise.

In the chill that returned in an instant, only Jepar maintained his composure, smiling at Eden before turning away.

The two men who locked eyes regarded each other with drastically different temperatures.

Yet as a prince, Jepar bowed first, greeting the stiff Asmun before confidently walking out.

“……”

With the door closing, a terrifying silence settled in the infirmary.

Eden touched her knuckles gently, still feeling the lingering softness. Unexpectedly, a kiss from a handsome guy wasn’t too bad.

‘Sigh, is this part of the game settings?’

It was puzzling that such a development emerged in a strategy game, not a dating sim.

‘I didn’t see this setting in my previous playthrough.’

As Eden pondered, Asmun stepped boldly toward her.

“What more do you need to see from the Grand Duke?”

At his low question, Eden looked up at Asmun. A badge of honor gifted by the Emperor hung on his chest.

This was the first time the hunting tournament episode ended in victory. Until now, all wins had been claimed by Karon.

She had secured the victory for the first time. Thinking about that made Eden forget all about what just happened and excitedly grabbed Asmun’s hand.

“We won!”

At her ridiculous statement, Asmun’s stiff expression relaxed unexpectedly.

‘Is that all she’s thinking about in this situation?’

Feeling a surge of emotions toward this woman, who was even more sincere about his victory than he was, Asmun’s dry lips moved.

“Is that really so good to you?”

Eden’s expression turned puzzled. It was a look that seemed to question why he was asking such an obvious thing.

“Huh? Isn’t it bad for you?”

Asmun continued to stare at Eden’s face, still holding her hand.

He couldn’t answer her question clearly. It felt all too unfamiliar, as if his emotions were at odds with some binary conclusion.

But looking at her face lit up with joy…

“That sounds nice.”

As Asmun replied succinctly, Eden felt a surge of anxiety, wondering if he might ruin this moment again, but her mouth curled back into a smile.

Despite still seeming indifferent, Asmun’s expression was definitely warmer than the night before.

After all, he had won by turning the tables on Kiris’s petty schemes. He couldn’t possibly feel bad about that—in fact, he was probably feeling pretty smug.

Eden had another reason to feel happy.

“I never thought you would ask for Reblem as your prize.”

Asmun had set aside his stubbornness and went along with her request.

Asmun gazed steadily at Eden, who couldn’t hide her sense of pride.

“I promised to become Emperor, didn’t I?”

In that light answer was a heavy resolve. It was a spirit she truly admired.

The plans had been thrown for a loop because Asmun had requested Reblem as a prize. There was a significant difference between the Emperor giving it on his own accord and Asmun demanding it.

As a result, it essentially announced to the world that Asmun was eager for the throne, and now Kiris would likely do everything in his power to eliminate him, but that was okay.

Despite the tangled situation, Eden didn’t dislike Asmun.

“You did well. Once Reblem stabilizes, everyone will recognize you as having the qualities of an Emperor.”

The Reblem episode was one that Eden had attempted multiple times in her challenges against Kiris, so she had a general idea of the flow and felt somewhat confident.

Eden was forming grand plans that went beyond just Reblem, and if things went as they should, she could see the potential for success.

As she delighted in the thought of smashing Kiris, Eden suddenly realized she was still holding Asmun’s hand and tried to pull away, but this time, Asmun held onto her hand firmly, not letting go.

Startled, Eden looked at him, and his steady gaze still bore into her from his crimson eyes.

“Um… Your Highness…?”

“……”

“Um… my hand….”

“Isn’t it enough for you to have just me?”

“Huh…?”

“It’s better not to invest in others.”

Asmun warned her with a relaxed expression.

Eden’s spine tingled from the pinpointed remark.

“I alone can grant the Priest’s wishes.”

In his renewed ease, Eden realized that Asmun instinctively understood her fate.

Asmun’s destiny and her desires.

While they seemed to tread the same path, there was a monumental difference between them.

Asmun understood that she was not merely acting for his fate but that she had her own inevitable calling to fulfill, just as compelling as his own.

Asmun continued to stare intensely at the bewildered Eden.

“Only I share this destiny with you, Priest.”

“……”

“You must not forget that.”

His large hand gripped hers tightly, feeling overwhelmingly vast.

Finally, the exhausting hunting tournament had come to an end, but even inside the carriage returning to the Great Temple, Eden could not find peace.

Now she had to figure out what to pick from the two rewards given to her.

Eden was roughly predicting the story that would unfold ahead. Although a prophecy book wasn’t urgently needed, there was no telling when and how the story might take a sharp turn, and in such cases, the power of the prophecy book could not be underestimated.

It was tense to have two rewards and still feel so anxious.

“The greed of humans knows no bounds.”

Eden muttered self-deprecatingly as she pressed her throbbing head.

The stat she craved the most right now was the Divine Power, and within that, specifically, healing ability. If she hadn’t had healing power, Asmun wouldn’t have been able to recover, and without that, victory would have been nothing but a dream.

It was as if stamina directly equated to national strength.

Remembering the sensation of healing Asmun while feeling dizzy, she couldn’t overlook the importance of Divine Power.

“Ugh. Stat!”

Eden impulsively shouted for the stat.

“Divine Power!”

With a bright noise, the notification window changed.

Below that, Eden’s profile shone and appeared.

The stats had improved significantly compared to her earlier miserable state. Eden let out a small sigh seeing her Divine Power finally hit 40.

Of course, she didn’t feel any holier or suddenly gain any divine faith, but the mere number of 40 reassured her. She had a premonition that she would need to use healing abilities a lot in the future.

“Alright. I’ll settle for this level of Divine Power for now….”

And what about the remaining reward…?