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<Wasn’t this a Strategy Game? Episode 73>

Eden’s eyes went wide.

“What…?”

Below the unresolved basic Quest window, there appeared a time limit that hadn’t been there before.

“This wasn’t mentioned! Where did this come from! What happens in three hours!”

Realizing the implication of the time limit, Eden’s face turned pale.

Three hours from now. If he didn’t rescue Ella in three hours…….

“Gasp…”

Ella would become a Monster’s prey.

Eden leaped out of his seat and flung open the door, sprinting madly. But he couldn’t find Asmun in the Study, his room, or the Chancellor’s Office.

Moreover, the castle was strangely quieter than usual.

“Your Highness! I need to see you! Where are you? Hurry!”

While wandering the castle searching for Asmun, Eden happened upon one of his subordinates. The knight Baint, just as familiar as Ronpell, stood before him.

Eden grabbed Baint and urgently asked, but Baint’s expression turned awkward.

“Um… Priest, His Highness is not in the castle right now.”

Eden felt a lump in his throat.

“Where did he go…?”

“He just went to the beach. And he asked me to let you know that it would be best for you to stay here until the matter is resolved…”

No way…!

Eden silently screamed in despair at the tangled situation. Baint flinched at his strange expression, and Eden seized him by the collar.

“Listen carefully.”

“Y-yes?”

“This.”

Eden pressed a map he had obtained as a special reward into Baint’s hand. Baint’s face, having no idea what it was, grew even more puzzled.

“You need to dash to Vadelnut and convey this to His Highness as quickly as possible.”

“W-what is this, Priest?”

“It’s a map showing where Eloch’s Ship is docked.”

Baint’s eyes widened at that, but Eden disregarded him and continued.

“And I’m going to board that ship to find the kidnapped children.”

“W-what…?”

“So please let him know he needs to arrive quickly.”

“Priest!”

Baint, who had been given the special mission to keep Eden safe while they ambushed Eloch’s Ship, turned pale.

He hoped this was all some prank and forced a laugh.

“Haha, you’re joking, right? Yes? How could you possibly get on that ship right now…”

But when Eden pulled something out of his pocket, Baint’s laughter abruptly stopped. While Baint had never used it himself, he knew exactly what Eden was holding.

A precious movement scroll.

“P-Priest…!”

“We have to leave immediately if we want to make it in time. My life depends on you, knight.”

With a determined voice, Eden murmured, gripping the last movement scroll tightly.

“To where Ella is.”

Then Baint felt empty where Eden had grabbed him, and Eden instantly vanished.

Staring at the spot where Eden had disappeared, Baint clutched his head and screamed.

“Aaaah!”

Eden abruptly turned his head and looked around.

The scroll’s effect was just as certain as last time, and it was unmistakably a ship he was on.

The sturdy floor, ceiling, and walls were unmistakably feeling the gentle sway of the waves.

‘I’m inside Eloch’s Ship…!’

It seemed he was in a large storage area. It was dark and damp with no windows, presumably underground, and he didn’t hear any noise. In such a place, it didn’t seem like anyone would come to rescue them, no matter what happened.

“Ha…”

Eden took a deep breath. Only then did he realize how reckless his actions had been.

But it was too late; what was done was done, and he had to save Ella within the remaining time.

Now, he could only trust Asmun, and Asmun was…

His mind flashed back to Asmun’s frighteningly rational eyes, but Eden bit his lip.

“…He will come. Absolutely.”

Taking a quiet deep breath, Eden focused and began to walk slowly.

Compared to the last time when he had taken an aimless coordinate with Asmun, finding Ella this time should be easier.

‘She must be here.’

As expected, as he turned a corner, a large storage scene unfolded.

Eden froze when he spotted several iron cages lined up. Small children were huddled inside the cages.

‘You sick bastards!’

Eden clenched his fists and moved toward the cages. There seemed to be about six cages, each with three or four children inside.

“Hey, kids.”

Eden whispered urgently, and the kids, who had been huddled together, lifted their heads in surprise. Eden quickly put a finger to his lips and shushed them, examining the kids.

“Are you okay?”

The children were chubby, and now knowing their purpose, it was clear why they hadn’t been starved, making Eden feel nauseous.

“W-Who are you?”

The oldest-looking child asked in a trembling voice, and Eden forced himself to smile to reassure him.

“I’ve come to save you.”

Hope and caution mingled on the children’s faces. It was clear they knew a bit about the situation they were in.

“Really…? You’ll save us?”

“Yes, but is Ella here?”

The children looked at each other.

‘Please…’

As Eden silently prayed, a soft voice came from the back of the cage.

“I’m Ella…”

Gasping, Eden quickly turned around to see a chubby blonde girl with rosy cheeks. The moment their eyes met, a clear window appeared in the dark storage area.

Ha, Eden beamed with overwhelming joy. Tears almost spilled from his eyes in relief. He had finally found Ella!

But there was no time to celebrate. First, he needed to get the kids out of these cages and escape this storage area.

“But who are you…?”

Ella asked cautiously, still trembling, and Eden quickly smiled again, trying to seem serious.

“I was sent by your father. From Tetes.”

At the mention of Tetes, Ella, who had been terrified and cautious up to that point, suddenly ran to the front of the cage with wide eyes.

“Dad? Dad…!”

“Hearing about Dad made her emotional,” and soon, the other kids started sobbing as well. Eden hurriedly calmed them down.

“Shh, don’t cry…!”

If they made too much noise, the bad guys would come running. Eden had to buy as much time as possible until Asmun arrived.

“We’re getting out of here. No need to cry, okay?”

Eden expertly reassured the kids as he looked at the large, rusted lock that was stuck tight.

‘So to open the lock…’

Eden’s mind spun as his instincts kicked in. Without hesitation, he selected a reward.

This time, he picked an item. He felt his pockets suddenly gain weight.

Eden quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a jangling set of keys.

“Yes!”

Now feeling he truly understood the game’s algorithm, Eden decided to skip the self-congratulatory part and hurriedly began unlocking the cages.

Once Eden unlocked all the cages, the children’s faces lit up with joy.

Eden turned to the kids who had come out of the cages and asked.

“Do you know where you are?”

The kids shook their heads.

“We couldn’t see anything because it was covered with cloth when we came in.”

“Then do you know why you’re here?”

Worried that the kids might know about the terrible situation they were in, Eden casually asked, and once again, the kids shook their heads.

“No. But they said if we behave, they would send us home…”

“So we stayed quiet for ten nights, but they didn’t send us back…!”

“I want to see Mom, sniff…”

Eden felt relieved that the kids didn’t know the worst-case scenario, but he also felt fury rising within him.

‘Those bastards…!’

Of all crimes, the most heinous are those that target the weak. Eden couldn’t let this slide, even if it was just a game.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be going home soon.”

He forced a smile to reassure the kids, but soon his heart sank.

He had already used up all useful items and knew nothing about the ship’s interior, so he had no idea how to escape.

The only card left to play was Asmun. So the key was surviving long enough for Baint to arrive and deliver his message, then for Asmun to gather forces and rush here, but…

‘The quest time I saw earlier was three hours…’

Eden looked at Ella, who was quietly sobbing beside him.

This meant that if the three hours ran out, Ella would be in danger, and of course, the other kids would be too.

And the only danger the children could face was one thing.

‘They’ll come here to take the kids away!’

Eden’s eyes sharpened. He quietly approached what appeared to be the storage door and pushed on the thick iron door, but it wouldn’t budge.

‘Damn it.’

Eden bit his lip and turned to see the kids, who were looking at him with trust and fear in their eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Eden seemed to come to a resolution.

 

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