<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 87>

“Yep.”

Hearing that indifferent voice, Eden let out a sigh of relief.

Since there was no way to find Hagen’ti, she had no choice but to go along with it, but after Hagen’ti’s disappearance, worry and anxiety had piled up to the point where she couldn’t even sleep.

But now that Hagen’ti had suddenly appeared before her, a huge sense of relief washed over her.

“Were you worried?”

Hagen’ti quietly asked, watching Eden, who looked relieved. Eden glared at Hagen’ti with tears welling up.

“Of course!”

Hagen’ti smiled slightly at her response, which was soaked in worry and heartbreak.

“Did you find a way to cure the illness…?”

Eden nervously asked, looking at Hagen’ti. At that question, Hagen’ti’s smile faded, and after a moment of silence, he shook his head.

“Ha…”

Well, if it were that easy, stopping Hagen’ti’s rampage wouldn’t have been part of the final mission.

“It’s okay. You did well. We’ll find it together.”

Eden tried to smile, putting on a brave face, but suddenly thought of Asmun.

“Oh no, Asmun!”

As soon as Eden spoke Asmun’s name, Hagen’ti’s eyes grew cold once again.

“Let’s go back to the plaza!”

“…It’s dangerous there.”

Hagen’ti stepped closer to Eden and lowered his head.

“Someone just now tried to kill you.”

Those words made Eden’s eyes widen.

“What? Who?”

Hagen’ti shook his head slowly.

“I don’t know. It was a sorcerer.”

A sorcerer? That had to have been those Dark Sorcerers who caused today’s chaos.

Only then did Eden realize the reason Hagen’ti suddenly wrapped her up and fled the scene.

‘I almost came all this way and got killed without a fight.’

Thinking back, she couldn’t help but be grateful to Hagen’ti for appearing just in time.

‘So what would have happened if Hagen’ti hadn’t shown up?’

Would it have been game over?

As Hagen’ti watched Eden’s face, now complicated with worry, he suddenly uttered.

“It’s because of that man.”

The quiet and stubborn voice referred to ‘that man’ was someone Eden knew well.

“If you stay by that man’s side, this kind of thing will keep happening.”

Hagen’ti’s eyes held a chilling indifference. Because it was true, Eden was momentarily at a loss for words.

‘That’s… because this is a game…’

Eden swallowed her thoughts and shook her head.

“It’s not the Emperor’s fault.”

When Eden defended Asmun, Hagen’ti’s expression hardened in disdain.

“Why do you have to make that man an emperor?”

The answer to that question was simple. This was a game that could only end when Asmun became the emperor. Just like how they had to stop Hagen’ti’s rampage.

But was that all there was to it?

A question that Eden had never thought about before began to rise inside her.

“That’s…”

Eden opened her mouth but struggled to continue for a while.

“It just has to be. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it.”

At that vague answer, Hagen’ti let out a small huff. His face was one of clear confusion, but it seemed he had lost interest in such matters.

“Once he’s emperor, he’ll be with me, right?”

That persistent question made Eden feel a little flustered and uneasy.

‘Is this really okay…?’

Suddenly, she realized that Hagen’ti’s gaze looked remarkably like Asmun’s. The indifferent eyes held a strange fervor, making her face feel hot.

‘How did it end up like this?’

Of course, if Asmun became the emperor, she would have to stay close to Hagen’ti to look for a way to stop his rampage.

“I will.”

No sooner had she spoken than Hagen’ti grabbed Eden’s hand.

Thanks to Dragan’s inexplicable demise, the tide had turned in their favor, and the cornered Dark Sorcerers quickly fled.

As a result, the chaos in the plaza was swiftly restored, and that evening the Emperor summoned everyone for a significant announcement.

“Listen closely. From today, I declare war against dark magic.”

The air in the room tensed at the sound of his seriously angry voice.

The Hesmaru Empire had consistently worked to suppress dark magic, yet there had not been a time in nearly 200 years when Dark Sorcerers came to the surface and wreaked havoc.

Thus, they hadn’t seriously pushed for oppression until today, when everyone had realized its seriousness. Now they would move toward an actual campaign.

Even that alone seemed to foreshadow future hardships, but the Emperor did not stop and added something even more shocking.

“Therefore, I will hand over the throne to whoever among the three princes brings back Silverstone.”

At those words, everyone present at the meeting held their breath, exchanging shocked glances.

This was the first time the Emperor had explicitly mentioned the successor.

“……”

Everyone glanced over at Asmun. Ibthan also stared at Asmun with a blank expression.

Finally, it was Asmun who had drawn that topic about succession from the Emperor’s mouth.

“The plaza must not be crowded. Please control it as minimally as possible. That is my wish.”

“……What are you planning to do?”

“I can’t share that yet. I don’t have confidence that the Chancellor is on my side.”

Only then did the ominous words get interpreted. Eden knew what was going to happen today. That was why she asked for control over the plaza.

However, to attribute everything solely to Eden would not do justice to Asmun, who had shown exceptionally high skill today. It was so impressive that even Ibthan could not deny it.

‘…Did they realize this?’

As Eden began to somewhat understand where her blind faith in Asmun originated from, ironically enough, Ibthan’s mood became even more displeased.

‘But Silverstone…’

Silverstone was a legendary magic stone said to hold tremendous power capable of suppressing all evil forces.

If Silverstone existed, it would only be a matter of time before they could suppress the Dark Sorcerers who were spreading evil everywhere.

Thus, the Emperor was selecting the one who brings back Silverstone as a successor while intending to subdue all the Dark Sorcerers—killing two birds with one stone.

“Your Majesty, but long ago, there was a prophecy that if Silverstone were to be found and brought back, a calamity would come to the world.”

The concerned Patriar cautiously inquired, yet the Emperor’s expression showed no signs of wavering.

“Dark magic is the true calamity of the Empire. To confront a dangerous power, one must take risks.”

He truly seemed resolved to use Silverstone, his tightly pursed lips signifying determination. The Emperor appeared ready to genuinely wage war against the Dark Sorcerers.

And to bring this up now, just after Asmun had made a significant contribution… well…

“……”

Kiris gritted his teeth. The Emperor had been waiting for this moment. For Asmun to create a plausible justification.

Kiris knew his father well. Although he had some affection for the Empire, he held none for his children.

He intended to pass the throne to the one among the three who showed the most excellent skills, and since he had been suspicious of the oldest son, the 1st Prince, he had been waiting for Asmun to be the better candidate.

‘Damn… damn it…’

Thinking that made his blood boil. Moreover, everyone present here had come to know that too.

That Asmun had indeed come closer to the true successor’s position.

“I will find it.”

Asmun was the first to answer calmly, causing Kiris to glare at him with bloodshot eyes.

Kiris had lost not only the grand plan he had built for months to Asmun but also public trust among the citizens and the Emperor due to the disgraceful display he had shown before Libyatan.

Finally, Asmun had ruined everything. The gloomy fellow who had been needling him was finally holding his ankle.

“……”

But it wasn’t over yet.

“I will find it too, Your Majesty! For the Empire, I will find Silverstone and definitely subdue the wicked Dark Sorcerers!”

Kiris swallowed his outrage and answered robustly.

Everything was back to square one. No, this might even be simpler. Whoever finds Silverstone gets to be the Emperor, and if he finds it, then that’s that.

The reluctant Patriar, caught between the two, finally relented.

“I will do my best to find it too.”

Asmun quickly returned to his castle and headed to the garden where Eden was waiting. He had secretly sent Ronpell to bring Eden to his castle right after the chaos ended.

Although there was a chance to meet her later, he didn’t want that. He felt he wouldn’t be able to bear not seeing Eden today.

The thrill of stabbing the sword into Dragan’s heart still lingered in his grip, and he had to see Eden before that feeling faded.

Due to spending so much time in the Imperial Palace, the moon had already risen high in the sky.

Arriving at the garden bathed in moonlight with hurried steps, he spotted Eden anxiously sitting there, waiting for him.

Only after seeing her familiar figure did the tension that had been gripping his heart begin to sweetly release.

“……”

It was truly strange. The garden, which always felt empty and desolate, seemed incredibly rich and radiant at this moment with just Eden’s presence, leaving him overwhelmed by its beauty.

If only he could keep this scene in his eyes forever.

Asmun slowly approached Eden.

“……!”

The moment Eden felt his footsteps, she jumped up and turned around.

“Your Highness!”

Eden called him happily and quickly ran up to stand before him. For a moment, Asmun’s calm eyes and Eden’s clear eyes met.

Eden quickly beamed her smile and spoke with a filled voice.

“You really…”

“……”

“You did really well!”

Asmun felt a painful flutter in his heart at her kind praise.

“I knew you would do well. I was sure of it.”

Eden, unaware of Asmun’s feelings, continued to pour out sweet words that stung his heart.

“I wasn’t nervous at all! Really!”

Her face was flushed, as if she had been tense all along. That distant tension seemed to dissolve just now.

Asmun, seeing her blushing cheeks, finally failed to continue holding himself back. He reached out and hugged Eden tightly.

“……!”

Eden’s breath caught as she was suddenly enveloped in his warm embrace. Asmun, burying his face in her lovely brown hair, whispered softly.

“So why is your heart racing like this?”