Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

“I need to take a look at your foot.”

Eden froze, caught off guard by the sudden request.

“My… foot?”

“You injured your ankle yesterday.”

At Asmun’s calm response, Eden instinctively glanced down at her ankle.

It looked fine.

As she tried to get off the bed, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her leg.

“Ahh!”

It really hurt—so much that she couldn’t even put weight on it. She must have twisted it while running with Asmun.

Yesterday, she had been so focused on the battle that she hadn’t even noticed.

“So… I really did get hurt.”

As she winced, Asmun wordlessly knelt down at the foot of the bed.

Before Eden could react, he gently took hold of her injured ankle and placed something white over it.

A soothing coolness spread through her skin, and the pain vanished instantly.

“If you keep it on for half a day, it will heal completely.”

Asmun lifted his gaze, meeting her surprised eyes.

A strange silence filled the room.

Eden suddenly noticed something different about him.

Was this… his way of expressing gratitude?

“You were right. I returned the mine to the Empire.”

Asmun, still kneeling before her, spoke out of nowhere.

She already knew that—but from the way he watched her intently, it was as if he was waiting for her reaction.

Caught off guard, Eden blinked, then quickly responded.

“Ah, y-you did the right thing!”

Satisfied, Asmun released her ankle.

For some reason, the place where his hand had touched her skin felt oddly tingly.

Then, suddenly—

“Oh! That monster yesterday!”

Realizing something critical, Eden sat up, her expression serious.

“It was an ancient creature. It could only have been summoned.”

Asmun stared at her as she continued hurriedly.

“And the Tanir was also a summoned beast!”

Asmun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Both monsters that had targeted him had been summoned.

This was no coincidence.

He rose to his feet and calmly stated,

“Kyris must be working with dark sorcerers.”

Of course.

Eden felt a rush of satisfaction—Asmun had understood immediately, without needing further explanation.

This was something she hadn’t known in the game—it was a hidden detail.

“Investigate the Dark Sorcerers’ Guilds. You’ll find a lead.”

Asmun studied her for a moment.

“Understood.”

His cooperative attitude was almost unsettling.

No resistance. No criticism.

He was listening to her without hesitation.

Then, his eyes sharpened slightly.

“But how did you know the monster’s weak point?”

His tone wasn’t mocking—unlike before, he seemed genuinely curious.

Eden suddenly realized she had never explained that.

“Ah… well…”

“…….”

“The truth is… I can see monster information.”

At her confession, Asmun’s brows furrowed slightly.

For a brief moment, he seemed to be processing her words.

Then, he finally understood how she had known so much.

His reaction was less extreme than Karon’s or Ivatan’s, but he was clearly surprised.

‘Damn. I should have told him this sooner.’

Feeling awkward, Eden forced a smile.

“And that’s why I was assigned to the Imperial Palace.”

At that, Asmun’s expression stiffened.

His voice turned cold.

“You didn’t mention that before.”

“Ah… Yeah. I… might have forgotten to tell you.”

The atmosphere in the room turned frigid.

But Eden stood her ground and continued,

“Also… I won’t be at the Temple for a while. I’ve joined the Holy Knights for their expedition to the western border.”

Asmun’s expression grew even colder—returning to its usual icy demeanor.

Of course, he wasn’t pleased.

Just like Ivatan, he must have been annoyed that his valuable information source was about to go off and risk her life.

“Don’t worry! Sir Karon is leading the knights, so I’ll be fine.”

Eden flashed a grin, hoping to reassure him.

But instead—

Asmun’s gaze turned piercingly sharp.

“…….”

A strange pressure filled the air.

Then, after a long pause, Asmun finally spoke.

“You seem… very fond of the Holy Knight Captain.”

Eden froze, confused.

“…Huh?”

“You were worried he might die from poisoning, yet now you’re entrusting your life to him.”

His voice was calm, but there was an undeniable edge to it.

Eden immediately understood what he was referring to.

A wave of embarrassment hit her.

“Ah, that’s not—”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Asmun cut her off flatly, his tone completely indifferent.

It was clear he didn’t want to hear any further explanation.

Eden was perplexed.

As she hesitated, an unsettling memory surfaced—

Karon, smiling innocently, yet casually spitting in someone’s face.

They were polar opposites.

‘They’re already not getting along…?’

This was bad.

Before she could think of a way to fix it, Asmun changed the subject.

“I’ll inform the Grand Temple that you’ll be staying here until you recover.”

Eden’s eyes widened in alarm.

“No, you can’t!”

Asmun’s face hardened at Eden’s sharp rejection.

But Eden didn’t have time to dwell on his reaction. She immediately climbed out of bed, testing her weight on her foot.

The healing patch worked so well that she felt no pain at all.

“I’m leaving now.”

Her firm statement made Asmun study her silently.

Only then did Eden realize she had overreacted—as if she were desperate to get away from him.

“Ah, um….”

She forced an awkward smile.

“I have to go clean.”

***

In the end, Eden returned to the Grand Temple via Asmun’s study.

He never smiled once as she left.

For a brief moment, he had softened—but she had ruined it.

It was a shame, but there was no helping it.

Asmun’s situation was settled for now.

But she still had one more major issue left to deal with.

Hagenti.

She had hoped that finding him would allow her to stop his rampage, but that hope had been shattered.

He had tried to kill himself.

And right now, she had no idea why.

On top of that, more and more questions were piling up in her mind.

“Why is the High Priest…?”

If the portal had been connected to one of the princes’ estates, it would have made sense.

But then—

A realization struck her.

“…The prophecy.”

If the High Priest had received a real prophecy…

If that prophecy warned that Hagenti’s rampage would destroy the Empire…

Then everything made sense.

The High Priest had found Hagenti for the same reason she had—to monitor him and prevent his destruction.

***

“Eden!”

The moment she entered her room, Rita came rushing toward her, her face filled with worry.

“Where have you been all night?!”

“Ah, well… I was praying in the private chapel. I felt like I’d been neglecting my devotion lately.”

Eden blurted out an excuse.

Rita’s expression turned skeptical.

“In those clothes? Where’s your priest robe?”

“Uh… I got mud on it while cleaning. I was just about to change.”

Even Eden thought it was a terrible lie.

But she had no time to think of a better one.

“What about your face? What happened to your cheek?”

“Oh, that? I, uh… tripped on the stairs. Hahaha.”

She laughed it off, but Rita’s expression didn’t soften.

“If you were going to pray, you should have at least told me. I was worried.”

That stopped Eden in her tracks.

She turned to Rita, who was genuinely relieved to see her safe.

‘Worried…?’

It was such a simple, common word—but for some reason, it hit differently.

“You’re okay, right? Have you eaten?”

This wasn’t something scripted into the game.

Rita still looked the same as when they first met, still full of life.

“Yeah, I ate. Sorry. I’ll tell you next time.”

Finally, Rita relaxed.

Eden wanted to take more time to comfort her friend, but—

Her mind was racing.

“Rita, do you know if the High Priest is in the temple right now?”

“The High Priest? Hmm… not sure.”

Eden checked the clock.

Lunchtime had just ended.

She had cleaned the High Priest’s study yesterday, so there were still two days left before her next scheduled cleaning.

But she couldn’t afford to wait.

“Alright. I’m changing and heading to his office.”

“Huh? Why? You already cleaned yesterday.”

“I just realized I forgot to water the plants. It might take a while, so go ahead to the evening prayer without me!”

***

Now dressed in her priest robes, Eden rushed toward the East Tower, mind racing.

Hagenti’s discovery had been a hidden quest.

Which meant that finding him through the High Priest’s office was an intended part of the game.

And that could only mean one thing.

Serman—the High Priest—knew about Hagenti.

And the only reason he would be watching Hagenti…

…was to stop his rampage.