Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

Eden was not at all surprised that Ivatan thought of her in such a way, as she was already well aware of it. However, since Karon’s remark had hit the nail on the head, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned cold again.

But Eden understood Ivatan’s stance. After all, she also considered him nothing more than a chess piece for clearing the mission, so it would be unfair for her to get angry at him for using her in the same way. If anything, thinking that way might actually make things easier for both of them.

As Eden was about to say something, Karon spoke first.

“And you need not worry about the priestess’s safety. Even if my limbs are torn apart, I will make sure to protect her.”

A suffocating tension unfolded between Ivatan, who had now turned completely cold, and Karon, who was still smiling kindly. As a result, the only one left sitting on a bed of thorns was Eden.

Why on earth were these two fighting like this…?

“Very well, then.”

In the end, Ivatan took a step back.

“The meeting regarding the future schedule will have to resume after the two of you return from your expedition.”

His voice was utterly frigid.

“I sincerely hope that the priestess returns alive.”

His icy gaze turned toward Eden, as if he wouldn’t even bat an eye if she were to be torn apart and killed instead of Karon.

It seemed impossible to win Ivatan’s favor.

***

After the nauseating meeting that nearly made her vomit up the morning’s soup, Eden left the conference room with Karon.

“I never knew you had such an ability, Priestess. To be able to see information about monsters… Your power will save countless lives.”

Karon spoke in admiration as he walked in step with Eden. Eden responded with an embarrassed smile.

“No, I think you, Captain, will save far more people. You always have.”

At that, Karon smiled at her, his grin as dazzling as the sunlight streaming through the grand palace windows. The already magnificent and radiant palace seemed even more beautiful because of him.

“Good day, Sir Karon.”

It seemed she was not the only one who thought so. The maids they passed blushed as they greeted Karon.

Every time he kindly responded, the maids’ faces lit up with newfound vitality. It was clear that Karon’s role in this world extended far beyond that of just the Holy Knight Captain.

Then, as the two of them were about to turn a corner at the end of the hallway, they overheard the maids talking behind it.

“What? His Highness the Third Prince?”

At the mention of the Third Prince, Eden’s eyes froze in place. She unknowingly halted in her tracks, prompting Karon to stop as well and turn to her.

“I’m telling you! His Highness the Third Prince discovered a mana stone mine!”

At the excited voice, Eden’s heart sank. Even Karon’s eyebrows shot up at those words.

The Third Prince found a mana stone mine?

Karon’s gaze turned pensive at the unexpected news. He was about to step forward to verify the truth of the rumor directly with the maids when Eden hastily grabbed his arm.

Startled by her sudden action, Karon turned to her—only to see Eden staggering before dropping to the ground.

“Priestess!”

“Ugh… I think I twisted my ankle…”

“Oh dear, are you all right?”

Fortunately, Karon played along with her act, crouching down with a serious expression. As he carefully examined her ankle, Eden perked up her ears, straining to eavesdrop on the maids’ conversation.

“My goodness. A mana stone mine? That’s unbelievable. You mean the Empire had another one?”

“And he even declared that he would return the mine to the Empire! Isn’t that astonishing?”

“What? Seriously?”

Yes!

Eden’s face lit up instantly. The maids, still awestruck by the surprising news, continued chattering before eventually disappearing around the corner. Since she had gathered all the information she needed, there was no reason to keep listening.

“It doesn’t seem swollen. How does it feel? Can you walk?”

Karon, still examining her ankle, asked as he looked up at her.

“I’m fine now.”

“What?”

Karon raised his head to meet her gaze, only to find her face, which had been full of pain moments ago, now beaming with joy.

“…?”

As if her earlier distress had been nothing but an illusion, Eden abruptly stood up and stomped her foot a few times.

“Looks like I just twisted it slightly.”

“…”

“I feel perfectly fine now, thanks to you, Captain.”

Feeling delighted after hearing the news from the maids, Eden flashed Karon a bright smile, even as he stared at her in bewilderment.

***

Eden’s excitement lasted for several days.

“Here to clean!”

At the loud declaration, the dozing gatekeeper flinched and glared at Eden, but that wasn’t enough to dampen her mood.

“I mentioned that the schedule was changed to the evening just for today. You heard about it, right?”

Eden added the comment with a bright smile, even though no one had asked.

“…Was that so?”

The gatekeeper frowned, trying to recall whether he had received such a message. Since there had been a special service during the day, the cleaning had been postponed to the evening, but it seemed the information hadn’t been properly relayed.

“You didn’t hear? Then… does that mean I can’t clean?”

Please say no.

Eden put on a regretful expression, carefully hiding her true feelings. After a moment of hesitation, the gatekeeper eventually shook his head.

“No, the assigned work must be done.”

Damn it. Eden forced a smile, suppressing her disappointment.

Well, if Asmun had discovered the mine, then something like cleaning was nothing.

“By the way, is the High Priest inside…?”

“The High Priest is out on official business today.”

“Oh, I see! Understood. Then I’ll get started on cleaning!”

At the news that the High Priest was absent, Eden’s face immediately brightened. She had been anxious about working in the evening, but thankfully, it was fine. After all, cleaning in front of the High Priest would have been quite burdensome.

Feeling even more cheerful, Eden headed straight to the office and began cleaning while humming a tune. The reason for her prolonged good mood was, of course, closely related to the conversation she had overheard in the palace.

In the end, Asmun had successfully discovered the hidden mana stone mine. And that was all thanks to the information she had provided.

However, if Asmun had failed to come up with a convincing excuse to avoid Kyris’s suspicions, the plan would have fallen apart. There was no way that scheming Kyris would have simply handed over Lebeim without a reason.

And then—

Recalling the astonished voice of the maid, Eden smiled in satisfaction. Asmun had finally started to trust her.

The original Asmun would have kept the unofficial Tebel hidden for his own benefit, just as he had done in the past. Likewise, he would have exploited the Lebeim mine without revealing it to the public. After all, mana stones were the perfect commodity for making secret profits through black market dealings.

But Eden had a different approach.

At that, Asmun had looked at her with incredulous eyes.

Even to Eden, it sounded absurd. So, naturally, Asmun’s face had turned as cold as ice.

He had asked in a chilling voice, demanding why he should commit such a foolish act. Of course, this was something that hadn’t been written in the prophecy.

But this was a strategy game. She had to analyze the opponent’s nature and use it to her advantage.

Through nine playthroughs, Eden had studied the Emperor’s character and realized that he was a fundamentally fair ruler who truly cared for the Empire.

Though he could be excessively cold at times, his ruthlessness stemmed from a sense of duty toward the Empire. His highest priority when considering a successor was likely how devoted they were to the Empire.

So for Asmun to become Emperor, what he needed was not secret funds but the Emperor’s absolute trust and favor. And that was exactly what Eden had aimed for.

Eden’s prediction had been spot on. The Emperor had been so impressed by Asmun’s voluntary contribution that he named him a co-owner of the mine and promised him half of its profits.

Moreover, rumors of the discovery of the fifth mana stone mine and Asmun’s actions spread quickly. The citizens of the Empire were deeply moved by his noble gesture of dedicating the mine to the Empire.

“This is what you call killing two birds with one stone.”

With this, Asmun had gained legitimate ownership of half the mine without any concerns, while also securing the Emperor’s trust and the people’s admiration.

Even with just half of the profits, the income would be incomparable to the secret funds from Tebel. All of this was possible only because Asmun had chosen to trust and follow her.

“He looked at me so coldly back then… That guy…”

Eden couldn’t hide her satisfaction, not just because her strategy had worked, but because the very man who had once held a sword to her throat had ultimately followed her advice.

So this was the thrill of being a strategist.

However, as always, joy was fleeting.

“Wait.”