Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

“Haha….”

Eden let out a hollow laugh, almost as if she had lost her mind. Then, realizing that she was still sitting on top of Hegenti, she hurriedly rolled to the side.

Even with the movement, Hegenti remained completely motionless. However, his grip on her hand refused to loosen. Eden glanced at his face before carefully prying his fingers off.

Thud.

The moment she released his hand, his arm fell limply to the ground.

“…….”

Even then, Hegenti did not wake up.

Only after waving a hand in front of his face to confirm his unconsciousness did Eden let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Ha….”

Now that the immediate crisis was over, her thoughts began to clear. The first thing that came to mind was the High Priest.

At the same time, she realized she needed to leave before Serman returned. Eden cast one last glance at Hegenti before shifting her attention back to the quest window.

No matter what, completing a quest was a good thing. She tapped “Yes” on the hidden quest reward prompt, and suddenly, something dropped into her hands from midair.

It was a small scroll, conveniently sized to fit in a pocket.

“What is this…?”

Just as she muttered to herself, another system notification popped up, answering her question.

Eden’s expression lit up instantly.

“This is amazing.”

Teleportation Scrolls were incredibly rare items. With one, she could instantly travel anywhere, even without a portal. And since it was first-class, that meant she could go anywhere in the Empire.

“…I need to use these sparingly.”

With this, she could no longer complain about how she had encountered Hegenti. Eden took a deep breath, steadying herself.

“Alright. Next—the prophecy book.”

As a reward for increasing her magic, Eden chose the prophecy book.

Just like before, a floating book appeared in midair.

Even though the prophecy book provided vital information, the game’s developers had clearly added mechanics to prevent players from spamming quests just to get it. Sometimes, the book only contained trivial information—such as where monsters would appear or the schedule of upcoming events.

Given how unpredictable the situation was, Eden prayed that this wouldn’t be one of those useless times as she snatched the book and flipped it open.

“…….”

As she read through the lines, her face froze completely.

“You insane bastard…”

Her hand shot up to cover her mouth as she hurriedly read further.

Her pupils dilated in shock.

“Wait….”

Her face turned as pale as Hegenti’s unconscious one.

“…It’s today?”

As Eden stood there in shock, another quest notification popped up before her.

The flashing red timer at the bottom caught Eden’s attention, and she sprang to her feet.

Immediately, the countdown began ticking down mercilessly.

It was a timed quest.

“Damn it…!”

She turned to rush back to the office, but then hesitated—her gaze falling on Hegenti, who still lay completely unconscious.

“…….”

For a brief moment, she wavered, torn between choices.

Ultimately, Eden knelt beside him, pressing her fingers close to his nose and mouth to check his breathing.

Fortunately, his breath was steady—calm, even.

“Ha….”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Eden stood up.

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

She turned away and sprinted out of the room.

***

By the time Eden finally arrived back at the office, Serman had not yet returned—luckily.

Quickly, she removed the crimson-covered book and placed it back in the bookshelf exactly as it had been before. Then, she stepped out of the study and shut the door behind her.

With this, Serman wouldn’t even realize the door had been opened. He wouldn’t suspect that she had been inside at all.

Eden still didn’t understand why Serman had a portal leading to Hegenti’s fortress, but she had no time to figure it out now.

She hurried out of the East Tower, repeating the prophecy’s words in her head.

“Kyris, you crazy bastard…!”

No matter how desperate he was, he was about to launch an attack on the Emperor himself. This was insanity.

The moment Eden read that Asmun would die, a sharp pang ran through her chest.

Having finally reached an isolated area, she ducked into a corner and caught her breath.

Her throat felt dry and raw, but there was no time to waste.

And that was the end of the prophecy.

There were no instructions on how to stop it.

The timer continued to tick down mercilessly.

She had already wasted over 30 minutes just getting back from Hegenti’s fortress.

Eden gritted her teeth—but even in the midst of her frustration, she took action.

Without hesitation, she pulled the teleportation scroll from her pocket.

Of course, there were no instructions on how to use it. But when someone is truly desperate, they figure things out.

Eden unrolled the scroll, her voice urgent as she whispered:

“Lebeim, where Asmun is!”

The moment she spoke, her body vanished in an instant.

The dark corner where she had just been standing was left completely empty, as if no one had ever been there at all.

“Protect His Majesty!”

“Shield the Emperor’s carriage!”

The moment the monster appeared, the rugged mountain pass turned into a battlefield in an instant.

Asmun drew his sword and turned to Ronpel.

“Ronpel, I’ll buy us time. Take His Majesty and retreat. No matter what happens, you must protect him.”

“Your Highness, but—!”

Ronpel hesitated, trying to stop him, but Asmun had already made his decision. With those final words, he whipped the reins and charged straight toward the monster.

Ronpel’s face turned ashen as he looked around.

The path they were traveling through was a narrow canyon, meaning they couldn’t simply go around the monster. The only option was to retreat, just as Asmun had said.

Ronpel turned back to the massive creature.

The air reeked of blood, and the monster—made entirely of solid stone—resembled a golem, though it was a kind he had never seen before.

Arrows flew toward it, but they bounced off uselessly against its rock-hard body. Even spell scrolls had no effect, merely collapsing cliffsides as they rebounded off the monster.

“We’re out of scrolls!”

To make matters worse, the terrain was too treacherous and narrow for a large force to maneuver. Their numbers were limited—and what little they had had to be used to protect the Emperor.

“Ugh—!”

Enraged by the ineffective attacks, the monster ripped boulders from the cliffs and hurled them wildly.

One of those massive stones slammed into the ground just inches away from the Emperor’s carriage, causing Ronpel’s face to go pale.

If anything happened to the Emperor here, Asmun would suffer severe consequences.

Ronpel’s mind raced.

He trusted his master’s abilities, but at the same time… If Asmun revealed his true power here, it could cause even greater problems. Perhaps it was better to keep it hidden for now.

“Damn it!”

Cursing, Ronpel yanked his horse’s reins and made his decision.

“Escort His Majesty to safety! Focus all efforts on protecting him!”

As Asmun heard Ronpel’s orders behind him, he continued charging toward the monster.

Only after he heard the carriages and hoofbeats retreating did Asmun come to a stop. He lifted his gaze—staring up at the towering beast.

Kraaaaaah!

The enraged monster was about to lumber after the Emperor’s retreating carriage when—

Blue flames erupted around it, blocking its path.

Even as the towering fire reached waist-high, the monster tried to charge forward—only to reel back in agony the moment it touched the flames.

“…….”

Asmun watched as the creature stomped its feet in frustration, unable to cross the fire.

The flames he had summoned contained his magic, making them deadly to monsters. However, Asmun was not a formal sorcerer.

His magic had limits.

And it wouldn’t last long.

The golem, though unfamiliar, was still a type of magical construct. That meant it must have a core—its weak point.

He had to find it and destroy it in a single strike.

Asmun’s eyes sharpened as he studied the monster.

On its massive fists, he spotted intricate magic circles carved into the stone.

At that moment, the blue flames flickered—then vanished completely.

The monster, now unrestrained, let out a roar of rage and charged at Asmun.

“……!”

Asmun yanked the reins, trying to pull his horse away—but just barely too late.

The monster’s fist grazed him, and he was thrown from his horse.

“Ugh…!”

His horse whinnied in fear, its hooves kicking wildly as Asmun hit the ground.

But he didn’t hesitate—he gripped his sword immediately.

The monster, now fully focused on him, raised its fist again.

This time, Asmun didn’t move to dodge.

Instead, he prepared to counterattack.

He had one chance.

If he failed, he would die.

A cold instinct ran down his spine.

The golem’s massive stone fist came hurtling toward him—

“Dodge!”