Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

Since such a major event had occurred, Eden became the most talked-about priest in the Grand Temple for a while.

She had to come up with a plausible excuse for Rita, who had stayed up late waiting for her after hearing about the commotion at the Founding Banquet.

The following day, she was summoned by Priest Mobrin to provide a detailed explanation of what had transpired.

After that, she endured a barrage of questions from fellow priests curious for more details.

“Well, you see, I was cleaning up some broken glass and accidentally cut my hand. The smell of blood must have agitated the monster.”

“My goodness.”

“After it suddenly charged at me, I panicked and ran. Honestly, I don’t remember much after that—I was so scared I fainted.”

Eden sighed deeply, clutching her chest as if her nerves were still rattled from the ordeal.

This mundane and lackluster version of events was all she could offer, yet the excitement surrounding the Grand Temple refused to settle down.

“A monster in the Imperial Palace!”

“They say the culprit who brought the monster mentioned the Demon King.”

“Are there still Demon King worshippers? He’s been gone for 200 years!”

It wasn’t just the temple buzzing with excitement—the entire empire was surely in an uproar.

The idea of a monster appearing in the middle of the supposedly secure Imperial Palace would undoubtedly leave the citizens rattled. Both the palace and the Grand Temple were taking the brunt of the backlash.

“That’s impossible. The Grand Priest’s barrier has never been breached in 20 years!”

Even Rita seemed shaken by the incident.

The Grand Priest and the high-ranking priests were busy inspecting the capital’s barrier, leaving the temple in chaos.

“Well, it’s been breached now.”

Eden’s casual remark made Rita stare at her in shock.

“Eden!”

“Oh, no, I mean… maybe it’s just overdue for some repairs after 20 years?”

“Repairs…?”

“Haha. Rita, I need to go clean the Grand Priest’s office. I’ll see you later!”

Leaving a bewildered Rita behind, Eden quickly escaped the situation—she did have an actual cleaning job to get to.

The Grand Priest’s office was located in the East Tower, quite a distance away. As she walked, Eden once again praised herself for choosing to boost her strength stat. Though it had only increased by 10 points, she could already feel a marked improvement in her stamina.

“I wonder how much lighter I’ll feel if I raise it even more.”

Having tasted the benefits of a stat increase, she was already looking forward to her next quest reward. In fact, she was beginning to feel a little impatient.

As Eden pondered the algorithm behind quest triggers, she stopped in her tracks when her eyes met those of a golden-haired man walking diagonally toward the tower.

“…!”

It was Karon.

Her heart started pounding in her chest. While she had expected a higher chance of running into him than the other characters since he was the Commander of the Holy Knights, she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Caught in her anxious thoughts, she froze on the spot. Karon, who had been walking toward the tower, subtly altered his path and approached her.

“Priest Eden?”

His gentle voice calling her name startled her, and she quickly looked up at him.

A profile window, similar to the one she had seen next to Asmun, appeared beside Karon as he walked toward her.

While Eden was busy marveling internally, Karon stopped in front of her and smiled.

“So it is you.”

His gaze shifted to Eden’s left hand, now wrapped in a fresh, clean bandage. Eden instinctively hid her hand behind her back and bowed politely.

“I was just about to look for you.”

“F-for me?”

The fact that Karon not only knew her name but had been planning to seek her out was a huge win. As the Commander of the Holy Knights, his connection to Eden was stronger than with most other characters, but meeting him was still no easy feat.

“Yes, Priest Eden. How is your health?”

His kind question made Eden’s heart skip a beat. He remembered her. Of course, how could he not, after the chaos at the banquet?

This was a golden opportunity.

“Thanks to you, Commander, I’m perfectly fine.”

Her response made Karon’s smile brighten. His holy visage seemed to glow. It was no wonder he had a dedicated following even within the temple. It was almost hard to believe that someone with such an angelic face had slain half the empire’s monsters.

Suppressing her private musings, Eden smiled in return.

“I should have come to thank you earlier, but things were hectic. I’m sorry for the delay, and thank you for saving me.”

Eden bowed deeply, and Karon gave a small nod in return.

“I only did what was necessary. I’m just glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”

His excessive kindness made Eden’s heart flutter uncontrollably.

Still, even in a strategy game, winning this man’s favor was essential.

“Were you on your way somewhere?” Eden asked, trying to prolong the conversation.

“Yes, I was going to see the Grand Priest. And you?”

“Oh, I’m also heading to the Grand Priest’s…”

Eden faltered as Karon looked at her with eyes so kind they seemed naturally ingrained.

“…office to clean it.”

“Cleaning? But your hand hasn’t fully healed yet.”

“Oh, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore, and I can’t let a small injury stop me from doing my duties.”

Eden tried to impress Karon with her responsible attitude, and his soft smile deepened.

Buoyed by his positive response, Eden’s eyes sparkled. But their conversation was interrupted.

“Commander.”

A stern voice came from behind them, and both Eden and Karon turned to see a high-ranking priest approaching, flanked by two assistants.

Karon inclined his head slightly in greeting, and Eden hurriedly followed suit. The priests, however, ignored Eden completely and stopped in front of Karon.

“What brings you to the East Tower?”

The stiff tone didn’t seem fitting for someone addressing the Commander of the Holy Knights, and Eden’s eyebrows shot up.

“I came to see the Grand Priest.”

Unbothered, Karon replied in his usual gentle voice.

“The Grand Priest is not available at the moment. It would have been better if you had informed us beforehand.”

“I see. I’ve tried notifying him several times, but he always seems to be away when I do. I began to wonder if my messages were causing him to avoid me, so I thought I’d come unannounced. Perhaps my timing is simply unfortunate.”

Eden’s eyes widened as she looked at Karon. Despite his serene smile, his words were anything but innocent.

The priests’ expressions darkened.

“Mind your words, Commander. The Grand Priest is simply busy with many important matters.”

“Ah, I understand. The recent breach of the barrier must have complicated things.”

“…”

Eden stood frozen, observing the palpable friction between the two parties. Why was there such animosity between the Holy Knights and the temple priests?

“The breach was not the Grand Priest’s fault, as you well know.”

“Of course. It’s likely the work of someone with malicious intent.”

Karon’s gentle smile remained as he added, “Though that does suggest that the Grand Priest’s barrier can be breached by anyone with enough determination. It must not be as impenetrable as we thought.”

“Commander! Are you insulting the Grand Priest?”

One of the priests finally lost his temper, but Karon didn’t so much as flinch.

“Oh, but the barrier only protects the capital, doesn’t it? I suppose its strength—or lack thereof—doesn’t matter to certain individuals.”

Karon’s tone was so polite that Eden felt disoriented by the stark contrast between his words and delivery.

“Rest assured, Commander. Your remarks today will be conveyed directly to the Grand Priest. You should remember that any insult to him is an insult to Hamyun himself.”

The priest’s sharp tone carried a clear threat, but Karon remained unfazed.

“Ah, as expected of a devoted priest who always prioritizes Hamyun’s dignity.”

Karon’s smile didn’t waver.

“Perhaps tonight, during your prayers to Hamyun, you could reflect on this: is your loyalty truly directed toward him? Or is it, perhaps, toward someone else? Because if it’s the latter, that would indeed be blasphemy.”

Eden barely managed to suppress the urge to gape in awe at Karon’s audacity, her gaze locked on his ever-placid expression.