Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

Eden had been grinning as she diligently dusted even the library shelves, which she usually neglected, but her smile vanished abruptly. A thought that had been buried in her mind suddenly resurfaced—Kyris.

“…He won’t stay quiet now, will he?”

Eden immediately grew serious, stopping her dusting and crossing her arms in deep contemplation. From now on, she had to be prepared to fend off Kyris’s inevitable retaliation.

“No matter how stupid he is, he must have realized by now.”

Lebeim had originally belonged to Kyris, so his fury would be twice as intense. The story had completely changed now, and Eden had no way of predicting what Kyris might do next.

“There’d better be no trouble until I return from the west.”

Eden let out a deep sigh. It was once again time to get her hands on the prophecy book, and the fastest way to do that was to join Karon’s expedition and defeat the monsters. The expedition was four days away, and how long it would take was uncertain.

“It’ll be fine.”

She reassured herself and resumed cleaning. As she carefully dusted off the thick books that were as heavy as her own face, she suddenly froze and turned around.

“Huh? When did I get all the way here?”

Eden had wandered into the library behind the office, a place she usually didn’t clean. The door had been open, and she must have unconsciously drifted inside.

Hernar’s warning echoed in her ears.

Eden stopped cleaning and looked around.

“…But it is open.”

The side door, which was usually locked, was ajar, and because she had been lost in thought, she had unknowingly wandered inside. It seemed that the busy Serman had left in a hurry and forgotten to close it.

“Well, that happens.”

Eden nodded to herself and began to explore the library. She had never imagined such a large space existed behind the office, but just as Hernar had said, the library was vast and filled with ancient tomes.

“Wow…”

Since this area was off-limits for cleaning, it must have been neglected for quite some time. Yet, strangely, there was not a speck of dust on the old books. Did the High Priest clean this place himself every day?

“That can’t be. He’s way too busy for that.”

Eden cautiously walked between the towering bookshelves, taking in the sight, when suddenly, she came to an abrupt stop.

“Hm…?”

She tilted her head, her eyes drawn to a faint light seeping out from the corner of a bookshelf.

A single book-sized space was empty in the otherwise tightly packed shelf, and from that gap, an almost imperceptible glow was emanating.

“What the…?”

Curious about this strange sight, Eden stepped closer and peered into the empty space. But there was nothing inside.

“Is there some kind of glowing bookshelf here…?”

Then again, in a world with magic and mana stones, a glowing bookshelf wasn’t too far-fetched.

Perhaps it was a specially designed shelf meant to ensure that books were always placed back in their proper spots. After all, the light was only coming from the empty space.

Eden looked around and soon spotted something that made her smile.

“There it is.”

A thin book was carelessly lying on the edge of the adjacent shelf. Eden immediately picked it up. It was likely the missing book that belonged in the empty slot.

She carefully slid the crimson-covered book into the vacant space, and just as expected, the book fit perfectly. The glow disappeared completely.

“This is a pretty handy bookshelf.”

Satisfied with how neatly everything was restored, Eden turned to leave the library.

Creak—

A faint noise sounded behind her.

“?”

Eden instinctively turned around at the sound, and her body froze in place.

…What?

Creak, creak—

Before her eyes, an astonishing sight unfolded. The massive bookshelves were moving on their own, shifting aside.

Eden watched in stunned silence as a hidden space was revealed, completely concealed just moments ago. The bookshelves finally came to a stop, uncovering what was unmistakably a secret chamber.

What… What is this? Did I just mess something up?

Cold sweat beaded on Eden’s forehead as she cautiously scanned her surroundings. In the middle of the revealed space, there was a perfectly drawn circle. From within the circle, a mix of blue and silver light radiated outward.

At that moment, Eden realized what she had been seeing through the gap in the bookshelves.

“…”

An eerie chill ran down her spine as she immediately grasped what it was. She had seen one before in the Imperial Palace.

It was a portal.

A hidden portal inside the High Priest’s private library. And judging by how well it was concealed, it was most definitely an unofficial one.

A sharp instinctual warning shot through Eden’s mind.

“…No way.”

What if the High Priest was secretly allied with another prince?

“Hah…”

A shiver crawled down her back as she hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth.

“This is insane.”

Was that why he wasn’t included in the list of key figures in the game? Did this portal connect him to another prince, just like Asmun’s secret dealings?

Eden’s heart pounded wildly as she realized she had stumbled upon something monumental.

This could very well be a hidden quest in the game—one that could reveal who the High Priest was secretly working with.

“…”

But there was no way to tell where this portal led. Stepping through it blindly would be reckless. Eden glanced behind her, even though she knew there was no one there. The office was still eerily silent.

When would Serman return? If she missed this chance, would she ever get another?

“…Damn it.”

Eden knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But what if, the moment she stepped through, she came face-to-face with Kyris or Patrian? Would she be able to talk her way out of it?

The door had been left open due to Serman’s mistake, so it wouldn’t be a crime for a curious apprentice priestess to wander in. But still, discovering such a top-secret matter wouldn’t end well for her, no matter what.

“…….”

But there was no way Eden could let go of a situation that was clearly part of the game’s hidden storyline. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

“…I’ll just take a look at where it leads.”

Resolving herself, Eden took another careful glance around before stepping forward. Taking one step at a time, she finally stopped in front of the portal, still glowing brightly, and swallowed dryly.

As soon as she took her final step forward with firm determination, the blinding light swallowed her whole in an instant.

Before she could even adjust to the sensation of her body floating, she felt solid ground beneath her feet once more. Realizing she had successfully traveled, Eden opened her eyes and quickly scanned her surroundings.

“…….”

Contrary to her expectations, she was not in Kyris or Patrian’s office, nor anywhere near their luxurious estates.

The place where she had arrived was entirely made of stone walls. It felt like a basement, or perhaps a narrow prison cell inside an ancient stone tower.

There were no signs of life. No—more than that, there was no sense of warmth at all.

Unlike the cozy and comfortable atmosphere of Serman’s office, the immediate chill in the air made Eden unconsciously shrink back.

Where… is this?

Holding her breath, she cautiously stepped forward. That was when she noticed a small door just big enough for a single person to pass through.

As she opened it, a staircase leading upward was revealed. So this was indeed a basement.

Eden remained on high alert as she carefully ascended. The stairwell was so long and dark that by the time she reached the top, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.

However, rather than emerging into an entirely different space as she had expected, she found herself standing in yet another cold, silent corridor.

“What the hell…”

Did I make a mistake?

Eden frowned and took a more thorough look around. This place resembled an ancient castle—one that had been abandoned. More precisely, one that was uninhabitable.

A long, windowless corridor stretched before her, completely desolate.

Why would there be a portal leading here…?

Eden kept her guard up and moved deeper inside. But no matter how far she ventured, she found nothing.

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly as disappointment settled in. This place was… really just a personal space belonging to Serman. It was nothing more than a useless piece of background lore.

“…Damn it.”

Realizing that she had found nothing of value, Eden turned back toward the way she had come.

That was when it happened.

“…Ugh.”

A faint sound brushed against her ears, and her steps came to an immediate halt.

“…!”

A groan?

Eden tensed up again, holding her breath as she strained to listen.

“Haa….”

There it was again—a faint but unmistakable groan.

Someone was here.

Turning back toward the source of the sound, Eden spotted another staircase leading upward at the end of the corridor.

“…….”

Someone was definitely up there.

After a brief hesitation, Eden clenched her fist tightly. She had come this far—she couldn’t leave without discovering something.

Swallowing hard, she carefully took another step forward. Each step she climbed, the groaning sound grew closer.

“Ugh…!”

A pained groan echoed intermittently. Eden’s heart pounded anxiously.

Who was suffering like that? Kyris? Patrian?

If it was either of them, this would be a major breakthrough.

“Hah….”

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, Eden held her breath as she spotted the gap of an open door—where the groaning was coming from.

Someone was in there.

Her heartbeat now pounded so violently it felt deafening.

Who was it? The High Priest? A prince? Or perhaps…

Eden moved closer, carefully peeking through the slightly open door to find out.