Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game?

In a soft voice, Eden’s words caused Ivatan’s eyebrows to subtly twitch. Unbothered, Eden pressed on.

“Haymun teaches us that life resides in all things around us, and that there is a purpose behind everything that comes into being.”

“……”

“This tea, too, must have endured countless trials and tribulations to be placed here, fulfilling its destiny to be consumed by you, Chancellor.”

Now, Ivatan was looking at Eden with outright disbelief. Eden could only imagine how utterly deranged she must have appeared, but giving up wasn’t an option.

She quickly took a sip of the tea and made an exaggerated expression of delight.

“Mmm. The aroma is absolutely wonderful.”

“……”

“It seems to be a herbal tea. Please, just try a sip.”

Whether this tactic would work or not, Ivatan had to drink tea with her today—no exceptions.

“The fragrance is truly exquisite.”

Eden gazed at Ivatan with pleading eyes, prompting him to regard her with an incredulous expression. It was evident that he suspected her motives, particularly why she was so fixated on this seemingly trivial matter.

“If you’re worried I might have tampered with it, we can switch cups…”

Before she could finish her desperate suggestion, Ivatan silently lifted the cup in front of him.

All the tea entering his room was enchanted with sophisticated magic that would change color immediately upon contamination. Since the tea’s hue remained unchanged, Ivatan decided to end this absurd exchange and took a quick sip.

As he set the cup down with a faintly irritated thud, a familiar

sound heralded the appearance of the quest completion window.

Success!

Eden’s eyes lit up with newfound hope. She had barely managed to succeed, even if the tea time hadn’t exactly been “delightful.”

“Now, speak.”

Ivatan’s voice was icier than before, but that didn’t matter to Eden—she had cleared the quest.

“Yes, I’ll explain everything now. Truly, you are a kind man.”

The radiant smile that accompanied her words caused Ivatan’s eyebrows to twitch ever so slightly. He had never been called “kind” in his life. And yet, this person had the audacity to label him as such, in a tone that resembled praise for an obedient dog.

“……”

That subtle sense of discomfort gnawed at him, but Eden seemed oblivious as she launched into her carefully prepared speech.

“As you’ve been informed, I can provide information about every monster on the continent. You asked how, didn’t you?”

“……”

“It might be hard to believe, but I naturally read information about monsters. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that I can see it, as though receiving a divine revelation.”

At this, Ivatan’s gaze hardened, his sharp eyes boring into Eden as though to pierce her words.

“Are you mocking me?”

His tone was colder than his expression, but Eden remained unfazed.

“Not at all. You may recall seeing me during the founding banquet.”

Mentioning the banquet caused his expression to grow sharper. He did remember Eden. He had already been suspicious of her due to her involvement in the banquet’s chaos.

“How do you think I managed to attract Tanir’s attention that day?”

Eden’s mention of “Tanir” caused Ivatan’s eyebrows to knit together. He had only just learned the name of the monster that had appeared at the banquet.

Tanir was an ancient beast, one that could only be summoned through specific sorcery. The only record of Tanir’s existence, besides this recent sighting, dated back 200 years. For a mere apprentice priest to know its name—one that even scholars had to painstakingly deduce—was absurd.

“How do you know that?”

Ivatan’s question came abruptly, his tone edged with urgency.

“Pardon?”

Eden tilted her head in mock confusion.

“How do you know that the creature’s name is Tanir? Answer me.”

It was then that Eden noticed how keenly focused Ivatan’s eyes had become, stripped of their prior fatigue and laced with tension. His sharp, urgent expression was strikingly different from the weary face he had shown earlier.

Eden gazed at him for a moment before breaking into a soft laugh. Her seemingly dismissive reaction only made Ivatan’s face grow colder, but she didn’t care.

It was almost endearing how defensive and suspicious Ivatan was over something as simple as a monster’s name.

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” she replied, clasping her hands reverently over her chest with a serene smile.

“I can naturally see all the information about monsters.”

“……”

Ivatan’s expression remained stony. He didn’t believe in gods, but as someone who acknowledged the existence of magical power, he didn’t dismiss the divine entirely. Yet, he had never heard of any priest or holy figure possessing such a gift, not in 200 years of fighting against monsters.

The only way to learn about monsters was to gather scattered pieces of bestiary fragments or conduct exhaustive research and experimentation.

“I’ve had this ability since childhood. I don’t know how it works,” Eden said with an innocent expression, continuing her prepared explanation.

“But I couldn’t let this gift go to waste, especially in times like these, when monsters have even infiltrated the imperial palace. And after witnessing it with my own eyes…”

“……”

“That’s why I sought you out, Chancellor. To use my ability for the greater good. Surely, the gods granted me this gift for that purpose.”

Eden clasped her hands and closed her eyes in a pretense of prayer. She realized that her hidden character being a priest was perfectly fitting—it provided an excuse for nearly anything by attributing it to divine will.

‘Truly, there’s a reason this is a hidden character.’

Eden silently admired her own performance, letting out a small sigh of satisfaction. When she opened her eyes, however, Ivatan’s face was still as rigid as before.

“……”

It wasn’t working.

If anything, her knowledge of Tanir seemed to have deepened his suspicion.

“Can you prove it?” he asked coldly.

Eden’s lips curled into a confident smile.

“Of course.”

Ivatan didn’t look convinced, but he rose from his seat and gestured for her to follow. They left his office and descended into the imperial palace’s underground facilities.

Though Eden already knew about the warp system that connected to the monster research lab, she feigned astonishment.

“My goodness. Oh, Hamyun above!”

“……”

Ignoring her dramatic reaction, Ivatan walked briskly ahead, leading her into a section where live monsters were held for research.

While Eden had anticipated this, facing the sight of massive, terrifying monsters restrained by powerful magic was still nerve-wracking.

“This way.”

Ivatan guided Eden to a section where upper-tier monsters, yet to be documented, were confined. As the heavy iron doors opened, the sight of a massive, grotesque bird-like creature, bound tightly and emitting a faint growl, greeted them.

“Can you read this one as well?”

Ivatan turned to look at Eden, standing dangerously close to the monster. His expression remained skeptical.

She nodded, her gaze shifting to the bound creature. One way to use her skill was to focus on a monster’s name while recalling it in her mind. The other method was simpler: to see the creature directly.

“……”

As expected, a crisp

sounded in her ears, and a translucent window appeared above the monster.

The mention of infants caused Eden’s expression to tighten. The idea of this horrific creature preying on babies sent a chill down her spine, even knowing it was a game setting.

“……”

While she could have left after completing the tea-time quest, something compelled her to stay. She had a duty to save the empire, and perhaps her skill was granted to ensure a flawless victory.

“Its name is

”