53 – 53rd Episode – “You’re Terrible”
As the game progressed, Duke Whisen’s face rigidified.
It was due to the opponent’s superior chess skills, but more than that.
There was something else that flustered him.
‘Your Highness! Did you not say it was no big deal!’
Clearly, he heard that.
He remembered exactly what the emperor had said before the friendly game began.
The opponent did not play chess very much, so the skills would be lousy.
Or he might possess skills close to a beginner.
To slaughter a newbie under the guise of a friendly match was a worry.
But that is the past.
The situation now has turned against Duke Whisen.
When Judak made a move,
Vicent Bach’s eyes narrowed.
Do you understand the philosophy behind this play?
The question from Judak attacked Vicent.
It was a complex and difficult move.
What’s the meaning of this?
Vicent Bach had many battles in his mind but couldn’t think of a proper solution.
From the beginning, it was not easy to read the opponent’s thoughts.
“In the world, what is this move?”
The opponent pushed the queen and placed it next to the king.
With just one movement, he could have easily eaten the queen like a cake.
Isn’t this blatantly offering the most expensive piece?
I will give you a queen for free. But can you resist?
It was a sweet move, wagging its tail.
Here you go, a free queen. Doesn’t happen every day.
“Ugh…”
Even though it was a free queen, Vicent Bach was terribly vexed.
But to swallow the queen wholly…
He had lost two games to this man that way.
So he could not be more cautious.
A few moves later, this strange play transformed into a design for checkmate.
Is he playing like this because he can see the future?
Vicent Bach was so short of breath that he began to doubt.
Taishan.
He felt as if he were facing a massive wall.
“Given this level of ability…”
The opponent’s hands are very delicate. There is no sign that he has played chess often.
Even the action of lifting and releasing the pieces showed no fluency.
The emperor’s comment that he didn’t play chess much might have been right.
But his chess was of a veteran who had fought tens of thousands of battles.
‘He is an enigma…’
His handling of the chess pieces is that of a novice.
But his play… epitomizes the veteran.
No, it’s not just steeped, it’s decayed – not even worthy of being called a veteran.
The smell of blood is pervasive. The chess history he’s tread upon glimpses hills of countless corpses.
How many people has he defeated and crushed?
This man was a specialist. A specialist in crushing opponents with chess.
As his opponent casually moves a piece, Whisen grimaced.
“Damn it….”
He cradled his head, thinking about his next move.
He must find a way to win…!
To somehow find a way to victory, he used time with every step.
He saved as much time as possible, barely moving a piece.
Half a turn of the hourglass went by.
Thud.
His position was back to square one due to his opponent’s unhesitating play.
“Damn…”
The remaining time is approximately 50 seconds…
45 seconds… 42 seconds…
37 seconds.
Each time the turn came around, the only thing getting worn down was Whisen’s time.
As the pressure of time gradually tightened like a noose, he felt suffocated.
“Check.”
His opponent’s threat of kill drilled into Whisen’s heart.
First, he must save the king…
He grasped the king but couldn’t carelessly move it.
Every possible move leads to death.
Amidst the thick scent of blood, he had an intuition of death.
“….”
No, there was indeed a way to survive.
He hoped for the opponent to make a mistake.
Despite it being a contradiction to wish for a flub from his opponent who had been playing flawlessly so far.
He had no other option.
He moved a piece to survive one more turn.
Moving the King diagonally forward while praying in his heart.
Please, make a mistake.
Yeah. Rest in peace.
The opponent’s Bishop followed like a ghost.
There were no places left to run.
“Checkmate.”
“….”
Jackjack’s head drooped in response to Judding’s overwhelming victory.
“Whew…”
Judding, who had been tense all this time, let out a sigh.
His whole body was drenched in sweat, perhaps because he was playing chess in earnest for the first time in a long time.
‘Playing with a pro is always fun.’
It felt like he was back in his old days.
Managing the gallery, sporadically playing chess in his spare time.
A fleeting memory of his unemployed days when he was completely absorbed in chess, around the clock, passed by.
On second thought, those weren’t good memories.
Despite reaching the highest level, weren’t those the days of being an unemployed troublemaker?
As he cooled down his heated brain from playing chess, he felt warmth on the side of Judding.
“Well done.”
“How was it?”
“Breathtaking. An incredible play… It’s a realm I can’t even imagine….”
“Oh, it wasn’t that remarkable.”
“But, it was so amazing… such a magnificent chess.”
The heroine gave him a blessing, her eyes shining.
How could he be so good at such a difficult game like chess?
She gazed at Judding with eyes filled with admiration and envy.
The skillful chess skills of Judak were something Kaira couldn’t have.
He marveled subtly at Judak’s ability to easily perform tasks Kaira couldn’t do.
“I wish to have outstanding abilities as well.”
“If you work hard, it’s inevitable. Naturally.”
“Is that so… I’ll work hard.”
How can he be so kindly when speaking?
The fact that Judak was the only one who cheered, even when everyone else was laughing, tickled Kaira’s heart.
With a gallery chess official win rate of 13%, Kaira’s heart was racing more than usual.
‘Someday… I want to become like Judak….’
He would catch up with the burning record of 13% win rate and reach up to an 87% win rate.
And to be recognized for his merit in the gallery….
He even imagined being stroked on the head along with a compliment of how good Judak is.
Let’s intensify chess…!
While the hero was making this resolution.
Hwisen Jajak, who got over the shock of defeat, rose from his seat and walked over to shake hands.
“I felt an unbeatable force… I regret not being able to reach it with my humble skills.”
“No way. I was also very nervous. It’s always a close call.”
“Thank you for your compliment. I will take today’s experience to improve. May we face off again?”
“Ah, anytime.”
Judak smiled brightly. A master challenger is always welcome.
Especially, it is hard to find a high-end toy that doesn’t break.
As Judak nodded, Hwisen Jajak quickly exited the room.
Friendly match over.
Now it was time for the loser to pay for the sour tasting defeat.
The remaining emperor in the room scowled as if crushed paper.
“…”
“Is there no one stronger?”
“Ugh…”
“Ah. Seems like the Empire is messed up. No matter how bad, they cannot lose to a kingdom.”
“Argh…!”
“Follow the order, emperor. Kingdom under empire, ‘Kingship under.’
“How dare you!!!”
“It’s the truth. Your chess skills are rubbish.”
“Ugh…! I’ll prove that the empire is far superior to the kingdom! I’ll repay this humiliation at the next chess tournament. Be sure to participate again!”
“Yeah, no thank you. Not interested in another trash.”
“Ugh…!”
“Should’ve won if you didn’t like it.”
Yes. If you don’t show up again, I win for life.
Juddak laughed brightly like a villain.
Who’s using dirty tricks, anyway.
In front of an overwhelming power, dirty tricks are bound to fail. Seems like you don’t know that.
Or maybe it’s because you’re the emperor, who’s a future balding man with no tricks left.
“I’ll repay this humiliation someday!”
The Emperor was raging at the blatant teasing.
But what can you do.
What can an empire that got beaten up in a chess exchange match do?
If this continues, it seemed that the emperor’s remaining hair might fall out due to stress.
Now is the time to calm down.
The tactful knight commander, Esha, approached Juddak and bowed her head.
“Sir Juddak. Did you enjoy your time?”
“Oh, I had a blast. The empire’s content is abundant.”
“Then, since today’s friendly match has ended, I will guide you to the guest room. This way.”
“Is it okay to leave the emperor like that?”
“It’ll resolve over time.”
What, is it really okay to leave him like that?
She withheld feeding the emperor as if this was a common occurrence.
Leaving the reception room, they walked through the corridor.
Esha, who was guiding them to the guest room, spoke first.
“So, which room would you prefer? We have double rooms and single rooms.”
“Then, separate single rooms─”
“Into a two-person room.”
“What?”
“For escort purposes.”
Ersha meant to say that the palace was safe and under strong protection, met eyes with the warrior, and closed her mouth.
She could distinctly imagine the eerie future that would unfold if she spoke.
“…I will lead you to a double-bed room.”
And thus, the peace of the Palace was preserved.
Both the Warrior and the Master naturally settled into the room with a double bed.
The Master, as he usually would, threw himself onto bed.
While the warrior, in the bathroom, removed his armour and changed into casual attire.
The plumply dressed Kaira gently laid herself down onto the vacant bed.
“Master, do you plan to leave first thing tomorrow morning?”
“It’s a must.”
“Understood.”
All tasks were completed.
Now, the Palace which used to feel like home, was slowly being missed.
Wouldn’t it be better to return before getting too attached to the Osen Kingdom?
Early the following morning, the Master and the Warrior got onto the carriage.
Their carriage had more luggage for the return trip than when they had arrived.
The corners of the carriage were filled with bags of gold and treasures kept as a return gift in lieu of the hair growth medicine.
The path returning to the Osen Kingdom was literally lined with gold.
Now all they need to do is return and rest!
Because the Emperor would no longer do as he pleased!
Not even minutes after boarding the carriage, the Master covered his mouth with his hand.
“Ah… the Emperor has, once again… done this… it’s a conspiracy… a massive conspiracy against me…”
“You are just suffering from regular motion sickness, Master. I will cast a blessing for you. Also, lie down this way.”
To die by motion sickness or to survive, that was the problem.
The Master, whose head lay on a thigh, was as if he were a motion sickness corpse.
And the warrior was doing his utmost to calm his shaking lips.
Their carriage gradually made its way toward the kingdom of Osen.
After the carriage left.
A simple tea ceremony was enjoyed in the palace between the Emperor and the Viscount Hwisen.
“Who is he, really…”
“He’s someone whose identity is difficult to disclose.”
“Yesterday’s defeat was shocking.”
The chess master of the gallery. The sponsor of Peri.
Viscount Hwisen reflected on yesterday’s defeat.
There were many lessons to learn. He repeatedly reviewed and analyzed the game record.
He enjoyed being called the strongest in the gallery, but the continent is much larger than that.
Knowing there’s still room for improvement.
Hwisen Viscount composed himself.
“For my peace of mind, I intend to go to the Cats’ Ears Teahouse where I can pet them gently.”
“….”
Why on earth does that kind of shop even exist in the capital?
“Your Majesty. How about you join me for a break?”
“I have no such interests.”
“May I explain to you how pleasant it is to pet their soft fur?”
The Emperor lightly dismissed the Viscount Hwisen’s suggestion, which suspiciously involved petting fur.
“There’s no opportunity for those who can’t win.”
“Hmph… He was just overwhelmingly strong. I will win next time.”
“Can I trust that?”
“I will do my best.”
“If you lose next time… You wouldn’t mind if I evacuate all the people from your territory?”
“Hmph… I’ll do my best with that in mind.”
“I like your determination.”
“Your Highness, I will go now.”
With proper courtesy, Viscount Hwisen left the terrace.
He was either headed for a teahouse that cleaned ears or a pleasure house.
In this empty place, the emperor quietly murmured to himself.
“Next.”
The next time he saw him, would he really be able to handle Judak? That thought had crossed his mind.
When he first saw Judak in the gallery, he felt anger because he interfered in swallowing the Osan kingdom.
At some point, his influence grew tremendously.
When the whole continent shook from Judak’s death, the emperor sensed a feeling of pressure.
Because touching him was like making contact with a mountain.
If he meets such Judak next time…what on earth kind of power will he possess?
Currently, the emperor’s emotions were close to fear.
He tightly gripped the baldness medicine that Judak had given him.
However, now he’s in a position to interact with Judak.
Even enemies from yesterday often become today’s friends in politics.
So, somehow, let’s use Judak and suck out the solace.
While the emperor was thinking about this,
A white dove flew in from the sky and settled lightly on the terrace.
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“….”
Was it cared for by someone? It was a dove with soft fur and a glossy sheen.
But how did it get in here?
The royal palace is protected by magic, that even an insect could not enter.
It’s not a normal approach…!
The emperor threw his body back at the appearance of the alien dove.
‘Elsa…!’
Right now, while she happens to be away supervising the knights.
The emperor took posture as he drew his sword.
The bracelet he wore also resonated with his body, trembling severely.
With this, his physical and mana abilities have risen a level higher.
They just had to hold out until Elsa or other people detected something and came.
Just securing a brief time would be enough.
As the emperor tensely pointed his sword,
Something quietly fell from the white dove.
The object that fell left and right while flapping was a letter.
It was nothing more than a plain letter without a hint of mana.
Perhaps having completed its mission, the white dove flew off.
The emperor carefully took out the letter.
“What in the world.”
“Invitation to the Gallery Chaos Gathering”
A suspicious letter with a magic circle arrived for the emperor.
