Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

17

Tap! Tap!

Chess pieces moving in the trembling silence.

Juras seemed to enjoy this tension, or perhaps he didn’t feel any tension at all, as he continued to move the pieces confidently.

“I personally don’t like chess. I have unpleasant memories associated with it.”

“…”

“Hm, not going to ask for the reason?”

Juras moved the pieces without caring and continued speaking.

“It must have been when I was eight. My master, who was teaching me strategy, introduced me to chess. Naturally, I lost. It was a fight I couldn’t win.”

It had taken just one month to defeat that master.

“After that, the way my master looked at me changed. Before long, he started to envy me. Chess must have been the trigger. I realized I was inferior to my students in every aspect. Three years later, he took his own life. That’s how I lost my master. Quite a sad story, don’t you think?”

“There’s no shortage of drama. Feeling defeated by a child and then taking your own life.”

“hahahahaha! I understand. It must sound ridiculous. I also thought maybe my master was just inadequate. But that wasn’t the case.”

“…?”

“Well, I have never lost in a chess match since then. My master remains the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

Upon hearing these words, some nobles shivered involuntarily.

I chuckled and responded, “That’s not the dramatic part. It’s amusing to think you hit a wall with such modest skills. Juras Pamelion, do you know the saying ‘a frog in a well’?”

“Hmm, judging by the context, you’re saying that’s me?”

“I know it well.”

I grinned.

“44 moves from now, you will be in check for the first time.”

“…”

“And 8 moves later, another check. Then, 16 moves after that, checkmate.”

“Why don’t you say it with words?”

Juras remained unfazed, not letting his relaxed smile falter, perhaps thinking it was just a bluff.

But 20 moves later.

“…….”

His mouth shut.

He began to stare piercingly at the chessboard.

Now, the one who gained composure was on my side.

“Well, my checkmate could still be avoided. If you turn out to be more foolish than I thought, that is.”

The hall buzzed. Noble guests knowledgeable in chess observed the match with awe in their eyes.

Finally, the anticipated 44th move.

Thud! I maneuvered my knight to thrust the blade at the king’s throat.

“Check.”

Whoa!! The party hall erupted in cheers.

On the Crossing Embassy’s side, a look of confusion was evident.

“Impossible. Is the Grandmaster really losing?”

“Only someone at Kayenne’s level of strategy could rival Lord Juras…?”

I tried to smirk, but since I was wearing a helmet, no one could see it anyway, so I chuckled out loud on purpose.

“hahahahaha! I didn’t shake hands to avoid the checkmate. Yes, I must commend you. Well done.”

“…….”

The match was already over. There was no move Lord Juras could make to turn the tide.

This was why chess had swiftly fallen to artificial intelligence.

Chess, unlike Go, didn’t have an overwhelming number of possibilities.

Even Go, now dominated by AI, was not as lengthy as chess, where the outcome was often determined at the start of the match.

Hence, the opening moves and subsequent mid-game skirmishes were crucial.

Having faced AI in hundreds of matches, mastering constants, Lord Juras, no matter how talented, couldn’t be a match for me.

I had transcended human talent, competing against artificial intelligence.

Lord Juras made many mistakes, lacking the experience of playing matches at the Grandmaster level compared to me.

Well, despite that, given my superior skills, I would have ultimately secured victory effortlessly.

“Shall we see which way your cup will turn? Will you shake hands more to avoid the checkmate, or accept the result as is? The choice of Lord Juras Pamelion. Quite intriguing.”

“You…”

For the first time, Lord Juras revealed his anger.

Because this was a dilemma.

Choosing another handshake to avoid my checkmate would make him a greater fool than a mere pawn. Accepting the result without trying to overcome the situation would make him a fool who didn’t strive to turn the tide.

In the end, no matter what he chose, he would be a fool.

Lord Juras chose the former.

“Checkmate.”

“…I have lost.”

He acknowledged my move calculation and accepted the checkmate.

* * *

The chess duel ended with my victory.

The attendees at the party hall couldn’t believe the outcome of Mercenary Wade’s victory.

“One of the Ten Giants, Lord Juras Pamelion, defeated…?”

“Unbelievable. Truly astonishing!”

“That truly is a chess skill from a different dimension. It’s astonishing!”

Juras, known for accepting any challenge, was famous for it.

Accepting challenges itself was remarkable, and never having been defeated even more so.

But now, that reputation was shattered.

By a mere mercenary.

“Shall we have a rematch?”

Juras requested a rematch with a glint in his eye.

I replied nonchalantly, “What are the conditions?”

“Conditions… you say?”

“Haven’t you already taken what I offered as a slave? Then you should ask for something new, right? For instance, the left arm you mentioned earlier…!”

“…!”

Juras flinched at my threat.

He knew it too. Even if they were to have a rematch, the likelihood of him winning was slim.

It was too risky to wager a left arm in a match.

“How audacious! What insolence is this from a mere mercenary to Juras!”

“Be quiet, Kiam.”

“But, Juras…!”

“I said be silent. Do not make me repeat myself.”

“I, I apologize.”

The atmosphere with Juras changed.

He pointed at Eonia and said, “In the end, what you and Illya Anfei want is Eonia Mirabel, right? If I win again, I will even hand over the reins of this Epsilon. How about that?”

Handing over the protagonist.

Honestly, I wondered how that would turn out.

Eonia was a character unrelated to the main story, so I thought it would be fine, but she wasn’t the protagonist.

To have Alz, who should be the protagonist’s close companion, instead treat the protagonist as a slave was beyond shocking and horrifying, surpassing the point where the story would go downhill.

At that moment, it seemed right to decline this match.

Just then, Duke Helian offered a helping hand.

“That’s enough. Don’t ruin the party atmosphere any further.”

He declared the end of the slave auction.

“Juras Parmillion. I will not tolerate any more rudeness. You may take the slaves away if you wish, just step back.”

“…Very well. I have no intention of deliberately chilling the atmosphere.”

“Are you not already saying that you’ve done enough to ruin the party atmosphere?”

“Hmph, I apologize for that. Then, I shall take my leave. You may take the slaves as discussed. Consider it a gesture of apology and goodwill.”

“Hmph, do you think it’s easy for those who might be considered concubines to accept?”

“That part is for you to decide…”

Juras left the party with only the protagonist.

It seemed that Eonia Mirabel had kept her promise.

“Eonia!”

Master Ilya immediately grabbed Eonia’s hand, relieved that she was unharmed.

Eonia, still bewildered, had never even dreamt that Jurass would be defeated.

But now, things were different.

Even if it was inevitable to protect the master, the situation had escalated significantly.

◈

Having finished the confrontation with Jurass, I hurriedly left the party hall.

If I stayed there, I felt like I would be caught and exposed.

With the help of the mercenaries and the master, I managed to leave the party hall and let out a deep sigh.

“Master, just promise me one thing. If something like this happens again, promise me that we will discuss and decide together. I understand the importance of personal pride, but there’s also something called prudence. I will try to lead in a positive direction, so please trust me and consult with me.”

“Hmph, that sounds good. Let’s make sure to do that from now on.”

“Master?”

“I knew you were good at chess, but I never expected you to defeat Jurass. I praised you as a remarkable child, but it seems I was mistaken. You are someone even more special.”

The master patted my shoulder in a dignified manner.

Why did he pat my shoulder instead of my head? I wondered, realizing the presence of the helmet belatedly.

I confirmed that there were no onlookers around, took off my helmet, and reverted to my normal voice.

“Phew! I thought I would suffocate. I could endure the discomfort on the battlefield because it prevented blood from splattering, but there’s no such ordeal indoors.”

“What…!”

Eonia’s eyes widened as I revealed my face.

“Why is the child…?”

“Well, I have reached the age where I am recognized as an adult this year. I haven’t had my coming-of-age ceremony yet. Shall we exchange full names? I am Alse Chasing Iline.”

“Uh, Eonia Mirabel. No… just Mirabel.”

Why did she suddenly use formal language?

Anyway, I had to decide on Eonia’s disguise.

She was too famous to be placed anywhere casually. Jurass might even put a tail on her.

However, the master proposed a refreshing solution to this issue.

“It may be considered fortunate that Eonia’s face is unrecognizable due to burns.”

“That’s… true.”

“So, gradually undergoing treatment and changing her appearance from before is the way to go.”

“Is that possible?”

“It should be. I know someone who had a similar case. Completely turning into a different person may be difficult, but changing one’s appearance is definitely achievable.”

Of course, for the time being, Eonia had to conceal her identity.

She accepted this gracefully.

“I am as good as dead from a year ago. Concealing my name is not a big deal. Besides… as long as I can repay the favor to you, I don’t care about anything else.”

“A favor? Let me make it clear that you don’t need to worry about that. I only fought Jurass to save the master. Your debt to me is irrelevant. So, from now on, you can live the life you desire.”

“Yes, that’s what I intend to do. …Once my broken spear, guided by your will, will once again aim at the enemy’s throat. Please allow me to stand by your side.”

“Fine.”

Eonia’s upright and intense gaze clashed with mine.

My head began to ache.

“It’s similar to the oath made by the protagonist.”

Rather, it felt even stronger. If in the game it was about being acknowledged as a companion to the protagonist, this felt more like a pledge of vassalage.

Receiving a loyalty oath from an SSR grade character, not even the protagonist.

It was a joke to call my aides the Seven Sages, but now it was as if I truly had sages by my side.

Still, since they were not related to the main story, I decided it didn’t matter and rationalized it to myself.