As Dale charged in nacingly, the scribe hurriedly spread his arms wide. He then started reciting an incantation.
The old books that had been piled up like a mountain began to float gently into the air and a strong magical power was released.
A mage?
Dale had not thought the scribe a re ordinary old man, but he turned out to be a mage of a higher caliber than expected.
With a swing of his arm, Dale knocked away the floating books.
At the sa mont, books that had been hanging on the bookshelf ca tumbling down and rained down on Dales head like a torrent.
Thud! Thump!
Heavy books pumled Dale and attempted to cling to him as if the books themselves possessed a will of their own.
Yet, Dale remained unfazed. Such attempts were not enough to inflict damage on him.
Dale turned his head to the side. Suddenly, a carpet slithering like a snake crawled toward him and tried to wrap itself around his body.
Dale pierced the carpet with his cursed sword, then stepped on one hem of the carpet and tore it in half.
And as if it was actually alive, the carpet writhed in agony before collapsing lifelessly to the floor.
The scribe cried out,
No! My carpet!
Strangely enough, the voice seed to co from above.
Dale lifted his gaze upward.
Atop the highest shelf of the wall cabinet stood the old scribe.
You brute! You must listen to the end when soone is speaking!
The scribe lashed out and started waving his arms furiously in indignation.
Dale looked up at the scribe and retorted,
But did you not propose a fight?
Who said anything about brandishing weapons in a fight, huh? People should use their heads and engage in a battle of wits!
Dale paused for a mont and then said.
Cant we just fight with weapons? Its simpler that way for .
Shut up! If youre not going to do as I say, then just leave!
Dale swallowed a sigh and conceded,
Alright, co down from there.
The scribe glanced down below and then spoke in a quiet voice.
I cant co down.
And why is that?
Ive used up all my magical power just now.
For just that?
Just that? Even this much is quite an achievent! And, battle magic isnt my specialty!
Dale spread his arms wide while offering,
Jump down. Ill catch you.
Are you really going to catch ? Youre not planning to let fall and die on purpose, are you?
You can stay up there if you prefer.
The scribe cleared his throat once, as if he wasnt happy about that, then swallowed hard and jumped down.
Thud.
Dale skillfully caught the scribe under his arms.
The old man was thin and light as a feather and hardly weighed anything.
. Put down.
When the scribe spoke sheepishly, Dale gently set him on the ground.
As he took a closer look at the old man, Dale noticed how short he was. It was unusually so unless he was a dwarf.
The scribe seed to have noticed that gaze and said.
Just so theres no misunderstanding, Im a half-gno and half-human. Im actually quite tall for my kind.
Dale thought about the height of Leon, the gno he had t a while ago. The scribe didnt seem particularly taller than Leon, but he chose not to ntion that.
Instead, he asked another question,
Youre a mage?
Why would I wear such a ridiculous hat if I werent a mage?
The scribe pointed to the large pointed hat perched on his head.
Dale had to agree.
Thats a fair point.
You could have at least pretended the hat was stylish over there!
What was he supposed to do about that?
Seriously, thats the problem with the youth these days.
Dale was beginning to tire of dealing with this old mage. Before the conversation could stray further, he steered it back to the main topic.
So, what exactly is this challenge youre proposing?
Ah, yes, we were discussing that, werent we?
The scribe stroked his white beard with a smug air.
Records hold imasurable value. Everyone overlooks this fact, but paper and ink are the true drivers of our societys progress. I cant just hand over sothing so precious to just anyone.
Typical of a mage to be so wordy.
Can we get to the point, please?
Tsk. You have no patience. Here it is. I have no intention of passing my valuable knowledge on to those less intelligent than myself, especially not to bastards who carry swords at their waists!
The scribe clenched his fists.
Dale asked with a hint of indifference,
So, what are you proposing?
I have hundreds of ways to make a fool out of you. But that wouldnt be fun, nor would it be a fair contest. What well compete in is this!
With a flick of his finger, the stack of old books slid aside, revealing a wooden board that rolled out as if it had been waiting just beneath.
Arranged neatly on the board were pieces made of white and black stones.
It was a ga Dale was very familiar with.
Chess.
The scribe boasted,
This is a ga modeled after war. It includes strategies and tactics that you sword-bearing folks might appreciate. How about it? Fair enough?
He briefly explained the rules, which were not much different from what Dale already knew.
Dale asked him.
So, I just need to win at this?
Yes, win, and Ill grant you anything.
The scribe smirked with the mischief of soone who had just pulled off a prank while thinking to himself,
Of course, you wont stand a chance!
The scribe was an undefeated champion in chess. He had bested all the 299 challengers who ca here before Dale.
And not once was he at a disadvantage during those gas.
In the end, this battle is about reading your opponents moves and psychology.
Thoughts were revealed in moves.
And by reading the enemys thoughts and psyche, victory could be surprisingly easy to grasp.
Theres no move I cant decipher. Even the most skilled mages couldnt defeat . No human can beat , at least!
The scribe was brimming with the boundless confidence typical of old mages and he arrogantly declared,
Co on, give it your best shot!
***
The librarian guarding the entrance was sorting books when he suddenly thought of sothing.
Now that I think about it, a dark knight ca by earlier.
The librarian tilted his head to the side.
There, a group of won were gathered around a desk, laughing rrily as they read through a thick novel.
It was a novel that had recently beco quite popular among the ladies of the upper districts.
Wasnt the protagonist of that novel a dark knight too?
Regrettably, the librarian had little interest in novels.
His thoughts were more on his superior, the old scribe.
I wonder if hell be alright. That guy was ard too.
Dealing with that eccentric old man was no easy task. He himself had had his fair share of frustrating encounters.
It wouldnt be surprising if that dark knight had already drawn his weapon.
Well, its probably nothing to worry about.
The librarian was aware of the scribes strength as a mage and soon eased his concerns.
By now, the scribe would likely be engaging in chess after using any excuse to challenge and utterly defeat the dark knight.
Mocking an opponent as foolish after defeating them in chess was one of the scribes unpleasant hobbies.
All this talk about the importance of records was just an excuse, really.
The librarian rembered the pain he had endured playing unwilling gas of chess when he first started working here.
Maybe I should go have a look.
He could hardly imagine the imposing dark knight quietly sitting down to a ga of chess.
The librarian filled a tray with tea and snacks and walked up the stairs.
Its quiet?
He tilted his head in puzzlent.
The silence was unusual.
By this ti, he expected the sounds of a chess ga being won and the subsequent taunting of the old man.
The librarian stuck his head out and took a stealthy glance inside.
There they were, squatting on the floor and deeply engrossed in their chess ga. But sothing about the atmosphere felt off.
Dale sat expressionless in stark contrast to the scribe whose forehead was drenched in sweat.
The librarian looked at the chessboard and his eyes widened in shock.
!
It was the old scribe, not Dale, who was being destroyed.
The board was dominated by Dales white pieces, with only a few black pieces left standing.
In fact, this was virtually a decided match.
Despite this, the scribe was unable to concede defeat and fidgeted with the pieces in denial.
The librarian looked at Dale with admiration.
To actually beat the old scribe renowned for his unmatched intellect in the city
The stereotype of knights as brutish and dim-witted was shattered in his mind at that mont.
The librarian watched the progress on the chessboard as if he was spellbound.
After a few more moves, the outco was clear. Dale then declared,
It seems the match is decided.
The scribe said through gritted teeth.
. Best two out of three.
?
Thats right! The true victor is determined by winning twice!
.
Both Dale and the librarian looked at the scribe with a mix of pity and disbelief.
Despite his face turning a bright shade of red, the scribe stood firm on his words.
He refused to back down and stubbornly started resetting the pieces on the board.
It seems both mages and giants are a stubborn bunch.
Dale shook his head and lined up his white pieces.
The scribe had underestimated Dale, who actually possessed a chess skill level that was quite advanced.
This was the natural outco.
After all, there wasnt much else to do at the ti.
Dale often played with the children at the orphanage and spent ti with them along with his grandfather.
However, the entertainnt options suitable for the orphanage children were limited.
They played football during the day, and at night, they resorted to chess or Go.
Naturally, playing every day led to significant improvent. Over ti, the childrens skills rose.
But the children didnt stop there.
One day, a particularly bright child morized the chess moves on a computer.
At that ti, chess had already been conquered by computers.
morizing such computer moves essentially ant becoming unbeatable in the orphanage.
From that day forward, all the children began morizing the moves and striving to win. And Dale was no exception.
Chess was no longer about fun and fostering friendships; it was about playing to win with a cold and chanical approach.
This chess craze continued in the orphanage until a day arrived when it eventually faded.
I really went through a lot back then.
It was such an absurd event at the ti.
Dales grandfather, who was not familiar with the new trends of the world, would click his tongue in disapproval and start wondering what bizarre antics these children were doing.
But in hindsight, all of that too beca a fond mory for Dale.
I wonder how the kids are doing now.
And the efforts made back then shone through in such a place, after all this ti.
Dale moved his pieces without much hesitation.
Each ti he did, the scribes eyes would wildly dart around.
The scribe swallowed hard.
What in the world What could possibly be the aning behind this move?
Cold sweat ran down his forehead.
Until now, no opponent he faced before had ever made such a move. The scribe found it impossible to decipher Dales intentions.
He tried to read Dales psychology through his facial expressions, but that too was no easy task.
Because no emotions could be discerned from Dales impassive face.
The scribe, who was confident he would never lose to a human, thought the previous ga was lost due to a montary lapse in concentration.
However, the scribe felt sothing different this ti.
Its like theres no thought in the moves, as if Im playing against a rock.
It was like facing a massive wall.
With each move, the scribes hands slowed down, and the situation on the board grew increasingly dire.
And the result was a crushing defeat just like before.
The scribe stared blankly at the chessboard and then Dale spoke.
It seems I have won.
Now is the ti to keep your promise. I trust youre not considering changing your words at this point.
Grrr.
Seemingly in frustration, the scribe gritted his teeth and extended his hand to the side.
Following this gesture, several books scattered carelessly on the floor flew into his hand. The scribe presented the books.
These are records of factual events involving the heroes; theyre compiled solely from verified incidents. I have recorded these myself, so there should be no falsehoods.
Dale took the books and he grew surprised by their volu. It looked like the events were recorded in great detail.
Having achieved his goal, Dale was about to leave when the old man grabbed the hem of his cloak.
What is it?
The scribe cleared his throat sheepishly before speaking.
Play one more ga with . I think Im starting to grasp your strategy. I believe I could win if we played again!
Dale looked intently at the scribe and asked.
For free?
The scribes face contorted wildly.
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