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< A star of unknown identity?offers condolences to the old man. >
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***
“I sounded him out separately before.”
Before we went to visit the King, Rebecca spoke in worry.
“Father still isn’t... making a move on Setian as Chair.”
“What did he say?”
“Watch.”
Then Rebecca reproduced, with [Illusion], the mont she had had a private audience with the King.
Do you still not recognize it?
Enough. He’s a friend who has been with for a long ti. How can you suspect one who has shared this nation’s rise and fall with ?
Father. It’s not suspicion.
Enough!
My chest clogged with frustration.
When the King says stop, even the Princess cannot say more.
“...Why is that?”
After the “Pink Drug” spread, Setian had been keeping as quiet as possible. Because standing out would be dangerous.
Silence is also language.
Cash is also a commodity.
Stillness is also a strategy.
So far it had worked. In practice, only the King could co and go from the Elder Council Chair’s domain, the de facto No. 2 in the kingdom.
Conversely, if even once the King were to take the “Pink Drug” and enter Setian’s domain, the countless secrets he’d hidden would be exposed. But that one ti was not happening.
“Why.”
This was Hiaka III, the Iron Sovereign, who had once overturned anything that irked him.
“...Because he’s old.”
Rebecca bit her lower lip.
“Old people don’t like their peace being disturbed.”
It brings to mind the old man who wouldn’t sell his house even for billions from a construction company.
“And Father is probably doubting his own judgnt.”
Because of dentia?
“Whew...”
It was suffocating. A man once strong had grown old. Once a Challenger, an undefeated swordsman, an iron-blooded sovereign—yet the boldness of youth breaks. Even so, only the King can drive Setian out of the royal house.
What should we do?
***
“Open.”
At the King’s gesture, [Illusion] unfolded upon the wooden board. His base and mine appeared.
“Your Majesty. Please crush that young, arrogant professor’s nose.”
“...Do your best.”
The chamberlain sat by the King’s side, Rebecca by mine, cheering.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
The rules of Hiaka Royal are quite simple.
You secure funds.
With them you deploy units or cast magic to attack the enemy.
If you destroy the opponent’s base within about ten minutes of ga ti, you win.
Thus, to win, you must read the opponent’s strategy, and at the sa ti consider the difference in money between you and them.
‘The King favors a one-shot, heavy-hitting strategy.’
If one could read character through a ga, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Hiaka III’s nature is exceedingly extre. He mainly uses “Dragon” and “Giant” strategies: gathering power into hefty units to smash the opponent in a single blow.
He was the sort of man who, fifty years ago, ate only barley bread and water for a year to wipe out a northern mountain-cartel.
“You’ve brought the Totem strategy again, I see.”
In contrast, I had brought a long-range Totem setup to bait his attacks.
If you declare from far away, “I’m going to hit you!”—then if the opponent doesn’t want to get hit, he must grit his teeth and co break my totems.
“Your Majesty. It’s the 『Spectroter』.”
The mont I placed the Spectroter, the King knit his brows.
“Coward. How does a man co to prefer such a base tactic?”
“You must block it.”
If the King spends money here to block, he can’t field a Dragon. I would seize initiative.
“......”
An anomaly occurred.
The King did not block.
Even as my “Spectroter” went pew-pew! from afar, firing beams to harry the royal side, he refused to block.
“As if I’d be swayed by such cheap tricks.”
I was in a bind.
“As expected of Your Majesty.”
“You’re reckless, Father.”
The chamberlain smiled; Rebecca folded her arms.
“Recklessness brought to this seat.”
He set a Wind-elent mage behind the Dragon, and an Alligator Bomber by its side. The Wind mage added acceleration to the whole force; the Alligator Bomber prepared for a strike.
Since I’d spent to pull the Spectroter, the gap widened. His crushing blow only grew heavier.
KWA-BOOM!
At last one of my buildings fell. Yet the King’s face brimd with leisure. His forces were already crossing into my base.
“Professor Dante. You said you’d teach him, but at this rate you’ll lose again.”
The chamberlain laughed as he spoke. We’d had similar patterns several tis before, and each ti I lost because I couldn’t stop that one strike.
‘Indeed... difficult.’
I had played the King several tis. I’d played Ezekiel dozens of tis. After summoning Cain and feeding him algorithms, I’d played hundreds of tis.
But under these exact conditions, I had never once succeeded in defending.
If I did stop it, that would be strange.
In my hand was ten coins.
The opponent’s attack cost twenty.
Even so...
“Well.”
Today would be different.
“Do you have a way, Professor?”
“I do.”
I closed my eyes and focused on the inner status window.
⋮
< Board Ga │ You have selected 『Hiaka Royal』. >
< Cost to reach proficiency 99.99% is 72 Shards of the Star. Invest? >
⋮
A lavish investnt just to improve at a board ga—but if it’s the bedridden King’s only hobby, the circumstances change.
⋮
< Investnt complete. >
< Shards of the Star on hand: 31 (▼72) >
⋮
After the Shards of the Star shooped away inside , complex sensations bored into my mind.
Understanding of inco flow.
Understanding of unit traits.
Understanding of card cycling.
Understanding of terrain...
They flooded in like a tide.
I used defense towers positioned in exquisite spots to drag the Alligator Bomber out of the pack.
With tiny units, I lured the Wind mage away.
“Ah.”
Rebecca let out a soft exclamation.
‘The reason a one-shot is terrifying is because it is compacted.’
Things that are strong when clumped beco weak once scattered.
As units spread and were cut down one by one, the ease drained from the King’s face.
“......”
He pressed the offensive a little harder after that, and by a hair he broke through and claid victory.
“His Majesty wins.”
The tense chamberlain exhaled with a laugh. Rebecca, on the other hand, stared at the board, unable to smile.
“A complete defeat. Your Majesty.”
“...I owe Father an apology. Dante.”
“Yes. I was presumptuous. I beg your pardon.”
I bowed my head.
No answer ca.
So when I slowly raised it, I was mildly surprised inside.
“......”
Hiaka III was boring into with those dragon-like eyes.
“One more ga.”
“Yes.”
The next ga unfolded the sa. I sent in assassins with an “Assassin Strategy” to constantly harry his base, but I ate a single blow and lost.
“Again.”
“Yes.”
The next one wasn’t much different. This ti with a “Goblin Strategy,” I ran nickel-and-di guerrillas to get under his skin, but I took a single blow and lost.
“Again.”
“Yes.”
“Again.”
“Yes.”
“Again...”
⋮
Thus we played ten straight, and I did not defeat him even once.
Spectators’ reactions split.
“Seems the professor still can’t match His Majesty.”
“I suppose it can’t be helped. Father can hold even against professional players, and this man has only just begun.”
“But he’s a man fad as a genius professor, isn’t he? If he works at it, he’ll reach the realm soon enough.”
But not yet, they added. Rebecca turned her eyes aside with a bland face.
The King himself, however, was quiet.
“......”
Despite a ten-ga streak, his expression was not good.
No wonder—through repeated wins, he would have felt sothing off.
“Shall we stop for today, Your Majesty? It’s nearly ti for those with reports to arrive.”
In fact they had already co and were waiting outside.
But the King didn’t care.
When he fell silent and gazed down at the board, the chamberlain also closed his mouth.
A strange stillness descended on the sickroom.
The King was replaying.
“Professor Dante.”
“Yes.”
“That last tower placent—you put it there on purpose.”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“No? You placed it in the sa spot six tis, then on the last, one tile to the side.”
“A mistake.”
“Then why did you cast the Whirlwind spell earlier than usual?”
“...It seems my focus wavered at the end.”
“No. No, that’s not it. You chose to cast early. Looking back, the assassins’ positions were odd as well. Are you toying with ?”
The King asked, expressionless.
“How could I be.”
I answered, also expressionless.
“It seems a matter of finishing strength. Tomorrow I won’t lose focus to the end.”
“......”
The visit ended there.
“...Half a success.”
Once outside, Rebecca spoke. I nodded.
“His Majesty must be angry.”
“Yes. Father licked his lower lip.”
They say when the King flicks his tongue, he’s really pissed.
“......”
To put it plainly, yes, I lost on purpose.
The chamberlain, even watching, likely didn’t notice.
But the person involved definitely felt it.
He is the King. The living history of Hiaka. But in the end, just one man— and when playing a ga, just a gar.
And I understand gar psychology better than anyone.
When do gars get angry? When they feel an overwhelming gap? When they lose to a coback? No.
When they feel the ga is unfair.
For instance, when the rules are wrong. When the referee makes a bad call. When the opponent uses cheats or exploits. Then a gar feels rage he cannot endure.
“But how did you do it? The mood flipped right from the middle of the first match... Father’s face suddenly hardened then too.”
Rebecca asked.
“Secret.”
What—am I supposed to say I boosted my skill with Shards of the Star?
I’ll admit it. Using Shards of the Star to raise skill is an exploit. A cheat. Not a fair contest.
But I wasn’t playing a board ga with him to compete in the first place.
The rage of unfairness is terrifying. In Brazil, during a soccer match, a referee stabbed a player, and spectators killed the referee.
Even a lukewarm old man would be driven to many thoughts. Follow those thoughts, and he may reach a certain conclusion.
“But still, only half a success.”
“Half?”
“The goal is to agitate Father, right? To break the peace and open the gate for movent.”
She said that because she hadn’t read the flow of the match.
“Let’s wait and see.”
If I was right, the King would realize more than that.
***
Chamberlain Lutemin watched the King’s mood. “Your Majesty...” he called, but received no answer.
After finishing all business, Hiaka III sat on the sickbed, staring at the board for hours.
Using the recall function, he kept replaying his ga with Dante Hiakapo.
It puzzled the chamberlain.
‘...Was there sothing I don’t know?’
He narrowed his eyes. He had long been the man closest to the King, serving at his side. And it was rare for the King to be this grave—over state affairs or anything.
He was a man who knew answers. Even when the whole world opposed him, the King had many cases where he ramd through and succeeded.
For example, taking Rebecca in as Princess was one. From the Elder Council to all vassals, everyone objected, but trusting a single hunch, the King brought her into the palace.
For over ten years, that had stood as the King’s only misjudgnt, a matter of constant gossip—but now the evaluation had flipped.
Rebecca had been publicly declared by a great magician to have “magical talent to contend at the world’s summit,” and the kingdom had taken as son-in-law the greatest young professor.
Thus a man who knew answers now stood halted before a problem, thinking.
“......”
Then it happened. Suddenly the King’s eyes widened.
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
“...The brat was testing .”
“Pardon?”
A rare, flustered tone escaped him.
“When he attacked , I thought I kept taking the hits. But that wasn’t it.”
“Then...?”
“The reason I prepared a one-shot was because I thought I could pierce him. Right before the sweep, I scouted and believed it would work.”
“Ah, yes.”
“And yet—what is this?”
At 0.5 speed, when he lit the entire field, sothing beca visible.
In the darkness, one of Dante’s assassins looped behind... and started attacking himself.
“Ah!”
The chamberlain’s eyes went round.
“It wasn’t just one match.”
He replayed another.
In every ga except the first, Dante attacked himself—in zones the King could not see.
“He kept luring into an ambush.”
Because—
“Because he could block it. Because he was confident he could. Even if he took losses himself, he was sure he could handle .”
The old King’s voice began to tremble, stained with anger. At first he had felt doubt at the sudden leap in skill, and disgust at the sense his field was being read. Once he grasped the truth, a greater fury surged.
“...Then why did he still lose?”
That was precisely it. At the chamberlain’s words, the King shut his eyes tight. He had understood. The impudent young professor’s ssage. He had structured the entire session for that one line.
“......”
An assassin stands inside the royal castle.
“...Lutemin.”
A fire rose in his chest.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Convene the Elder Council.”
The King rose to his feet.
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