Chapter 30 : Millennium Height (4)

Here’s one truth about the world: taking a shut-in wizard hostage won’t earn you much ransom.

But kidnap a noble?

Now you’re talking real money.

That’s precisely why nobles never go anywhere without a knight in tow.

I awkwardly looked away from the girl tidying up the chess pieces and cast a glance at the man standing behind her.

Brown hair and brown eyes—both the most common traits in the Empire.

Just like the girl.

But while his features were natural, hers were likely a disguise.

Probably enchanted.

Who goes to such lengths to sneak into a chess club?

A marquess’s daughter?

Maybe a duke’s?

Could she even be a princess?

Nah, that’s unlikely.

Royals are trained round the clock.

They don’t have time to hang out in chess clubs.

Though I don’t know for sure.

But still… they’re royalty.

I’m probably right.

Anyway—If the girl in front of me really was the daughter of a high-ranking noble, then I may have just committed a serious offense.

She’s in disguise, so technically I’m in the clear for now.

But a grudge doesn’t care about disguises, does it?

I needed to do some risk management.

So I opened my mouth and said, “Shall we play a match?”

“Sure,” she replied.

The disguised noblewoman moved her pawn two squares forward from the far edge of the board.

Royal Gambit—an opening that evolves the strongest piece, the Royal Knight, as fast as possible.

You too?

The same opening that rich young lord from Shade Graphton used.

Interesting…

I moved the pawn in front of my assassin forward by one square.

Phantom Attack—a light, aggressive opening.

High risk, high reward. Against a solid opening like Royal Gambit, it was generally weak.

Right.

Royal Gambit plays slow and steady, then lands a heavy blow.

Phantom Attack just didn’t hold up well against it.

Welcome to hospitality chess.

It’s where you play just well enough to amuse the noble, while secretly letting them win.

The trick is to make sure they never realize you’re going easy on them.

My method?

Use a weak opening and play entirely ordinary moves.

Total immersion.

I had to act like an average player—one who could only think of average moves.

I ditched my armor and grabbed a dagger.

The disguised noblewoman built her fortress in response.

I charged straight at it like a berserker.

And the result?

Naturally, my assassin wiped out her king.

“He’s a chess berserker!”

“Plays exactly like he looks!”

I listened to the murmurs around me and casually ordered a mug of honey mead.

But a variable had entered the game.

My method acting had been flawless.

I genuinely played average moves.

The noblewoman just… couldn’t hold up against them.

I’d have to dial it down even more.

I asked calmly, “Shall we play another?”

I couldn’t let her leave the chess club with only the bitter taste of defeat.

That would go against my goal: to erase any grudge risk.

I wanted to give her a win she’d genuinely enjoy.

She nodded.

This time, she played the Knight’s Game—a classical, balanced opening.

I countered with the Magician’s Defense.

As the name suggests, it’s a defensive strategy.

But magicians, as a piece, are weak against knights.

Usually, they don’t last long under pressure.

She played by the book, unfolding her knight step by step.

I mirrored her with a textbook defense.

And then—my magician burned her king to ashes.

“That game should go down in history!”

“He sacrificed a fully evolved magician just to land a checkmate with a normal one!”

Something felt off.

How did I win again?

I was sure I only made average moves…

Should I tone it down even more?

The disguised noblewoman was breathing hard.

Probably fantasizing about summoning an assassin to slit my throat.

Nope.

Not today.

I’m not dying before mastering my spells.

“How about one more game?” I asked.

“Gladly,” she replied.

She took a deep breath and opened with the Magician’s Game.

Clearly a fan of classic plays.

I responded by pushing my edge pawn forward two spaces.

Royal Gambit again—a bad match-up against the late-game focused Magician’s Game.

Okay.

This time, I’m definitely going to lose.

“That girl’s picking the worst matchups on purpose, then beating her opponent to a pulp!”

“She’s the devil of chess!”

“A monster!”

I’ll let the spectators’ commentary speak for the game’s result.

Confession time: my hospitality chess always ends the same way.

Despite my perfect acting, my opponents always lose.

I thought I’d gotten better after training with Kelton… but I guess not.

Still, I was a little disappointed.

“But hey,” I said with a smile, “I was right, wasn’t I?”

The disguised noblewoman trembled like someone struck by a sudden truth, then whispered:

“You’re a woman too, aren’t you?”

“I am the greatest chess player in history, transcending gender. Irregulars are excluded from the sample by rule,” she said confidently.

“What’s your name?”

“Jinx.”

The reason I was conducting my little investigation was obvious.

It was to send an assassin.

So, I casually threw out a fake name.

It was a name of a famous game character from my past life.

If I wanted to kill this guy, I’d need to cross dimensions.

“Miss, that person is Ruina,” the man standing behind me interrupted.

The disguised noblewoman blinked.

“Ruina, you say?”

“Yes, she’s the subject of the current rumor.”

“Ah! The one who fought the Priest of the Evil God!”

“Actually, she’s the disciple of the mage who fought the Evil God’s Priest.”

“She’s not just a disciple, she’s a friend. And I fought him too.”

But how did he know my name?

I wondered, and the man, narrowing his eyes, answered sharply.

“She was selling hot spring water while performing in a play.”

Ah, it seems like Chris’s one-man show played a big role here.

It was clear that Chris had the potential for something more, as he had many little talents.

One of them was acting.

It was something I had to see firsthand.

After all, even I, who had experienced the event, found the play thrilling.

Although, the adaptation was so exaggerated that it had turned into a completely different story.

Still, the acting was great, so let’s move past that.

“Ruina, you say?”

“Say whatever you like.”

“You’re using a fake name, right?” Why?

“I have a habit of using aliases.”

“Is that so?”

The disguised noblewoman touched the chess pieces absentmindedly.

Her hesitant movements reminded me of the past.

Of a time in my previous life, especially when classes changed.

It was the typical reaction of someone who wanted to make friends but didn’t know how, and was even wondering what the very definition of friendship was.

Maybe not.

I hadn’t experienced it directly.

I was more the type to stay in the background, quietly observing everything.

Looking back now, wouldn’t I have suited the role of an assassin more than a magician?

But I still learned magic.

It was easy to solve that situation.

I reached out and spoke.

“It was fun. Let’s play chess again sometime.”

“…Yes, I enjoyed it too. My name is Tasia.”

I wondered if it was another fake name, but seeing her attendant flinch, it seemed like it was her real name.

I waited for the reactions of the nearby gentlemen.

But none of them asked, “Which Tasia from what family?”

They didn’t know her.

She wasn’t a high-ranking noble after all?

I didn’t care much, but there was something oddly unsatisfying about it.

What a shame.

I watched Tasia leave the club with an excited expression, then lit my pipe.

Even after being treated like that, she still wanted to be friends?

She must have quite the unique taste.

Exhaling the tobacco smoke towards the ceiling, I asked slowly, “So, is there anyone else?”

***

“Miss… Ah… Tasia, what are you thinking?”

Hayes whispered softly as he stepped closer to Tasia.

Tasia walked down the street, mumbling in a pleasant voice.

“Hayes, did you know? Ruina thought I was a high-ranking noblewoman.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm. You can tell from the reaction. And yet, she still acts like that. Isn’t it interesting?”

Hayes sighed deeply.

Maybe it was because she had been locked away in the palace since she was a child, but Tasia had developed quite a twisted taste.

This was one of the traces of it.

“Tasia, do you know the saying about fire mages?”

“That a fire mage who’s been burned is out of their mind, so beware?”

“That’s actually a saying referring to those who get burns on their hands or arms. Full-body burns like that woman’s? They’re a whole different matter.”

“Ruina is beyond both chess skills and burns.”

It seemed that everything related to Ruina sounded positive to Tasia now, perhaps because she had become interested.

Once Tasia had her mind set on something, no one could stop her.

No, that wasn’t it.

Hayes shook his head and spoke.

“Please just acknowledge that the situation is more serious than you think.”

“I know, Hayes. That’s exactly why I’m out here for the last time.”

Tasia glanced back at the chess club before continuing her steps.

“Hayes.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go back to the palace.”

“Miss Ruina, it seems we have located the Holy Grail.”

“Really?”

I froze, my bread halfway to my mouth.

I hadn’t expected them to actually find the Holy Grail.

Leon sat down and continued.

“But if the rumor is true, the owner is already known.”

“I thought so. Who is the owner?”

Curious, I asked, and Leon drank some milk from the table before whispering.

“The second prince, Isaac Etherno.”