Book 1 Chapter 719

719.

Tap-

"Checkmate."

Chloe's knight targeted the opponent's king.

The opponent had no more moves.

Chloe's victory.

"Hoo."

Chloe let out a deep breath without realizing it due to the more intense than expected battle.

'You've become unimaginably strong.'

She almost lost the game, having approached it with a light heart.

Chloe, who couldn't have imagined they would become this strong, checked the time.

'The first class must have already started.'

This was an unusual situation for Chloe, who, since enrolling, had never been late, let alone absent, even for special occasions like mission practice.

Just then.

Thump-!

The opponent, who had been staring at the chessboard, knocked over their king.

It was a sign of admitting defeat.

Chloe wore a perplexed expression.

In the past two nights, the opponent had immediately started the next game.

On the first night, Chloe kept winning, so they flipped the chessboard in anger. On the second night, Chloe deliberately lost, and they flipped the chessboard out of annoyance.

'Will they start the next game like this?'

However, contrary to Chloe's expectation, the opponent neatly put away the chess pieces, stood up, lightly lifted the hem of their skirt, and then vanished as if sinking into the ground.

"Ah?"

Chloe's face showed surprise at the opponent's willing retreat.

"Is the reward gone again this time?"

'I guess I need to have a serious talk with Leo.'

The moment Chloe thought that.

Swish-

A black silhouette emerged from the floor.

Then, it placed a small box on the ground.

Next to the box, an old book bound in black leather was also placed.

"Is this the reward, by any chance?"

At Chloe's question, the silhouette nodded and then disappeared back into the floor.

Chloe opened the box.

Inside, there was a golden card.

"Is this the reward Leo mentioned?"

With a bewildered expression, Chloe examined the golden card from all sides.

Then, she looked at the old black book.

Seeing it, Chloe felt a slight unease.

In her first year as a freshman, Chloe had once been possessed by the "Makishingi" during her first midterms.

Recalling that memory, Chloe naturally became wary of the suspicious book.

However, after examining the book closely, Chloe mumbled in surprise.

"Dragon's hide?"

The cover of the book was made of dragon's hide.

Chloe carefully picked up the book and opened it.

Rustle-

The faded, slightly yellowed paper was blank.

"What is this book?"

Rustle- Rustle-

It looked unusual, but there was nothing written on it.

Chloe, flustered, placed the book on the desk.

"Let's go to class first."

Chloe, true to her excellent student nature, diligently planned to attend class, albeit late.

***

That evening.

A small party was held in the dormitory for the magic department.

"Chloe! 100 points!"

"You're number 1 in MVP."

"The magic department also took an overwhelming first place in departmental scores."

With Chloe acquiring the golden card, the magic department began to lead the competition.

Curfew.

Combat points earned outside the dormitory were 1 point per person defeated.

And scoring stamps awarded to outstanding students were 10 points.

As the departments competed neck and neck, Chloe's solution to the first problem gave the magic department an overwhelming score.

"Chloe! What will you wish for from Leo?"

A female student from the magic department asked with sparkling eyes, and Chloe awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it."

"Ask him to go on a date! A date!"

"Hey! You can do that anytime!"

Just as the third-year female students burst into laughter.

Thump-!

"Kyaaahhk!?"

Ilsa's head dropped onto the desk.

Ilsa's rolling head stared upwards with its eyes rolled back.

"Who is it? Who just mentioned a date?"

"Hiiiiiick!"

The female students shrieked at the terrifying atmosphere they could never get used to.

Abad, watching from afar, muttered.

"It's always chaotic where Senior Ilsa is."

"Can you blame it with that appearance? How terrified I was because of that senior from the summoning department."

Kale shook his head, and Abad smiled faintly.

"So? Where's the problem?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Kale smiled slyly.

Abad smiled broadly at Kale.

"With each problem worth 100 points, students will be even more eager to search."

"They probably will be."

"Wouldn't it be better to cooperate with me than with Eliza from the summoning department?"

"Again, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hehehe."

"You sound a bit sleazy when you laugh like that."

"Who are you calling sleazy!"

"Choke! Choke!"

Chelsea, who had been listening, choked Kale.

"Hmm."

Then Elena rested her chin on her hand.

"100 points."

Elena, after briefly watching Chloe, who was overwhelmingly pulling ahead in MVP points, tilted her head slightly.

Kale, being choked by Chelsea, looked uneasy seeing that.

"Senior Elena."

"Yes."

"You're having a dangerous thought right now, aren't you?"

"Oh my? If someone heard you, they'd think I was a dangerous person."

"Right? I must have misunderstood."

"Should I invade the Knight Department, or the Summoning Department?"

"It's a dangerous thought, and you can't just fight by invading."

Kale said with a sigh, and Elena smiled faintly.

"The dormitory entrance. Wouldn't it be possible to just force it open?"

Elena was capable of doing such a thing.

Kale shook his head in disbelief.

"Let's keep this momentum until the midterms are over! And if anyone needs help, this senior will teach you!"

Ilsa, happy that the magic department was significantly ahead, encouraged the magic department students.

The small party, which had started at curfew, ended.

Chloe returned to her room.

And her eyes widened as she saw the black silhouette sitting at the table.

The silhouette, with the chessboard laid out, was waiting for Chloe.

"Um… weren't all the problems solved?"

At her words, the silhouette tapped the chessboard with its finger.

It was as if they wanted to play more chess.

At that reaction, Chloe smiled faintly and sat at the table.

"Do you enjoy playing with me?"

At that, the silhouette nodded.

Certainly, the game they played in the morning had been enjoyable for Chloe.

Even though they had become stronger, Chloe's skill was still overwhelming.

Still, the opponent was a formidable player.

"Alright."

Since it had come to this, Chloe decided to play enjoyably and looked at her opponent.

The opponent moved a chess piece.

The game between the two began.

***

"Senior John!"

"You'll give us sword fighting lessons today too, right?!"

"Of course."

"Kyaaah~"

"So cool!"

After school.

Female students from the Knight Department asked John for sword fighting lessons.

It had been a week since the student council president spirits began to roam the dormitory.

As a result, the students had become accustomed to the presence of the student council president spirits.

And in the past week.

They, who had initially appeared close to malevolent spirits, had completely regained their appearance from when they were alive.

John, who didn't have a physical body, was now in his perfect form.

Reidin's lower body was no longer detached, and Ilsa no longer had her head rolling around.

John, in response to the fervent admiration of the female students, took off his helmet.

Then, he tilted his head back and traced the space between his eyes with his finger.

Niel, watching this, asked.

"Are you crying?"

"Kuhuk… To think that a day would come when I'd be this popular with female students. It's good that I lived."

"…You're already dead."

Niel looked at John, who was enjoying his popularity, with a somewhat pitying expression.

In this era, student council presidents would naturally be popular, so it seemed like school life in that era was very bleak.

Niel's gaze, which sent a sympathetic look to the distant senior, fell upon Celia.

"Miss Celia? You don't seem to be in a good mood."

At those words, John reacted intensely.

"What is it! Junior! Have those wicked students from the Magic and Summoning Departments harassed you?"

"Miss Celia would harass them rather than be harassed."

"Niel unnie, that doesn't sound like something to brag about."

"Is something wrong?"

Niel, sensing that Celia's expression and voice were not good, asked with concern.

As she had served Celia since childhood, Niel was good at perceiving Celia's emotional changes.

At Niel's question, Celia sighed.

"No. I haven't seen Chloe since last night. She skipped all her classes today."

"Chloe? Is she not feeling well?"

Niel's expression showed surprise.

Chloe was said to be the top honor student across all departments and grades.

For her to skip classes.

"I've already told Leo."

Celia sighed.

Given that the inter-departmental war was ongoing, Leo was the only one she could talk to about Chloe, who was from another department.

Seeing Celia worry about her friend, Niel said.

"Don't worry too much. It's probably nothing."

"Right?"

***

Tap-

Chloe was moving chess pieces in her room.

Before she knew it, Chloe was holding the white pieces.

In chess, the player who starts first, White, has an advantage.

Therefore, when there's a skill difference, the less skilled player holds White.

And Chloe had been holding White for the past two days.

The opponent's skill had become overwhelmingly formidable.

Even after Chloe started losing consecutively, the opponent's skill only became stronger.

'Amazing.'

Chloe, who never imagined someone with such incredible skill would exist, could only express her admiration.

At some point, Chloe began to enjoy playing chess against the opponent.

And then, they naturally started chatting.

Two days ago.

Suddenly, Chloe felt as if the opponent was listening to her.

Of course, there was no verbal reply.

But seeing the silhouette nod as if listening to her words, Chloe found herself sharing her inner thoughts without realizing it.

Tap-

Chloe moved a piece and said, "So, I got trapped in a snowstorm with Leo."

At Chloe's words, the silhouette nodded.

"So we were looking for a place to avoid the snowstorm… luckily we found a cave. There was a hot spring there…"

Tap-

Chloe moved a piece.

The opponent picked up their king.

"I really must be crazy… that… you know, the thing where I asked you to get in the hot spring together."

Thump-

"Huh?"

For a moment, the black silhouette dropped its king without realizing it.

The king tumbled to the floor in disarray.

Seeing that, Chloe looked at the opponent with a surprised expression.

And then she suddenly realized something strange.

'Come to think of it… have they become clearer since I first saw them?'

She hadn't noticed because she saw them every day, but the black silhouette had definitely become clearer than when they first met.

As Chloe looked at it with a surprised expression.

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

"Co-ed bath? You have a good life. That damn bastard."

Looking at the black silhouette muttering as if spitting out the words, Chloe's mouth fell open.

"You… you can talk?!"

"Chloe."

The black silhouette rested its chin on its hand and smiled alluringly.

Chloe felt a certain way.

"Will you do me a favor?"

Swish-

The pitch-black covering her entire body gradually disappeared.

Along with it, the form that Chloe had felt was beautiful even as a silhouette became clear before her eyes.

It was someone Chloe knew very well.

One of the five most famous people in the world.

Among them, a being praised as the most noble and virtuous.

The one who led the world to salvation.

"Lis… nas?"

As Chloe mumbled blankly, Lisnas smiled faintly.

"You know. Can I borrow your body for a bit?"