Book 1 Chapter 766

766.

A graceful and beautiful hand reached for a piece on the chessboard.

The piece, held by the beautiful hand, moved across the chessboard.

Clack-!

A somewhat soft sound echoed cheerfully.

Chloe's face stiffened slightly upon seeing it.

Lysinas, who had cornered Chloe, merely watched with a serene expression.

"Ugh…"

Chloe groaned softly and glared at the chessboard for a long time.

Eiran, who was watching, cautiously asked Leo.

"What happened?"

"It's a checkmate."

Finally, Chloe sighed deeply and toppled her king with her finger.

Lysinas smiled faintly.

"Chloe, your skills are improving day by day, aren't they?"

"But I'm still no match for you at all, am I? Isn't it very boring for you?"

"Not at all. Rather, it's enjoyable."

"Huh?"

"Kyle was the only one who could play chess with me. You're the first opponent since Kyle that I've been able to play with so much fun."

At those words, Lunia, who was watching the game, paused.

"Are you saying Sir Kyle was the only Great Hero who could play chess with Lady Lysinas?"

"Yes."

"What about Lady Luna?"

"Luna had the worst chess skills among the Great Heroes, though?"

"What?"

At the completely unexpected answer, not only Lunia but also Cella and Eiran, who were with her, widened their eyes.

"B-but Lady Luna clearly said her chess skills were on par with Lady Lysinas, didn't she? And that, excluding Lady Lysinas, Sir Kyle had the worst chess skills among the Great Heroes…"

At those words, Lysinas made an unenthusiastic expression.

"Why did she tell such a lie?"

Thump-!

"Lady Luna lied…"

"I can't believe it…!"

Lysinas spoke, looking at the two with shocked expressions.

"I even fabricated stories about being jealous of Kyle and Luna's relationship, so why the surprise now?"

At those words, the two elves fell silent.

Cella spoke, looking at the two.

"Sir Kyle must have been a truly wonderful person. Given that Lady Lysinas even lied about being jealous."

"Hmm… He certainly looked cool when I saw his statue."

As Chloe nodded, Lysinas smiled faintly.

"She's just an idiot. Luna was just a fool who liked an idiot."

Chloe and Cella widened their eyes at the biting remark.

"Let's put that story aside."

Lysinas smiled faintly and looked at the chessboard.

"It's true that Luna was smart, but surprisingly, she was very simple-minded. Her philosophy was, 'Why bother with complex thinking when you can just sweep everything away with magic?' What was it she used to say? 'If your body is bad, your head suffers?'"

"What is that? That muscle-brain way of thinking?"

"More accurately, it's a magic-brain way of thinking. Luna is a more ignorant elf than you think."

Hearing that, Lunia and Eiran felt their illusions about Luna shatter once again.

They had thought there would be no more illusions left to shatter after having seen Luna's true nature, but they were wrong.

Lunia squeezed her eyes shut, and Eiran made a tearful face.

"But why would Lady Luna tell such a lie? If she couldn't play chess, couldn't she just say she couldn't?"

As Chloe tidied the chess pieces with a bewildered expression, Leo answered for her.

"Perhaps she wanted to show a perfect image of herself to the elves who trusted and followed her."

Chloe and Cella thought of Luna.

An eccentric yet cheerful elf who made you smile just by looking at her.

To be honest, she was very far from the benevolent elf described in texts, but the real Luna felt more approachable than the Luna in the texts.

Remembering Luna's always confident and slightly boastful demeanor, it occurred to them that she might have lied to show a perfect image of herself to her descendants.

"The more we learn about the Great Heroes, the more different they are from what we imagined."

Chloe laughed at Cella's mumble.

"But I like that side of them even more."

Even cowardly Arion and the strong-willed Luna.

The Great Heroes they had met were far from the perfect figures in stories, but they felt more approachable.

It was when Lunia and Eiran made touched expressions at Leo's explanation.

"Or maybe she didn't think the truth would ever come out and was just trying to pull a scam. Because she's a con artist pointy-ear."

"You bastard! Did you just call Lady Luna a con artist pointy-ear?!"

Lunia glared, her eyes flashing as if sparks would fly out, at Leo's words.

Eiran, startled, tried to stop Lunia.

"Lu-Lunia! It's Sir Leo! Calm down! Calm down!"

Cella, seeing the commotion, said with an exasperated look.

"Even though she's my cousin, it wouldn't be strange if she were struck by divine retribution at any moment."

"I agree."

Cella and Chloe, unaware of Leo's true identity, could only shake their heads.

"Lady Lysinas, you think so too, don't you?"

"If she were to receive divine punishment, wouldn't she have received it a long time ago?"

Lysinas said nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, Chloe, who had finished tidying the chessboard, made a puzzled expression.

"It's surprising that the rules of the game haven't changed in 5000 years, from then until now."

"It's already a game so perfectly complete that it doesn't need to change, isn't it?"

"That's true."

"Well, there is an old rule set, the Mythological Era rules, though."

"Mythological Era rules? What are those?"

Chloe, full of curiosity, her eyes gleaming.

"In the chess rules of the era before the Age of Gods, that is, what we call the Mythological Era, the Queen could use magic."

"What?"

"As for the Knight, it could use summoning magic."

Lysinas then told them that each piece had special abilities.

"I don't like it because it lacks the charm of strategic combat, as pieces start by dealing significant blows to each other with their overpowered abilities."

"Why could they use magic, aura, and summoning spells?"

"I don't know the specifics, but it seemed related to the origin of the game."

"The origin of the game?"

"Yes. For example, the Queen here."

Lysinas said nonchalantly.

"This Queen is said to have been created with a hero from the Mythological Era, who became the first Elf King, as its motif."

"A hero from the Mythological Era?"

Eiran, who loved heroic tales, her eyes sparkling.

It wasn't just Eiran.

Chloe's eyes, having gained new knowledge, also sparkled.

"Yes. All chess pieces were created with heroes from the Mythological Era as their motif."

"Heroes from the Mythological Era! They must all have been amazing individuals, right?"

As Eiran said, her eyes sparkling, Lysinas clicked her tongue.

"If you think of them as heroic tales of the current era, they'll be different from what you imagine."

"What?"

"For example, the Elf King who was the motif of the Queen… More precisely, the Elf Queen Enisilia is famous for having slept with dozens of heroes, bearing mixed-race children of various species, and attempting to conquer the world."

"…"

"The Age of Gods… More precisely, heroes before the Age of Calamity were a little different from the concept of heroes you know."

In the Mythological Era, one didn't become a hero by achieving great deeds.

Anyone who merely possessed the power to overturn the world was called a hero and worshipped.

"Well, they are just heroes of an ancient era recorded in texts, so I don't know the details either."

Knock-knock-

"Miss Cella."

The door opened with a knock, and Chen Sia entered.

"Garin from Seirun wishes to see you, he says?"

"Garin?"

Cella wore a bewildered expression.

Lunia smiled slyly, watching her.

"Cella, Garin is a pretty good guy. Right, Eiran?"

"Huh? Yes, he is. Garin is a good person. But why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

Lunia clicked her tongue, looking at Eiran's bewildered face.

"Why did you read so many promiscuous books… *Ugh? Ugh?*"

"Promiscuous books? How many times do I have to tell you they're not like that!"

Eiran clapped a hand over Lunia's mouth.

Meanwhile, Cella, with a perplexed look, went to meet Garin.

Chen Sia sighed.

"I'm worried Abad might be bothered."

"Abad? Why Abad?"

Chen Sia's eyes widened at Chloe's reaction.

"Sir Abad likes Miss Cella, you know."

"What? Sia. Aren't you mistaken? Cella grinds her teeth whenever she sees Abad. And Abad also sees Cella as an opponent he must defeat."

Chloe made an expression of disbelief.

"…Miss Chloe is also oblivious in this regard."

"No. I'm telling you I'm right, aren't I? Right, Leo?"

Chloe, with a flustered expression, sought Leo's agreement.

Lysinas covered her mouth and chuckled, watching them.

"How fresh, such a good time."

Then, another knock was heard.

The one who came this time was Abad.

Leo smirked, looking at Abad.

"Cella went on a date, you know?"

"I didn't come to see Cella. I came to see you, Leo."

"Huh?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

Seeing Abad's serious expression, Leo nodded and stood up.

***

"Elena Zerion…! How dare you insult me like that!"

Princess Treniconi, the First Princess of Deviant, bit her nails, recalling a woman.

"I am the First Princess of Deviant! Of noble birth, soon to inherit the throne of Deviant! Yet to me! How dare you!"

Sparks flew from Princess Treniconi's eyes.

In this era, a king of a nation was merely a puppet without even authority if they did not receive the support of the nation's heroes.

Of course, there were nations where heroes did not exist.

But at least Deviant was a nation where countless heroes were born.

Even if one won a civil war, they would be nothing but an empty shell without the recognition of the heroes.

No, succession to the throne was impossible in the first place.

As heroes were beings who led the era, it was, in a way, natural.

And the Zerion family was the chairman's family of Lumern, which nurtured talents to become heroes.

The authority of the Zerion family in this era was comparable to that of imperial families.

But Princess Treniconi didn't care at all.

In this country, the royal family held the highest authority and nobility.

Princess Treniconi, who had spent her entire life hearing only such sweet words from within, not from outside, had no self-objectivity whatsoever.

She simply ignored the outside world, seeing only what she wanted to see and thinking only what she wanted to think.

As a result, she gave no thought to Zerion's authority.

"Those damned heroes! Swear loyalty to me! If my older brother dies, you should naturally swear loyalty to me, the eldest daughter, shouldn't you! Traitors!"

Crash! Clatter!

She nervously swept the refreshments off the table with her hand.

The expensive teapot, teacups, and a plate of sweets fell to the floor and shattered.

It was when the infuriated Treniconi gnashed her teeth, breathing heavily.

-Do you need a hero to follow you?

A sweet voice was heard.

Princess Treniconi flinched.

-Do you need a hero acknowledged by the goddess?

The voice was heard once again.

Treniconi answered as if possessed.

"Yes… I need powerful heroes… heroes who will make me king!"

-Then what can you pay as a price?

"Anything that isn't related to royal assets, land, or my personal safety!"

-Even if it's the lives of the people you will rule?

"Are you saying I can get heroes to be loyal to me for just that much?"

-Your will shall be fulfilled.

After those words, the voice was heard no more.

Flash-

A brilliant light burst forth.

When Treniconi, who had squeezed her eyes shut at this, opened them again.

Before her eyes was a beautiful female elf.

"A hero chosen by the great goddess, Nyx. I am Enisilia."

"Ah…"

Princess Treniconi's face turned pale at the powerful storm of magic felt emanating from Enisilia.

Looking down at Princess Treniconi, Enisilia spoke as if making a declaration.

"Submit to the Goddess immediately, human. Then, this servant of hers will grant your wish."