Chapter 126

“Huh? So when you say ‘teach me a thing,’ you mean a duel, correct? But—”

“Take a weapon in your hand, Swoen.”

She cut me off with a sharp glare before I could even respond.

Even though I had something to say, it seemed like it wouldn’t get through, so I just followed orders and drew my rapier.

“Are you ready?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m starting.”

With that, she performed an elegant bow—then—

SWISH!

In the blink of an eye, she was upon me, moving faster than my eyes could follow.

Somehow, I barely managed to dodge her rapier as it lunged toward me.

“Just a moment! My lord, can we please wait a—”

SWISH! SLASH!

Before I could counter, she launched several attacks in quick succession—

…THUD.

When I came to my senses, the tip of her blade was dangerously close to my abdomen.

My knees buckled involuntarily, and I collapsed.

There was no way I could’ve dodged that. The one I avoided earlier was pure luck, and there’s no way my reflexes could keep up with her movements.

“……”

I cautiously observed Serpina, who remained silent.

I don’t sense any malice… This really is just a mock duel, isn’t it?

But why would she suddenly do this?

“……I’ve lost.”

“Are you giving up?”

“It’s not in my style to cling onto a fight where victory is impossible.”

One thing became crystal clear:

My combat stats are embarrassingly low.

After witnessing Serpina’s speed again, I realized how utterly useless I am in this area.

If Iren hadn’t been around to help me, I’d probably have gotten myself into dangerous situations quite often.

“……Understood. Thank you for indulging me.”

“Indulging you is no trouble, but may I ask why you suddenly decided to do this?”

At my question, she stared at my face intently before asking in a monotone,

“What do you think the reason is?”

What do I think?

As much as I try to process her question, all I get is “unknown.”

Since I can’t predict unrelated matters concerning national affairs, there’s no way for me to know what she’s thinking.

Without waiting for my response, she curtly said,

“……For amusement.”

For amusement?

It doesn’t look like amusement to me, but I guess she has no intention of explaining herself.

“Um… Was calling me here solely for this ‘amusement’?”

“If you follow, you’ll understand.”

With that, she returned her weapon to the wall and started walking somewhere.

As I stood there dumbfounded, she turned her head and asked me,

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

“Ah… I’ll be right there.”

After hearing my reply, she turned her head and continued leading the way.

Despite my best efforts to focus, Serpina’s hips swayed gracefully on either side, distracting me once more. Still, I shook off such desires and slowly followed behind her.

*

We climbed some stairs and arrived at a room.

Inside was a massive table, and in the center lay a familiar game board and pieces.

A black-and-white checkered board, with very familiar-looking pieces placed atop it…

This is… chess.

“What is this…?”

“Swoen, I suddenly felt like playing a round with you.”

Just moments ago, we were dueling 1-on-1, and now she wants to play chess?

Though I wondered what she was thinking, obeying one’s lord is a warrior’s duty, isn’t it?

“Do you know the rules?”

“I know the basics. But to be honest, I’m not confident in chess. I haven’t played much, so I’m worried if I can properly challenge you.”

“Rather convenient. That means I won’t hurt your pride, will I?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If you’re bound to lose anyway, pretending ignorance saves you from damaging your self-esteem, doesn’t it?”

Serpina said this while letting out a playful chuckle, “Kukuku.”

Is she actually teasing me?

Her obvious provocation sparked a competitive spirit within me.

Even though I only know the basic rules and a few openings, I started to feel a bit of misplaced confidence that I might not get completely steamrolled.

“Still, I’ll do my best.”

“Come on then, Swoen.”

And so, I began an unexpected chess match with her.

And then—

*

“……”

“There doesn’t seem to be anywhere left for you to move, Swoen. What will you do?”

With every possible move leading to a mistake, I raised the white flag once again.

This marks my fifth consecutive loss against her.

Such a disparity in skill. Losing this overwhelmingly makes my mind surprisingly clear.

“I’ve lost.”

“You made quite a few blunders after the midgame.”

“I don’t even know which moves were mistakes among the ones I made.”

I said this while letting out a defeated laugh.

She observed me silently for a while before rising from her seat.

“You’ve worked hard today, keeping up with my whims.”

“Not at all. Is this all?”

At my words, she smiled again, amused.

“Would you like to spend more time with me?”

Seeing how easily she spits out such lines, I thought maybe Serpina enjoys making jokes more than I imagined.

Well, let’s practice some social skills here.

“Of course, isn’t it? As a vassal, nothing is more honorable than spending time with our lord.”

“In that case, let me give you some advice. If you truly wish to win my heart, stop feeding me empty flattery.”

Though she said this, her words lacked weight.

If she’s just throwing them out casually, there’s no need for me to read too much into them.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“……”

Serpina slowly rose from her seat.

Then, gazing out the window of the side wing, she spoke.

“I’ve sent out conscription notices to Amire Castle.”

“……”

“With your input, I plan to strengthen the defenses. Preparations are underway to repel any potential assaults from Aishias Army.”

So she’s finally considering my opinion?

Though I wondered if she really needed to tell me this…

Still, I stayed silent and waited for her to continue.

And soon enough—

She looked at me with the expression of an absolute ruler and asked,

“Let me ask you this: Swoen, do you still believe Aishias Army will attack?”

“……”

After being dragged here to indulge in her mysterious amusement,

she now asks if I still hold the same belief about their impending attack, despite previously dismissing it due to lack of evidence.

I don’t know exactly, but perhaps this is some kind of test.

If so, how should I respond?

Will Aishias Army sail upstream and attack?

Honestly, it’s just a hypothesis derived by working backward from the conclusion that “keeping troops stationed in Amire Castle is most efficient.”

It sounded convincing when I said it, but honestly…

Can I really be 100% sure of anything when even I don’t fully grasp where this ‘infallible prediction’ will lead?

Maybe… does she suspect I’m hiding something?

Considering the chess match and the 1-on-1 duel as tests of my abilities, it doesn’t seem far-fetched.

I don’t know what exactly she’s thinking.

But if she truly believes I’m concealing something, I might as well use that misconception to my advantage.

“My lord.”

I bowed my head and fabricated a plausible-sounding sentence on the spot.

“There is nothing in this world that can be definitively concluded. We are all travelers navigating towards the highest probability at each moment, constantly seeking direction. Inevitably, there are times when we must see what cannot be seen. Even things that appear clearly may sometimes escape our sight. I believe this serves as my answer.”

“To see what cannot be seen?”

“That’s correct.”

To see what cannot be seen.

This phrase was my attempt to express the unseen processes I must somehow track.

The statement about clearly visible things escaping sight was simply a metaphor for “knowing the result but being unclear about the details.”

My aim wasn’t necessarily to hint at my ability but rather to leave an impression with a sophisticated-sounding remark.

In short:

Since I can’t provide her with any convincing rationale, my goal is to package my response as convincingly as possible.

The conclusion is already set. The future will eventually validate my predictions, so all I need to do is drop some impressive hints.

If she asks what I mean, how will I respond?

Fortunately, she seemed to accept my explanation without further questioning, lost in deep thought as she tried to decipher its meaning.

―If she knew I was merely thinking, “Serpina looks beautiful when she’s lost in thought,” how would she react?

“…Is that your answer?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Understood.”

After pondering for a while longer, Serpina responded and extended her hand to me.

“I enjoyed myself today. It would be nice if you’d indulge me again next time.”

Sure, you had fun massacring me one-sidedly, but I didn’t enjoy it much.

Still, this is all part of socializing, isn’t it?

“Call me whenever you wish.”

I took her hand and smiled lightly.

At least, I believed I had handled this moment well.

* * *

After Swoen left,

Serpina remained alone in the side wing, lost in thought.

“…He doesn’t seem to have the ability to read the future.”

During the rapier duel, his movements showed no signs of anticipating her attacks.

There was no evidence of any magical foresight or similar abilities.

Judging by his body language, it was clear whether he was hiding something or simply lacked talent.

His performance during the 1-on-1 duel leaned more toward the latter.

Then, is he exceptionally skilled in tactics?

That also seems unlikely.

Chess, while a game, functions as a light test of personal tactical prowess. It’s common knowledge across the continent that those skilled in tactics tend to excel at chess.

Swoen occasionally made surprising moves, but the connections between them were unclear. He seemed to act based on immediate optimal choices rather than planning grand strategies.

Thus, it was judged that he was genuinely putting forth his best effort rather than concealing his true abilities.

His response to the final question was similar.

Lacking strong backing, his answers remained vague and evasive.

“…Arrogance?”

However,

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem like arrogance.

Serpina was reasonably good at reading people and spotting those who put on airs.

Swoen’s confidence carried a sense of genuine foundation, as if tinged with an unshakable belief that things would turn out as expected.

If it were mere arrogance, she might as well admit she’s lived her life wrong until now.

“To see what cannot be seen… huh?”

Serpina spent more time in the side wing, quietly muttering Swoen’s words.

For the first time, she couldn’t fully comprehend an opinion yet felt strongly drawn to it.