Chapter 165: Inroad (2)
Of course, the officials of the Imperial Palace were learning Go. To put it bluntly, it was at the level of scrambling before an exam. In the Empire, the Emperor’s favor was no different than royal benevolence, and the only hobby that the indolent Emperor enjoyed was Go.
“Let’s start.”
Therefore, all the ministers watched this match with nervous expressions. This professor was the only one who was a match for Sophien.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Deculein, on the other hand, nodded, far from nervous or anxious. Sophien handed him the stone’s box. The Emperor would be black, the Professor white. The two, each pulling their stones, faced each other.
“Referee.”
“Yes.”
At Sophien’s call, an old man in a uniform appeared. He was a master from the archipelago who could write commentary and notations.
“I’m Aldo, the interim referee. Then…”
He looked to Sophien and Deculein, amused, and announced the start of the match.
“Let’s start the third match of Her Majesty Sophien and Professor Deculein.”
Tap-!
Simultaneously with the game’s opening, Sophien, the black side, placed her stone in the lower-left corner first. Deculein, the white side, chose the upper right corner. Next, the black stone at the lower right corner and the white stone at the upper left corner… it was an ordinary exploration, but everyone watched it breathlessly.
“…Surely. It seems that Professor Deculein is a match to Her Majesty.”
“Look at Her Majesty’s seriousness. It’s very impressive, and it deeply moves me. She grew up so well…”
The ministers admired it, but the old va.s.sals, including Romellock, were quite displeased with Deculein’s show of force.
Tap-!
“Your Majesty. I have a question.”
Suddenly, Deculein spoke. Sophien slowly raised her head to look at him. Facing that cold gaze, Deculein asked.
“Why is Your Majesty so pa.s.sionate about Go?”
Then he placed the thirtieth move. Sophien felt a little annoyed, wondering if it was bulls.h.i.t to distract her, but she answered.
“It’s because it’s fun.”
Tap-!
Sophien made the thirty-first move. It was a move combining offense and defense to penetrate the gap in the upper right corner.
“Is that so?”
Tap.
Deculein skillfully blocked it; Sophien’s brow trembled. This guy, the gesture with which he just placed the stone, was extremely light. Was he always this relaxed? It wasn’t only about the gesture or his posture. His whole energy relayed his comfort.
“Why are you curious about that?”
Sophien made the thirty-third move while asking back. The black and white stones on the board were forming a tight match.
“Because Your Majesty’s pa.s.sion is moving.”
“…Bulls.h.i.t.”
Deculein was silent for a moment and focused on the game. The stones on the wooden board slowly formed their ranks. So, when they reached the 54th move-
“Now, you will pour that pa.s.sion into national affairs, the continent, and the development of yourself. That’s what I believe.”
Deculein spoke again. Sophien grew uncomfortable with those words. At that moment, she held a slight advantage over Deculein, but the actual difference was so subtle that a single mistake could overturn the game. Both were walking on thin ice, but Sophien didn’t want to admit it. So, she answered calmly.
“Arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Do you dare bring your pa.s.sion to me? Okay. I’ll ask you this time.”
Sophien stared at Deculein, her gaze cutting into him. However, Deculein didn’t avoid her eyes.
“Professor. You know who tried to poison me in the past.”
A cold stillness fell over them. Deculein and Sophien looked at each other with the board as a wall between them. They were calm, but the ministers between the two were thrown into a spectacle.
Ugh- Ugh-
From the moment Sophien uttered those surprising words, they began to look more like toads than humans. Their eyes dilated as if they were about to pop out, and they couldn’t breathe properly. The only other sound was the stones rattling against the board.
Tap—
White’s 76th move. It happened like a ripple across the water’s surface. But then, Sophien wasn’t looking at the board but Deculein.
“That poison has given me the gift of boredom and sloth.”
Sophien’s voice lacked even the slightest bit of emotion.
“I just let it since it was too c.u.mbersome to look for it, but….”
Deculein watched Sophien.
“Look.”
“What?”
His tone was one of arrogance. Sophien cut off his words, but she belatedly looked down at the board.
“!”
The crimson eyes judging the situation filled with astonishment. A single move destroyed the balance between the sides.
“…”
All thoughts in her head were erased, and her hand holding the stone trembled. Sophien blankly looked at the board.
“This…”
She struggled to understand the sudden upheaval. He had a trick planned that she hadn’t even thought of, but with Deculein’s 76th move, the thin ice below her began to crumble.
“…”
Sophien felt the rope tightening around her neck. It was the first time in her life that she felt this way, but she had nothing to worry about. From experience, Deculein lacked the ability to lead the game until the second half. If she simply responded calmly without being shaken, he would show his flaws.
Tap, tap, tap.
Sophien didn’t give up. Her Go stones fell like drops of water. The composition and power were reversed in an instant. Black, who had a bit of advantage, now had to chase after the white side desperately.
“…”
In this state where her ruin was predestined, Sophien mobilized everything she could plan. The match wasn’t over yet. The way out must be somewhere. There was no certain loss in Go, so she hadn’t lost yet…
But.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of the Go stones stopped at some point. Sophien’s hand halted. The white stones she couldn’t catch up with had already become an impregnable fortress dominating the midfield.
Sophien clenched her teeth and raised her eyes to reflect Deculein. Her lips twisted, and fire rose from the bottom of her heart. But she tried not to lose her composure.
“Is that it?”
“That is the difference. I won.”
“…”
Sophien stared at Deculein. Her eyes slowly broke, and a trembling breath escaped between her purple lips.
“…Hah.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I feel like I have grown a bit.”
Sophien didn’t show her expression, but the sound of something breaking in her head was clear.
“This-“
Sophien’s hand went under the board. Deculein watched with calm eyes.
“This f.u.c.king-“
Crash-!
Sophien threw the board high. The woodblock soared like a rocket and stuck to the ceiling. Around the split board, numerous stones sank and scattered. In the black and white that fell like snow—
* * *
“Are you angry?”
Thirty minutes later, I managed to question the calmed Sophien.
“…”
Sophien leaned her body against the back of her chair without a word. We were once again in the teaching room.
“Your Majesty?”
“…I thought I might lose. But when I lost, a really strange feeling surged up.”
Sophien put her fingers to her temples and murmured.
“Independently, your 76th move was great. Of course, it’s still annoying that you scratched my nerves by saying strange things before that, but it’s also my fault for falling for that psychological battle.”
I smiled a little.
“Why are you smiling? That makes me want to break your head.”
“I’m glad.”
“…”
Tap-
I placed another Go stone on the board. It was the review of the great match that was just played.
“What do you mean glad?”
“Because the emotion you just felt is not anger.”
“You cheeky b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Who are you to judge my feelings?”
I shook my head. The emotion Sophien showed as she flipped the board was far from anger. That was what Sophien needs the most right now, that thing that sparked a pa.s.sion.
“It’s not anger. It’s the desire to win, Your Majesty.”
Sophien closed her mouth for a moment. After staring at me for a while wearing a stern face, I immersed myself in studying the record again.
“The next match will be in two months. I will not lose then.”
“Yes. Neither will I.”
“Go away.”
I stood. Watching Sophien studying Go and overcoming defeat, I took a step backward and left the bedroom.
* * *
…Two months was not enough time to convince the continent. But it was enough to force them. It was a thought that came to mind while traveling almost all over the continent.
Do I need to persuade them like this? Do I need to explain the principle of a lighter to a chimpanzee? Shouldn’t I just make them use it? The villain’s dominance and terrifying image were effective in this case. I pressured those who wouldn’t listen to my predictions. Emperor Sophien accepted my methods, so there were many ways to go about it.
An investigation that mobilized the royal guards, the Imperial Palace books, a threat through Yukline’s bank funds… these were just the tip of the iceberg.
“Professor! Expenses beyond this run the risk of bankrupting the estate. Please…”
Because of that, some pretty annoying guys had shown up. I forced them into saving their estates, but the lord and n.o.bles were begging. I stared at the n.o.bleman standing in the doorway of my mansion.
“Is it Gehan?”
“Yes, Professor. Our family can’t afford-“
“It’s better to go bankrupt than to be destroyed and to use the a.s.sets you wasted on something good.”
“…Ah.”
There were only thirteen local lords who came to my mansion, each of which were sc.u.mbags who neglected the defense of their territory below the basic level.
“Professor! Please. I’ll do anything-“
“Go away.”
I pushed him out of the mansion with Psychokinesis and turned to the car waiting in the garden. Through the open window, a familiar face appeared.
“You’re here?”
It was Yeriel. I opened the door and sat next to her.
“You are the object of total fear these days. Do you know? Almost as bad as the grim reaper.”
“Ignore it.”
“…Hmph.”
Yeriel shrugged.
“By the way, are you going to Reccordak?”
“It has already been confirmed.”
“I mean~, that woman is there. That woman.”
She suddenly stopped talking, clenched her teeth, and growled. I looked back at her, wondering.
“Why do you hate Julie so much?”
“…”
Yeriel bit her lip for a moment without saying a word.
Tsk-
She crossed her arms.
“…When I went to college, I was the only one alone. Because someone was going to the swordsmanship contest.”
“Jealousy.”
“No, it’s not!”
Yeriel yelled. I nodded and sat back, taking out a book.
“…Hey.”
As she watched me turn the pages, Yeriel stuttered.
“Did you hate me back then?”
“…”
As I heard that voice, I pondered. Did Deculein hate her?
…He must have.
“Yeriel.”
I put my hand atop her head, my leather gloves rustling her hair. Yeriel looked up at me as I answered softly, looking into those round and cute eyes that didn’t resemble Deculein at all.
“I don’t hate you.”
“…”
Yeriel stiffened, standing so still she might not have been breathing before she suddenly pointed out the window.
“L-Let’s get out! We’re here!”
We had just arrived at the station.
“Okay.”
Ren climbed out first and opened the car door.
“I will protect Hadekain.”
Then Yeriel made her declaration.
“…It’s our estate.”
I glanced at her. She was coughing heavily as if embarra.s.sed, but there was a part that bothered me a bit.
“Yeriel.”
“W-What?”
“Don’t stop talking with honorifics with me. I never allowed it.”
“…”
Slam-!
I closed the car door. Through the window, Yeriel was wearing an absurd expression.
“Ren. Go.”
“Yes. Master.”
I sent the car ahead and climbed up to the platform. Immediately, three heads caught my eye: Allen, Drent, and Epherene. They were gathered and talking about something.
-Here. Take a good look at this. One of these four companies will unconditionally soar.
-Really? I see they all have the same name, huh?
— How much did you put in, Leaf?
—A thousand Elnes in each of them. Every time my paycheck comes in, I’ll divide it up and invest it all. After the business trip, it’ll double or triple. In three years, it will go up to a hundredfold. This will be our future a.s.set and pillar…
Epherene was stirring them up. When I deliberately walked up to them, making sure my steps were heard, all three turned.
“Oh. The Professor is here!”
“h.e.l.lo.”
“You’re here.”
Hearing different greetings from each of them, I looked at their clothes. Allen and Drent were normal, but Epherene was absurd.
“Epherene. Do you think you are a knight?”
“Yes?”
Usually, wizards wore robes. If they were heading somewhere dangerous, they wore enchanted leather armor. But Epherene was in chain-mail. However, iron armor was of no use to wizards. Rather, it inhibited the manifestation of magic.
“Oh, this? There are a lot of flying animals around Reccordak. So- ouch!”
I disa.s.sembled her armor with Psychokinesis.
“No! This was expensive-!”
* * *
Meanwhile, Julie was waiting for someone to arrive soon at the entrance of Reccordak along with the warden, numerous knights, and Ihelm.
“When is he coming? I’m freezing.”
Ihelm murmured, dissatisfied. Julie glanced at him and turned around at the faint clopping of horseshoes. The characteristic scent of Deculein was blown by the wind.
Julie clenched her jaw.
“…Oh. He’s here!”
The knights of the Imperial Palace pointed to two horses running on the horizon. The one in the lead was Deculein, and his riding posture was textbook perfect.
“The Professor looks like a painting… ahem.”
The knights of the Imperial Palace glanced at Julie and coughed, but she showed no reaction. The horse’s hooves were growing louder, and the temperature was getting colder. The mana that Julie unconsciously emitted froze the air.
“Gosh, it’s cold! It’s cold!”
When Ihelm, who wore a fleece robe and coat, complained to Julie, the horse’s speed gradually slowed until finally, Deculein halted before them.
“Good to see you, Professor!”
The knights of the Imperial Palace approached Deculein and displayed their courtesy. Deculein greeted them with a nod and dismounted with his a.s.sistants.
“Hey. Deculein. Leaf, long time no see.”
Ihelm shivered as he greeted them. Epherene turned her face with a ‘hmph.’
“…”
Julie looked at Deculein, but she couldn’t move her lips. She couldn’t say anything. Had she known to curse, she would have cursed him. However, not in her entire life had Julie ever put abusive language in her mouth. It would remain that way for the rest of her life.
“Hmm.”
On the other hand, Deculein glanced over the landscape of Reccordak with an open eye. Empty s.p.a.ce and a bleak winter that didn’t go well with Deculein.
“From there to there.”
Deculein pointed to the coniferous forest around Reccordak.
“Cut down the forest and build our lodgings.”
“Oh~, good idea-“
“Reccordak is the property of Freyden.”
Julie intervened. When it became part of her job, she had to say something.
“You can’t just cut them down. The forest serves as a good barrier, and herbalists make a living—”
“I knew you would say that.”
Deculein looked down at Julie with cold, sharp eyes, but she didn’t avoid his gaze. After staring at each other for a while, Deculein motioned to his a.s.sistant.
“Allen.”
“Yes.”
Allen handed Julie a piece of paper as she continued to glare down Deculein.
“Check it.”
With that said, she looked at the paper. Her eyes were fixed for a little while.
[Freyden-Yukline Agreement]
—Zeit, head of Freyden, and Deculein, head of Yukline, transferred 51% of the rights and duties of Reccordak Camp to Yukline by mutual agreement. In return, Yukline pays Freyden 30 million Elnes, and Reccordak will be directly owned and managed by Deculein or a person appointed by Deculein.
In other words, it meant that Deculein had acquired Reccordak after paying 30 million Elnes for this useless land. Julie was speechless.
“…”
“Reccordak belongs to me. I thought it would be uncomfortable, so I acquired it in advance.”
Deculein looked around as the knights of the Imperial palace admired him.
“There will be no special greetings, and we will maintain the system now.”
Soon, his gaze returned to Julie. a.s.sailed by a strange sense of helplessness, Julie clenched her fist and stared at the crumpled paper in her hand.
“We will start with logging. Use the prisoners as labor.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights of the Imperial Palace responded vigorously, and Deculein pa.s.sed by. Julie, still standing there, suddenly noticed someone poking her.
“You have to give me that doc.u.ment… it’s an important contract.”
It was Allen, Deculein’s a.s.sistant professor.
Julie nodded.
“Oh, yes. Sorry. Here, take it.”
“Hey~, you don’t have to be sorry. Go quickly too! It’s insanely cold!”
Allen grinned and followed Deculein. However, Julie was left alone to watch their backs.
Whoooosh-
A cold wind swept across her hair.