The imperial courtiers were, of course, learning Go. If one had to describe it, they were doing so “competitively.”
In the Empire, the emperor’s favor was no different from sacred grace, and the sole hobby enjoyed by the indolent emperor was none other than Go.
“Begin.”
Thus, every courtier watched this match with tense expressions. The professor was said to be the only one capable of playing a proper game against Sophien.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Deculein, on the other hand, nodded in a tone far removed from tension or anxiety. Sophien held out the bowls of stones to him.
The Emperor took black, the Professor white.
The two players drew their stones toward themselves and faced each other.
“Referee.”
“Yes.”
At Sophien’s call, an old man in a gi approached. He was a master of Dadohae, capable of commentary and recording the game record.
“I am Aldo, serving as temporary referee. Then…”
He looked between Sophien and Deculein with a face full of interest, then announced the start of the game.
“We shall now begin the third game of the five-game match between Her Majesty Empress Sophien and Professor Deculein.”
Tak—!
At the opening, black—Sophien—placed her first stone on the lower-left star point.
White—Deculein—chose the upper-right star point.
Then black took the lower-right komoku, while white took the upper-left star point… It was an ordinary probing opening, yet everyone watched with bated breath.
“…Indeed. Professor Deculein seems to be matching Her Majesty.”
“Look at Her Majesty’s serious expression. Truly remarkable, and deeply moving. How did she grow so well…”
The courtiers were amazed, but the elderly ministers, including Romellock, wore faces that made it clear Deculein’s good showing did not please them in the slightest.
Tak—!
“Your Majesty. There is something I am curious about.”
Deculein suddenly spoke. Sophien slowly lifted her head and looked at him. Meeting that cold gaze, Deculein asked,
“What is the reason Your Majesty devotes herself so deeply to Go?”
As he spoke, he placed the thirtieth move. Sophien felt a small irritation. She wondered if this was nonsense meant to break her concentration, but she answered for now.
“Because it is at least somewhat amusing.”
Tak—!
Sophien countered with the thirty-first move.
It was an attack that dug into a gap in the upper-right corner.
“I see.”
Tuk.
Deculein blocked it skillfully. Sophien’s brow twitched.
This fellow—just now, the gesture with which he placed his stone had been exceedingly light. Had he always been this relaxed?
It was not a matter of movement or posture.
The entirety of his style of play was saturated with “ease.”
“Why are you curious about that?”
Sophien also threw out a question as she placed the thirty-third move.
Even then, the black and white stones on the board were evenly matched.
“Because Your Majesty’s passion moves me.”
“…Bullshit.”
Deculein focused silently on the game for a while.
On the wooden board, white and black slowly arranged their battle lines.
Then, when the game reached the fifty-fourth move.
“Now, Your Majesty will surely pour that passion into state affairs, the continent, and the development of your own self as well. That is what I believe.”
Deculein spoke again. Sophien found those words displeasing.
At this point, Sophien held a slight advantage over Deculein, but the actual difference was so minute that a single mistake could overturn the board.
It was truly a situation like walking on thin ice.
Sophien did not want to acknowledge that. Thus, she answered calmly.
“Impudent bastard. You dare speak to me of passion. Very well. This time, I shall ask.”
Sophien glared at Deculein. Her gaze was ominous, as if it could flay the skin from his body.
Yet Deculein did not avoid Sophien’s eyes.
“Professor. You know who it was who tried to poison me in the past.”
Words bound together in a single breath.
A cold silence descended over the space.
Deculein and Sophien stared at each other with the Go board between them like a wall. They were composed, but the courtiers caught between them were quite a sight.
Hrk— hrk—
From the moment Sophien uttered those words shocking enough to astonish the world, everyone’s face turned into that of a toad. Their eyes bulged as if they would pop out, and they could not even breathe properly. The way they croaked and wheezed, they looked as though they might die of respiratory failure at any moment.
The silence that seemed as if it would continue endlessly was broken by the sound of a stone.
Tuk—
White’s seventy-sixth move.
It arose like a ripple upon the surface of water. Yet at that moment, Sophien was not looking at the board. She merely stared straight at Deculein and continued speaking.
“That poison bestowed upon me the gifts of ennui and indolence.”
Sophien’s voice was calm. It contained not the slightest tremor, not even the smallest shard of emotion.
“I left it alone because even searching for the culprit was tiresome…”
Deculein gazed at Sophien for a moment, then spoke as if tossing the words aside.
“Look.”
“What?”
It was a tone of arrogance and reckless insolence. Sophien, whose words had been cut off, felt as though her dantian had twisted, but belatedly lowered her gaze to the board.
“!”
Shock entered her crimson eyes as she assessed the situation.
A single move was destroying the balance between black and white.
“…”
Every thought in her mind was erased. The hand holding a stone trembled.
Sophien stared blankly at the Go board.
“This is…”
A drastic shift in the situation that she could see with her eyes yet could not comprehend.
A brilliant move she herself had not even conceived of—
Because of Deculein’s seventy-sixth move, the thin ice began to collapse.
White’s seventy-sixth move.
It arose like a ripple upon the surface of water.
“…”
Sophien felt tension tightening all the way up to her throat. It was the first time in her life she had felt such an emotion.
But there was nothing to worry about. In her experience, Deculein lacked the ability to carry a game into the later stages. If she simply responded calmly without being shaken, he would reveal an opening on his own.
Tuk, tuk, tuk.
Sophien did not give up. The Go stones fell like droplets of water.
The structure and influence on the board changed in an instant. Black, which had held a slight advantage, now had no choice but to desperately chase after white.
“…”
In that position where ruin seemed inevitable, Sophien employed every move she could devise.
The game was not over yet. Surely there was a path to survival somewhere. In Go, there was no such thing as certain defeat, so I have not lost yet…
However.
Tuk, tuk, tuk—
At some point, the sound of Go stones ringing like musical notes in the silent space ceased.
Sophien’s hand stopped with it. The white stones she had failed to capture had already become an impregnable great dragon, seizing control of the center.
Grind.
Sophien ground her teeth and lifted her gaze askew. In her merciless pupils, the human named Deculein filled her vision.
Her lips twisted. A fireball surged up from the depths of her heart. Yet she struggled not to lose her composure.
“Count it.”
“Two and a half points. I won.”
“…”
Sophien stared at Deculein. Her eyes, which had been like eternal snow, were slowly cracking apart. A trembling breath escaped between her violet lips.
“…Ha.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. It seems I have grown somewhat.”
Sophien did not let her expression show. However, in her mind, the sound of something snapping—cleanly—was distinct.
“You—”
Sophien’s hand slipped beneath the Go board. The entire table trembled like a massage machine. Deculein watched Sophien’s behavior with calm eyes.
“You fucking—cock—”
Kwaaaaa—!
Sophien hurled the Go board high into the air. The wooden board shot up like a rocket and embedded itself in the ceiling. Through the split board, countless stones scattered and sank down.
And amid that black and white falling like snow—
* * *
“Were you very angry?”
Thirty minutes later. I asked Sophien, who had barely managed to calm down.
“…”
Sophien silently leaned her body against the back of her chair. We were once again in the imperial palace, in the “Hall of Learning.”
“Your Majesty?”
“…I had thought I might lose. But once I actually did, a truly strange emotion surged up in me.”
Sophien rested a finger against her temple and muttered. Her tone was one of resignation.
“Separately, your seventy-sixth move was impressive. Of course, I am still annoyed that you needled me by saying strange things before that, but much of the fault lies with me for falling for that psychological warfare.”
I gave a small smile. Sophien looked at me and said,
“What are you smirking at? Makes me want to split your skull.”
“That is a relief.”
“…”
Tuk— I said as I placed a Go stone on the board. This was the record of the game we had just played—in other words, a review.
“What do you mean, a relief?”
“Because the emotion Your Majesty just felt was not anger.”
“You impudent bastard. Who are you to judge my emotions?”
I shook my head. The emotion Sophien had shown when she overturned the Go board was far removed from anger.
It was what the current Sophien needed most.
The thing that awakened passion.
“It was not anger, but competitive spirit, Your Majesty.”
Sophien closed her mouth for a moment. She watched me for a long while with that sullen face, then immersed herself once more in studying the game record.
“Let the next game be in two months. I will not lose then.”
“Yes. The same goes for me.”
“Get out.”
I rose from my seat.
Watching Sophien study Go, watching her try to overcome defeat, I stepped backward out of the bedchamber.
* * *
…Two months was too short a time to persuade the continent. However, it was more than enough time to “force” it.
It was a thought that occurred to me suddenly while I was making my rounds across nearly the entire continent.
Was there really a need to persuade them like this?
Was there any need to explain the principles of a lighter to a chimpanzee?
Was it not enough simply to make it use one?
The authority of a villain, the image of terror, was effective at times like these.
I pressured those who refused to listen to my forecasts. Since Emperor Sophien had accepted them, there were many methods available.
Inspections using the Imperial Guard, official letters from the imperial palace, threats through the funds of Yukline’s bank, and so on.
“Professor! Any more costs than this, and the territory itself risks bankruptcy. Please reconsider…”
Because of that, quite a number of troublesome fellows had been coming to visit. I was clearly forcing them onto a path that would save their territories, yet those lords and nobles were begging me to spare them.
I glared at the nobleman standing at the entrance of my mansion.
“You said your name was Gehan.”
“Yes, Professor. Our house cannot bear the cost—”
“Bankruptcy is better than destruction, and I am telling you to use the assets you have been squandering on something worthwhile instead.”
“…Ah.”
Thirteen local lords alone had come to my mansion. All of them were vermin who had left the defense of their territories below even the bare minimum.
“Professor! Please. I will do anything—”
“Get out.”
I pushed him away with Psychokinesis and went outside the mansion. A car was waiting in the garden.
Beyond the open window, I saw a familiar face.
“You’re here?”
It was Yeriel. I opened the car door and sat in the seat beside her.
“You’re completely an object of terror these days, you know? You’re practically some kind of grim reaper.”
“Ignore it.”
“…Hmph.”
Yeriel shrugged. Then she asked with a sullen face,
“But are you really going to Reccordak?”
“It has already been decided.”
“No~ But still~ that woman is there. That woman.”
She suddenly stopped speaking, then clenched her teeth and growled.
I looked back at her. I was suddenly curious.
“Why do you hate Yulie so much?”
“…”
Yeriel bit her lip without saying anything for a moment. Clicking her tongue, she folded her arms.
“…When I entered university. I was all alone. Because someone said he was going to watch a swordsmanship tournament.”
“So it was jealousy.”
“No, it wasn’t!”
Yeriel shrieked. I nodded and sank back into the seat. I took out a book.
“…You know.”
Watching the pages I turned, needlessly and cautiously gauging my reaction.
Yeriel stammered.
“Back then… did you hate me?”
“…”
Listening to that voice, I thought.
Had Deculein hated her?
…He must have despised her.
“Yeriel.”
I placed my hand on the crown of her head. The leather glove touched her hair. Yeriel looked up at me with a bewildered face.
Meeting those round eyes, those cute eyes that did not resemble Deculein’s in the slightest, I answered quietly.
“I do not hate you.”
“…”
Yeriel froze. Literally froze. She sat still as if she were not even breathing, then suddenly pointed out the car window.
“G-get out! We’re here!”
I looked in that direction as well. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the station.
“Very well.”
Ren got out first and opened the car door for me.
“I’ll protect Hadekain well.”
At that moment, Yeriel said,
“…Because it’s our territory.”
I gazed steadily at her. She was clearing her throat awkwardly, as if embarrassed, but there was one thing that grated on me.
“Yeriel.”
“Wh-what?”
“Don’t shorten your words while watching my reaction. I never permitted that.”
“……”
Bang—!
I shut the car door. Beyond the window, Yeriel was staring at me with an incredulous expression.
“Ren. Go.”
“Yes, Master.”
I sent the car off and went up onto the platform.
The first things that caught my eye were three heads.
Allen, Drent, and Epherene. They were gathered together, chattering about something.
—Here. Look at this carefully. One of these four companies is definitely going to take off.
—Really? Their names all sound pretty similar.
—How much did you put in, Leafy?
—I put one thousand elne into each of the four. Every time my salary comes in, I’m going to split it up and put it all in. Once I get back from this trip, it’ll double, triple right away. In three years, it’ll rise a hundredfold. This trading company will become the asset and pillar of our future……
Epherene was inciting them.
Click—
I deliberately stepped on the pavement loudly, and all three of them turned to look at me.
“Ah. Professor, you’re heeere!”
“Hello.”
“You’ve arrived, sir.”
Listening to their various greetings, I looked over their attire. Allen and Drent were normal, but Epherene was astounding.
“Epherene. Do you think you’re a knight?”
“Huh?”
Ordinary mages wear robes. In somewhat dangerous locations, they wear leather armor imbued with enchantments.
And yet, right now, Epherene was wearing chain mail. A coat of rings, otherwise known as mail armor.
However, iron armor was utterly useless to a mage. Rather, it hindered the manifestation of magic.
“Oh, this? I heard there are a lot of flying beasts near Reccordak. So—aaagh!”
I dismantled her armor with 「Telekinesis」.
“N-no! I paid a lot for thaaaat—!”
* * *
Meanwhile, Julie was waiting at the entrance of Reccordak for someone who would soon arrive. Along with the prison warden, numerous knights, and Ihelm.
“Ah, when is he coming? I’m freezing to death here.”
Ihelm grumbled in complaint. Julie glanced at him, then looked ahead again.
Clop— clop—
The faint sound of horse hooves. Deculein’s distinctive scent, carried in on the wind.
Julie clenched her teeth.
“……Ah. There he comes!”
The Imperial Palace knights pointed toward the horizon. Two horses were galloping toward them. Deculein was in the lead, and his riding posture was textbook-perfect.
“The Professor really does look like a painting…… Ahem.”
The Imperial Palace knights glanced at Julie and cleared their throats. Julie showed no reaction.
Clop, clop—
The sound of hooves grew stronger, and the temperature grew colder. The mana Julie unconsciously emitted was cooling the air itself.
“Ugh, it’s cold! I said it’s cold!”
Ihelm, who was wearing a fleece-lined robe and even a coat, was complaining to Julie when—
The horses gradually slowed, and finally.
Deculein arrived.
“We greet you, Professor!”
The Imperial Palace knights approached Deculein and paid their respects. Deculein acknowledged them with a nod, then dismounted along with his assistants.
“Yo. Deculein. Leafy. Long time no see?”
Ihelm greeted them while his teeth chattered. Epherene turned away with a huff.
“……”
Julie quietly looked at Deculein. However, she could not bring herself to speak. She could not say anything.
If she had known any curses, would she have poured them out?
Only, throughout her entire life, Julie had never once put profanity in her mouth. Nor would she ever do so in the future.
“Hmm.”
Deculein, on the other hand, swept his rather composed gaze over the scenery of Reccordak.
An empty, desolate space. A barren winter that did not suit Deculein at all.
“From there to there.”
Deculein moved his hand and pointed somewhere. It was the coniferous forest near Reccordak.
“We’ll fell the forest and build separate lodgings.”
“Ah~ good idea—”
“Reccordak is an asset of Freyden.”
Julie cut in. Now that it had become official business, she had something to say.
“You cannot log it at will. The forest also serves as a good barrier, and it is where herbalists maintain their livelihoods—”
“I knew you would say that.”
Deculein looked down at Julie with cold, sharp eyes. Julie did not avoid his gaze. After they stared each other down for a long while, Deculein spoke to his assistant.
“Allen.”
“Yes.”
Allen handed Julie a sheet of paper. Julie accepted it while still glaring at Deculein.
“Confirm it.”
At those words, she looked down at the paper. Her eyes remained fixed on it for quite some time.
[Freyden-Yukline Agreement]
─Freyden’s head, Zeit, and Yukline’s head, Deculein, by mutual agreement, transfer 51% of the rights and obligations of the “Reccordak Detention Camp” to Yukline. In exchange, Yukline shall pay Freyden thirty million elne, and the direct ownership and management of Reccordak shall be handled by Deculein or by one appointed by Deculein.
In other words, Deculein had acquired Reccordak.
This land, which was of no use and no help at all, for as much as thirty million elne.
Julie was at a loss for words for a moment.
“……”
“This Reccordak is mine. I thought it might make you uncomfortable, so I told you in advance.”
Deculein looked around the area. The pale winter sky. The tall coniferous forest. The admiring Imperial Palace knights.
“I will not carry out any special personnel changes for now, and will maintain the current system.”
Soon, his gaze settled on Julie once more.
At the strange sense of helplessness swelling within her at that moment, Julie clenched her fist. She glared at the paper in her hand.
Then, Deculein said,
“We will begin with logging. Make use of the prisoners’ labor.”
“““Yes, understood!”””
The Imperial Palace knights answered vigorously, and Deculein walked past her.
Julie, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly noticed someone tapping her.
“You need to give me that document…… It’s an important contract.”
It was Deculein’s assistant professor, Allen. Julie opened her eyes wide and nodded.
“Ah, yes. I apologize. Here, please take it.”
“Oh~ there’s nothing to apologize for. You should hurry and go too, Sir Knight! It’s terribly cold!”
Allen smiled brightly and followed after Deculein. Julie, however, remained alone, watching their backs with a somewhat vacant gaze.
Whooooosh──
The biting wind that swept in coldly tossed her hair.