A man with a shaggy beard moves a piece. The soldier in the center two squares forward.
In response, the man across from him also moved a piece. The piece at the very end two squares forward.
This is…
“A battle between the College Defense and the Royal Gambit? Both are heavily late-game oriented openings, so the game will take a while.” “Does anyone know who this lady is?”
“Nope, not me.”
The battle to capture each other’s pieces continued, and finally, a conclusion was reached.
The victor was the man across from him, who had used the Royal Gambit.
“Pirenz lost too?”
“At this rate, there’s no one in our pub who can beat the Young Master.”
The man who defeated Pirenz, the Young Master, lightly sipped his wine and said,
“No one else?”
“Everyone who was willing to try already did.”
“I’m fine with playing the same person again.”
Despite the Young Master’s words, people only glanced at each other, not moving. The difference in skill was too great, and it seemed uninteresting. “I suppose there’s no helping it.”
At the people’s reaction, the Young Master took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
Clink. A clear sound rings out.
As everyone’s gaze was fixed on the table, the Young Master opened his mouth.
“I will give this to the person who beats me.’
“He’s giving away a gold coin? Is he crazy?”
“”
“People are only sincere when there’s a reward. I earned this money from a bet with someone else, so I won’t regret losing it.”
Everyone’s eyes
widened.
One gold coin. It was equivalent to one hundred silver coins. It was quite a lot of money to be earned from such a lighthearted bet.
The bearded man, who had first challenged with the College Defense and had his fortress utterly destroyed, was the first to step up.
But he was defeated before even reaching the mid-game.
Next, a man who also used the Royal Gambit, like the Young Master, challenged him.
This time, he was defeated even more severely, not even making it past the opening.
The Young Master, who systematically crushed the Magician Game, Adorian Defense, and Klak Knights Game, raised a finger.
“I would like to add smoked sausage.”
“Understood.”
At the Young Master’s words, the bartender approached the chess table.
And placed five glasses of mead.
The Young Master spoke in a bewildered voice.
“I believe I ordered smoked sausage?”
“I ordered these.”
I sat down and picked up a glass of mead, pouring it down my
throat.
A coolness that felt like my brain was shaking dominated my body.
I feel a little better.
“I’ll add smoked sausage too!”
“And you are?”
“The greatest Arcana Chess player of all time.”
I raised my head.
I saw brown hair and brown eyes. The most common hair and eye color in this world.
His face was ordinary; he really did look like the third son of a rural farming family, just as he claimed.
I asked.
“One gold coin if I win, right?”
“If you can win.”
The Young Master’s gaze landed on my face, then turned to the chessboard.
He didn’t even flinch. It had been a while since I’d met someone like that.
“Miss, why is your face so burnt?”
See? This is the normal reaction.
“It’s the price of a contract.”
“What price? If it’s a dark god, you’ll be arrested as a heretic?”
“I only make legal and ethical contracts.”
I answered vaguely and picked up the pieces in front of the Young Master, arranging them in front of me.
Then the Young Master stared at me.
What is it? Is there something wrong?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Was he belatedly shocked by my face?
Tsk tsk. His reaction speed is slower than a turtle.
I neatly arranged the black pieces and said to the Young Master.
“Shall we begin?”
The Young Master moved the soldier at the very end two squares forward. Royal Gambit. If there was a correct answer in, it was probably one of them.
That was because it was an opening that evolved the strongest piece, the ‘Royal Knight,’ the fastest.
I moved the knight on the right towards the center.
The Young Master deployed an additional soldier in response.
It was an original Royal Gambit opening without any variations. In that case…
I moved the soldier located next to the king forward one square.
The spectators buzzed.
“It’s an All-Magician Variation.”
“He’s doing that?”
All-Magician Variation. It was an opening that went all-in on the ‘Magician’ piece that existed in .
It had clear advantages, but also clear disadvantages, so it wasn’t used often.
That was because it abandoned the advantage of being able to move a soldier two squares at the beginning and had to move the soldiers one square at
a time. Therefore, the All-Magician Variation opening was also called a classic opening that refused to evolve.
Even though I brought out a rare opening, there was no change in the Young Master’s play. He continued to develop steadily and solidly.
In contrast, I continued to make erratic and improvisational moves.
As a result.
“I will evolve the Magician into a Grand Magician. Checkmate.”
“Who did she make a contract with? Turns out it was the God of Chess?”
“This lady is really crazy.”
Everyone cheered in excitement.
That was because I had defeated the Young Master, who was like a giant fortress, with a relentless blitzkrieg.
It was as if I was the hero and the Young Master was the demon king, but it couldn’t be helped.
I mean, who told him to play so defensively?
Doesn’t he know that pros have to be good and also entertain the fans?
“I’ll use this gold coin for good.”
I felt good looking at the shining gold coin.
I roughly earned enough for the tip of my pinky toenail’s worth of treatment.
I organized the pieces and put a pipe tobacco in my
mouth.
“Next?”
“Let’s play another round.”
It was the Young Master who answered my words.
The Young Master humbly arranged the white pieces, and he looked very pleased.
I blew smoke at the ceiling and smiled.
“So, you’ve finally realized that white suits your skills?”
“…Let’s play another round.”
“Let’s do that. However.”
Clink. I placed the gold coin on the table and continued.
“It’s boring for the others to watch, so how about we keep betting? I’ll bet the gold coin I just won.”
“I don’t mind.”
The Young Master took out another gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the table.
Hmm.
“Let’s begin.”
There was a change in the Young Master’s play. Instead of the soldier at the very end, he advanced the soldier in front of the king two squares.
That was the most common and stable orthodox opening. He was going to see how I moved and then respond, but I didn’t care and deployed the All- Magician opening.
And as if he had been waiting for it, the Young Master responded with the Knight’s Gambit.
It was an attempt to capture the magician with the knight, but.
“I’ll take this gold coin. Like a gentleman.”
Mid-game. The knight was captured by the secretly completed formation, and he lost as a result.
The Young Master chugged his wine, as if he was getting heated, and met my eyes.
“Let’s play another round.”
“Okay. The stakes are two gold coins.”
“Understood.”
Next round. The Young Master went all-in with the All-Knight Variation.
He was trying to use a custom opening since I only used the All-Magician Variation, but I immediately used the Royal Gambit there.
Then the Young Master closed his mouth and stared at the chessboard.
“What’s wrong?”
“Now that I see it, this lady didn’t make a contract with the God of Chess, but with a demon?”
When I knocked him down with the Royal Gambit’s unique solid and heavy blow, the Young Master’s eyes rolled back.
“Let’s switch colors. Black is my specialty.”
“All colors are my specialty.”
“I’ll bet ten gold coins. I won’t gamble anymore after this. How about it?”
“I’m fine with it.”
I placed the white pieces in front of me and thought.
What opening should I use to make the Young Master go crazy?
Hmm. That would be good.
I moved the soldiers at both ends two squares.
Royal Gambit.
At my action, the Young Master took a deep breath and moved the soldiers at both ends two squares in the same way.
It was a mirror Royal Gambit.
In this case, the Royal Gambit of the second player, who could see and move, was usually advantageous.
So, a variation.
Instead of moving the soldier on the opposite side two squares, I moved the soldier in front of the Royal Knight one square.
A variation of the Royal Gambit. The Hyper-Accelerated Royal Gambit.
The Hyper-Accelerated Royal Gambit was an opening that abandoned many of the Royal Gambit’s advantages, but it had one thing that was better
than the Royal Gambit.
This side was faster.
“This lady absolutely can’t stand to lose?”
“The Young Master has finally met his match.”
In that way, I gradually gained advantages by utilizing the unevolved Royal Knight, successfully passed the opponent’s evolution turn, and won the game with a one-shot reverse counter.
I took the ten gold coins and got up from my seat. Gulp. I poured the last remaining mead into my mouth and placed five gold coins in front of the
Young Master.
The Young Master raised his head blankly.
Looking at his dazed expression, I quietly whispered.
Y1k4VDliYjd6eGp3c0UvaXppT0ZHbFpBS112ZWdDN0RaLysrNGZmU31TS25OQIFTdVU5R0V0cEE5MIRCbUpwTQ
“I only take half of the money I win.”
“Ah.”
“And Master? Feed the people of the pub until these four gold coins run out.”
With this, the gold coins I earned were only five in total, but it was enough. Easily earned money is given to others. It was a personal principle.
I left the pub, leaving behind the cheers from behind.
A lukewarm breeze hit my face.
I looked up at the clear sky and muttered inwardly, fiddling with the five gold coins.
How did a high-ranking person’s whereabouts end up with a mere peddler? He had no intention of hiding it himself.
What son of a farmer would bet ten gold coins out of anger?
He might as well advertise it.
I was sure that Chris had succeeded in gambling and moved my steps to the inn.
He must have made a lot of money this time, so I should tell Chris to treat me generously.
“Lady Ruina. We have a big problem. The territory’s wine reserves are overflowing.”
“Oh dear.”
Today’s lesson.
Never gamble.