Chapter 51: Imperial Palace (2)
… It had been three months since the professors’ promotion evaluation began, and the Imperial University Tower was still buzzing with discourse about who would become the Head Professor.
In addition to his unique ability to create, analyze, and understand formulas and theoretical frameworks, Deculein had the Yukline family behind him. Based on overall capabilities, however, Louina was superior to Deculein, and above all, Louina was better due to the differences in their personality. The majority held that opinion. Even now, Deculein was close to being audacious.
The other professors also supported her for fear of what it would be like if he became the Head Professor.
In addition, the evaluation of the University Tower’s criteria were not based on family or status but one’s own values and achievements. Even Adrienne, the current chairman, was from a negligible aristocratic family.
Therefore, believing in the legitimacy of the selection process for the Head Professor, Louina fought.
She refused to surrender despite the numerous external pressures and threats from the Yukline Family, never allowing them to stop her even if it meant at the cost of death.
But… today.
“If that position is not more important than your family, then give up now.
Your voice used to always be strong. Now, it is weak and withered!” Her father’s words broke her.
The Yuklines’ immense pressure affected not only Louina herself but also her entire family.
McQueen originally belonged to the 12 Traditional Families, but they were eliminated from the Bercht Conference 10 years ago. Things had gone awry since then.
Her father suffered a serious injury and lost his magical capabilities, causing the McQueen family to lose its prestige.
They now had no strength to fight the Yukline.
It wasn’t something that could be resolved if she endured and persevered on her own.
She realized later that their situation had become much more serious than expected. Her father, mother, younger brother, their vassals, household members, and entire family estate collapsed.
Drip, drip…
Rain poured the day Louina visited Deculein, her sense of helplessness drowning her more than the stream of water that soaked her whole body.
“That’s impossible.”
At the outer gate of the Yukline residence, one of the best mansions on the continent, a guard stood in front of her, blocking her path.
“I have something to tell him.”
“Not without a prior appointment.”
“I know, I know. But I need to let him know!”
“I can’t let you through.”
“Get out of my way! If you tell him Louina’s come to talk to him, Deculein will—”
More guards stopped her, pushing her away. Regardless, she argued with them ceaselessly until a familiar voice stopped the commotion.
“What’s going on?”
Deculein.
He looked at her over the gate, standing under his servant’s umbrella. Louina hated that contemptuous gaze of his so much.
“It’s you again, Louina.”
Deculein’s eyebrows twitched. Louina pushed a guard away and dusted her clothes off.
“…”
Her lips moved as she glared at him, but her words refused to come out. Regardless, she knew she had no other choice but to declare her surrender.
“… I give up.”
“Give up?”
“Yeah.”
Deculein looked down at her like he was looking at a stray dog.
“I give up. It’s time to put an end to all of this.”
Her voice trembled.
“Let’s stop here.”
“… Stop?”
A mocking tone leaked from Deculein’s twisted lips.
His next words disgusted her.
“Stop what?”
“… What?”
Deculein pushed her entire family to a cliff. The terms of their bills were absurdly shortened, and their family check became a piece of toilet paper.
The whole estate was on the verge of bankruptcy.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Louina, but…”
Deculein walked slowly, every step of his echoing in her ears. Cold contempt rested in his pupils.
“If you’re here to apologize…”
‘Apologize?’
His words were nonsensical.
“Then you must display the right attitude for it.”
Under his umbrella’s shade, Deculein’s blue eyes gleamed.
“You’re too unyielding right now.”
Louina bit her lip hard enough for her teeth to pierce her flesh, causing blood to gush out.
“… Apologize?”
“Yes. After your family was eliminated from Bercht, the Yukline began to support you, thanks to which your collapse was prevented. Our family forgave the McQueens’ arrogant behaviors, like not even expressing gratitude for what we did. However, your entire bloodline is now acting like a dog unable to forget its old habits. Naturally, I deserve an apology.”
Deculein’s tone was calm and aristocratic. The moment Louina clenched her fist and looked at him, he squinted at her.
“… A tree that’s rotten down to its roots will never survive. Just wait and see. Your family will sooner or later wither.” He turned his back on her.
At that moment, she felt like the world itself had gone crazy, like the sky itself had fallen.
She wanted to disappear right there and then, but for the sake of her family, she didn’t run away.
As he moved further and further away, she shouted.
“Wait!”
Deculein stopped, looking back at her over his shoulder.
“I’ll do it.” Louina slowly fell to her knees, her lips dripping blood onto the ground.
Splash—
Mud and rainwater dug into her clothes.
“…”
Deculein seemed a little surprised.
“… I’m sorry. I apologize…” Louina bowed her head as she shed tears, though they remained camouflaged among the downpour.
In reply, he sneered in a tone of contempt.
“Tsk. You’re ignorant and pathetic.” Deculein came closer. The rain grew stronger.
“Your family is less than 100 years old, no roots, no history. You’re no more than damn garbage.”
His heels landed on her knees.
“You were so full of yourself, refusing to acknowledge your place just to protect your pride.” He lightly stepped on her as if blemishing a brand, causing her to feel so much more emotional pain than physical she thought her heart was being torn apart. “You are disgusting and dirty to see.”
Crush-!
His heels hit her knees again, ripping open her skin and flesh, rupturing her ligaments, and spilling her blood.
She desperately held back her groans.
“Disappear. If you want to keep your family alive, don’t ever show your damn face before me.”
Louina stayed in her place.
The guards barred the gate again, and heavy rain covered her body. Her blood, gushing out, mixed with the flowing rainwater.
After asking for forgiveness until the rain stopped, Louina submitted her resignation letter at the Imperial University Tower the very next day. Two days later, she left the empire, and after a week, everything returned to normal.
However, Louina hadn’t forgotten the humiliation she felt that day.
She never stopped striving and working hard.
As the Head Professor of a kingdom’s tower, she wrote several theses, developed magic, earned money to rebuild her family, and gained the respect of the kingdom’s people.
All of her efforts resulted in her return to the imperial palace.
Louina stood in it, feeling as if she was in the middle of the battlefield. When she presented her identity to the guard, he opened the door with a salute.
It took 40 minutes to get to the imperial palace from the entrance due to several checkpoints and a change in carriages halfway through.
Not long after, they reached the ‘road of modesty’ that led to the highly defended imperial palace.
“Louina von Schlott McQueen!”
When the emperor called out her name, Louina felt so moved by the favor she showed her that she felt as if she owned the whole world.
However, the very next moment…
“Deculein von Grahan Yukline!”
Upon hearing his name, she looked at him immediately.
“…”
Louina vowed once more.
She wouldn’t lose this time.
No, she would pay him back double, even triple, the humiliation he brought her in the past.
Sharpening the blade in her heart, she quietly walked down the ‘road of modesty.’
* * *
I looked at Louina while we were at the hall of the imperial palace. She seemed difficult to deal with, based on her appearance alone.
“Don’t look.”
In fact, there was a distinct edge to her voice. I looked away instead of arguing with her.
“You’ve endured for quite a while. I heard that your ‘brain’ committed suicide three years ago.”
This time, Louina spoke first.
I replied, “Don’t talk to me.”
“…”
I didn’t find any need to be nice to people who were hostile to me. Pretending to be congenial in situations where I didn’t know anything would only cause a detrimental effect anyway.
This was a simple fact that I realized while living as Deculein for almost half a year.
“We will conduct a light body search.”
The maids then came.
Louina took off her coat and was searched first. The handmaiden looked at her bag, filled with items, and asked. “What are these?”
“A present and teaching materials to present to Her Majesty.”
At a glance, I noticed a magic book and a bunch of educational items. The imperial court wizard next to her inspected their magical properties.
“I see. You may pass. Now, Deculein?”
Upon being called, I calmly stood before the maids. They spent an exceptionally long time searching my body.
They then looked at the items in my velvet bag.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a well-thought present for Her Majesty.”
She took the item out of the bag, revealing a 33-year-old wine, considered one of the finest on the continent.
“… Alcoholic beverages require a more detailed clearance process, so we’ll have to do a thorough inspection before providing you with the result.”
“Okay.”
“Tsk. We’re here to teach, not to have drinking parties.”
I didn’t answer Louina’s words.
After the search was over, we followed the maid up the stairs, leading us to the room where the emperor took classes, which they separated from other rooms due to its nature being a ‘place of learning.’
In front of the door with a golden lion carving, the maid knocked first.
Knock, knock—
“Your Majesty, your magic educators are here.”
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
The maid closed her eyes, opened the door, and bent her body forward. The emperor was revealed sitting in a chair, staring at us.
I took a step into the room and paid my respects.
“I, Deculein von Grahan Yukline, see you, glorious emperor.”
“I, Louina von Schlott McQueen, see you, glorious emperor.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Keiron, the emperor’s escort and knight, stood behind her like a statue.
I heard the maid close the door.
We moved a little closer to the emperor as she raised a question.
“Magic, huh… Right, today will be our first class. Where do we start?”
Louina rushed out.
“Before we begin, I’d like to figure out which class and attribute you’d be most comfortable with.”
“Class? Attribute? Oh, you mean the eight series?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t need to. Magic on our first meeting? No. Let’s talk.”
“…?”
Her eyes widened, seemingly in embarrassment. She looked like she was contemplating how to respond as she alternately looked at the class materials, lesson plans in her arms, and the emperor.
“Sit down. Let’s have a chat.”
As Louina was about to speak, the emperor pointed to the chairs.
I shook my head.
“We are your magic educators, chosen to explore magical truths with Your Majesty. There is no need for us to stay here unless for a class.”
I needed to make sure to draw the line now more than ever.
I couldn’t get caught up by the emperor. If she were to be lazy, the difficulty of the game itself would rise sharply.
My words made her eyebrows rise in an arch shape.
“I said I don’t want to.”
“Even if you don’t want to, it is in the best interest of and is required by our traditions, manners, etiquettes, and future to do so.”
“…”
The emperor glared at me.
Tok tok tok—
She knocked on the desk, looking dissatisfied.
Silently, Louina sent me a signal behind her using the ‘Wizard Code,” the Morse code of wizards.
—What are you doing? Your majesty won’t like you, and I’ll get caught up in your mess. Damn it.
I didn’t reply.
The emperor scratched her eyebrows.
“Then, let’s do it this way. Do you guys know how to play chess?”
Chess. I was familiar with its basic rules and opening patterns to some extent.
However, that was only due to Deculein’s memory, not Kim Woojin’s. Noble hobbies or entertainment such as horseback riding or chess were naturally ingrained in this body.
“I’m not good at it, but I know how to play it,” Louina answered.
A smile appeared on the emperor’s lips.
“Good. If so, what do you think? Let’s decide by chess. If you win, I’ll take the class as you say. But if you lose, you’ll have to turn back and leave. Today’s class will end at your defeat.”
“…” Louina looked at me in resentment.
I was worried.
To what extent could [Understanding] be applied to chess?
“Alright. Louina, you go first.”
I pushed her back forward, causing her to jump out as she cursed at me with her eyes. Nevertheless, she soon approached her with her head bowed.
“I’m not good at it, but I’ll dare to go against your Majesty—”
“It won’t matter if you two put your heads together.”
I shook my head at her words. By observing their match, I planned to figure out whether or not [Understanding] could be applied to it.
“Hmm. One-on-one is boring but fine. Let’s start.”
“Okay.”
Louina got the white pieces, and Sophien got black.
Tap—
The game progressed slowly. As the thrilling sounds of pieces hitting the chessboard echoed, I familiarized myself with how they moved.
Louina paused several times to think about every action she took while Sophien moved her pieces after just a glance. With that attitude alone, the result of their bout was obvious.
An hour passed.
“Checkmate.”
There were only black pieces left on the chessboard.
“… I lost.”
“You are too safety-oriented and too analytical, Louina. Gosh, it would’ve been way more fun to play with Keiron. Now then. Deculein?”
The emperor looked at me, faint hostility flashing in her curious eyes. She seemed like she was already starting to hate me.
“Yes.”
“You’re going to have to entertain me a little. Or I might have to punish you.”
I sat where Louina just did.
“We only get one chance.”
“Only one?”
“Yes.”
It was insurance in case I depleted all of my mana.
“If we lose, we’ll have to step back. There will never be a rematch or a comeback.”
“… Okay. We’ll do it your way.”
Those vulgar words tickled my ears.
Since I got the white faction, I was naturally responsible for beginning the match. I just moved a seemingly random piece. Soon, the black faction responded to my moves. At that moment, I just acted based on instinct.
At some point, however, without knowing it…
My eyesight turned blue, almost as if paint had percolated into my pupils.
[Understanding] had been activated.
* * *
‘I can’t tell what this guy is thinking.’ Sophien thought.
‘I feel like I’m looking at a wild dog. His moves are rough, incomprehensible, swift, and unpredictable. They’re quite strong and ferocious but crude nonetheless.’
She realized his unpolished wildness was as sharp as shards of glass.
‘If I’m careless even a little, he will inflict fatal wounds on me.
Compared to Louina, he’s ten times more ferocious and intimidating.’
From his opening alone, he induced a melee and rushed into the offensive. He dug in whenever a chance appeared, and if he could catch any of her pieces, he made it a point to bite them off the battlefield.
Sophien moved her bishop while alternately looking at the chessboard and the opponent’s face.
Tap—
Tap—
As if to catch up, his queen moved immediately, taking less than 3 seconds from conception to launch.
She was shocked by his recklessness, but that didn’t mean he made a mistake.
Sophien peered into her opponent’s eyes.
The Yukline Head watched the chessboard without any movements.
Was he hungry for prey?
Or did he simply like to fight?
Whatever it was, his temper clearly differed from his appearance.
“…Humpf.”
However, Sophien knew the weakness of his tactic.
Hungry wild dogs, blinded by their aggression, would self-destruct upon stumbling upon the most basic traps.
Tap—
Sophien deliberately showed a loophole in her defenses that she had steadily built up, creating a trap that looked like an honest oversight on her part.
Anyone would look at it and see a delicious, unaware prey out in the open, but the moment they took the bait, they would be surrounded.
Sophien kept her face emotionless as she waited for the opponent’s move. The dog didn’t even stop to think. As she predicted, he was caught.
He kept biting back tenaciously, not knowing he was trapped.
She smiled.
Tap—
Her knight had caught his queen.
With this, the game was over.
At least, it should have been over.
However…
“…”
Sophien found it bizarre. He continued his siege in such a dire situation. The game, which should’ve ended soon, went on longer than she expected.
He moved his pieces without hesitation.
The emperor couldn’t decipher what the bastard was trying to do.
Sophien followed his pace, which was the best she could do in this situation, but he attacked nonstop regardless.
She successfully counterattacked and devoured his offensive, but strangely, she felt as if she was slowly falling into a bog.
The situation was still, no, had always been favorable to her.
Regardless, she felt surrounded by a strange atmosphere.
Her victory was just right around the corner, but she had this ominous feeling of being dragged by him.
At some point, he stopped moving. Their battle had now entered the ‘end game.’
The emperor looked at the near-empty chessboard.
Why did he suddenly stop?
Curious, Sophien tried to predict Deculein’s moves.
His future actions unfolded in her head.
His bishop would take the tile next to her king, and her queen would eat up his bishop, but at his eighth turn…
“…”
She saw her defeat.
If Deculein kept going at this rate, she would suffer from a defeat so unconditional it wouldn’t matter what move she took.
No.
It wasn’t a matter of if. He deliberately brought her to this moment. It was what caused the mysterious atmosphere that she couldn’t seem to ignore.
Sophien couldn’t comprehend this exquisite arrangement. Every piece that he left on the chessboard, including their positions, had meaning.
‘Did I underestimate him too much? At what point did he start luring me around like this?’
The emperor raised her eyes in silence.
“…”
She found Deculein looking straight at her. His gaze, which had been staring at the chessboard the whole time, was now fixed on her.
He wore no expression.
Now all she could do was move her pieces.
However, his next move, once again, far exceeded her expectations.
Tap—
He took down his king himself, causing the white king to fall onto the board’s surface.
The emperor’s eyes, following the king, widened as she looked back at Deculein.
“What are you doing?”
“I lost.” Deculein gave a simple answer, sounding as if this was a natural outcome.
“Your king hasn’t been caught yet.”
“I don’t see any other answer aside from this.”
‘… Is the answer yours or mine?’
Before the emperor could even ask that question, he stood up.
“Since both of us were defeated by Your Majesty, I, unfortunately, will have to return home today. I will see you next week.”
They promised to leave without saying a word.
There was no rematch or comeback.
Deculein faithfully fulfilled his promise, and Sophien could do nothing but glare at his back.