Chessmate
After returning to the merchant guild portal with my chessmate Estizel and Hellboki, the moment we stepped into the dungeon, the insectoids resting on the tenth floor swarmed us like moths to a flame.
"Kirik! It's the Great Chief-dak!"
"The Great Chief has arrived-dak!"
This was the first time I was actually glad to see them. I suppose even giant, creepy bugs can grow on you if you look at them long enough.
"Kirik! The tribe has grown-dak!"
"Livestock and a human-dak! Is the livestock food-dak?"
"Ahaha..."
Perhaps because she had already seen Balutak, Estizel didn't seem particularly repulsed. I had expected her to shriek as if she'd just seen a swarm of cockroaches. Somehow, I felt a little disappointed.
Meanwhile, off to the side, a pair of bugs was busy filming their own romance drama.
"Kirik. Buraltak. She is my female-dak."
"Kiririk..."
"Buraltak is my tree-dak. Always waiting for Balutak-dak. Giving me shade-dak."
There they go again with that 'Buraltak' business.
I was too tired to even bother correcting them anymore. Kelotak, Buraltak, whatever. They could call each other whatever they wanted; I was washing my hands of it.
"Boss. Please look at the workers," Charlotte said.
I wondered why she pointed them out, but looking closely, the insectoids' appearance had slightly changed. The chitin on their front legs looked much sturdier, having evolved to mine ore veins just like Kobolds.
While good news was good news, I didn't have the luxury to celebrate right now.
I'm so incredibly exhausted.
Even as an undead, mental fatigue accumulated just the same. In fact, because I didn't feel physical exhaustion, the mental strain felt twice as heavy.
And no wonder. I had gone through so many nerve-wracking ordeals at the roundtable meeting. I could handle the business with Gergoar and the banquet, but the meeting itself had nearly scared me to death.
Who could have guessed that Roxanne, of all people, would act like that instead of Calandas, whom I had been keeping my eye on?
Still, I had managed to handle it somehow. As a reward for my hard work, I planned to lock myself in the boss room and rest for a while.
Looking at Charlotte, I noticed her face was also lined with exhaustion. I suppose she must have had a hard time among all those monsters too, especially after hearing Roxanne's death threats.
"Go get some rest and shake off the fatigue of the journey. Once you've recovered, teach Estizel some magic. Estizel, you will be staying in the deputy's quarters for the time being."
Since they were both technically human, they shouldn't have any issues living together. Although Charlotte's face remained expressionless as always, having known her for so long, I could tell at a glance. Sharing the commonality of being a witch and a half-demon, Charlotte had quietly taken a liking to Estizel. Furthermore, they were destined to become teacher and disciple. Spending more time together would only strengthen their bond.
"Yes. I will do my best. Well then, Miss Estizel."
"Yep?"
"Here, you are not the Rank 72 Lord. You are a member of the Tomb of Faith, one of the 7 Abyssal Palaces. As your senior, I may speak informally to you. I ask for your understanding."
"Y-Yes! You can speak down to me as much as you want!"
"As a member of the 7 Abyssal Palaces, you are still highly lacking, Miss Estizel. The same goes for me. Let us strive together to better serve the Boss."
Estizel nodded vigorously and clenched her fists. She was trying to look determined, but she still looked like a child to me.
"Boss. Forgive me, but may I ask you a question?"
Instead of answering, I simply tilted my head.
"Does the Hellhound have a name?"
"A name, you say?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't told them Hellboki's name yet. They hadn't asked, and since I was committed to my silent, brooding boss persona, I hadn't gone out of my way to bring it up.
But that expressionless face of hers.
For some reason, it reminded me of the time I had named my skeletal horse. If he didn't have one, she looked ready to name him herself, which was absolutely out of the question. He already had a perfectly proud name: Hellboki.
"If he does not, how about Hellboki?"
"..."
"He is a 'Hell'hound, yet he always smiles so happily. The moment I saw him, the name Hellboki came to mind."
I was utterly shocked. My naming sense was identical to hers? The same person who wanted to name a skeletal horse 'Golgol'?
Pant, pant.
As if responding to the name, Hellboki trotted over and snuggled against Charlotte. Maintaining her blank expression, Charlotte gently stroked him. He seemed to love it, rolling over onto his back and acting completely spoiled. He looked even happier than when he was with me. Unbelievable.
"...Let us go with Hellboki."
I absolutely refused to admit that our naming senses were identical.
I had resolved to take a proper rest, but the fact that this cursed skeletal body couldn't sleep was a profound torment.
Pant, pant.
The only solace I could enjoy was Hellboki. He seemed to love my touch as well, constantly rubbing against me.
Ah, this was true healing. To think that the dream of owning a dog, which I had wanted so badly in my past life, would finally be realized only after becoming a Death Knight.
I tossed a bone, and Hellboki immediately dashed off to fetch it. By the way, that toy bone was actually one of my own ribs. It had been creaking for a while and didn't serve much purpose anyway, so I had given it to him as a toy.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door interrupted my healing session. As far as I knew, there was only one person who would come in.
"Come in."
Sure enough, Charlotte appeared through the opening door.
Wang!
"...?"
Charlotte looked back and forth between me and Hellboki, then bowed her head as if deeply moved. Her eyes had been filled with doubt, so she probably hadn't expected me to use Hellboki as a pet. She must have assumed I brought him back to deploy him as a dungeon monster. Considering my silent boss concept, that was a perfectly natural reaction.
But then again, I had no reason to feel self-conscious. I was the boss; why should I care what my subordinates thought? A sudden wave of defiance washed over me, prompting me to stroke Hellboki even more enthusiastically.
"Forgive me for interrupting your leisure."
"What is it?"
"Yes. It may be my own misunderstanding, but you have seemed rather bored lately, Boss."
That was quite unexpected. Was Charlotte exceptionally sharp, or had I been making it that obvious?
"If that is indeed the case, could you spare a moment of your time? I have prepared something for you."
"Prepared something?"
"By any chance, do you know how to play chess?"
Suddenly, chess? Then again, entertainment in a medieval fantasy world was extremely limited. Dice gambling was the go-to for cheap thrills, while chess was the representative wholesome game.
I know how to play Go, but chess is a bit...
Believe it or not, I had been called a Go prodigy back in elementary school. Unfortunately, there was no way Go existed in a medieval fantasy world. I had played chess a fair amount, but I had never learned it professionally. At most, I had played against amateurs on mobile apps.
Still, my years of playing Go should count for something.
I figured I should at least be in the upper tier of amateurs. I had watched a few online chess lectures, and though it had only been for two days, I had absorbed a lot of information. In fact, my win rate on mobile chess was well over seventy percent.
"Chess. I know it. Let us play."
Since I had nothing better to do anyway. Medieval chess could never hope to match the tactical depth of modern chess. Smurfing on her actually sounded like it might be fun.
Wait, what if she's actually a grandmaster?
Mages were high-intelligence characters, and looking at Charlotte's image, she seemed like a refined lady accomplished in both literary and martial arts. Of course, her true nature was that of a psychopathic murderer, but still. Since she was the one who suggested it, she was probably quite skilled. But that was actually better. Games are always more fun when your opponent is good.
Down on the 10th floor, a chessboard had already been set up, and Balutak and Estizel were currently playing. Even at a glance, they looked incredibly clumsy, suggesting Charlotte had only just taught them.
"Kirik. I won-dak."
"That was only your first win!"
"As expected, Estizel is bad-dak. No match for Balutak-dak."
"What?! What do you mean... I'm ten and one!"
"That doesn't matter-dak. Balutak won the last one-dak. The final victor devours, adapts, and evolves-dak."
"Let's play again!"
"Kiririk. You are not on my level-dak. Go practice more-dak."
"That's not fair! I said let's play again!"
"No-dak. You suck-dak."
I let out a sigh and averted my eyes. Charlotte had gone all out, setting up a proper table and chairs. However, there was only one table and two chairs. This meant Balutak and Estizel had been playing their game sitting on the bare floor. Talk about a difference in treatment.
"My Lord. Please, take a seat."
"Charlotte pulled back a chair and gestured politely. Feeling a slight pressure, I sat down. Before we began, I conceded the first move to her. I didn't have a particular reason, other than thinking that as a dark Death Knight, it felt right to play as black."
"I ask for a good game."
"Very well."
Charlotte made a standard opening move, developing her knight first. Looking up slightly, I saw her lips pressed tightly together. She looked intensely focused. Deciding to match her gravity, I resolved to take the game seriously. Charlotte focused on her knights, while I made a bold move with my queen.
About thirty minutes passed. The number of captured pieces was roughly equal, and the game had developed into a fierce, balanced battle.
She's neck and neck with me.
The match was tense enough to make my palms sweat—though, as an undead, I had no sweat glands.
The conclusion only came after another thirty minutes had passed. Charlotte's king was completely trapped by my black knight and queen.
"It seems I have lost."
After a hard-fought battle, victory was mine. Because it had been such a close match, I had found myself completely absorbed in what was supposed to be a simple pastime.
"It was a narrow defeat. I believe I can win if we play another round."
"Shall we play another, then?"
"Yes."
Her reply came instantly, as if she had been waiting for me to ask.
Sorry, but you're no match for me.
It had been a struggle, but by the end, I could see all of Charlotte's moves ahead of time. I suppose the gap of modern tactical knowledge wasn't so easily bridged. Feeling a swell of pride, I picked up my pieces once more.
Before they started playing, Charlotte had been harboring all sorts of worries. What if he disliked chess? What if he was only forcing himself to play just to accommodate her?
But looking at the Boss's face now, those worries proved entirely groundless.
He is truly concentrating.
Contrary to her fears, he seemed to have taken a liking to the game. He was exercising a high level of focus, carefully deliberating before placing each piece.
Just like the first game, this round ended after another fierce clash.
"I have lost again..."
Letting out a faint, defeated sigh, Charlotte buried her face in her hands. Through the gaps of her fingers, she secretly peeked at the Boss's face. Although she couldn't read his expression because he was undead, she could somehow sense his inner thoughts.
He's happy.
Whenever he secured a narrow victory, he would give a slight, satisfied nod. Smacking her lips, Charlotte reset the pieces to their starting positions.
"Would you care for another game?"
"Let us."
As they played, she felt his human heart once again. She already knew he possessed deep altruism, but now she was witnessing a very human competitive streak as well.
Charlotte loathed and detested humans more than anything in the world. Yet paradoxically, her affection for this man, who possessed a human heart, only continued to grow.
...And he does seem to prefer human women.
Normally, it was only natural for an undead to hate humans. But the Boss, far from hating them, held a deep affection for them. To be precise, human women. If he had loved all of humanity, she might have been slightly disappointed, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.
The Boss simply seemed to view human women through a romantic lens. He had taken Charlotte and Estizel as his subordinates, and when asked whether he preferred a lich or a vampire, he had immediately answered vampire.
Ever since realizing this, Charlotte had felt a quiet, growing sense of intimacy with him. Until now, her human heritage had only brought her self-loathing, but lately, she found herself thinking how fortunate she was to be human. If she weren't human, she wouldn't have been able to stand by his side.
...And he certainly wouldn't have viewed her as a woman.
"It is your turn."
"Yes."
Charlotte intended to put up another fierce fight before letting him win. No matter how casual the game, a deputy could not simply defeat her boss. Her goal from the start was to let him win while ensuring he had the most fun possible. She had only intended to let him win because she couldn't possibly lose on purpose without making it look realistic, but...
Glance.
Charlotte rolled her eyes to look at the Boss. In stark contrast to his usual demeanor, he was completely absorbed in this trivial little game. Seeing how quietly pleased he looked after winning made her want to keep letting him win forever.
...It is hard to believe he is the same person.
This was the man who had slain two heroes and completely dominated the atmosphere of the roundtable meeting. Yet here he was, pouring all his energy into a simple board game. It was almost impossible to reconcile the two.
One might have felt a sense of cognitive dissonance, but Charlotte felt the exact opposite. This unseen, deeply human side of him only made him feel incredibly charming.
Until now, she had viewed him as an absolute ruler who was bored of the world. Indeed, he was usually cold and commanded the room with his overwhelming strength. But in truth, he was a considerate, warm-hearted man who could lose himself in a silly little game.
He hadn't shown any emotion when defeating the two heroes. Yet why did this trivial victory bring him so much joy?
While her opponent kept his eyes glued to the board, Charlotte kept hers glued to his face. Seeing him concentrate in absolute silence, she couldn't help but find him a little cute—
...What on earth am I thinking?
Simply admiring him was enough to make her feel guilty, yet here she was, thinking he was cute. It was a thought a deputy should never dare harbor toward her boss.
"Chessmate."
Charlotte blinked in surprise. When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking directly into his.
"Would you like to play more?"
Chessmate. And he had declared it so proudly. Even as his deputy, she couldn't deny it.
Isn't he just too cute?
No, get a grip, Charlotte scolded herself internally, shaking her head side to side to dispel the forbidden thoughts.
"I suppose you do not wish to play anymore."
"...Pardon?"
"Let us end it here, then."
"Ah, no. Absolutely not."
"Then why did you shake your head?"
"I... I was simply looking around."
"There is no need to force yourself. We can play again later when you feel up to it."
Having secured his three victories, he left the table without a shred of lingering attachment. Left behind with all the attachment, Charlotte could only watch his retreating back.
"...We could have played more."
A soft sigh escaped her lips as they parted and closed in vain.