Checkmate
"I thought you were a weakling, but you've got some spine, huh?"
Bayul had been the first to lose a piece. He stared at the violet liquor in his cup, hesitating for a moment—then abruptly closed his eyes and drained it in one go.
The burning heat of the alcohol slid down his throat, and his chest flared hot. He had no idea what proof it was, but the searing warmth scorched not just his mouth but seemed to reach his very guts.
"A lucky day, indeed. Maybe I should mark down the date."
"Mind your own business."
"Do you even know what you just drank?"
Laughter burst out around him even though Jared hadn't said anything particularly funny. A sudden, uneasy thought crossed Bayul's mind. Did they put something in the drink?
"Blood of Dragon."
"…What's that?"
"You don't know that famous liquor? You do know it's said to contain dragon's blood and deadly poison, right? That's exactly why it's got that name—it's that brutal. From what I hear, a single glass is enough to keep most people from even standing up straight."
"You made me drink that? You—knowing I can't even hold my liquor?"
Bayul was dumbfounded. Watching Jared sit there so casually, as if he hadn't just committed an outrageous act, made the man seem barely human. How could anyone be like this?
"…Then what's yours?"
A question about Jared's own drink suddenly occurred to him. It was a different color, so it couldn't be the same liquor. Surely Jared hadn't poured something mild into his own cup?
"Beer."
His premonition had been right on the mark.
"…Are you kidding me?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not ordinary beer. It's actually got a pretty high alcohol content too. Isn't that right, senpai?"
It was always at times like these that Pierre-senpai came to the rescue—because Bayul knew he couldn't talk back to the upperclassman.
"That's right! It's no ordinary beer. I drank three glasses once and suffered for days afterward. Anything beyond that is out of the question."
"But still—"
"Senpai, you should also tell him how much that liquor costs. It's more expensive than a month's wages for all the staff working at the Academy combined. Honestly, I think you should be the one thanking us."
Bayul answered with silence, moving his bishop to capture a pawn instead.
"So it's my turn to drink now?"
Jared, as if he'd been waiting for exactly that, raised his cup and gulped down his beer in big swallows.
"Ahh, that hits the spot. Nothing beats beer."
Bayul could only marvel that a sixteen-year-old already had such a taste for alcohol.
"Oh, by the way, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"Do you usually talk this much while playing chess?"
"It's just a game for fun, isn't it? And I always win no matter how halfheartedly I play, so it's gotten boring. Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to have a conversation while we're at it?"
Bayul didn't respond. Whatever he said, Jared would just keep running his mouth. Simply listening and letting it pass was the better option.
"Your late mother. What kind of person was she?"
"…!"
If the goal was to shake Bayul, it was a rather effective choice. The sudden mention of his mother made him freeze for an instant.
"There's no end to the rumors about her, you know. Meeting you has only made me more curious. I hear Duke Randert married a woman of unknown origins? That's something my family couldn't even imagine."
"…"
"Right, senpai? A commoner—and an orphan, no less? A mistress, maybe, but never the rightful wife. How could anyone pass such base blood onto their children?"
In other words, he was saying that base blood flowed in Bayul's own veins.
The knuckles of Bayul's fingers, clenched around the chess piece, went white. Jared was clearly babbling in the hopes of provoking him into an outburst.
Losing his composure here would mean playing right into Jared's hands. Bayul forced himself to feign calm and answered.
"…Because he loved her. Isn't that enough?"
"Love?"
Jared threw his head back and roared with laughter, as if he'd never heard anything funnier in his life.
"It's simply astonishing that children like you still exist these days. Well, what can you do. Looks like I'll need another drink."
This time, too, Bayul downed it in one swallow without hesitating. He'd meant to show off a little bravado, but it was too much—his throat felt like it was being set on fire.
"Kgh! Cough, cough!"
"Oh dear, did it go down the wrong pipe? Senpai, someone pat his back, would you?"
When Jared gave an order, everyone moved with remarkable speed. The senior standing closest rushed over and began thumping Bayul on the back.
"About that illness of yours. I heard they don't know the cause—could it be something contagious, spread by coughing like that?"
"…Why, scared?"
"A little? I've got so much I want to do. It'd be awfully sad if my body couldn't keep up."
There really were so many ways to wound a person. If Jared was good at one thing, it was ferreting out someone's weakness and digging into it as deep as it would go.
But I can't let him rattle me. I played countless games against Bail. Everything's been flowing exactly the way I planned so far. Stay steady. Stay steady.
He couldn't plug his ears, but if he focused, he could filter out the noise. He'd already drunk two glasses of that vicious liquor. He had to finish this quickly before the dizziness grew worse. Bayul moved his next piece according to his strategy.
The conversation that had begun with his mother wound its way through the Queen, then on to Aidan, and finally to Eli. Listening to it, the boy seemed to harbor ill will toward everyone connected to Bayul.
Whether that was because he hated Bayul, or because Bayul had grown close to people he'd disliked from the start, Bayul couldn't tell at all.
"You're holding up better than I expected."
By now Jared had put away a fair amount of beer himself. Few pieces remained on either side. Perhaps it really was no ordinary beer—after all, a flush of heat had crept into Jared's face as well.
And then, at long last, the long-awaited moment arrived. Barely clinging to the fraying thread of his consciousness, Bayul spoke.
"Check… mate."
"…What?"
Jared, who had been lounging back against his chair, finally straightened his spine, sat up properly, and studied the board. His eyes slowly turned crimson. It truly was checkmate—exactly as Bayul had said.
"Th-that's impossible!"
"J-Jared!"
Everyone was stunned. When—how had this happened? They all stood gaping like children fed honeyed silence, unable to string a single word together.
Jared's whole body trembled, as if he had never anticipated this outcome. A few of the quicker-witted ones eyed him with frightened looks.
Thud!
Bayul pitched forward, striking his forehead against the table. No—"collapsed" would be the more accurate word. He had held out on sheer superhuman will, refusing to lose. If Aidan and Eli had been there, they would have showered him with praise. Unfortunately, Bayul was alone.
"Everyone, keep your mouths shut."
Jared had apparently come back to his senses, and he ground the words out between his teeth. The "senpai" he'd tacked onto the end of every sentence, the polite speech—both were gone.
He was indignant, furious, and his pride was bruised—but at least he could stop the rumor from spreading. Besides, they'd said Bayul had never drunk the liquor before. He might not even remember the outcome. That was what Jared silently prayed for.
"Um, but… what do we do about him?"
Someone asked, pointing at Bayul, who lay unconscious. What he wanted, more than anything, was to throw him off a cliff—but even Jared couldn't go that far.
"I'll take him."
That was when Quinn stepped in. At his sudden appearance, Jared and everyone else jumped out of their skin. Quinn paid them no mind, walked straight to Bayul, lifted him into his arms, and swiftly left the Crow's Nest behind.
By the time Jared began worrying about rumors, Quinn was already back in Bayul's dormitory room.
"What? I'm in the middle of tearing into him, and you're laughing? Is something I said funny?"
"…Eli…"
"Oh! Bayul! You're awake? You're awake? Are you okay?"
Eli, who had looked ready to pounce on Quinn at any second, spun around like the wind at the sound of Bayul's voice. Bayul's eyelids fluttered as though weights had been laid across them.
"…Sorry. I didn't have a choice."
"Quinn, wouldn't it have killed him to step in and say something? Honestly, that guy is heartless! Merfolk or not, that's just cold!"
All the times he'd been ignored came flooding back at once, and Eli was genuinely angry.
"No, Eli. If it weren't for Quinn last night, I wouldn't be here right now."
"What are you talking about?"
"I passed out right after drinking. I wasn't fully conscious, but I remember it vaguely. It was definitely Quinn who carried me back to my room. Right, Quinn?"
He'd assumed Bayul had completely lost consciousness, but apparently not. Quinn had only carried him back because, having followed him that far, he couldn't just leave him collapsed there. If he'd known even a sliver of awareness remained, he never would have done it.
"Really, Quinn? You actually carried Bayul back?"
Eli stared at Quinn in astonishment. The attitude of barely acknowledging his existence had vanished without a trace. A faint smile even tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"You should've told me sooner! And here I was chewing you out for nothing. How embarrassing."
When exactly did I have the time to tell you?
"It was my mistake, so I'll apologize. I'm sorry. I should have checked with Bayul first—I was too hasty. Forgive me."
"Humans really do as they please, don't they."
He didn't dislike Eli's apology, but Quinn's feelings had already been bruised past the point of mending.
"Well, I'm sorry for being that way too."
If only he'd stop at that.
Whether he was standing up for Bayul or apologizing for a mistake, Eli was nothing if not self-assured.
"Anyway, Bayul—you won, right?"
"…Huh?"
"It's already spread? It happened just last night?"
"Don't you know Schubik? Never underestimate that guy's information network. If you did, your pride would be hurt."
Bang!
Just then the door burst open again and Aidan came rushing in. His state was not so different from Eli's.
"Are you okay? You drank, right! Does anything hurt? Should we go to the temple? I'll carry you there myself!"
"Pfft!"
His body was exhausted beyond words, but Bayul burst out laughing anyway. He didn't know why he felt so light. His friends, who had come sprinting to him at the crack of dawn just because of him.
He was so glad Eli and Aidan existed. Thanks to them, he felt a happiness he hadn't known in a long time. And Quinn too—cold and taciturn, but who had never once abandoned him in the end.
I'm glad I came to the Academy.
"Why are you suddenly laughing?"
Looking up at the two friends gazing at him in bewilderment, Bayul, for the first time in his life, felt grateful to his father.
"I suppose I really should install a lock on that door."
Whether or not he knew what was in Bayul's heart, Quinn glared at the wide-open door and muttered to himself.