Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: A Soul's Resonance
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And so, with the soft, squishy sensation pressing against his arm, Ares was fighting it off alone.
Thinking he should at least glance at the chessboard, he opened his eyes to check the game—and in that instant—
……Huh?
Suddenly, Ares's mind, heated up by the feminine form, began to cool rapidly.
"How is it?"
"This is……."
*Tap, tap.*
What captured his gaze was the fluid, breathtakingly beautiful flow of the pieces' movements.
Karen advanced without hesitation, choosing the optimal move available at each turn.
On a grand scale, actions that seemed utterly unrelated were weaving into one grand tapestry.
Ares, with his fair knowledge of chess, could recognize it.
"If Your Highness had played like this, I probably would have lost."
As Karen pulled away bit by bit, Ares found himself clapping sincerely without realizing it.
"……Impressive. Truly. You've never had any formal chess training?"
"It's just chess! Our family wasn't rich enough for special lessons…… I just got better playing with my little brother."
"It might sound funny coming from someone who's lost streak after streak, but this level of skill means you could hold your own anywhere. I'm serious."
"Really? Ehehe…… Not sure, but it feels great hearing that from someone as amazing as Your Highness. Thank you!"
As she scratched the back of her head with a grin, the side slit of her nun's habit fully exposed her smooth underarm, stealing his gaze once more.
……Get a grip!
Right. Better to talk chess than lose himself to her body.
Ares promptly replayed her moves in his mind and dove into a discussion about the game.
Karen's strategy appeared recklessly aggressive, as if abandoning everything at first glance—but it struck from utterly unexpected angles.
The more he retraced the moves, the more her bold, brilliant tactics impressed him.
"Amazing…… You could've overwhelmed me just by playing like this, but until you explained, I didn't see that move at all. It wasn't even that hard to spot with a little thought. Of course—"
"Watching from the sidelines and judging objectively is different from playing as a participant and assessing the board, right?"
"Exactly! That's just what I was trying to say."
"Really? Ehehe, I get along so well with Your Highness!"
"Yeah."
Ares's voice rose without him noticing.
Clear proof his excitement was building.
Honestly, this was the first peer he'd met who clicked with him so effortlessly.
Even though they'd just met today, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend.
"Yeah! That was fun. What should we do next?"
Ares gave an awkward smile in response.
"Um…… This might sound weird coming from me, but it's been a while—won't we get in trouble for skipping scripture study?"
"As the Holy Scripture says, we never force our faith! And time like this, getting to know each other, is Lord Igugwoden's own Plain Fact! I believe the right moment for studying the scripture will come naturally if we spend our time enjoying all sorts of things together."
Sure, they weren't forcing it, but wasn't sending a nun already a form of proselytizing? Still, Ares wasn't so socially inept as to say it aloud.
Instead, he focused on "the right moment for studying the scripture."
……No need to rush doctrine down my throat.
More precisely, she knew cramming it like that wouldn't convert me anyway.
……She's sharper than she looks.
Then.
Karen's face suddenly fell into an obviously sad expression.
"Ah! Look at me…… I've been acting on my own whim. Your Highness might not even want this……."
"……Pardon?"
" Sorryyy…… I got carried away having fun with Your Highness……."
Ares, bothered by the suddenly dejected girl who'd been all smiles, suppressed his growing wariness and waved it off.
"No, no…… It's fine. I had fun. Playing with you…… was enjoyable."
The moment "fun" left his lips, Ares's cheeks flushed slightly.
Karen giggled, *kukuku*, clearly amused.
"Oh my. Your Highness, your face is all red. Hehe."
"Th-that's……!"
"You enjoyed playing with me?"
……*Nod, nod.*
"I'm so happy, Your Highness."
Karen curved her eyes into lovely arcs and leaned in boldly, invading his personal space once more.
The floral perfume—likely hers—mixed with her natural scent teased his nose again.
Perfume scent. A feminine aroma of flowers laced with her body odor…… a woman's smell.
His head spun once more.
Why did a woman have to shake him up like this?
"Let's have fun together for the whole time we're paired up!"
"Ah…… Sure. Yeah……."
Karen retreated with another beaming smile—
This time, her eyes landed on the cards scattered around the room.
"Your Highness must like playing card games too? Solitaire, maybe?"
As she reached for the cards, Ares's face paled instantly.
"W-wait a second, Karen. Those cards—"
"Hm? These aren't playing cards……?"
'Damn……!'
Ares pressed his forehead and sighed deeply.
The cards were none other than the product of his own imagination.
Board games were his sole hobby, one he pursued to avoid deep entanglements with others.
It had been a full year since he'd gone beyond playing to creating his own games.
Ironically, board games were hard to enjoy solo—but for someone like him, who distrusted people and shunned autocracy, games bound by strict rules and systems felt like true companions.
"They're…… well……."
Showing his novels to others was easy enough.
He didn't care about the stories themselves. What he wanted to spread were the hidden messages: the structural flaws of autocratic rule and the viability of ancient republican systems.
But.
Board games were different.
As his one true hobby, they held his deep affection—
And creations born of passion were precisely what one feared showing others.
……Should've put them away earlier.
Aside from his sister, no peers entered his room.
No one had ever rummaged through the crown prince's space so freely as Karen, so he'd grown careless.
Ares let out a short sigh.
His face burned.
It felt like someone was exposing his deepest secrets.
And after a few minutes.
"These…… Did Your Highness make them?"
"……Yes."
Karen turned to look at Ares.
And at that moment—
* * *
Let me sum it up simply.
What I planned to deliver to him this time——
Was validation.
Fulfilling his craving for recognition was the core of my temporary Plain Fact.
A trait common among those who insist on achieving great causes with their own hands.
Thirst for recognition.
They spout grand ideals with genuine noble intent, sure—
But how many warriors can walk a lonely path unrecognized?
Ares wasn't that kind of warrior. His knack for meddling in things that could resolve themselves proved his need for validation.
Why else would he gripe about the church needing to monitor Erin, or claim she was basically a god?
So, my demand to the author—
Was to "assign him a nun who's a board game whiz and fully affirms his hobbies and tastes."
Not a stunning beauty, but cute enough, with a solid Divine Power Pouch to charm a few guys easily.
Sure, as a nun, she couldn't date for real—but so what? She was just a "temporary Plain Fact."
Even so, I figured he wouldn't fall for simple honey traps.
He might swoon briefly while a pretty girl fawned over him—but alone later, he'd sort his thoughts and deduce why the nun was there, then guard against it.
Ares seemed positioned as one of this world's smarter characters.
So mere pretty-girl giggles wouldn't cut it.
I had to affirm what he cherished most, coo over it, shower it with praise!
Only filling that void in his heart could turn him into a devotee thirsting for Plain Facts.
A cute girl smiling and approaching wasn't enough—she had to validate his prized creation too?
Irresistible.
But I couldn't have the nun endorse his true aim—revolution.
I needed something else to affirm, and a side comic revealed his obsession with board games.
He even designed his own card game.
More suited to a modern world than fantasy…… but with a modern-era author, characters like that make sense.
Anyway, plan set—time to execute.
Let's see how long you hold out, Ares.
Think you can beat a god once?
* * *
Karen turned to look at Ares.
And at that moment—her eyes sparkled as she unleashed a barrage of questions.
"Waaah…… Can two people compete with this, like chess?!"
"Uh? Ah…… Y-yeah, basically……."
"So cool! Is there a rulebook?"
"Didn't make one……."
"Then could you explain it to me? The art's so cute—it looks fun!"
"N-no, wait…… Th-that……."
"?"
"Isn't this…… weird? I mean, a prince…… making something like this……."
"Not at all! Why would it be? It's amazing!"
"……Amazing……?"
"Yes! Making something like this all by yourself. Oh, perfect timing—let's play this next!"
—Karen, gazing at the cards Ares himself had made and hidden from everyone……
Was smiling with a beauty no one could reject.
In that instant.
Let's see how long you hold out.
For the first time.
Think you can beat a god once?
Not her alluring feminine form, but the soul breathing within it…… resonated with Ares's heart.