Chapter 16 – Open Hostilities
4–5 knight. Yasuharu let out a faint, involuntary laugh as his opponent made the move at the very last moment.
Of course, he didn’t laugh out loud. Mocking an opponent’s move would be very bad manners… And with only one more win needed to advance, he had no intention of letting his guard down.
He glanced at his opponent’s face, but there was not even a hint of regret or doubt there.
Had Yasuharu misread the board, or thought of something he shouldn’t have? He searched his brain but could not think of anything.
It was clearly a bad move.
To do something like that, right now…
He looked at the remaining time and double-checked his own move. Checkmate was already in sight within a dozen or so moves. There was nothing to worry about if he ignored it.
But was that really true?
His fingers suddenly stopped.
If he were to calmly brush it aside…that move which his opponent had clearly played after some deep thought…wouldn’t it unsettle him even more?
Push the pawn…. No, if he used the bishop instead, he could gain a piece without easing up the attack.
And with that single knight, the path to checkmate could be shortened.
The sooner the match ended, the sooner he could contact his grandpa.
He looked over the board once again.
Then, Yasuharu reached for his bishop.
—
“Stop!”
His hand grasped at empty air. Even inside of the soundproof carriage, he could hear the sounds of turning wheels coming muffled through the floor.
What a horrible dream.
The move that he could not regret enough.
After that, his opponent had been surprised, and he realized his mistake. Then, using up nearly all of his remaining time, he blocked the bishop’s line with a pawn.
Yasuharu remembered feeling a chill run down his spine at that moment.
With just a single move’s delay, the path to checkmate had vanished before him.
That mistake caused the match to drag on, and he ended up losing the crucial game that would have earned him a promotion.
But no matter how many times he regretted it, he could never regret that one move enough.
If it had just been a move that was the result of his own miscalculation, he could have lived with it. But letting one bad move lead to another was something that he could never take back.
He had made a move that didn’t need to be made. There was no other explanation.
‘So you’re awake.’
With those words, Yasuharu was pulled back into the present.
No, perhaps this was a fragment of a fantasy. The continuation of an unending nightmare.
‘You are not used to these long marches and must be tired. You should call the doctor.’
“No…I’m fine.”
He grabbed his tablet and checked what he had been looking at before dozing off.
The main force, centered around himself, had grown even longer than it was a few days ago. The infantry in the front and rear of the wagons, and the cavalry guarding the front and back, had nearly doubled in number.
There were deep forests on both sides, and the ‘eyes’ continued to watch everything from the sky.
No enemies sighted. Nothing unusual in the terrain. The scouts had nothing to report.
If he had to raise an issue, it’s the members of the special unit, who, ever since the incident in Ruhanan, had shown nothing but hostility and resentment towards him. Still, they continued to faithfully escort the wagons.
The lands of the ancient kingdom of Kaitar were mostly mountains, valleys and forests.
The Morania continent was shaped like a swollen triangle. And each point had a mountain range, creating borders for Kaitar, Temeria, and Limris.
From Ruhanan, they were marching through the mountains to the Kaitar capital of Gai Nostraum. If the Demon King’s army was going to attack, it would surely be on the way there.
‘Today is the third day. The next stop, Perlei, should be about three hours away.’
The Seer said.
‘That is the most likely place for them to attack.’
He zoomed out the map screen and switched to the wide view. A simplified terrain map then appeared, but everything beyond their immediate surroundings was still shrouded in darkness.
‘Do not worry. I can see through their crafty tricks. Even if they scatter our eyes to the various cities, they cannot escape from my eye of wisdom.’
He ignored the boasting and slightly expanded his visual range. At the edge, he spotted a unit of monsters.
‘Their main force is still in the rear, chasing our unit. And so we must hold them off around here. But launching a surprise attack on their main force with such a small number would be pointless. And so…’
The village ahead glittered, in accordance with the Seer’s wish. Its size, the number of inhabitants, and number of stationed soldiers was also displayed.
‘They will likely torch Perlei Village and smash our garrison there. And while we are busy dealing with that, they will try to close the distance as much as they can.’
The village had around two hundred residents, and some supplies had already been brought in ahead of the expedition. About fifty soldiers were stationed there, half of them from the magic corps.