Please, Just Read It

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Please just read it!

Episode 56

Final Exam (3)

[Move pawn to G3.]

Woong, skrrt—.

[Move knight to D2.]

Woong, skrrt—.

[Move bishop to C7.]

Woong, skrrt—.

.

.

.

[Hoo…]

I sighed as I looked down at the chessboard.

[… Finally, I’m starting to get the hang of it.]

Maybe it was because I hadn’t played chess in 300 years.

In the beginning, I was making a lot of mistakes.

I fell for obvious traps and often made dumb moves that handed the initiative to my opponent.

But as time passed, my sharp competitive instincts gradually began to return.

The game had been going on for two hours now.

What had started as an overwhelmingly disadvantaged position was now starting to even out a bit.

[….]

I glanced away from the chessboard and looked straight ahead.

On the gigantic throne.

I could see Ian Irantes, sitting comfortably.

Why was that?

Even though our game felt as precarious as walking on thin ice, he wasn’t looking at the chessboard.

Instead, he was gazing at Riley with keen interest.

“Hey.”

“….”

“Do you know what the colors associated with each Great Tower represent?”

It was a rather random question about the meaning behind the colors of the Five Great Towers.

[You do know, right?]

“I learned it from Lutemis.”

[Well, that’s a relief.]

Just as Ian Irantes said, each name of the Five Great Towers is always followed by a color.

Blue.

Purple.

White.

Red.

And the meaning behind these colors is quite simple.

“These colors represent the characteristics of each tower.”

“….”

For example, the Dwight Tower, which explores pure mana, is white, while the Yadon-Grantan Tower, which pursues destructive magical power, is red.

The Gaya-Violet Tower, which embodies elegance and beauty in magic, is purple.

And the Yukria Tower, with a resolute, principled mindset, is blue.

“Mm.”

Hearing Riley’s answer, Ian Irantes nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Correct.”

Each tower had its own unique color that represented itself.

The color itself was a strong symbol that expressed the tower’s identity.

It wasn’t for nothing that each tower showcased these colors through their emblems and uniforms.

“But hey.”

“….”

“Our Irantes Tower has no color.”

Unlike the other five towers that express themselves through colors.

Colorless.

Irantes Tower had no color.

“Do you know why?”

“….”

After listening to Ian’s question, Riley pondered for a moment.

Then she answered.

“Is it because there’s no solid identity to express through color?”

“That’s right.”

Nod.

Ian Irantes also nodded again.

“You’re correct, based on your reasoning, Irantes Tower has no color. That’s why we are colorless.”

“….”

“The only thing our tower can claim is that I’m a disciple of Marta Parherich and that I’ve succeeded in creating an immortality spell. But that doesn’t establish our identity.”

[…… Hah.]

Listening quietly to Ian Irantes, I couldn’t help but snicker.

Claiming to be a disciple of Marta Parherich.

And that he succeeded in creating an immortality spell.

[…… Is he lying in front of me?]

The only pride that Irantes Tower boasted crumbled to dust in my presence.

“Colorless, huh? Sure, that’s true.”

“….”

“But hey, that also means we can become any color we need.”

But Ian Irantes wouldn’t hear my words. He kept talking.

“While others cling to their own colors and fall behind the times, we have adapted to the colors demanded by the era.”

“….”

“Sometimes pure like white, sometimes passionate like red, sometimes elegant like purple, and at times sturdy like blue.”

According to Ian Irantes, Irantes Tower had the following traits.

Open-minded.

No stuffy old-timers who were insensitive to the era.

Flexible, well-adapted to change, and constantly developing at a frightening pace…

“Hey.”

“….”

“We’ve lived like that for 300 years.”

Yeah.

What Becky explained last night matched this exactly.

That was the common perception of magicians towards the Irantes Tower.

But Riley and I knew their insides.

“Scheming, yes. It’s scheming. That’s the real secret to our growth to become one of the Five Great Towers after 300 years.”

“….”

[……]

While Ian Irantes brushed off their growth as mere scheming…

[…… He’s lying.]

We knew.

We knew how they climbed to the position of the Five Great Towers.

We knew the disgusting things they did to get there.

– But unlike the public image, the reality of Irantes Tower was completely different.

– …Those bastards murdered my mom and Sharon.

[Hoo…]

Seeing Ian Irantes speak so brazenly in light of all that, all I could do was sigh.

At times like this, it’s good that I have no mouth to hide.

*

“……”

[……]

A long time passed after that.

The match was heading into its final phase. Black and white. Both sides had very few chess pieces left.

From now on, it was a tight battle.

One small mistake could determine the game’s outcome.

Woong, skrrt—.

Woong, skrrt—.

Woong, skrrt—.

And so, I was silently focusing on the game for a while.

“Hey.”

Just then, Ian Irantes threw out another unexpected question.

“Is it true that you’ve completed your attribute awakening?”

“Yes.”

Riley answered without hesitation to that surprising question.

“Hmm…”

Tok, tok-tok—.

Ian Irantes smiled a mysterious smile.

As he lightly tapped the armrest of the throne, he began to speak.

“Hey, you’re a genius. With your talent, you must know that well.”

“….”

“But geniuses are usually quick-witted and cunning, but you have a slightly different tendency.”

With a slow but clear voice, he continued.

“I’ve been carefully watching every move of yours since the second exam.”

“….”

“You showed an unnatural calmness for your age. You never panicked in any situation and always maintained your composure.”

He paused his speech, slowly looking up at Riley.

“But hey.”

“….”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a momentary gap between your actions.”

Momentary gap.

I knew what it meant.

When Riley faced a problem, she first discussed it with me. It’s to deliberate on how to overcome the challenge.

In doing so, there was always a little pause before she took action.

“So rather than your actions appearing instinctive… Oh, I see.”

His expression indicated that he had an epiphany.

“Instead, it seems as though a seasoned magician is telling you what to do and you’re just following it.”

“……!”

Ian Irantes struck a nerve with that comment.

The moment I heard those words, Riley’s pupils momentarily constricted.

‘Could it be……’

Whip—.

Looking down at the chessboard, Riley quickly lifted her gaze to Ian Irantes.

“Hmm.”

“….”

[……]

But Ian Irantes was no longer looking at Riley.

His gaze was now directed at the chessboard.

It seemed less like he was probing us with ulterior motives and more like he was expressing his honest feelings about Riley.

“How peculiar. Truly peculiar.”

“….”

“Such a unique tendency of yours is becoming more pronounced on this chessboard.”

I followed Ian Irantes’ gaze back to the chessboard.

[……]

Chess.

A board game that uses 16 pieces to conquer the opponent and is played on a battlefield of 64 squares.

Through this game, players can infer their opponent’s tendencies.

Are they aggressive?

Calm?

Attacking?

Defensive?

Do they seek stable paths?

Or do they occasionally take risks?

[……]

And I too.

Could vaguely guess Ian Irantes’ character through this match.

Woong.

Skrrt—.

“Okay, it’s your turn, Riley.”

“….”

“Make your move.”

Ian Irantes’ moves were consistently aggressive.

He prioritized attacking us, even if it meant hurting himself.

To put it metaphorically, he resembled a rabid dog.

Lost in his aggression, heedless of everything, only charging at the enemy.

But I knew.

That aggressive appearance was merely a facade.

[……]

This situation was akin to a final interview.

It was a setting to gauge the tendencies and values of the candidate and the tower.

And before starting the chess game.

Ian Irantes clearly mentioned that this was the second exam.

– So come closer.

– ……

– You must come for the second exam to take place.

Surely, that exam didn’t simply mean the victory or defeat of the chess game.

Neither was it just a means to evaluate Riley’s strategies.

That would be too simplistic.

[…… What could it be.]

What exactly did Ian Irantes want to test through this game of chess?

I watched the chessboard with that question in my mind.

[……]

It was indeed a devastating sight.

The chessboard was littered with the pieces’ fragments.

I observed the faces of the surviving pieces one by one.

Pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, and so on…

Regardless of the piece’s value, they all looked terrified.

-……!

-……!!!

Even the kings, who had been stoically calculating the battlefield at the start, were now in a serious state of panic.

Well, it’s not surprising.

Those fragments, merely marble pieces to us, must look like the corpses of both comrades and foes to them.

Given such circumstances, it would be stranger if they didn’t panic.

[……]

In a strange way, I felt relief that this was just a game.

If it were reality, then surely this place would be a dreadful battlefield throbbing with blood and scent.

[Huh?]

Just then.

Something suddenly struck me.

A battlefield.

A dreadful battlefield throbbing with blood and scent…

[Battlefield, battlefield…]

I repeated that thought in my mind.

For some reason, that made the scenery unfolding on the chessboard feel incredibly familiar.

[……]

A strange sense of déjà vu captured me, and a vague echo brushed past my mind.

Kyaaaak!
Boom!
Pang──!
Woong, kaaaaam!

Screams.
Explosions.
Sounds of things collapsing.

[Wait a minute.]

Only then did I realize what this sense of déjà vu was.

It was as if the scattered pieces represented the corpses of spectators lying everywhere.

And like the chess pieces trampling on one another, the spectators were killing each other…

‘Ah.’

Only then did Riley, too, seem to realize something with a late sigh.

‘This is…’

She said.

‘It looks just like the ruins we witnessed.’

That’s right.

On the chessboard, the tragedy we witnessed in the ruins was unfolding.