The World After Leaving the Hero’s Party

Chapter 5: The Princess’s Mentor (2)

People with low self-esteem often struggle to find happiness.

On top of that, they tend to harbor a negative view of themselves, frequently expressing self-loathing and speaking in discouraging terms.

“…I am of the bloodline of Her Majesty the Great Queen, yet… I can’t do anything…”

Just like that.

After calming down a little, the girl sat on a chair, nervously glancing at me but unable to even take a sip of the tea that the head maid had brewed for her, her head bowed low.

The Princess, Lucille, who was supposed to hold the highest position here, seemed all too familiar to the maids in this state. They didn’t show much reaction.

Yet, they were all worried about her and likely concerned that I might spread rumors about her current condition.

Of course, I had no intention of doing so.

Unless there was some story of royal ears being turned into donkey ears, it wouldn’t be worth my time or effort.

What mattered more was what Lucille had just said.

If she really couldn’t do anything, gaining achievements would be more troublesome than expected…

“‘I can’t do anything,’ you say… Can you really do nothing at all?”

“Huh? Uh… yes…”

“Then shall we play a simple game?”

“…Pardon? But the lesson…”

Lucille hesitated at my mention of playing a game, glancing up at me timidly, and I nodded.

“This, too, is a lesson.”

With that, I reached into my coat. Seeing this, Lucille tensed up, shivering slightly, but her expression turned curious once she saw what I pulled out.

“Would you care for a game of cards?”

I held out a card game, one of the mini-games from this world—a TCG that was quite popular in this setting.

Out of my ten thousand hours of gameplay, I’d poured a full two thousand into this card game. I was serious about it.

Of course, there were people who were even more obsessed—players who bought the game just for this card game—but at the very least, I’d never been called an amateur.

“Um… I only… know a little of the rules…”

“That’s more than enough.”

I glanced at the head maid, and after a brief hesitation, she pulled a card pack from her pocket. Lucille looked genuinely shocked, eyes wide, watching this stern and serious maid produce a pack of cards for amusement.

“E-Even you know… how to play?”

“Yes, it isn’t terribly difficult, actually.”

“R-Really?”

Her eyes drifted over to the other maids, who, after hesitating, each pulled out a card pack from their pockets. Some, like Lucille, weren’t very familiar, but it seemed none of them were total strangers to the game.

“Let’s start by showing you an example game between me and the head maid. I’ll explain the rules and the cards as we go.”

“…Okay…”

Lucille’s tension seemed to ease slightly, possibly because it was a game rather than studying. As the head maid and I began explaining, she listened carefully, her eyes round with curiosity.

We taught her the rules, let her ask questions, and answered them.

After about an hour, Lucille seemed to have grasped the basics, nodding carefully.

“Now, let us show you a demonstration match.”

She took a seat beside the table, watching with wide eyes, as I shuffled the head maid’s deck and handed it back to her.

“…Let’s begin.”

I flipped a coin, and it came up heads. I would go first.

I drew five cards according to the rules, placed a guardian, and set a magic and trap card.

“Now, my turn. I’ll summon the Guardian of the Wind Barrier in a defensive position and end my turn.”

The head maid’s eyes glinted sharply.

“Sage, I apologize, but I’m rather serious about this card game as well… I will play with my full effort.”

I drew a card, smiling.

I was serious, too.

The watching maids and Princess grew tense, while the head maid, sitting across from me, grew noticeably pale as the game continued.

Then, I attacked with full force.

“My turn! Attack! Summon magic card! Now, it’s my turn again! Draw! Trap card activated! Another attack! Link magic card, Bell of the Realm activation! White Night Link summoned! Another attack! Sacrifice my summoned guardian for another attack! Summon again! Attack again! My turn once more!”

“…I… I yield.”

This was my ‘true effort.’

The head maid, having been thoroughly defeated without being able to counter, looked at me with a hollow expression. Had she expected me to go easy on her?

I’m a very reasonable man.

I simply respond with full force to those who show me their full effort.

“…P-Princess, I hope you’ll… avenge me…”

“U-Uhm… I, I’m not sure I can…”

Lucille, holding the head maid’s deck, looked flustered. Which was understandable, having just witnessed my dazzling display of attacks.

“What does it matter? Losing here won’t cause any real problems.”

“But… I, I don’t want to disappoint…”

“It’s fine.”

I tapped my card pack.

“After all, there’s no one in this world who can beat me at this.”

Hearing my words, she seemed to feel less pressure. Lucille hesitated for a moment before nodding, flipping a coin. Tails—it was her turn to go first.

After we shuffled each other’s decks and handed them back, she drew her hand, carefully placing a few cards face-down on the field before ending her turn.

Then, I did the same, drawing a card. Lucille gulped.

Shall we begin?

“Magic activation! I’ll return all of your guardians to your hand with Hill of the Wind…”

“…T-Trap Magic… C-Can I use this? Magic Thief.”

“…What?!”

“The effect of Magic Thief… uh, when there’s magic… um…”

“…It seems your draw is quite favorable.”

Perhaps feeling a rush of excitement from her successful counter, Lucille’s cheeks flushed as she placed another card from her hand onto the field.

It was a powerful card, Seal of Fire.

“This… um, this removes two of your cards from the game… and you must draw three.”

“…..”

“And then… I summon Electric Witch, then I end my turn… N-No, I summon Draco on the field… then I fuse Draco and Witch… to summon Dragon Witch…”

For someone new to the game, her combos were surprisingly smooth.

She hesitated, wondering if she should proceed or not.

Like a baby grasping a wall, trying to stand for the first time, she carefully followed the card effects, catching me off guard at every turn.

“I… I’ll end my turn here.”

“…You’ve cut my points in half in one go. Quite impressive. Then, my turn—”

“I-I’ll activate a Quick-Play spell.”

“What?!”

With one swift move, she blocked my draw, inflicting more damage, and I saw it.

A faint smile creeping onto Lucille’s lips.

In the end, I won, but…

Of course, it wasn’t the overwhelming victory I’d had against the head maid. My Life Points had nearly been depleted when I finally managed to defeat Lucille.

Perhaps losing a game she was on the verge of winning left her feeling even more dejected than before.