Book 6: Chapter 4: War Simulation (2/2)
I wonder if there's a certain rule behind the movement of those pieces.
Somehow, as she was peering through the glass at the table closest to her, the door in front of her rattled open.
Surprised, Monica jerked and took a step back.
The person who opened the door was a boy with droopy eyes—the secretary of student council Elliot Howard.
In the past, he had mocked Monica's dance practice, taken her badge, and thrown it on the roof.
As Monica reflexively clutched the badge on her lapel, Elliot smiled, raising his lips to a grin.
”Oh, isn't that His Highness' favorite little squirrel? Are you interested in chess? Come on, I'll teach you.”
”N-No, I just…”
Before Monica could turn on her heel, Elliot's hand grabbed Monica's wrist and dragged her into the classroom.
A few of the students who were playing chess in the classroom stopped and paid attention to Monica. Monica felt very awkward about it and quickly lowered her head.
”Well, you can sit here. How long have you been playing chess? …oh, you don't know the piece names, by any chance?”
”N-No, I don't know…”
When she gave a foolishly honest answer to Elliot's joking words, he chuckled. It wasn't just Elliot. The whole classroom was laughing at Monica.
As Elliot laughed and shaking his shoulders, he took a seat in front of Monica.
”Then I'll teach you what these pieces are and how you move them. This is the pawn. The weakest piece.”
Elliot held up the black and white pieces and explained what they were and how to move them.
Monica's knowledge of board games and cards was limited. It's not that she wasn't interested, it's just that she had never had the chance to play them before. When she was still a student at Minerva, she could only see the children of the nobles playing chess from afar.
When Elliot finished explaining the pieces, Monica timidly raised one hand and asked.
”Um, I have a question… what do I have to do to win?”
”Haha! You really don't know where to start from, do you? The winner is simple. The one who takes the enemy's king wins. That's it.”
Elliot picked up the white king with his fingertips, squinted his eyes, and smiled mockingly.
”Chess is a form of mock warfare… an important pastime for the nobles to develop a sense of strategy.”
”…mock warfare”
Monica looked down at the pieces lined up on the board.
Pawn, knight, rook, bishop, queen, king… mock warfare using those six types of pieces.
”…in which positions does the magic soldier hold?”
”Maybe something along the lines of a bishop. Since in the past, the monks preferred to use spells.”
”Then, are the magicians'—monk soldiers' spell capability fixed? What are their main strengths and ranges, and how fast can they set up defensive barriers? And what are the individual combat capabilities of the soldiers and the food reserves of the fort?”
”Hah?”
As Elliot's eyes widened, Monica questioned more quickly.
”Does this mock warfare have a defined season, climate, and temperature? What is the height of the terrain? How about the wind direction?”
Elliot was puzzled by Monica's serious question, but then he started laughing out loud.
”Oh, come on, how can there be that many elements on this board! This is just a game, little squirrel. You talk like you've been to war before!”
”I have… never been in a war.”
Right, Monica has never participated in a war between humans—but she has participated in dragon slaying.
At that time, Monica had been thoroughly drilled by Louis Miller on how to read strategic charts.
The wyvern that Monica defeated had to be killed in the air—that's why she had to know the terrain, the direction of the wind, and the strength of the wind in order to release her magic accurately.
But this board had none of that.
”It's just a flat surface, okay? Height is irrelevant. The pieces only move in predetermined ways. No negotiations between superiors, just defeating the king.”
”O-Oh…”
Monica asked to make sure, and Elliot nodded with a look as if he were looking at something strange.
Still staring at the board, Monica opened her mouth.
”Then, that would be quite simple, I think.”