Chapter 72
The chess tournament was held in the dance hall of Serendia Academy.
Although three representatives from each school would be playing simultaneously, the dance hall, far too large for the event, had been chosen to make room for the spectators.
The spectators' seats were set a certain distance from the boards so that the players' concentration would not be disturbed.
However, the distance was so great that the spectators could not see the boards, so the student council had prepared three large boards modeled after chessboards. Pins representing the pieces were attached to these boards to provide live commentary on the games.
Third-year students taking the chess elective at Serendia Academy took turns managing the boards and overseeing the matches.
The teachers and student council members watched the games from seats some distance away, just like the other spectators.
"This year's 'Academy' is strong, yes. Above all, they have an outstanding first-year student. The student is an international student from the neighboring country, but they came all the way to the 'Academy' specifically to study chess. They are a chess prodigy said to have no equal in neighboring Landall."
When Redding, a teacher from the 'Academy,' went on at length, Professor Pitman of 'Minerva,' seated beside him, nodded gently.
"They came all the way from a neighboring country to study at the 'Academy'? That's impressive."
"Yes, yes, they are a very gifted student indeed. Their somewhat rigid thinking is the only drawback. With their ability, they ought to be the anchor, but they stubbornly insist that, since they are a first-year, they have to play first board. Goodness, I feel rather sorry for Minerva and Serendia Academy's first-board players."
Redding said this with an expression that looked anything but apologetic—if anything, he seemed rather pleased—as he looked toward the two seated at the first-board table.
The representative for the "Academy" was the promising newcomer Roberto Winkel.
Opposite him, Serendia Academy's first-board player was the only girl, Monica Norton.
"Goodness, goodness, what a pity for that young lady. She seems to be a reasonably capable player despite being a girl, but facing our ace is surely more than she can handle."
As he spoke, Redding repeatedly glanced at Boyd's intimidating face.
Boyd had the grim expression of a man on a battlefield as he muttered in a low voice.
"I should apologize in advance."
"Goodness, whatever could you be apologizing for? Perhaps for the fact that the girl is so weak she cannot even serve as an opponent?"
"For putting Monica Norton on first board."
"Ah, so Serendia Academy deliberately chose a girl to add some charm? Or perhaps she's the daughter of a family that makes enormous donations? Goodness, goodness, Serendia Academy's school culture differs from the meritocratic 'Academy,' after all. Such things are bound to happen, yes."
Even as Redding rattled on at high speed, Boyd did not so much as look in his direction.
Boyd simply stared straight at the students before opening his mouth.
"I put Monica Norton on first board because she has far too little experience."
"Ah, women have fewer opportunities to play chess, after all. How many years has she been playing? Surely it's not just one?"
Redding asked while suppressing a laugh, and Boyd held up two thick fingers.
"Two weeks."
Someone had been listening closely to the teachers' conversation.
It was Barney Jones, Minerva's representative.
His thin eyebrows shot up, and he glared at Monica in the distance with a dangerous look in his eyes.
＊ ＊ ＊
Monica took her seat while clutching her churning stomach.
Her stomach did not hurt because of the pressure of the match.
It was the tension of nearly having her identity exposed to Barney, along with her anxiety over whether Nero and Lin were quietly keeping watch as she had asked.
She wanted to believe everything was fine because she had reminded Nero and Lin of it over and over again... but they both seemed to have taken a liking to those outfits, which made her anxious all over again.
As she let out a sigh, the male student from the Academy seated across from her spoke to her.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-no, I-I-I-I'm fine."
"I see."
The boy who introduced himself as Roberto Winkel was apparently sixteen, younger than Monica, but he certainly did not look it. He was not only tall but muscular as well, with a look more suited to wielding a sword or spear than playing chess.
His short, neatly trimmed black hair had a stiff look, and his earnest air was the very picture of a student from the "Academy."
(...I need to focus on what's in front of me.)
"It's time. I look forward to playing you."
"P-please... I l-look forward to it."
She'd stumbled over her words.
"Oh, how embarrassing. I want to die—" Her despair lasted only a few seconds.
But when she raised her head and faced the chessboard, the shame and anxiety inside Monica vanished, leaving only chess to occupy her thoughts.
Roberto looked slightly surprised by the obvious change in Monica's demeanor. But even that failed to register with Monica now.
All that Monica could see were the pieces on the board.
Monica picked up her white knight and moved it with a soft click.
＊ ＊ ＊
As soon as the match began, Glen Dudley-kun, an always-energetic seventeen-year-old seated in the spectators' area, put a hand over his mouth and tried to cheer—only for Neil in the seat beside him to cover it.
"You mustn't be loud during a match!"
"Mmph... I was just gonna say, 'Go, Monica!'..."
"N-o."
Lana's cheek twitched at an exchange that made them seem anything but upper-division students, while Claudia wore a sinister grin. It was absolutely the smile of someone thinking up no good.
"...If I cheer Monica on loudly here, Neil will cover my mouth for me... How tempting..."
"There's nothing tempting about that! More importantly, how's the match going? Who's winning right now?"
Claudia gave Lana a look of utter exasperation.
"...It's far too early to tell who's winning or losing."
Lana, who knew little about chess, fell silent, looking frustrated.
Then, freed from Neil's hand, Glen lowered his voice slightly as he spoke.
"But isn't the game at Monica's table moving kind of fast? The pieces are moving at more than twice the speed of the other tables."
Just as Glen said, only the pieces on the first-board display were moving at an abnormal speed.
The student moving the pieces on the commentary board was glancing back and forth between the actual board and the display in a frantic hurry.
Knowing Claudia would make fun of her, Lana asked anyway.
"Hey, is there some rule in chess where moving quickly gives you an advantage?"
"...Chess has time limits, so moving quickly isn't necessarily bad. But Monica's play is clearly far too fast."
The time it took Roberto to move a piece and Monica to make her next move was always less than three seconds.
From the outside, it even looked as if she were moving the pieces without thinking at all.
Glen slapped his palm.
"I know! She's putting pressure on her opponent by moving that fast!"
Neil grew thoughtful at Glen's suggestion.
"...There are players who use that strategy, certainly... but..."
He trailed off, then looked at the position as it unfolded and let out a soft breath of admiration.
"I don't think Miss Norton is thinking about putting pressure on her opponent or anything like that..."
Lana and Glen, being amateurs, could not understand, but Neil and Claudia's expressions clearly changed when they saw Monica's moves.
And it was not only those two. Everyone who understood chess was watching the first-board match with rapt attention.
──An extraordinarily sophisticated battle of wits was unfolding at a terrifying pace.
Roberto pressed the attack, while Monica met it with perfect precision.
As if she had known from the beginning what move was coming, Monica immediately countered, and Roberto responded in turn by making his next move.
It was a contest of reading not only the next move, but the one after that—and dozens beyond it.
The fact that the first-board match was on an entirely different level was obvious to everyone except two people—Lana and Glen.
At the teachers' table, the teacher from the "Academy" was muttering with a deathly pale face, "Two weeks? What? Two weeeeks?" Meanwhile, at Minerva's table, Barney Jones was glaring darkly at Monica rather than at the display board.
"Checkmate."
Monica announced it in a quiet voice, and Roberto clenched his fist in his lap and hung his head.
"...There are none."
The tournament's highest-level match ended astonishingly quickly. Nearly an hour later, the "Academy" won the second-board and anchor matches.
The final score was two wins to one, giving the "Academy" the victory.
But everyone there understood.
──Who the strongest person in that hall was.