Editor : Amethyst00



A graceful and beautiful hand reached toward a piece on the chessboard.

The piece held in that elegant hand crossed the board.

Tap—

A soft, pleasant sound echoed through the air.

Chloe's expression hardened slightly as she saw it.

Lysinas, who had cornered Chloe, simply watched in silence.

"Ugh…"

Chloe let out a small groan, staring at the board for a long time.

Eiran, watching, cautiously asked Leo.

"What just happened?"

"Checkmate."

Letting out a deep sigh, Chloe pushed over her king with her finger.

Lysinas smiled brightly.

"Chloe, you're improving day by day."

"But I'm still no match for you. Isn't it boring for you?"

"Not at all. I'm actually enjoying this."

"Huh?"

"The only one I could play chess with before was Kyle. You're the first since him that I can enjoy playing with."

At those words, Lunia froze.

"You're saying that among all the great heroes, only Kyle could play chess with you, Lysinas?"

"Yep."

"What about Lady Luna?"

"Luna was the worst chess player among the great heroes."

"What?"

Lunia, Celia, and Eiran all widened their eyes in disbelief.

"But Luna always said she was evenly matched with you, Lysinas. She even claimed Kyle was the worst among the heroes, except for you…"

Lysinas replied with a blank look.

"Why would she lie like that?"

Thud!

"L-Lady Luna lied…?"

"I can't believe it…!"

The two elves looked completely shocked, and Lysinas spoke again.

"She even made up stories about me being jealous of her and Kyle."

The two fell silent.

Celia, watching them, commented.

"Sir Kyle must have been really cool. If Lady Luna had to lie out of jealousy."

"Hmm… He did look cool, judging from the statue."

Chloe nodded, and Lysinas smiled faintly.

"He was just a fool. And Luna was the idiot who liked that fool."

Her biting tone left Chloe and Celia wide-eyed.

"Let's leave that story behind."

Lysinas smiled again and looked down at the chessboard.

"Luna was smart, yes, but surprisingly simple-minded. Her motto was: Why bother thinking hard when you can just wipe everything out with magic? What did she say again? If your body's weak, your brain suffers?"

"What kind of muscle-head logic is that?"

"Technically, it was more like mana-head logic. Luna was more of a brute than you imagine."

At that, Lunia and Eiran felt yet another illusion of Luna shatter.

They thought they'd seen the real Luna by now and had no more illusions left—but clearly, they were wrong.

Lunia shut her eyes tightly, and Eiran looked on the verge of tears.

"But why would Lady Luna lie about something like that? If she was bad at chess, she could've just admitted it."

As Chloe gathered the chess pieces, she asked with a puzzled expression.

Leo answered in her place.

"Maybe she just wanted to appear perfect to the elves who believed in her."

Chloe and Celia thought back on Luna.

That quirky, cheerful elf who always brought a smile to their faces.

She was far from the benevolent, wise figure depicted in historical texts. But in truth, the real Luna was more relatable.

Always confident, slightly boastful—thinking back, it made sense that Luna might've told a harmless lie to appear flawless to her followers.

"The more I learn about the great heroes, the more different they seem from what I imagined."

Chloe smiled at Celia's muttering.

"But I like them better that way."

Cowardly Aaron, hot-headed Luna—none of the heroes they met fit the perfect mold in the stories, but they all felt more real and approachable.

Just as Eiran and Lunia looked touched by Leo's explanation—

"Or maybe she just figured the truth would never come out and tried to con everyone. You know, typical elf scammer."

"You jerk! Did you just call Lady Luna a scammer elf?!"

Lunia's eyes blazed like fire, and she lunged forward.

Startled, Eiran quickly restrained her.

"L-Lunia! That's Leo! Please calm down! Calm down!"

As the room erupted into chaos, Celia shook her head in exasperation.

"He's my cousin, but really, it wouldn't be surprising if he got struck by lightning one day."

"I agree."

Chloe and Celia, unaware of Leo's true identity, could only shake their heads.

"You think so too, Lysinas?"

"If lightning was going to strike him, it would've happened a long time ago."

Lysinas replied flatly.

Meanwhile, Chloe, having finished cleaning up the board, tilted her head.

"But isn't it surprising that the rules of chess haven't changed in 5,000 years?"

"Well, it's already a perfectly complete game. No need to change it."

"True."

"There was the old Age of Mythic rule, though."

"Age of Mythic rule? What's that?"

Curious, Chloe's eyes sparkled.

"Before the Age of Gods—we called it the Age of Mythic back then—the Queen could use magic."

"What?"

"The Knight could use summoning magic."

Lysinas then explained how every piece had special abilities in those rules.

"Because of all the overpowered skills causing huge damage early on, it kind of killed the strategic fun. That's why I didn't like it."

"Why did they allow magic, aura, and summoning in the game?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it had to do with the game's origin."

"The origin?"

"Yeah. Take the Queen for example."

Lysinas spoke calmly.

"She was modeled after an Age of Mythic hero—specifically, the first Elf Queen, Enisilia."

"The Elf Queen Enisilia?"

Eiran, a fan of hero tales, lit up with excitement.

She wasn't alone.

Chloe, eager for new knowledge, also looked fascinated.

"All the chess pieces were modeled after Age of Mythic heroes."

"They must've been incredible people!"

Eiran exclaimed, eyes sparkling, but Lysinas clicked his tongue.

"If you're thinking in terms of modern hero tales, they were nothing like that."

"Huh?"

"For instance, Enisilia—the one who inspired the Queen—was notorious for sleeping with dozens of heroes, birthing countless half-bloods to try to conquer the world."

"……"

"The heroes of the Age of Mythic—technically, before the Age of Calamity—weren't like the ones you know. They weren't celebrated for their deeds."

In those days, anyone with world-shaking power was revered and called a hero.

"Well, this is just from old records. I don't know all the details myself."

Knock knock—

"Miss Celia."

As the knock came, the door opened and Chen Xia walked in.

"Garin from Seiren is here to see you."

"Garin?"

Celia looked puzzled.

Lunia smirked slyly at her.

"Celia, Garin's a good guy. Right, Eiran?"

"Huh? Yes, Garin's a good person. But why do you ask?"

Eiran looked confused as Lunia clicked her tongue.

"All those spicy books you read, and you still don't—mmph?!"

"How many times do I have to say they're not spicy!"

Eiran quickly shut Lunia's mouth.

Meanwhile, Celia left to meet Garin, still puzzled.

Chen Xia sighed.

"I hope Abad won't be upset."

"Abad? Why would he be?"

Chloe looked confused, and Chen Xia widened her eyes.

"Because Abad likes Miss Celia."

"What? That can't be right. Celia grits her teeth whenever she sees him. And Abad treats her like a rival to defeat."

Chloe looked completely skeptical.

"…Miss Chloe, you're pretty dense when it comes to this stuff."

"No, seriously. Right, Leo?"

Looking flustered, Chloe turned to Leo for backup.

Lysinas stifled a laugh behind her hand.

"So pure. It's adorable."

Just then, another knock came.

This time, it was Abad.

Leo grinned mischievously at him.

"Celia went on a date."

"I'm not here for her. I came to see you, Leo."

"Huh?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

Leo nodded and stood up, seeing the serious look on Abad's face.

bl

Meanwhile…

"Elena Zeron…! How dare she insult me like that!"

Princess Treniconi of Davienne's royal family bit her nails in rage.

"I'm the first princess of Davienne! The rightful heir to the throne! And she…! How dare she!"

Her eyes sparked with fury.

In this era, no king held real power unless supported by a hero.

Some countries had no heroes at all, but Davienne had produced countless heroes over the years.

Even if she won a civil war, without the recognition of heroes, she would be a hollow puppet.

In fact, without their blessing, she couldn't even legally inherit the throne.

That was the reality of a world led by heroes.

And the Zeron family—Elena's family—was the ruling body of Lumene, where future heroes were trained.

Their authority rivaled imperial bloodlines.

But Princess Treniconi didn't care about any of that.

In her mind, royalty was the highest and most noble rank.

Raised in isolation, surrounded only by flattery and adoration, she had no concept of self-awareness.

She simply saw and believed what she wanted to.

"Those damn heroes! They should swear loyalty to me! My brother's dead, so as the eldest daughter, it's my right! Traitors!"

Crash! Clatter!

In a fit of rage, she swept the table clean with her arm.

Teapots, cups, and dessert trays shattered on the floor.

Still fuming, she grit her teeth.

"Do you need heroes who will follow you?"

A sweet voice echoed in her ears.

Treniconi flinched.

"Do you seek heroes chosen by the goddess?"

Again the voice came, and Treniconi answered as if entranced.

"Yes… I need strong heroes… Ones who will make me queen!"

"What are you willing to pay in return?"

"I'll give anything—my royal treasures, land, anything but my own safety!"

"Even the lives of the people you will rule?"

"If that's all it takes to gain loyal heroes, then yes!"

"Then your wish shall be granted."

The voice vanished after those words.

Fwoosh—!

A radiant light burst forth.

When Treniconi reopened her eyes, what she saw before her was a breathtakingly beautiful elven woman.

"I am Enisilia. A hero chosen by the great goddess Nyx."

"Ah…"

Treniconi turned pale at the overwhelming magical pressure emanating from her.

Looking down at her, Enisilia declared coldly:

"Swear fealty to the goddess this instant, human. Do that, and I—her loyal servant—will grant your desire."