I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

43. My turn, draw!

The beautiful tableau was shattered in the next instant by a sudden, jarring, and utterly inappropriate giggle.

Reluctantly dragging my gaze from beyond the chessboard, I found Horus, true to form, openly displaying her hostility, chuckling across the table, dismissively belittling my recent ‘maneuver’.

“Hee hee hee ~ ha ha ha, are you trying to ‘fix things’? How adorable ~”

“Do you find fault with this move, then?”

Horus wasn’t wrong. My last placement was indeed an attempt to mend Zerola and Flora’s relationship. Their bond had stalled when Flora’s power was taken, a consequence that directly impacted reality, causing the Keffir that once stood behind me to vanish, even preventing ‘Order’ from remaining at my side.

So, at least this time, I had to rectify my previous blunder, allowing their relationship to unfold in the most ideal way, just as I had witnessed moments ago. As for why Uncle Zerola had lost his nerve at the crucial moment, even when the hint was practically emblazoned on her face…

How was I to know he was so innocent? If I didn’t know the man, I’d think he was playing hard to get.

Though I had managed some repairs, it was merely a ‘fix,’ otherwise… Horus wouldn’t be gloating and mocking me like this.

“Of course, there’s nothing wrong with it. Repairing the damage while clinging to a glimmer of hope, that’s what sets you apart from those lesser beings!”

“But it’s still just a fix, hee hee hee ~ a loss is a loss, and the truth is the truth ~”

One moment simple and pure, rejoicing solely in the victories and defeats of the game, the next… she transformed into a ‘darkened’ version, seeking to kill with words, undermining and shattering confidence with every phrase.

“No matter how much you fix, your Keffir will never reappear ~”

Without a script to guide me, I couldn’t be sure if her words were true or false. All I knew for certain was the fact that “Keffir was gone, and the Order spirit could not appear,” forcing me to remain calm despite the crushing fear of losing everything, lest consecutive defeats truly strip me bare.

“Your Keffir was born from Zerola and Flora in perfect harmony, but now… Flora has nothing ~”

The black and white sprite threw up her hands, exaggerating her mockery of my failure, “Even if you manage to patch things up, letting their affections continue, it will only be your wishful thinking hee hee hee…”

“Because even if they were to have a child, it would certainly not be Keffir; even if ‘Keffir’ was born, this Keffir would never possess the original talent and future; even if she achieved her current accomplishments through hard work, hee hee ~ ‘Order’ would never choose her as the incarnation of your era ~”

Chairs overturned, tea spilled, almost as if foretelling that this ‘game’ had transcended the realm of ‘playing house’ and become a matter of life and death, a ‘divine hand’ shaping the ‘history’ of my era.

I detested this, but… I had no choice but to embrace it. This time, I couldn’t allow my own feelings to make me shy away from being this “god.”

“In my ‘game,’ to lose… is to lose.”

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding space seemed to warp and twist. The chessboard, the academy, the colorful “pieces” of various individuals, all floated around me. No, perhaps… this faerie and I were already adrift upon a grander chessboard, her own “domain.”

“Until your hope is extinguished, I will continue to wager our respective ‘all,’ that’s what I call fair.”

“Enough chatter. If you’re done with your jesting, then let us begin.”

I hurled a piece at the black-and-white faerie. “This time, I’ll use the piece you just discarded, Henry the Third.”

“Hee hee hee~ Then I shall grant you, you people, such an opportunity~ This time I’ll take… Ludwig~”

Our gazes locked, then immediately plunged back into the chessboard. But before making my move, I needed to see… exactly what kind of sprite “Ludwig” of the academy was.

At this very moment, Ludwig’s perspective.

Seek out “worthy” champions, elicit their greatest power, and then… defeat them in a way that leaves them no grounds for complaint, seizing the “power” that is most precious to them.

Simple, pure, without trouble. Fair, just, beyond reproach…

Therefore, Ludwig felt no guilt or fear in taking Phillora’s power. Afterwards, she continued her studies in the academy as usual, while passing the time with this troublesome task, and searching for other “worthy” existences in this era.

Today was no different.

“Zzzz…”

The ancient and tedious lessons were like nothing more than infantile lullabies to Ludwig. Therefore, she spent virtually all theoretical classes slumped over her desk, asleep. Initially, a few teachers with eyes would call her name, but after they quickly realized that all their accumulated knowledge was less than a casual comment from her, their old faces flushed red, and they dared not utter another word about her resting.

As for the students, many did initially try to strike up conversations with her, but…

So weak, so unskilled, so troublesome… without exception, these were all mediocre beings, barely deserving a second glance. After repeated snubs, everyone seemed to understand that she was a “gloomy presence.” Coupled with the recent arrival of a beauty named Henry the Fourth, no one was willing to bother with an elven crone of questionable age.

At last, she was free from bothers. But…

“Henry the Fourth,” was it?

Leaning against the bedside, Ludwig reluctantly opened her eyes, her sleepy gaze drifting toward the training grounds outside the window.

The “Henry the Fourth” that everyone was talking about was there, and had just sent Zerola flying with a single punch.

“Seventh level… Strange, do I know this person? At this time…”

With a single glance, Ludwig had already grasped and comprehended the majority of “Henry the Fourth’s” power. Although a bit like useless bones, still… A “worthy” individual had appeared after a long absence, making her academy life a little less troublesome.

Next, she would prepare a bit for this “Henry the Fourth,” because… Her arrival must surely be to seek Ludwig out. This kind of “fair and just” contest was the only thing that wasn’t “troublesome.”

“Henry the Fourth… Let me see, what flavor is the power you possess…”

Tomorrow is Lunar New Year’s Eve. This time, I’ll save the color illustrations for tomorrow as a New Year’s gift for everyone.

I also hope that everyone will continue to support this book. Thank you, eggplant! The fire tokens will be sent out on the evening of the 10th.