NOVEL WEB Chapter 44
After returning with Estizel and Helbok through the trade portal, the Insects, who were resting in the 10th layer of the dungeon, rushed in like a swarm of moths.
“Kirik! It’s the Chief!”
“The Chief has arrived, Dak!”
It’s the first time these guys are so happy to see me.
Even these creepy, oversized bugs start to grow on me after a while.
“Kirik! The tribe has grown, Dak!”
“There’s a human among the livestock, Dak! Livestock is food, right?”
“Hahaha…”
Maybe it’s because I saw Balutak, but Estizel didn’t seem too grossed out.
I thought she’d be horrified like seeing a cockroach swarm.
For some reason, I felt like my expectations had been betrayed.
Meanwhile, a couple of bugs, away from the group, were filming a romance drama.
“Kirik. Buraltak. My mate.”
“Kirik…”
“Buraltak is my faithful tree trunk. Always waiting for Balutak. A shade for me.”
‘There goes Buraltak again.’
I’m too tired to even throw shade at this point.
Call him Keltak or Buraltak, I couldn’t care less.
“Boss, look at the workers.”
I wondered why Charlotte was saying that until I noticed the Insects had slightly changed in appearance.
A pair of their front-arm carapaces looked robust, evolved to suit mining like Kobolds.
Sure, it’s an improvement, but I didn’t have the luxury to appreciate it.
‘So damn tiring.’
Even Undead like me accumulate mental fatigue just the same.
The lack of physical fatigue seemed to double my mental exhaustion.
No wonder I endured a ton of surprises during the meeting.
I could handle the work with Gergor and the banquet, but I nearly died at the roundtable meeting.
Who would have guessed it was Roxanne, not Calandas, who came out swinging?
But somehow, I managed to hold my own.
As a reward for my struggles, I plan to hole up in the boss room and take a breather for a while.
When I glanced back at Charlotte, fatigue was evident on her face, too.
Well, she must’ve struggled amidst all the monsters, just like me. She even got threats from Roxanne.
“Take a break and recover. If you have the time, teach Estizel some magic. Estizel, for now, stay in the adjunct room with her.”
If she’s a fellow human, there shouldn’t be any problem sharing quarters.
Charlotte’s always expressionless, but after knowing her for a long time, I can read her.
Sharing a bond as half-human, half-horse with a Witch, Charlotte secretly liked Estizel.
Plus, the two would be in a mentor-student relationship. The more time they spend together, the closer they’ll become.
“Yes. I will do my best. So, Estizel.”
“Yes?”
“Here, you’re not the 72nd-ranked lord. You’re a member of the Seven Lairs of the Infinite. As your senior, I might be condescending, so please bear with me.”
“Sure! Feel free to condescend.”
“As a member of the Seven Lairs, Estizel, you have much to learn. I’m in the same boat. Let’s work together and support the boss.”
Estizel nodded vigorously once and clenched her fist.
She gave a fierce expression, but she still seemed like a kid.
“Boss, excuse me, but can I ask you something?”
Instead of answering, I just nodded.
“Does the Hellhound have a name?”
“A name, huh.”
Now that I think about it, I never told them Helbok’s name.
They didn’t ask, and I’m playing the silent boss role, so I didn’t mention it first either.
‘But that expression…’
It somehow reminds me of when I named the skeleton horse.
If she was going to suggest a name, no way I’m letting that happen.
Helbok already has a proud name, after all.
“If you don’t have one, how about Helbok?”
“….”
“‘Hell’ Hound too, always happily smiling. The moment I saw the Hell Hound, I thought of Hellbok.”
Quite shocking.
“Are you saying I have the same naming sense as this thing? The one who named the skeleton horse Golgol?”
-Ha ha.
As if responding to the name, Hellbok rushed over to Charlotte.
With a blank expression, Charlotte petted Hellbok. It seemed to enjoy it so much, rolling over and displaying all sorts of antics.
Strangely, it looked happier than when it was with me.
“…Let’s go with Hellbok.”
I absolutely did not want to admit that I had a similar naming sense to Charlotte.
*
I had decided to take a rest, but this cursed bony body made it impossible to sleep, it was just too painful.
-Ha ha.
The only solace I could enjoy was Hellbok. Hellbok seemed to enjoy my touch, cuddling closer.
Ah, healing. Who would have thought I could finally enjoy the strong bond I wanted in real life by becoming a Death Knight?
When I tossed a bone, Hellbok dashed over to fetch it.
Just so you know, that toy bone was one of my ribs.
It had been creaking for a while anyway and was of no use, so I just gave it to Hellbok as a toy.
Knock knock.
The knocking interrupted my healing time with Hellbok.
As far as I knew, it was only Charlotte who was coming in.
“Come in.”
As expected, Charlotte appeared through the open door.
-Your Majesty!
“…?”
Charlotte looked back and forth between me and Hellbok, then bowed her head with a look of surprise.
Her eyes were full of suspicion; she probably didn’t realize I was using Hellbok as a pet.
Did she think I brought it in as a dungeon monster?
Considering her silent boss concept, it was an expected reaction.
But then again, I had no reason to feel intimidated. I’m the boss; why should I care what my subordinates think?
Feeling a rebellious spirit, I petted Hellbok even more enthusiastically.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your fun.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Yes. It might be a misunderstanding, but recently, you seemed bored.”
That was somewhat unexpected.
Was Charlotte quick-witted, or had I been that obvious?
“If that’s really the case, could you spare a moment? I have something prepared for you.”
“What did you prepare?”
“Do you happen to know how to play chess?”
Suddenly, chess?
Well, in a medieval fantasy world, entertainment options were very limited.
For lowbrow pleasures, there was dice gambling; for wholesome games, chess was the representative.
“I can play Go, but chess is a bit…”
Believe it or not, I was called a Go prodigy back in elementary school.
Sadly, there’s no way Go exists in this medieval fantasy world.
I had played chess a decent number of times but never learned it professionally.
At most, I had faced amateur players in mobile games.
“Still, I’ve got some Go skills.”
I figured I could rank high among amateurs in chess as well.
I had watched a few chess tutorials online and learned quite a bit over the two days.
My win rate in mobile chess had easily topped 70%.
“I know chess. Let’s have a game.”
Not that I had anything better to do.
Medieval chess could never aspire to modern chess.
I thought pitting my skills against Charlotte might be fun.
“Who knows, I might actually be really good at this?”
After all, a mage is intelligent, and from Charlotte’s image, she seemed like a refined lady skilled in both arts and martial prowess.
Though underneath, she might be a psychopathic killer, but still.
Anyway.
First of all, it seems like you’re pretty good at chess, considering you lured me into playing.
But hey, that’s actually great! The better the opponent, the more fun the game.
The chessboard was already set up on the 10th floor, and Balutak and Estizel were in the middle of a match.
It was obvious that Charlotte had just taught Balutak because he looked a bit clumsy.
“Kirik. I won!”
“That’s your first win, right?”
“Of course, Estizel couldn’t do it. Balutak wasn’t a worthy opponent.”
“Eh!? What do you mean… I have ten wins and one loss, you know?”
“That doesn’t matter. In the end, Balutak won. The last victor eats up the opponent, adapts, and evolves.”
“Let’s play again!”
“Kirik. Your skill doesn’t match up. Go practice more and come back.”
“That’s not fair! I said let’s play again!”
“Nope. You’re hopeless.”
I felt like I might sigh, so I looked away.
Was it Charlotte’s preparation or what? A table and chairs were set up nicely.
But there’s only one table and just two chairs.
So Balutak and Estizel were playing chess on the ground. Quite the treatment.
“Milord, please have a seat.”
Charlotte pulled back a chair and gestured politely.
I sat down feeling a bit pressured.
Before starting, I let Charlotte take the first move.
There was no particular reason; I figured since I was the Death Knight, choosing black made sense.
“Your move, please.”
“Alright.”
Charlotte moved her knight first, following the proper way.
I noticed she was biting her lip tightly. She looked totally focused.
Determined not to go lightly, I resolved to take it seriously as well.
Charlotte concentrated on her knight, while I boldly moved my queen.
About 30 minutes later, the number of pieces captured was similar, and the battle was fierce overall.
‘It’s neck and neck with me.’
The competition with Charlotte was enough to make my palms sweat. Not that I have sweat glands, being undead.
The conclusion came about 30 minutes later.
Charlotte’s king was trapped by the black knight and queen.
“I lost.”
After a true showdown, the victory was mine.
It was so close that I unintentionally got really into the chess game that started just for fun.
“It’s a pity I lost. I think I can win if we play one more game.”
“Then, do you want to play another match?”
“Yes.”
Her answer came quickly, as if she’d been waiting for it.
‘Sorry, but you can’t beat me.’
I did try my best, but by the end, Charlotte’s strategies became clear.
After all, the barrier of modern humans can’t be easily crossed.
Feeling a swell of pride, I picked up the pieces again.
*
Before starting chess, Charlotte was secretly worried about a hundred things.
What if he hates chess? What if he’s just forcing himself to play with me even though he doesn’t like it?
But looking at the boss’s face now, those worries were unfounded.
‘He’s really focused.’
Contrary to her worries, he seemed to genuinely enjoy the chess game.
With intense concentration, he pondered deeply before moving his pieces.
Just like the first game, this one ended in a fierce battle.
“I lost again…”
She sighed in a barely audible voice and washed her face with both hands.
Trying to hide it, she glanced at the boss’s face.
Being undead, I can’t read expressions, but I somehow sensed her true feelings.
‘He likes it.’
When I barely won, he slightly nodded. As if he was satisfied.
Charlotte licked her lips as she returned the pieces to their original positions.
“Shall we play another round?”
“Sure.”
Playing chess, I felt his human side once again.
I could once again feel the human heart.
I already knew about his deep selflessness. Additionally, I got to see his human side in his competitive spirit.
More than anything, Charlotte hated and despised humans in this world.
However, paradoxically, her affection for him, who had a human heart, only grew.
‘…You do seem to have a liking for human women.’
Normally, it’s standard for the undead to hate humans.
But the boss didn’t just hate humans; he loved them.
To be exact, he loved human women.
If he had loved all humanity, I might have been a bit disappointed, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
It seemed like the boss viewed human women romantically.
He had taken Charlotte and Estizel as subordinates and promptly answered “vampire” when asked whether a lich or a vampire was better.
After realizing that, Charlotte unknowingly started building an inner bond.
Until now, she had accumulated self-hatred just for being human, but recently, she thought how lucky she was to be human.
If she hadn’t been human, she wouldn’t be able to be by this guy’s side.
…And he definitely wouldn’t have viewed her romantically.
“Your turn.”
“Yes.”
This time, Charlotte planned to put up a fierce fight but let him win.
No matter how light the game was, a subordinate couldn’t possibly beat the boss.
The goal was to let him win to maximize the fun from the start.
She initially intended to let him win just because she couldn’t win.
Glancing, Charlotte looked at the boss, who was focusing on a simple game, contrasting with his previous demeanor.
Seeing him subtly enjoy himself after her loss made her want to let him win again.
‘…It’s hard to see him as the same person.’
He was the one who had killed two heroes and dominated the atmosphere in the roundtable meeting.
Seeing him now engrossed in a simple game, it was hard to believe he was the same person.
While it might have felt surreal, Charlotte felt the opposite.
The human side she couldn’t recognize before now seemed only attractive.
Until now, she had viewed him as a bored, omnipotent being.
In reality, he was cold and dominated the atmosphere with overwhelming strength.
But this person actually had a thoughtful and warm heart, concentrating on such a small game.
He didn’t seem fazed at all when he dispatched the two heroes.
But why would he show pleasure over this little victory?
While he stared intently at the chessboard, Charlotte only stared at his face.
His silent concentration looked slightly cute—
‘…What am I even thinking.’
Just admiring him was enough for self-reproach, yet he seemed cute.
These were feelings a subordinate shouldn’t dare to have toward the boss.
“Checkmate.”
Charlotte blinked in surprise.
In the moment she opened and closed her eyes, she locked eyes with him.
“Do you want to continue?”
Checkmate? But how could he say that proudly?
No matter how much of a subordinate she was, she couldn’t deny this.
‘Isn’t that just a bit too cute?’
No, get a grip. Charlotte scolded herself internally.
She shook her head to shake off thoughts she shouldn’t be having.
“Looks like you don’t want to continue.”
“…Yes?”
“Let’s end it here for now.”
“Oh, no! Absolutely not.”
“Then why did you shake your head?”
“Um, I was just looking around.”
“No need to force it. If you feel like it later, we can play again.”
He left without any lingering thoughts after securing three victories.
Left with her lingering thoughts, Charlotte could only gaze at his retreating figure.
“…You should have played more.”
A small sigh slipped out from her open and closed lips repeatedly.