PREPARATIONS

Around 2 hours had passed after Alexander had recovered from his soul sickness. Alexander took the time to explain everything about his past to Kobayashi; about his mother, his father, Saul, everything. Kobayashi was happy to listen to Alexander's story and feelings, Kobayashi serving as a comfort to Alexander.

Kobayashi and Alexander were on an empty side of the capital which was mostly countryside. You might ask why they're here? It's quite simple really.

"So, the book here says that you just have to imagine it followed by these gestures."

Kobayashi was reading out of a book titled 'a beginners guide to magical ability'. The two were preparing for the upcoming game against Aisha Königin. Kobayashi had also passed on a few abilities related to Astral Vitality so Alexander could stand on somewhat equal ground with Kobayashi.

After Alexander recovered from his soul sickness, he had become more willing to allow Kobayashi to teach him. Their cooperation had massively increased since Alexander's recovery.

"Eh?"

Kobayashi followed the instructions in the book, but instead of summoning a small water ball like the book was instructing, he summoned a massive fireball that began hurtling towards Alexander.

"Extinguish it! Put it out!"

Alexander began running as fast as he possibly could, screaming frantically for Kobayashi to put out the fireball.

"Wait a minute! I just need to retry this!"

Kobayashi quickly reread and memorized the book's instructions, chanting a few words and extending his hand. A waterball was summoned this time, and it collided with the fireball. The collision force sent Alexander tumbling to the ground.

"I think you really need to work on NOT attempting to take my life..."

Alexander was out of breath. He was lying on the ground as Kobayashi continued to read from the book.

Kobayashi could read surprisingly fast, flipping through pages within an instant and memorizing nearly everything.

Kobayashi extended his hand and didn't chant this time, instead he thought deeply to himself. He thought of what he wanted to summon, what he wanted to materialize.

"W-what's that?!"

Alexander jumped up from the ground and backed away. Kobayashi had summoned a small household, which was an exact copy of the housing used for his clan.

"I guess you really can summon anything..."

Kobayashi scratched his chin and put the book down. He thought for a moment before looking over to Alexander.

"Are you ready to try something now?" asked Kobayashi.

"I guess..."

Alexander sighed and put his hand out like Kobayashi did.

"Now, just think of something you want to summon and chant it, okay?"

Kobayashi smiled and carefully instructed Alexander how summoning magic worked.

"Okay, I got it."

Alexander began chanting, nothing happening for a few seconds. He began to grow a bit impatient and his chanting grew faster, but he finally succeeded.

"Finally! I did it!"

Alexander managed to summon a small wooden bench, being thrilled by its sudden appearance. He had poured all of his energy into summoning this one thing. He smiled and sat on the bench, excitement coursing through his veins. Even if it was something minor, he loved that he could do anything with just his imagination.

"Well...we unfortunately don't have much time to train for the upcoming game. However, we should be able to stand a chance against Aisha."

Kobayashi sighed silently. He and Alexander were learning magic at an incredible pace, but there wasn't much time left for the two of them to train. Kobayashi was aware they most likely wouldn't be able to anticipate all of the possible outcomes in the game, but he prepared a large number of backup plans based on the information gathered.

"Let's take a break for the moment, Alexander."

Kobayashi sat down on the ground and began reading from another book he had brought with them. It was a book he picked up at the library; it covered two recorded matches in history following the death of Kanpeki König. There weren't any records of the actual game's contents or structure, but the book did contain a few statements regarding key details from the people who challenged the royal family.

While the prophecy was concealed from the general public, the people who participated in the old games, who were thought to be the prophesied men, were challenged to games by the royals with no context given to them or citizens.

"It appears the old royal family and challengers aren't very informative regarding their statements on the game, but this is remarkable."

Kobayashi pointed his finger to a small paragraph in the book, grabbing Alexander's attention.

"What does it say?"

"The statement from the first and original duo who were challenged...," Kobayashi began to read the book slowly, "'Time itself felt slower, our survival instincts being our only guide in the game. The king was indeed a genius who we couldn't outsmart even when we gave it our all. Each day and night of the game was grueling, our evasion of the king's plans proving futile."

Alexander gave Kobayashi a puzzled expression, not understanding what Kobayashi found so interesting about this particular statement.

"I don't understand, Kobayashi."

"The statements from the royal family members who didn't participate in the match claim the game lasted only 5 hours."

"So who's lying?" Alexander asked Kobayashi, crossing his arms.

"I don't think anybody's lying."

"Huh?"

Kobayashi read a bit more before he closed the book, carefully setting it next to himself on the ground. He let out an exhale, adjusting himself.

"The game could be using a sort of magic that alters one's perception of time. Since the statement made by the duo follows the same details, it's unlikely they were lying. The royal family members who were excluded also share an identical testimony, which leads me to conclude the game is using something to mess with players' perception of time."

"That could be correct... But do you really think they could pull off something like that?"

Alexander seemed hesitant on believing the game was using magic to mess with the contestants' perception of time. It seemed too extreme, even for someone like royalty.

"I'm certain of it. The royal family is recognized as the highest ranking in magical ability and magical skill. That's all the history books talk about."

"Well, I guess you do have a point."

Alexander still seemed hesitant on Kobayashi's theory. It was possible Kobayashi failed to correctly deduce something, and that worried Alexander. If Kobayashi did miscalculate something, it could very well cost them dearly. The threat of forfeiting their rights to a race that had been persecuted by humanity sounded like a death threat. If the kemono race was vengeful for all of the loss they suffered in the purge, it would be over for Alexander and Kobayashi. It was basically suicide if they were to sign over their rights.

"We should get back to training, Alexander."

Kobayashi stood up, Alexander following alongside him. The two would most likely spend the rest of their time training together.

Alexander felt worried about the upcoming game, feeling they would lose. He didn't trust anything or anyone that said they would undeniably win the game. Some prophecy wasn't going to convince Alexander to suddenly become confident they would win.

Kobayashi secretly felt excited to finally participate in a game in this world. Despite never playing many games in his life, the few times he did play games it was thrilling to him. The concept of conflicts being solved through games in this world made him feel ecstatic. Back in his old world, before he was head of the Kobayashi clan and even during his leadership, he was constantly forced to make decisions that would cause violence.

Even though the two had differing views of this new world, both of them saw this world as a new start, a new beginning for their lives. They wouldn't be living in a violent world anymore. A fresh start is what they always wanted in their old world, and they had finally gotten that.

"Weather magic."

"What?"

Kobayashi started reading the book again. Despite Alexander not being able to read the book, he saw an illustration of a storm cloud that was causing intense weather.

"Weather magic is the art of manipulating weather to one's advantage. The ability can only be used by certain members of the royal family, and it is suspected that the prophesied ones who will restore the divine law can also use the ability, but on a much more complex level."

Kobayashi smiled, handing the book to Alexander. Alexander had a confused expression, looking down at the book and back up at Kobayashi.

"Why are you giving me this? I can't read anything."

"I'm going to attempt to use the weather magic, of course. Please keep a hold of that and make sure it stays safe."

Alexander's expression began to grow worried. He was worried that Kobayashi might cause damage to the surrounding area, or even worse, mess up and hurt himself or Alexander.

"But that could be dangerous! What if you damage the landscape? That'll likely make Aisha hate us even more than she already does! And what if you hurt yourself or me?"

"We'll be fine. Aisha doesn't even hate us, she just has her own way of expressing her feelings to others."

Kobayashi attempted to reassure Alexander, but he only continued to object to Kobayashi's attempt to use the ability. But Alexander couldn't think of any more points that might make Kobayashi stop.

"How are you supposed to know she doesn't hate us?"

"I just trust my reading of her personality."

Kobayashi smiled and let out an exhale. He extended his right arm and began to chant. Alexander, instantly after seeing Kobayashi begin preparing to use the ability, ran and hid behind a large rock in the distance.

"Don't kill us!" Alexander shouted from behind the rock, hiding from Kobayashi in the distance as well as he possibly could.

Alexander began to grow bored after a few moments, sighing in relief that nothing had taken place yet.

"W-what's that...?"

Alexander looked up to the sky after he began to get cold, a chill running down his back. He saw a rotating storm cloud, rain simultaneously falling from the cloud. A heavy wind followed the rain, knocking Alexander from his sitting position into laying on the ground.

"Quit it! Stop chanting!"

Alexander yelled for Kobayashi to stop chanting, but it was pointless. Lightning struck beside Alexander, a loud thunder accompanying it. Kobayashi stood calmly in the center of the field, continuing to invoke the weather to its full potential. He clearly had no intention of halting the process anytime soon.

"What is that old man's problem?! He's going to kill me!"

Alexander tucked himself into a small opening in the rock, hoping to not be harmed by the weather outside. He was confused how Kobayashi could stand outside in this disaster without being scared and continue on; it scared him slightly.

The winds started pounding against the rock, a few nearby trees snapping from the sheer force behind the wind. It was like a hurricane had made landfall.

Numerous strikes of lightning struck the ground time after time, thunder following the strikes. Alexander was stunned by the fact Kobayashi was still standing outside and seemed physically unaffected by the extreme weather.

"What are we going to even need this kind of magic for?! It's just a game against a queen who probably doesn't even like her position!"

Alexander yelled loudly again in an attempt to make Kobayashi stop, but he didn't stop. He continued on, the weather growing worse each passing second. If he continued for much longer, the weather would destroy everything in the area.

"Stop!!!"

The rock Alexander was using as a cover began to shake from the wind, lifting slightly into the air from the strong winds. Never in his entire life had he seen such severe weather like this. It was frightening to him.

Finally, Kobayashi stopped. He stopped chanting and the weather slowly subsided. It seemed that he didn't have even a drop of rain on his body. He was completely dry, unaffected by the weather.

Alexander, on the other hand, was soaked with rain water. His hair was also a mess; soaked and sticking up like quills on a porcupine. He was extremely upset, as his appearance was something he took great pride in.

"Why did you keep going?! You could've killed me."

Alexander was angry, but the anger quickly disappeared. After he had been cured from his soul sickness, he seemed to have become less irritable and angry; that likely played a role in why he calmed himself down sooner than he previously would've.

Kobayashi gave a smile in response to Alexander.

"You're not dead or injured, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

Kobayashi took the book back from Alexander, opening it to a random page and reading from it.

"I think we should try to perform these things without using chanting or gestures. It says you can use magic without using your voice or expressions as long as you have a good grasp on the desired object's appearance. All you have to do is completely visualize all fields of the object."

Kobayashi handed the book back to Alexander, who let out a silent huff. He wanted to start by attempting to use the magic more like Kobayashi and train with him, but he was being treated like an assistant at the moment. Kobayashi was quick to pick up on Alexander's thoughts.

"Don't worry, Alexander. I'll let you train after I get a basic grasp on how everything works with magic, that way I can assist you with any struggles. Besides, I already let you dabble a bit earlier."

"I suppose that's fine..."

Alexander wasn't completely satisfied with Kobayashi's answer, but it made him slightly happier to know he would be able to train as much as he wanted after Kobayashi finished.

"Let's see..."

Kobayashi exhaled, relaxing his body and thinking deeply to himself. He didn't quite understand how the voiceless magic would work, but he was confident he could pull it off. He began to focus, picturing the entirety of his clan's territory. He was looking through the memory of his clan to find something remarkable that could be created here.

"Who's that?"

Kobayashi opened his eyes and answered Alexander's question with a happy expression.

"That's a statue of Kobayashi Isamu, my father. He was a well-respected man during the time he led the clan. They made this statue of him and placed it in the center of the land."

Kobayashi's smile faltered a bit as he looked at the statue. He let out a small sigh, seeming a bit saddened. Alexander didn't notice Kobayashi's expression.

"I wish my father would have realized his mistakes at the end like yours, Alexander..."

"Why's that?"

Kobayashi was silent for a few moments before he started smiling again.

"That's not important. Since I have a basic understanding of everything now, let's get you started."

"O-oh, uh, well, eh...you see..."

Alexander became a bit anxious as Kobayashi told him to take his turn to start practicing. He was still tired from summoning the wooden bench from earlier. Kobayashi took the book from Alexander and gave a reassuring smile.

"Give it all you've got, Alexander."

Kobayashi attempted to boost Alexander's confidence in himself, but Alexander only shifted around nervously.

"What am I supposed to do again...?"

"Just imagine anything you'd like. You need to visualize the entire structure and you'll be good to go!"

Alexander, with uncomfort obvious from his expressions, tried to relax himself. He slowly began to grow less tense and relax. His mind, which was previously racing, came to an abrupt end. He was finally relaxed.

He began to search his memories. His childhood, his teenage years, his days of training, even the last few days, were all memories he looked through. He couldn't find anything that looked interesting to materialize. He wasn't even sure if he could materialize anything without chanting or using gestures in the first place.

"I don't know what to materialize..." Alexander said quietly, a bit embarrassed by the fact he couldn't think of what he wanted to summon..

Alexander searched through his memories again, this time finding something he would like to materialize.

"Ha! Grandfather's banner!"

A red banner with a crown pattern made out of gold-colored cloth appeared on the ground. It was Alexander's grandfather's banner he hung in the palace during his reign over England. Even though Alexander didn't really get to know his grandfather during his childhood, he had fond memories of him.

"That's amazing, Alexander. You did a splendid job summoning that."

Kobayashi congratulated Alexander for his performance.

"You know, we're going to be doing a lot of this if we want to train well enough to go against Aisha. I'm anticipating around 530 possible different options with the given information."

"530? Why so many?! We barely have enough information as it is, much less enough to go off of that many possible scenarios."

"There are around 467,000 different possibilities that I can't anticipate. Most of them have only minor differences, but it still creates a significant amount of possibilities. It's important to consider all of the different possibilities that could help us win the game if properly prepared."

Alexander seemed perplexed by how Kobayashi managed to determine all of the possible outcomes using such little information. The game's few witnesses testified barely enough for Alexander to come up with 20 possibilities. Kobayashi seemed casual about imagining all of the possibilities, like it was something anyone could do.

Alexander also seemed a bit more nervous than previously. Kobayashi said that he could only anticipate 530 outcomes, but that there were 467,000 possibilities for the game which couldn't be anticipated. The odds seemed to weigh heavily against them even more than before.

It was highly unlikely for the duo to emerge victorious in the game. It might become even worse depending upon what the game is. Alexander was terrible at games, and games weren't Kobayashi's best skill set either.

The only reason Kobayashi was still keeping a hold of hope was because he believed that they couldn't be defeated as long as they were fated to fulfill the prophecy.

The duo spent the rest of their free time training for the game. Even Kobayashi knew that if they didn't do anything, they'd ultimately lose whether or not they were meant to fulfill the ancient prophecy.

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The time had finally passed. Kobayashi and Alexander arrived at the royal palace, greeted by Aisha Königin, the queen of the human race. It was time to play the game she challenged them to.

"I see you two arrived. You're certainly both brave to accept the challenge."

Aisha's voice had a bored tone to it. She seemed a bit uninterested in the two, but was also surprised they were still going to play against her. She was certain that her statement at the inn would have scared them off. What were they thinking, challenging the royal family who never lost a game before? The risks if they lost were also considerably dangerous.

"Greetings, your majesty."

Alexander gave a bow to Aisha, but his expression made it clear that he didn't hold much respect towards her as a person.

"I am glad we made it. Would you mind explaining the game to us?"

Kobayashi was standing beside Alexander. He didn't bow to Aisha and stayed standing up, which visibly annoyed her a bit. He also took no time in asking her to explain the game. He was surprisingly calm.

"Follow me..."

Aisha let out a small sigh and led them to a room. It was similar to a library in a couple of different ways, having bookshelves against every wall. The ceiling had what seemed to be a diamond chandelier hanging from it. The room also had beautiful red carpet on the floor. In the center was a bright blue light in the shape of a sphere, 10 different stone-like chairs resembling thrones surrounding it. Aisha gestured for the duo to take a seat.

"What is that?"

Kobayashi asked, pointing to the bright blue light.

"Well, I suppose I'll explain it to you."

The three of them each took a seat. Kobayashi sat down, Aisha on his right side and Alexander on his left.

"The game is simple. This light is pure magical energy that was passed down from the ancient king, Kanpeki König, and so on until my father's death. Its purpose is to induce the participants of the game into an illusion, where the game's time is perceived as a month in the game to all participants though it is instead only a short duration of time in the real world. The world in the game is compiled of each players' memories. The game is classed as survival. The rules are simple; a team is each given six separate chances accordingly. Each chance is taken away when the player is intentionally hit with a weapon or trap set or fired by an enemy player. If caught, cheating could result in automatic loss of the team utilizing unfair methods. The first team to lose all of their chances is automatically declared the winner. And the winner will be enthroned as the permanent ruler of the country."

After Aisha explained the rules, Alexander's heart dropped. He never had any experience in surviving outside. This seemed impossible to him. Survival outdoors required many things—hunting skills, good instincts, foresight, and crafting skills, none of which Alexander had.

"Are you ready to begin? You must first agree to the conditions."

Kobayashi keeped his usual smile and extended his hand, shaking Aisha's.

"We agree to all terms as long as you keep your word."

Aisha nodded at Kobayashi.

"You know, I really think we should-"

Alexander began to attempt to object, but it was far too late. Their minds went blank for a moment. They were now in the game. No more turning back.

With Alexander lacking experience and all of the possibilities for the game, the duo were highly disadvantageous in the situation. They were likely to lose their rights and go through with suicide after their loss. It didn't seem worth the sacrifice whatsoever. All of this on the line just so they can restore the divine law according to the ancient prophecy. This would indeed be an impossible task for anyone, even if they had favor from The Creator of all.