The player

In the Golden Capital, Ondsoles

Roderick's desk held a map of the kingdom, meticulously detailing the current territories of the various nobles.

On the map were a dozen crystal chess pieces: ornate ministers, fully armed knights, dashing princes, and elegant princesses.

This was a popular board game in the Ofis Empire called Stratagem.

The player uses each piece's unique abilities to try and conquer the opponent's fortress; the first to conquer the opponent's fortress or eliminate all their pieces wins.

Second Prince Roderick was intently studying the game before him.

As a true prince, his appearance surpassed even the finely carved pieces; his furrowed brow and thoughtful expression could make any noble lady weak in the knees.

Years ago, while studying in the Empire, he'd become addicted to the game upon first encountering it, his exceptional military mind allowing him to master it quickly.

For three whole years, the elite Stratagem Club of the prestigious Torris Military Academy was utterly defeated by this newcomer.

It was said that the academy's professors themselves played to restore their honor, but none could last thirty moves against Roderick.

Roderick loved this game, even commissioning craftsmen to carve this special set upon his return from his studies.

(What's wrong? Why has His Highness been so pensive these past few days?)

Sir Fran Alvis, the next Grand Duke of the North, Roderick's guardian knight and childhood friend, watched the brooding Roderick with growing unease.

His Highness had always been extraordinary. While not particularly gifted in combat, he possessed an unparalleled strategic vision and tactical planning ability.

No matter how complex the situation, Roderick could see to its core and strike precisely at the heart of the matter.

The current kingdom was proof.

The Princess's faction had been fragmented, and the Crown Prince could only cling to the high walls of the old capital of Baiye, supported by Grand Duke Bailan.

Nobles from all over flocked to the capital to swear allegiance to their new master; the Moen royal family, in decline for two hundred years, showed signs of returning to power.

Yet, this Roderick was lost in thought, lost in his own game!

Fran was frantic.

He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he knew that if something troubled Roderick, even if he knew, he couldn't help. Remaining silent and not disturbing His Highness's thoughts was the best he could do.

Roderick looked at the kingdom map, his long index finger tapping the desk from time to time.

Stratagem usually used a fixed board, but Roderick never used one.

His board had always been the Moen Kingdom, the entire Kiran continent.

Since the outbreak of civil war six months ago, he'd been unstoppable on this board called Moen, manipulating all factions as he pleased.

He had predicted the civil war would end within six months, and so far, everything had gone according to plan.

However, recently he'd noticed inexplicable anomalies in his game.

This feeling first arose four days ago with a war report.

"Intelligence was incorrect; the pursuit force was completely annihilated."

Initially, Roderick was surprised but didn't worry, merely raising the threat level of the Golden Knight Roland.

But subsequent events made him realize the seriousness of the situation.

His personal maid, Xing Mei, delivered a conflicting war report after the battle and then completely disappeared.

Also missing was the spy planted beside Krinhild, the Pu scout Bobo.

These two seemed to have betrayed him simultaneously. Even Fran realized something was wrong.

Then, a top-secret letter arrived at the palace overnight.

The intelligence within was like a thunderbolt, shocking even the calm and wise Roderick.

"Melan appeared in Conston!"

The letter contained only this short sentence.

Yet, nine city teleportation arrays were activated, costing nearly 100,000 gold Moen coins to deliver the message from the distant Conston Earldom to Roderick within half a day.

Melan was worth that much.

Bobo's disappearance, Xing Mei's betrayal, Krinhild's disappearance, Melan's appearance.

Roderick's sharp senses told him a hand was behind these anomalies, a hand that was wreaking havoc on his board, slowly toppling the tower he'd built over the past six months.

Frankly, Roderick didn't care about Krinhild's whereabouts, Xing Mei and Bobo's betrayal, or even the suddenly appearing Melan.

He didn't care because they were just pieces.

There were too many pieces on the board called Moen, each with their own purpose, coming from all over the world.

Even an unusual piece like Melan appearing on the board didn't matter.

No matter how powerful a piece was, it was still just a piece. Even if it could defeat all the others, it couldn't escape being discarded into the box by the player.

Roderick had always sat alone before the board, manipulating each piece, controlling the entire game. No one was his equal.

Because there was only one player, only Roderick was a person; the rest were pieces.

But now, Roderick sensed a vague figure opposite him.

That figure held a crystal king piece, a playful smile on their face, saying:

"Come! Let's play!"

A surge of excitement rushed through his brain. An uncontrollable ferocious grin spread across Roderick's handsome face!

"Alright!"

Yes, the player never cared about the fate of the pieces, the board, or even the game itself.

They only cared about the other player sitting opposite them. The game was merely a way to compete; if possible, Roderick wouldn't mind directly confronting his opponent.

The surge of adrenaline made his palms sweat. How long had it been since he'd been so excited?

He stared at the location of the Conston Earldom and muttered:

"You, who are you?"

"Your Highness, what did you say?"

Fran, beside him, was slightly sweating. When Roderick smiled, the temperature in the office suddenly rose sharply.

This was the effect of Roderick's miracle, "The Sun God's Protection."

But what made Fran sweat wasn't the temperature, but the ferocious grin on Roderick's face.

In Fran's memory, whenever His Highness showed this expression, many people were about to suffer.

Roderick didn't answer his friend's question. He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked meaningfully:

"Fran, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"Upright, brave, incredibly intelligent and strategic. You are the best person I have ever met, Your Highness. Your future achievements will surely surpass your mother's."

Fran stood at attention, his posture straight, his answer firm and decisive.

"Really? But I think of myself as a treacherous, unscrupulous villain."

"Please don't make such meaningless jokes…"

Fran's expression turned serious. His Highness's only flaw was his self-deprecation; he always liked to call himself a villain.

(This won't do. As his guardian knight, I can't let His Highness have this wrong idea.)

Roderick looked amused at his serious childhood friend, shaking his head helplessly.

He looked out the window at the brightly lit capital, towards the Conston Earldom in the south, and silently said:

"Upright, brave, incredibly intelligent and strategic? My counterpart, are you such a person?"

......

Achoo!

Siegfried, asleep, suddenly sneezed loudly.

He scratched his nose, turned over, and continued to sleep soundly.