As the sun began to set and the sky turned dark…
Huu…
With a short sigh, Rudell emerged from the shower room, drying his wet hair with a towel while opening the window.
A cool breeze rushed in, cooling his heated body, and Rudell fully enjoyed the refreshing sensation.
“Wow…”
The scenery of Lagrandria outside the window was truly magnificent.
Unlike the night view of the Count’s Domain, which was just starting to develop, the night scenery of the Duke Duchy was so vibrant that it could easily compete with modern cities.
Just as Rudell was enjoying the view outside while basking in the cool breeze…
“What are you doing?”
“Ugh!?”
Startled by Leje’s sudden appearance outside the window, Rudell screamed and fell on his backside.
“Hahaha! Got you again!”
“Seriously, don’t do that! You really scared me.”
Calming his pounding heart, Rudell got up from the floor.
At the same time, Leje stepped into the room and extended her hand towards him.
“So? What’s going on?”
“Do you need a reason to see me? That’s a bit hurtful, you know?”
“Well, that’s not it, but…”
“I just came to see if you were bored. Was that an inconvenience?”
“Of course, it was an inconvenience, you lady.”
Rudell narrowed his eyes and answered Leje’s teasing question.
Of course, even with that response, Leje was not going to leave.
“You’re not pulling this with anyone else, right?”
“Of course not. I don’t do that with anyone but you.”
“Well, if I did that with someone else, rumors would’ve spread all over the academy by now.”
After all, the academy was a place where kids were sensitive to rumors.
Especially if it got out that they went into each other’s rooms without a care, one could only imagine the kind of gossip that would spread.
“By the way, what do you have in your hand?”
Just then.
Noticing that Leje was holding something, Rudell asked curiously.
A large board about the size of a human head, along with a bundle of cards.
It was unmistakably a board game set.
“This? It’s a trendy board game these days. I usually don’t have anyone to play with.”
“A board game, huh…”
He used to lose track of time playing those back in his first life.
Suddenly reminded of those times, Rudell trailed off in his words.
“So? Are you asking me to play?”
“Bingo!”
“What kind of game is it?”
“It’s simple! You roll the dice, move the pieces, and pick cards…”
As Leje explained the basic outline of the game, Rudell nodded and said.
“So basically, it’s a game of life.”
“In a way, it could be called a game that captures a short life.”
The game she brought was essentially a life simulation game.
You roll a 16-sided die to move your pieces and draw cards assigned to each square to reflect the outcomes in the game.
Then you roll again to determine success or failure related to events, and finally, the player with the most chips wins.
“Alright! I’ll show you my skills, renowned as the game master in my heyday.”
“Wait! Before we start…”
“Huh? What’s that?”
Leje stopped Rudell, who was confidently moving to another spot, pulling something out of her pouch.
What is she up to now…
Narrowing his eyes, Rudell watched as she produced a small crystal sphere from her pouch.
“Tada!”
“What is that?”
Looking at what seemed like something you’d put in front of you to chant spell incantations, Rudell tilted his head.
“Because just playing wouldn’t be fun, how about we put up a prize?”
“A prize? That thing?”
“Of course not! This crystal allows you to tell the truth.”
“A truth-telling crystal?”
“Just place your hand on it and answer any question from someone else; you’ll know if it’s true or a lie.”
“Sounds like a lie detector.”
Those were quite common in board game cafes.
And just as Rudell was thinking about that, Leje continued.
“The prize will be that the person who told the truth can ask the winner one question and will only answer honestly.”
“That’s… Truth game, isn’t it?”
“Exactly!”
In response to Rudell’s question, Leje nodded.
“Hmm…”
At the same time, low groaning sounds escaped Rudell’s mouth.
This was inevitable, considering how much he had to hide from Leje.
Matters related to the church, vigilante work, and the fact that he was from another world, not to mention what would happen in the future.
Of course, she had no way of knowing all that, but the unease remained.
But…
“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”
“…”
Those thoughts were blown away by Leje’s teasing jab.
“Fine. If you want it that badly, I’ll take on that challenge!”
With a slight smile, Rudell settled in while Leje confidently set up the board on the table.
*
“Ugh…”
“Haha, wherever did that confident demeanor go?”
Hearing Rudell’s low groaning sounds, Leje spoke with an air of victory.
The pile of chips in front of Rudell barely numbered a dozen.
However, there were already dozens piled high in front of Leje.
If this continued, Rudell’s defeat seemed imminent…
“No way! This doesn’t make sense! How can you roll the exact number you want every single time!?”
It was as if she was blessed by the Dice God itself, as her rolls always landed on the highest numbers.
Rudell questioned if she was using loaded dice, watching closely, but couldn’t find any magical traces.
“This is all just technique, Rudell.”
“No way! Where’s that kind of technique!?”
Leje replied in a hazy-eyed manner as she picked up the die.
“Want me to prove it? I’ll roll a 12 this time.”
Saying that, Leje threw the die, which spun around the table a few times before landing on exactly 12.
“Now, an 8.”
Then next…
“Now a 1.”
Again…
“Now a 3.”
Every single roll was exactly what she had called out.
“Seriously, what the hell is going on!?”
From Rudell’s perspective, watching this was driving him crazy.
“See? If you control the strength of the throw, you can land the desired number.”
“No, I mean, how does that even make sense!?”
What’s that, I don’t know, I’m scared.
Despite his bewilderment as he questioned her, the undeniable results right in front of him left him flabbergasted.
Must I be caught in a trap?
In that moment, Rudell thought of a possibility and looked at Leje, who still wore a confident smile.
This whole game was a pitfall.
Knowing he wouldn’t win playing a game of strategy like chess, she had intentionally chosen a game based on luck, where her superior skills would dominate.
Against an average opponent, he might have dismissed such a concern, but his opponent was none other than Leje, a powerhouse in physical prowess.
“You can’t be…?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Rudell was now sure that his suspicions about Leje using cunning tricks hadn’t been wrong as he looked at her innocent face.
He couldn’t believe that she would resort to such sneaky tactics…
Regretting his earlier mistakes, Rudell took the die.
Of course, he wasn’t completely defeated yet.
After all, life games were ultimately about luck.
You could be doing well and still fall flat at the end.
“Please…”
What Rudell aimed for was the golden square seven spaces ahead.
That square would allow him to draw a golden card, which came with powerful effects potentially capable of turning the game around.
If Leje could do it, so could he.
Rolling the die couldn’t be that difficult.
With that thought, Rudell took a deep breath and focused all his senses on his fingertips.
Slowly and carefully, he let go of the die, which began to rattle on the table.
The die began to spin, and Rudell’s anxious eyes were fixed on it.
Leje was also glued to the die, watching intently as it began to slow down.
After a few seconds…
“Yes!! 7!!”
“Uh? Huh!?”
Luck was on his side!
Seeing the die land on exactly 7, Rudell cheered, while Leje wore an expression that seemed to say, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”
“Now! Time to check the card!”
What card would it be?
Feeling his heart race, Rudell slowly reached for the card.
And then…
“This is my winning card!!”
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