Chapter 1.6 - Announcement

A certain morning, from the moment she showed up in the dining room, Eseria had an eerie smile. It did not change the whole duration when they were eating.

「Ufufufu」

「You’re in good mood this morning, Eseria.」

「Yes, I’m in perfect condition!」

「….is that so」

In response to her mother, Miredia’s casual words, Eseria replied with a big smile. Because of that, her mother could not say anything more. Najek, who was watching their conversation at the opposite side of the table, whispered to her sister sitting next to her.

「Aneue, do you know why Eseria is laughing creepily? 」

「Yeah. The thing that Eseria had asked for five days ago will be delivered by Wallace-dono later this day. 」

「Is that so? But, what did she ask for? 」

「I know what it is but I don’t know what it will be used to or how it will be used. 」

「Haa? Even you don’t know? 」

The puzzled Najek looked at her sister with eyes wide open. He did not ask anymore and thought that it would be better to see the actual thing.

After breakfast, Najek went with Eseria and the others to her room to check on her but the suspicious behavior of her little sister has deteriorated fast as time passes by.

「Still not here? Hey, why is he still not here? 」

「Haa….I think his conversation with master hasn’t ended yet….」

Eseria wanders around the room while asking that to Misty every few minutes. Because of that, Cornelia tried to persuade her little sister.

「Eseria, you know that the talk between father and Wallace-dono is important, right? Let’s wait quietly, okay?」

「….yeessss」

She nodded softly and sat down on a chair but after a while, began walking again. Najek asked himself (What on earth is it to make her want it that much?). Soon, one of the maids opened the door and reported something.

「Cornelia-sama, Eseria-sama, master is calling you in the reception room.」

「Here I go!」

「Ah, Eseria! Wait!」

And after that, Cornelia and the others began moving in a hurry following the dashing Eseria.

「Wallace-san, welcome!」

「Eseria….. you’re noisy.」

When he saw his daughter screaming immediately as soon as she opened the door of the reception room, her father, Digress, held his head worried about her casual manner. Wallace, as a merchant from the duchy, bowed his head to Eseria with a wry smile.

「It’s been a long time, Eseria-ojousama. We have finished the thing you asked for so please check it.」

「Yeah, thanks.」

He takes out the content of the cloth bag and puts it on the table for Eseria to check. She thanked her with a full smile for succeeding in the work she asked for.

「Just like I ordered. Thank you, Wallace-san.」

「You’re welcome.」

Then, after nodding, Wallace asked a question.

「By the way, Eseria-sama, what kind of purpose do those small disks have? Although we tried making it as per your instruction, I had no idea how to use it and even the craftsman who made them was confused. If you don’t mind, can you please tell me?」

「Ufufu, I certainly thought you’d asked that so I brought it, Misty!」

「….yes, here it is.」

「This is it!!」

「Yes?」

Calling out the maid who came with her, Eseria triumphantly spread the paper she had brought to the table but Wallace remained puzzled. That reaction is already something she predicted so she called out her sister’s group.

「Rather than explaining it with words, it would be faster to see how it is used on the spot. Aneesama, anisama, please help!」

「Y-yeah, I don’t mind….」

「It’s been a long time, Wallace-dono」

「It’s been a long time, Cornelia-sama, Najek-sama.」

Then, with a small round table sandwiched between them, the two sit down while the two adults watch them over. Eseria began to explain.

「Then, first, decide which color you want to use, black or white. That’s the reason why I had them painted over. For now, let’s have anisama black and aneesama white.」

「Okay.」

「Then, I’m white」

Then, Eseria lifted a piece and began putting them in the middle of the squares of the paper.

「I put four pieces on four squares in the center like this, two black and two white diagonally.」

「Ah, so this paper was for playing this like chess?」

「But Eseria, if there are various detailed rules, I would be troubled if I can’t remember them all.」

Eseria, who’s standing beside him, confidently said to her confused older brother.

「It’s okay, anisama. There are few rules and they are very simple. All you have to do is flip the opponent’s pieces color to your own color when your opponent’s pieces are in between your piece and the piece you just put during your turn. That rule applies whether they are horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in between.」

「Eh?」

「Look, it should be like this.」

While saying so, she put one black piece on the board. Along with one of the first black pieces, it sandwiched a white piece so she turned the white piece over. Cornelia blinked in disappointment.

「Ehto….is that all?」

「Yes. You’ll have your turn alternately and the one who’ll start is the person who’ll use the black piece. However, you can’t place a piece if you can’t flip over the opponent’s piece. If you can’t place your piece anywhere, it means you have to “pass” and let the opponent get his turn again. The game ends when you put every piece there.」

Najek, who was seriously thinking while looking at the pieces in front of him, nodded in confirmation.

「I see. It doesn’t matter where but you put it, right? Then, Eseria, if I had two or three pieces in this way, could all my opponent’s pieces be my own color?」

While saying so, he picked up the pieces and lined them up. Eseria nodded to the sample of her brother.

「Yeah, that’s right. Everything will indeed be yours.」

Najek became interested and encouraged her sister with a smile.

「Heh? It looks pretty interesting. Aneue, let’s give it a try.」

「Okay. While we’re doing that, teach me if I don’t know what to do, okay?」

「Leave it to me, aneesama.」

With Eseria smiling like that, the match between the two started.