I Have been Reincarnated As a Lazy, Arrogant Noble, but When I Destroyed The Scenario Through Effort, I Became The Most Powerful With Extraordinary Magical Power - 44

044 – Genius

Battle Universe is a game where players fight to protect the king piece on their side of the board.

Each piece has roles like knights or wizards, with set attack and defense ranges.

Its simplicity hides depth, and despite being a mini-game in Noblesse Oblige, it later became a dedicated game.

The board is 20×20, and players move intricately crafted pieces alternately.

I’ve fallen into it too much myself, even playing it instead of the main story at times.

And the essential character in this game, of course, is the one before me, “Cecil Antwerp.”

At eight years old, she participated in the first world championship and won magnificently.

She continued winning and became a household name in this community.

But she’s become bored. Even though she loves the game, she lacks rivals.

Even the developers can’t beat her.

But I will… win.

That’s why I came here.

My goal is to make her my ally.

“So, you seem quite troubled.”

“… I lost.”

I bow in defeat.

No… She’s way too strong, seriouslyyyyyyy.

Why was her piece there just now!? Can she see 100 moves ahead?

I’ve seen people on the bulletin board claim to win, but most of them are lying.

… But it doesn’t mean I can’t win, I think.

“Can we play once more?”

“Hehehe, Fancent-kun is unexpectedly polite.”

“I value manners.”

“I see, fine then. I don’t mind. ♪ – ♪”

Unnoticed by her, Cecil is humming.

She truly loves this game. And so do I.

I might not win, but this situation is surprisingly enjoyable.

Before we know it, I… no, we have gotten absorbed in it.

“… I lost.”

“Thank you. – Wait, Fancent-kun, it’s dark outside!?”

“Huh? What? What’s going on!? Is this a time leap!?”

Though we started around noon, it’s already pitch-black outside.

There’s no one around. Well, there’s one librarian left, watching us from a distance.

Right, it’s impossible for the world-famous genius player Cecil and the infamous me, Weiss, to be approached.

… I messed up.

“Shall we go back? – Wait a moment.”

“Hm? What’s the matter?”

I walk up to the librarian and bow my head.

Even if it was fun, I shouldn’t cause trouble.

It’s a basic rule. The library should have closed hours ago.

But the sister just smiles and says,

“It’s alright! It looked like you two were having fun.”

I thought we looked like we were enjoying ourselves, but I still apologize properly.

I return to my seat and ask Cecil, then promptly leave.

She seems surprised by me.

… What’s that?

“Why are you looking at me?”

“… It’s quite different from the rumors. Now that I think about it, I wonder why I approached you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I had a scary image of you. Oh, maybe it’s because the book you had was cute.”

“… Sugary—”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re clever. But, your Battle Universe skills may not be all that.”

“It might just be that you’re too strong.”

“That could be true.”

“You’re not being modest.”

“There’s no point, and it might come off as sarcastic either way.”

“Well, that might be true. – Cecil, are you free tomorrow? If you are, would you like to have another match with me?”

“… Huh? I don’t mind, but at the library again?”

“The weather’s nice lately. How about at the Royal Park in the capital? We won’t bother anyone there.”

“Sure, that sounds good. See you again tomorrow, Fancent-kun.”

“Yeah, see you, Cecil.”

As we leave, I happen to watch her back for a moment, and she takes a skip with light steps.

How much does she love the game…

Well, I had fun too.

I’ll definitely win tomorrow.

And I’ll make Cecil my ally…

▽

“I lost.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Royal Park in the capital, the only place where nature remains in the heart of the city.

Looking around, it’s mostly filled with families and couples.

In the center, with “Battle Universe” placed on the ground between us, we’re deeply engrossed in a serious match.

No, maybe I’m the only one taking this seriously…

Cecil is happily humming to herself.

“~♪ ~♪”

But seriously, what’s going on in her head?

I’ve been studying my heart out since I came to this world. Why can’t I win?

“Next, please.”

“Sure, but let’s take a little break. I haven’t had anything to eat since morning, and I’m getting hungry.”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

A quiet moment passes. For some reason, other than training, this is the first time I’ve been so engrossed in something.

I just realized, since I came to this world, other than getting stronger, this might be the first time I’ve been putting so much effort into something.

Right now, in this place, there are children, elderly people, and many others.

This world might be a game, but it’s also reality.

Oh yeah, I’m really inside Noblesse Oblige.

Then, a beautiful white hand reaches out.

“Alan, here you go.”

“…What’s this?”

“It’s only natural to have something to eat while playing a game, right?”

In her outstretched hand is a delicious-looking sandwich.

The filling inside—my favorite melomeron and plenty of cream.

Could it be…?

“…Is this from a new shop?”

“Well, I thought about making a bento, but I saw you looking interested in this the other day. I made a detour this morning to buy it.”

“Are you a genius?”

“Well, I get that a lot. – Anyway, it’s my modest way of saying thank you.”

“Thank you?”

…What’s going on? Did I do something?

“It’s my way of thanking you for playing Battle Universe with me. There aren’t that many tournaments, and I’m usually alone. I don’t have any friends, and there’s no one to play with me.”

Come to think of it, she’s too strong, so people might not want to play with her. Being too much of a genius might actually make her disliked, and that’s why she doesn’t have any friends.

“Well then, I won’t hold back.”

I gratefully accept the sandwich.

With one bite, the sweetness of the fruit and cream, along with the taste of the bread, fills my mouth.

It might as well be a symbol in the program, but that doesn’t really matter.

I’m alive. Cecil is alive. Cynthia, Lillith, Karta, Alan, Shari, Duke…

The impending calamity is so difficult that anyone could die from it.

Even Milch Sensei might have a chance of dying.

There will undoubtedly be casualties.

…I need to get more serious.

“Cecil, after you finish eating, another round, or rather, until I win, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, why not? We won’t get in trouble doing this all day here.”

“I guess it’s just assumed that I’ll lose…”

And so, we continued to play Universe until it was time for dinner, occasionally chatting.

The next day, and the day after that as well.

But I couldn’t win against Cecil. In the end, I couldn’t win.

The school will start soon.

After that, I won’t have much time.

In other words, I couldn’t recruit Cecil as a companion.

In Noblesse Oblige, even if a comrade dies, the story continues.

It was considered interesting in the original, and it motivated people to do their best for those who were lost.

But I hate that kind of future.

To avoid destruction, no, to avoid anyone dying.

I’m confident in my ability to fight, but that’s only as a piece.

I’m not a player, I’m not a strategist.

The impending calamity involves many. I’m not smart enough to control that, and I don’t have the trust of many.

But Cecil is different.

Everyone would listen to her.

…I’m not sure myself, but maybe I want to protect the guys at the academy.

I wonder why. Maybe it’s because I’m Weiss.

But that’s my true feeling.

“…”

In the final match, the end was in sight. However, I was struggling to resist.

Maybe I’m afraid that this might become the future.

“Checkmate.”

“…”

When the final battle was over, I couldn’t even muster a voice.

I hadn’t put in enough effort.

If I had trained more… Maybe the future could have changed.

Oh damn, I’m such an idiot.

“0 wins, 674 losses, 1 draw… not something to laugh about.”

“…It’s not that bad. There were a few good moves, and the last match was the toughest I’ve faced so far.”

“Yeah, that might be true.”

Should I directly ask Cecil? Should I plead for her help?

Wait… she won’t believe me.

The second calamity hasn’t happened yet. The last one occurred hundreds of years ago.

Who would believe that it’s about to happen soon?

Why couldn’t I have done better?

“Thanks, Cecil. I had fun.”

“Likewise, I got to see various sides of you, Fancent-kun.”

But there’s no other way.

This is how it is in the original story.

Maybe it was a mistake to consider cheating from the start.

I have to think about what to do next, using the knowledge Cecil helped me gain from playing the game.

“So, are you going to tell me now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The reason you wanted to win. You mentioned it, right? The condition for me to win. I’m making that request. It’s a good plea, isn’t it?”

“…I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

“Just try saying it. I don’t think Fancent-kun would lie.”

…I was surprised. Cecil doesn’t usually say things like this in the original story.

She doesn’t trust people. No matter how much you plead, you won’t become her comrade unless you win the game.

Even if I win, it would be reluctantly, just because it’s a game.

But Cecil was staring at me intently.

“- Calamity.”

And then, I talked about the possible second calamity that could happen in the future.

Well, I don’t remember everything, and there are things I can’t say.

The Demon Lord, the Demon Race, and how dangerous it is.

I thought about lying, saying I saw it through future prediction magic, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to lie to Cecil, who trusted me.

So, I told her. Cecil listened without interrupting until the end.

Nonsensical stories like this are hard to believe logically.

Even close friends wouldn’t believe it if you told them. Moreover, I’m Weiss Fancent.

People would just make fun of me. That’s the normal reaction.

“I understand. Something so difficult… that’s worrying. It’s unsettling not knowing when it will happen. But if it’s okay with you, I’ll think of the best way to handle it. I won’t get my hopes up too much, though.”

Cecil believed it without asking for the reasons.

“…Don’t you think it might be a lie?”

“But it’s not a lie, is it?”

Cecil’s expression was serious. There was no mockery in her face.

“Oh… but we’ve never had any interaction until now. If I were you… I wouldn’t believe it.”

Then, Cecil slowly lifted one of the game pieces.

“…Universe is a more interesting game than you think. You can learn about a person’s character from how they play. Fancent-kun, you’re stronger than you think. You had surprising moves that made me think, and I was amazed many times. But your piece movement showed that you were afraid of sacrifices. That’s why I felt strongly that you want to protect many people. That’s the reason I believe.”

“Right, but this is just a game.”

“Yes, for people, it’s just a game, but for me, it’s everything. Because of the Universe, I can confidently say that I’m alive. But because of that, nobody wanted to have anything to do with me anymore. At that time, I was genuinely happy to be invited by you. So, I’ll support you. I’ll probably ask you various things from now on, so I’ll keep asking for your guidance.”

“…It’s like wishing for something that won’t come true.”

“Hehehe, well then, please take care.”

Why are the people in this world so kind?

I’m living with their support. I realized that.

Thanks to that, the possibility of choosing a better future has increased.

I wanted to avoid destruction. But now, I’m thinking of something even more ambitious.

I want to turn the impossible into possible.

Hey, Weiss… You feel the same way, right? You want to make everything the best, don’t you?

Tell me, answer me.

“It’s getting late, so I’ll walk you home.”

“No, you’re the fiancé of Cynthia-sama. Honestly, I’ve been worried about when you’d appear. I’ll let her know that we were playing games together.”

…Is that so?

Well, yeah, I guess I might get scolded.

…I should definitely tell her.

“Well then, Fancent-kun, see you later. If you end up fighting and breaking off the engagement because of this, let me know. I’ll comfort you.”

“…Comfort me?”

“Good night, it was fun. Also, this draw is the second time I’ve experienced since I started playing Universe. Be more proud.”

“Yeah, I will.”

I didn’t fully understand the last part, but as a result, things turned out better than I expected.

Plus, me and the others at the academy have become even stronger than in the original story.

I absolutely won’t lose.

I’ll fight against everything.

Demon Lord, I’m going to defeat you.

Just wait and see.