Chapter 251 – Playing a Game

"Well, cheers, Lady Alzi," Cornelius says, our mismatching glasses clinking before we down them quickly. "Now, on to things less bittersweet. You seemed to know about this table when we sat down. Want to play? It's rare to get to play someone you haven't before, so it would be wrong for me to not ask."

"Most of the women at the brothel refused to play with me," I say. "Finding my play style boring."

"Trust me," Cornelius says. "I won't find your game boring. I want to play you even more now."

"Very well," I say. "I'll play. But I may get called out early."

"Don't worry," Cornelius says. "We can have the maid mirror our play onto a board for us, and we can pick up the game the next time you join us. Now, do you normally play with a clock?"

"Never did that before."

"Then we can ignore that for now. It'll make it easier to handle your need to leave and pick up the game later. Care about the order of turns?"

"I don't care."

"Very well," Cornelius says; our maids take the spot next to us as the boards take over the tables.

"Wait, what type of game is this? I normally only play the basic one."

"That is the shorter version of the game, so I was planning on starting with that version. If you want, we can do the others. We don't have to play too competitively."

"Basic is fine for now. It has been a few months since I last played."

"I'm sure you've been busy getting drilled on how to be a noble. We have years to slowly grind you into shape, though you're already amongst us," Cornelius says, making the first move. His warriors go towards the desert. "You've got to get into shape for them as soon as possible. I think you being here is a sign that they are happy with where you are with that, or they're at least lowering the pressure."

I follow my normal pattern and ward the forest. "I don't know," I say. "They may feel I'm hopeless after my tea party, our little stunt at my first noble party, and then the war."

"You aren't hopeless," he says, his assassin cloaking over the board. "You did well at the party. That was the host's mistake, not yours. You're kind and make for great company."

"I can't read or write."

"The older you get, the harder it is to learn. I'm trying to pick up a bit of the ancient language, and it's a slow process. If you're making improvements, then you aren't hopeless. Look at your healing skills. You went from no mana lessons to running the second-best healing ward. Only the Royal Healer is beating you at that right now. That's not the sign of a hopeless girl but a woman who has a bright future. Don't let our fancy ways scare you. It's all for show, not because we are better, but to make us think we are better."

The assassins always come through the forest. The sand in the desert gives them away, but the sand lets other characters move faster. I place another trap in the forest for my turn.

"You all are very good at making sure everyone thinks you are important," I say.

"That is something they teach us well as children. The women love to start with how important they are when they are trying to have a kid, like them being important changes anything for us. We are just sleeping with them or, at the party, going inside them for a bit, so why would I care that you are important? That won't get me anything. They likely won't let me be recognized as the father. I can't brag about who I have kids with. I likely won't even know if we make a kid together."

"I could know if I cared," I say. "But more and more, it seems that if we have sex in that way, they'll end up pregnant if I don't take steps to avoid them getting pregnant."

"That, I can't help you out with, Lord Alzi," Cornelius says, a pained smile taking over his face. "I agree that would be annoying. It is nice in some ways, knowing I'm likely not missing out on anything if I don't get my bed partner pregnant. Annoying when it is my wives, but nice when I do not care much for the other person. Knowing that every time it happens, you are missing out on a little bundle of joy would hurt. I would say try to find a lot of maids that are fine carrying your kids and grow some strong relationships with a few big families so you can still be heavily involved with the kids you give them."

"Hard to do when my wives pick everything."

"Yes, my advice is easier said than done. Even though we grew up with all of them, it is still a struggle to build those connections," Cornelius says. "You should have an easier time doing it since you get the woman pregnant easier. I know you won't be happy about that being the basis for the relationship, but that's how nobles work."

"Everything takes so much time."

"Yes, the only thing nobles move quickly on is getting a chance for kids," Cornelius says. "Sorry, I'm too used to a clock, it seems." His mage joins the warrior near the desert.

"Yuki never told me about using a clock."

"It is normally only used for tournaments or preparing for one. My wives are a bit too into the game and force the whole house to use a clock. It is nice to have a set time for how long the game will play, but it does add too much pressure, I think, to have a relaxing time. However, they vehemently disagree. You would've thought I'd said no sex for a week instead of asking to play a game without a clock for a night."

"Seems a bit excessive."

"They love the game and feel that anything short of the 'real' rules is the wrong way to play it. Hard to get mad at them for loving something so much."

"I guess. Just thought they would be happy to have you join them in the way you enjoy as well."

"They normally play each other. But sometimes, they drag me into a game, promising to take it easy on me. Those games at least end quickly. I think they normally do that when they want me to be a bit rough with them later."

"Hmm, my wives haven't given me much of a chance to learn how they like it in bed." I move a warrior out to be a welcoming party for the enemy warrior.

"Yes, when you start to figure that out, you'll start to truly know your wives. They like to keep that part secret, worried that if you don't like their preferences, you won't call them to bed."

"Does everything revolve around kids?"

"That and mana. Without those, everything ends. Well, with mana, the only thing that ends is your power. But you can imagine how that is basically the same thing for them. Which makes you extremely special."

"Lucky me."

"Yes, once you get out from under that collar, you'll have a lot of power. Us men are weaker and fewer, but you are powerful enough to ignore the numbers, with a Goddess to back you up as well. Don't let them push you around. Oh, no clock. Sorry, I need to pay better attention to the game. I really need you to keep this from my wives, or they're going to push me into their next tournament." The warrior continues its journey through the desert.

"Don't worry, I won't give them a reason to torture you. I hope you won't go too hard on me."

"I'm quite good at playing casually. You can never fully turn it off, but I doubt you want me to go too easy on you. I hope we don't have much time to play during this war; it would mean it dragged on far too long. But I hope we can have plenty of time after this to play. You seem to like to play how I do."

"How is that?" I ask, placing a trap along the desert.

"For fun, Alzi."

...

"I see why they all found your playstyle boring," Cornelius says. "This is a frustrating nut to crack. Push too fast, and I'll lose everything. You wanted me to go easy on you, and then you pulled out this defense. If you get used to a clock, my wives would love to play with you a bit. You'll need to learn how to attack to truly play against them, but this isn't bad for the basic version of the game."

"What version do they normally play?"

"The two main ones are the Royal Hunting Grounds, which adds the Queen, Princesses, and all the special effects for the month-long tournaments. Never let my wives pull you into that one. They will have a devilish smile as they slowly turn your forces against you. The other is the full Hunting Grounds. The clock is needed there to help tell you when their turn ends."

"This?"

"This version is for fun and kids. My wives would say it is for when you don't have time to play a real game. I do think this version is more fun to play; you can drink and participate with a group while playing, while still having it be a well-made game. The others take too much focus for you to just relax and have fun."

"My Lord," Shyla says. "Sorry to cut this short, but there seems to be a group that was poisoned. We need to meet them in the medical tent."

"Very well. Thank you for the game, Cornelius," I say.

"The game isn't done yet. I want to see how this one ends. Now, go save our silly women."

"I'll try," I say. Shyla pulls me along, back out into the cold. The horse races us off to the medical tent.