There, in the school hallway to be precise, Zen was walking with Matias who was trying to get along with him. Matias's arm was wrapped around Zen's shoulder, and with a suspicious smile he expressed his appreciation to Zen.
"Common people, I am impressed with you. Not long ago, my best friend Kyle said that you have done a very good job. Because of you, my reputation rose before his eyes. I am very grateful."
"No, my lord. I just did what I had to do," Zen replied with a slightly doubtful face.
"Good, I like your attitude knowing your current position. Someone like you, wouldn't get the chance Without me, my friend Kyle seemed satisfied with your service, so he asked me to take you to him. "
"Senior wants me to meet him?"
This guy, Matias was a promising camouflage point. Sometimes he is annoying for Zen, but sometimes Zen seriously trains with Matias to become an ordinary person that no one suspects.
With someone like Matias, Zen had experimented a lot with pretending to be an ordinary, worthless man. Jotting down what he learned from his senior, the conspirator, wouldn't be enough to yield any meaningful results if he didn't try it himself.
And what happened? So far, Zen felt there were some flaws where he couldn't give off the perfect impression as the mastermind behind the scenes pretending to be an ordinary person. What is missing? Zen began to think about it.
He had studied what the conspirator pointed out but the results he got were unsatisfactory. Lots of flaws, As if there were some puzzle pieces he missed.
Destroying a legendary sword, it was unlikely that Zen would get that chance. If Zen completely imitated what the conspirators did, it would not accomplish anything. The starting point and preparations for the conspirators and Zen were clearly very different, Zen realized that and he had to find another way. A different way but gives the same impression, how? Zen couldn't think of that.
Yet now, he smelled the sweet scent of hope. Could this be an opportunity? The senior asked Zen to meet, this might be the fate that determines whether Zen is able to find the final puzzle piece or not.
He then opened the library door where the conspirator was. Looking back, Matias smiled brightly.
"Don't disappoint me, commoner. "
Then with that, Zen started walking.
He passed neatly arranged bookshelves with a small light filtering through the windows. Setting his uniform to look good, the person he met was the senior, so Zen had to pay attention to appearance to suit his current status.
The folds of his sleeves straightened and he began to tidy up his long tie. Pretending to be a pitiful man was enough already, in front of the all-knowing conspirator it would be useless.
The arrangement of bookshelves created an aisle, a long aisle with one main path, darkness, shadows had filled most of the sides except for a few spots.
Zen's eyes shook as he saw a large point of light that created a stage-like spotlight. Right in the middle of the light, a large wooden table with stacks of books neatly arranged stood upright as Zen began to pause.
"Senior," Zen whispered.
The conspirator turned the page with a bored expression. With amplified hearing, Zen then heard the conspirator's whisper.
"Tch, dammit, boring legends with stupid stories. Most of it was probably a lie that was deliberately invented, a bunch of idiots that made me feel irritated. "
Legends are stupid stories full of lies, Zen should remember this well and write it down in the guidebook "become a mastermind behind the scenes" maybe that was the puzzle he was looking for.
Zen's face then became serious. He had seen the conspirator's personality like he had never seen before, everything he saw now proved that the conspirator always gave a different impression to everyone he met. Meanwhile, his original personality when alone was like this.
As expected, when Zen showed himself, the conspirator closed his book and greeted Zen kindly.
"Oh. You're already here Zen, I've been waiting for you long enough. "
"Mr Kyle, I heard that you wanted to see me. "
"Naturally, before that, I apologize for taking up your precious time. I thought of your previous performance and it impressed me, you seem to have high luck. "
Conversations that are not on point and just a formality. Zen knew that what the conspirator was saying might actually be a lighthearted greeting. He hasn't gotten into the main topic yet.
As he waited for the conspirator's words, Zen's eyes began to focus on a wooden board with black and white squares on the table directly below the conspirator, it was a chessboard. Zen's eyes now sharpened.
Pawns, pieces and kings are positioned in complex chaos patterns. However, as long as Zen understood how chess was played, he could see that it seemed like the white king was being surrounded by the officers of the black king.
Everything seemed to match up and was very suspicious, so Zen tried to confirm and ask.
"Is the chessboard a metaphor for your current state? To me, it looks like an unsolved problem. "
The conspirator was silent for a moment, he looked like he was thinking about something. Then casually, the conspirator answered him.
"Yes, you could say that. I have some matters to attend to."
Problems that the conspirators haven't solved yet? Zen then looked at each of the black pieces' positions once more. Zen's eyes then widened, he realized that it would be two more steps towards victory.
The nerves inside his head were moving at high speed, and he finally came to a firm conclusion.
Ahhh— so for the conspirator, the second step was the decisive step for victory. It was not the first step but the second step, victory can be seen and achieved from just two steps.
This is terrible, how can there be an entity capable of doing that? He couldn't say anything, his mind had fallen at the deepest level, As if swallowed up by the ocean and couldn't come back.
Destroying the legendary sword was the first step, and the second step would be the end of it all. The foundations of solid pillars may be laid, and great edifices will stand firm on the mountains. That's what the conspirator meant.
The great conspiracy that he concocted would soon stand firmly on top of the world. A chessboard with black and white squares, representing good and evil, the conspirator would tread on both like a worthless footwear.
Zen couldn't take his eyes off, he then heard the conspirator speak.
"You seem interested in chess, Zen. What if I start a new game and make you fight me. "
Instantly, Zen's heart stopped beating, the heart of a powerful Demon stopped beating making the atmosphere around Zen seem to slow down. The heart then beat again at a speed he had never felt before, Zen's entire body felt a momentary tremor and he began to feel cold and warm feelings mixed together.
Sweat started pouring down and the hairs on his neck stood up. His eyes couldn't stop shaking and his whole body was numb.
Frantically, Zen then said.
"No way, no way!!!"
Given the slightest chance, Zen felt he would never win if he tried to fight the conspirator on a chessboard. Even if Zen might be stronger than the conspirator, he would still be defeated. In a world full of deceit and lies, a throne that stands firmly is impossible to challenge.
With the last hope, Zen with a frightened face tried to negotiate.
"What if I become a black pawn?"
"Huh? "
The conspirator then looked confused and answered quietly. He seemed surprised because of Zen.
"Then how about the black rook? It will be a powerful battering ram."
The conspirator still looked confused, he then looked at the chessboard as his hands grabbed Chin as if he was thinking about something.
Seeing that, Zen then moved his hand to try to take the last chess piece from the black king.
"Okay, I'll be the Queen, I'll take the black Queen. "
The conspirator then reacted, he seemed to have reached a conclusion. So, this is the true value of Zen in the eyes of the conspirator?
"Ah— if you like it, you can take it any time. "
Zen then replied with a low nod before saying curtly.
"I understand. So you want me to follow you. "
The conspirator wanted Zen from the start. He had spread lies so Zen didn't notice, but now he had shown it. If Zen refused, he might end up fighting the conspirator, that would be a true nightmare.
But sometimes bad dreams can be a way to be better. Zen then changed his expression then covered his mouth with his right hand, his body was straight but his eyes looked down.
Fufufuf— the mastermind behind the scenes, the final piece has been found. Zen chuckled in his heart.
Will Zen now and in the future bow under the conspirator's orders? There was no definite possibility, but right now, Zen felt that he should at least witness the magnificent stage that had been prepared.
And with the black Queen in his palm, Zen turned his back on the conspirator to try to walk on the darkness.