Chapter 11 - The Last Day
—Whooshhh!
Once the sun rises from its wake, a chorus of delirium resounds amidst the exuberant audience!
On the third day of this Chess Tournament, which is the final, the commentators are seen to be walking towards their seats as the trumpets signal blaringly!
Whereas everyone was too eager to find out who'd stand victorious in front of the audience, the participants were expected to be anxious yet thrilled for their next match!
Slowly but surely, when the Emperor took his seat, the commentators approached their megaphones, ready to exclaim at the beginning of today!
"What a lovely day it is to start! Greetings, everyone! I expect yesterday to be a thriller for everyone because today is far more amazing! It'll be different since now, we'll have strong contestants facing off against one another!" Evelyn puts her face closer to the megaphone, bellowing out for her excitement to be heard!
"Haha, my. You're quite lively, aren't you, Miss Evelyn?"
"Oh, yes! Lady Cyllenian, this is the time when I'll get to see the victor! I have witnessed so many great players in just two days, yet I have no idea who the victor will be!"
"I'll have to agree. Even though it's tiring to figure it out, I'm rather enjoying the suspense." Nathan gives his honest comment.
"Oh no, we're getting a bit sidetracked, aren't we? Where were we? Oh, yes! Lady Cyllenian, may you please explain to us what the final day of the Chess Tournament will be from now on?" Evelyn grabbed the audience's attention only to redirect it to Hermes in a matter of seconds.
"Certainly."
Afterward, Hermes promptly leaned her face closer to the megaphone for it to capture her explanation. Unbeknownst to her, the assumption has already turned silent in everyone's anticipation to hear the rules of today, feeling ardent nevertheless!
"Before I begin, I must address this. As we are left with 19 contestants, it's clear to many that this uneven number will prove an issue."
"I have already considered the possibilities of such an occurrence happening in advance. And with that in mind, I have invited a special guest who will be entering as the last obstacle for the three contestants in the final round."
"She's someone who is known throughout the common folks as well as the noble society. If I have to say, she has unquestionably fascinated me to this day after her official debut in high society."
"In any case, I have a personal commitment to keep her name a secret as it wouldn't be entertaining to have the last piece to be revealed from the beginning, would it?"
A wink from Hermes was displayed through the projections in the air after she spoke with a glamorous grin.
—Cheering!
—Fwoossshh!
"Now that's out of the way. This is today's announcement for everyone." As if the wind came at the right time, her tone shifted.
"Today's tournament only has four rounds left. Henceforth, the tickets within your palm that had once saved two of your chosen participants to be spared from a round's match, have become a one-way ticket to transfer the fortunate participant to the semi-final."
"Once the two upcoming rounds conclude, the tickets will permanently expire from the entire tournament which leaves us with the final two rounds to be a battle of wits without any assistance from the audience."
"I cannot stress how undoubtedly fun it was to predict which one of the contestants got to leave a round unscratched, yet we must keep this in mind."
"This is a tournament to decide the Olympus Empire's future in the hands of the victor of today!"
"Therefore, cast your votes wisely. Once the first contestant is selected by the highest ticket amount, they'll be excluded from the rounds before returning to the semi-final. This will present us with 18 participants, and following that, the second lucky contestant will also be decided by the tickets."
"You may now proceed with your selection, dear audience. Be that as it may, you mustn't take long since there's only 20 minutes before the match finally starts."
The moment Hermes' lips sealed, the 19 contestants flooded from the gate where they were directed to their individually reserved seating areas before the matches commenced.
—Swooosh~
Compared to yesterday and the day after, the selection was expectedly prolonged by hesitation and deliberation of the people. It's to the point where 15 minutes have passed without most of the audience making a bet while some have chosen to gamble on it.
"The participants will have to strike a good impression for the audience to pick them, won't they?" Evelyn worries after seeing some of the participants' reactions.
"If it lends them an opportunity to be freed from mentally challenged matches, I'm certain they'll do such a thing. Even so, I would like to watch the ones who wouldn't resort to this." Hermes folded her hands with an in-depth surveillance of everything.
"I would favor the latter as well." Nathan nods.
"It has been 20 minutes already! Time's up everyone! I wonder who will sit out in the next two rounds!" Evelyn anxiously waits for the attendee to deliver her the news, only to see one of them come up to her as she ends her sentence!
"Oh my gosh! The attendees sure are quick on their feet to be able to calculate everything after running around the stadium!"
"Let's see.. Oh! This is spot on with my personal prediction! Here it is! Participant Wilhelm Oscar shall rejoin the tournament at its climax!"
—CHHHHEEERRRRR!!!
"Don't take a breather yet, everyone! You have to cast your vote again while the 18 contestants compete! Now then, let the awaited Chess Tournament begin!" Evelyn's bawl cries out for the audience to follow along in union.
—BUSTLEEEE!!!
In no time, the remaining contestants engaged in chess matches against their opponents! It's without a doubt that they have taken their time to execute their next moves, proceeding with caution since they wish to either become the Olympus Empire's Representative or receive the prize reward!
'If I move this, my Rook would be at risk.'
'Ha! Her Queen is wide open for me to capture!'
'Go for it! Fall into my trap!'
—Fwoosh…
'He moved her Knight to the center, so he's trying to develop his other knight already?'
'This is dangerous! I can't let him capture all my pieces! I need to make it cautiously! Agh!'
The thoughts and observations clouded the participants' minds; invisible for the audience to see.
"Whew... What a nerve-racking round it was! I couldn't hold my breath when I was watching one of the contestants' plays." Evelyn inhales deeply.
Sooner or later, the round that started with 18 passionate participants has departed half of those. Leaving behind the nine people who have exited the stadium with despair and acceptance, the next selection is about to be announced by the commentators soon!
"My word, this round has caused quite a stir with the ingenious and patient strategies behind each moveset. I have never been utterly surprised by a sudden bishop moving to break the king's line of defense." Nathan unexpectedly expresses genuine awe, revealing it through his astonished reaction!
"I.. I'm speechless! What is this?! What am I watching that I can't help but be at a loss for words with everything?! Oh my god!" Evelyn let out a gasp that half of the audience could relate to!
"This is surprising, yes. You'll have to save yourself some energy for the following rounds later on. It'll be interesting to watch if I do say so myself." Hermes giggles at her fellow commentators' awestruck faces before an attendee hands her the news of the selection.
Hermes seems surprised.
"Moving along, we currently have nine participants. Evelyn, may you have the honor to announce this?" Hermes passes the result of the votes to Evelyn.
"Of course! Thank you!"
Who is the most fortunate out of the 9 contestants to receive a massive amount of tickets?
"Ehhh!? I'm shocked, to say the least! Who would have expected the person to be the one who caught Lord Nathan's interest?"
"Is it Lady Claudia Constance?!?" Baffled off his seat, Nathan cried out with joy when it was a contestant he seemed fond of!
"Haha, what a coincidental surprise! It's finally starting to become extremely exciting seeing how Lord Nathan is currently interested in the matches! Since we now have our two excluded participants, why don't we carry on with the next round?"
Evelyn's eagerness is written all over her body gesture, along with her exhilarated speech whereas Nathan can't hold back his enthusiastic expression for the round to commence!
—-------
—Rustle…
To the highest pinnacle where no witnesses can be spotted, shadows of figures rushed back and forth to conceal their whereabouts.
Dressed in hooded robes to better camouflage themselves in the dark, they were a group of unknown individuals who were planning something in advance.
"How are our pets? Are they faring well?"
"Yes, sir. They're ready to be deployed at any given time."
"Good. Have them be put in their position while being undetected by the guards. We don't want our plan to be spoiled after going this far."
"As you comma—"
As this person's words couldn't hope to finish, a vengeful individual made his rushed entrance into this conversation.
"Leader, am I allowed to kill them?"
"Do what you see fit. However, keep your guard up. We're not here to slaughter everyone in our sight. The reason why we're here in the first place is to abolish Olympus' chances." This person who held the most authority at this moment spoke out with his loathing-filled voice.
"Thank you, Leader!"
Slowly but surely, the object behind their indescribable detestation was being pierced by these people's glares, staring daggers in one direction.
…That location is the Olympic Stadium!
—CHEERRRRR!
"You can practically hear them from over here."
"Looks like the round is done."
"Ha! I can't wait to hear the cheer be replaced with screams."