The Author's Playground
Chapter 58: Black and White Kings (3)

Chapter 58: Black and White Kings (3)

The crowd fell into stunned silence, eyes bouncing between the chessboard and the two players locked in an intense yet oddly lopsided battle.

A nobody, an unnamed student, had just defeated Calliope.

The infamous prodigy, the untouchable genius, the undefeated queen, fitted as the Rank 1 in Class S.

And yet, here she was, sitting frozen in disbelief as her fingers curled in a tight fist.

Some might wonder, what does she think?

The answer came shortly after, like a thunderclap.

"...Again."

A fist slammed against the table, rattling the chess pieces. Calliope’s voice cracked as she turned her voice louder. "One more game"

Across from her, Elijah barely stifled a chuckle, his fingers lazily supported his cheek as he leaned into his armchair. "Sure. Should I go white this time?"

"No, I will win still using white this time."

Elijah sighed, shaking his head with a knowing smirk. "Fufu, you’re so competitive, aren’t you?"

And so, the battle continued. Again. And again. And again.

The chessboard bore witness to Calliope’s increasingly aggressive moves—only to be met, time after time, with Elijah’s effortless counters.

"Checkmate. You made a blunder there."

"Checkmate. Oof, that was close, senior."

"Whoopsie, didn’t see the bishop? Checkmate~"

Calliope’s frustration became more obvious as her hands gripped the edge of the table. The crowd, meanwhile, could only watch in growing disbelief, their hushed whispers spreading like ripples in a pond.

"How long have they been at this?"

"I’m not sure... two hours?"

"Dude, it’s been more than two hours."

"Calliope never won even once, huh..."

With every loss, Calliope’s brow furrowed deeper, her lips pressing into a thin line. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, she let out a long, resigned sigh, her shoulders finally slumping in defeat.

"I surrender."

Elijah blinked, tilting his head with mild curiosity. "Oh? Already?"

Calliope crossed her arms, pouting slightly as she glared at the board. "This... how could you do that?"

"First? Experience. Back then, I played almost every day with my friends."

Calliope’s eyes narrowed. "And the second?"

Elijah’s fingers lightly tapped against the chessboard as he spoke, his voice smooth yet unwavering. "I’m willing to sacrifice anything if it means taking down your king."

Calliope blinked, taken aback by the weight of his words. "...?"

He chuckled at her expression before continuing. "Also, you keep taking what’s available in the match, but you don’t even consider their position."

Elijah reached for a piece on the board, nudging it forward slightly as he pointed to a pawn. "Take this, for example. If you capture this pawn, you won’t be able to move your bishop freely."

Calliope leaned in, her brows furrowing as she examined the board with newfound realization. "Ah..."

Elijah nodded approvingly. "It’s also better if you develop your major pieces first—your knights, your bishops. Then later, you can think about attacking once every piece can move freely."

Calliope frowned, deep in thought, before slowly nodding. "That makes sense."

She then stared at the board, her frustration slowly giving way to focus. She moved a knight, only for Elijah to shake his head.

"Not bad, but you simply didn’t use the knight in its potential," he pointed out, tapping the piece lightly."I don’t recommend putting your knight on the edge."

She frowned, quickly retracting her move. "Then... this instead?"

"Better. Now, look at my position. What do you think my next move will be?"

Calliope studied the board carefully. The gears in her mind turned, her fingers hovering over a pawn before hesitating.

"You’ll probably go for this pawn... no, wait. If you do, you’ll open my rook’s line of attack."

Elijah’s grin widened. "Exactly. You’re getting it now."

The game continued at a slower pace, no longer a brutal display of dominance but a careful lesson, with Calliope adjusting her approach piece by piece.

The once-large crowd that had gathered around them started to thin out. Some left out of boredom, others because they had simply accepted the absurd reality—Calliope, the undefeated genius, had met someone far beyond her level.

One by one, the spectators disappeared, their hushed conversations fading into the background until no one remained.

Outside, the sky had darkened.

"I guess they weren’t joking when they said you’re a genius," Elijah remarked as she made a solid move. "This match—you won it."

Calliope blinked before replying. "I’ve never felt this happy from winning before."

"Is that so?"

"Everything always felt predetermined, as if fate had already decided the outcome," she added. "I never thought losing could be so frustrating... or that winning could feel this exhilarating."

"Sounds like something only a genius would say," Elijah responded with a shrug. "Can’t relate. Unlike you, I’ve been playing chess since I was a kid, read whole ass book just to get better at it."

For the first time that night, Calliope smiled—a small, genuine smile.

"What’s your class?"

"It’s confidential."

"Your name?"

"Can’t say."

Calliope frowned. "Then, how am I supposed to call you?"

Elijah leaned back, considering for a moment before smirking.

"Call me... Scheherazade."

"Let’s play again next time."

*****

9: 56 pm

Class F Dormitory

Elijah walked at a steady pace, with his shadow lining the corridor, elongating his silhouette as he made his way towards the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, his entire form shifted.

Long, silken hair shortened into messy, tousled hair. His soft curves faded into a leaner frame. The cute-like appearance he had worn all day melted away, leaving only Elijah — in his real appearance.

He let out a deep sigh, his exhaustion catching up to him at last. Without bothering to change out of his uniform, he staggered toward his bed and collapsed onto the mattress, face-first into the pillow.

His entire body ached, not from physical exertion, but from the sheer mental strain of maintaining his disguise, of keeping up the act for hours on end.

"...That was exhausting," he mumbled into the sheets.

"I found no important details about Calliope, but at least I finally created a connection..."

"Ahh... I worked hard today, time to pamper myself tomorrow."

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