Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 101: Checkmate

Chapter 101: Checkmate

Count Gimlet smiled contentedly, indicating that he was satisfied with his greeting, and guided Rofus to a chair.

Despite being a high-ranking noble, his demeanor was unexpectedly gentle, and he treated Rofus, who was not yet the head of his family, with great respect.

Rofus sat down in the chair as prompted by Count Gimlet.

“Tea—no, you prefer coffee, don’t you, Lord Rofus? If I recall correctly, you like it strong without milk or sugar.”

Count Gimlet clapped his hands loudly.

Immediately, a servant entered the room and poured coffee into a teacup right in front of him.

The freshly brewed, dark coffee was then placed before Rofus.

Rofus surmised that the coffee had been prepared in advance and the servant had been waiting just outside the door.

In that case, Count Gimlet’s correction from tea to coffee was just a charade.

Count Gimlet—he had heard rumors of his excessive perfectionism, but it seemed he also had a sense of humor.

Or perhaps this charade, the way he phrased things, was part of Count Gimlet’s idea of “perfection.”

In any case, Rofus squinted, recognizing him as an eccentric individual.

“I see, you’ve done your research on me.”

“It’s the duty and responsibility of a host to know their guest’s preferences in advance and prepare accordingly. By the way, Lord Rofus, do you play chess?”

As Count Gimlet said this, a servant placed a chessboard on the table and quickly arranged the pieces.

Rofus frowned openly.

“I didn’t come here to play.”

Glaring at him, Rofus spoke, but Count Gimlet, unfazed, replied.

“Indeed, but this is not a game. Chess is wonderful. You can understand much more about your opponent with one game than with a few words.”

“I responded to your desperate call for help, didn’t I? I came here specifically to hear about the damage and the details of the monster horde. I don’t see any need to understand each other.”

At Rofus’ words, Count Gimlet stroked his well-groomed mustache, saying “Hmm…”

“Information… Indeed, it is more valuable than gold. Lord Talon, please gather the latest damage reports and the scale of the monster horde—promptly.”

“Eh? Ah, yes! Immediately…!”

Talon, who had been standing like a statue, suddenly received the order and hurriedly left the room.

Count Gimlet smiled with narrowed eyes and pointed to the chessboard.

“We have a little time until Lord Talon returns. How about a light game while we chat?”

“…”

Seeing how determined Count Gimlet was to play chess, Rofus sighed in exasperation and reached for the pieces, giving up.

“Only until Talon returns with the information.”

Count Gimlet, making the first move, smiled contentedly.

“That’s the spirit.”

Next, Count Gimlet moved his piece.

*

The quiet sound of chess pieces echoed in the room.

Rofus frowned, his face stern.

In contrast, Count Gimlet moved his pieces with a composed expression.

Suddenly, Count Gimlet spoke.

“Forgive me for asking, but is it true that you defeated the legendary calamity—the ‘Demon King’? Not that I’m doubting you, of course.”

“…”

Rofus thought to himself how blunt and insincere Count Gimlet’s question was.

The very reason for the request for Rofus’ personal assistance in subduing the monster horde from the dungeon break stemmed from Count Gimlet’s suspicion about the previous attack on the royal capital.

The official announcement—an attack by the resurrected ‘Demon King’ and Rofus’ supposed defeat of it—was something Count Gimlet doubted.

“If I confirm that I defeated it—will that satisfy you? You, who harbor doubts and seek to test my abilities?”

“Misunderstanding. Just curiosity. No ill intentions.”

But, Count Gimlet continued.

“The full details of the recent royal capital attack announced by the king—it’s suspicious, to say the least… I’m sure most intelligent nobles sensed something off. I’m probably the only one openly questioning it, though.”

“Are you planning to rebel against the royal family?”

“Absolutely not. I’m just saying the truth doesn’t matter to me. I just wish the king had handled it better. As things stand, it feels like we’re walking on thin ice.”

Count Gimlet coughed to cover up his statement.

“Please, don’t misunderstand. I swear I have no rebellious intentions. However—the king’s response this time was sloppy. They must have been under extreme pressure, but to let someone like me notice it…”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m concerned about the future of the kingdom.”

Rofus advanced a black pawn, knocking out Count Gimlet’s white rook.

“That’s treason.”

Rofus glared sharply at him, but Count Gimlet did not panic or shrink back, merely shrugging his shoulders.

“This is serious. I didn’t expect Lord Rofus to catch my slip of the tongue.”

Count Gimlet looked up at the sky theatrically.

His overly dramatic tone and gestures struck Rofus as insincere.

However, Count Gimlet was one of the few great nobles in the kingdom—he couldn’t be so careless as to make such a slip in front of someone he had just met.

And most importantly, Rofus sensed from their brief interaction that he was a shrewd and dangerous opponent.

Discontent with the royal family.

Such careless statements couldn’t be meaningless.

What are you plotting? Rofus thought warily.

As if seeing through his vigilance, Count Gimlet smiled with narrowed eyes.

“Please, forget what I just said, Lord Rofus. This is just a token.”

As he spoke, he placed a considerable amount of gold coins next to the chessboard.

A bribe, a payoff—blatantly obvious.

“I don’t need it.”

“Is it not enough? Then—”

Ignoring Rofus’ refusal, Count Gimlet added more gold coins.

“For a test, this is too crude. What are you aiming for?”

Rofus narrowed his eyes, trying to discern his true intentions.

Count Gimlet looked at him and, stroking his mustache, moved his chess piece as if nothing had happened.

“Well, you are a marquess. Money shouldn’t be a problem for you. How about my daughter as a concubine? My eldest is 16, a year older than you. Favoring her, she’s beautiful like my wife. She’s also well-endowed.”

“No, thank you.”

“Don’t like older women? Then my second daughter? She’s 14. Or maybe my third daughter, she’s 9…”

Before he could continue, Rofus glared at him, cutting him off.

“Don’t like women? Or maybe you prefer those of your own age.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve been receiving a lot of marriage proposals recently. I don’t have the time to deal with them, so I’ve been rejecting them all.”

“I see… Well, that’s understandable. You are now a hero granted the title of ‘Black Mage’ by the king. Many would seek your hand. Perhaps even the Triandaphyllia family proposed to you?”

「…」

Rofus responded in silence to the question.

The Gimlet family was the former fiancé’s family of Annegert.

Annegert abandoned her fiancé and turned to Rofus.

Although the truth was more complex due to family involvement, the situation appeared exactly as it seemed, and the Gimlet family likely held a poor impression of Rofus.

However, Rofus was under no obligation to answer that question.

He also had no reason to be reprimanded or pursued for it.

Count Gimlet gave a wry smile at Rofus’ silence.

“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of blaming you for the troubles between Miss Annegelt and my foolish son. How much did Miss Annegelt tell you about the matter?”

“…No. I haven’t heard anything.”

“Is that so. If you say so, then let’s leave it at that. We will handle the matter of my son ourselves, so please refrain from getting involved.”

Count Gimlet smiled in relief and bowed his head, causing Rofus to frown.

“…I truly haven’t heard anything, nor will I do anything. I don’t even know your son.”

Annegelt’s former fiancé—the eldest son of the great noble Gimlet family.

Rofus had heard of disputes between Annegert and the man, but he knew nothing beyond that.

From Count Gimlet’s words, Rofus wondered if something significant had happened.

Since it hadn’t been mentioned, it was likely something Annegert herself didn’t want to be widely known.

Although Rofus was curious, he believed it was something he should hear from Annegert directly.

Without pursuing the topic further, Rofus quietly moved a chess piece.

The conversation halted, and Count Gimlet cleared his throat to restart it.

“By the way… changing the subject, I heard that Lord Raymond has gone missing.”

“…”

Rofus responded with silence to Count Gimlet’s blatant probing.

“Could it be related to the recent attack on the royal capital? I heard you are friends with Lord Raymond. What do you think?”

Rofus frowned in discomfort at the overly direct and rude question.

However, he knew this was likely a trap.

Showing emotions would only give Count Gimlet unnecessary information.

Since he couldn’t gauge how much information Count Gimlet had, Rofus couldn’t afford to make careless statements.

“The attack on the royal capital is exactly as the king announced. No more, no less. As for Raymond, I don’t know.”

“To say you don’t know… that’s rather cold. You were friends, weren’t you?”

“Don’t speak as if it’s in the past. Don’t interpret things as you please.”

Glaring at him, Rofus made Count Gimlet fall silent.

“…I apologize. I have met Lord Raymond myself, and I genuinely believe he is the ideal candidate for the next king. This isn’t flattery, but my true opinion. That’s why we nobles are greatly worried. Such a person has gone missing… and the possibility of him not becoming the next king has arisen.”

The stripping of Asteria’s royal succession rights had not yet been made public, nor had the bleak prospects of Raymond’s succession.

Rofus understood the confusion surrounding the succession due to the recent attack on the royal capital.

After all, Asteria herself had told him about the revocation of her succession rights, and the king had even suggested a marriage meeting with the second princess, Aria, who was now first in line for the throne.

Other candidates for the next king existed within the ducal families, and yet, the proposal came directly to Rofus.

This alone indicated how desperate the king was due to Raymond’s downfall.

In fact, Raymond had numerous supporters, both commoners and nobles.

While there were undoubtedly those who had doubts about Raymond after the recent incident, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were regrets about his potential removal from the line of succession.

However, Rofus eyed Count Gimlet.

“You seem to hold Raymond in high regard. I thought the Gimlet family was in a different faction. When did you switch allegiances?”

There were several factions among the nobles.

Broadly, there were the royalist faction and the noble faction.

Within the noble faction, there were five factions corresponding to the five ducal families.

The Lightless family was neutral, leaning slightly towards the Galleon family.

The Gimlet family belonged to the Vanargand faction.

The Vanargand family was the oldest and most historical of the ducal families.

Count Gimlet, as a great noble overseeing the south, was a leading figure within the Vanargand faction.

Such a count praising Raymond, who belonged to a different faction, was unusual—especially if it was sincere.

“The Gimlet family has always been part of the Vanargand faction. Switching allegiances is akin to betrayal and isn’t done lightly. My high regard for Raymond is purely personal, not for the Galleon family.”

As he spoke, Count Gimlet captured one of Rofus’ pieces, preventing a check.

“So the Gimlet family supports the Vanargand family, but your support for Raymond is personal?”

“Indeed.”

Count Gimlet nodded.

“The current kingdom needs an idealistic king like Raymond.”

“Are you dissatisfied with the state of the kingdom?”

“On the contrary, are you satisfied, Lord Rofus? Everyone harbors some dissatisfaction with the current state.”

“Don’t involve me or others in this. I’m asking about your personal opinion.”

Faced with Rofus’ question, Count Gimlet dropped his faint smile and answered quietly.

“…This isn’t a recent issue, but the current kingdom is corrupt.”

Rofus listened without agreeing or disagreeing to Count Gimlet’s potentially kingdom-critical words.

Count Gimlet moved a piece, capturing Rofus’ black bishop and showing it to him.

“The worst part is the Church of the Six Gods. The upper echelons are filled with people squabbling over donations, pulling each other down—greedy and self-serving individuals.”

Rolling the black bishop onto the stack of gold coins on the table, Count Gimlet pointed at Rofus’ black rook and continued.

“Next are the nobles. The feudal system has become a shell of its former self… Noblesse oblige is a concept of the past—the quality of the nobility has declined to the extent that I can declare this. Of all the nobles I’ve tried to bribe, only Lord Talon and you, Lord Rofus, have refused. It’s deplorable.”

Bribery and acceptance are prohibited by the kingdom’s laws, you know, Count Gimlet added.

Rofus quietly moved a piece and paused.

The decline in the quality of the nobility brought to mind Clinton, who once engaged in selfish tax increases, looting, and abducting citizens, as well as the Steria territory, which had its economy controlled by a mere merchant.

“There is some truth in your words.”

Count Gimlet, pleased with Rofus’ affirmative reaction, spread his hands in joy.

“As I thought, you agree—”

But Rofus cut him off.

“Relying on someone else, like Raymond, for change only shows your own limitations.”

Rofus took Count Gimlet’s piece—the white king—and presented it in front of him.

“If you truly support Raymond, speak of ideals, not criticism. He lives and acts in accordance with his ideals.”

Count Gimlet took the offered king piece, looked at the board, and widened his eyes slightly.

“Checkmate…? When did this happen…?”

At that moment, Talon returned with documents.

Rofus stood up, snatched the documents from Talon, who nearly fell over in fright, and turned to Count Gimlet.

“I will respond to the request for aid. But the dungeon break is a man-made disaster—someone must have neglected the culling of monsters. Have that person’s head ready by the time I return.”

Rofus mercilessly demanded and added.

“And if you want to play chess, at least learn how to move the pieces first.”

With that, Rofus slammed the door shut and left the room.

“We’ve been rejected…”

Count Gimlet shrugged and spoke to the bewildered Talon.

“Were you using your unique piece movements again?”

“Yes. He was quite angry.”

“No wonder…”

Talon’s exasperated voice echoed through the guest room.