The community leader, Koal, was a tall and elderly man. He already had gray hair and dark gray stubble on his chin. He exuded a commanding yet friendly aura. Nero quickly stood up and extended his hand to the man.
Koal looked Nero up and down with a probing gaze. After a brief hesitation, he firmly grasped Nero's hand and shook it vigorously.
"Good day. I'm Koal, Sebastian Koal, the community leader in this area. And you are...?"
"Hello, Mr. Koal!" Nero said formally, then handed Koal the flyer he had brought with him. "My name is Nero Davis. I'm here regarding the tutoring sessions in grammar, writing, and math that you requested at the 44th District Hall!"
Koal's smile widened considerably when he heard the perfect grammar and polite tone in Nero's voice,
"Excellent! Please have a seat. Let's have a little conversation."
Nero nodded and sat back down on the sofa. Koal took a seat across from him on an armchair.
"So," he began, "How long have you been at this Ascension Camp?"
"Only since today. This is my first assignment."
"Ohhh..." he murmured softly, "You're knowledgeable in mathematics?"
Nero smiled warmly. "I think it would be a silly lie to claim something that could be verified so easily, so yes, I know math, from the basics to advanced levels."
Koal nodded approvingly at this answer. "Who taught you that, if I may ask?"
Nero tilted his head slightly to the side. "For the most part, I've acquired this knowledge through my own studies, though my parents laid the foundation. If you're wondering whether I have any formal training…" Nero simply shook his head.
Koal waved it off. "That's fine. In general, basic mathematics that goes beyond simple arithmetic is already uncommon for mortals. After all, universities and schools are a privilege for mages. Only the wealthiest mortals can afford such things."
Nero said nothing, but took note of it inwardly. This only further confirmed how insignificant mortals were in this world.
The next question Koal asked was much harder to answer: "Where are you from?"
Nero hesitated. This was tricky because he couldn't just claim he didn't remember anything, since then his story from earlier wouldn't make sense anymore.
So he had to prove his acting skills once again. He furrowed his brow into deep wrinkles as if he were thinking hard, he quickened his breathing slightly, and then he touched his forehead. He sat there like that until Koal, also frowning, asked him,
"Is everything okay?"
Nero relaxed slightly with a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid I can't remember," he said.
"What do you mean?"
Nero shrugged. "There are big gaps in my memory. I know I grew up in a fairly small village, but I don't remember where. I remember my parents, but not their faces or their voices—just that I had them. It's similar to a lot of my personal knowledge; most of what's left is factual knowledge, like language, biology, chess, and so on. The harder I try to remember the rest, the more painful my headaches get—as if someone were hammering a nail into my head."
Koal was silent for a moment after this description. Many emotions flashed across his eyes one after another—distrust, pity, confusion, curiosity, disappointment, and more—but surprisingly, the man quickly managed to regain his composure. A slight twinkle in his gaze showed Nero that there was more to this person than he let on.
"So you know how to play chess?" he asked after a moment of silence.
This question surprised Nero. He had only mentioned that detail to sound more credible; he hadn't thought that was exactly what his counterpart would pick up on first. Nero sighed inwardly; he was probably overthinking things.
None of these mortals would ever suspect that he was once the ruler of an army of demons, sent through space into this world by an unknown power, having lost all his power and magic in the process, only to run into mages who imprisoned him here.
People might suspect he was hiding something, but never anything like this. Nevertheless, he remained cautious; after all, you could never know who else was listening.
"Yes, I do. Chess offers a brilliant mix of strategy, tactics, and logical thinking. The game requires patience, planning, and the ability to think ahead. It's a great way to train the brain and develop cognitive skills. When you lose at chess, it's solely your fault and has nothing to do with luck or anything like that. Overall, I find it to be an enjoyable pastime."
Koal laughed heartily, "I'm glad I found someone who also appreciates chess as I do."
He stood up and retrieved a small box from a shelf in the back of the room. He brought it forward and placed it on the small table between them. With a soft click, the two locks opened, and the box revealed a chessboard embedded inside.
It had been so long since Nero had seen this game that for a moment, he feared it had changed, but when he saw the familiar pieces arranged in their familiar formation, he breathed a sigh of relief. Chess was one of those strange constants that seemed to be the same in every world.
Although he had never personally used a chess set in another world, he had seen them from time to time. It had been a popular pastime among the more intellectual people, no matter which world they were in.
Once again, Nero wondered how that was possible, since the worlds had so many differences and no contact with one another, yet there were many similarities that kept cropping up over and over again.
The setup appeared to be the same. Nero let Koal play as white and make the first move.
"So... let's play a little. We can chat while playing."
Koal opened the game with Pawn to e4. Nero responded with Pawn to c5. Koal looked surprised at this move.
"This opening is very interesting," Koal said, placing his Knight on f3.
"Well, Nero, you should know that my daughter means a lot to me. It's solely for her sake that I came here in the first place."
Nero placed his knight on c6, asking curiously, "What do you mean?"
Koal placed his second knight on c3 and shook his head in disbelief, "I have been here for fourteen years. When my daughter was born, unfortunately, she didn't pass the test and had no affinity for magic."
Nero moved his pawn to e5, asking, "What is affinity?"
Koal moved his bishop from f1 to c4, shaking his head, "Seems like you really can't remember a lot. Every child undergoes a test at birth that reveals their affinity. Affinity indicates if and how strong your God-given talent for magic is. Everyone in this camp, including you, probably went through this test, but unfortunately, none of us has any magical talent. Only the great lords can grant us their power and cultivate magic within us."
Nero pondered over this while moving his bishop to e7 and asked, "But you seem to live quite well here, don't you?"
Koal moved his pawn to e3, leaning back in his chair and looking at Nero,
"Yes, we live decently. As the community leader, I receive a lot of credit, and we don't have to work much. However, this is not life. We are imprisoned like livestock, with no possibility of leaving this place. As you may have noticed, there are no children in this village. While you can marry, as soon as you have a child, it is taken away, and you are not allowed to see it again. I want my daughter to have a normal and good life."
Nero moved his pawn to d6, asking, "How can this be allowed? We can't even leave this camp?"
Koal leaned forward and moved his knight from f3 to d2, "Every mortal entering this camp must sign a contract beforehand. This contract takes away all your rights to freedom. Not only that, you must agree to give your offspring to the magicians. Essentially, you give up your entire freedom. I don't want that kind of life for my daughter. I want her to be happy, and she won't be in this camp."
Nero moved his knight to f6, saying, "I understand. How long has your daughter been put up for selection?"
Koal moved his knight to f1, "She has been put up for selection for seven consecutive years now. That may sound like a lot of time, but some mortals have been put up for decades in a row, never chosen. I hope my daughter doesn't suffer the same fate..."
Thoughtfully, Nero observed the board for a while and then moved his knight to d5, asking,
"What is magic? I hear so much about it, but no one can really explain it to me."
Koal moved his knight from d7 to b6. He patiently started explaining magic to Nero, but it seemed he didn't know much more than Lars. Nero was disappointed; he had hoped to learn more. Meanwhile, the game continued. They were now on the twenty-ninth move. Nero responded with Rook to f8 in response to Koal's move, Queen to c7.
"You're not bad," Koal acknowledged.
Nero had always been talented in chess, and this game was already decided in his favor. He had gathered some information from Koal, but he was quite disappointed.
Koal moved his pawn to h3, and without hesitation, Nero captured it with his pawn. Sweat formed on Koal's forehead as he moved his pawn to g3. Nero captured it with his second pawn. Koal sadly smiled and leaned back, flicking his king and resigning.
"I haven't had such a good game in a long time!" said Koal, who was satisfied despite his defeat. They discussed a few more things, but nothing worth mentioning. Nero had dodged most of the questions as best he could, and Koal didn't seem to know much more than Lars, yet the conversation had been quite refreshing. Nero was able to glean some new information that might come in handy later.
"Well," Nero looked at Koal questioningly, "so are you satisfied with me?"
Koal thought about it as he stood up, "You certainly have a quick mind, young man, but how much you actually understand about mathematics remains to be seen."
"So may I teach your daughter?" Nero pressed.
Koal waved his hand as he walked out of the room, "Yes, yes, I'll send for her right away. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. I bet you're hungry!"