Chapter 41:
A Game Of Magical Chairs
“Well, first of all, thank you for your help, John. I’m happy to announce that thanks to you, all seven chairs have been recovered.” Kei did a little clap, but it didn’t cheer him up. Not even a little bit.
“What will happen to Leyla?” he asked in concern.
“Leyla? Well… I guess she did get herself into quite the issue.”
Leyla had been using a lot of magic during the heist. She hadn’t reached the same level of magic as she used to. That must cause her to run out at the worst possible time.
“What will happen to her?”
“She’ll return, eventually.”
“Eventually?”
Kei tilted her head. “... A month, probably.”
“Couldn’t she teleport away once enough of her magic returned?”
“That’s the thing, John. Laikaat aren’t like humans. Their magic doesn't just return. Once they run out, it will take much longer to recover.”
“Wait… so she’ll be stuck there?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Leyla told him that she would be fine. Was this what she meant? If not, then…
“Leyla… stuck there for a month.”
Back when John had first entered the mansion, he was guided by the maid. He recalled the prison cells within the mansion’s grounds. It didn’t look comfortable.
… She sacrificed herself… so we can be free?
As a laikaat, she might be more resistant to whatever they did down there. The same couldn’t be said for John and Isak.
Did she really think that far?
“Now, about your reward.”
Leyla’s words brought John’s attention back toward her. With a swing of her hand, all seven chairs appeared in front of him. They were arranged in a circle, but with one extra chair in their midst.
“Here are all the chairs you can pick. Choose one as your reward.”
“An eight chair?”
It was a simple, rough wooden chair. He felt he had seen that chair somewhere before. It wasn’t part of the seven chairs he was tasked to recover, that's for sure.
A wooden chair… where did I see that before?
It felt familiar, as if it was calling for him, begging him to pick it.
“That eight chair… what is that?”
“It’s a chair so familiar to you. You can say that it’s the chair that started your journey.”
“The chair that started my journey…” John gasped, realizing which chair that one was.
“I’ll pick that one,” he said immediately upon his realization.
“Now hold on a moment,” Kei said. “How about we play a game?”
“A game? But… I’ve done all you asked of me.”
“Don’t worry.” Kei waved her hand. “You won’t lose. There’s no zonk in this game.”
John gulped, not sure if he could trust her words. Still, he didn’t have much of an option. He couldn’t decline.
“What game?”
Kei flicked her fingers. A radio appeared in the empty air. “How about a game of magical chairs?”
“... Alone?”
Musical chairs is a game typically played by a group larger than the number of chairs present. People would rush to take a chair. The one who didn’t sit down would be eliminated. It would repeat until only one person remained sitting. There should be at least nine people playing.
“Correct. I’ll start the music, then when I stop the music, you sit down. The chair you sit down on will be removed.”
“... What’s the point of playing this game, then?”
Since he was alone, he could just pick a chair and sit on any of the other chairs. He didn’t have to fight for that chair. He could just sit down.
“Come on, it’s fun. Isn’t that enough?”
“... This is a sick joke.”
He was concerned with Leyla’s fate, yet she asked him to play this game.
Wait… Why am I concerned about her in the first place?
At the end of the day, she was just his ‘ally’. Someone who accompanied him to get the chairs. Once all the chairs had been recovered, her mission would be over. She would wait for her magic to return, then teleport back. There was no need for him to be concerned.
And yet…
“It’s a joke, but not a sick one,” Kei laughed. He would still be getting the chair he wanted. All he needed to do was pick one. Pick one, then sit on the others. Simple enough. Since he played on his own, he could take his time. If he changed his mind, he could move.
“Alright, let the games begin.”
Kei played the radio. He noticed that it sounded familiar.
Where have I heard this song…
When the song hit its chorus, he realized. It was the same song Leyla hummed during their journey. The song that she heard from her sister. As it echoed through the empty space, John began circling the chairs.
Which should I get rid of first?
The order he got rid of them shouldn’t matter, especially since he already knew which chair he wanted. The music stopped. He picked the red chair first. It started a fight between him and Leyla, and he didn’t give him anything in return. It was the most useless of them all.
“Alright, that’s the first chair gone.”
Once John stood up, the chair disappeared. The music continued, and he targeted the second chair. The pink chair, the first chair they recovered when they arrived in this world.
I can earn respect and love with money, so this one isn’t needed.
He stood up, and the chair disappeared. The remaining chairs moved and tightened up. The music continued. John quickly picked his next chair. Once the song stopped, he sat down on the yellow chair. He assumed it had something to do with food. He could buy food with money, or he could use his own skills gained from the black chair to cook it. It wasn’t an important chair. He could live without it.
Three chairs gone, five remaining.
Next, the white chair. He wasn’t sure what this chair did. When he sat down on it, Ellie started acting in fear around him. She didn’t act like that in front of a noble.
It must be related to fear or respect.
Another thing money could buy.
Then, the gray chair. Same reason.
Three chairs remaining.
Which should I get rid of first?
Both the black chair and the green chair were incredibly useful. Sitting on the green chair would allow him to get a lot of money, while the black chair would make him good at anything he did. Both were powerful, and both could be achieved with just one of the chairs. He could sell artwork or do difficult jobs to create money using the black chair. If he had the green chair, then he wouldn’t need to work, allowing him to improve his skills.
Should I… No.
He shook the idea away. He already made his choice. He wouldn’t change it now. The music stopped.
Figuring he would feel more pride if he worked on those skills, he sat down on the black chair, getting rid of it. Now, two chairs remain. The green chair? Or the ugly, rough, terrible, old, and meaningless wooden brown chair?
Which one would he pick? Which one to sit on, which one to keep?
The music restarted, and John continued his walk, circling the two chairs.
If I picked the green chair and sat down on the brown chair… I’ll live a comfortable life. But…
But was money the thing he wanted? Would that be the true solution to his peaceful life? Was this… what he truly wanted?
The music stopped right as John passed the brown chair. It was closer. Sitting on the brown chair would be easier. All he needed to do was put himself down. After that, he wouldn’t need to work for a day in his life. He could enjoy living. He could enjoy what the world has to offer. All he needed to do was sit down.
“... Didn’t you promise Leyla that you’ll give her this chair?” he asked, pointing to the brown chair.
Kei nodded. “But you know about how laikaats couldn’t easily leave and enter this place without permission, right?”
Leyla came to that world with him on a mission. Once it ended, she would return.
“How about this? If you get the brown chair, I’ll give Leyla the chance to do whatever she wants, to be wherever she wants to be. Whether this place or that world, she gets to pick.”
This… This chair isn’t for me.
I don’t get anything by selecting this chair.
And if I don’t pick this chair, then Leyla will get it anyway.
I should pick the green chair.
I’ll be happier that way.
Our relationship only extends to us being allies, working for the same goal.
Once that goal is achieved, there’s no reason for us to stay together.
Yes, this is a logical decision.
I’m picking the green chair because it’s the best choice.
John sat down on the green chair, resting his back on the backrest. Once he stood back up, he knew he would never have the chance to sit on it ever again. He would never know the true abilities of this chair. How much money he could make, how great his life would be.
He had abandoned all those thoughts.
He heaved a sigh. He made his choice. An illogical choice.
“Are you sure?” Kei asked.
“Yes.”
“... Well, okay then.”
John stood up. Kei flicked her fingers, and the green chair disappeared, leaving the brown chair floating in space.
“It’s yours now.”
John stared at it. It was too late to change his mind. It was too late for regrets. Now, he needed to complete what he set out to do. To return this chair to its rightful owner.
“Congratulations, Kei. Now, do what you need to do.”
“Yes, thank you.”
John closed his eyes.
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