The Best Defense Is Offense! 2/3

On the long, tedious night, Samael and Jason finished the Honey Wine in their bottles, then dragged their old friend to the captain's cabin to pass the time with a game of chess.

Unfortunately, after several rounds, Jason, a terrible chess player, had barely won a single game. Though his moves were bold and often unexpected, he was more like a gambler trying to win back his losses than a competent player.

As the saying went, nine out of ten gamblers lost. In a game like chess, which placed even greater emphasis on mental prowess, relying on probability and audacity to defy the odds was undoubtedly far more difficult.

Thus, Samael won without any pressure and gained little sense of accomplishment from it.

It was a pity that high-level players like Gilgamesh, Athena, and Themis were absent. Otherwise, this pastime might have been rather interesting.

After being battered black and blue on the chessboard, Jason's gambler's competitiveness was finally aroused. With a roll of his eyes, he activated the Magic Formations aboard the Argo and summoned his cousin Odysseus for some shameless outside assistance.

To make the game more difficult, Samael turned a blind eye to Odysseus's whispered advice and calmly faced the two of them alone.

It had to be said that Odysseus truly deserved his reputation as a strategist. His arrangements were rigorous, and he actually managed to trade moves with Samael evenly.

But Samael had been repeatedly thrashed by three masters—Gilgamesh, Athena, and Themis. He had dealt with players of every type and relied on his extensive experience and deep bag of tricks. Against the generally conservative Odysseus, he could still win more often than he lost.

However, as the two sides exchanged move after move in a deadlock, Jason was unwilling to remain a mere tool