Bested

"If you don't believe me, how about a challenge?" Little Minos smiled, not at all phased by Rinka's tough exterior.

Seeing the two of them already getting into a fight, Minos and Tinka couldn't help but look at each other with a smile, happy that the two didn't seem to have any awkwardness between them, seemingly getting right into the role of siblings.

"Fine, what do you suggest?"

"Well like my Father always says, violence should always be a last resort, so how about we begin with some chess?"

"Chess, is it? Fine, I've never played before, but I bet I can crush you!" Rinka said with another harrumph.

"Good, then it should be an entertaining match." Little Minos smiled, quickly pulling a board from his spatial ring and setting it up.

Shaking his head slightly, Minos couldn't help but internally admonish his daughter's stubborn nature, already knowing she would lose.

Despite having not seen her for five years, Minos was well-aware of his daughter's personality, which was filled with arrogance.

The biggest difference between the two of them was that Minos had spent five years humbling little Minos, constantly training him both physically and mentally, turning him into a mini-version of himself.

In fact, at the start he wasn't actually that different from Rinka, both of them having an arrogance deep in their bones that made them think they would always win no matter who they faced.

However while Minos had already trained little Minos on how to control and master that arrogance for his own use, Rinka was still controlled by it.

Realizing this, Minos decided he had to create a teaching plan for his daughter, not wanting her to end up dead because she didn't know when to back down.

While he was absorbed in his thoughts, the game started, little Minos giving the first move to Rinka.

Without much thought, Rinka played her move, causing a slight smirk to appear on little Minos's face, as if laughing at her ignorance.

"What's so funny?" She asked, annoyed.

"Nothing, it's just a curious move is all." Little Minos smiled, proceeding to make his own move.

Like that, under the eyes of Minos and Tinka, the two played a game, though with every move it was getting more and more obvious who was going to win.

"Checkmate." Little Minos said as he placed his final move.

"How?!" Rinka shouted, looking at the board over and over to try and understand where she went wrong.

"Rinka, no matter how long you look, you won't understand, simply because your mistakes go much further back than just one move." Minos spoke as he stood above the board, using his incredible memory to play the game in reverse.

As he slowly rewinded the board, Minos explained every single one of Rinka's mistakes, her eyes getting wider as she realized just how thoroughly she had been crushed.

Finally, as the board was pretty much restored to its original state, Minos pointed towards Rinka's very first move, grabbing her attention.

"Rinka, life, much like this board, isn't just a series of unconnected events, but rather one long chain where every choice dictates your future position."

"However, just like life, not every choice is split between good or bad, and this move of yours could have been good, but the decisions you made afterwards ruined that opportunity."

"You play very haphazardly, simply making whichever move comes to mind at the moment, but that kind of strategy will get you killed one day. Instead you have to think ten, a hundred, a thousand, as many moves ahead as you can!"

"Chess isn't a game of the present, it's one of the future, and your biggest weakness is your lack of foresight, understand?"

"I get it! So I just need to think?" Rinka said as she rubbed her chin.

"Easier said than done." Little Minos snarkily added.

"You!" Rinka growled, nearly jumping at him.

"See how easy it is for him to annoy you? You can't be triggered so easily, or else you'll always fall into your opponents rhythm instead of your own. Take deep breaths and keep calm." Minos reminded.

"Right… Sorry dad." Rinka said as she looked down, a bit ashamed by her performance.

"Don't worry Father, I'll personally see to it that this sister of mine is as capable as me one day." Little Minos smiled.

"Hmph, I don't need your help." Rinka quickly responded.

"Even if you don't like someone, if they offer to help you, you should take it. The opportunity to learn is a rare and golden one, so never refuse it."

"I understand…" Rinka gave in, causing little Minos to smile at her, which again nearly caused her to explode.

Fortunately, after remembering her dad's advice, she took a deep breath and calmed back down, which caused little Minos to nod appreciatively.

"By the way, I still don't know your name." Rinka spoke after calming down.

"It's Minos, though given that the name is already taken, you can just call me Mino." Little Minos replied.

"Minos? Your mom really named you after dad? That's pretty stupid."

"Well to be fair, she thought she'd never see my father again, which in a way, she was right about."

"Wait, so your mom still doesn't know about my dad, how come?" Rinka asked curiously.

"That isn't something you need to know about Rinka, just remember not to tell anyone who your father is or how he looks, lest we get in trouble." Tinka said, scolding her daughter for asking too much.

"Okay, I'll keep quiet!"

"Good, then how about the four of us go to the lounge and have some fun." Minos smiled.

"Yayyy!" Rinka shouted, happy to finally do something more her speed.

…

"It was very nice meeting you two." Little Minos said with a bow, a long day having come to an end.

"Well aren't you a polite boy." Tinka said, squeezing little Minos's cheeks uncontrollably.

"Uhh, I try." Little Minos said with an awkward smile, relieved when Tinka finally let go.

"Even though you're kind of annoying, as my new little brother, I'll take care of you, so if anyone bullies you, let me know!" Rinka said, being nice in her own unique way.

"I'll be sure to give you a call then." Little Minos smiled, quite fond of this quirky sister of his.

"Well then son, have a good night, and also try and run that project I was talking about through the emperor first, wouldn't want to make any moves that may irritate him."

"Will do. Goodnight everyone." Little Minos said with a wave, before leaving the large estate, his guards appearing out of the shadows as he left the mansion behind.

"So, what do you think of this new brother of yours?" Minos asked his daughter.

"He's okay, a bit boring though. All he wants to talk about is cultivation or business, there's more to life than just work, ya'know!"

"Well he isn't like you, he's got an empire to run in the future, so I doubt he has much time to fool around like you do." Tinka said with a giggle.

"Hey, what I do isn't fooling around, it's practice!"

"Oh yeah, practice for what?"

"You know, fighting and stuff… Anyways, I gotta go to bed!" Rinka mumbled for a moment before quickly running off.

Looking at each other, Minos and Tinka couldn't help but laugh, amused by their daughters' behavior.

"Shall we also head to bed?" Tinka asked.

"You go ahead, I've got to do something first." Minos said.

"Alright, take your time." Tinka smiled, giving her husband a kiss before heading off.

Smiling, Minos stood still for a moment, basking in all the blessings he's received, before suddenly snapping his fingers.

"Master." A shadowy figure said as they appeared from beyond the darkness.

"Have the resources arrived?"

"Yes, I made sure to personally guard the envoy, and fortunately I haven't failed your expectations."

"Well done, then prepare my cultivation chamber, and make sure to guard it thoroughly, I don't want to be disturbed."

"As commanded." The figure said, before vanishing once more.

Whistling a tune, Minos headed down the long hallways of the estate before arriving at a massive library that held tens of thousands of books.

Walking along the towering bookshelves, Minos came across one book before giving it a tug, causing a section of the shelf to open outwards, revealing a secret tunnel.

Walking down, Minos soon came across a small underground chamber, the only thing within it being a small cushion to sit on, and a wooden table with a single spatial ring.