“So in the end, the Tower Master has withdrawn his decision.”
“Honestly, it was too… risky. We all know how costly it is to maintain that board game, but still, it’s the symbol of our tower.”
“You don’t understand. The tower’s finances have already reached their limit. The Tower Master made a wise decision….”
“But Master.”
“There is no ‘but’. He merely made a choice for everyone’s sake. Yet, for the sake of his public reputation, he’s stepping down from his position as Tower Master. I’m only worried about him. Though, who knows… how things will turn out.”
Olphin the Tower Master arranged this time by convincing the tower elders and mages.
Because his reputation was sky-high, whether people were for or against selling the board game, everyone gathered in one large lecture hall.
In reality, even though there were more than a hundred mages from the Arkhe Tower all in one place, there was only one topic of discussion.
The giant board game and the Tower Master Olphin.
And the young man named Kyle Byron.
“Kyle Byron… It must be that Byron Viscounty I know of, the one that was recently elevated to Viscounty.”
“I’ve heard a lot about William Byron being one of the Empire’s outstanding talents, and apparently his eldest child graduated top of the entire academy.”
“But who is Kyle…? Never heard of him. Perhaps the second son? Or the third?”
“…If it’s a board game made by some nobody like that, I can already guess how it’ll turn out without even looking.”
Public opinion was not good. In fact, it couldn’t be good.
All the mages knew was the rumor that a cheeky young man had somehow sweet-talked the Tower Master, who had been prepared to sacrifice everything for the greater good, into changing his mind.
Some pointed out that the name Kyle was unknown, and some frowned at the very act of trying to scam the Tower Master they respected.
But in the end, aside from a few individuals, none of them had actually met or even spoken with Kyle.
It was natural, then, that everyone’s attention focused on Adela who sat at the very front of the lecture hall.
“Adela, is it true? That the Tower Master played that Kyle person’s board game for over thirteen hours…?”
“It’s true, Elder. But we still don’t know if it’s genuine.”
“What do you mean by genuine?”
“We can’t be certain that Kyle actually created that board game. From what I observed, it was quite a high-level game.”
“Is that so…?”
“Adela, Adela. But he brought a letter from the Duke of Everts, right? If the Duchy acknowledged him, doesn’t that mean he’s got some real skill?”
“Even that letter from the Duke of Everts is questionable. If they truly intended to send someone representing another noble family, wouldn’t it be normal for one of the Duke’s attendants to accompany him? It’s only because we were pressed for time that we didn’t perform cross-verification.”
“That’s possible.”
“So, what was this Kyle person like, from what you’ve seen?”
“…I’m not sure, Elder.”
Indeed.
Adela still didn’t know.
Despite threatening him with illusions, Kyle had an oddly confident demeanor.
Even after she visited him again to dissuade him, the Tower Master said they should at least hear him out.
Adela was extremely confused. The wisest person she knew appeared to be swayed by something that looked like a blatant scam.
That was why Adela wore her usual blank expression but carried a fierce determination inside.
Any moment now, that swindler would come spouting nonsense about illusions or board games.
She intended to refute every single word. And then she would order him to leave the tower at once.
Right after making that resolve and clenching her teeth—
“They’re here!”
“….…!”
Creak.
The lecture hall door opened, and the previously boisterous room fell silent in an instant.
Three people entered. It was Tower Master Olphin, Kyle Byron, and his maid.
Leading the way, Olphin cleared his throat briefly and surveyed the mages who filled the hall.
“Everyone, thank you for coming despite my sudden request.”
“Not at all, Tower Master!”
“We’re doing it for the Arkhe Tower!”
“Anything you say, Tower Master!!”
Though it was largely a matter of formality, the mages’ response was ecstatic.
That showed the status Olphin held within the tower, and at the same time, it served as pressure.
A warning that if someone dared to deceive this Tower Master they so respected, that person wouldn’t leave unscathed.
But standing behind him, Kyle Byron and his maid seemed completely calm.
Adela didn’t like that.
“You must know why we’ve gathered here. Our tower is currently facing an unprecedented deficit crisis.”
“…..…”
“…..…”
“…..…”
“As a solution, we planned to sell the giant board game that was once a symbol of the tower… but this young man who claims to be a representative of the Duke of Everts suggested another method. Instead of the current board game, he wants to recreate the old trend by using illusions to introduce a new board game.”
“The trend from a hundred years ago…?”
“Other than the Tower Master, does anyone here remember that time?”
“A few of the elders up front were around back then.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I understand everyone’s concerns. So for now, just hear him out. Then… Kyle?”
“I’ll speak from here on.”
Hearing for the first time that Kyle’s plan was to bring back the popularity of the giant board game caused a stir among the mages.
As Olphin stepped aside, Kyle Byron who was still composed came forward.
Grit.
At the same time, Adela gritted her teeth in frustration at his infuriating composure and Kyle began to speak.
“I am Kyle Byron, the third son of the Byron Viscounty and here as the representative of the Duke of Everts, as well as a board game creator.”
“A board game creator…?”
“Now that you mention it, I heard the Tower Master was quite engrossed in this young man’s board game.”
“I would love to introduce to you all the game that even the Tower Master enjoyed so much… but since the matter at hand is urgent, I’ll get straight to the point.”
The point.
As soon as that word left his mouth, Kyle turned his head to meet the gaze of Tower Master Olphin.
At that, the Tower Master nodded his head and cast a spell—
Wooong.
“What… is this?”
“A tower…?”
“This is Jenga.”
What the Tower Master’s illusion created was a tower built from long wooden blocks.
Three long blocks were placed side by side to form a single layer, and another three blocks were stacked perpendicularly on top of that layer.
The tower built in this manner reached high enough to touch the ceiling of the lecture hall.
The mages, who had been expecting a traditional board game where pieces were moved around on a game board, looked bewildered.
“The rules for Jenga are simple. You pick one of these stacked wooden blocks and pull it out without causing the tower to collapse.”
“Without collapsing it…? Wouldn’t it naturally fall apart if you pull one out?”
“No… look at the structure. It’s simple, but the center of gravity is stable. If you pick one of the middle blocks or one that’s firmly set, you can pull it out without a problem.”
“Then what do you do with the block you pull out?”
“Each player, on their turn, continues pulling out blocks. The tower will become more and more fragile as the game progresses. And here’s the key. The block you pull out must be placed back on top of the tower.”
“Placing it back on top? You can’t mean—”
“Interesting… It’s not just about pulling the blocks out; the process of placing them back on top is part of the game too. And during that process, the tower could collapse.”
“Hoo…?”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad.
The rules were so simple that not understanding them would be strange, and as the game progressed, players would have to carefully think about which block to pull out, which would create great tension.
Even just imagining the game after hearing the rules gave a sense of how fun it could be.
However, the core of Jenga, as Kyle explained, lay in a different aspect.
“Stacking that into an illusion…? Into a tower even larger than this place?”
“…If the player designates a block with their finger, it could be removed with magic. Watching blocks far larger than a person being pulled out would be quite exciting.”
“And imagine such a giant tower collapsing. Wouldn’t that be a spectacular sight? Since it’s all an illusion, there’d be no risk of anyone getting hurt.”
“…I have to admit, the game creator is more capable than I thought.”
Among the mages, murmurs of approval began to spread. A few of them even started trying to replicate small-scale Jenga with their magic.
Even those who had doubted Kyle’s abilities, including the stubborn elders, nodded their heads in quiet acknowledgment.
But the atmosphere, which seemed to be flowing smoothly, was disrupted by a white-haired girl with a blank expression.
“I have a question.”
“As many as you like.”
“This game called Jenga… isn’t it originally meant to be played at a small size? Something that could even fit on a table?”
“…How did you know that?”
For a moment, surprise flickered across Kyle’s face, but Adela didn’t react much.
As much as I hate to admit it, it is a good game. It is… but.
When carefully thinking about and analyzing this game called Jenga, there was a flaw worth pointing out.
“It seems to me that the charm of this game lies in finding the right block and physically pulling it out yourself.”
“That’s correct.”
“But in the Jenga implemented as an illusion, you cannot touch the blocks. Players will only be able to designate the block they want to remove, but they won’t be able to physically pull it out themselves.”
“…Hmm.”
“Naturally, the thrill of pulling out the blocks yourself would be diminished. Moreover, when removing the blocks, it would be the mage manipulating the illusion. How exactly would you determine whether the block was removed successfully or if the tower collapsed? When played at its original small size, there are natural variables like shaky hands, tension, or mistakes. But if it’s handled through an illusion, the process becomes subject to manipulation.”
Adela fired off her words like a rapid barrage with her eyes blazing with intensity.
She acknowledged Jenga as a good game. If it were at the smaller size she described, it would be a masterpiece, nearly flawless.
However, now that it was being created as an illusion and required to be on a massive scale, certain conditions came into play. In such a special scenario, one would have to study and adapt the board game to fit those conditions.
In that sense, Jenga failed to meet the mark.
“If it’s like a traditional chess game where players simply move pieces, that would be fine. However, as you mentioned, Jenga is a game where the tactile sensation of physically pulling out and stacking blocks is important. From that perspective, it seems insufficient as an alternative for the Magic Tower.”
“…Indeed, there’s nothing wrong about Adela’s point.”
“I have a question as well. If you make the tower huge, even if you manage to stack the blocks on top again, wouldn’t it be hard to see the top? Does that even make sense?”
“Now that I think about it, there’s another concern. In the end, the most important part of a board game is a victory or defeat that everyone can agree on. But if you’re implementing the process of removing blocks through an illusion, and the tower collapses, would anyone willingly accept that? As Adela mentioned, once players aren’t physically pulling out the blocks themselves, there would need to be a standard that everyone can agree on to determine whether the tower collapses or not.”
“The elders are right. And even if we set a standard there, it will be ambiguous to call it a board game where players will just choose blocks based on that standard.”
“Kyle Byron! Answer us!”
“……………”
Good.
Though she kept her expression neutral, Adela inwardly smiled.
She had to admit, he wasn’t just the predictable swindler she had expected him to be. Kyle Byron was a more capable game creator than she had given him credit for.
However, it was also true that the game he had stayed up all night working on was unsuited for the Magic Tower’s situation.
Now, Adela didn’t even need to speak anymore. The mages weren’t fools. Once she set the tone, they quickly identified multiple problems and began raising questions.
It was a checkmate. In the end, Kyle Byron failed to prove himself with results.
Now, I just need to convince the Tower Master again….
“—As expected, the mages are truly remarkable.”
…Huh?
Clap. Clap. Clap.
He was clearly cornered. The flaws in the board game he had agonized over all night were exposed, so he should have been struggling.
And yet, Kyle Byron simply smiled and clapped as though he were genuinely impressed.
Just before Adela who was feeling mocked could rise from her seat—
“Shall we move on to the next candidate?”
“………Huh?”
“The next board game is called Kyle… Monopoly. Players move across various spaces by rolling dice and buy land—”
Wait.
Hold on.
“W-Wait a moment.”
“Adela? Is there a problem?”
“Are you saying… you didn’t prepare just one board game?”
No way.
He hadn’t just prepared one?
And on top of that, games as well-designed as the Jenga they just saw?
“Is that so? Well, of course. Jenga was merely a candidate. It’s just that the mages of Arkhe are so outstanding that you’ve already pointed out all the flaws I was planning to mention afterward.”
“Ahem, ahem. This young man certainly knows how to flatter.”
“Our Tower does have a knack for insight, doesn’t it?”
“More importantly, continue! That ‘Kyle Monopoly’ sounds more interesting to me than Jenga!”
“Yes! Then I’ll continue. Players move across spaces, buy land, and construct buildings. If we replicate this through illusions…”
Ah.
Adela, who had been about to rise from her seat, slumped back into her chair as if she was drained of energy.
At that moment, one thought filled her mind.
…Just how much did he prepare?
“Impressive. But… Kyle Byron? I have a personal question for you.”
“It’s an honor to be asked by an elder of the Magic Tower.”
“I like that answer. So, how many board games did you prepare? If it’s a significant number, we might need to jot them down as you explain. And was there a specific standard for selecting them?”
The number and the criteria.
If there was a weakness in either of those, she might be able to find a way to corner him, even if it meant forcing the issue.
With a faint glimmer of hope, Adela’s eyes lit up once more.
“There are 37 in total.”
“…You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying, Adela. And as for the criteria, I set them rather strictly. As you pointed out earlier, they needed to meet the unique standards appropriate for the Arkhe Tower.”
In the end, Adela, though the results were still pending, had no choice but to quietly shut her mouth.
“First, let’s talk about the visual aspect. Illusions, which can achieve anything, and their large scale are most effective when they overwhelm people with grandeur. In that regard, I excluded games that relied on physical interaction or cards. Instead, I prioritized board games like Jenga or Kyle Monopoly, which emphasize visual magnificence and scale.”
“……………”
“Next is the uniqueness of illusions. As Adela mentioned, illusions cannot be directly influenced by the player. Therefore, I had to exclude games that required active player participation. I also left out games that might involve complications in the rules or determining winners and losers. Taking all this into consideration, I realized that illusions should remain a supplementary element of the game and not directly interfere with it.”
“………….”
“And the turnover rate of the game is another factor to consider. Complex strategy games perfectly align with the unique characteristics of these illusions, but it’s not uncommon for a single round to take several hours. We need to popularize large-scale board games and to do that, we have to involve as many participants as possible. Games that take too long for a single round are excluded. In that sense, while Kyle Monopoly also takes a fair amount of time, I intentionally revised the rules to make the victory conditions much simpler—”
Kyle Byron, who was a self-proclaimed board game creator and someone Adela firmly believed to be a swindler,
He was proving his sincerity not through the results, but through the process.
“………….”
Even Adela, who considered the Magic Tower her home, couldn’t deny his passionate demeanor.
She was left speechless.
He was just so genuinely enthusiastic, passionately explaining the 37 board games with an expression that showed how much he enjoyed it.
“Now, let’s move on to the next board game! This time, I brought a really fun strategy game, completely setting aside the turnover rate……!!”
“……………….”
Adela could do nothing but…
…. blankly stare at Kyle Byron.
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