How much time had passed since the mages of the Arkhe Magic Tower listened to Kyle Byron’s presentation?
In just three days, the tower had become lively in many ways.
Of course, in a good way.
“Elder, if we show illusions like this, wouldn’t it be possible to play Jenga too?”
“We tried it a few times with illusions, but then we ended up handcrafting it ourselves. Jenga isn’t suitable for illusion-based implementation. It’s one of those games that’s the most fun when played directly.”
“But it was fun… I mean, there’s not much entertainment to be found here in the tower anyway.”
“Rather than that, I think it would be better to construct this ‘Magic Maze’ across an entire floor. Wouldn’t that be the most effective approach?”
“Uh, when the game creator mentioned that idea, not many people seemed to like it… This just seems like the elder’s personal taste—”
“If you don’t like it, why don’t you take over as elder?”.
Seven years of continuous deficits.
At first, only a few people knew about it, but when the losses dragged on for years, it was impossible for everyone not to notice.
The Arkhe Magic Tower had been slowly sinking.
To overcome this, Tower Master Olpin had made what he called a desperate last resort decision on its behalf.
In such an atmosphere, there was one common thought shared among everyone:
—The glory of Arkhe was over.
Even if they sold off the giant board game and managed to temporarily resolve the deficit, it was clear that such a solution wouldn’t last for decades. Without a fundamental solution, the tower would inevitably fall back into the deficit.
No, in fact, by the time they sold off the tower’s symbol item just to alleviate the deficit, they had already begun to question whether Arkhe could remain one of the six great Magic Towers.
Arkhe looked like a sinking ship, and naturally the tower’s mages who were overwhelmed by the gloomy atmosphere had become quieter and more withdrawn.
But now, things were different.
“Vermilly, I understand that you’re hooked on this board game called Catan, but implementing it as an illusion would cost more maintenance funds than we currently have. Shouldn’t we avoid additional expenses when we’re not even sure if it will succeed?”
“I know that. But Catan is truly a phenomenal game…! You’ve experienced it yourself when we made a rough version and played it! A game of lords ruling over islands! How could I possibly give up on that?”
“That may be true, but didn’t the creator himself express concerns? Never mind the other issues, if each game takes two or three hours to complete, people will just watch for a bit and then leave instead of it gaining popularity.”
“Ugh…! At this point, I have no choice but to try revising the rules myself!!”
The once stagnant Magic Tower was now bustling, busy demonstrating various illusions. Many were testing out the board games Kyle had mentioned or trying to refine them further.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the 37 board games had revived the Magic Tower’s energy.
A once-unknown young man who was once dismissed as a scammer had proposed a staggering 37 board games. And each one was of considerable quality.
Particularly, there were over five complex strategy games among them, leading the mages to believe these were the culmination of all the board games Kyle had devised in his entire life.
And that belief was expressed aloud:
“The game creator is amazing. Who would’ve thought he’d lay out the entirety of his life’s work for a Magic Tower he has no connection to?”
“But none of those games have been released to the public, have they? Isn’t it more likely that he came up with the ideas and used our tower to actually realize them?”
“So what? If he’s saving us now, then it’s a small price to pay. Plus, he explained all the rules to us. If any of us were to steal his ideas and manufacture them, he’d be the one losing out. But he shared everything openly.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Regardless of his age, he’s undoubtedly talented. The game creator is probably younger than you, so what were you doing at his age?”
“I was studying magic under my master!”
It was enough to make the mages of the tower trust Kyle as a person.
At this point, there wasn’t a single mage who doubted that Kyle was genuinely invested in solving the tower’s problems.
Especially Kyle Byron himself, who was being referred to as “the game creator” and had earned significant recognition among the tower’s mages.
“Tower Master, is it possible to make a more detailed illusion? Here, on the robe surrounded by skulls…”
“I could manage it, but considering that other mages need to be able to replicate it, achieving a higher level of quality would be difficult. Also, don’t stand too close. Since it’s ultimately an application of light and shadow, the illusion will blur if it’s obscured by shadows.”
“What about text? Could we create something like an instruction manual as an illusion?”
“That… could be done. But if it’s multiple pages, having them float around might feel chaotic.”
“Don’t worry. One page will be enough.”
…Kyle had been working tirelessly on the board game, almost without rest, for three days and nights.
It should have been the mages of the Arkhe Tower, including Tower Master Olphin, who felt the most urgency about this project. Yet, Kyle had thrown himself into it more passionately than anyone else, as though it was his own responsibility.
What was even more surprising was how his maid, acting as if this were just routine, used magic to keep him clean, brought him meals, and otherwise tended to him.
At the moment, Kyle was talking to Tower Master Olphin, but he had also consulted with many others, such as elders, young mages, and even the clerks in charge of paperwork, as he researched and tested suitable board game ideas.
And amidst all of this, Adela…
Adela was the only one who found herself somewhat out of place.
“…………….”
She had already apologized to Kyle. She had told him she was sorry for misunderstanding his sincerity. He had brushed it off as if it were nothing, but the way he did so only left Adela feeling even more unsettled.
Still, Adela couldn’t move past it.
While her colleagues, seniors, juniors, and mentors alike all approached Kyle, testing the board games and exchanging ideas, she simply stood silently in the background.
It wasn’t because she was ashamed, nor because she refused to acknowledge Kyle.
It was just that…
“Adela.”
“…Tower Master.”
“May I sit here for a moment?”
“…Of course.”
At some point, Tower Master Olphin had walked over to her and taken a seat on the sofa beside her. Adela sat down as well, following his lead.
Meanwhile, over by Kyle’s side, the elders, Vermilly, and several young mages had gathered around him in a small cluster, engrossed in their activities.
Voices filled with admiration, sighs, smiles, concern and enthusiasm reached her ears, accompanied by the lively actions of the participants.
As Adela watched the lively scene unfold, her gaze eventually dropped and her head bowed slightly.
“Does he not sit well with you?”
“…Huh?”
“I’m speaking of Kyle Byron.”
“I… what do you mean?”
“It’s all right to be honest.”
“…………….”
Tower Master Olphin wore the same gentle smile as always.
That smile, the one she had known since she was a child, caused Adela to…
“…Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
“…No. I don’t… I don’t really know.”
It was just…
She just didn’t like it.
The overreaction when he was first guided to the guest room.
When he demonstrated his abilities in front of the Tower’s mages.
And now, the way he was monopolizing everyone’s attention…. everything about him.
She just didn’t like it.
Without even knowing why, Adela disliked Kyle.
“I think I know the reason.”
“…Do you really?”
“You’re jealous.”
“Jealous…?”
“You’re jealous because you feel like your home and family have been taken from you. It’s a feeling you don’t even realize you have… because I raised you poorly.”
“That’s absolutely not true. Tower Master, you have—”
“I raised you to be a great mage, but I failed to raise you as an ordinary child.”
With a soft sound, Tower Master Olphin pulled a picture from his robe and smiled faintly.
It was a sorrowful smile filled with regret and some unknown emotion.
“Do you know why I chose to go along with Kyle Byron’s plan?”
“…Wasn’t it because you found his board game to your liking?”
To the extent that you played it for over 13 hours straight. Could there even be another reason?
Momentarily at a loss for words, Tower Master Olphin cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Well… yes, that’s true. But listen. I’ve lived a long time and traveled to many places in this world. Right now, the Empire only recognizes one major board game, but if you go to certain regions or remote villages, you’ll find games unique to those places. If I had wanted, I could have chosen one of those instead of Kyle Byron’s game.”
“…But.”
“But I chose Kyle Byron. And that’s because… he’s a man who shines.”
“A man who… shines?”
Shines?
Adela turned to look at Kyle upon hearing those words, but there was nothing shining about him.
What exactly was the Tower Master talking about?
Bearing that question in mind, she looked at Tower Master Olphin once more, but he regretted precisely that action of hers.
“Adela, you are too mechanical. That is a great quality for a mage… but not for someone who has just turned twenty.”
“…………….”
“That’s why it had to be Kyle Byron. He is a young man who poured everything into what he loves.”
Adela was still a child, whereas Kyle was a young man.
She pondered where that minor difference stemmed from, but no matter how hard she thought, she could not understand.
She simply watched Kyle Byron’s back, just as Tower Master Olphin did.
“Adela, do you have something you truly love?”
“The revival of the Arkhe Tower and spreading its magic far and wide.”
“That’s not what I’d call ‘loving’ something. A goal and loving something are different.”
“They are… different?”
“Yes. You might not fully understand yet… and that’s likely my fault.”
It was a wistful remark. At the same time, it was something Adela could not understand.
Suddenly, Adela asked Tower Master Olphin one question.
“Tower Master, then what is it that I am supposedly jealous of?”
“………….”
“Tower Master?”
“…Finding that out would be your first step.”
“…………….”
“Let’s be off now. It seems that young man must have finished by now.”
“…Huh?”
An exclamation escaped from among the mages gathered around Kyle.
“Oh, oooh… this is the Tower Master’s illusion…!!”
“It’s amazingly elaborate. And what is this stone tablet…?”
“You’ll find out in due time. Tower Master Olphin?”
“I’m right here.”
Step. Step.
Tower Master Olphin rose from his seat and approached Kyle Byron. Kyle too lifted the corners of his mouth, as if he had just finished making preparations.
“Have you decided on that game?”
“I thought it was the best board game after considering various conditions. That doesn’t mean I could just transfer it directly to that giant board, though.”
“You’ll have to do a test run. Vermilly, Adela.”
“Yes, Tower Master!”
“…Tower Master?”
“The two of you and the game creator will run a test. But if we do it on a small scale, there could be variables when we size it up, so let’s do it at full—!!”
Thud!
When the Dragon Heart staff of Tower Master Olphin struck the floor of the tower, indescribable magical power poured out from his body.
He soared higher than any mage in the Arkhe Tower, and he was one of only eight Archmages in the vast Empire.
He was the Archmage whose illusions of light and darkness once struck terror even into dragons.
His name was etched in the annals of magic, and now he was casting a spell at full power.
Immediately after, the illusion took shape.
Shaa—
The tower reassembled itself. The spacious hall transformed in an instant.
It was, after all, only an illusion using magic of light and darkness. Nothing more than a mirage.
Yet Olphin’s magic created the illusion that reality itself was warping.
With a single gesture of his hand, Adela and Vermilly were turned into light and forcibly moved to predetermined positions, and stone tablets fell from the sky.
They knew it was an illusion. However, the sudden descent of such massive stone tablets was overwhelming by sheer size alone.
Adela, Vermilly, and Kyle then boarded a floating platform that carried them into the air.
Five stone tablets, each over ten meters tall by rough estimate, lined up before the players. But the players could not see their own stone tablets, as the backs faced them.
Naturally, Adela could see Vermilly’s and Kyle’s stone tablets but not her own. The others likewise could only see one another’s stone tablets, not their own.
Barely managing to steady herself, Adela saw that the other players’ stone tablets…
…Has pictures on them?
On the dull gray stone tablet, something was carved.
It was an image vividly and intricately depicting a mage conjuring scorching flames. And in the top left corner, the number “7” was engraved.
Once everything was set, Kyle who was unable to suppress his grin opened his mouth with a smile.
“Now, I’ll explain the rules.”
The other mages, using various forms of magic, floated in midair to watch while Tower Master Olphin presided over the illusion.
And in that moment, when Adela’s and Vermilly’s gazes locked onto Kyle—
Kyle raised one hand, wore a delighted smile, and shouted,
“Fireball!!”
“……?”
Adela narrowed her eyes at the sudden cry, unable to grasp his intent.
As soon as Kyle finished speaking, something extraordinary happened.
Fwoosh!
“…What in the world?”
As if in response to Kyle’s words, a fireball larger than an average person began to blaze atop his hand.
It was an unbelievable sight. A powerless man who was not even a mage, someone who felt no magical power whatsoever, seemingly using magic.
Vermilly too looked on in shock with wide eyes, and Adela was at a loss for words.
“Well then, Adela.”
“….…?”
“Won’t you catch this?”
“….…!!”
Blazing flames surged forward. A small sun hurtled toward Adela and consumed her entire field of vision.
For a moment, Adela hesitated. Should she use magic? Was this an attack aimed at her? Could this really be just an illusion?
Whether she liked it or not, this was her first time playing such a board game, and Adela found herself uncertain. Should she view this as part of the game, or perhaps a form of revenge for the last time?
In that brief moment of hesitation, the fireball engulfed her.
Fwoooosh!!
“…This is…”
Of course, she wasn’t burned by the flames. After all, this was just an illusion.
However, the fireball that struck Adela exploded in a dazzling display, as if it were real and completely obscured her figure. It scattered embers into the air and left behind blazing remnants.
It was an overwhelming and strikingly vivid magic.
Even as the flames began to fade, Adela could do nothing but stand there, utterly dumbfounded.
And then—
“One of the stone tablets is…?”
“When you hit the magic in front of you, the stone tablet disappears.”
One of the stone tablets in front of Kyle, the one representing the fire magic, cracked and crumbled.
The shattered stone tablet was the one tied to the fire magic spell Adela had just witnessed.
Watching the overly vivid destruction of the stone tablet, Kyle smiled.
“There are a total of eight types of magic. If you look at the floating manual next to you, you’ll see a list of all the available spells. Each magic has a limited number of uses, depending on its rank. The fire magic I just used is rank seven, which means there are only seven stone tablets of it in total.”
“…The manual.”
Adela turned her head and noticed a piece of paper floating in midair. It was conjured by the illusion.
Was this the manual Kyle mentioned?
As she scanned its contents, Adela’s eyes stopped at a certain line.
[Fire Magic: The player to your left loses 1 life.]
“That fireball earlier…”
Only then did Adela take a closer look around her. Five brightly glowing balls were floating on the front railing of the platform.
However, one of them had burned and lost its light.
Even though this was her first time playing a board game like this, she instinctively understood. Those five glowing balls represented her lives. And with Kyle’s fire magic just now, one of them had been lost.
After confirming everything, she looked at Kyle who immediately continued speaking.
“When it’s your turn, you must cast a spell. And if, like I did earlier, you correctly guess the spell written on the stone tablet in front of you…”
“If you guess it correctly…?”
“You get to choose. Will you stop here… or will you attempt to cast one more spell?”
A sly grin spread across his face.
This time, Kyle extended his hand toward Vermilly and shouted,
“Ice Spear!”
“W-What?”
Crack!
An ice spear, comparable to the fireball he had summoned earlier, formed above his head.
Vermilly Archon who was a senior member of the Arkhe Magic Tower and someone who had once played a board game with Kyle was now faced with that sight.
Though not on Olphin’s level, Vermilly had mastered illusions to some degree. Yet, even for him, the ice spear aimed directly at him made cold sweat run down his back.
After all, anyone would feel that way if a razor-sharp spear of ice capable of easily piercing through a person was directed at them. Especially if it was conjured by the illusion of an Archmage, someone Vermilly could never hope to rival.
Like Adela had earlier, Vermilly tried to steady himself as he reminded himself that the ice spear flying toward him was nothing more than an illusion.
Woooog—
“…What?”
The ice spear, emitting an ominous hum, suddenly changed its trajectory.
Instead of heading toward Vermilly, it turned—
and pierced Kyle himself.
It was a chilling sight, the spear driving straight through his back and out of his stomach. Yet, unsurprisingly, Kyle didn’t cough up blood or collapse.
He merely glanced at the illusion piercing through his body with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
“Ah, I got it wrong this time.”
“…I see! Earlier, you correctly guessed the stone tablet’s spell, but…!!”
“This time, I got it wrong. And when you cast a spell incorrectly, you must pay with one of your lives. Once someone’s life runs out, they’re eliminated from the game.”
One of the balls in front of Kyle froze solid. Since the spell had been incorrect, his stone tablet remained intact, and no further destruction occurred.
However, as his turn ended, a new stone tablet dropped into place, restoring the total back to five.
“At the end of your turn, the stone tablet you used is replenished. Of course, it’s not created entirely anew. Instead, the new stone tablet is chosen randomly from the spells that are still available and unused.”
Whether the turn ended by failing a spell or by successfully casting one and choosing to stop, once a player’s turn was over, the next player would take their turn.
“This is how the game cycles through each player. As you can see, the game doesn’t take long to finish. The rules aren’t overly complicated either, and if you ever get confused, you can refer to the manual right next to you. Plus, the unique feature of casting spells is brought to life with the visual effects created by illusions.”
“There may still be some imperfections and areas in need of improvement, but I can say this with confidence.”
“This is the ultimate board game for the Arkhe Magic Tower.”
“And a board game capable of turning anyone into a mage even if just for a moment. That’s why I call it—”
“<Abracadabra>.”
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