I thought a lot about it.
After all, with the creation of illusions, which were essentially a cheat code in themselves, endless possibilities had opened up.
Sure, card games, strategy games, or even dungeon RPGs would’ve been great.
But after three days and nights of heated debate with the mages, we decided to push all of those ideas aside for now.
The reason was simple. Unlike me, the Arkhe Magic Tower’s very survival depended on this.
Pushing ahead with something just because I wanted to try it felt irresponsible given the circumstances.
The reality was that there were too many obstacles to overcome to pursue something so casually.
In the end, the biggest issue was… the barrier to entry.
Barrier to entry.
A barrier to entry could mean many things. Like complex rules, specific materials needed, or even the sheer amount of time it takes to learn an unfamiliar board game.
Strategy games are fun. They’re often considered the pinnacle of board games and their true charm. But they also come with the downside of taking up hours for a single match, and until someone fully understands the complex rules, it’s hard to truly enjoy them.
So, I decided to set that aside.
Card games were tempting too. Imagine summoning a monster card and having it appear as an illusion, or seeing battle, magic, and trap cards materialize in front of your eyes. It would’ve been spectacular.
But in the end, the issue was the cards themselves.
Since illusions aren’t physical objects, the cards would need to be made as tangible items. And in the current state of the Magic Tower, where even minor expenses felt like major sacrifices, creating a card game with an uncertain number of cards required was a risky gamble.
On top of that, while I could confidently rattle off the rules to any strategy board game, I didn’t have enough expertise when it came to balancing or creating detailed mechanics for card games.
So I put aside that idea as well.
There were plenty of other different game ideas floating around, but my priorities were clear. There were visual effects and experience.
I wanted to create something that made people think, “I want to play this board game myself. Just one more round!”
A game that used illusions as extravagantly as possible. A game that could provide an irreplaceable kind of fun. Something only the Arkhe Magic Tower could offer.
Even if others tried to copy it, I wanted to create a board game that people would have to come to the Magic Tower to fully enjoy.
And that’s how I landed on <Abracadabra>.
The name itself was inspired by the phrase “Abracadabra”, which exists in this world too. I figured a slightly more familiar name would be easier for people to remember.
It wasn’t groundbreaking or some kind of legendary masterpiece. It was just a simple, solid, and fun game.
The rules were straightforward. So much so that you only needed to remember three things:
1. You can’t see your own spells. You can only see the opponents’ spells.
2. If you chant a spell that doesn’t exist on your stone tablets, you lose a life.
3. If you succeed, you can keep chanting spells consecutively.
But the core rule of Abracadabra was exactly what I had been aiming for:
You had to chant magic spells.
In the original world, it was nothing more than a cheesy, cringeworthy phrase that might make people laugh.
But what if you added illusions that felt as real as reality?
It’s a world where magic exists, but not everyone is a mage.
In fact, mages were extremely rare, even by this world’s standards. There was a reason why the Empire, the leading superpower, supported and gave special privileges to the Magic Tower.
And if the trend caught on again and drew people back to the Arkhe Magic Tower, the majority of them would likely be ordinary people like me.
Unlike the original giant board game that was widely known across the Empire, I needed something entirely new to draw people in. It had to leave a huge impact.
For example, a board game that could make you feel like you were truly a mage. Even if it was just an illusion.
Still, if I’m being honest…
I wouldn’t say there was absolutely no personal bias involved.
After all, the “Abracada…what” game was one of my all-time favorite board games.
(TN: “Abracada…what?” is a real game. Never played it but I suppose it’s similar to this one.)
What could I do if it just so happened to fit perfectly?
So then.
For the first time in a long while, I decided to simply enjoy it.
The board game I truly loved.
…The board game that had helped me get through difficult times.
***
Vermilly Archon was thoroughly enjoying the current situation.
He was a well-known board game enthusiast, even in the Arkhe Magic Tower.
Although being an “enthusiast” wasn’t saying much, since the only board game that was widely played in the Magic Tower where talented individuals from across the continent gathered, was the one currently spread across the giant game board.
Still, he had considered himself to be fairly passionate.
I was just a frog in a well.
Vermilly, who was even nicknamed the “board game evangelist” for his relentless efforts to get those around him to try board games, now realized just how ordinary he truly was.
Compared to the “real deal” over there, he was nothing but a mere bystander.
Abracadabra, huh?
He had heard of it before. Though it was no longer used, it was said to be one of the phrases often chanted in the past when performing magic.
Any mage who had studied the history of magic would instantly recognize the name and say, “Oh, that one?”
Naming a board game after it was a brilliant idea.
But more than that, Vermilly was trembling with excitement over the board game “Abracadabra” itself.
At first glance, it seems complicated, but the core concept is simple.
It was just a game where you had to figure out what kind of stone tablet was in front of you.
However, with the addition of elements like magic attacks, competition, and penalties, it had been transformed into an exceptionally well-crafted board game.
He couldn’t believe that something like this could come from the mind of a young man who had just barely passed his twenties.
Having once struggled to create a board game himself, he could only be more shocked.
No, no.
Still, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about things like that.
In the end, what mattered most was that he had been given the chance to play the board game created by a genius.
It had only been a few days, but Vermilly who had become a fan of Kyle let out a fierce grin.
“Well then.”
Which spell should he choose?
Vermilly’s gaze skimmed over the neatly displayed instruction manual.
[Dragon’s Breath], [Reaper’s Whisper], [God’s Sanctuary], [Eye of Truth], [Lightning Magic], [Ice Magic], [Fire Magic].
From first-rank to seventh-rank. According to Kyle’s explanation, there was a specific number of stone tablets matching each rank. Adding them all together, there were a total of 28.
The most powerful spell, [Dragon’s Breath] had only one stone tablet, while the lowest-rank spell [Fire Magic] had seven. Of course, since Kyle had already used one, there were only six left.
Hmm? But didn’t he say there were eight types of magic?
Yet, the spells listed in the manual were only seven.
For a moment, Vermilly wondered if Kyle had made a mistake in his explanation.
…Huh?
At the very bottom of the instruction manual…
Unusually, there was a line of text highlighted in red.
[The first player whose life reaches 1 will be randomly granted one of the hidden spells.]
Ah, so this was it.
He was insanely curious about what this “hidden spell” could be, but the condition was far too dangerous.
A life value of 1? At that point, any spell would mean instant game over.
There was even a chance he could be eliminated before it was his turn to use the hidden spell, even if he managed to obtain it.
But that only means it must be incredibly powerful.
He decided to keep that in mind for now.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Vermilly raised his hand above his head.
As someone who loved board games, he wanted to try immersing himself in the game a little, just like Kyle had.
“Lightning Storm!”
“………!!”
“Oooh!”
The fifth-rank spell, [Lightning Magic].
Unlike the seventh-rank [Fire Magic] which targeted only one player, [Lightning Magic] reduced the life of two players by 1. It was a higher-rank magic.
The higher the rank, the lower the probability of success. Based on simple math, the odds were 5 out of 28, which was approximately 18 percent. But considering the [Lightning Magic] that Kyle and Adela already possessed, the odds were likely even lower.
It wasn’t a particularly high chance, but then again, the same could be said for other high-rank spells.
For spells ranked fourth and above, the number of stone tablets was even fewer, which made [Lightning Magic] one of the highest-rank magic that could be used without too much hesitation.
And Vermilly’s judgment was spot on.
Fzzzzzzzzzzzt!!
“Is this the Tower Master’s illusion…?!”
A dark cloud formed above his raised hand, and dazzling bolts of lightning began to fill the cloud before striking down toward him.
For a moment, he despaired, thinking it was a penalty for chanting the wrong spell.
However, the lightning didn’t burn away his life but instead coursed across his body.
It was only an illusion, so there was no risk of electrocution, but Vermilly’s entire body flickered a brilliant blue as if he had truly embraced the lightning.
“This is…!”
But the part that left Vermilly truly stunned wasn’t the sheer spectacle of it.
When he moved his body, the lightning moved with him. If he tilted his hand, the dark cloud shifted accordingly.
This meant the illusion was controlled with astonishing precision.
An illusion can’t actually be contained somewhere. It only appears that way; it shouldn’t naturally adjust to match my movements.
And yet, the lightning followed his movements seamlessly.
It must undoubtedly be the work of Olphin, the Archmage and Tower Master. With control at this level, even Vermilly was able to experience something completely extraordinary.
As a mage of the Arkhe Tower, one who specialized in magic rooted in light and darkness, he couldn’t use other elemental magic unless it was manifested through illusions.
But now, it felt as if he had truly become a mage who wielded lightning.
Without any further hesitation, he allowed himself to be swept up in the electricity coursing through his body and stretched both hands out. One toward Adela and the other toward Kyle.
“…………”
“Vermilly, that was an excellent performance.”
“Ha, Haha!”
It wasn’t that he didn’t feel a bit embarrassed by his actions, but more than that, he found it incredibly fun.
Besides, no onlooker would dare mock him for being childish in the face of the overwhelming illusion cast by Tower Master Olphin.
He felt an odd sense of wonder, as though he had returned to being a child.
Vermilly laughed softly to himself and nodded in satisfaction.
“With this, my turn is over.”
The moment he declared his turn complete, the Lightning Magic stone tablet crumbled, and another stone tablet fell to take its place.
At the same time, something was engraved at the center of the board, where the three players were gathered.
“Is that…?”
“Any spell that’s been cast will be recorded there. This way, you can keep track of how many spells are left.”
[Fire Magic] remaining: 6. [Lightning Magic] remaining: 4.
Ah, so it was a way to calculate and deduce the remaining spells.
Though Vermilly noted it with mild curiosity, he didn’t pay it too much attention. He was already fully immersed in enjoying the game.
Without thinking, his gaze naturally shifted toward the next player.
Adela, what about you?
Adela, the prodigy born of ArKhe Tower, the personal disciple of Olphin, and the mage guaranteed to become the next Tower Master.
However, Vermilly couldn’t help but feel sorry for Adela. The other mages of the tower felt the same way.
No matter how much they tried to get closer to her, the distance never seemed to narrow. She was a highly skilled mage, but she was also unbearably mechanical. She lacked even a single common hobby to make her seem approachable.
Because of this, Vermilly hoped, no matter how slim the chance, that Adela would find some enjoyment in this board game.
The same hope was shared by Tower Master Olphin, Vermilly, and the other mages of the tower.
…After all, they all owed a debt to Adela’s dead parents.
***
– Tower Master, then what is it that I am supposedly jealous of?
– …Finding that out would be the first step.
I… don’t know.
She didn’t know. Not a single thing.
No matter how many times she replayed Olphin’s words in her mind, she couldn’t grasp it.
What exactly was she jealous of?
I don’t come from a distinguished family. At best, I’m just the third child, and I’m completely incapable.
What part of her could possibly envy anything?
How long had she been agonizing over it?
Suddenly, a voice reached Adela’s ears.
“Adela! I apologize for interrupting your thoughts, but it’s your turn to cast a spell.”
“……You.”
“You only have three lives left. At this rate, won’t you be eliminated before your next turn comes around?”
Eliminated? So what if she gets eliminated?
If it weren’t for the Tower Master’s words, she wouldn’t even be playing this board game with him.
If she loses, she loses, and that’s…
Ah.
…Lose? To him?
In front of the Tower Master and all the mages of the tower.
To that person she disliked for reasons she couldn’t even explain.
Losing so pathetically, without being able to do a thing?
That…
That alone…
“Absolutely not…!!”
It’s fine to lose to Vermilly. He’s a mage from the same tower, and to her, the tower’s mages were practically family.
But Kyle Byron, to you alone…
She didn’t want to lose.
If she loses, then the Tower Master’s and everyone else’s attention will be───
I have to recover my life first.
This board game. This kind of pastime was a first for her, but Adela had been grasping the context of Abracadabra in her own way.
Adela’s remaining lives were three, Kyle also had three, and only Vermilly still had all five from the start.
If she chanted the wrong spell here, her lives would go down to two, and as Kyle had said, there was a high chance she’d be eliminated before her next turn arrived.
To prevent that from happening.
Right now, rather than attacking blindly, the best move was to recover her life.
“…God’s Sanctuary.”
Woom.
A third-rank spell. [God’s Sanctuary].
In Abracadabra, it was also the only means of healing and it restored three units of life.
Unlike Kyle or Vermilly, she didn’t mix in any gestures. She merely chanted in a low voice.
Before long, the figure of an angel radiating divine light descended in the midst of the three players. Of the angel’s three hands, one reached out toward Adela.
The other two tablet stones did not have [God’s Sanctuary]. If this worked, she could seize a clear advantage in a single move.
If it only worked…
“…….”
“…Oh dear.”
But the angel with three hands did not grant life to Adela.
It simply looked at her with a sympathetic expression, then reached out and crushed one of her remaining lives.
And so, she was left with just two lives.
Even letting Kyle and Vermilly each cast a spell once could put her at risk of being eliminated.
Hurriedly, Adela turned her head toward the next turn.
“Adela.”
“Ah…!”
“You know, right?”
Seventh-rank, [Fire Magic].
It was the flame that had heralded the start of the board game and swept over Adela. Now it was flaring up again.
“Ugh, ack!?”
“……?”
Adela braced herself for the incoming fireball, but the flames flew at Kyle instead of her. They roared, devouring Kyle and one of his lives.
Adela swallowed hard as she watched Kyle’s lives drop from three to two.
That… was lucky.
It really could only be called luck. Even though Kyle had chanted one fire spell before, there were still six remaining fire spells.
Among all the ways Kyle could attack her, that was the most likely one. Yet Adela had avoided it.
Now she was in a safe zone. Could she call it that?
Adela’s anxious gaze shifted toward Vermilly.
If he succeeds in casting spells twice in a row…
In this board game, you’re not limited to casting only once per turn. If you keep succeeding, you can cast up to five times in a row, as many as the tablet stones in front of you.
Vermilly had already struck home with [Lightning Magic], which had relatively low odds. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t lose both her lives here.
Adela clenched her fists nervously, while Vermilly who was looking relaxed glanced at both Kyle and her before raising his hand.
“Ice Spear!”
Vermilly’s choice was the sixth-rank [Ice Magic].
Its effect was to reduce the life of the player on your right by one.
Naturally, on Vermilly’s right stood Adela.
Crack!
“…….”
The headstone carved with ice and a mage crumbled, and Vermilly’s ice spear pierced Adela’s heart.
Yet for some reason,
It was clearly just an illusion—
But Adela felt as though something had truly lodged in her chest.
Why me… and not him?
Was it because she’d unconsciously assumed that Vermilly, who was someone from the same Tower and practically like family, would obviously target Kyle?
Adela felt betrayed by something she couldn’t name. They both had only two lives left, so why pick me? What could Vermilly be thinking?
But her thoughts didn’t last long.
Right away, Vermilly chanted another spell.
“And next… Dragon Breath…!!!”
“…!!”
A first-rank spell, of which there was only one in existence: [Dragon Breath].
Adela’s eyes widened as she remembered its effect.
[Dragon Breath] deals a total of 3 life units damage, which you can distribute freely among the other opponent players…!!
At last, it seemed she could read Vermilly’s mind. She realized what he was after.
Victory!
Why aim at Adela and not Kyle? Because all that mattered was reducing their combined lives to three in total.
The number of remaining [Ice Magic] and [Fire Magic] spells was the same. Vermilly, who could see which tablet stones belonged to Kyle and Adela, must have figured out which was more likely to succeed and chosen accordingly. It just happened to be [Ice Magic].
With that plan laid out, Vermilly made his decisive move.
He could end the game in one blow using the highest-rank spell!
Grrrrrrrr—
“…My goodness.”
And then, in response to Vermilly’s spell, the dragon appeared.
Unlike the previous spells, it did not manifest near the players or emerge at the center.
It appeared on the ceiling of the magic tower, a place so high that the three players had to look up to see it. As if flaunting its status as the most majestic being on the continent.
Even though it wasn’t massive in size, its dark crimson skin, rippling muscles, and the flames flickering from its mouth made it unmistakably clear that this was indeed a dragon.
It was the pinnacle of fantasy, something only the likes of Tower Master Olphin who had supposedly encountered and hunted dragons could have made real.
Fwoooosh!!!
Flames erupted from the black dragon’s mouth.
The illusions conjured by [Fire Magic] had already been impressive, but the dragon’s breath was on an entirely different level.
It didn’t spread unnecessarily but blazed in a perfectly straight line.
A torrent of blue flames, far hotter than the red flames conjured by the mages, surged forward.
Where would that colossal breath land?
Adela already knew the outcome. She could clearly see Vermilly’s tablet stone.
Because of that—
“Gah!?”
“………….”
Adela let out a sigh of relief.
Instead of Vermilly, she had been given the chance to eliminate Kyle with her own hands.
The blue flames of the dragon’s breath completely engulfed Vermilly and burned away his life in an instant.
Now, Vermilly’s remaining life units were reduced to just four.
Even so, it was still more than the combined life units of Adela and Kyle.
“Ah… I thought it was a perfect opportunity. What a shame.”
Adela’s turn came around again. When she failed with [God Sanctuary] earlier, she thought victory would be impossible, but another chance had been granted to her.
The last opportunity to eliminate Kyle, the final chance to avoid losing to him.
But still…
Adela had only one life unit remaining. If she chanted the wrong spell, she would self-destruct instantly.
In contrast, Vermilly had four life units, and Kyle had two left.
Could she possibly overcome such a hopeless situation?
Rather than hope that she might succeed, an overwhelming sense of impossibility came crashing down on her first.
“Adela.”
“……?”
“You’ve read the manual, haven’t you?”
“The manual?”
“This is your last chance and, at the same time, a golden opportunity.”
Hearing Kyle’s cryptic words, Adela reflexively glanced at the manual.
“…Huh?”
Her eyes landed on the red text in the manual.
At that moment, Tower Master Olphin who had been silently constructing illusions and observing the three players until now opened his mouth to speak.
“Since Adela was the first to reach 1 life unit, I will grant her a hidden spell according to the rules.”
“Tower Master…”
“Adela, give it a try.”
Woooooong.
A small tablet stone, made by Olphin himself, flew toward Adela and landed in front of her.
The hidden spell. Was it provided in a way that could be used instantly, without requiring any further steps?
The attention of the players, the spectators, and even the Tower Master was entirely focused on her.
At that moment, as if drawn to it, Adela’s eyes fell on a familiar image of a middle-aged male and female mage holding hands with each other.
[Chain Spell: The next spell you cast will take effect twice.]
“………This is.”
Adela instinctively knew.
No matter what happened.
This time, on her turn—she had to finish everything.
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