Clatter, clatter.
A week had passed since permission was granted to play Kyle Galli and board games.
In that time, rumors about Kyle Galli and the house rules spread rapidly throughout the household.
“See? It proves you’re a genius, Young Master! E-Everyone recognizes your talent and how great the game is!”
“I wouldn’t go that far. It’s probably just curiosity about the board game created by the usually unnoticed third son, combined with old Charles recommending it everywhere, and the knights spreading word that they’ve been enjoying it on the training grounds. Plus, it’s easy to try since all you need are some cards and paper.”
“N-No! It’s because you’re amazing, Young Master!”
“Well, at least everyone seems to be enjoying it. That’s what matters.”
Regardless of Sally’s fuss, Kyle Galli was now accepted as one of the elements of the mansion.
It was now common to hear the bell ringing from the annex where the servants lived. The kitchen even went so far as to order a bell especially for Kyle Galli.
What’s more, the Knight Commander and his men had taken to playing Kyle Galli during both training and breaks.
It was gratifying to see people discovering the fun of board games… though.
Clatter.
Well, it’s not like they had many leisure activities to begin with.
For the servants, whose lives were largely confined to the mansion, entertainment consisted of gossiping or playing a chess-like board game, and that was about it.
It only made sense that a new board game would gradually catch on as long it wasn’t utterly boring.
Kyle Galli spread faster than expected, thanks to its simple materials, simple rules, and simple mix of fun and competition.
But honestly, what concerned me more wasn’t the original Kyle Galli. It was the house rules the knights were enjoying.
It’s called Kyle Galli, but it’s really just a knockoff with different illustrations.
The game owed its fame to the original Halli Galli, which was already a masterpiece. It was satisfying to see people enjoy Kyle Galli itself, but being praised as if I’d created it felt… well, more than a little uncomfortable.
The house rules, though, were different. These were entirely new, shaped by my experience with other games I’d played.
Was there anyone in the world who had enjoyed Halli Galli in the way we now played Kyle Galli? I could confidently say there were probably none.
That made it feel special. Like it was the real Kyle Galli.
…Though, in the end, it was just a set of house rules, not a brand-new game.
Still, as I gained more experience, I began to wonder: Could I one day create a truly original board game of my own?
Of course, that was still a distant dream. Just last night, I had discarded every idea I’d brainstormed.
“For now, there’s a lot to do. I need to visit the blacksmith to request more bells and procure special paper for the cards from the family’s store or another shop… Since Father entrusted me with this project, I’ll need to keep busy.”
“Uh… but we’re in the carriage?”
“…Yeah, that’s the problem.”
Clatter.
Yes, there was a mountain of work to do to spread the enjoyment of board games, starting with Kyle Galli.
Yet here I was, bouncing along in a clattering carriage, instead of running around taking care of business.
My companion, of course, was Sally. My personal maid and bodyguard.
“Haah… Sally, do you have the letter?”
“Y-Yes! I have it right here!”
“Good. I’ll leave it to you. But why in the world did His Highness the Duke summon me…?”
“He, he must have finally realized! B-Because you’re a genius, Young Master!”
Sally’s usual flattery was something I only half listened to, and no matter how much I thought about it, I simply couldn’t understand.
The Byron Viscounty certainly belonged among the wealthiest of the empire’s Viscount territories and, given its strategic position for transportation and logistics, it had a measure of influence, but it could never compare to a Duchy.
Rather, it would have been no exaggeration to say that we were in a thoroughly superior-subordinate relationship with the place where the letter was sent─the Everts Duchy of the West.
Because the Everts Duchy pays over forty percent of the toll fees.
They were such an extraordinarily important client, beyond what could be called a VIP, that father, as soon as he became head of the family, went so far as to negotiate a deal that allowed only the Byron area to be used in exchange for a thirty percent reduction in tolls for guilds or groups affiliated with the Everts Duchy.
For the Everts Duchy, it was good because they could travel to and from the capital cheaply, and for us, it was good because we secured a reliable customer.
Of course, since we profited quite a bit, it was definitely a superior-subordinate relationship with the Duchy, and consequently, my father earned the duke’s favor… but that was ultimately father’s matter.
There was no way someone like me, the third son, would go to such a place. Unless I was the eldest son and next head of the family.
More than anything.
“The name on the letter… was mine, right?”
“Y-Yes!”
“I really don’t get it.”
I wasn’t going as my father’s representative; the duke had specifically named me.
If only there had been some explanation in the letter as to why I was summoned, but it contained only that typical, roundabout wording nobles used. It was basically telling me to just come for now.
Still, one thing did bother me.
…father seemed rather calm about it.
While my father was normally strict when handling official work, the fact that he hadn’t been flustered in the slightest despite the duke personally sending a letter to someone like me was astonishing.
It was as though he had anticipated this outcome… or something like that.
I had been so bewildered at the time that I failed to notice father’s suspicious behavior, but once I was bundled into the carriage and had time to cool my head, suspicious points cropped up one after another.
But what could I do? The carriage had already departed, and I had no choice but to go to the Duke’s territory and find out the reason.
I only sighed and leaned back against the soft seat.
“……?”
For some reason, I kept sensing a gaze from beyond the window.
But I chalked it up to my imagination and let it go.
***
It did not take long to reach the Everts Duchy.
If this had been a medieval world in the usual sense, the journey would have taken several days, but this was a land where things like aura and magic existed.
Naturally, neither the horses pulling the carriage nor the carriage itself were ordinary. Of course, they had thrown plenty of money at it to make it possible.
There was a reason the specially made carriage rattled so much. It meant it traveled at a speed that would make even a noble’s carriage shake.
After I spent some time watching the scenery go by as though I was in a car, the carriage slowed down upon entering the Duke’s territory, and I could see the surroundings more clearly.
I saw a city far larger than anything in my own territory, with clearly separated roads for carriages and pedestrians, a visibly comfortable-looking middle class, and patrol knights deliberately showing off their aura to reduce crime rates.
It was no wonder rumors said that if the empire’s power had been even slightly weaker, the place would have declared itself an independent principality.
What was more, everything proceeded smoothly after we arrived at the Duke’s castle.
“Welcome, Sir Kyle Byron. His Highness Duke Nicholas has been expecting you.”
“He… has been waiting for me right now?”
“Yes.”
“Take me to him immediately.”
I suddenly came to my senses to find myself standing in front of the castle’s reception room.
Sally had remained in the guest room for the time being, and only I had followed the servants’ guidance to the door.
Now there was no point in hesitating, so I knocked on the reception room door at once.
Surely the duke wouldn’t have called me here just to do me harm.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
As soon as the Duke gave his permission, the maids standing beside me gently opened the door.
The reception room we entered that way was bigger than anything I had imagined.
A reception room was a place to receive guests. Naturally, because it was also a place that could display the power and grandeur of a noble house, there were many who decorated their reception rooms in a lavish and majestic manner.
The Viscount Byron mansion was no exception, yet the reception room in the duke’s castle surpassed even my imagination.
All sorts of rare items were displayed in glass cases that lit up the room. A luxurious red carpet covered the floor, and countless documents and books filled the room.
It was indeed splendid and grand, but if one wondered whether it suited the Everts duchy, it might have caused a slight tilt of the head in puzzlement.
However, I felt like I understood the real intent behind this space.
The Everts duchy, unlike other nobles, did not need to decorate its reception room in that manner. There was no need to flaunt power like that. Everts was simply Everts.
At the center of this place, which hinted at such pride, sat a middle-aged man with a thick beard. He was looking at me with a displeased expression.
The moment I entered the room, I bowed my head first.
“I am Kyle Byron. Your Highness Duke Nicholas, it is truly an honor that you have invited me—”
“Just take a seat.”
“…Yes.”
What was with this serious atmosphere?
It felt so cold that, for a moment, I wondered if I had done something wrong.
But this was our first meeting, wasn’t it? Why was he like this?
Those questions vanished the instant I sat in the chair opposite him.
…That’s?
On the elegant table between the Duke and me were teacups and a glass teapot. That much was obvious.
Next to them lay a bell and a stack of cards covered in shapes.
It was, without question, Kyle Galli.
Wait, why was that here?
“The moment you came in, your eyes went straight to this. It was called Kyle Galli… was it not?”
“Y-Yes! That’s correct, Your Highness.”
“William suddenly sent it as a gift, so I tried it once. It turned out to be quite the fun game. Not only was it fun, but it had its own philosophy of sorts. It’s bold enough for you to put your own name into the game.”
“Ha, haha….”
Was that… a compliment? His words sounded like praise, but the look in his eyes was enough to kill a man.
More importantly, William, who was my father, had sent it as a gift?
So that’s why he was so nonchalant…!!
I had wondered why the Duke possessed something that hadn’t even been properly distributed to the servants back at the mansion. So it had been sent to him as a present?
That was plausible enough. It made sense. But…
Why had the Duke summoned me specifically because of that game? If he had enjoyed it, sending a letter saying it was good should have been enough.
It wasn’t as if the Duke had suddenly become a die-hard fan of Kyle Galli who wanted to see my face! Judging by his displeased expression, that definitely wasn’t the case.
Then why?
“Of course, there is no way I called you all the way here just because of that. It’s not worth setting aside all my affairs to wait.”
“…I understand.”
“Still, the reason I summoned you and waited all this time… is because I have a favor to ask.”
A favor? From the Duke? For me?
From the flow of the conversation so far, it seemed to be about Kyle Galli. What could it be? Wanting an exclusive license to the game? Future sponsorship? Or was it a warning?
“I have a daughter. Do you know that?”
“I know there is a young lady of about my age, but that’s all I know.”
“Yes. I want you… to meet my daughter.”
“What… do you mean?”
I must have looked blank, not grasping the Duke’s intention, because he continued with his eyes sinking.
“After a few incidents, my daughter stopped coming out of her room.”
“…Do you mean the young lady of the house, Your Highness?”
“Yes, she won’t even see me. Do you understand why I would want you to approach a daughter who won’t see even her own father?”
Well…
From the current atmosphere and the Kyle Galli that had been deliberately placed on the table, there was only one answer.
“Is it because of Kyle Galli?”
“That’s right. I hear she’s very fond of Kyle Galli. So I thought that, if it was you, the creator of Kyle Galli, then… it might be possible.”
“Y-You are serious?”
“Serious? Of course I’m serious. To be honest, I don’t really expect you to succeed. But still…”
Thud.
The Duke’s eyes, as he set down his teacup, were both deeply sunken and earnest.
He must have poured all his effort into trying to speak with the young lady who had shut herself in her room.
After all those attempts failed, he had no choice but to come to me, a mere board game creator, and personally ask for help.
Even if it was just a tiny, fragile glimmer of hope.
Praying that it would succeed.
“…Even though you’re William’s son, in the end, you’re still an outsider. That’s how desperate I am to tell you about my family’s private matters.”
“……………”
“If you fail, I’ll just look for another way. But even so, I don’t want to overlook even the smallest chance.”
“………I see.”
“It’s been a very long time since my daughter showed such interest in something that she could immerse herself in it all day. While I admit that the objective chances of success are low, out of all the methods I’ve tried recently, you’re still the best option.”
“…………”
“So, what do you think? Will you accept? Even if you fail… I’ll make sure to reward you for indulging my unreasonable request.”
The Duke truly seemed desperate. So much so that he was willing to promise compensation even to a mere third son of a Viscount just for giving it a try.
Yet there was one thing I couldn’t understand, no matter how much I thought about it.
“…Your Highness, you mentioned earlier that the young lady is currently engrossed in Kyle Galli, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Kyle Galli is not a board game that can be played alone. There must be someone playing it with her; whether it’s a friend or a servant. Couldn’t you reach her through that person?”
This was the question that had been bothering me from the start. If the young lady was enjoying Kyle Galli so much that she played it late into the night, then naturally, there had to be someone playing with her.
For a young lady who refused to even speak with her father to play a game like Kyle Galli, which required physical interaction, the person she played with must be someone she was quite close to.
Wouldn’t it be much better to approach her through that person instead? Even if that had already been tried and failed, trying again would surely have a better chance of success than dragging me, the game’s creator, into this.
At my question, the Duke sighed. His expression twisted as if he had expected this.
“You’re not wrong. Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
“If that’s the case—”
“…The one staying with my daughter isn’t a person.”
What?
“Huh?”
“My daughter Lacia is a Spiritist Master.”
“So… the one she’s been playing the game with is a spirit.”
“What I want is simple.”
“I want you to get to know Lacia, whether through conversation or whatever it takes, and…”
“……”
“I want you to pull her out from among the excessive love of the spirits surrounding her.”
“……”
“That’s all I ask.”
***
Ding!
“Victory… That makes 55 wins in a row. Hmm? I’m listening. Go on…”
[Tingle.] [Whirl.]
“I see, yes.”
[Whirl.] [Meow.] [Tingle.] [Growl.]
“So, it’s the person who made Kyle Galli.”
[Growl.] [Clatter.] [Swoosh.]
“He came here by carriage? And he’s about to come to this room?”
[Tingle.] [Clatter.]
“Alright, then… chase them away.”
[Meow.] [Moo.] [Whoosh.] [Growl.] [Clatter.] [Swoosh.]
“I have all of you, and that’s more than enough.”
[Tingle.]
“…Don’t be too rough with him, though. After all, he’s the one who made this game.”
[Growl.] [Clatter!]
“I’m counting on you. Now then… how about another round?”
[Whirl!]
“…Okay, let’s do it.”
Leave a Reply