The Knight Commander, Rick, Hansen, and Victor are playing Kyle Galli house rules.
I thought the Knight Commander might have an advantage since the game has become more physically demanding.
But the game was showing a completely different picture.
“Let’s counter the Commander! Gang up on him! Aim for his wrists as much as possible!”
“Cards! Be careful not to crumple the cards!!”
“Haha! Hansen, Victor! You think you can counter me with just the two of you? You’re underestimating me!!”
“Huh? T-Two? Don’t tell me Rick, that bastard……!?”
Ding!
“Countering is fine, but let me grab some cards too.”
“That shorty……!!”
In the end, it’s practically everyone’s first time playing.
Hansen tricked the Knight Commander, and the Knight Commander barely managed to bait Victor at the last moment.
But fundamentally, the game was dominated by intense physical struggles. After being tricked a few times, no one fell for it easily anymore.
However, what I was concerned about wasn’t who was winning.
‘Is it because the ground is dirt? The starting point keeps getting dug up. If the game drags on, it might become a problem.’
‘Some even slid from the start and pulled out the planted stakes. Should I find a more secure way to fix them? Or is a penalty enough?’
‘Only the right hand is allowed, but things are getting heated. This part… is unavoidable. It was intended this way from the start.’
Finding loopholes in the rules or supplementing the lacking parts.
It’s so different from the original Kyle Galli that it’s practically a brand-new game. It’s inevitable that there are imperfections.
I carefully observed the knights’ game and identified those areas.
While I was thinking of a few improvements.
“Y-Young Master?”
“Huh? Sally?”
“Y-Young Master… who do you think will win……?”
Sally, who was maintaining Hardening Magic with a much more relaxed expression after placing the stakes on the ground, asked.
Who do I think will win, huh?
Looking at the current situation, Victor is in last place, and the other three have similar card counts. And basically, the three knights are intensely focusing on countering the Knight Commander.
Well, as someone who prides themselves on being a board game veteran, let me predict.
“First, Sally, who do you think?”
“H-Hansen. The Knight Commander is doing his best, but the countering is……….”
“I think the Knight Commander will win.”
“Huh? R-Really?”
“Just watch.”
Based on my experience.
There’s going to be a change soon.
*
“Huff… huff……….”
The Knight Commander, breathing heavily, took a moment to catch his breath.
How many times has he already sprinted?
Standing still and then dashing at full speed, using only his right hand to struggle against the three knights, was draining his stamina more than he expected.
But it’s not like he’s too tired to move── far from it. In fact, moving around like this was quite enjoyable.
And it’s not like the Knight Commander was the only one breathing heavily.
“Huff… huff……….”
“M-My cards……….”
“Phew……….”
Hansen, who seemed to have moved the second most after the Knight Commander, Rick, who was mainly trying to take advantage of the struggles, and Victor, who hadn’t managed to take a single card, were all starting to show signs of exhaustion.
As the Knight Commander, no matter how much he was being countered, letting himself fall first was a blow to his pride.
“Rick, you need to draw a card, right?”
“Huff………I know, I know.”
Perhaps because he was so focused on Kyle Galli, the short Rick’s words became curt as he sharply drew a card.
Hansen followed, then the sulking Victor, and finally the Knight Commander.
Every time a card was drawn, everyone flinched. Especially Victor, whose eyes were the most desperate since his cards were about to run out after a few more rounds.
And so it continued for several more rounds.
“…………….”
“………….”
“……………….”
“………Oh no.”
At first, I didn’t pay attention, but now I couldn’t help but notice.
With four players, usually, just a few cards would complete five shapes. That’s why everyone ran at full speed even in situations with fewer cards. Each small round was crucial.
But.
The Knight Commander had already drawn over 7 cards.
With four players each drawing 7 cards, that’s 28 cards. And Kyle Galli has a total of 56 cards.
Which means, in this round…
Half of the entire deck of cards had been drawn at once.
“…………….”
The training ground was filled with nothing but the sound of breathing. Someone’s gulp was so loud it could be heard clearly.
Though tense, the cards that had been drawn somewhat casually now felt heavy.
The Knight Commander, unable to even wipe the sweat dripping down, focused all his attention on the cards of Rick, Hansen, and Victor.
Victor had no more cards to draw. Even when his turn came, he simply passed.
Thus, Victor’s card was fixed.
‘Four circles, four circles, four circles.’
The moment a single circle appeared among Rick and Hansen’s cards, he would move.
He repeated it several times and recalled the plan he had thought of.
His posture had been ready to run for a long time. His upper body remained upright to draw cards, but his lower body was in a running-ready stance. And the others weren’t much different.
*Clack.*
After Rick, Hansen drew a card. Now, Hansen had only one card left.
The number of drawn cards had exceeded 30.
The card Hansen drew was.
“………A, a single circle……!”
It wasn’t one of the four players but Kyle’s personal maid and apprentice magician, who was outside the game, who blurted out the words.
That was actually against the rules. Unlike the other three, Hansen wasn’t supposed to know his own card. This made psychological warfare impossible.
But none of the players complained about it.
After all, they were all sprinting toward the bell.
*Thud-thud-thud!!*
“Please………!!”
Victor was the most desperate. He was the only player without any cards left.
If he lost this round, he was out for sure. Victor had to press the bell no matter what.
His already exhausted legs moved furiously.
“*Huff!*”
Victor, running as if his life depended on it, was followed by Hansen and Rick, with the Knight Commander in last place. In truth, he was deliberately slowing down a bit.
Though he had more cards than Victor, who had none, or Hansen, who only had one left, he still only had four or five. Considering Rick, who was leading with plenty of cards to spare, he should’ve been giving it his all.
But the Knight Commander had his own strategy. A gamble he wasn’t sure would work, but one he had to take if he wanted to win.
He glanced at Victor, Rick, and Hansen with a glint in his eye.
“Rick! Handle the Commander!!”
It was Hansen who shouted that. Though he still had one card left and wouldn’t be eliminated even if he lost, the lingering card only added to his confusion.
Should he conserve his energy by not running too hard? If he went all out and failed to press the bell, he’d be too exhausted for the next round. What about Victor?
Amidst all the swirling thoughts, Hansen’s choice was clear: to keep the Knight Commander in check.
Though the Commander had fallen behind Rick, he still had the explosive power to seize victory at any moment. If he and Victor hadn’t held the Commander back, Rick might not have been in the lead.
Hansen thought it was time to cash in. Let Rick, who was comfortably in first place with plenty of cards, handle the Commander, and either yield to Victor or press the bell himself.
And upon hearing the old man Hansen’s words, the shorty Rick…
“………Haha! If I just press this, I’m definitely in first place……!!”
“Riiiiick!!!”
“Why are you blocking the Commander?! If I win this round, I’ll have over 40 cards!!”
Instead of turning toward the Knight Commander, Rick was even more fiercely aiming for the bell.
At first, the three knights might have been on the same page. Their fear of the Knight Commander outweighed their focus on the game, so they tried to delay their punishment by deliberately holding him back.
But now, things were different. The only thing on their minds was victory.
In the original Kyle Galli, such thoughts wouldn’t have crossed their minds, but the knight-exclusive version of Kyle Galli had ignited their competitive spirit to insane levels.
Bodies collided, sweat poured, and they clashed with raw strength and technique, all while trying to outwit each other.
Was this really the same tedious game they had played before?
Moreover, knights are proud. They take pride in their bodies, their skills, and their auras.
To lose in a game that demanded all of that was beyond humiliation—it was enough to drive them mad.
At this moment, the alliance of the shorty, the old man, and the balding guy had shattered. All that remained was a cutthroat competition with no one to trust.
And that was…
The Knight Commander had his eyes on it too.
Thud! Bang!!
“Move, I said move!!”
“V-Victor! Let’s negotiate for a sec──”
“I’ll take it nicely!”
“Rick!! I’d rather lose than give you the card……!!”
Victor, Hansen, and Rick mix their hands in front of the bell.
Their right hands overlap, shoulders block each other, and kicks hinder the path.
A full-body scuffle, except for the left hand holding the card.
Even though they were knights, it was clearly a high-level exchange, but not as good as the first time. They were all tired.
‘Now!’
Seeing that, the Knight Commander immediately accelerates.
He ran late on purpose, thinking the alliance of those three would break.
If he had missed, he would have lost the card without even getting close to the bell, but the Knight Commander’s gamble paid off splendidly.
The thrill of success rushed over him in an instant, and the Knight Commander, riding on that, stomped the ground, ready to use all his remaining strength.
Only then did Rick and Hansen turn their gaze to the approaching Knight Commander.
“St-stop him!!!”
Hansen shouted urgently, but he himself didn’t move. He had to stop Victor, who was still charging towards the bell even at this moment.
In the end, it was Rick who moved. If Hansen or Victor pressed it, fine, but if the Knight Commander did, he’d have to hand over first place.
If Victor and Hansen were out, he could never beat the Commander one-on-one.
Thinking that, Rick reluctantly charged at the Knight Commander.
“Commander, take a break!!”
“No way, Rick!”
But why would he be called shorty Rick? Even as a knight, the natural difference in height couldn’t be helped.
Against a normal person, maybe, but the Knight Commander was a higher-level knight than Rick. It wasn’t for nothing that Rick had chosen to exploit gaps instead of facing him head-on all this time.
The aura the Knight Commander had been saving surged from his body, and in an instant, his right hand gathered and grabbed Rick instead.
“Ugh!?”
Whoosh!
Just like that, Rick flew into the sky.
The Knight Commander’s aura-enhanced strength sent Rick flying. Rick also used his aura to resist, and even if he landed quickly and charged back, it would already be too late.
All he needed was that brief moment.
Having effectively taken Rick out, the Knight Commander turned towards Hansen and Victor.
Old man Hansen clenched his teeth tightly.
“In that case………!!!”
Suddenly, Hansen’s right hand moved differently than before.
The Knight Commander knew exactly what that meant. It was the motion for Hansen’s specialty, the body slam.
But that had been banned by Kyle. The Knight Commander quickly realized.
‘Even if it means taking a penalty, he’s going to eliminate me?’
If Hansen body-slammed the Knight Commander, he’d take a penalty. But buying time like that would let Victor press the bell.
Hansen would only take a penalty, not be completely out of Kyle Galli. At least he could aim for a last chance in the next round.
Optimistically, it was exploiting a loophole in the rules; pessimistically, it was just cheating.
It was something he could try because the house rules of Kyle Galli weren’t perfect yet.
Of course.
That didn’t mean the Knight Commander would just take it lying down.
Thwack!
“Uh, uhh……!?”
“Trying to body-slam me with just your right hand. That’s arrogance, Hansen!!”
He lightly slapped away Hansen’s hand aiming for his wrist to execute the body slam.
After all, the Knight Commander had experienced and seen Hansen’s body slam the most during training.
Trying to body-slam with just one right hand when even using the whole body wasn’t enough was a gamble even beyond what the Knight Commander had done.
It was just a simple slap, but Hansen’s already exhausted body staggered from it.
Buying time like that, he aimed for the final target, the bell.
“Uwaaaaaah!!!!”
And there, Victor, who had been consistent from start to finish, was struggling.
The hand that had been blocking him was now towards the Commander, but Hansen and the Commander’s bodies and legs physically blocked the path.
Victor’s hand seemed to touch the bell, but not quite.
The Knight Commander brought his right hand down.
Two hands overlapped, and one of them pressed the bell.
Ding───!
The bell rang, signaling the end of the most desperate round.
Right after.
“Ah, ah………….”
“………I won, I did.”
The one who pressed the bell was the Knight Commander’s hand.
In the end, what was needed at the very end was pure physical strength.
Their hands clashed, and the Knight Commander’s stronger hand defeated Victor. That was all.
Seeing this, the Knight Commander smiled and collapsed.
Thud.
“Gasp……gasp………….”
I won, I won.
In the game with the most cards at stake──he emerged victorious.
Overwhelmed by the rising sense of achievement and pleasure, the Knight Commander grinned. Drenched in sweat and lying flat on the training ground, his expression was as bright as ever.
As he blankly stared at the blue sky, someone approached and looked down at him.
“Knight Commander, how was it?”
“Young, Young Master………phew……….”
“Originally, only Victor was eliminated, so we should continue, but everyone’s down, you see.”
Even the chubby Rick who had flown away, the stubborn old man Hansen who resisted till the end, and Victor with his receding hairline who lost his last chance were all lying on the training ground like the Knight Commander.
Everyone was breathing heavily, making it seem difficult to continue the game.
“So……?”
“The person with the most cards now is the winner. And that is……obviously the Knight Commander.”
“……Ha, haha. Hahahahaha!!!!”
Victory, and first place.
Overjoyed by the delightful declaration, the Knight Commander burst into hearty laughter and spoke.
“Young Master, you’ve truly created an amazing board game.”
“Well, it felt more like training or exercise than a board game halfway through.”
“That might be true. But ultimately, the origin is Kyle Galli, isn’t it?”
After winning the game, something came to mind.
The Knight Commander looked at Kyle with newfound respect.
“And no additional tools are needed.”
“Huh?”
“This, you only need the bell, cards, and table that are originally part of Kyle Galli. So this is also Kyle Galli.”
“Well, house rules are like that.”
“That’s what makes it amazing.”
Only then did he realize. All the worries the Knight Commander had about Kyle were unnecessary.
There was no need to have talent in swords and magic like the first, or in swordsmanship and aura like the second.
The third young master of the Byron family was blooming with a talent only he could possess.
“Young Master, I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“During training or breaks……can everyone play this Kyle Galli?”
“Hey, why are you asking me that?”
“Huh?”
“Board games are played when the players want to. The creator doesn’t have the right to stop it. Just make sure to persuade the magician to cast Hardening Magic.”
“………Yes!!”
“And can you call me when you play? I need to see more to improve it. Personally, I found it quite interesting when Hansen tried to deliberately throw someone. Since it wasn’t an elimination, he tried to take out just one person, but instead of outright banning it, we could consider it as part of psychological warfare and either increase the penalty for overuse or ban it altogether. Also, physically blocking Victor seems a bit problematic, but if we try to regulate that, it might hinder physical combat, which would defeat the purpose of house rules. Plus, the cards are getting a bit crumpled no matter how much we try to prevent it, so maybe we should make the cards from a different material or even cast Hardening Magic on them……but that might be too much. If we make special cards for this, the feature of being able to change the rules anytime in Kyle Galli would be lost, so should we replace all cards with special ones? No, that would cause budget issues when spreading it to the territory───”
“…………….”
