Actually, well, that’s how it is.
Making house rules tailored to knights or changing the card designs is ultimately just something that seems fascinating to those who are new to board games, but it didn’t really excite me much.
Since I couldn’t learn Aura, the knight-exclusive house rules turned the board game into just a ridiculously tough workout, and Spirit Poker was no different from Cockroach Poker.
Of course, I didn’t have any complaints about those things. I thought it was enough to spread the joy of board games and have fun with others.
But still, I couldn’t help but think.
This world, unlike where I originally lived, is one where supernatural abilities like Aura and Magic exist.
So then─── couldn’t I combine Magic and board games to create something truly amazing?
‘That’s why I tried so hard to learn Magic.’
But in the end, I gave up because of my talentless self.
And yet, here it is—a board game combined with Magic, something absolutely insane.
It’s finally unfolding right before my eyes.
Even though an old man, who clearly looked like an Archmage and called himself the Master of the Magic Tower, was speaking to me, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Just looking at this massive board game.
My heart was so overwhelmed, it felt like it might burst.
‘Is this………love?’
My heart was pounding so hard that such a silly thought crossed my mind.
Right now.
Right now, I want to run up there, touch that giant magical board game, tear it apart, taste it, and devour it.
I want to experience every new fun, every strategy, every joy that this board game can offer me until I’m completely sick of it.
But even though that primal, overwhelmingly intense desire was all that remained, the last shred of reason in me kept me from acting on it.
“Sally, look at that……it’s an incredible board game……like……….”
“Y-young Master……?”
“Ahem, ahem! Heh, hehehe!! It seems our guest from the Everts Ducal House quite admires the symbol of our Magic Tower.”
“……My apologies for the late introduction. I am Kyle Byron, the third son of the Byron Viscountcy.”
“I am Olfin, the Master of the Arkhé Magic Tower.”
Arkhé Magic Tower.
When I was young and striving to learn Magic, I heard of such a place── one of the Empire’s six great Magic Towers.
After receiving a letter from Duke Nicholas, I did some digging through Sally.
‘A place that researches Magic related to light and darkness, and at the same time, has the shortest history among the six great Towers.’
Why would such a place send letters to the Everts Ducal House and other wealthy noble families in the west?
At first, I didn’t understand, but after reading the contents, I finally got it.
“As Master Olfin said……it truly is an impressive symbol. Placed in the center of this vast hall, it naturally exudes the grandeur of the Magic Tower.”
“Haha, even if it’s just lip service, I appreciate it.”
“That’s why I understand your concerns, Master. A massive board game like that……must require quite a bit of maintenance.”
“I like how quickly you get to the point.”
Though it might sound like a sarcastic remark, Master Olfin nodded without hesitation, agreeing.
True to its name as a Magic Tower, the Arkhé Magic Tower has a truly massive tower-like structure, but inside, it’s even more spacious and varied than it appears from the outside.
Yet, when you enter through the main gate, a vast hall greets you with a ceiling so high you can’t see the top, and instead of magical items or artifacts, that giant board game captures everyone’s attention.
The word ‘massive’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. The board game……resembling Chess, the board alone is as thick as an average adult’s height, and the pieces on it are as big as two or three people.
Because of their size, no ordinary person could move those pieces. In fact, the pieces were floating and moving on their own at that very moment.
Despite the large pieces moving, there was hardly any noise or wind, which was…
It must be thanks to magic.
Given the scale of such a thing, it was more than enough to become a symbol of one of the six great magic towers—but at least Master Olfin didn’t seem to think so.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have circulated a letter about selling that board game set to noble families for the sake of the tower’s finances.
Master Olfin’s heart seemed to have long left the board game set.
“That looks quite interesting at first glance, but it’s also the fruit of our tower’s research into light and darkness. What do you say, would you like to give it a try?”
“Of course!!”
“…As expected of youth, such a loud voice. Alright, Vermily? Take on Kyle Byron, the young lord.”
“Yes, Master!”
As Master Olfin gestured, a young magician who had been standing politely in the corner quickly approached and stood in front of the board game set.
I hurriedly ran over and stood on what looked like a platform meant for ascending. With a small vibration, the platform began to rise into the air.
Whoosh—
“Wow………!!”
A sofa and chairs prepared for comfortable seating, drinks and snacks to quench thirst, and even a luxurious railing to prevent falls.
In an instant, we rose to a height where Sally, who remained on the first floor, looked tiny, and the massive board game set finally came into full view.
A board made of black and white square tiles, with white and black pieces.
A board game that could easily be mistaken for chess from the original world was set up.
While I was holding onto the railing, marveling at the breathtaking view, Master Olfin, who had lightly floated into the air, smiled.
It was a smile more akin to a salesperson trying to maximize value than a benevolent archmage.
“How is it? I dare say it’s quite a sight.”
“It’s amazing.”
“Thank you for saying so. But the real charm of this grand board game begins now.”
Whoosh.
As Master Olfin raised both hands, light shimmered in one hand and darkness in the other.
Magic of an unparalleled level, far beyond what Sally or the magicians of her family had shown.
I stared blankly at the swirling white light and black darkness.
“Arkhé Magic Tower has been exploring light and darkness since ancient times. Just as the other six great towers study the elements that make up the world, Arkhé also sought to uncover the truths of the world.”
“………….”
“Light and darkness. Those unfamiliar with magic might think these are more powerful and destructive than fire, lightning, or frost. But in reality, it’s a bit different.”
“……Huh?”
“Here, take this.”
With a smile, Master Olfin threw a clump of darkness at me.
It looked like something I shouldn’t touch… but I instinctively reached out to catch it.
The darkness passed through my hand without resistance and fell away.
“Huh?”
“As you just saw, light and darkness have no physical form or force. We can create them, but we can’t actually touch them, and of course, they can’t cause any destruction.”
“Then……….”
“That’s why Arkhé Magic Tower began researching other ways to utilize light and darkness. The process was long and arduous… but fortunately, here we can show you the results.”
Whoosh.
The light and darkness released from Master Olfin’s hands floated in the air and merged.
White devoured black, black chased white, and they blended together.
Gradually, the light and darkness began to produce different colors.
“Over 200 years ago, the 5th Tower Master realized that the colors we see are created from light.”
“…………….”
“Over 100 years ago, the 8th Tower Master discovered that darkness could control those colors.”
“………Wow.”
“Only then did Arkhé become a member of the six great magic towers.”
Color, and form.
Through their research into light and darkness, Arkhé Magic Tower realized that destroying everything with light or corrupting it with darkness was fundamentally impossible.
Light was just light, and darkness was just darkness.
The mages of Arkhé merely mixed light and darkness to throw reality into chaos.
Thus, the unique magic born from the Arkhé Magic Tower was…
“……Illusion.”
“Ultimately, the biggest problem is that it can’t be touched.”
Suddenly, clouds formed in the endless ceiling of the Magic Tower.
The white clouds, swirling like a typhoon in midair, were unnaturally pure white, far from anything natural.
Gradually growing in size, they soon covered the entire ceiling of the tower. The center of the clouds parted, and…
A massive hand emerged, accompanied by a dazzling light.
“Now, speak the move you wish to make.”
“………Move the soldier two spaces forward.”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
As if responding to those words, the giant hand—worthy of being called divine—descended toward the game board, picking up the piece representing the soldier.
‘……Illusions can’t be touched, they said.’
Only then did I realize another truth.
That the giant game board and pieces were, in fact, illusions.
“Haha……….”
The white hand lifted the white soldier piece, placed it two spaces ahead, and vanished into the clouds. Soon, even the clouds faded as if they had never existed.
It lasted less than a minute, but I couldn’t say the hand I saw was just an illusion.
If Master Olfin hadn’t told me, I would have thought it was magic summoning such a hand.
The reason there was no sound or wind when the pieces moved earlier was because it was all an illusion.
The magic of the Arkhé Magic Tower, manipulating light, darkness, and even color and form…
‘It’s amazing.’
I was certain it was truly made for the board game itself.
After that, I don’t remember the details. I just enjoyed a game of illusion chess with a mage named Vermily, and got lost in a ‘new board game’ where not only the giant hand but also illusions of the Spirit King, dragons, angels, demons, and knights appeared to move and destroy pieces.
It was a board game I had played to the point of exhaustion, but seeing it from a god-like perspective, blended with dazzling illusions, offered a completely different kind of fun and sensation.
“Enough. The winner is Kyle Byron.”
“Ah……….”
When I came to my senses, I had won by checkmate.
Well, I had won similar chess-like board game tournaments before, so I wasn’t too fazed.
But more than that, I was deeply disappointed that the game was over.
“Kyle Byron, how was it?”
“………Fantastic. In every sense of the word.”
“Nothing beats pure praise. It seems we can speak freely about what comes next, as much as you enjoyed it.”
“About what comes next, you mean?”
“Let me be direct. I’m naturally like this, and there’s no time to waste.”
*Thud.*
After the illusion chess ended and I stepped down from the podium, Master Olfin faced me.
With a smile, his eyes radiated an intense, archmage-like aura and wisdom.
“You introduced yourself as the third son of House Byron. It’s true we sent a letter to House Byron, but the letter you brought was for House Everts. So, without asking for details, I’ll assume you represent House Everts.”
“……Yes.”
“How much are you willing to pay?”
“………….”
“It’s not something a seller should say, but that game board is essentially everything our tower stands for. If you decide to purchase it, our mages will periodically visit to maintain and monitor it. Considering that, I’ll lower the price. It’s cheaper than letting other towers secretly study it.”
“………I see.”
“In the end, the price is what matters. A price that can solve the tower’s deficit at once and cover the massive maintenance costs. How much is House Everts willing to pay?”
Master Olfin was dead serious. He knew that board game board was a symbol of Arkhé Magic Tower and a precious item, yet he was trying to sell it off.
No matter how symbolic or valuable it was, if it led to the Magic Tower going bankrupt, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
……There were many doubts, like whether selling and managing something that was practically an illusion itself was a good idea, or if there was a better way to keep other magicians from the Magic Tower on their toes.
But my words were already set in stone.
“First, let me clarify. While I am here representing the Everts Duke’s House, I am not here to purchase the board game board.”
“…………Then?”
For a moment, a shadow of concern crossed Master Olfin’s face, but he remained composed.
It was fine. It wouldn’t be a bad story for him either.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am the third son of the Byron Viscountcy and a board game creator, Kyle Byron.”
“Board game……creator?”
“I propose that we repurpose that board game board.”
“……Repurpose?”
The Master of the Magic Tower narrowed his eyes. I could feel the doubt and unease rising within him at this completely unexpected proposal.
But even so, the backing of the Everts Duke’s House was rationalizing my presence.
The greatest noble and Duke’s House in the west was supporting a young, inexperienced board game creator.
After some deliberation, Master Olfin decided to trust the Everts Duke’s House over my words and give me a chance.
This, in a way, was also one of the rewards of the ‘connections’ I had gained from the Duke.
“Alright. But I’ve never heard of the name Kyle Byron. If you call yourself a board game creator, you must have some games you’ve made, right?”
“Of course.”
“Follow me to the office. I need to test your board game before I can entrust the fate of our Magic Tower to you………But remember one thing.”
*Flash.*
Master Olfin, who had been walking ahead with his hands behind his back, glanced back at me.
A pale, dark light flickered in his aged face.
“I’ve lived quite a long life, you know. I’ve experienced countless forms of entertainment, not just board games.”
“………….”
“Don’t get your hopes up. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.”
*
*Ding!*
“Well……I think I’ve had enough fun with this. That Spirit Poker game and this Kyle Galli, I didn’t play much, but…”
“………How was it?”
“I’ll admit, it’s a game with quite impressive quality. I underestimated you. But that’s all. Let’s end the discussion here.”
“………….”
“Adela, please escort Lord Kyle to the guest room. And you, make sure to inform the Duke that Arkhé Magic Tower is still looking for a buyer.”
“……Master.”
“Sorry about that. Adela, what time is it? I’m unusually tired, but I need to finish today’s paperwork───”
“It’s 5:39 AM.”
“………Huh?”
“You started playing Kyle Galli and Spirit Poker at 4:12 PM yesterday. A total of 13 hours and 27 minutes have passed.”
“………………Lord Kyle. No, Creator.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Can I hear that story from 13 hours ago……again?”
*Smirk.*
“Anytime.”
