──It won’t take long. It has to be this way.
With those words, Kyle Byron and his maid left the Arkhé Magic Tower immediately.
“…………….”
All that remained were the magicians of the tower, busily constructing a massive Abracadabra, and Adela, who had lost her board game opponent.
It was an unsatisfying conclusion, to say the least.
What on earth is going on?
A sudden question arose, but Adela shook her head fiercely, brushing it off.
“……Anyway, it doesn’t matter.”
After realizing her jealousy, they had grown closer, but in the end, he was the one who made Adela feel jealous.
Now that he was gone, she felt a sense of relief. It had to be this way.
For a moment, Adela stared intently at the small Abracadabra left behind by her vanished opponent.
‘Let’s do it later.’
She had covered the game with a cloth, preserving it as it was.
After all, it was Abracadabra she had been playing for revenge (?). With Kyle gone, she had no desire to play with anyone else.
……Though it was still puzzling that Kyle had felt a ‘turning point’ in the board game.
“I have to……help the Tower Master.”
After muttering this to herself, Adela finally managed to get up.
Still unable to tear her eyes away from the cloth-covered board game, as if she still had lingering regrets.
For a moment, she questioned her own thoughts.
‘Why……do I still feel attached?’
Why can’t I just leave the room as if nothing happened? I need to help Master Olfin, whom I consider family, and the other magicians. Kyle, who annoyed me, is already gone.
In her trembling eyes, Adela made up her mind and turned her head.
Yes, this is…
‘It’s just because the game isn’t over yet…….’
It’s just that he left in the middle of it. The timing was really awkward.
That’s all it is. Adela tried to convince herself of that.
She clicked her tongue once, and just as she was about to leave the room…
“……Even so.”
Just covering it with a cloth isn’t enough, is it?
What if the wind blows, or some unknown entity intrudes and scatters the Abracadabra mid-game?
What if Kyle, who will surely return, sees it and mocks her, saying the board game was a turning point in his life, and now that turning point is ruined?
‘Absolutely not.’
In the end, Adela only left the room after taking multiple layers of magical precautions.
As she headed to the first floor to help with the illusion construction, Adela absentmindedly glanced out the window.
Towards the direction of the Byron estate, where Kyle Byron was likely headed.
“…………?”
And as she looked out the window, something flew towards her.
[Whoosh!]
“A spirit……?”
A sparrow spirit let out a sorrowful cry.
Adela wasn’t close to spirits, so she couldn’t understand its words, but…
It was the wail of an employee who had lost track of their surveillance target and had to report it to their superior………
*
“…………….”
“Yo, Young Master……? Wha, what was written in the letter………?”
“It’s better if you don’t know, Sally. Seriously.”
“Huh………?”
Yes, Sally doesn’t need to know. In fact, it’s better not to involve her.
She might get dragged into it too.
‘Gambling, gambling.’
A few years ago, when I first created Yacht, I never imagined the side effects it would bring.
It all started with a knight who learned Yacht from me, leading to a gambling incident that involved 20% of the knights at the time, and even my second brother got caught up in it.
As a result, all dice and card games were banned in the family, and I was only allowed to play board games with Sally and Grandpa Charles. For years after that, I didn’t even dare to think about creating a new board game.
It was such a big deal that it took years, and my second brother being sent away to another city for “forced study abroad,” before I could even bring up the topic of board games with my father again.
As a condition for allowing board games, I had to promise not to let gambling happen again. So, when heading to the Everts Duke’s house, I asked Grandpa Charles to keep an eye out for any potential gambling.
“Of all people, that guy had to come back.”
If it were just the knights, Grandpa Charles, being the former Knight Commander, could’ve easily put them in their place. But my second brother… no, that guy is different.
After all, he’s the second son of the Byron Viscount’s family, and unlike me, the third son, he has direct involvement in the family’s major affairs. Though his influence did take a hit after the gambling incident.
Still, if he insisted on doing something, even Grandpa Charles wouldn’t have been able to stop him. He’d have no choice but to report it to my father.
I kept thinking and thinking inside the carriage on the way back to the family estate.
But there was only one conclusion I could come to.
“I need to see the situation for myself.”
All my father’s letter said was that the guy had returned and had been gambling with Kyle Galli.
So, I decided to calm my mind and wait until we arrived at the estate.
How much time passed?
By the time the scenery outside the carriage changed to the familiar sight of the mansion…
“Young Master? We’ve arrived.”
“…Sally, you go back to the servants’ quarters.”
“Huh?”
“It might get a bit noisy for a while.”
Having Sally, the apprentice magician, by my side would’ve been reassuring, but my second brother’s vindictiveness is well-known even within the family.
While Grandpa Charles, the former Knight Commander and current head butler, might handle it, a mere maid assigned to the third son would be an easy target for his faction’s relentless bullying.
Even if I tried my best to protect her, I wouldn’t be able to stop all the subtle and cruel harassment in the servants’ quarters.
It’s better to keep her away than to see her suffer like that.
“But, Young Master…!!”
“Don’t worry, Sally. It won’t take long.”
Whether the problem gets resolved or board games get banned again, it’ll be over soon.
I gave a reassuring smile to the worried Sally, and she nodded with a somber expression.
Thanks for understanding.
“Good luck… Young Master.”
“Thank you.”
As Sally, looking dejected, headed toward the servants’ quarters, I smiled and waved her off. But as soon as she was out of sight, my expression hardened.
After getting out of the carriage, I approached a gardener who was standing politely and spoke to him.
“Young Master Kyle, have you returned from the Duke’s house? There’s a rumor that you’ve earned the Duke’s favor…”
“Frederick.”
“Yes?”
“Frederick Byron, where’s my brother?”
“Ah, the second Young Master? He’s not at the mansion right now. I heard he went on patrol with some friends he brought along…”
“Friends? Patrol?”
The friends are probably the guys he brought back from where he was studying abroad.
And patrol? Really?
Well, if it’s the guy who gambled with Kyle Galli as soon as he returned to the family, his destination is pretty obvious. He probably went to an illegal gambling den within the territory.
‘Honestly, raiding that place would leave him with no way out.’
But without any information, it’s impossible to just waltz in there. After the yacht gambling incident, all the legal gambling spots in the territory dried up, leaving only the shady ones. Finding such a place without help in a single day is a tall order.
Well, if he’s not at the mansion now, that’s actually a good thing.
“Thanks, you’ve worked hard.”
“Yes…….”
Expressing gratitude to the bewildered gardener, I head towards the mansion entrance.
The familiar face of the middle-aged head maid greets me, but then tilts her head in confusion.
“Welcome back, Young Master Kyle. But where is Sally……?”
“I sent her to the annex on my own. By the way, I heard Frederick returned four days ago.”
“Yes, that’s correct. The Head of the Family is waiting for you──”
“Tell him I’ll be a little late.”
“………Understood. I’ll relay that.”
The head maid is glad she doesn’t have to say much. Or maybe it’s because she was in charge of my education when I was young.
I enter through the main gate and head not to my father’s office, but somewhere else.
Frederick Byron’s room.
That’s the first place I need to check.
“Uh, Young Master? That’s Young Master Frederick’s room!”
“I have the owner’s permission.”
“Huh? If you say so……….”
I’ll get permission later, so it’s fine.
Entering Frederick’s room, it’s clear he hasn’t been back long—the room is still a mess.
Luggage from his time abroad, haphazardly arranged items, and…
In the center of the room, Kyle Galli.
“………….”
I immediately took Kyle Galli. I didn’t want to see board games being used for gambling again.
Besides that, I searched the room but found nothing particularly noteworthy.
‘Well, if he has any ideas, he’ll keep them secret.’
Given that he was caught gambling last time and was forced to go abroad, he must have hidden the evidence thoroughly.
It’s almost laughable that he was already caught by our father.
With Kyle Galli in hand from Frederick’s room, I finally made my way to my father’s office.
Opening the familiar door, I found my father sitting there with a troubled expression.
“You’re back, Kyle. The situation has become… quite troublesome.”
“……As mentioned in the letter, are you planning to ban board games now?”
“Huh?”
The condition I set when I was summoned by my father over the maids’ Kyle Galli incident.
I clearly stated that if any of the board games I created caused harm to the family like the yacht incident, I would give them all up. Meaning, if a family member gambles using a board game I made, and so on.
At the time, I thought that if either I or Grandpa Butler Charles kept watch, we could at least prevent gambling within the family.
But I never imagined that Frederick would gamble again, and with Kyle Galli of all things.
So, just in case, I asked first, but…
“Of course not. I’ve already received letters from Duke Nicholas and Master Olfin. Your board games have spread far beyond our family to various places.”
“………Then.”
“Banning them now would be ridiculous. The letters mentioned that you should know about the gambling with Kyle Galli, so that’s why it was written that way.”
“Ah…….”
“But……what to do about Frederick’s gambling is indeed the issue. I waited for you to arrive first.”
Even though I had already discovered that Frederick was gambling again, I could have stormed the scene right away.
Father seemed worried, as if thinking that what happened twice could happen a third time.
I was worried too. It was the board games used for gambling that concerned me.
Meanwhile, Father, who had been staring at me intently.
“……I want to entrust this matter to you, Kyle.”
“………Huh?”
“Even if it’s a meaningless condition now, didn’t you say you’d stop the gambling? So, I want to see how you handle it first.”
“………….”
“Frederick started gambling two days ago. Strictly speaking, it’s still ambiguous whether he’s caused harm to the family yet. So……what do you think?”
Well, if you’re giving me this opportunity.
I can get revenge for the Kyle Galli used in the gambling.
‘I’ll make you consider the Yacht incident as a blessing.’
The frustration I felt when I first learned that board games were being used for gambling, and the constant conflicts since childhood.
It’s finally time to settle all of that.
“Of course. If you give me just one day, I’ll bring my brother to this office.”
“……Isn’t one day a bit too short?”
“If it takes longer than that, it could be considered as causing harm to the family. I want to keep my word as much as possible.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
Father, who had been silently pondering with his eyes closed.
Quietly opened his eyes and asked.
“Any help?”
“I’ll do it without.”
“Good choice. I’ll be waiting……for tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Well, if I had Father’s help, it wouldn’t even take a day, but I really didn’t need it.
I already had a rough idea of where to go.
*
A day, such a short time.
Yet, I was confident. It was clear where I needed to go.
‘Training Ground.’
During the Yacht gambling, knights who participated made up 20% of the Byron Knights. Surely, not a single one of them would have avoided this gambling?
No matter how I thought about it, I was skeptical. Especially if Frederick, the second son, had been personally persuading them.
So, I planned to visit the Training Ground first and question the knights who had participated in the gambling.
Just.
“Hey, long time no see? You freeloader little brother.”
“……Frederick.”
“Wow, you’ve got a look in your eyes like you’re about to kill someone. Useless brat.”
If only I hadn’t run into this guy in the hallway.
I would’ve arrived much sooner.
