An overwhelming illusion that captivates the audience.
The flames conjured by the prince, the ice blocks created by the marquis, and the lightning struck down by the duke.
Each of these elements, synchronized with their movements, makes everything feel not like “illusions in a board game” but rather like “magic being used directly.”
Amidst the amazement, everyone was engrossed in watching Abracadabra, each voicing their astonishment.
Now, in the space where only two archmages and the duke of the east remained, a woman with closed eyes murmured.
“Impressive.”
“The Master of the Magic Tower was right. Truly impressive.”
“Well, Duke, I was referring to something else.”
“Something else…?”
Stella Varnicion, the great archmage and the master of Astron Magic Tower, one of the six great magic towers.
Though blind, she sees the world brighter than anyone else, and she quietly recited.
“Of course, the illusions by Olfin and Arkhé Magic Tower are impressive, but in the end, they’re just side acts.”
“Side acts, huh?”
“While it’s truly commendable that they’ve brought illusions into the realm of experience, the reason His Highness the Prince and others can be so engrossed is ultimately because of the game itself.”
“Abracadabra… you mean? The one created by that young man.”
“I pride myself on knowing a great deal of knowledge, but I’ve never heard of these rules before. And I’m sure the Ice Princess beside me feels the same?”
“…Why do you have to bring up my academy nickname, you jerk?”
“So, is that a no?”
“I don’t know, don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything similar either.”
The blue-haired woman, with a look of disgust, propped her chin and waved her hand.
She was the only archmage of Glesia Magic Tower, an eccentric who refused to become the tower master, and she frowned.
But Stella, despite the fierce gaze, kept her eyes closed and looked down at the board game arena where intense illusions were exchanged.
“The number of spells based on rank, the returns and penalties brought by high-level spells, the ability to count others’ spells, limited recovery methods, almost no certainty, and the thrill of always having to chant spells with bated breath.”
“Hmm.”
“Frankly, we’ve played too many board games before, haven’t we? It felt stagnant.”
The board game where you move pieces to target the opponent’s king, ‘Kill the King.’
Kyle called it something akin to chess, the only board game universally recognized across the empire, and even the nobles enjoyed it as a form of ‘culture.’
But it’s been hundreds of years since Kill the King was introduced. Now, it’s hard to even know who the creator was.
Moreover, Stella Varnicion personally didn’t like Kill the King.
‘When you think about it, it’s just a game of memorizing possibilities.’
Kill the King might seem like it requires some genius or skill, but if you dig deeper, it’s just a game of memorization.
The starting positions of the pieces are fixed, the directions and distances they can move are fixed, and there’s no probability or external variables involved.
So, in this situation, you just memorize the formula—move like this—and you can beat anyone. Beyond that, it’s just a battle of who has memorized more formulas.
Thus, over time, with fixed formulas and other elements, Kill the King became a board game that only those who played it could enjoy, and once you reached a certain level, it was hard to find anything new.
That’s why Stella Varnicion lost interest. In fact, any magician of a certain level would feel the same.
But what about this board game called Abracadabra?
‘In the end, it’s a counting game. But…’
In the process, you inevitably rely on probability, and the penalties and returns for that are clearly established.
Moreover, there’s even a hidden magic that can only be used when your stamina drops to 1.
The level of completion was so beyond imagination that even Stella couldn’t help but be impressed.
“The fact that it can only be done here is a bit of a flaw, though.”
Abracadabra is something that can only be handled and prepared in the Arkhé Magic Tower, which specializes in illusions.
Even though Stella called it a side feature, the illusions of the Arkhé Magic Tower were an indispensable element for Abracadabra. After all, the very concept of the game was built around illusions.
Sure, it could have been made into a regular board game, but that would mean giving up on the illusions. And that would just make it half-baked.
The key point was that even the most noble bloodline in the Empire had to come to the Arkhé Magic Tower if they wanted to experience the “true” Abracadabra.
On top of that, with specially prepared artifacts that simulate vibrations and heat, it’s even more immersive.
The hidden trick of the board game, overshadowed by its dazzling illusions and effects.
The Arkhé Magic Tower was genuinely trying to recreate the great trend from 100 years ago.
“……Kyle Byron.”
That’s why Stella let out a sigh. Like the other Archmages who had mocked it, she truly wished for the downfall of the Arkhé Magic Tower.
But it was just a personal wish. She had no intention of scheming or acting to make it happen. She just hoped the Arkhé Magic Tower would collapse on its own.
It wasn’t until she fully grasped the meticulously prepared Abracadabra that she became certain.
The Arkhé Magic Tower was rising again.
Centered around Kyle Byron, an unknown genius, and the board game he created.
“Is she okay? The Master of Stella Tower suddenly looks so serious.”
“Ah, she’s fine. That woman’s always been full of herself, so she often gets lost in her own thoughts. That’s just how Astron Tower is, right?”
“……Let’s stop with the tower discrimination. Glesia Tower isn’t an ice cream factory, you know?”
“Right, it’s not an ice cream factory—it’s a shaved ice factory.”
“One by one, you’re really hitting all the marks……….”
“Yep~ Hwanahwana ttadongttadong~”
“You crazy b*tch.”
Just as Stella grabbed her blue hair, and the grand hair-pulling battle between the Archmages was about to begin, Duke Grandel, who had been watching the two Archmages with a somewhat complicated expression, stood up.
“Well, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Duke? Ah, please don’t pull your hair.”
“You should talk, you lunatic.”
“I don’t want to interrupt, so I’ll head down. Abracadabra is almost over, and if you want to join the next game, you’ll need to move soon, right?”
“[Dragon Breath]!!!”
At the shout of the Prince, who had become more enthusiastic than anyone, the dragon that Master Olfin had once hunted revealed itself.
Following the feedback that breathing fire behind the players would feel more realistic than in the sky, the dragon, as majestic as ever, exhaled its breath, enveloping the Prince.
“Game over! The winner is His Highness, the Third Prince!!”
“”””Wooooah!!!!””””
“Now, we’ll start accepting participants for the next game!”
“Oh dear, if we don’t want to be late, we’d better hurry……!”
*Thud!*
As Duke Grandel, an Aura user, fell onto the board game alone, and the crowd in the hall began to react more enthusiastically than before, the Archmage of Leisha Tower, who had been pondering how to efficiently pull Stella Varnicion’s hair, suddenly had a spark in her eyes.
“…………What.”
It wasn’t the Third Prince, who was stubbornly insisting on playing another round, nor Duke Grandel, who was determined to participate, nor even Kyle Byron, who was smiling at the center of it all.
Rather, it was further back.
Outside the gaze of the crowd, someone was desperately adjusting the illusions.
Beyond the wizards of the tower.
Passing by the Water Spirit synchronized with the Spirit Master.
Someone standing right next to the female magician who is said to be Master Olfin’s disciple.
A girl in a maid outfit.
“What is that……?”
Regardless of her saintly demeanor, the Archmage of Ice, considered the highest among the eight Archmages in terms of skill, stiffened her expression.
The maid, who at first glance seemed like a novice in magic, possessed an extraordinary talent.
And……a vow that bordered on a curse.
*
The demonstration of Abracadabra was more than just a success.
It was an unprecedented triumph.
“T-Tower Master! The number of reservations for Abracadabra has surpassed four digits! Over 90% of those who participated once are rebooking!”
“More than a hundred people have promised new sponsorships or increased their contributions. We won’t know the exact figures until next month, but the initial sponsorship funds alone exceed 30% of our previous total!”
“A-A major merchant guild from the capital is requesting to see the Tower Master! I heard it’s about a large-scale investment in Abracadabra……!!”
Master Olfin’s office, which had been buried in deficit reports and gloomy for the past few years, was now bustling with voices.
The difference from before was that most of the chatter was about the new influx of funds.
Sitting in his chair, trying to calm his excitement, Olfin turned his gaze to Adela, who was compiling all the documents.
“Adela, what’s the current financial situation?”
“……The additional artifacts purchased for Abracadabra and the consumption of existing reserves have already been covered. Assuming this trend continues, and calculating the money the nobles will spend in Gias and the corresponding increase in tax revenue……….”
Gulp.
Olfin and the tower’s wizards all swallowed hard, staring at Adela.
It was no exaggeration. This venture was a huge gamble for Arkhé Magic Tower, aimed at resolving the tower’s chronic deficit.
And the results were evident from Adela’s report.
After a moment of intense calculation, she nodded.
“While sustained popularity is still premature, the Abracadabra trend is expected to last at least another month. Based on that calculation.”
“………The result.”
“Not only will the tower’s deficit from the past seven years be covered, but we also anticipate no issues for the next five years.”
“……Great!!”
“F-Finally!”
“We’re in the black! Our tower is thriving!!”
Olfin, forgetting his dignity as the Tower Master, shouted loudly and punched the air.
The tower’s wizards hugged each other, expressing their joy freely.
Even assuming the worst-case scenario where the trend doesn’t last long, this outcome was beyond expectations.
“W-What if it continues at the level of that trend from 100 years ago?”
“In that case, the calculation becomes meaningless.”
“Meaningless?”
“The conditions of the trend 100 years ago and now are different. But if we simply consider the duration………we estimate that we could sustain current expenditures for about 120 years.”
“O-One hundred and twenty……!!”
This is a jackpot. An absolutely insane jackpot.
When everyone in the tower made the decision and purchased more artifacts for a more perfect Abracadabra, there was anxiety about what if it failed──.
But in this moment, Olfin’s foresight in believing in Abracadabra and Kyle Byron shone brightly.
Even Olfin himself, overwhelmed with emotion, was taking deep breaths while looking at the ceiling.
“……Perhaps the best decision of my life.”
Whom Olfin was referring to with those words──.
No one was unaware.
The plan to recreate the trend of 100 years ago, the board game called Abracadabra, and the idea of maximizing the experience all came from one young man.
It was the magicians of Arkhé Magic Tower who brought him to reality, but without him, they wouldn’t have even started.
Master Olfin, freed from the pressure that the tower might collapse in his generation, quietly opened his mouth.
“Kyle Byron… What is the creator doing now?”
“I heard he’s thinking about additional hidden magic after today’s demonstration. He’s also focusing on mass-producing Kyle Galli.”
“Huh.”
Even after making Abracadabra a huge success, he’s already tinkering with another board game.
Whether the prince wins or loses, he’s pushing his status by playing Abracadabra 12 times in a row, praising Kyle Byron, and raising his reputation.
Normally, he’d be networking among nobles or basking in success like the tower’s magicians, including Olfin.
But Kyle seems completely indifferent to social fame or money, just engrossed in board games.
It’s because he’s so sincere, so determined, that he managed to make all this a success.
Olfin, both baffled and convinced by Kyle’s actions, nodded.
‘I wish he could stay in the tower, if possible.’
Separate from his hopes, Olfin had a feeling. Kyle, with his goal of spreading board games, wouldn’t stay in one place.
Then, the least he could do was support that journey.
‘Maybe it’s time to have a proper talk with those guys.’
At that moment, he thought of the two archmages who came here to repay him for literally saving the tower.
Meanwhile, Adela, who had been spacing out, suddenly stood up as if she sensed something.
“Then, I’ll go meet Kyle Byron.”
“You two seem to be getting along quite well lately.”
“Spending hours together in his room, huh?”
“Getting close over board games… Oh, come on.”
Olfin and the magicians chuckled, but Adela had a strange sense of determination.
For some reason, she looked like she felt a sense of duty.
“I have to protect him from the stalker spirit master and the maid with a rag in her mouth.”
“…………Huh?”
“Then.”
Even now, she’s endlessly anxious. The Water Tiger is dangerous, and the maid is a vulgar woman who doesn’t suit Kyle Byron at all.
She’s the only one who can truly protect Kyle. After an unwanted three-way confrontation, Adela, who realized this, hurried to Kyle’s room.
And, above all.
──She still hasn’t properly apologized to him.
So, this is just a natural duty.
Of course, without any ulterior motives, purely out of goodwill.
Adela believed this without a doubt.
“………….”
Her chest tightened.
……Desperately ignoring the inexplicable tightness in her chest.
