법은 여전히 강력했고, 시샤의 얼음 마법에 갇힌 종은 아무도 건드릴 수 없는 상태였다. 스텔라는 이 상황을 보며 화를 내며 말했다.
“이건 공평하지 않아! 어떻게 이렇게 할 수가 있어?!”
올핀은 여유롭게 웃으며 대답했다.
“그게 바로 대마법사의 실력이지. 하지만 너무 심각하게 생각하지 마라. 이건 그냥 게임일 뿐이니까.”
시샤는 조용히 미소를 지으며 말했다.
“게임이라면 이기는 게 중요하죠. 그리고 이건 내가 이겼어요.”
스텔라는 이를 악물며 말했다.
“다음 판에는 반드시 이길 거야!”
올핀은 그들의 다툼을 보며 즐거워했다. 대마법사들 사이의 이런 소소한 경쟁은 그들에게도 여전히 재미있는 일이었다. 하지만 그들의 실력은 여전히 대륙 최고 수준이었고, 그들의 마법은 여전히 경이로움을 자아냈다.
“그럼, 다음 판을 시작해볼까?”
올핀의 말에 스텔라와 시샤는 다시 카드에 집중했다. 탑의 최상층은 다시 마법의 광경으로 가득 차기 시작했고, 그들의 경쟁은 계속되었다.
Shisha, who rose to the rank of Archmage by law. Breaking her ice was quite a hassle even for fellow Archmages.
The massive eruption of Regulus Volcano, predicted to wipe out an entire island and wreak havoc on the continent.
The boiling lava and volcanic ash were completely frozen, turning it into a tourist attraction thanks to Shisha’s Eternal Permafrost.
“How am I supposed to break this here?”
Since Olfin had no physical means of interference, Stella had to be the one to shatter it.
The only way Stella could break this ice was by dropping a star.
Of course, Stella, who knew full well that doing such a thing would get her caught and killed by Olfin immediately, couldn’t help but be anxious.
After all, unless Shisha melted it herself, no one could press the bell.
“If I can’t press it, no one can.”
“Kids these days…”
“Old hag, you were the one who predicted the card first, weren’t you?”
“……”
“You should be ashamed. Forcing the rearrangement of celestial bodies for a grand prophecy just to figure out the next card? Just use clairvoyance magic.”
“…This card is imbued with Olfin’s magic. You know as well as I do that nothing short of Great Magic can pierce through it.”
“So, you’re saying you did well? You cheated first.”
“…Brat, talking back like that…”
Stella, who should have exploded by now, ended up just muttering because she was in the wrong in the first place.
Stella Varnicion, though always seen with her eyes closed, is not blind. It’s just that she’s been like that since she was young, so it’s more familiar to her.
Moreover, with the magic of Astron Magic Tower, she can see the world as if her eyes were open, making it even more so.
But since she sees through magic, her immediate reactions are slow. That’s why she keeps getting teased by Olfin and Shisha.
So, she used Great Magic.
Forcibly rearranged the stars to create a state where she could receive a prophecy.
…She saw what the next card would be.
Because of that, Stella swept all the cards, and Shisha, who noticed the trick, froze the bell.
And that’s how we got here.
“Frankly, the trick I mentioned was about you, Stella. Shisha is a bit… petty, but you were the one who messed up first.”
“Ugh…”
“Are you senile? Your brain is under strain because you’re acting young on the outside while your insides are aging with dementia. Olfin, agree?”
“Normally, I’d side with Stella… but I guess I aged gracefully.”
“Ha, but! You both laughed at me because I couldn’t press the bell even once! So I did it! So what!!”
“Whatever it is, it’s cheating.”
“Freezing the bell isn’t cheating!?”
*Crash.*
“This b*tch? You’re grabbing first?”
“Yeah, let’s settle this today!”
Shisha and Stella, grabbing each other’s hair as if it were the most natural thing, screamed at each other.
Is this the fight between Archmages that even the Empire trembles at and the Emperor acknowledges?
Olfin, feeling grand, quietly reached for the snacks.
The fried corn snacks tasted the best at this moment. Frankly, he had prepared these snacks specially, anticipating such a scene.
After watching Shisha and Stella’s brawl for a while, Olfin finally opened his mouth to mediate.
It definitely wasn’t because the fried corn snacks were running out.
“Now, now. So, Stella, you won’t back down, and Shisha, you won’t either?”
“…Yes.”
“Absolutely not backing down.”
“Then there’s no choice. We’ll have to decide the winner based on the current results. Agreed?”
“Well… I guess there’s no choice.”
“…Tch.”
After all, neither Stella nor Shisha is really serious about fighting. It’s not an act or a show, but…
If two magicians really fought, it wouldn’t just end with the area turning into ruins.
Grabbing each other’s hair was their mutually agreed-upon (?) fighting style.
After tossing a handful of each other’s hair, their eyes met, and sparks flew.
Implicitly, they decided to settle the fight based on the outcome of Kyle Galli.
It was an obvious choice. Their cards looked pretty similar, after all.
“For fairness, can I set the rules?”
“Sure.”
“Agreed.”
Except for the frozen cards under the bell, Kyle Galli’s cards were almost evenly split between Stella and Shisha.
Meanwhile, Olfin’s cards were nearly depleted. Since he was clearly in last place, it was only fair to decide the winner objectively.
Thinking this, Stella and Shisha flipped their cards, but…
“Well, actually, there’s no need to count.”
“……Huh?”
“What?”
“Obviously, I won.”
*Snap.*
After declaring victory, he flicked his fingers.
Only then did Stella and Shisha realize.
The number of cards had completely reversed.
No, actually—
“Was it… an illusion? Since when?”
“……Goodness.”
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
The outcome was clear even to them. Stella and Shisha had a decent number of cards, but Olfin had way more.
When had they even fallen into Olfin’s illusion?
More importantly, had Olfin even pressed the bell? Did he even play his cards?
“Since when did you think I wasn’t creating illusions?”
“……Hah.”
Even in the heart of Arkhé Magic Tower, not even other archmages could sense anything off.
Stella shivered as a chill ran down her spine.
‘This is… the Dragon Slayer who killed the Last Dragon, the continent’s final Dragon Slayer.’
The Illusion Archmage, Master Olfin Glassburn.
Though impossible due to the nature of light and dark, if physical interference were possible, he would have already overthrown the Empire. That was the power of this archmage.
Stella, newly aware of Olfin’s prowess, and Shisha, pouting at being tricked, locked eyes with Olfin.
He smiled lightly and spoke.
“Since we’re done, let me ask—how was Kyle Galli? Better than expected, right?”
“Frankly, I’m not sure if this can even be called Kyle Galli… but I can’t deny it.”
Yeah.
Forget when they fell into Olfin’s illusion.
The Kyle Galli they had played so far… was quite the board game.
In many ways, it surpassed Kill the King.
‘At first glance, it seems like a simple game testing physical ability, but it requires high-level psychological warfare.’
What Stella particularly noted was the ‘psychological warfare’ aspect.
For ordinary people, or non-magicians, it would ultimately come down to physical abilities like reaction speed rather than psychological tactics.
Even aura users wouldn’t be much different. Those muscleheads would probably find this level of play trivial, and it’s questionable if they could even handle the bell or cards properly.
But for ‘magicians,’ it’s a different story.
‘This could work.’
It could even be used to gauge the level of magicians.
The rules Olfin explained were based on the creator Kyle Byron’s standards, assuming the players were non-magicians. But with some tweaks, house rules for magicians could be created.
‘For example, not flipping the cards or limiting bell presses to magic.’
It could test abilities like透视 magic or magic control without breaking the bell.
Even with these simple ideas, the potential is huge. What if we dive deeper?
No, before that.
Just bring Kyle Byron to Astron Magic Tower.
If you could invite someone to the tower?
“Even during Abracadabra, I felt it, but in terms of board games, they might be a genius who will go down in history.”
Well, it’s been 100 years since board games like Kill the King appeared.
Of course, with such a short history, no one has made a name for themselves with board games, so maybe it’s the first on the continent.
With an almost prophetic intuition, Stella Varnicion quietly licked her lips.
“Kyle Byron’s whereabouts.”
“If you beat me, you can take him.”
“…Sigh, alright. Once this trend passes, I’ll send a formal invitation. That should be fine, right?”
“Haha, in the end, it’s up to the creator.”
“Speaking of which, Shisha, what about you? Even if you’re rotten, you’re still an Archmage, so you should recognize the true value of this game.”
“………….”
“Shisha? The most ruthless ice princess in Academy history?”
“I’m listening, so don’t call me by that nickname.”
Shisha, who had been frowning and pondering something for a while, finally muttered as if she had made up her mind.
“After all, that maid is dangerous.”
“Shisha?”
“Considering the value of Kyle Galli and Kyle Byron… it’s definitely right to resolve it.”
“…Shisha.”
Both the madness she spoke of earlier and the muttering now.
Master Olfin, who had sensed something, quietly recited.
“Kyle Byron is a guest of Arkhé Magic Tower. Even you are not allowed to touch him at will.”
“Don’t worry. As for Kyle Byron──”
“And of course, his maid is included.”
“………….”
“I hope you don’t ignore my warning.”
“…Of course. You’re talking about the Dragon Slayer.”
For a moment, the atmosphere turned tense, but in the end, both Stella and Shisha agreed on the value of Kyle Galli.
That alone meant Olfin had kept his promise to Kyle.
But Olfin went a step further. It was just a sudden whim.
“Anyway, if Kyle Galli was quite good… how about spreading it a bit more?”
“Spread… it?”
“I’m not talking about anything formal like announcing it. Just introducing it to a few nobles we know.”
“Hmm.”
“The creator would probably be happy.”
“Then let’s do it. Shisha?”
“…I don’t need to see it. If you throw Kyle Byron into the tower instead of me, the elders’ nagging will decrease.”
“Good. Thank you, everyone.”
A small recommendation from the Archmages, born out of Olfin’s whim.
What kind of result that would bring.
Even Olfin himself couldn’t have predicted it.
*
And a week later.
“How’s the Abracadabra reservation?”
“Tsk, it’s fully booked today too. You’ll have to wait two more days.”
“Then let’s go to Kyle Galli again today. I’ll definitely win today!”
“Great! Let’s hurry!”
The world… no, Arkhé Magic Tower and Gias Territory have entered the era of Kyle Galli.
