The Academy is largely divided into three categories: Magic, Aura, and Knowledge.
To be honest, about half of the Academy’s incoming students come in under “Knowledge.” Let’s be real, it’s where the talentless folks who have no aptitude for magic or aura end up.
“If I had gone to the Academy, I probably would’ve ended up in Knowledge too.”
Of course, it’s not like just anyone can get in, especially not the third son of a baron with no outstanding skills. It’s a place for commoner geniuses gathered from across the Empire or nobles with exceptional talents.
Unless board games become part of the entrance exam, I doubt I’d ever get into the Academy.
And naturally, the Magic and Aura departments are for those with talent in magic or aura.
Among them, magic is practically managed by the Six Great Magic Towers, so their influence is strong.
“Students who enter through magic choose one of the Six Great Magic Towers, meaning one of the six fields. You can take classes in other fields, but you have to pick one to belong to.”
“Even nobles who aren’t affiliated with a tower?”
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter much. If anything, it’s like choosing a faction… Since magic itself can be learned across various fields, people usually pick a tower they’re familiar with or based on their region.”
So, if you’re from the west, you’d go for Arkhé; from the north, Agni; and from the east, Glesia.
It’s not like the towers’ branches, but since they’re sent to teach students, they seem relatively free from the towers’ pride or political games.
“Of course, our Astron can’t be in last place.”
“…I see.”
Scratch that. Even if the students aren’t like that, the mages from the towers seem to have their own rivalries and pride battles.
I wonder if that atmosphere doesn’t reach the students. If professors are competing with other towers, the students would probably be affected too.
“Well, if that happened, the Imperial family would step in to regulate it.”
The Academy, which trains the Empire’s most valuable resource—mages—wouldn’t be allowed to let the towers divide students and pit them against each other. The Imperial family’s reaction would be as clear as day.
And more importantly,
“Those seriously aiming to become mages would go to the towers, not the Academy.”
Strictly speaking, most mages who come to the Academy have other goals besides just being “mages.”
Like building connections or learning just enough because they’re set to inherit a territory.
Given that mindset among the students, it’s no surprise that the competitive spirit is limited to high-ranking mages like Lukesil from the towers.
After all, even Lukesil’s words weren’t that serious.
But the main point was about to begin.
“The Six Great Magic Towers hold regular gatherings. The events vary, from magic duels to labyrinth challenges and specific tests.”
“And what you’re asking of me is…”
“Exactly. A board game for that gathering. The event is decided on a rotating basis each year, and this year it’s our Astron’s turn…”
And most importantly,
“Right now, Astron has been in last place for five years straight.”
“…You mean dead last.”
“Not dead last, sixth place. Anyway, because of that, everything I’ve built up is on the verge of collapsing.”
“What you’ve built up…?”
Like reputation or status, maybe?
But would a high-ranking mage really get fired for being in last place five times in a row at an Academy gathering?
By the time you’re sent to the Academy, your abilities are already proven, right?
“My savings!”
“Your… savings?”
“Yes, my savings…”
“If you come in last, you have to cover the entire banquet cost for that field. And of course, the other places are happily feasting!”
“Uh, ‘feasting’ is a bit… harsh.”
“We’ve been doing this for five years straight! We’re not even a branch, just an academy, so the support funds from the Magic Tower are already minimal! Since last year, the funds weren’t enough, so I even had to dip into my personal savings…!!”
For a moment, Lukesil’s emotions flared up, and she clenched her teeth, but soon took a deep breath to calm down.
However, the thought of her empty wallet seemed to resurface, and she trembled.
“If we come in 6th place again this year… I’ll have to dip into my retirement savings. I could ask the Tower Master for help, but if they ask how we managed to come in 6th for five years in a row and still need support funds… I’d have no answer.”
“Why have you been in 6th place, no, last place for five years straight?”
“…Frankly, in recent years, Astron hasn’t had any talented students. On the other hand, the others have one or two standout students each. They use that to push for one-on-one duels as events, so 6th place is inevitable.”
“So that’s why you asked for a board game?”
“Yes. The things I mentioned earlier…”
“I’ll show you when we arrive.”
The place Lukesil led us to was a massive dormitory.
A building adorned with the signature Milky Way pattern of Astron Magic Tower.
When we arrived at the hall inside, a table and chairs were already set up in the center, as if prepared in advance.
Lukesil, who had guided us this far, asked with a somewhat nervous expression.
“Can you show us that board game called Monopoly now?”
“Of course. But Lukesil, what did you think when you first heard the name ‘Monopoly’? I’m curious how impressive Astron Magic Tower is.”
“…Can I be honest?”
“Ultimately, the decision to choose a board game is yours. Feel free.”
“Well…”
After a moment of hesitation, Lukesil answered with a look that seemed unsure if this was the right thing to say.
“It’s… an ominous name.”
“Ominous, you say.”
“I don’t know what ‘Monopoly’ means. But since you, Kyle, named it, and names tend to encapsulate the essence of something… When I tried to glimpse into the name using Astron’s magic, I felt… something unsettling.”
“What exactly?”
“I can’t pinpoint it, but I can guess it’s not a gentle board game. Am I right?”
“As expected of Astron Magic Tower.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“However, Monopoly itself is a gentle board game. Just…”
*Tap.*
With a gesture from me, Sally unwrapped the bundle she had brought.
Inside the rather large bundle was a thin, square box.
A box featuring a character with a mustache and a suit.
On it was written ‘Monopoly.’
“The players might get a little excited, that’s all.”
“…A little, you say?”
“Isn’t trying it out the fastest way? If you find it inappropriate for the gathering after playing, you can reject it then.”
“Alright…”
With a somewhat reluctant expression, Lukesil agreed and sat down, followed by a magician who seemed to be her assistant sitting beside her.
I naturally took a seat as well, and Adela, as decided by rock-paper-scissors earlier, took the last seat.
…I could feel Sally and Water Tiger’s gazes. Were they cheering for Adela?
‘Or maybe the opposite.’
Among the board games created in Hwangseong, Monopoly was the only one I never played again.
Since I already did it, let’s just play one more round, but even Sally seemed a bit cold to the idea.
“Sally, can you take on the role of the Imperial Family?”
“Y-yes!”
Even though she’s not directly participating in the game, Sally will take on the role of the ‘Imperial Family,’ a modified version of the essential banker in Monopoly, tailored for this world.
With that, preparations are complete.
“Alright, then.”
Shall we begin?
*
Originally, Monopoly uses names of real cities or public institutions. In the U.S., the properties are named New York, Washington, and luxury taxes, while in Korea, they’re Seoul, Busan, and the Water Resources Corporation. Since it’s the prototype of Blue Marble, it’s a very familiar setup for Koreans. It looks exactly like the popular mobile game ‘Everyone’s Blue Marble.’
Using real place names naturally makes players feel more familiar and immersed in the game.
So, what about in this world?
Of course, we’ve made a version tailored for this world.
“From now on, we’ll be traveling around the continent, buying and selling land. The places written on each space are actual locations on the continent.”
“Oh-ho…?”
We could’ve replaced everything with fictional names, but using real city or region names is just more fun.
Of course, we avoided anything that could potentially cause issues.
‘If we wrote something like ‘The Territory of the Byron Family,’ the nobles of that territory might object.’
Even though it’s just a game, it’s essentially buying and selling their lands at will. They’re more likely to feel offended before even getting into the game.
Especially in this world, where territories are inherited through generations of families. They might seriously take it as an insult.
So, the regions written in Monopoly are kept somewhat broad.
The square board game is divided into East, West, South, and North, with famous tourist spots or regional names from those areas.
In Korean terms, instead of Busan, Daegu, and Ulsan, it’s just labeled as Gyeongsang Province.
With such a broad scope, it includes the territories, cities, and various landscapes within, minimizing the chance of controversy.
If anyone complains at this point, there’s nothing we can do.
“Players roll the dice on their turn to move. When you land on a property, you can either buy it or put it up for auction.”
“Buy… you say?”
“Yes, we’ll use these coins I’ve prepared as currency. They’re just toys, but they’re modeled after the copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins issued by the Empire. Oh, and we’ve got the Imperial Family’s permission, so no need to worry.”
“I see. I understand buying land, but what’s an auction?”
“If someone lands on a property but doesn’t have the money or doesn’t want to buy it, the ‘Imperial Family’ puts it up for auction. Of course, other players can bid on it.”
“So, even if it’s not your turn, you can still buy land.”
“Exactly. And all auctions are overseen by the Imperial Family, or more precisely, the person playing that role.”
Originally, we’d call it the banker, but this world isn’t capitalist like the original one. The concept of banks exists, but their influence is small and not well-established.
So, the alternative I chose was the ‘Imperial Family.’ In many literary or artistic works, as long as the Imperial Family is properly praised or its position is guaranteed, using their name doesn’t count as disrespect. The Empire’s long rule over the continent has made this leniency possible.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for the Imperial Family to intervene in disputes or inheritance issues between territories. It’s not entirely out of the question.
Of course, the person playing the role of the imperial family isn’t actually a member of the imperial family but just a bureaucrat working for the empire. There’s a reason it’s called an empire, after all.
Up to this point, it would’ve been much easier to just create fictional regions and positions to assign, but using real place names was necessary to call it Monopoly.
Even if what I’m making is just a knockoff, a blatant copy of the original, I still wanted to preserve the core value of that board game.
“And here, do you see the colored squares painted on each space?”
“Excluding the colorless spaces in between, three consecutive squares are the same color.”
“You can buy land anywhere, but to build on it, you must own all the land of the same color. This is called a ‘monopoly.'”
“………Monopoly.”
Perhaps sensing something ominous in the name.
Lukesil’s expression briefly turned complicated, but she soon nodded.
“The more buildings you build, the higher the toll fee other players have to pay when they land on that space. Oh, I forgot to mention the most important part.”
“What is it?”
“The land and buildings… can all be traded.”
“……I see.”
It’s not like we’ve even started playing properly yet. I explained other basic rules, but Lukesil still didn’t seem to grasp what it meant that everything could be bought and sold.
But that’s fine. She’ll figure it out after just one game.
After all, playing once is better than explaining a hundred times.
In front of Lukesil, her assistant, and Adela.
“Then, I’ll go first.”
*Roll.*
I.
Rolled the dice.
*
And then.
“Th-this is cheating!”
“Huh? What part is cheating? I’m just rightfully demanding the toll fee according to the rules.”
“Ah, but asking me to hand over all my buildings…!!”
“You don’t have enough money, do you? You can either forfeit or pay up. Like your assistant, who’s already out.”
“Th-this is…!!”
“If you don’t want to give up all your buildings, you can just hand over half of your land.”
“Then my monopoly will be broken!”
“Haha. That sounds like your problem, not mine. If you really can’t, you can borrow money from me to pay the toll. Of course, I’ll charge interest every turn.”
“Th-this is… impossible……….”
*Roll.*
“Adela, you’ve been caught, huh?”
“……Just wait a moment.”
“Huh? Even if you sell everything Adela has, you won’t be able to pay that toll fee.”
“No, I’m preparing a spell. I’ll send you off painlessly.”
“W-wait a second!?”
