[To my sibling.
It’s already been ten days since you left the academy. You’d definitely be surprised if you knew what’s been happening here during that time.
First off, the board game club—no, the Monopoly club—has become the largest club in the academy, even surpassing the magic sector. Well, at least in terms of membership numbers. Because of that, even the aura and knowledge sectors have started showing interest in Monopoly.
Thanks to allowing magic-infused Monopoly creations, each dormitory now regularly hosts tournaments. Some professors have even started bringing Monopoly into their lectures, so it seems like they’ve reached some kind of consensus.
It’s already confirmed that Monopoly will be part of next year’s gathering. But, since this is still the magic sector, there’s talk of including magic-related events too. So, they’re planning to run Monopoly and magic duels simultaneously.
Surprised? You must be, since you’re the creator. But I was even more shocked. Because of that last thing you said!
I explained the academy situation in detail because I wanted you to understand just how shocked and horrified I am. What on earth do you mean by supporting the Third Prince?
Is it a secret support? Or just personal cheering? Or are you planning to officially declare your support?
Even if you’re not interested in the position of the head of the family, you’re still a legitimate member of Byron, so───]
“Hubby? What are you reading?”
“Hmm… nothing much. Just something funny.”
“………?”
The truth is, the Third Prince values me, and at the same time, he’s cutting ties with me to prevent any harm from coming my way. But there’s no way Roderick would know that.
‘Third Prince… Lugrick Severus.’
It’s been almost a month since I left the imperial palace.
A month—long enough, yet also short.
But at least in the palace, it wasn’t a short time.
‘He said he’s gradually building his influence.’
He hasn’t officially declared his participation in the throne race yet, but I heard he’s gaining enough power that even the First and Second Princes are wary of him.
Just a month ago, the only person following him was the head maid.
But it seems clear that the support of that brick-like Archmage has become a solid backing for the Third Prince.
It won’t be long before he officially enters the competition.
I don’t know when I’ll see the Third Prince again, but it’ll probably be after his situation has settled somewhat.
‘Whether the Third Prince drops out of the race…’
Or if the competition becomes deadlocked.
“………Hubby? Who are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Ah, Princess. My apologies.”
“Again with that. How many times have I told you? I’m your only friend and confidant, and yet you keep ignoring me like this. It’s triggering my trauma again.”
“……Leisha, I’m sorry.”
“Formal speech… well, we can fix that slowly. But from now on, you must call me by my name. Got it?”
“Yes.”
After talking with Leisha over board games, her condition has noticeably improved.
The spirits have returned to normal, of course, and she can now smile brightly and hold conversations.
She’s even able to freely leave her room and go out to the garden outside the turret.
She’s still hesitant about meeting others besides me, but the fact that she’s managed to step outside the turret is encouraging.
‘She’s also trying to talk to a few servants every day, I hear.’
Ultimately, Leisha’s trauma hasn’t been completely resolved. It’s just that it no longer affects me as much.]
It was merely stopping the trauma that had begun.
But even if it wasn’t a solution, it was clear that Leisha had taken a step forward within her trauma.
If she continues to be proactive, surely the day will come when she can face others without trauma.
Still, for now, I was the only one Leisha could comfortably meet.
Above all.
“My only friend, my only confidant, and… my only husband.”
“…Leisha, it’s not confirmed yet, it’s just an engagement.”
“An engagement is still a marriage, isn’t it? That’s enough discussion for me.”
“But.”
“Why? Do you dislike me as your husband? Do you dislike a woman like me, who’s tormented by trauma, can’t leave the turret, and only gets along with spirits?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Then it’s settled. I like you, and you like me. Isn’t that what marriage is about?”
As soon as she found out through the sparrow spirit that there had been discussions of engagement between us, Leisha’s mood improved greatly. She was already calling me her husband.
Frankly, at this point, only a fool wouldn’t know. Leisha has feelings for me.
Though she herself said it was ‘friendship’ and not ‘love.’
“I’m your friend, right? So, I can marry you anytime.”
A marriage without love.
What would normally be an ominous statement was perfectly natural for Leisha.
She had always been quite casual with me, using informal speech, but after the trauma incident and the engagement talk, it felt like the brakes had completely disappeared.
Even now, she was sitting right next to me, talking…
“Leisha, why are you touching my arm?”
“Just… I’m glad your left arm healed well.”
“That’s the right arm, though.”
“Your arm is thicker than I thought… and muscular.”
Leisha, who seemed to be in a trance, was fumbling with my arm, and, well…
It felt like she had found a strange weakness.
Even if I tried to stop her, if she asked, “Do you dislike me?” I wouldn’t know what to do.
By the time I gave up and let her grope my arm…
“Young Master, it’s about time to go.”
“Sally, is it already that time?”
“Y-yes. So, please, shake her off…”
Sally, who was supposed to tell me when it was time to leave, had somehow ended up whispering beside me.
I had already told Leisha that I would be leaving Everts Dukedom, but staying by her side until the last moment was my choice.
Though I remember there being over 5 hours until the carriage was ready.
‘Maybe I’m enjoying this time more than I thought.’
It’s amazing how quickly 5 hours passed without even playing a board game.
Anyway, it was time to go, so I turned to Leisha, who was still clinging to my arm.
Something soft was touching my arm or hand, but I decided not to pay attention to it.
“Leisha, it’s time to go now.”
“…Already? Time always flies when I’m with my husband. Shouldn’t we play one more board game?”
“I’m sorry. I have a promise with Master Olfin.”
“Is that so? Well, helping my husband with his outside duties is also a wife’s role.”
Surprisingly, Leisha easily let go of my arm and smiled.
Not at me, but at Sally beside me.
“Your name is Sally, right?”
“Y-you don’t need to know my n-name.”
“Now I should know too. I’m the knight guard maid of my husband, so I should be reliable, right? At least enough to easily stab someone in the neck.”
“……Um, by any chance, are there any dog spirits among the spirits?”
“Why?”
“B-because I keep hearing barking sounds. Surely it’s not the sound of spirits, right?”
“………….”
“…………….”
Why is it?
I really wanted to see Adela……
*
At the top floor of Arkhé Magic Tower, in Master Olfin’s office.
Buried under piles of paperwork but still grinning, Olfin was listening to a report from another magician.
“So, the Creator is arriving soon?”
“Yes. Adela said he’s almost here. He’s coming by a heavenly carriage, so it won’t be long.”
“It’ll be good to see their faces again.”
It’s already been over a month since the Creator, Kyle Byron, left Arkhé Magic Tower.
After leaving with the Third Prince to the imperial palace, he passed through the Academy and the Duchy of Evertz, and is finally returning to the Magic Tower.
“By the way, Monopoly, huh……….”
“According to the magicians at the Academy, it’s causing a storm there. Even just hearing about it, it seems like quite the board game.”
“Well, it’s the board game of the genius who made Abracadabra. It’s just surprising that he had talent even for strategic games like that.”
Especially his activities at the Academy were enough to surprise even Master Olfin. Since there are professors from Arkhé Magic Tower at the Academy, he could hear the news.
A board game that even high-level magicians could get hooked on.
That was an advantage that the existing board game, Kill the King, couldn’t offer. For magicians of a certain level, Kill the King ultimately boiled down to a battle of who goes first.
Since both sides could memorize and see through every move, it was just a matter of whoever made the first move without mistakes winning.
In that sense, while students might not notice, Monopoly must have been very refreshing for professors and high-level magicians.
He thought about creating an illusion of it, but since the Creator himself was returning soon, he decided to save the fun for then.
‘Just a few months ago, even thinking like this would’ve been a luxury.’
To focus on something as trivial as a board game—this too was thanks to the Magic Tower’s finances becoming stable and his mind at ease.
Arkhé Magic Tower, which had been in a financial crisis due to continuous deficits, was now overflowing with money from the massive popularity of Abracadabra, to the point where it was almost rotting.
Even without any income for the next 100 years, the tower could be maintained.
But there were still concerns.
“Right now, even reservations have slowed down.”
“That seems to be the case. The reaction is still enthusiastic, but not as much as the initial craze. However, this issue will likely resolve once people from the south and west start flocking in……….”
“The real problem is something else. We need more things to keep people engaged.”
The most ideal scenario for Arkhé Magic Tower was for the people who came to see Abracadabra to spend money at the tower and in Gias Territory.
Meals, lodging, performances, and magic demonstrations were naturally prepared in Gias, but compared to the historical craze, it still felt a bit lacking.
‘It’s enough for now. Enough, but……if there were something more, we could secure even more finances.’
They were already hosting performances and events by high-level magicians using illusions, but since Abracadabra itself was a massive illusion, it didn’t attract as much attention.
Above all, performances were…
It’s a one-time thing. People who have seen it once won’t stay in the Gias Territory for days just to watch the performance again.
That’s why Olfin was feeling a bit anxious.
He wanted to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the history of the Magic Tower.
At least, he needed to prepare something before people from the south and west started flocking in.
“Master of the Tower, it’s Kyle Byron.”
“Oh, come on in!”
Olfin, who had been deep in thought, brightened up at the knock and stood up from his seat.
A noble so distinguished that even Olfin, who was many times older, an Archmage, and the Master of the 6th Magic Tower, would approach first. Not even the 1st or 2nd Prince, or a Duke, could receive such treatment.
Excluding the Emperor, the only one who could was Kyle Byron, an honorary elder of the Arkhé Magic Tower.
“You’ve had a long journey, must’ve been tough. Your news has reached even the Magic Tower.”
“I just did my job as a Board Game Creator.”
“It’s reassuring to have the Creator back at the Tower. I have a lot to ask about the balance issues of Abracadabra and other elements. So, let’s talk───”
“Ah, Master Olfin. Before that.”
“Hmm?”
Olfin, who was about to pour some black tea, stopped at Kyle’s words.
It was pure curiosity. The Kyle Byron he knew was a genius who lived and breathed board games. It was hard to understand that there was something to discuss before Abracadabra.
After briefly glancing at the maid and Adela behind Kyle, and the somehow smaller and cuter Water Spirit, Olfin sat back down.
“So, what is it?”
“This is something I want to discuss with Archmage Olfin, not the Master of the Tower.”
“Not as the Master of the Tower, but as Archmage Olfin…?”
“Yes. May I borrow your name?”
“…Ah, I see. You want to borrow my prestige?”
To borrow someone’s name is akin to borrowing their fame or prestige.
Olfin nodded, thinking that. It was puzzling that he was needed not as the Master of the Tower but as Archmage Olfin, but as long as it wasn’t illegal, he could lend his prestige.
But Kyle shook his head.
“No. I literally need your name.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Prestige isn’t entirely wrong, but. I’m planning to create a new board game.”
A new board game.
At those words, Olfin’s eyes widened.
“I want to use the name Olfin Glassburn as one of the characters in the board game. Along with your portrait.”
Kyle Byron smiled.
Just like the day he first came to Olfin to talk about board games.
At that smile.
‘…Found it, a way.’
Olfin, who had found a way to keep people engaged, also smiled.
