The meeting of the Archmages was conducted in absolute secrecy.
With the Arkhé Magic Tower already crowded, the arrival of four Archmages to establish hierarchy would have caused unpredictable reactions.
Thus, unlike the previous Abracadabra demonstration, the Archmages moved almost alone, without entourages or accompanying magicians.
And so, on the outskirts of the Gias Territory.
In a basin surrounded by mountains, difficult to see from the outside.
Master Olfin stood with his hands behind his back, a relaxed expression on his face, while several elders and high magicians stood behind him, looking somewhat tense.
And there was me.
“………Am I really supposed to be here?”
“Technically, you’re the cause of this. Since you created the event, you must attend.”
“Somehow, it feels like it’s the Tower Lord’s fault.”
“Must be your imagination. Hehe.”
Somehow, ever since this guy decided to create a new board game, he’s been in an unusually good mood.
I turned my head away from the chuckling Olfin and looked at the Water Tiger.
“You’re the only one I can trust.”
[Grrr!]
Originally, Sally should have been here too, but for some reason, due to a strong request from one of the Archmages, she couldn’t attend directly.
So, she’s waiting in the back with other magicians, holding a spatial movement artifact in case of emergencies.
As for Adela………
“…………….”
……She’s here, standing in the line of magicians behind Olfin.
She’s not even looking in my direction, not out of anger, but more like embarrassment?
After seeing her so much, I can somewhat distinguish Adela’s expressionless face.
“By the way, Creator, how much do you know about the Archmages?”
“I saw Lady Stella Varnicion and Lady Shisha Glesia from afar during the Abracadabra event. I heard they played Kyle Galli with the Tower Lord.”
“Yes, they both praised your board game. Stella, in particular, seems quite interested in you.”
“Me………?”
“Probably due to the research she’s been conducting lately……but you’ll hear it directly from her.”
“Huh?”
“They’re almost here.”
At that moment.
“………Huh?”
The beginning was a magician’s question.
Even though the magicians standing here with Olfin were veterans Arkhé was proud of.
Elders and high magicians who had devoted decades to magic were staring at the sky with their mouths open like children.
“Crazy……?”
*Crack*
The sky.
Twists.
The clear, blue sky with clouds was gone, replaced by a strange darkness, as if black paper had been roughly pasted onto a white canvas.
But it wasn’t artificial darkness—it was just the night sky.
The Archmage had cut out the night sky and pasted it over the basin’s sky.
“Still making a grand entrance, Stella.”
“……You know better than anyone that it’s an unavoidable side effect, Olfin.”
“Of course. But it seems you have no intention of keeping this meeting a secret.”
“Are you joking again? Your illusion barrier must already be covering this entire land and sky. No one outside the basin, not even an Archmage, would notice.”
From the stitched night sky, a person descends.
Countless stars and…
Under the moonlit night sky, descended a woman with her eyes closed.
Blind but not wearing an eye patch, Stella Varnicion, dressed in a stunningly beautiful outfit that seemed to be embroidered with the Milky Way, frowned.
Only after she landed did the night sky fold and disappear.
‘What kind of clothes…?’
Her appearance was so shocking that I didn’t notice at first, but once the night sky disappeared, Stella’s outfit walking towards me was quite provocative.
It was a dress, but it seemed to serve no purpose as clothing, as it was transparent, revealing what was underneath. The embroidered Milky Way sparkled, but what caught my attention more was what was visible inside the dress.
Inside, she wore something that was clearly clothing but looked more like underwear, making it impossible not to turn my head.
‘Did she wear that outfit last time during Abracadabra? Is that her everyday wear?’
I felt like the Water Tiger, Adela, and even Sally behind me were staring at me, so I tightly closed my eyes.
Meanwhile, Stella approached Olfin and crossed her arms.
“I’ll back off if you cancel now.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Olfin, you were ranked first among the Archmages on the list. With Abracadabra reviving the Magic Tower’s finances, are you starting to act like a mad dog again?”
“A mad dog, huh? Haha.”
“You, who know your younger days well, wouldn’t deny it, would you?”
“Well. I don’t want to hear it from you, Stella, who still wears such clothes at that age…”
“This, this is unavoidable! This isn’t just a revealing outfit; it has magical significance and serves as an artifact───”
“Why are you defending it so much? You’re just an exhibitionist, aren’t you?”
“…You bitch! Come out right now if you’re here!”
“Yea, yea.”
Click.
Unlike Stella, the appearance of another Archmage was somewhat ordinary. At least by Archmage standards, ‘somewhat.’
In an instant—no, faster than an instant—a large part of the basin froze solid. Without any signs of freezing, without the ice spreading, it just happened in a flash.
It froze so quickly that even the mages right next to it didn’t notice the cold.
And in the middle of the frozen ground, a woman with blue hair walked out, clearly annoyed.
“Shisha, you came quickly.”
“Good timing, right? It was time to escape from the old folks. By the way, Olfin, what about that maid?”
“I sent her far away, as you suggested. She protested a lot.”
“…Thank you.”
“Huh, Shisha, hearing a thank you from you?”
“It was just that kind of thing.”
Was it Shisha Glesia who asked to keep Sally away?
But what connection does Sally have with Shisha?
As I pondered whether to ask Shisha directly, a sudden thought struck me.
“Quite an interesting sight, isn’t it?”
“…Huh?”
“Three Archmages gathered in one place. The Last Dragon Slayer, the Great Prophet, and the youngest Archmage in history. Each one is capable of shaking the continent and posing a threat to the Empire.”
“……”
“That’s why the Emperor must be trying to spy on this place right now. Even if the Dragon Slayer has set up a barrier, it can’t hide from the eyes of the Brick Man.”
“Well, if the Dragon Slayer is serious about it, who knows what could happen.”
At some point, a hand had landed on my shoulder.
Even the sensitive Water Tiger hadn’t noticed the sudden approach.
Had he just placed his hand there, or had it been there all along?
I only realized his presence after he spoke.
A shiver ran through my body at the thought that I could’ve died without a sound.
A bespectacled, squinty-eyed man passed by me with a smile.
“You’re Kyle Byron, right? Nice to meet you. I’m the magician, Bantain Terra.”
“…Terra?”
“Proudly serving as the Master of the Terra Magic Tower.”
The man who introduced himself as Bantain Terra had a rather ordinary appearance.
Messy brown hair, round glasses, and squinty eyes that might as well be closed. A plain coat and a single book tucked under his arm.
Frankly, he looked like any ordinary magician you’d see anywhere in the Gias Territory, where Arkhé is located.
Bantain, who had been grinning, nodded at me and then walked ahead.
“Let’s talk later. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Bantain, you’ve arrived.”
“Archmage Olfin and Archmage Stella’s invitation—I couldn’t be late. I left the Sub-Magic Tower Master to handle things and rushed here.”
“Look at this. That narcissistic old hag just had to show up and make a scene, huh?”
“That’s why, if you want to teleport using the Astron Magic Tower’s magic—”
“Yeah, old hag~”
“Let’s fight this bastard first.”
“Archmage Stella and Archmage Shisha are as lively as ever.”
“…Was this old man coming too? I’d rather get caught by the old fogeys.”
For a moment, the four Archmages chatted amiably(?) among themselves.
Archmages, whom even ordinary people might never see in their lifetime, were gathered here—four of them, no less, the pinnacle of the privileged magician class.
Because of this, the expressions of the magicians standing behind Olfin were stiff.
Perhaps they felt the overwhelming gap more than the awe of seeing an Archmage.
As a non-magician, it was a sensation I’d never understand.
“Good. Now that everyone’s here, there’s no need to delay. Starting now……….”
“…………….”
“………….”
“……………Hmm.”
“We’ll begin the ranking to determine the abilities for the board game character cards.”
“………Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Of course.”
When Olfin’s reason for gathering them turned out to be completely different from what they’d expected, the two Archmages looked somewhat flustered.
Bantain, on the other hand, wore a bitter smile.
Especially Stella Varnicion, who was so startled that her closed eyes trembled. She quickly glanced around before fixing her gaze on me.
“Surely you didn’t think this was for any other reason? This is just a meeting for Kyle Byron’s new board game characters.”
“…Saquiel. You’re dead.”
She completely bowed her head, trembling, and clenched her fist as if she wanted to crush it.
Shisha also looked utterly confused.
“Huh? Wasn’t Olfin provoking the other Magic Towers? That’s what the old hag’s message said—”
“Shut up! Shut uuup…!!”
“Merge with the earth and come—”
“I heard it on the street, but as expected, Archmage Olfin seems to really care for Kyle Byron. In the end, didn’t four archmages move for him?”
“Sorry, but I can’t hand him over to another Magic Tower.”
“Haha, he’s quite a desirable talent. I heard his board game was recently chosen as a meeting event at the Academy. Even our Terra ended up in last place there.”
“Hey, don’t look this way.”
All the archmages suddenly fixed their gazes on me, and I was on the verge of breaking into a cold sweat.
Olfin’s gaze was as usual, but Stella’s seemed oddly resentful, Shisha’s had a hint of pity, and Bantain’s felt somewhat greedy. It gave me goosebumps for no reason.
Even the high-ranking spirit, Water Tiger, was pecking at me, so what can I say?
“Anyway, as a result of this meeting, the abilities of the archmage characters in the board game will be decided. Quite a rewarding task, isn’t it?”
“…………….”
“Well, whatever the reason, I ran away from those old fogeys.”
“I’m quite interested in the new board game itself.”
While Stella was trembling in silence, Shisha and Bantain seemed indifferent.
Olfin nodded, seeing Stella bow her head with satisfaction, and continued.
“Then let’s decide the order. Who wants to go first?”
“Ah, Archmage Olfin. Sorry, but I’ll pass.”
“Bantain?”
“Frankly, I don’t think I can win against the others, and I also have some personal matters I’d like to discuss with Kyle Byron.”
“Well, if it’s you…”
“Definitely, that old man isn’t much of a fighter.”
“…………….”
“Good. Then how about starting with Stella and me? Stella, you too───”
“…Shisha.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll go first with that damn bitch.”
“Old hag, you sure? I prefer attacking elders over respecting them.”
“Come at me, you bitch…!!”
And then.
Creak.
The night sky opened once again.
“Well then.”
The world began to freeze.
“Ah, Kyle Byron. Sit here. It’s surprisingly comfy.”
“………Yes.”
Before I knew it, Bantain had made a chair out of earth beside me, and Olfin, holding popcorn from an elder, laughed.
“Then, let’s begin!”
Immediately after.
“Sorry, but let’s blow off some steam…!!”
“W-wait, old hag!?”
From that night sky.
Kwaaaaaaa!!!
A star fell.
