“Bro, is this really okay…?”
“Shh, lower your voice.”
“But still…”
The day and night in Gias Territory, where the Arkhé Magic Tower is located, are peculiar.
True to the Arkhé Magic Tower, which controls light and darkness, there is a boundary between day and night, and if desired, the territory can have night during the day and day during the night.
Normally, to maintain the time sense of visitors and residents, the territory keeps the same day and night as outside, but there are rare exceptions.
For example, the night of Abracadabra, which happens once a month.
A day to enjoy Abracadabra, which was first demonstrated a few months ago and became a continental trend.
On this day, the time in Gias Territory is fixed to night, and lights and lively music echo everywhere.
Though it hasn’t been around for long, the night of Abracadabra has already become a unique feature of Gias Territory.
On this night, the size of Abracadabra in the Magic Tower’s hall grows even larger, decorating the skies of the territory, and the magic used by players becomes grand illusions that adorn the heavens.
The day all visitors eagerly await.
It was also the day two men, hiding in a dark alley, had been waiting for.
“Even so, it’s the Arkhé Magic Tower, one of the six great towers. It’s different from the places we’ve hit before.”
“Idiot. Then are we just going to keep hitting small places forever? The Arkhé Magic Tower is raking in money with that board game or whatever. If we hit that place properly, we could live comfortably for the rest of our lives.”
“That’s… true.”
“If we succeed just once, we can live easy from then on. Plus, the tower is all about saving face, right? Even if they find out they’ve been robbed, they won’t want visitors to know, so they’ll try to handle it quietly. We just need to slip away quickly while they’re being cautious.”
“…Got it. Should I prepare the scroll?”
“Not this time. Like you said, it’s still one of the six great towers. It’s crawling with magicians, and if we use a scroll, they’ll detect our location right away. Let’s just use Aura.”
“Got it.”
Fixing the entire day as night naturally means the entire territory and tower are plunged into darkness.
Of course, it’s an artificially created night, so dazzling lights shine throughout the territory, but even so, they can’t illuminate the entire area.
The two men were targeting that very darkness.
Cloaked in Aura, the two men swiftly navigated the lightless alley with practiced ease.
Their Aura usage was of a higher level than most knights in the territory.
After all, they were the infamous duo who had stolen precious treasures from the Grandel Duke’s House in the east, causing a huge uproar.
Having committed thefts in places patrolled by numerous magicians and knights, even the Arkhé Magic Tower would struggle to deal with them.
“…Huh? Did something move over there just now?”
“Really? Hmm… Nothing’s triggering the detection magic. Should we check it out?”
“How am I supposed to go into a creepy alley like that? Must’ve been my eyes playing tricks. Just give me some popcorn. Oh? Look, they’re using <Dragon Breath>!”
“Wow, that’s dazzling. Is that the dragon the Tower Lord caught?”
Their Aura, specialized for stealth, even evaded the detection magic of the magicians.
Contrary to their worries, infiltrating the tower was a breeze once they started.
‘We grab and run as fast as possible.’
Though one of the thieves had nagged about going for a big score, he wasn’t underestimating the Arkhé Magic Tower. They had to move quickly and escape with the most valuable items, just in case.
In that sense, the tower was like a treasure chest. Precious and expensive artifacts were scattered everywhere.
They could just steal the artifacts decorating the hallways and run, but…
The seasoned duo had a different target in mind.
‘The workshop.’
In a normal territory, you’d only find metal scraps, but the Magic Tower’s workshop is on a whole different level.
Magic tools for crafting artifacts, unfinished artifacts, and other expensive materials are scattered everywhere.
In fact, from a loot perspective, the unfinished artifacts were even better.
“Wh-what are you guys─── Ugh!?”
Occasionally, when they had no choice but to encounter a magician, they’d knock them out lightly. Killing them would mean being hunted for life, so it was the obvious choice.
And just like that, less than a minute after entering the Magic Tower.
The duo stood in front of the workshop door.
“……Are you making it like that? It’s different from what Byron told us earlier.”
“Tch, can’t I just do it this way? It’s more convenient for me.”
“Do whatever you want. But don’t expect me to clean up the mess later.”
“Just kidding, just kidding. Let’s hurry up and finish this. By the way, what kind of mess is this……….”
‘Looks like there are craftsmen inside.’
It seemed there were several craftsmen in the workshop, but that was expected. These were just ordinary skilled workers, and they stood no chance against the duo, who were Aura users.
The only thing to watch out for was whether they were carrying artifacts or scrolls for self-defense.
After waiting a bit longer, the man sneered as he realized there were no guard magicians near the workshop.
‘Idiots. You’ve got craftsmen working in the workshop, and you don’t even assign guards?’
Even if it’s one of the 6 Great Magic Towers, how could they be so careless?
In the end, it worked out well for the man. What he feared were magicians and Aura users, not powerless people.
Laughing inwardly at the Arkhé Magic Tower, the man quickly signaled his partner with hand gestures.
‘……Now!’
At the perfect timing, they burst through the door and rushed in.
First, as usual, to knock out the craftsmen, starting with the old man at the front───
*Bam! Crack!! Crunch!!!*
“Huh? Who are these guys? I just subdued them since they charged at me.”
“……Senior, grabbing someone’s wrist, breaking it, and slamming them into the ground isn’t exactly what we call ‘subduing.'”
“Back in my day, this was subduing. And Embryo, didn’t you break a few too?”
“At least I didn’t crush their faces.”
“Anyway, let’s clean this up and keep going.”
“………Are you really going to continue?”
“At first, I was shocked, but then I remembered when I was young, I went all out for Aura like Kyle Byron. For him, it was a board game. So, I can totally play along.”
“Even so, the Grand Master making board games…….”
“More importantly, stepping down from that position would mean admitting that knights have no money, no funds, and no labor to support themselves! I can’t let that happen in front of those magicians!”
“………….”
Then why drag us into it?
……That thought rose to the throat of the Imperial Knight Commander, Embryo, but being a wise Master in the presence of the Grand Master, he wisely held it back.
Embryo was the strongest knight among the Masters.
But his opponent was the Grand Master.
Embryo didn’t want to become the first Master to be beaten to death by the Grand Master………
*
My judgment was correct.
As expected, Master-level Aura users and the Grand Master were the ultimate labor force.
“300 expansion packs, just as you said, completed.”
“As expected……!! I never doubted for a second that you, Roland, and the knights would handle this easily!”
“Unlike those frail magicians, this is child’s play for a knight.”
Just 300 in a single day.
Sure, it’s just making real cards, unlike the basic Bang, but still.
The speed was insane.
What was most impressive was that there was almost no gap between the text and the illustrations on the cards.
“Even when I commissioned skilled workshops, there were always slight differences.”
Since it was 100% handmade and not machine-made, slight variations in the handwriting or illustrations were unavoidable. Still, the accuracy of the Arkhé Magic Tower’s workshop, which used magic, was the highest.
However, unlike the Magic Tower’s workshop, which required significant maintenance costs and skilled operators due to the use of multiple artifacts, this was the first time a complete novice had achieved such a level of perfection.
“This must be the power of Aura.”
It wasn’t just about speed. There was a meticulousness and precision alive in every detail.
Having trained in swordsmanship, he must have mastered controlling his own body. That skill being applied to board game production truly shone.
“So, I’ve made it, but… what exactly is this expansion pack?”
“The expansion pack is called <Knight's Pride>. The main additions are knight character cards, special cards, and duel cards.”
“Knight’s Pride, huh? That’s a good name.”
“The added knight character cards are also quite powerful.”
Take Roland, for example.
<Grand Master, Knight Roland>
<On your turn, exchange 1 card from your hand with 2 cards from another player's hand.>
It was an absolutely ridiculous ability.
I could give away a useless card and take 2 cards from someone else—a powerful ability.
It was a fitting ability for Roland, the only Grand Master on the list and the strongest knight.
“……Frankly, I can’t say the ability’s motif came from him ordering other knights around.”
Though there was a slight ulterior motive.
Still, as far as I knew, it was one of the most powerful abilities in Bang.
“……I haven’t played Bang much, but I can see how strong this ability is. It’s not drawing from the deck but taking from the opponent’s hand.”
“Effectively, it reduces the opponent’s hand by one. Plus, you gain a card yourself.”
“This seems like you’ve really gone out of your way to accommodate me.”
“Given that this expansion pack was made thanks to Sir Roland’s letter, I think this much is only natural.”
“Ahem!……Thank you.”
It’s only been about a week since Bang was released. It’s too short a time for an expansion pack, but still.
There might be people who want to play as knights instead of magicians.
Since we’re at it.
“Sir Roland, would you consider staying in Gias a bit longer?”
“I think I’ll stay until I’ve had my fill of this expansion pack. There’s no one else who knows how to play it elsewhere anyway.”
“That’s a relief. I’d like to hold it while you’re still here if possible.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“To promote Bang further, I’m thinking of hosting a small tournament.”
“A tournament……?”
A board game tournament. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to host one.
When I watched Monopoly at the Academy, I realized that while playing was fun, watching newbies play for the first time was also quite thrilling.
And of course, nothing beats a tournament to breathe life into something new.
The only issue was the prize.
“Even if I put up money, most of the people in Gias Territory right now are already quite wealthy.”
It might motivate them, but not enough to be enthusiastic.
So, I decided to offer something special along with the prize money.
“The winner will receive something special.”
“Special?”
“The basic Bang set.”
“And all the character special cards from the expansion pack… a unique special card dedicated only to the winner.”
“……!!”
Honestly, when you think about it, it’s kind of funny. A tournament held to promote Bang, but the prize is only valuable to those who already know Bang?
But this was a thought considering the uniqueness of the Gias Territory right now.
‘Right now, more people buy Bang for card collecting than for playing.’
And for them, all the special cards and the character card given only to the winner would be a very tempting prize.
In the end, they’ll have no choice but to play and practice Bang to participate in the tournament.
“The one and only special card……”
“It’s not a new character card. However, since this is a tournament that includes the expansion pack, we plan to create a special card for Sir Roland, the most special among the knight character cards.”
“Me, you mean?”
“If the previous special cards were just about special finishes or shiny effects, this time we’re thinking of adding dynamic new artwork and decorations.”
“New artwork… decorations……”
“And we’d like to invite Sir Roland to the VIP seat at the tournament. If the person behind the winner’s special card attends, the event will shine even brighter.”
“……Will my special card be released later?”
“No. Even if we hold tournaments in the future, the prize will be made with other character cards, so it will truly be a one-of-a-kind card.”
Frankly, I’m not even sure if there will be another tournament. One time is fine, but for it to continue, Bang would have to go beyond just being a hit and become as popular as Kill the King.
Of course, it would be great if that happened, but considering production and other realistic issues, it’s not easy.
“Anyway, may I ask for your help? If Sir Roland attends, even more people will come.”
“……Of course. I’ll definitely go. I’ll make sure to participate.”
“Thank you!”
If we get Olfin, Stella, Shisha, and Bantain to attend as well, with four Archmages and one Grand Master overseeing it, the Bang tournament will be complete.
Even those who aren’t interested in Bang itself will come to see the Archmages and the Grand Master, and the more people gather, the more Bang will spread.
I smiled as I looked at Roland, who seemed deep in thought.
It was a perfect plan!
*
And on the day of the tournament.
“……Sir Bantain.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Why is it… only you here? Where’s Master Olfin? Stella? Shisha? Sir Roland?”
“……Look over there.”
“Huh?”
Bantain, with a bitter smile, pointed in a direction.
“………………”
“………”
“………..”
“…………………”
Four people, dressed in very suspicious outfits, covering their faces and bodies.
……were standing in the participant line.
“……No.”
Why on earth are they all there……?
