“It was absolutely not intentional.”
“…Are you saying it wasn’t intentional? Even after seeing that?”
*Rustle.*
As Stella lifted the window curtain, several magicians gathered below came into view.
“W-why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“Hehe, you’re not going anywhere!”
“As expected of Senior Crow. You really have a talent for selling board games. It’s genius.”
…In the middle of it all, a trembling magician was surrounded, being bombarded with all sorts of escape room board games.
Frankly, even I had to admit it looked pretty crazy.
Even Stella, who had always been favorable toward me, had taken her seat and was interrogating me to this extent.
“Well… you see…”
“Explain in detail! I trusted you and waited, so why has it come to this…?!”
It’s true that Stella had done a lot for me. She had paved the way for me to do whatever I wanted without interference from the elders, and while she said she would inspect my work, she had never actually visited the guest room.
…Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why things escalated.
Anyway, I had my own grievances too.
Recalling the past week───
*
“Well, I came because of the promise, but… the stares were pretty harsh, weren’t they?”
“H-how dare they treat the Young Master like that…!! I-I’ll gouge out the eyes of those d-damn bastards!”
“Calm down first, Sally.”
When Stella returned to Astron, I followed her to Astron Tower as promised.
But the treatment here was completely different from Arkhé Tower.
The room and hospitality were actually better than Arkhé Tower, as Stella had personally ordered it, but the excessive stares from the magicians weren’t pleasant.
It felt similar to when I first arrived at Arkhé Tower.
“Back then, I was even threatened with illusions by a certain magician…”
“……”
“Ah, Adela? It’s just a joke, so don’t look so gloomy!”
“But… still…”
“It’s really just a joke! I don’t hold any grudges, so don’t worry!”
I made that joke on purpose, and Adela, who had been expressionless, was on the verge of tearing up, but anyway.
Astron Tower wasn’t favorable toward me. Unlike Arkhé, where I had already proven my abilities with board games like Abracadabra, to Astron, I was just a ‘board game creator who dared to mingle with the Tower Lord.’
And there was no opportunity to prove my abilities here either.
‘Arkhé was in such a crisis that they had to listen to a young man they’d never met, but Astron isn’t.’
There was no crisis, they didn’t know me, and they weren’t favorable toward board games.
Even I didn’t plan to force my board games in such an environment.
“Then… are you just going to rest?”
“Since the first impression was bad, it’s doubtful they’d even play the board games I recommend, and they probably wouldn’t enjoy them properly. It’s true that I want to spread board games throughout the empire, but I have no intention of forcing them where they’re not wanted.”
Besides, even Arkhé Tower’s Abracadabra had only just started gaining fame beyond the western region after several months.
If I just waited, rumors about Abracadabra and me would naturally spread throughout the empire, and I didn’t want to leave a worse impression on Astron.
“Let’s just enjoy ourselves. Adela, want to play a round?”
“Sure.”
“Sally? Tiger? Let’s play a few quick rounds!”
“Y-yes!”
[Growl!]
So we just stayed in the guest room and played board games together.
I had made a counter-proposal to Stella, but frankly, that was something to consider in the long term.
While we passed the time like that, with Leisha’s repeated reminders to come back soon, or making more board games we had brought, or just enjoying ourselves.
A guest arrived.
“So… you know me?”
“The Welcome Baron family in the west is our main house. I returned to the main house about a month ago, and at that time, I went to Arkhé Tower to play Abracadabra, which was all the rage. It was truly, truly an amazing game!”
“Thank you for the praise. So you came to see me?”
“I heard that the creator of that wonderful board game had come, so I wanted to meet you right away, but…”
“You came alone, huh…?”
“My reputation in Astron isn’t that great, is it?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, no. No need to apologize. Since you came all this way, I should at least offer you something. How about a round of board games?”
“Uh, I can’t stay too long because of the other magicians… If possible, something quick, please!”
“Then…”
That’s when I remembered the Escape Room Board Game.
For some reason, Stella had been eyeing it, and unlike other games that take a long time with multiple players, this one could be finished solo within a set time.
Plus, since only the Archmage had played it, I wanted to hear others’ opinions.
So I explained the Escape Room Board Game and handed it over.
“Wh-what is this…?”
“It’s a bit unconventional, right? But it’s been approved by the Archmage—”
“W-wait, you can train Multi-Casting this easily and comfortably?! Insane! Does this mean I don’t have to do that damn defensive magic training anymore…?!”
“Uh, excuse me?”
“B-by the way, are there multiple types of this Escape Room Board Game?”
“There are over 10 types, but…”
“Wow! You said Stella was eyeing this, right?”
“…Yes.”
“…I’ll be right back.”
“Huh?”
“I need to show this to those jerks who badmouth Kyle out of prejudice! They’re magicians too, so they’ll recognize its value immediately!!”
Whether it was luck or misfortune, the magician from the west who came to see me wasn’t just an ordinary person.
Though not a High Magician, they held a fairly high position in Astron.
And, though I didn’t know it at the time, they happened to be the instructor responsible for teaching Multi-Casting to other magicians.
From that point on, things started to go awry.
“Instructor… Does this mean we really don’t have to do that excruciating training anymore…?”
“Yes, Telos! As long as we have this Escape Room Board Game that Kyle brought, we can comfortably sit and practice Multi-Casting!”
“Kyle! Please accept my apology. I was foolish and didn’t recognize your worth, daring to belittle you! The Escape Room Board Game is a godsend!”
Even Telos, the magician who had glared at me with displeasure when he first entered the room, bowed to me after trying the Escape Room Board Game.
“Telos! Are you running away again with that escape room nonsense… Instructor? What’s going on?”
“Euphemia, a new world is about to open.”
“W-wait, Multi-Casting can be this easy…? Hahaha! Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much!”
Even Euphemia, the magician who came to catch Telos, knelt down and shed tears.
Starting with those two, the instructor, Telos, and Euphemia secretly recommended others to visit the room. They would ignore me, try the Escape Room Board Game, and then get “converted” (?) in a repeating cycle.
However, since the introduction of the Escape Room Board Game still needed to be discussed with Stella, everyone just stayed in the room and spent the whole day practicing Multi-Casting.
“What if the Escape Room Board Game doesn’t get introduced…?”
“That means we’ll have to go back to that damn training.”
“F*ck! I don’t want that! If that’s the case, I’ll stay up all night training as much as possible while Kyle is here…!!”
“Kyle! Please, we beg you!!”
Luckily, the guest room was large enough with multiple rooms, so the magicians could take shifts.
Overwhelmed by their desperate pleas, I finally asked the question I’d been curious about.
“What exactly is that defensive magic training? Is Multi-Casting usually trained that way?”
“…It’s brutally simple. One magician stands in the center, and ten magicians surround them, firing shock spells. The goal is to block them with defensive magic.”
“Is it… that hard?”
“The problem is, since it’s Multi-Casting training, multiple shock spells come flying at once. From three directions, seven directions, above, below, even twelve directions simultaneously. You have to detect them in real-time and deploy defensive magic.”
“……”
“Honestly, the training efficiency is top-notch, but those shock spells really hurt… You end up covered in bruises.”
“It’s a given that it hurts, and if it hits your arm, the bone will ring so much that you won’t be able to use that arm the next day. Repeating that dozens, hundreds of times is the traditional training method.”
“………If we reduce the intensity…….”
“We’ve already tried that, but based on the results of our experiments so far, that level of impact is the most effective for training. It seems like you learn faster in a threatening environment, but aside from that, it’s tough……….”
“Even multi-casting is a must-learn magic, so it’s too hard…….”
“The instructor and Euphemia-senpai are right. In that sense, this Escape Room Board Game is revolutionary!”
“While the training efficiency itself is lower compared to traditional training, it’s much easier, faster, and above all.”
“It’s fun! It’s also convenient for competing with each other’s records.”
“Frankly, even if it’s not for training, I want to keep playing. I had no idea there was such a fun game……….”
“In that sense, please! Every second counts, so please allow us to continue with the Escape Room Board Game!”
“………Understood.”
The story was so moving that tears were inevitable. Once permission was granted to stay, everyone dedicated themselves to the Escape Room Board Game almost non-stop, except for eating and sleeping.
Solve, rest, solve, rest, and compete with each other’s records.
Naturally, a problem arose.
“There are no more Escape Room Board Games left.”
“Ugh, how can this be?”
“If the goal is training rather than enjoyment, you can solve them again…….”
“Since we already know the answers, it’s not effective for training. What do we do……….”
With the help of Sally, Water Tiger, and Adela, we managed to create other Escape Room Board Games, even if they were crude. But with multi-casting, the mages took turns solving them all in less than two days.
Considering the mental fatigue after each session, this was the maximum we could do.
Just then, someone arrived.
“……So this is where you are. Euphemia, Telos. Were you both here?”
“Cr, Crowd-senpai!”
“Senpai……!”
“A great mage of Astron, wasting time on nonsense like board games. And with this scammer kid deceiving the Tower Master! Both of you should be ashamed. Follow me now!”
“Se, Senpai!?”
“And you, Kyle Byron. I’ll make sure you pay for insulting Astron’s mages like this……!!”
Wait, I didn’t do anything. They’re the ones who did it.
……Just as I was about to respond.
The instructor from the west, who had first approached me, blocked the way of the intimidating mage called Crowd.
“Crowd-senpai.”
“What do you want? Ha, don’t tell me even the instructor teaching multi-casting is involved in this nonsense? You idiot!”
“Senpai, I know it’s rude, but I must ask. Isn’t the only reason you couldn’t become a High Magician because of multi-casting?”
“………You should be careful with that mouth. You of all people should know what that means to me?”
“That’s why I’m saying this. Senpai, please try this board game just once. If it’s as meaningless as you say, I’ll accept any punishment!”
“………….”
Crowd hesitated for a moment at the instructor’s serious words.
He took the Escape Room Board Game handed to him by the instructor, glancing suspiciously at the game, the instructor, and then me.
He seemed ready to leave with harsh words, claiming no interest in board games.
“……I’ll trust you just this once. If you’re messing with me……you better be prepared.”
“That won’t happen, Senpai.”
Perhaps he was truly desperate for multi-casting.
Leaving Euphemia and Telos behind, Crowd entered another room alone.
And exactly 16 minutes later.
“…………….”
“………Senpai? Crowd-senpai?”
“Who, who made this?”
“Kyle-nim did, Senpai.”
“Um, Crowd-nim?”
“……Don’t call me ‘nim.'”
“Huh?”
“I should be the one using honorifics……!! Really, really thank you! Thanks to you, I finally have a clue……!!”
“I can see it! I’ve finally become a High Magician…!!”
“W-wait a second!?”
“I apologize for all the insults I’ve thrown at you! Hit me, kick me, do whatever you want! I’m truly sorry!”
…Later, I heard from the instructor that Crow had failed to become a High Magician for a whopping 7 years.
He excelled in every other aspect, but he was weak in multi-casting. Despite practicing defensive magic training—something other magicians avoided—thousands of times, he never saw any results.
For years, he focused solely on multi-casting, researching, training, and struggling, but he hit a complete wall.
Because of this, his personality grew increasingly bitter. As his peers rose to become High Magicians, he remained stagnant and lost his composure.
But then, in the board game I made—the one he had so despised—a path he hadn’t seen in 7 years finally opened.
Once Crow, who held the highest position below High Magicians and elders, joined, everything fell into place.
More and more magicians entered the room, and as if they were all magic-crazed, they slept in the narrow room while focusing on the Escape Room Board Game and multi-casting training.
And finally.
“I think it’s time to descend now.”
“Uh, Mr. Crow?”
“Just call me Crow, Kyle.”
“Then… Crow? I heard that magicians have been going missing from the Magic Tower recently…”
“They’re all here. If that’s been troubling you, don’t worry. We’re all planning to leave this room now.”
“…What’s that board game you’re holding?”
“It’s our gospel, the salvation of all magicians! We will spread this salvation to others who suffer!!”
“Salvation!!!”
*
“…And that’s how it happened.”
“…………”
“I heard that Crow eventually became a High Magician.”
“…After being stuck for over 7 years, everyone felt sorry for him, but just yesterday, he became a High Magician.”
“If you’ve heard the story, you’ll know it wasn’t really my doing. I think it was because everyone had so much pent-up frustration about that defensive magic training.”
“Wait, hold on. There’s a part of the story missing, isn’t there?”
“Huh?”
“You said the Escape Room Board Games were running out, so did you end up making more? And the exclusive rights fell through, so we couldn’t use the board games you made. Why did you allow them to spread like that?”
“Ah, Miss Stella, you’ve misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood?”
“What they’re spreading isn’t my Escape Room Board Game.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
Soon, Stella’s eyes widened as she realized the meaning of my words.
I quietly placed an Escape Room Board Game in front of her.
It wasn’t properly colored, and the quality of the puzzles or the coherence between clues wasn’t great.
But it wasn’t something I had made.
…It was a board game made by someone else.
“This is an Escape Room Board Game made by the magicians of the tower themselves.”
“…No way?”
“I told you. I couldn’t give you exclusive rights to my Escape Room Board Game, but───”
“──if it’s made ‘directly’ in Astron───”
“…………”
“The story changes.”
Of course, this was good news for Stella, but at the same time…
As a board game creator, and more importantly, as a board game player…
It was the best news for me.
