We met Roderick, or rather, my brother, just before arriving at the Byron estate.
I wanted to stop by home once before heading to the Arkhé Magic Tower, so instead of going straight to the estate, I was checking out the more lively territory.
We just happened to run into the carriage Roderick was riding in.
…To be precise, Roderick was the one who approached us first.
“That carriage…! Kyle, you’re in there, right?”
“Huh? …Roderick, bro!”
“You brat!”
Frankly speaking, Roderick and I aren’t exactly the type to greet each other warmly (?) or grab each other by the collar.
But Roderick had such an intense reaction that I wondered what was going on.
“What the hell is that about…!! I sent you a letter, so why didn’t you reply!?”
“Letter? Reply?”
“That damn statement about supporting the Third Prince!”
“Ah.”
I totally forgot.
The last time I saw Roderick at the academy, I mentioned that I supported the Third Prince.
That’s why Roderick sent me a letter. Honestly, I completely forgot about it.
‘I was busy making board games, organizing tournaments, and visiting the Dwarf Village.’
The day I got out of the carriage to see my brother, Roderick, who hurriedly dragged me to a corner, seemed really excited, unlike his usual self at the academy.
But seriously.
“Is that really such a big deal…?”
“…Are you serious? Really?”
“I still have no interest in the position of Head of the Family, so I don’t know much about political stuff.”
“………….”
The issue of succession and the position of Head of the Family, which caused tension between me and my brother after leaving the academy.
I told him my stance was still the same, but Roderick just frowned.
“It’s not just that simple…! The problem is that your reputation has grown too much!”
“Huh?”
“Now, when people talk about the Byron family, instead of the Head of the Family or my name, or the strategic location connecting the west and central regions, your name, Kyle, is the first thing that comes up. Especially at the academy…”
“Bro?”
“…Anyway, like it or not, you’ve become the face of the Byron family. And if you, of all people, openly support the Third Prince…”
“Ah, don’t worry. I only told you, after all.”
“How can I not worry…!! One slip of the tongue from you, and our family could get dragged into the mess of the imperial succession battle!”
Well, honestly, Roderick’s points are all valid. Especially since Roderick is going to be the future Head of the Byron family, so he’s even more concerned.
‘But it’s really fine now.’
I had a conversation with the Emperor in the Dwarf Village.
Besides, the Third Prince himself told me not to get involved with him.
I could’ve kept it from Roderick, but since he’s my brother and the future Head of the Byron family, I told him.
It’s just a matter of how Roderick takes it…
‘Huh? Is this a threat?’
A threat to throw the Byron family into the imperial succession battle if I don’t give up the position of Head of the Family? Well, knowing Roderick, he might think that way.
What should I do about this?
“Hey, human. What’s going on all of a sudden? The carriage stopped… Ugh, it’s blinding.”
“…Hmm?”
“What’s this? Are you humans fighting?”
“Didn’t you call him ‘bro’ earlier? They’re probably just having a conversation.”
While I was pondering, Roderick turned his head at the voice coming from somewhere. Normally, he would’ve ignored it, but the voice came from a suspicious carriage following the one I was in.
That’s why it must have been like that.
However, upon recognizing the owner of the voice, Roderick froze on the spot.
Even though he said the sunlight was still dazzling and only slightly opened the blackout curtain.
Because what was inside was clearly not a human.
“……A dwarf? A dwarf, you say?”
“Now do you understand why I couldn’t reply?”
“…………….”
Actually, I just forgot, but since a good excuse came up.
I smiled brightly and looked at Roderick.
I took Roderick, who was dumbfounded at the sight of the dwarf, into the dwarf carriage and briefly explained what had happened so far.
“Are you messing around from the first round?”
“Hehe, hey human. What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I bet all my cards and my wallet that there’s a card with three diamonds under your hand.”
……Somehow.
Roderick and the dwarf were playing Kyle Galli at the training ground.
*
Why did they suddenly start playing Kyle Galli?
I didn’t know the reason either. It wasn’t me who suggested playing Kyle Galli first, surprisingly, it was Roderick.
For a moment, I doubted if this guy was in his right mind.
‘Well, he’s the guy who used honorifics to his younger brother to deceive me.’
He must have had some thought to suggest Kyle Galli to the dwarf, but I was bothered by the fact that the method was a board game.
What can I say, it felt like looking at my usual actions from someone else’s perspective this time.
“So, Chunsik, have you realized that your actions have been strange so far?”
“No? I’m just happy that you’ve finally accepted board games.”
“…………….”
“After all, no matter what you say, your body is honest. You’ve become someone who can’t live without board games.”
For some reason, Shisha gave me a momentarily disdainful look.
Anyway, the Kyle Galli that started with Roderick’s suggestion was, well.
“Human, isn’t this racial discrimination? Do you have any solid evidence?”
“You’re quite shameless for committing a denial.”
“Is it okay to reveal this card here? If you’re publicly humiliated, your dignity will be in tatters.”
“There’s no chance of being humiliated, so it doesn’t matter.”
……It was slightly heading towards a disaster.
While listening to the squabble between Roderick and the dwarf, I whispered quietly to Charlie, who was eating popcorn next to me.
“First, let me ask.”
“That idiot.”
“Yes?”
“Quick hands…… I mean Walter. That’s the dwarf’s name.”
“……Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to him either.”
“Green Shoe, Rough Axe, Raise Bacal, and me. The four of us met earlier, but that guy was randomly selected from the dwarf village.”
“But why are you suddenly cursing?”
“I’ve been uneasy from the start…… but that idiot is messing around here.”
Messing around.
That means.
“Is it really cheating? He’s playing Kyle Galli for the first time, how……?”
“To be precise, it’s not that he cheated.”
“Yes?”
“The game started wrong from the beginning.”
As I tried to listen more carefully, not understanding Charlie’s words.
The dwarf, Walter, who had been giggling, slowly raised his hand.
For some reason, he reached out somewhat unnaturally and touched the bell in the middle of the table.
“Then,”
“Can I flip it here? Three diamonds, that’s the card you mentioned, right? It should be under my hand, right?”
“I’ve already flipped two diamonds. You manipulated the cards, and you knew the next one would be three diamonds.”
“This must be Dwarf’s brew.”
“Brew or whatever, I’ve only read about Dwarves in books and today’s the first time I’ve seen one. And…….”
“……?”
“……No, never mind. It’s something to think about after exposing your tricks.”
With that, Roderick grabs Walter’s wrist and flips it.
The card under his palm is revealed to everyone───
“This……is?”
“You shouldn’t bet if you’re not sure.”
“It’s not diamonds……but circles? Not three, but four.”
“Did Young Master Roderick make a mistake?”
“But he seemed so confident, didn’t he?”
──However.
What was actually under Walter’s hand wasn’t the three diamonds Roderick had mentioned, but four circles.
A completely different card.
The servants and retainers watching from the training ground start whispering.
“According to the bet, you have to take all the cards, right? And the money too…….”
“………Wait.”
“Uh, huh!?”
Was he really confident? Roderick, with his eyes wide and shaking in panic, seemed to realize something and let go of Walter’s wrist, looking elsewhere.
At the table where Kyle Galli’s cards and paper were placed.
“Could it be……?”
“W-wait!”
Mana surges from Roderick’s body. The mana gathered in his left hand forms a spell.
The magic of Natura Magic Tower, where Roderick belongs in the Academy.
True to the tower’s research on life and death, Natura’s magic boasts extreme uses.
A notorious serial killer was from Natura Magic Tower, and a healing magician who reportedly saved tens of thousands in war was also from Natura Magic Tower.
Roderick chose the magic of life over death.
Specifically, he used magic on the wooden table.
“Oh no──”
“……This is it.”
As soon as Roderick’s magic touches it, branches and leaves grow from the wooden table as if it had come back to life. Of course, it’s not truly alive. It’s just a temporary phenomenon created by magic.
But the wildly growing branches caused the cards on the table to fall to the floor.
……Only the paper remained firmly stuck to the table.
As if something artificial had been applied.
Crack!
As Roderick twists his hand, the wooden table splits perfectly in half vertically. Even then, the paper remained unnaturally fixed to the table.
And on the cross-section of the split table.
Various crude mechanical devices were crammed in as if they had just been shoved in.
“Can I get an explanation……?”
“Haha. Wait. Human, calm down a bit.”
“Can you calm down? I wanted to confirm something through a board game, but you’re pulling tricks like this.”
‘……Confirm?’
What was Roderick trying to confirm in a board game with a Dwarf?
Although I wondered about Roderick’s intentions, it was more urgent to act as he was about to shoot magic at the Dwarf in anger.
Of course, as an incompetent, there’s little I could do to help.
“Madam, please.”
“Chunsik, you do it.”
“You’re getting really shameless, huh?”
“Ah, what are you talking about between us?”
“What kind of relationship do we have?”
“Enough to not even send a letter to the Master of the Sub-Magic Tower, who’s desperately looking for Madam right now?”
“…What a Chun-sik-like thing to say.”
She muttered slightly, but just as Shisha glanced at me, she was about to block Roderick and Walter with ice.
The chairs around us rattled, and before Shisha could act, some people rushed out first.
[Growl!]
“Th-that spirit?!”
“R-Roderick, Young Master. P-please stay still for now.”
“What kind of power is this…!!”
*Thud!*
“Servants, please step back. I’ve taken care of it for you.”
“Uh… okay.”
Leisha, synchronized with the Water Spirit, stood in front of Walter, while Sally, who had turned into a half-dragon with abnormally strong strength, grabbed Roderick.
And then, as if showing off, Adela used Ice Magic to create a barrier between them.
…What can I say?
I felt a strange pressure, as if they were telling me to ask them instead of Shisha.
“………”
And Shisha, who had been quietly glaring at Adela’s Ice Magic, exchanged glances with Leisha and Sally.
‘Ugh.’
Why is it suddenly so cold?
Oh, right, Adela just used Ice Magic right next to me. Of course, it’s cold.
Anyway, let’s go with that.
In any case, as the servants murmured and stepped back, and the situation was somewhat resolved, I approached Roderick and Walter.
“…Kyle.”
“Y-you human!”
“Everyone.”
First.
“Pick up the cards.”
“…Huh?”
“If we leave them like this, all the Kyle Galli cards will get stepped on or torn. Everyone, pick them up.”
“Wait, Kyle. Before that…”
“Bro, checking inside the table is fine, but couldn’t you just use a normal detection spell? Did you use that kind of magic just to show off your magical skills in front of the servants and retainers?”
“………..”
“That’s why the board game got messed up, so take responsibility and pick them up, bro.”
“…Fine.”
“And, Walter?”
“Y-you human.”
“Let’s have a serious talk, you and me.”
How dare you mess with the board game in front of me?
You’re so caught.
[Growl…]
“…P-poor guy…”
“…May he rest in peace.”
“…Tsk.”
“Farewell.”
Why is it?
Leisha, Sally, Adela, Shisha, and even Roderick.
I felt like they were all looking at Walter with pity in their eyes.
…Why, though?
