Master Olfin brewed some tea himself for the first time in a while and secretly brought out the snacks and sweets he had hidden away.
He cleared away all the paperwork that had filled his office and tidied up the decorations and magic books to make everything look neat.
This wasn’t just a meeting with any ordinary magicians from the tower—it was a gathering with one of the few Archmages in the Empire. He couldn’t afford to be careless.
‘If I had to be honest, they’re more like enemies than comrades…’
That’s just how the relationships between Archmages are. Since they usually represent their respective towers, they have no choice but to act with political considerations in mind. That’s why even old friends end up becoming distant over time.
Out of the eight Archmages, only two have managed to break free from this dynamic: the Mad Princess of Glesia Magic Tower and the Beggar Archmage.
Ironically, though, these two, who are the least bound by anything, are also the most ostracized.
Among the Archmages, Olfin was the one who maintained somewhat friendly relations with the others. He could at least send invitations to everyone except the Agni Magic Tower and the Beggar Archmage.
‘Of course, the guy from the Imperial family declined. The other towers also said they couldn’t come personally but would send a High Magician instead… Stella and Shisha came in person. So, the only one who outright ignored me was that place.’
Still, it was better than expected. Honestly, Olfin had thought no Archmage might show up unless it was a magic lecture or a personal invitation. Having two come was already a big win.
With the tower lords from Astron Magic Tower and Glesia Magic Tower, along with the crazy woman, showing up, it was only natural to personally host them.
But Olfin didn’t plan to let this end as just a simple meeting.
‘Leave it to me, Kyle.’
Kyle Byron had personally requested this. It was the perfect opportunity to help the tower’s benefactor.
Glancing at the separately prepared Kyle Galli, Olfin sat down and waited for the Archmages.
“Thanks for the invitation, Olfin.”
“Long time no see, Stella.”
He greeted the astrologer who always kept her eyes closed.
Her hair, as black as the night sky, reached down to her waist. Below her closed eyes was a star-shaped pattern, and her flowing clothes revealed the curves of her body.
Frankly, her outfit was always a bit overwhelming, but unlike other places, Astron Magic Tower, floating high in the sky, was physically disconnected from the continent, so it was full of eccentrics. Stella Varnicion’s fashion sense was just part of that.
In fact, the teachings of Astron Magic Tower held that without such eccentricities, one might lose themselves in the ever-flowing currents of the universe they observed.
The astrologer and Archmage, who claimed to see the farthest and highest in the world, greeted him lightly and naturally took her seat.
“It’s been a while since we last met in person, hasn’t it? Seeing you again brings back old memories.”
“Sometimes I envy you. You’re probably around my age, but you still look so young.”
“…Please don’t say that in public.”
“Don’t worry.”
After all, Stella Varnicion’s exact age wasn’t publicly known. It was a secret only Olfin, who had known her since childhood, was aware of.
Anyway, among Archmages, things like age or hierarchy didn’t matter much, so it was possible.
As they were catching up, suddenly—
*BANG!*
“Phew… hoo.”
“I won’t even bother telling you to stop running around for the sake of dignity at this point. Just sit down.”
“Thanks, old hag.”
“You damn brat…”
Shisha Glesia. A commoner with no surname, she had taken the name of the magic tower as her own.
The youngest of the eight Archmages, she was part of Glesia Magic Tower but vehemently refused the position of tower lord.
There was a famous legend in the Empire about how, in front of the elders who begged her on their knees to become the tower lord, she froze an entire section of the nearby sea to expand her territory instead, just because she didn’t want the position.
She hated being tied down by anything and acted as she pleased, making her the most easygoing of them all.
She was even bold enough to mention Stella’s age, which was a desperate secret for Stella. After Stella once dropped a meteor on her, she at least refrained from doing so in public settings.
Despite being the youngest, Olfin didn’t use informal speech with her since she was still an Archmage.
“Shisha, are you being chased by something—”
“It seemed like something was going on, but what did you see at Arkhé Magic Tower?”
“Nothing… no. In the end, it’s my duty to handle it… I don’t want to, but…”
Shisha, with a strangely sulky expression, muttered about how unfair it was and why she had to do such things, but soon seemed to resign herself and buried herself in the sofa.
In this place, there were three strategic weapons capable of blowing away the surrounding area alone—the Archmages.
Perhaps feeling a new sense of emotion about this, Stella opened her mouth.
“The world has really improved these days. In the past, even gathering Archmages would have required keeping an eye on the Empire. They would have been watched for plotting some kind of rebellion.”
“Isn’t that guy in the royal family? They probably think it’s fine even if a rebellion is plotted.”
“Honestly, I’m almost grateful. That fool sacrificed himself to guarantee the freedom of other Archmages. Thanks to him, we can move around so freely now.”
“Old geezers talking about things only they know…”
“Ah, I really want to drop a meteor on that bastard’s face.”
“Shisha, Stella. Even if you fight, please don’t do it at Arkhé Magic Tower. I don’t want to lose my home either, so I’d have no choice but to turn you into light.”
“…Hmm, that does sound a bit scary.”
Though it sounds terrifying, for the Archmages, it’s just a light joke.
Even though they can actually drop meteors and turn people into light to make them disappear, they know it wouldn’t work on each other, so it’s just a joke.
As they talked, Olfin smiled and placed a bell between them.
“A bell, is it?”
“What bell…?”
“Have you heard of a board game called Kyle Galli?”
“First time hearing it. Wait, Kyle… Galli?”
“It’s the first board game made by Kyle Byron.”
“…!!”
Kyle Byron. A name they hadn’t heard of until recently, but now both Stella and Shisha know it.
The game he made with the mages of Arkhé Magic Tower, Abracadabra, was quite surprising to Stella in many ways.
However, Shisha seemed to take Kyle Byron in a slightly different sense.
“…Poor guy.”
“Shisha?”
“To be the target of such madness… tsk tsk.”
“…?”
What is she talking about with “madness”?
Olfin was puzzled by her words, but if there was really a problem, given Shisha’s personality, she would have intervened already.
He could bring it up later. With that thought, he spread out cards with geometric patterns after the bell.
“So, are we going to try this? Abracadabra was quite interesting, but…”
“I’m confident it’s a fun game. I enjoyed it for over 10 hours myself.”
Shuffle shuffle.
“Let’s start quickly if we’re going to. I feel like I need to focus on something.”
Stella, somewhat skeptical, and Shisha, already shuffling the cards.
Olfin, looking at them, smiled faintly.
“You’ll find out soon. What kind of game this is…”
*
The time when the three Archmages started Kyle Galli.
An unexpected visitor had arrived in the guest room of the Magic Tower.
“So, um. What you’re trying to say is…”
“Come to the royal palace, Kyle. I’ll take responsibility and push for you.”
“Ah.”
Adela, Water Tiger, and Sally, who was a bit late bringing snacks, were playing Abracadabra when the Third Prince arrived.
Honestly, personally, I wanted to tell him to wait until the board game was over, but given who he was, there was no choice.
However, the Third Prince, aware that he was an uninvited guest, got straight to the point.
The problem was that his request was quite troublesome.
“Do you know my current standing in the royal family?”
“I heard you gave up your right to succession.”
“Right. Thanks to that, I gained a freedom unimaginable for a prince. I gave up succession, but I’m still a prince, so I receive the same reverence.”
But.
“How long do you think this situation will last?”
“…………….”
“The moment one of my elder brothers ascends the throne, my life will be like a candle in the wind.”
“I don’t quite understand the meaning behind your words.”
“There’s no need to be overly cautious. After all, I’m the one asking a favor of you.”
“………….”
“Please come to the royal palace. I believe you could be the key to helping me navigate between my two elder brothers.”
Even though he had renounced his claim to the throne, he was still a prince. Any ordinary noble would consider this request an honor.
But coincidentally, I wasn’t that ordinary noble.
‘I don’t want to go.’
Right now, I need to focus on mass-producing Kyle Galli and the popularity of Abracadabra. Even if I postpone it, I don’t know when I’ll have the time, and I can’t keep a prince waiting for long.
If I go to the royal palace and follow the Third Prince’s orders, mass production and trends might be easily resolved under his command.
But would I still be able to freely create and enjoy board games as I have been?
Especially under a prince who wants to use me and board games to walk a tightrope between other princes?
This was definitely a situation where I should refuse. The problem was how to refuse.
I’m not familiar with noble rhetoric, so how should I───
“Your Highness, I must apologize for my boldness, but I have something to say.”
“You are… the apprentice of Master Olfin, right? I remember your name is Adela.”
“That’s correct. And Your Highness, I must inform you that Kyle Byron cannot go to the royal palace.”
“………What?”
Huh.
Why are you stepping in here, Adela…?
Adela, who had been looking somewhat displeased for a while now, continued speaking despite the prince’s stern expression.
“Kyle Byron is a guest of the Arkhé Magic Tower and a key figure in the tower’s most important project. Master Olfin has decided to maintain a continuous relationship with Kyle Byron in the future.”
“………….”
“Of course, the Arkhé Magic Tower remains loyal to the royal family, but taking away a key figure from the tower for the sake of the Third Prince himself, rather than for the entire empire, could be seen as highly displeasing.”
“Saying ‘taking away’ is a bit of an exaggeration.”
“That’s the reality. Currently, Kyle Byron holds the positions of Honorary Elder and Senior External Advisor at the Arkhé Magic Tower. Therefore, the Arkhé Magic Tower cannot help but feel uneasy about Your Highness’s request.”
“………Is that really the case?”
Wait, I didn’t know that. What’s an Honorary Elder and a Senior External Advisor?
……Frankly speaking, saying that would be tactless.
‘Adela is helping me out.’
It was clear that she wasn’t happy about me going to the royal palace with the prince and was trying to cover for me.
The talk about Honorary Elder and Senior External Advisor was just an excuse. Even if such positions existed, there’s no way I could hold them.
Feeling grateful to Adela, I naturally nodded.
“I apologize for not informing you earlier, Your Highness.”
“No, it’s my fault for coming unannounced. I had no idea you were so highly regarded at the Magic Tower, Kyle. This is my rudeness. The royal family wishes to maintain a friendly relationship with the six major towers.”
“I’m sorry for making you come all this way for nothing.”
“……It’s not exactly for nothing.”
“Huh?”
After a moment of contemplation, the Third Prince smiled and looked back and forth between me and Adela.
“Even if transferring your affiliation is out of the question, you could still offer some advice, right?”
“Advice… you mean?”
“Once this matter is settled, even if it’s just for a short while, please stop by the royal palace. It’s a shame I can’t have you as a subordinate, but couldn’t I call you an external advisor, like the Magic Tower does?”
Well, there’s no helping it.
Since Adela had explained my position with the lie about being an Honorary Elder and External Advisor, it would be difficult to refuse this proposal.
Besides, with the prince being so humble, it’s hard to keep refusing.
As long as I’m not completely subordinated, visiting the royal palace would be beneficial for me.
“I promise. But what exactly would I do when I get there?”
“If you make a board game like this Abracadabra, that’ll be enough. Personally, I want to bond with my brothers, you see. I was thinking about how to do it, and a board game seemed perfect.”
“If that’s the case, I’m definitely the right person for the job.”
“Confidence is good. Thanks for taking on the request, Kyle Byron. I won’t skimp on my gratitude.”
“Alright. So, is that it? I really want to get back to the board game.”
“Oddly, it feels like Adela, Sally, and the Water Tiger have been staring at the prince since earlier. If there’s nothing else to discuss, staying here is getting awkward.”
“Maybe it’d be better to just have the prince join Abracadabra too.”
“While I was thinking that, the prince, who had been glancing at me and my board game friends, chuckled.”
“Ah, I must’ve been too oblivious. Kyle, you’re quite popular, huh?”
“Huh? Oh, I do have a lot of board game friends.”
“…Hmm, seems like your awareness is inversely proportional. Well, I guess that’s how you survive long.”
“The prince, muttering something that could either be a compliment or a jab, stood up.”
“Alright then, see you later. It’s almost time for my Abracadabra reservation.”
“Hope you have fun.”
“Thanks. By the way, I’ve been playing with the same people, so I’m starting to want to play with new players───”
*BANG!!!!*
“──What the!?”
“Huh…?”
“Your Highness! Are you okay!?”
“A sudden loud noise and a tremor that shook the entire tower.”
“Immediately, guards rushed in from outside, and the prince, who had been about to leave through the door, floated out the window using magic. I quickly stuck my head out the window to follow him.”
“It was a bit risky, but thanks to that, I could immediately see what had happened.”
“What on earth is that…?”
“Ice swirling around the top floor of the tower, and the stars in the sky aligned like a giant eye.”
“In that moment, I was captivated by the sheer scale of the magic and destruction.”
*Click.*
“──With a small sound from somewhere, everything returned to normal.”
“The undamaged, completely ordinary top floor and sky, with no trace of magic.”
“…So, this is what it means to be an Archmage.”
“But that doesn’t mean what just happened didn’t occur. The commotion downstairs had died down, but the prince was certain.”
“The ice and stars swirling, the top floor collapsing—it was all real. It’s just that everything was covered by an ‘illusion.'”
“Even now, the Archmages’ magic must be raging up there. As long as the falling debris is cleaned up, no one will notice anything unusual.”
“There are only three people in the entire Arkhé Magic Tower, filled with so many, who could pull off something so absurd.”
“Master Olfin Glassburn, Stella Varnicion, and Shisha Glesia.”
“The three Archmages considered the most crucial assets even by the dominant Empire.”
“Come to think of it, Master Olfin took Kyle Galli earlier…”
“Kyle Galli? Is that another board game you made?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“So, this whole mess is because of a board game…?”
“The Third Prince, trembling slightly at the overwhelming scale of the magic, muttered in an utterly serious tone.”
“Please, let it not be that. I really don’t want to have a life-or-death showdown with my brothers over this.”
“…Yes.”
