It didn’t take long to restart Catan. It was only natural since the Third Prince hadn’t been focused on the game at all until halfway through.
I connected villages and cities, but the Third Prince barely made any progress from his initial village and roads, ultimately losing.
The process wasn’t exactly pleasant, to say the least. In a two-player board game, it’s not fun when one side can’t do anything and just loses.
Still, the Third Prince was faintly smiling.
“I lost, huh? Quite an interesting game.”
“Shall we play another round?”
“…It’s getting late. I should head back to handle tomorrow’s tasks.”
The Third Prince, trying to steer the conversation naturally, glanced at the clock on the wall.
One minute before midnight.
Knowing from experience that sitting around would likely drag him into another round, the prince promptly stood up.
“It was quite a pleasant time. Let’s meet again tomorrow.”
“Will you play again then?”
“Yes, yes. If I have time, I’ll spend the whole day with you. Satisfied?”
“Still a bit unsatisfied… but alright.”
Was his brilliance not “light” but “madness”?
As far as the prince knew, Kyle Byron had been playing Catan since morning, meaning he’d been at it for nearly 20 hours. And yet, he still felt unsatisfied?
If that’s what it takes to be obsessed with board games… frankly, the prince wasn’t confident. The promise to play all day was just lip service; he had no intention of actually doing it.
Nodding, the prince approached the door and knocked a few times.
It was to signal the head maid waiting outside, but…
Knock. Knock.
“…?”
No response came.
They had agreed that knocking from inside meant it was safe, and the response would be a knock in return.
But there was no sign of anyone outside.
‘This is…’
Though the Third Prince had only a modest magical talent, even his limited mana could detect if someone was outside the door.
A basic detection spell manifested from his hand.
“What…?”
Sure enough, there was no one outside. The head maid had definitely been there when he first entered.
The middle-aged head maid was the only person the Third Prince truly trusted—a skilled aura user and a loyal individual. She had been his caretaker since childhood and still supported him.
Where could she have gone?
For a moment, the prince’s mind was in turmoil.
“Knock… Ah!”
“…Kyle?”
“I forgot something, but I finally remembered! It’s exactly midnight…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Kyle Byron, who seemed to be struggling to recall something, stood up and approached the door.
While the prince was pondering why the head maid wasn’t outside, whether it was a trap, and whether to open the door, Kyle stepped forward.
“Six times… right?”
“Huh?”
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
He knocked on the door six times at regular intervals.
The prince didn’t understand what Kyle was doing, but…
Ding───
Suddenly, the sound of midnight chimed in the room.
And the only thought that crossed the prince’s mind upon hearing it was:
‘This clock… isn’t a pendulum clock, is it?’
Immediately after.
Whoosh───!!
“Wh-what!?”
“Whoa…!!”
Space unfolded.
The windows slammed shut, the door locked, and everything went dark.
At the same time, the board game room unfolded like a collapsing blueprint, with walls spreading out.
It was something that defied common sense. This was the third floor of the imperial palace. Outside the door should be a hallway, beyond the walls should be other rooms, and beyond the windows should be open air.
But at the same time, beyond the collapsed walls, there was only a pure white space.
An endless expanse, a strange space that made one wonder if all of this was just a dream or an illusion.
In that space, Kyle Byron and the Third Prince were.
[Ah, you’ve arrived.]
“I’m…… a bit late. It took me a while to remember.”
[I wouldn’t say it’s fine…… it definitely took a long time. You’re the first one like this since Justinia.]
“Justinia……?”
They were able to face a certain being.
It was human, yet not human.
Half of its body was clearly human, but the other half was made of bricks.
The left arm was a normal arm, but the right arm was a rough, thick hand made of bricks.
The left side had one eye, half a nose, and half a mouth—a human face—but the right side had eyes, a nose, and a mouth awkwardly made of bricks.
A somewhat unpleasant yet bizarre appearance.
Kyle Byron spoke naturally with this being, as if they were acquainted.
……Of course, the prince couldn’t comprehend any of this.
In their conversation, there was a name that couldn’t be ignored.
“W-wait a minute. Justinia? Are you talking about the 15th Emperor, His Majesty?”
[It seems so. A lot of time has passed, hasn’t it?]
“What on earth…….”
Justinia Severus. The 15th Emperor of the Empire, hailed as one of the greatest emperors in history.
She was the one who carried out harsh purges and reforms, successfully elevating the imperial authority to an inviolable position.
Thanks to her achievements, even subsequent emperors refrained from casually uttering her name, instead using honorifics as a custom.
Yet, who was this being who so casually mentioned the name Justinia?
Meanwhile, the Brick Man seemed to finally notice the Third Prince’s presence and quietly observed him.
[Ah…… I see. You must be the child Lucius mentioned.]
“……!!!”
Lucius.
There was no need to explain whose name that was.
‘Father……?’
It was the name of the current Emperor of the Empire, the prince’s father.
This being called the great former Emperor a friend and casually referred to even the current Emperor.
At the same time, it had constructed this space within the imperial palace, protected by all sorts of magical and technical defenses.
Moreover, it existed in such an utterly bizarre form.
The prince’s survival instincts and insight were screaming.
Run away now. If that’s impossible……
“Who are you, great being?”
[Flattery, I see. But few have spoken to me like that before.]
“Ah, Your Highness. This person is──.”
[Outsider soul, would you leave the introduction to me? This is also a role I’ve been promised.]
“If you insist.”
[Thank you. Child of Lucius, what is your name?]
“……Lugrick, Lugrick Severus.”
[Good. Lugrick Severus. As the founder of all Severus and by the promise I made with that damned child, I shall introduce myself to you.]
*Crash!!*
Bricks piled up.
The bricks that made up half of the being endlessly multiplied, gradually stacking up like a fortress, growing in size.
Finally, the completed form was somewhat familiar.
“……The Imperial Palace?”
[I am the sanctuary of the Severus Imperial Family, the floating fortress in the sky, and the one who bound myself to this place.]
…like a ghost stuck in the ground.]
The figure I saw from the sky, the size and appearance of the imperial palace, had built a massive brick castle and floated it in the air.
Leaving the imperial palace behind, I looked down at the Third Prince.
[I am the High Magician of the Imperial Palace.]
“………!!”
Someone even more revered than the Emperor, the most respected in the Empire.
He revealed himself like that.
*
‘What, didn’t the prince know?’
I tilted my head as I watched the Third Prince, who seemed shocked by the sudden self-introduction.
Logically, how could a prince not know about the High Magician of the Imperial Palace?
He even spoke to me, who was visiting for the first time. Could he really not have known about his existence?
‘No, he must have known, but maybe it’s his first time seeing him in person…?’
Judging by how he casually called out names like Justinia and Lucius, I could guess the position of that brick-like Archmage.
Probably someone who has protected the Severus Imperial Family and the imperial palace for a long time, right?
‘…Huh? But wasn’t the Archmage said to be a branch of the imperial family?’
Just as I was starting to feel suspicious about the contradiction with what I’d heard so far.
The Archmage, who had finished his self-introduction, turned his gaze toward me, with the imperial palace floating behind him.
[The soul of an outsider, but why did you bring this child?]
“Huh? Is that not allowed?”
[Originally, only the Emperor can meet me. When a new Emperor ascends to the throne, they come to find me first.]
Oh, so that’s how it is.
Then it’s definitely a problem… or not.
“If that’s the case, why did you introduce yourself…?”
[………Well, staying in such a space for too long gets boring. I called you out of curiosity.]
So, the Archmage, who has protected the imperial family for generations, introduced himself in front of the prince just because he was bored? And even went as far as creating that imperial palace behind him?
What should I say, really.
‘Is he really the Archmage…?’
Well, come to think of it, Olfin and the other Archmages of the Magic Tower also caused chaos after using Great Magic while playing Catan.
Thinking about it, maybe all Archmages are like that?
I nodded in understanding and faced the High Magician of the Imperial Palace.
“I understand. Sure, whatever.”
[You’re truly thinking disrespectfully. This is why outsider souls…]
“Didn’t you say I’m similar to Emperor Justinia?”
[I had no choice. He also had a soul like yours. I’d like to satisfy my curiosity by talking to you right now, but first, what to do with that child… Lugerick.]
“Do as you please, Archmage.”
[You’re quite sharp. Nine out of ten who came before me after becoming Emperor tried to defy me.]
“That’s because I’m not the Emperor. I’m just the third son who couldn’t participate in the succession race.”
[You speak quite fluently. No wonder Lucius mentioned you separately.]
Come to think of it, the prince had told me. The Emperor… his father kept trying to bring him back into the succession race, even though he had already withdrawn.
No matter what the Third Prince’s true intentions were, if he actually returned, he’d face fierce opposition from the First and Second Princes, and they might even resort to extreme measures.
Worried about that, the Third Prince himself showed his disinterest in the throne by playing Catan every day, trying to prove it to his brothers.
‘At that time, I wondered what the Emperor was thinking.’
If he had given a separate hint to this Archmage, maybe he really thought the Third Prince had a chance to win the succession race.
Perhaps thinking similarly, the Third Prince, who had bowed politely, was also trembling slightly.
“His Majesty the Emperor has high hopes for the Third Prince…”
“You asked about it, didn’t you?”
[You dare to ask so boldly, soul of an outsider. I could answer, but dealing with that kid Lugrick comes first. Unless you’re the Emperor, even if you’re a member of the royal family, you shouldn’t meet me.]
“Then… no way!?”
[……Don’t think such scary thoughts like killing. I’ll just erase their memories and send them back.]
Ah, I see. You made it sound so grand, I thought you were really going to silence them.
Come to think of it, when you first spoke to me in my mind, it seemed like this Archmage could read others’ thoughts.
‘Soul of an outsider.’
Did you say that because you read ‘the original world’ in my thoughts? And if Justinia, the Emperor, was also a soul like me.
This encounter might be more important than I thought.
I thought it was just curiosity, so I assumed it was a board game, but I guess not.
‘By the way, erasing memories, huh.’
“If you’re going to erase memories………”
[You won’t remember what happened tonight. Not even the board game you played with me.]
“Can’t you control it?”
[If magic were that omnipotent, I wouldn’t be in this state.]
So, you’re saying they’ll forget all the comfort I gave them?
Wait, hold on.
‘We even promised to play Catan again.’
All day, at that. And they’ll forget that promise too?
Thanks to my insight and social skills, playing board games with the Prince was more unique and fun than with Sally, Water Tiger, or Adela. I was over the moon after making that promise.
Even if I comfort the Prince again after he forgets everything, will I be able to get the same promise?
Moreover, since I’ve grown to like the board game Catan even more, I’ve gotten closer to my original goal of ‘spreading it from the royal family.’
At the very least, it’s troublesome for me if the Third Prince loses his memory here.
‘But what should I do?’
I guess I’m an exception since I’m an outsider’s soul and was invited first, but originally, only the current Emperor can see the High Magician of the Imperial Palace. The Third Prince, who happened to come along and see the Archmage, must forget that memory.
Even though the Archmage is friendly to me now, I don’t know how they’d react if I asked them not to erase the memories.
What should I do───
“……Huh? The current Emperor?”
[Anyway, I’ll erase the memories now. It’s time to talk to the outsider’s soul as originally intended……]
“Wait, hold on.”
[………What is it?]
“So, only the current Emperor can see you, right, Archmage?”
[That’s correct.]
Wait, then it’s simple.
A way for the Third Prince not to forget. A way for him not to forget the board game promise we made. A way to keep the Prince, who’s now favorable to board games, as he is.
There is. A very clear solution!
“Then, if the Third Prince becomes the Emperor, problem solved, right!?”
[………Huh?]
“……Huh?”
“Excuse me?”
What.
Is there a problem……?
