“Long time no see, come on in. Kyle Byron.”
“Greetings, Duke.”
“No need to be so formal. Bring your companions in as well.”
Perhaps because the carriage was much faster than the one we took last time, I thought it would take half a day to reach the Everts Duchy, but we arrived in about half that time.
The pride of the duchy, Everts Castle, was as majestic as when I last visited, but something had changed.
Unlike last time, Duke Nicholas himself came out to greet me.
It might have been partly because I had earned the Duke’s recognition after the Leisha incident, but more than that, it seemed the Abracadabra from the Magic Tower had left quite an impression.
As we walked to the reception room, that was all we talked about.
“The Abracadabra craze is still going strong.”
“It’s been about two weeks since the Prince and I left.”
“Master Olfin said the reservations would taper off over time, but the impact of Abracadabra was beyond that. Already, most noble families from the west are heading to the Gias Territory.”
“Wow.”
“If the rumors spread further, people from the south, east, and central regions will flock here too. But…”
“Has Kyle Galli died down, you mean?”
“…You catch on quick. Two weeks ago, it was almost a frenzy, but right before I left, hardly anyone was playing it.”
Well, it was bound to happen.
Unlike Abracadabra, which was backed by realistic illusions and primal fun, the nobles who gathered in Gias used Kyle Galli not as a ‘board game’ but as a ‘status symbol.’
Even if they each took a set as a souvenir, the trend couldn’t last long.
Frankly, it was a bit disappointing, but because of it, I went to the royal capital and gained a lot there.
‘I wonder what the Third Prince is up to now.’
At least, I hoped it was Catan.
Sally, Water Tiger, and Adela followed the Duke and sat on the sofa in the reception room.
“The Water Spirit… seems to be doing well.”
[………]
“Still cold to me, huh. Is it the same with you?”
“Huh? Tiger?”
[Grr!]
“………”
Duke Nicholas looked at the Water Tiger with a complicated expression, and while the Water Tiger didn’t react to him at all, when I reached out my hand, the Water Tiger immediately placed its paw on mine.
Come to think of it, is this really a tiger? It’s more like a big cat or a dog.
Anyway, seeing this, the Duke shook his head and said,
“First, you should rest from your journey, but I have a request. Go meet my daughter first.”
“Did something happen to the Princess?”
“Not exactly, but…”
Swish.
The Duke pointed out the window with his hand.
[Whoosh! Whoosh!!]
[Clatter!!]
[Meow!]
[Chirp!]
Only then did I notice the scene outside the window.
In front of the turret where Leisha was staying, visible from the reception room.
Countless spirits were bustling about.
“…Cleaning?”
“It’s gotten worse since you arrived.”
While cleaning…
The turret seemed to have been kept clean originally, but the spirits were busily scrubbing the walls and sweeping the inside with brooms and rags.
I immediately understood the Duke’s concern.
If spirits suddenly start cleaning, of course, you’d want to send someone to check it out.
Since I was planning to visit Leisha with the Water Tiger anyway, I nodded right away.
“Then, Sally? Adela? You two stay here───”
“I-I’ll go!”
“I’ll go too.”
“…Your Grace, is that alright?”
“That maid was here last time too, and the Tower Master’s disciple… though it’s our first meeting, I trust the Archmage. Surely, he wouldn’t take someone loose-lipped as a disciple.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank me? Anyway, you…”
“If the spirits block the way, I probably won’t even be able to enter.”
“Well, that’s true. In the end, the ones who allow entry into the tower are Leisha and the spirits.”
“Since I was the only one who went inside the tower before, I wonder if Sally and Adela can come with me this time.”
“Worried, I left the reception room and headed to Leisha’s tower, where I could see the spirits busy cleaning even more clearly.”
“Ah, Wind Horse. Long time no see.”
[Da…Dak?]
“You remember me, right? Kyle Galli’s friend.”
[Da…Dakdak!!!]
“Huh?”
“The only spirits I could understand were the Water Tiger and the Wind Horse. To communicate with spirits, you need to be close to them, and out of all of Leisha’s many spirits, I was only close to these two, so it’s natural.”
‘Why are you already here…?’
For a moment, I wondered if I misheard, or if my bond with the Wind Horse had faded because we’d been apart for so long.
[Whoosh!]
[Thud!]
[Dakdak!]
Thud.
The spirits, who had been busily flying around and running to clean the tower, suddenly lined up in front of me.
They opened a path to the tower’s door, standing in a line on both sides.
The sight of all these spirits standing in a row was quite a spectacle… but more than that, it was utterly bizarre.
“Wind Horse? Why are you doing this?”
[Dakdakdak!]
“Uh… okay.”
Well, if they’re telling me to go in, I guess I have no choice.
Maybe this is Leisha’s way of welcoming me (?).
At least I wasn’t rejected by Leisha. Guess those letters we exchanged were worth it.
[Grr…]
[…Dakdak.]
The Water Tiger and the Wind Horse exchanged greetings, acknowledging each other’s hardships.
Before entering the tower, I first showed the Wind Horse my companions.
“But can Sally and Adela in the back come in too? Please tell Princess Leisha I asked.”
Leisha’s distrust of humans is severe. I managed to get close to her through Kyle Galli and spirit poker, but even her father, Duke Nicholas, hasn’t seen her in years.
Seeing how they’re welcoming me, the Water Tiger and I should be fine, but what about Sally and Adela? Especially since Sally couldn’t enter the tower last time.
Frankly, I thought the chances of her allowing it were low, but I pleaded through the Wind Horse.
[Dak…dak!]
“Really!?”
[Dakdak!]
Surprisingly, permission was granted quickly. The Wind Horse wouldn’t lie about Leisha, so it must really be her permission.
Maybe her distrust of humans has lessened while I was away. Or maybe she decided to meet new people.
Either way, it’s clearly a good sign.
‘Still, the Duke will be depressed.’
Even outsiders like Sally and Adela got permission, but her own father, the Duke, is still out of luck.
He’s tried many ways to lure Leisha out of the tower, but he genuinely seems to love his daughter.
Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait for Leisha to gradually grow and someday open her heart to the Duke.
Now that we have permission, there’s no need to delay. We entered the tower, welcomed (?) by the spirits.
“Where did you get these flower petals…?”
“…Unlike you, I got sand thrown at me.”
“Me too…”
“Really? Must be a mistake. The spirits are one thing, but Princess Leisha wouldn’t throw sand at strangers on first meeting.”
“……”
“………”
The tower, which I hadn’t entered in a long time, was so clean it sparkled—just how much had the spirits cleaned?
It was always well-maintained, but now the marble floors and furniture were spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.
‘They couldn’t have cleaned just because the Water Tiger and I were coming back.’
Leisha probably didn’t even expect me to return today.
It looks like they’ve been cleaning for a while now.
It seemed to coincide with the time for a big cleaning.
“The inside of the turret is clean.”
[Tap… tap tap!!]
[Whoosh!]
It was obvious the spirits had worked hard, so I complimented them. The wind spirit and other spirits got a bit too excited, though.
Slowly climbing the turret, I almost reached the top floor.
“You seem quite familiar with this place.”
“Well, I’ve been coming and going here for quite a while. Adela, isn’t this a beautiful turret?”
“That’s true. However…”
“However?”
“…No, never mind. I’m really looking forward to meeting the Princess for the first time.”
“She might be a bit picky, but she’s a kind person. Don’t worry.”
“…………….”
When I first played Spirit Poker, she was the type to peek at cards using spirits.
But after getting closer, she genuinely enjoyed board games, so she’s a good person. After all, there’s no bad person among those who love board games.
Chatting like that, we soon arrived at the top floor.
In front of a door filled with quite familiar memories.
“Hey, tiger, remember? We played Kyle Galli with the wind spirit right here.”
[Grr.]
[Tap tap!]
“Did you practice a lot since then? Since we met the wind spirit again, let’s play Kyle Galli sometime.”
[Grrr!]
[Tap tap tap!]
“Alright, Sally? Adela? Let’s go in now. She might be a bit wary of you all, but please don’t take it too personally.”
After making a fun board game promise, I grabbed the doorknob.
Looking forward to seeing Leisha again after so long.
*Creak.*
I opened the door.
“…Welcome, Kyle.”
“………Princess?”
“What? Don’t recognize me?”
No, I don’t recognize you.
Sitting on the bed to greet us, Leisha was wearing makeup and different clothes, unlike before.
……The problem was the utterly messy makeup and horrific fashion sense.
Good heavens. A yellow dress, a black coat, and a green belt—what kind of combination is that? And what’s with those wing-shaped decorations on her back?
Of course, I froze for a moment. For a brief second, I even felt a bit reluctant to get closer to Leisha.
As for Sally and Adela…
“…Pfft.”
“Huh, huh… kik!”
They were either snickering or outright laughing.
Caught off guard by the unexpected reaction, Leisha was flustered.
“Sally… Adela and I will stay outside for a bit. Can you help Princess Leisha?”
“Pfft. Ah, sure!”
“Wait, Kyle? What’s going on?”
“Princess. Just… leave it to Sally.”
Thinking about it now, Leisha said she’d been living in this turret with only spirits for a long time.
In that case, she wouldn’t know how to do makeup or dress properly. The spirits wouldn’t be knowledgeable about that either.
Still, I couldn’t reunite with her looking like that.
I quietly turned my head and walked out of the room.
……Desperately holding back my laughter.
*
10 minutes later.
Leisha, now looking somewhat human again thanks to Sally’s touch, greeted us once more.
“It’s been a while, Princess.”
“Ahem, ahem. Welcome, Kyle.”
Perhaps trying to pretend the earlier incident never happened, Leisha sat in front of me, her face slightly red but maintaining her composure.
The only problem was that there were only two chairs in the room, so Sally and Adela had to stand.
“Are there any extra chairs in the turret?”
“Sorry, but these two are the only chairs. As for the two uninvited guests… too bad, you’ll have to stand.”
“According to that man, I also entered with the Princess’s permission.”
“What can I do? Kyle asked so earnestly, I couldn’t refuse. You’re still uninvited guests. By the way, there’s sand on your clothes. Can’t you dress properly?”
“Not going.”
“………….”
Adela looked at Leisha with an expression that seemed to say, “Is that all you have to say──?”
They stared at each other with a somewhat tense atmosphere before Adela finally spoke.
“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Princess Leisha. I’m Adela, a high magician of the Arkhé Magic Tower and a disciple of Master Olfin.”
“Leisha Everts.”
“I heard about you from that man, but you’re different from what I imagined.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I thought the master of that water spirit would be… a bit more approachable. The tiger spirit has been sticking around that man all day.”
“………….”
“It’s our first meeting, so I’m very pleased. Seeing your face for the first time, I realize a lot of things.”
Uh… aren’t they on bad terms?
I can tell. I know Adela isn’t exactly friendly toward Leisha right now.
‘Still, Leisha was the one who spoke first.’
I had a gut feeling that if I intervened carelessly, I might end up losing more than I gain.
So, while Leisha and Adela were glaring at each other, I just played with the hem of Sally’s maid dress. It was something I often did when I was bored.
“Y-Young Master. I-It’s embarrassing.”
“Sorry, it’s just a habit now.”
When I first saw a maid as a child, I was so fascinated by memories from my past life that playing with the hems of their dresses became a habit.
Especially since Sally had been close to me for a long time, often subtly handing me the edge of her maid dress.
With only a knockoff of chess called Kill the King as the available board game, I often played it when bored, and now it’s just something I do without thinking… but.
“………….”
“…………….”
“Princess? Adela…?”
It seemed they heard Sally’s embarrassed remark, as both Leisha and Adela were now looking at me.
But why did she have to say it was embarrassing now, when it’s something I usually do? Is it because we’re in front of others?
Under their gaze, I let go of Sally’s dress hem, and Leisha immediately spoke up.
“Kyle, why do you call me ‘Princess’?”
“Huh?”
“We agreed to drop formalities last time, remember?”
“I remember you saying you were afraid of the consequences, so only you would drop the formalities.”
“………You remembered.”
“I remember every conversation I’ve had with you, Princess.”
“Uh-huh…….”
I remember most of the things said during board games. It’s a habit from playing deduction and psychological board games, where I memorize the opponent’s words.
Anyway, with Sally and Adela’s first impressions of Leisha being somewhat skewed, and Adela not particularly fond of Leisha now.
There’s only one way for these three to get along.
“Princess, how about a game of Spirit Poker? It’s been a while.”
“Huh? Oh, of course! Just the two of us like last time───”
“Actually, Spirit Poker is most fun with four players! Unlike playing with two, there are more strategies and rules added, making it a much more thrilling psychological battle!”
“………….”
“Sally, Adela. It’s not your first time playing Spirit Poker, right? I’ll explain the rules. Let’s just sit on the floor! First, Spirit Poker is played with these 8 types of cards…!”
“…………….”
“……….”
