Place the bell on the floor, not on the table. And position the players not right next to it, but at a distance.
About 10 meters or so? Anyway, it should be a distance that even knights would take a bit of time to run over.
Arrange three knights around the bell as if drawing a triangle, and place the cards next to them. At this point, a small table is needed. If not a table, anything that can hold a deck of cards will do.
Each person draws a card with their left hand and holds it up for everyone to see, while the right hand remains free.
And just like before, if five of the same shapes appear──
“Move! I’m your senior!!”
“What seniority in a game?!”
“Haha, you two fight it out. I’ll take this one……!”
Ding!
“Ah!”
“Oh no…….”
──Start from the designated spot, and it ends when someone presses the bell after a scuffle.
This was the gist of the knight-exclusive house rules.
‘Using your body, being knightly…? Since it takes time to run over and wrestle, there’s no worry about it ending too quickly.’
Just by increasing the distance between the bell and the players, this outcome was achieved.
It was a sudden idea, but it seemed to work out better than expected. The knights also seemed clearly satisfied.
Of course, this isn’t the end. Detailed adjustments are necessary.
“If you step on it with your foot, it just becomes a race to see who can run the fastest, unrelated to the scuffle.”
“Y-yes, Young Master.”
“So let’s do this. You must press the bell with your hand, not your foot. Of course, since the left hand is holding a card, only the right hand is allowed.”
“Then you have to lower your stance to press it… It will be easier to be hindered or to hinder others. The outcome might not be decided quickly.”
Clarifying the method of pressing the bell.
“The cards… are all crumpled.”
“Sorry! This guy got too into it!”
“W-what are you talking about!? Senior, you were the one who did a body slam first!”
“Shh, shh!”
“Anyway, crumpling the cards disrupts the game. You could memorize the crumpled cards and predict the shapes… So, basically, hold the card in your left hand, but if it gets crumpled, you can’t press the bell. Of course, if the opponent deliberately crumples it, it’s a foul.”
“Young Master, is a body slam allowed…? It’s my specialty.”
“Of course not.”
Deciding how to handle the cards.
“But do we only draw cards with the left hand? Trying to draw a new card while holding one, I end up seeing it late or early…”
“…First of all, you’re more than 10 meters away, but you can still see the card?”
“Huh? I can see it just fine.”
“Aura… is really something. Then let’s slightly change the rule. Do it the same as before, but raise your left hand above your head.”
“Uh, what? If I do that, I won’t be able to see it.”
“That’s the charm. There are things like this in card games, right?”
Adding special rules for extra fun and to clarify ambiguous parts.
So, the first version of the house rules, how should I put it?
It still looks a bit ambiguous. Well, it was made on the spot.
To check if it works well.
“Ultimately, the answer is to try it once.”
“Ah, then should we try it among ourselves?”
“Yeah. Let’s play a proper game. Then, everyone to your positions──”
“Young Master.”
“…Knight Commander?”
“Let me join too.”
Well, I’m happy to have more players, but…
…Why does he seem a bit annoyed?
*
The Knight Commander just couldn’t understand.
‘Just looking at the physical movement, it’s more intense than training.’
Aura training isn’t just about recklessly exhausting your body. It involves maintaining specific postures, meditating, or…
There are various forms of training, such as swinging a sword in the same posture.
And to him, the way those three knights were moving seemed more like torture than training. At least training is regular and gives you breaks, but they were running around in a short time, hitting and blocking repeatedly.
But even so, the knights were laughing.
No matter how much that was a part of Kyle Galli, it should be more tiring than usual, so why were they enjoying it?
The Knight Commander, whose first board game was the Kyle Galli handed to him by Charles the butler yesterday, couldn’t understand it at all.
But what was most infuriating was…
“It’s already been 30 minutes.”
Even if Kyle was focused and changing the rules, the knights should know the time limit was up. The reason they weren’t saying anything was obvious.
Knights, of all people, avoiding training and focusing only on the game? Moreover, a game more exhausting than training!
So, he paused the training and came over himself.
To educate the minds of those three knights.
“Shorty Rick, Stubborn Hansen, Balding Victor.”
The three knights who were playing the game with him, and who were now finally catching on.
However, instead of scolding the knights right away, the Knight Commander took off his armor, dressed in light running gear, and stood by the small table.
This was partly to save face for the young master who was experimenting with the changed game, and partly out of personal curiosity.
After all, if the Knight Commander himself participated in Kyle Galli and then took the knights back, even the young master wouldn’t have a reason to stop him. It was clear that indulging in the young master’s pastime any longer would interfere with training, so he wanted to wrap it up definitively.
Anyway, one game wouldn’t take long. That’s why the Knight Commander also joined the game.
“Knight Commander, the rules?”
“I saw what the knights were doing earlier and heard the young master’s words. Any additional details?”
“Not really. Shall we start then?”
Of course, we should start. But it’ll be over quickly.
I acknowledge Kyle’s efforts, but frankly, even with all the changes, Kyle Galli still didn’t meet the Knight Commander’s standards. Even now, he was more focused on finishing the game quickly and educating them.
As the start was declared, Shorty Rick, one of the knights who had been watching, seemed to make up his mind and drew a card first.
He drew the card with his left hand and lifted it above his head. Even if it was five diamonds, Shorty Rick wouldn’t know.
“The card drawn was two diamonds.”
Next in order was Stubborn Hansen. Hansen also drew a card with a ‘whatever’ expression and lifted it.
Next was Balding Victor.
“Four pentagons.”
And then it was the Knight Commander’s turn.
He drew a card. There was no way to know what card it was, but the method to confirm was obvious.
“If anyone moves to press the bell, follow them.”
The others could see the Knight Commander’s card, so if this card made five, they would move.
But no one moved. After one round, Shorty Rick drew a card again.
………Three diamonds.
As soon as he confirmed it, the Knight Commander dashed to his seat.
Thud!
“So fast……!!”
“Stop the Commander!”
“Can’t tackle him……!”
Similarly, Stubborn Hansen and Balding Victor, who had also seen Rick’s card, hurriedly ran out.
But the position of Knight Commander wasn’t earned through card games.
Even though the three started almost simultaneously, the Knight Commander was the first to reach the bell.
Ding!!
“Ah……….”
He moved his right hand and struck the bell.
For a moment, he considered controlling his strength, but the bell was still under Hardening Magic.
He glanced at the apprentice magician just in case, but there was no sign of strain.
Earlier, during the game, it seemed quite hard to endure.
“…I see. Standing and bending over to press the bell with your right hand means you can’t hit the bell hard. So that’s why you placed it on the floor, huh?”
Sitting in a chair and pressing the bell versus bending halfway to press it. It’s obvious which posture allows more strength in the right hand. With this method, you can maintain Hardening Magic much more effectively.
The Knight Commander let out a small sigh of admiration but soon frowned. Shorty Rick, Old Man Hansen, and Baldy Victor were just standing there awkwardly, staring at him.
When the Knight Commander reached out his hand, they gathered the cards they were holding in their left hands and handed them over to him.
“If things keep going like this, it’ll be over soon.”
With a glance that said, “You’re all dead once Kyle Galli is done,” they trembled but exchanged meaningful looks. It was a desperate exchange of glances, but to the Knight Commander, it was just laughable.
“Even if the three of you team up, you can’t win. It’ll be over soon.”
Now, returning to their seats, the Knight Commander, who had rung the bell, drew a card again. The same cycle repeated as before.
For a while, the five cards didn’t match, but the moment the Knight Commander drew another card…
“……!!”
“It’s complete.”
As soon as Old Man Hansen saw the card, he leaped forward in a hurry. Shorty Rick and Baldy Victor hesitated for a moment but soon followed. Unfortunately, it was the Knight Commander’s turn, so they were a bit late.
But they had no confidence in winning.
“Hmph!!”
“W-what…!?”
Despite starting late, he reached the bell before Old Man Hansen. Hansen, realizing the difference in physical ability, stretched out his right hand to interfere, but…
“Not a chance, Hansen…!!”
“Ugh!?”
*Whoosh!*
It was easy enough to grab and twist the opponent’s wrist to deflect it. Without hesitation, he pressed the bell again.
*Ding!*
“Phew… Hansen, hand over the card.”
“……”
“Rick and Victor haven’t even arrived yet? At this rate, the outcome is obvious. Maybe…?”
What’s going on? Why isn’t Hansen handing over the card? No, more than that, why does he look like he’s trying to hold back a laugh?
“…No way.”
Only then did he lower his left hand, which had been raised, to check the card. His card had one star. Hansen’s card had two diamonds, Rick’s had three stars, and Victor’s… one circle.
The shapes… didn’t match up to five.
“Knight Commander, since you pressed the bell incorrectly, as a penalty, you must distribute all the cards you drew.”
“W-what is this…!!”
“…Commander.”
“Hansen! You clearly saw my card and then…?”
“This isn’t training, Commander. Even though we’re using our bodies quite vigorously, this is still a board game.”
A board game.
Of course, the Knight Commander knew that well. But for some reason, hearing those words felt like a blow to the head.
“A trick… you say?”
“It’s a rule added by the Young Master.”
Upon hearing that, the Knight Commander instinctively turned his head toward Kyle. And Kyle just smirked back at him.
“…I was too careless.”
He should have realized that not being able to see his own card meant the opponent could use that against him.
For a moment, the Knight Commander clenched his fist, trembling. Then he returned to his seat. His eyes were slowly burning.
“I’ll draw first.”
Since the penalty was paid, the next player after the Knight Commander would start. Shorty Rick drew a card.
Then it was Old Man Hansen’s turn, followed by Baldy Victor…
Bald Victor, the Knight Commander.
Just like the previous game, the shapes remained incomplete as we endlessly drew cards.
In the midst of it all, old man Hansen and shorty Rick tried to run towards the bell to lure the Knight Commander again, but upon seeing the Knight Commander not budging from his seat, they quietly returned to their spots.
How many more cards did we draw?
In the midst of the suffocating tension, balding Victor drew a card.
“Huh?!”
Thud!!
The Knight Commander, who had been waiting for an opportunity, immediately rushed towards Victor’s card.
Was it the mind game Hansen had played earlier, or was it real? Frankly, Victor thought it was the latter.
The Knight Commander he knew was upright and steadfast. Even if it was just a board game, he probably wouldn’t resort to such deceit.
So Victor, who had been trailing behind with Rick, reflexively jumped up.
There was no time to check on Rick and Hansen. It felt like the Knight Commander might actually ring the bell in that moment.
Still, just in case, Victor slowed down slightly.
‘He’s really going to ring it…!!’
As soon as he saw the Knight Commander lowering his stance to ring the bell, Victor ran with all his might.
Rick and Hansen were probably running too. Frankly, it didn’t matter who rang the bell, but wouldn’t it be better if he had more cards?
Running as if his life depended on it, Victor was faster than expected, and even though the bell was right in front of him, the Knight Commander couldn’t ring it.
Seeing the Knight Commander’s right hand so close to ringing the bell, Victor thought it might be easier to just tackle him—but that was against the rules.
Instead, Victor slid forward, stretching his right hand toward the bell.
“——Huh?”
Suddenly, he locked eyes with the Knight Commander, who was grinning.
Snap!
The Knight Commander’s right hand, which was about to ring the bell, quickly changed direction and swept across the Training Ground floor. Realizing he’d been tricked, Victor tried to twist his hand, but he was already mid-air.
In the end, Victor’s hand just grazed the bell.
Ding!
“………Ah.”
A clear, pure bell sound rang out right in front of him.
The Knight Commander looked down at the stunned Victor.
“Was it… a mind game?”
“Simply running like Hansen wouldn’t have fooled you. I tried it with the mindset that I’d really ring the bell if necessary.”
“So, it wasn’t that I was faster…?”
“I just waited a little.”
With that, the Knight Commander chuckled. His strategy was something only he could pull off, knowing how fast he was and how the other knights viewed him.
A mind game only the Knight Commander could execute.
Victor looked up at him in a daze, and the Knight Commander smiled again, extending his hand.
“Well, since you messed up, you’ll have to share your cards as a penalty, right?”
“Ahh……….”
“And now… return to your seat.”
——Shouldn’t we start the next round right away?
And so, the Knight Commander, who had taken most of Victor’s remaining cards…
…was wearing a very satisfied smile.
