Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind.
To be precise, it wasn’t exactly a “board game.” It wasn’t the kind of game where you sit in a chair, spread out a game board on a table, and play.
But just looking at the Kyle Galli house rules, didn’t it almost turn into something resembling American football, tailored for knights?
Still, the knights called it a board game. That’s because the house rules fundamentally followed Kyle Galli’s rules, but more importantly, the players were Aura users.
For Aura users, the Kyle Galli house rules aren’t that difficult. Sure, you might sweat and struggle, but compared to real combat, it’s just a game.
So, what am I trying to say?
The definition of a board game is relative, depending on the person.
For superhumans who move at supersonic speeds, slice buildings with a single sword strike, and burn down forests with a simple spell…
The scope of what they consider a board game is different.
“Young Master! A-Are you okay?”
[Grr?]
“Your… your leg…?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to waste a single drop of this energy right now!”
“W-Wait a second?”
Hurrying to the Magic Tower, I was greeted by Sally, Water Tiger, and Adela, who had stayed behind. I hadn’t let them come with me to see Diogenes earlier, citing danger as the reason.
They all protested, but since four Archmages were assigned as guards instead, they reluctantly accepted. Thinking about it now, even an emperor would find it hard to get such treatment—four Archmages guarding one person.
Anyway, that’s not the point right now.
Thud!
Without delay, I rushed to the guest room, which now serves as the board game workshop for me and the Archmages.
The room was piled high with materials for board game creation. Small wooden blocks that could be carved into anything, blank cards ready for use, fountain pens capable of replicating various calligraphy styles, and more.
Grabbing one of the fountain pens, I approached one of the walls.
“Young Master? W-Why are you suddenly looking at the map…?”
“Sally, sorry, but could you bring me a bigger map?”
“O-On it!”
[Grr?]
“Tiger, can you bring over the tools we usually use from over there?”
[Grr!]
“And… Adela.”
“…You haven’t forgotten your promise to me, have you? You promised not to overdo it.”
“Thanks to Diogenes’ kindness, I’m fine now. I don’t want to get slapped again, after all.”
“……..That.”
“Just kidding, just kidding. I’m doing this precisely to avoid overdoing it. I’ve had a truly groundbreaking idea.”
“Huh?”
“Sorry, but could you call Master Olfin as quickly as possible? Please, Adela.”
This is a board game I absolutely can’t make alone, like an Escape Room Board Game.
But it’s a bit different. While Escape Room games couldn’t create problems at the level of an Archmage, this one requires “magic” as an ingredient, like Abracadabra.
Looking at Adela with sincerity, she blushed slightly and turned her head away.
“Understood… Just be prepared if you end up obsessing over it for days like last time.”
“That won’t happen. It might take some time, though.”
“Young Master! H-Here’s the map!”
“Thanks, Sally.”
The map hanging in the room was huge. It showed the entire western part of the Empire. It’s strange when you think about how maps are strategic assets.
To be precise, in this world, maps *were* strategic assets. At least until the Empire unified the continent.
Unless there was a clear enemy nation, except for a few islands or the lands of monsters beyond the northern mountain range, maps became essential after the Empire unified the continent. The continent was vast, and even the Empire, the first in history to unify it, realistically needed detailed maps for governance.
Even so, it’s not something you can just buy with money or find on the market, but if it’s the Arkhé Magic Tower, one of the Empire’s six great magic towers, that’s a different story.
The six great magic towers, evenly spread across the Empire’s east, west, south, and north, were more than just places for magical research. They were fortresses and strategic strongholds prepared for any unforeseen events.
They strictly prohibited external removal and, under the condition that only the tower’s magicians could view them, possessed maps that depicted not only the Empire’s western region but the entire continent.
…Of course, it’s a bit odd for someone like me, who isn’t even a magician, to be looking at it, but since I’ve been honored as an honorary elder, it’s a moot point.
Thus, Sally, in her role as my maid, easily brought over the continent’s complete map and hung the massive map on the wall.
Frankly, I didn’t expect much, but as something preserved by the six great magic towers, the map was incredibly detailed. It showed the entire continent’s layout, the directions of east, west, south, and north, the locations of various territories, and the important mountain ranges and lakes.
The moment I picked up a fountain pen and approached it…
“Wait, hold on! Honorary Elder, what are you planning to do?”
“Vermily, it’s been a while.”
“Well, I’ve been away on a request for some time. But more importantly, what are you planning to do with that map…?”
Vermily, a high magician of the tower and the magician who first played Abracadabra with Adela, rushed into the room, panting.
“What I’m doing is obvious, isn’t it? I’m making a board game.”
“On… on the continent’s complete map…? Even if you’re the Honorary Elder, that’s not acceptable! If a board game based on this map were to be released, the Imperial family would come to arrest you!”
Vermily’s concern wasn’t an overreaction. After all, the map, even if less important than before, was still a significant item. While viewing the continent’s complete map under the title of Honorary Elder was fine, creating and spreading a board game based on it would lead to serious trouble.
Thinking about it, it’s natural since a detailed map is a strategic asset, unlike a roughly drawn world map.
But it was fine.
“It’s okay. It’s a board game made for just one person.”
“One person…? Is it for the Emperor or something? Who could it be───”
“It’s for the Beggar Archmage.”
“Ah, you should’ve said so earlier.”
As soon as Diogenes was mentioned, Vermily stepped back with an awkward expression.
I got a glimpse of how the Beggar Archmage is regarded among magicians.
“The Imperial family can’t control him either. He roams the entire continent, so a map shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Are you sure it’s okay even if the Imperial family finds out?”
“While His Majesty the Emperor reigns above all citizens of the continent, there are 13 individuals in the Empire whom even he respects. Eight Archmages and five Grandmasters. Especially the Beggar Archmage… it’s even more so.”
Unlike the board games I’ve made so far, this one is exclusively for the Beggar Archmage, so it’s permissible.
Ignoring universality in a board game that anyone should be able to play is the last thing you should do.
But since it’s a board game that only someone like Diogenes could play, I was fine with it.
With Vermily’s approval, I immediately picked up the fountain pen and started drawing circles all over the massive map.
“The Actyon Trench, the Rhinezz Gorge, the Rukia Territory, the Verua Mountain Range…?”
As Vermily questioned, the circles drawn on the continent’s complete map lacked consistency.
They weren’t forming any particular shape, nor was there a pattern in their sequence.
There weren’t just one or two circles. Dozens of circles were scattered across the vast map.
Sally, who had no interest in the circles, the Water Tiger who brought the tools, and Vermily, who was deep in thought trying to decipher the secret of the circles, were all present.
Except for Adela, who went to call Olfin, everyone was wondering why I was drawing these circles.
I had no idea. I didn’t even know what kind of relationship there was between them.
‘Might as well.’
I hope Diogenes doesn’t figure it out until the very end. That way, he’ll definitely realize it at the last moment.
After I finished drawing all the circles I had in mind, Olfin and Adela immediately entered the room.
“First… I’ve brought the Tower Lord.”
“Creator, I heard you were looking for me. However, I was just discussing matters with Diogenes and other archmages. Is this something that can be wrapped up quickly?”
“It’s a matter that will take quite a while to discuss, but for now, I just need your permission, so it’s fine.”
“Permission…?”
At the cryptic words, Olfin glanced around the room.
Vermily hurriedly greeted him, Sally and Water Tiger as usual. And the continental map hanging on the wall.
Olfin tilted his head as he saw the circles drawn on it.
“Creator, what is this?”
“It’s a board game… that I’m making this time.”
“Huh? Wasn’t it that Escape Room Board Game?”
“I gave up on that. Well, not entirely—I might spread it around like Bang, but for Diogenes’ request, we’ll do a different board game instead of the escape room. Well, strictly speaking, this is also a deduction game similar to an escape room.”
“Deduction? Are we deducing the circles on this map?”
“To be precise, deducing the locations.”
“Lo…cations? What do you mean?”
“Tower Lord, have you ever been to any of the places marked by these circles?”
“……I’ve been to the Rhineze Canyon. It’s full of countless bizarre rock formations, and rock golems roam around.”
“Then, could you create a small illusion of that place?”
“That’s not too hard………huh?”
Finally, Olfin seemed to realize what I was trying to do.
He calmly closed his eyes, lost in thought, and as he stretched out his hand, a small illusion appeared above it.
A massive cliff, strangely protruding rocks below, and golems wandering between them.
Of course, I’ve never been there, but that must be Rhineze Canyon as Olfin remembers it.
And this was the core of the board game this time.
“Creator, don’t tell me…?”
“This time, the order is reversed, but the players will start knowing nothing and have to find their way to the locations shown through these illusions.”
“Yo, Young Master? Wha, what do you mean…?”
“The game board is the entire continent. The moving game piece is myself.”
By looking at the small locations recreated through illusions, deduce where they are and reach them directly.
Alternate Reality Game, or ARG for short.
This is what’s called an Alternate Reality Game in the original world.
I’ve never played it myself, but I heard there’s a game called GeoGuessr that works similarly.
Though that one is just about looking at internet maps on your phone and figuring it out from inside a room.
This time, you’d have to actually travel across the entire continent, so the scale is completely different.
‘He said if you erase half your existence, you can move faster than a carriage.’
I don’t fully understand the principle, but it’s like becoming a ghost or something.
Only someone like Diogenes, who can move freely at that speed and wander the entire continent, could play this game.
Using the continental map as a game board is also something only a Beggar Archmage could allow.
Perhaps this is the game made exclusively for Diogenes, something only he can play—more so than the Escape Room Board Game.
“…………….”
Olfin was momentarily at a loss for words.
“……Wait a second. So these circles are the places Diogenes has to find?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then isn’t there a problem? What if he’s told to go to one of these at random?”
“If so, it goes against his request.”
“Don’t worry. These circles will appear in a fixed order.”
Normally, one would think that the locations appear randomly here. The actual game was like that too.
But this time, to accommodate Diogenes’ request to remove the probability factor, the order was fixed, and meaning was assigned to the fixed order.
A small Easter egg that only those who clear the game would notice.
Could Diogenes pick up on it? That was also a small joy.
“Then, by permission…”
“Of course, we need to create illusions of these places. The magicians of the Magic Tower often travel across the continent for requests, right? Vermily, have you been to any of these places?”
“Uh, um? Well… I have been to some.”
“We will ask all the magicians of Arkhé who can create illusions and gather those illusions in one place. It will become a kind of artifact. That’s the permission.”
“Even so, with so many places… It’s impossible to create them all.”
“Then we’ll have to run around.”
“What?”
“Diogenes has given us more time. He said a month, so Adela and I just need to go around within that time.”
“Me, me?”
“Ah, do you not want to? But we need a magician from Arkhé, so if you really don’t want to, we can find someone else───”
“I’ll definitely go.”
“…Thank you, Adela.”
It’s not exactly a journey, so speed is of the essence.
If possible, I planned to go with the minimum number of people and take the shortest route.
A month is long, but it’s a short time to travel around the continent.
“Then let’s leave right away.”
“Are you going right now?”
“There’s no time to waste. Isn’t that right, Adela?”
“…I’ll pack my things right away.”
“Adela?”
“Tower Master, I’ll be back.”
“Young Master! I, I’ve already packed your things!”
[Growl!]
“Alright, let’s go!!”
It had only been a few minutes since Olfin entered the room.
When I came to my senses, only Olfin and Vermily were left in the room, looking dumbfounded.
“Really… impressive. Don’t you think so, Vermily?”
“…Yes, Tower Master.”
No matter how genius the idea, traveling around the continent just to create a board game for one person? And right after mentioning it?
It’s impossible without considerable action and madness.
Even Olfin, who thought he had gotten used to Kyle Byron, let out a hollow laugh.
“Then, I should get to work too.”
“Tower Master?”
“Vermily. Take this continent map and find the magicians who have been to these places.”
“Understood!”
Following Olfin’s words, Vermily immediately left the room with the map. Watching her retreating figure, Olfin quietly fell into thought.
‘…Those circles.’
Definitely.
I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.
