Kyle Byron was given another chance, for a month.
During that month, Diogenes’ daily routine remained the same.
He took naps in the same spot where he had met Kyle Byron last time. He basked in the sunlight. He watched the people passing by.
Staying in that spot, he had to “cleanse” the desires and memories of the three beggars who originally used this place every day.
But since he didn’t know when Kyle Byron would return, he had no choice.
Still, it was the same old routine.
Having already seen potential in Kyle Byron, Diogenes could wait for months if needed.
“Are you having fun doing this?”
“Not really. It’s boring.”
“Funny. Is this really the legendary Diogenes…?”
“You’re the youngest Archmage, so it’s natural for you to feel that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“You weren’t there when I was recognized as an Archmage again. But sorry, I don’t feel the need to convince you. Feel free to think what you want.”
“Again…?”
From the top of the Magic Tower, Olfin Glassburn watched him, Stella Varnicion showed no interest, and Bantain Terra was only polite on the surface.
And then there was Shisha Glesia, who openly nagged.
Diogenes was also an Archmage, but the amusement of observing other Archmages helped ease his boredom.
Perhaps other Archmages felt the same way when they looked at Diogenes.
If so, it was a mutual exchange, so there was no need to feel burdened.
Diogenes repeated these stream-of-consciousness thoughts every day.
Doing so made the passage of time feel strangely tangible. Closing and opening his eyes, it was daytime, then night, and sometimes the evening sunset.
Perhaps it was because the Gias Territory had a clear boundary between day and night.
When his sense of time blurred, his own existence blurred, and it became hard to gauge how much time had passed when he closed and opened his eyes.
He “cleansed” those thoughts.
“………Sigh.”
How many years had he been repeating this? At least several decades had passed.
It was Diogenes’ curse. The price for uncovering the secret of a certain Emperor in the past.
Fortunately, the “curse” could be cleansed with his magic.
But it was still hard not to laugh when he thought about how he had ascended to the level of an Archmage while cleansing the curse.
‘Justinia.’
Was meeting you that day a mistake? Was talking to you a misstep?
I don’t regret uncovering the secret. It was necessary. I just feel regretful.
‘I saw an outsider like you.’
Would that outsider, Kyle Byron, be any different from you?
It was a dilemma Diogenes had pondered every day since he first saw Kyle Byron.
Paradoxically, Diogenes kept track of the days by counting how many times he had pondered this as the curse encroached.
And counting this latest dilemma, it was the 30th time.
Clearly, a month had passed.
“Master Diogenes.”
“………You’ve come.”
“Thank you for waiting.”
Kyle Byron, somewhat dusty, holding a glowing crystal orb in one hand.
With a confident smile, he faced Diogenes.
He came.
After a month-long reunion, he didn’t add any words. He didn’t ask about the maid and the Water Spirit standing behind Kyle Byron, nor about the High Magician.
He simply accepted the crystal orb.
“Is this the board game you made?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s not even a board game. I’m quite embarrassed about that. But… for you, Diogenes, it’ll be a game as simple as a board game.”
Diogenes didn’t care much whether it was a board game or not. As long as it fulfilled the request, that was enough.
He was just a little surprised that Kyle Byron, who had been quite obsessed with board games, had taken a step back.
“So, what do I need to do?”
“Hold that crystal orb and channel your magical power into it.”
The crystal orb, filled with magical energy, glowed with joy and created a small illusion in the air.
It was detailed and delicate, but not too large—just the right size to fit within one’s field of vision. It was also a flat, circular illusion, like looking into a mirror.
It depicted a scene of a village as if viewed from atop a cliff.
“Now, Diogenes, you just need to go to the exact location contained within that crystal orb.”
“Hmm… Are the illusions shown random?”
“Absolutely not. They appear in a fixed order. And by the end, you’ll understand why.”
“I see. But if possible, I’d like to settle the reward for this request right here. However, with a game like this, it’s inevitable that verifying it will take some time. Is that alright?”
“Of course. I’ll wait here for you. Oh! The game’s name is the Diogenes Game! Do you like it?”
“……It won’t take long.”
With those words, Diogenes half-cleaned his own existence. In an instant, he disappeared from everyone’s sight, leaving behind only a state akin to a soul.
An unintended use of Cleaning Magic, discovered while cleaning curses.
In this state, Diogenes could pass through objects, fly through the sky, and move at an absurd speed.
However, a cleaned existence takes time to return to its original form. Until then, he couldn’t touch or feel anything.
If he half-cleaned the clothes he was wearing and the crystal orb, he could carry them with him. Diogenes flew up over the Gias Territory like that.
Though the illusion became faint due to being half-cleaned, Diogenes had plenty of time. He could take his time figuring it out.
‘A game where you find the location depicted in the illusion.’
It was definitely a concept Diogenes, who had lived a long life, had never seen before.
Most games don’t stray far from where they start. They usually end in the same place, and even if they do move, it’s within a fixed space.
But this… Diogenes Game was different.
The only hint was a small illusion. Asking someone to find a village that could be anywhere on the continent with just that seemed impossible, even for an Archmage.
Of course, Kyle Byron must have thought of that too.
‘If you look closely… there are hints everywhere.’
First, the language. The sign at the village entrance in the illusion was written in the continent’s common language, but with a distinct Western dialect. At this point, there was no need to go east, south, north, or central.
And the trees visible around and inside the village…
It’s purple. According to Diogenes, forests with trees bearing purple leaves were extremely rare, even in the western part of the Empire.
Having wandered the continent for decades, Diogenes had accumulated all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge, which allowed him to pick up on this hint.
Did Kyle Byron also consider this?
“This is different from the problems in the Escape Room Board Game.”
Ultimately, it’s similar in context to the issues back then. Creating a problem suitable for an Archmage’s level is difficult.
In the Escape Room Board Game, it was almost impossible because it relied on knowledge or common sense.
But in Diogenes’ game, the problem was solved by requiring a slightly different form of knowledge.
Even if Master Olfin, Stella, or Bantain saw this illusion, deducing the location would be tough. They might figure it out eventually, but definitely not at Diogenes’ speed.
Diogenes, flying toward the forest with purple trees, kept staring at the illusion.
“This village in the mountains is quite large. At this scale, it’s not a pioneer village but one belonging to a territory. And among the forests with purple trees, excluding the unexplored areas…”
There are two candidates left.
He could visit both and search thoroughly, but now he feels like finding the correct answer in one go.
So, Diogenes examined the illusion more carefully.
But no matter how much he looked, all he saw was an ordinary village scene—
“…No.”
At the edge of the illusion, where things weren’t clearly visible.
Something was half-covering the circularly cut sky.
If he hadn’t looked closely, he would’ve missed it.
“It’s a seagull.”
Even though it’s a forest with purple trees, the reason a seabird appeared is clear.
One of the two final candidates must be near the sea.
Having reached a conclusion, Diogenes accelerated even faster. He had fallen from the sky a few times while speeding like this, but injuries could be cleaned up, so he didn’t worry much.
Verifying as quickly as possible was the top priority.
After flying for hours—faster than anything else on the continent, excluding teleportation—Diogenes finally landed somewhere.
A tree with purple leaves.
It was undoubtedly the same type of tree from the illusion.
“Probably nearby…”
There were traces of people passing by. The path was cleared, and signs of lumberjacks were visible here and there.
Walking toward where the village should be, he saw a signpost in the distance. Written in the western dialect, with the same handwriting as the village sign in the illusion.
From there, he deliberately walked toward higher ground instead of the village. What Diogenes needed was a high place overlooking the village.
As he continued walking, Diogenes had already returned to his original form, no longer transparent.
Climbing over rugged trees and rocks, he finally reached the cliff.
“Kkik!”
“………”
An open landscape greeted him, and a seagull flew overhead.
The village sign was visible. The purple trees were visible. The familiar village layout was visible.
Standing on the cliff, as he moved closer to see the village.
Something glowing rose up.
[Diogenes]
One day, the name of Kyle Byron, carved on a piece of bark I had sent him, his handwriting, became an illusion, shining in the air.
It was a clear sign of the correct answer to anyone who saw it.
I placed the crystal ball against the name.
Whoosh!!
“…I see.”
Instead of the village that was originally there, a new illusion appeared. A bizarre canyon with rock golems wandering around.
So this is the kind of game it is.
I closed my eyes for a moment and enjoyed the wind. The wind carried a salty scent. Along with the squawking of seagulls, the bustling sounds of the village, and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
When I opened my eyes again, a refreshingly open landscape came into view.
In truth, what I did this time wasn’t much different from Diogenes’ usual routine. This time, I just came to find a destination, but in the end, wandering the continent was the same.
But back then, I had never seen such a landscape. I had never enjoyed the wind or listened to the sounds.
Because Diogenes was always in the back alleys.
“………….”
Why was that? Even though I had been wandering for decades, this time felt different somehow.
It was a sensation I couldn’t quite put into words, but one thing was certain.
‘It’s something I can enjoy alone, takes over an hour, and has no element of probability.’
It was more than enough to soothe my boredom.
And that meant Kyle Byron had completed the request splendidly.
‘…Impressive.’
I closed my eyes again and calmed my mind. I felt the sounds and the wind once more.
Then, when I opened my eyes.
Diogenes was back in the back alleys. But while it had been daytime before I closed my eyes, it was now night when I opened them.
The sound of seagulls was no longer heard. The salty breeze from the sea was no longer felt.
Yet, all those sensations remained within Diogenes.
From the morning when Kyle Byron had come to find him, until now, deep into the night.
Kyle Byron, who had been waiting in the same spot, greeted Diogenes.
“How was it, Diogenes?”
“…………….”
“Do you like the board game?”
Kyle Byron’s eyes sparkled as he asked for feedback.
Still seemingly purely obsessed with board games.
Diogenes had only one answer for him.
“You’ve completed the request splendidly. Thank you.”
“Then, go back.”
“………?”
“Since we’ve started, shouldn’t we clear it to the end? Whether it’s the reward or whatever, you can receive it later. Go on!”
“…………….”
