episode_0032

Kyle Gali’s trend has suddenly been on the rise for the past week.

Kyle Gali’s sudden popularity was something no one expected. Even Kyle himself.

The reason was simple.

This was because Kyle Gali was too rough a game for ‘nobles’ to play.

“Isn’t that right, Adela?”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“To put it bluntly, if you do Kyle Gali, there is a high chance that your emotions will become strong or you will get really hurt. I didn’t think nobles would like such a game.”

“You too… … He is a nobleman.”

“Hey, isn’t that a bit of an exception?”

Part of that was holding an emergency meeting in my guest room.

I had the intention of spreading Kyle Gali. It is true that, although it is still insufficient, mass production procedures have been quickly implemented.

However, I was only planning to make Kyle Gali popular among the common people, and I had no intention of targeting the nobles.

First of all, the noble class enjoyed Abracadabra and spread the trend, and then they mass-produced Kyle Gali for the wealthy middle class and commoners who would come to Arche Matap.

In other words, the current situation was far beyond expectations.

“Olpin Mage Tower Lord, how did the situation turn out?”

“That… … … Um.”

Olpin Matapju, who attended the meeting with Adela, also looked like he didn’t know what was going on.

However, he slowly opened his mouth as if he knew how the trend spread through other wizards.

“When I first spoke to Stella and Shisha… … … Let’s just inform a very small number of influential people about the existence of a game called Kyle Galli, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“I thought so too.”

It was a week ago that I heard Olpin’s words and said that it was a good idea and I was thankful.

Even people who normally would not remember the name of the board game creator have increased interest in me due to the success of Abracadabra.

In such a situation, I announce the existence of Kyle Gali that I made, and contact them later when mass production is completed. The original goal was to spread Kyle Gali even to distant places such as noble estates.

By doing so, you can quickly promote Kyle Gali even in places where it would normally take a long time to become known.

Also, from the perspective of a noble or powerful person, it is completely different to receive a call after learning about it than to receive a call without even knowing that there is a game called Kyle Gali.

What if the person who recommended Kyle Gali was an archmage? I thought that was enough to ingrain Kyle Galli into their memories.

It is already a trend that has gone beyond enough and is already becoming a reality.

“From what I heard, the main reason was that reservations for Abracadabra took too long.”

“What do you mean?”

“While waiting for their reserved Abracadabra time, several nobles tried Kyle Gali, and it seems that it gradually spread.”

An explanation that seems to make sense at first glance.

But Olpin was still tilting his head.

“But it’s strange. Gias Territory has been preparing various tourist products since it became popular 100 years ago. There is also something new created this time, so the nobles should spend their spare time heading there.”

Why was the interest focused on Khail Gali, which was bound to be quite rough, rather than the classy and luxurious tourist products that suited the tastes of ordinary aristocrats?

Olpin was curious about that very thing.

This was something I wasn’t too sure about, but the answer came from an unexpected place.

[Growl.]

“… … … what? Really?”

[…] … Ureung.]

“No, but how do you know that?”

[…] … … … … .]

“Tiger?”

[eww… … … Rung.]

“Aha.”

From Lacia’s water tiger spirit.

The water tiger that has literally been by my side all day for the past week has been quite a reassuring presence.

At first, it was a bit burdensome to sleep in the same bed, but surprisingly, when I hugged him, I found him cool and not wet, which was nice.

There was a tiger spirit made of water, bigger than most people, hanging around next to me, so there were almost no people who looked down on me. Honestly, regardless of the production of Abracadabra, there were probably people who didn’t like me for standing out too much.

Anyway, since we were always together, he was sitting there hugging one of my feet during this meeting, when the water tiger suddenly told me something I had never thought of.

[Growl, growl.]

“That… … Is that so?”

[Rung.]

“No, it doesn’t make sense… … … but. I can’t explain it otherwise.”

“… … Kyle Byron. Like that dog, no. What did the spirit that looked like a dog-like animal say?”

“Um.”

For some reason, Adela’s words sound aggressive, and Sally, who is standing behind me, seems to be giving the water tiger a creepy look… … First of all, the board game story is more important than that right now.

Anyway, the story the water tiger told was simple.

“It’s because of the pride of nobility.”

“… … … Yes?”

“What should I say about this… … … They say that for nobles, the only thing that matters is that it was recommended by an archmage, regardless of the content of the game.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m an archmage myself.”

This is what the water tiger said.

The noble that the archmages first recommended to Kyle Gali would naturally be a high-ranking noble or influential person who had a personal relationship with the archmages.

For those people, the key point is not to know what kind of game Kyle Gali is, but to say that it was recommended by the Archmage himself.

That would be a means of proving their ‘friendship’ with the Archmage.

‘The archmage is so close that he personally recommends board games! It’s the same thing. If you play Kyle Gali with other nobles, you will naturally be able to boast about it.’

Also, the nobles who heard the boast engage in kail gali with other nobles. Similarly, to boast of one’s power.

This means that he is a nobleman who has a personal relationship with a powerful person who has such a personal relationship with him that he was recommended a board game to him by the Archmage.

Then, Kyle Gali will gradually spread through connections among nobles.

Not because the board game itself is fun, but as a tool of pride used in aristocratic society.

‘The aristocratic society there is sensitive to trends.’

Even if you have no interest in it at all, if a powerful noble likes it, you have to stock the item or buy a specific brand of clothing in their society.

And now, the Geass Arche Tower is a place where all kinds of nobles and influential people from all over the empire flock. In fact, it is a microcosm of aristocratic society.

Just by walking down the street, you can easily see high-ranking nobles boasting overwhelming power in the current Gias territory.

Once Kyle Galli starts to spread there, it doesn’t take long for everyone to accept it… … … That was the water tiger’s explanation.

‘Let alone why the water tiger knows the aristocratic society so well.’

Honestly, there was one part I didn’t understand.

“But… … There is a regional feeling.”

[Ureung?]

“Right now, His Excellency Duke Nicholas is not on good terms with Duke Grandel of the East. Even though the relationship is close economically, regional sentiments between the western and eastern regions are not very good, so of course the relationship between those who can be called representatives also looks bad on the outside.”

Excluding the North, where there are virtually no nobles, it is no exaggeration to say that the West, East, and South are enemies to each other. This was true both historically and due to regional differences.

But, in this place where nobles from the West, East, and South all gather, Khailgali is commonly popular?

I know this because I have lived in modern Korea in the 21st century. Regional sentiment is a more sensitive issue than you might think.

Moreover, unlike Korea, where only a few extreme people remain because they can easily travel to and from each other, the empires of this world cannot easily physically travel between them.

It’s definitely not at the level of going to war with each other, but it’s at the level of not providing support when a disaster occurs or disparaging the trends or culture of other regions even to their faces.

What the West likes, the East and South oppose. The opposite case is also easy to see.

In the meantime, will Kyle Gali become something they have in common? I was skeptical.

[Rung.]

“Huh? Think about the archmages?”

[Growl.]

“Of course, Olpin Magic Tower Lord, Glesia Magic Tower, Astron Magic Tower… … … Ah.”

Arche Tower located in the western center, Glesia Tower located on the eastern coast, and Astron Tower located in the southern sky.

In this case, of course, there are influential people that the great wizards met and recommended.

‘West, East, South. Influential people from all three places… … !!’

No powerful person or high-ranking noble would be so foolish as to refuse to play a board game recommended by their local archmage due to regionalism.

Of course, there would have been a tacit agreement between them, and in this way, Kyle Gali would have spread to all nobles.

No, it may have spread even faster because of that.

[Growl. Urrung!]

“Rules… … I see.”

In the meantime, the rules of Kyle Gali, which were bound to become rough, were changed to become more noble.

The water tiger said that he had seen it in person. They flip over cards or ring the bell, but they don’t focus on that and the main purpose is just socializing.

Kyle Galli was intended to be an opportunity for nobles and influential people to invite each other to meet, the satisfaction of following trends, and boasting of prestige, and was not a ‘board game’.

Of course, not everyone uses Kyle Gali as a tool, and there are some who enjoy it purely as a board game, but there are very few.

Paradoxically, Kyle Gali was spreading as a board game, but not as a board game.

So, is this a bad thing?

“Tap owner, how long has the reservation for Abracadabra been delayed?”

“It is fully booked until the next 10 days.”

“Will that trend continue in the future?”

“Hmm… … It’s only been about a week since Abracadabra was released, so it’s bound to continue. Considering the people who come only after the rumor spreads… … … .”

“How many of them are nobles?”

“… … I know what you’re trying to say. No matter how peaceful the empire is, nobles cannot leave their territory for long.”

“In that case.”

“Even if I hired an agent, it would still take a month at most. Even one month is a long time because the Geas Territory is a special environment where countless high-ranking officials from within the empire are gathered. If you don’t care about personal connections, there will be plenty of people who leave before then.”

“There are about 2 to 3 weeks left.”

So, will they still do kail gali after they return to their territory? My answer was, of course, ‘no’.

Nowadays, kail gali is only used instead of tea or refreshments when nobles meet. As each person returns to their territory and encounters decrease, it is unlikely that they will play against the territory again, although they may take it as a souvenir.

In the end, Kyle Gali is nothing more than a rough game that is not worthy of nobility in their eyes.

‘Is this my greed?’

Abracadabra was a success beyond expectations, and enthused the invited nobles and influential people.

And in the meantime, thanks to the recommendations of archmages including Orphin, Kylegalli also spread like a trend among the nobles.

It’s good up to that point. It can only be good. Of course, it was a pleasant variable for nobles, who weren’t originally aiming for it, to play Kyle Gali.

More nobles than originally expected will remember Kyle Gali, and there will be many who will respond positively when contacted in the future.

‘Then should I be satisfied here?’

The current Kyle Gali trend is a flashy trend. It is a trend that will soon die down once the nobles return to their fiefdoms.

Mass production is in progress, but at the current rate, all the nobles can do is take one item with them when they return home. There are no numbers to spread beyond that.

Couldn’t this unexpected trend spread not only within Geass, but throughout aristocratic society?

‘… … Wait, isn’t this a fad that spread from above?’

This happened because the acquaintances of the great wizards were inevitably people of the marquis or duke level.

then.

“If you go further up… … ?”

“… … Kyle?”

“Do you, master?”

“If we go to the peak where we can lead all trends.”

[eww… … Rung?]

It is impossible to exploit or grow this Kyle Gali trend itself. That is the current situation.

However, on the other hand, this also means that in an aristocratic society, trends from above are much more efficient than word of mouth or natural spread.

Higher than dukes, marquis, magnates, and other powerful people.

The peak of the empire.

“Imperial.”

“Creator?”

“I guess I have to go to the imperial palace.”

I had originally planned to go, but now I had a proper reason instead of just vaguely saying I was going because the prince asked me to.

He goes to the imperial court to spread board games to the nobles.

Remembering the obvious purpose that anyone who loves board games can relate to.

I decided on my next destination.

*

A night when the sun sets.

The Geass Territory was still brightly lit and noisy, but the guest room in the Magic Tower was quiet with the lights off.

In a room where only the steady breathing of someone sleeping can be heard.

[…] … … … .]

The water tiger sitting right next to Kyle Byron on the bed quietly opened his eyes.

I refused at first, but now I look at Kyle, who is sleeping soundly, wondering if it would be a good idea to sleep with him.

The water tiger quietly placed its face close to his chest.

Sniff. Sniff.

Spirits have no noses. There is something that looks like a nose to the extent that it mimics the appearance of an animal, but it only looks like it and does not actually smell through it.

Nevertheless, the water tiger was squirming under the blanket and getting closer to Kyle.

Kyle also hugged the water tiger, probably feeling cool because his body was made of water.

[…] … … … Not bad.]

Immediately after speaking a human language that was different from usual and could not possibly be spoken by a spirit.

The water tiger’s eyes shone faintly.

“… … … … .”

[…] … … … … .]

Beyond the darkness, something sparkles.

There was no way I could have known that it was the light of the blade reflected in the moonlight, carried by Kyle’s escort maid.

This was a standoff that had been going on for several days already.

“… … … … … .”

[…] … … … .]

They stare at each other as if they will tear each other to pieces at any moment, but they never move.

Strictly speaking, a maid is an uninvited guest. I’m always next to Kyle, but we don’t even sleep in the same room. Kyle sneaks in and just stares at his sleeping face all night long.

Water tigers are the only ones that can sleep together, but that’s because they are ‘spirits’. If Kyle knew that what was inside was not a spirit but something else, they would never be able to sleep together again.

That’s why they watch each other. We watch each other to make sure we don’t cross the line.

If you don’t cross the line, the standoff will just continue, but what happens if someone crosses the line?

Meanwhile, the maid quietly opened her mouth.

“… … … Tuesday, Imperial Family.”

[…] … … … … .]

“Ta, will you follow me?”

Holding a blade, the words are stammered with an expressionless expression without any change.

The maid with immeasurable madness in her heart recites.

“Ta, if you follow me… … … .”

[…] … … … .]

“… … I think I’m going to kill you.”

Without showing any emotion, he just mutters as if he is doing what he has to do.

At the same time, the cool mana does not disturb the sleeping Kyle and is directed only to the water tiger.

In front of a maid who looked as if she would plunge a blade and magic into the back of the water tiger’s neck at any moment.

[I’m going.]

“… … … … .”

[So what can you do?]

Giggling.

The water tiger laughed. Although it was not a proper appearance as it was a tiger, a sincere sneer resonated within its soul.

It was as if he was comparing the maid standing in the cold darkness and himself being held by Kyle under a warm blanket.

It was a space that could be seen because it was a conversation through a spirit rather than a body.

“Yes, you can tear the poor spirit apart.”

[try. I’m not that weak.]

“… … … … … .”

[…] … … … .]

The room is silent again, and the only sound is Kyle Byron’s breathing.

Suddenly, the maid and the water tiger turned their heads towards the door.

To a white-haired wizard who was listening outside with his ear to the door.

In Kyle Byron’s room, watched by maids, sniffed by water tigers, and eavesdropped by wizards.

like that.

The night deepened.