episode_0046

The academy is largely divided into three categories.

Magic, Aurors, Knowledge.

In fact, it is not a distinction, but about half of the academy’s students entered with ‘knowledge’. To put it bluntly, it was a place where incompetent people without any talent for magic or aurors went.

‘If I had gone to the academy, I would have gone for knowledge.’

Of course, this is not a place where the author’s three sons can enter unless they have something special. Because it is a place where commoner geniuses and nobles with exceptional talent from all over the empire enter.

There was no way I would have gotten into the academy unless board games were assigned as one of the entrance exams.

And of course, Magic and Auror was a place where people with talent in magic and Auror went.

Among them, their influence was so strong that it could be said that magic was actually managed by the 6 Great Magic Towers.

“Students who enter the Magic Tower choose one of the six major magic towers, that is, six fields. You can take classes in other fields, but you have to choose one place to belong to.”

“Even nobles with no connection to the Magic Tower?”

“It doesn’t really matter in the first place. If I had to really ask, it feels like choosing a faction… … Since magic itself can be learned in many fields, it is usually chosen based on a familiar magic tower or region.”

If you’re from the West, it’s Arche, if you’re from the North, it’s Agni, and if you’re from the East, it’s Glesia.

It didn’t feel like a branch of the Magic Tower, but as he was ultimately sent to teach students, he seemed to be relatively free from areas such as the Magic Tower’s pride or politics.

“Of course, Astron cannot be in last place.”

“… … I see.”

cancellation. Even if the students don’t, the wizards from the tower seem to have competition or a battle of pride.

Is that kind of atmosphere not being conveyed to the students? If the professor competes with other magic towers, the students will also be affected.

‘Well, if that happens, sanctions will be imposed at the imperial level.’

He could be said to be the most valuable talent in the empire, so it was obvious how the imperial family would react if the magic tower divided the students and made them fight at the academy that trained magicians.

And above all.

‘Those who seriously want to become wizards will go to the Magic Tower, not the academy.’

To be strictly speaking, the wizards who come to the academy often have other purposes than being ‘wizards’.

Things like connections, and things like that, since I was going to inherit the territory anyway, I just came here to learn a bit.

Since the mindset of the students was like that, it was no wonder that the competitive spirit was limited to high-ranking wizards from towers such as Lukesil.

In the end, Lucesil’s words weren’t that serious.

However, the main point started now.

“The six major magic towers and six fields hold meetings periodically. The events are diverse, including magic duels, maze breakthroughs, and specific tests.”

“And what you asked me to do.”

“This is a board game just for that gathering. Every year we take turns deciding on the event, and this year it’s Astron’s turn… … … .”

More than anything.

“Now Astron has been ranked 6th for 5 consecutive years.”

“… … So you’re saying we’re in last place.”

“Not last, but 6th. Anyway, because of that, everything I had built so far was on the verge of collapsing.”

“If you have accumulated so far… … ?”

Is it something like fame or status?

But do you fire someone who is a high-ranking wizard because he came in last at academy meetings five times in a row?

I think your abilities were proven when you were dispatched to the academy.

“My savings!”

“Yes, savings… … … … Savings?”

“If you place 6th in the banquet, the entire banquet expenses must be covered by the relevant field. And of course, other places are excited to eat it!”

“That’s a bit harsh to say.”

“We’ve been doing that for 5 years in a row! It’s not even a branch, it’s just an academy, so the support money provided by the Magic Tower is still small! Since last year, the subsidy wasn’t enough, so I even had to pay my own expenses… … !!”

Lucesil, who became emotionally intense for a moment and gritted his teeth, soon took a deep breath and calmed down.

However, I soon began to tremble as I remembered my empty wallet again.

“If you are in 6th place by this year… … I have to deal with my retirement funds as well. I could ask the owner for help, but I have nothing to say when I hear that he is asking for a subsidy after coming in 6th place for 5 consecutive years. … … .”

“Why are you in last place, or rather 6th place, for 5 years in a row?”

“… … To put it bluntly, none of the students who have joined Astron over the past few years are talented. On the other hand, the others have one or two students they can recommend. Since we used him and promoted a 1-on-1 duel as an event, 6th place was a natural result.”

“So you asked me to play a board game?”

“Yes. The things I said… … … .”

“I’ll show you when I arrive.”

The place we followed Lukesil to was a huge dormitory.

A building with the unique Milky Way pattern engraved on the Astron Magic Tower.

When we arrived at the hall, there was a desk and chair in the center that seemed to have been prepared in advance.

Lukesil, who guided us here, asked with a somewhat nervous look.

“Now can you show me the board game called Monopoly?”

“Of course. By the way, Lucesil, what did you think when you heard the name Monopoly? I wonder how useful the Astron Magic Tower is.”

“… … … Can I be honest with you?”

“In the end, it is up to Lukesil to choose the board game. As much as you want.”

“Then… … .”

Lucesil thought for a moment.

Is this true for yourself? I answered quietly with an expression of interest.

“Ominous… … This is your name.”

“It’s ominous.”

“I don’t know what Monopoly means. However, it is probably the name that Kyle gave it, and the name ultimately contains everything about that person. When I saw that name through Astron’s magic, I… … … I felt something uneasy.”

“What part is it exactly?”

“I don’t know that much, but I can guess that it is not a moderate board game. Is that correct?”

“As expected, it is the Astron Magic Tower.”

“That means… … ?”

“However, Monopoly itself is a moderate board game. Just.”

widely.

With a gesture from my hand, Sally unpacked the bundle she had brought with her.

Inside a bundle that boasted a considerable size, there was a square and thin box.

A box depicting a character with an impressive mustache and suit.

It said ‘Monopoly’ there.

“The players are just a little excited.”

“… … A little, you mean?”

“Wouldn’t it be fastest to try it yourself? If you try it and decide it is inappropriate for the meeting, you can refuse it at that time.”

“Al… … I will.”

Lucesil, who nodded with a puzzled expression, sat down, and a wizard named Josu followed him and sat next to him.

Of course, I also sat on the chair, and Adela sat in the last seat, as decided in advance through rock-paper-scissors.

… … I felt the gaze of Sally and the water tiger. Are you trying to support Adela?

‘Maybe it’s the other way around.’

Of all the board games made at Hwangseong, Monopoly was the only one I never played again.

I asked her to play one more round, but even Sally felt a bit cold.

“Sally, can you take on the role of the imperial family?”

“ㄴ, yes!”

If you leave Sally to the role of a banker who does not participate in the game but is essential to Monopoly, or an ‘imperial’ in a modified version for this world.

This completes the preparation.

“Okay then.”

Shall we give it a try?

*

Originally, Monopoly was played with the names of real cities, public institutions, etc.

In the United States, the land names are New York, Washington, and Luxury Tax, and in Korea, the names are Seoul, Busan, and Korea Water Resources Corporation.

As it was the prototype of Blue Marble, it was also a very familiar appearance to Koreans. Because it looks exactly like the famous mobile game ‘Everybody’s Blue Marble’.

As the actual region name is included, players naturally feel more familiar with the game and become more immersed in it.

So what about in this world?

Of course, it was produced in a version tailored to this world.

“From now on, we will travel around the continent, buying and selling land. The places written in each box are places that actually exist on the continent.”

“Oh… … ?”

You can replace it with a completely virtual one, but it’s still fun to use an actual city or region name.

Of course, I didn’t write anything that might cause problems.

‘The Byron family’s estate. If you write it like this, the nobles of the territory may object.’

Even though it is a game, you are essentially buying and selling your territory at will. Before you feel bad, there is a high probability that you will have preconceptions about the game.

Especially in this world, territory is something that is passed down through the family from generation to generation. They may seriously consider it to be an insult to themselves.

So, the regions written in Monopoly were a rather broad category.

The square board game board was divided into eastern, western, southern, and northern sections, and each region’s famous tourist attractions or regional names were included.

In Korean terms, it’s just Gyeongsang-do, not Busan, Daegu, or Ulsan.

If it was this large, the nobles’ fiefdoms, cities, and various landscapes could be entered at once, so there was little room for controversy.

If I say anything up to this point, there is nothing I can do about it.

“Players make moves each turn by rolling the dice. And when you get to the land, you can buy it or auction it off.”

“Purchase… … Do you mean?”

“Yes, these coins prepared in advance are used as currency. Although it is a toy, it is modeled after the copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, and platinum coins issued by the empire. Oh, you don’t have to worry about it since we have royal permission.”

“I see. You know you’re buying land, but what is an auction?”

“If the person who arrives at the land does not purchase the land because he or she does not have money or does not want it, the ‘Imperial Court’ here auctions the land. Of course, other players can also purchase the land.”

“You can purchase land even if it is not your turn.”

“That’s right. And all auctions are hosted by the imperial family, or more precisely, by the person in charge of that role.”

Originally, they would have been called bankers rather than the imperial family, but this world is not capitalist like the original world. Although the concept of banking exists, its influence is small and not properly systemized.

So the alternative I chose was ‘Imperial’. Surprisingly, using the name of the imperial family did not constitute an act of blasphemy as long as it was properly praised or its position was guaranteed in various literary or artistic works. This generosity was possible because the empire had ruled the continent for a long time.

In fact, when disputes between domains or inheritance issues arose, the imperial family often intervened. It’s not something that makes no sense at all.

… … Of course, the person who took on the role of the imperial family was not a member of the imperial family, but had to be considered an official working for the imperial family. An empire is not an empire for nothing.

If you look at it up to this point, it would have been much easier and not necessary to worry about just creating a virtual region and position, but it could be called Monopoly by using the actual region name.

Even if what I made ended up being just a fake or a plagiarism of the original, I wanted to keep the core value of the board game.

“And here, do you see the colored cells painted above each cell?”

“Except for the colorless space in the middle, the three cells in a row are the same color.”

“You can just buy land anywhere, but if you want to build on this land, you must purchase all land of the same color. This is called a ‘monopoly’.”

“… … … Exclusive.”

Did he sense something ominous about that name?

Lukesil’s expression became complicated for a moment, but he quickly nodded.

“The more buildings you raise, the more tolls other players have to pay when they reach that space. Oh, I forgot to tell you the most important part.”

“What is it?”

“The land, and the building… … The point is that everything is possible to trade.”

“… … I see.”

I haven’t even played the game properly yet. Other basic rules were explained, but Lucesil still seemed to have no idea what it meant to be able to buy and sell everything.

But it’s okay. After just playing one game, you will realize it right away.

In the end, it’s better to play it once than to explain it a hundred times.

In front of Lucesil, her assistant, and Adela.

“Then, I will do it first.”

Sigh.

I am.

I rolled the dice.

*

and.

“This is a scam!”

“Yes? Which part are you saying is a scam? I just asked for the toll tax according to the rules.”

“Ah, no matter how much you give up all the buildings you own… … !!”

“Don’t you have enough money? Otherwise, you can be eliminated. Just like the teaching assistant who was already eliminated.”

“, profit… … !!”

“If you don’t want to hand over all the buildings, you can give only half of the land you own.”

“Then won’t the monopoly be broken?”

“Haha. I think that’s Lukesil’s situation, not mine. If that doesn’t work out, you can borrow money equivalent to the toll tax from me. Of course, you will have to earn interest every turn.”

“Wow, the number… … … .”

Sigh.

“Adella, did you get caught?”

“… … Please wait a moment.”

“Yes? Even if Adela sells everything she has, she won’t be able to pay the toll.”

“That’s not it, I’m telling you to wait because I’ll prepare the magic. We’ll send it to you without any pain.”

“Now, wait a minute!?”