episode_0002

“Are you calm now?”

“… … I’m sorry, master. You got a little excited.”

“Sorry, master… … … .”

After the game was over, the table was completely trashed.

The old man had crumpled five bells, the cards were all mixed up because Sally had cast several spells, and the table was split in half because the game was so intense.

It was originally made of paper, but it was getting more difficult to find a good card.

Grandpa and Sally slightly looked away at my mysterious gaze. This is a very good thing.

“Don’t forget that this is just a board game for fun.”

“I am truly sorry.”

“Sorry… … … .”

“Well, that aside.”

The table was splintered and the bells were smashed, but that didn’t really matter.

Rather, the fact that I was so immersed in the game was proof that it was that much ‘fun’.

“Do… … No, Kyle Galli. How was it?”

“… … It is at a considerable level.”

“Well, it was really fun!”

Because it is a board game that stimulates the primal desire to compete.

Unlike many strategy board games, Halli Galli requires only your physical strength and intuition. It may be slow to respond when you first play it, but it gets better the more you play it.

Moreover, as they compete for one species, their hands and bodies naturally collide with each other, and as they show in front of their eyes that they are losing to their opponents every time along with physical clashes, the desire to compete is aroused in quite a few people.

In addition, collecting cards, which is the winning condition of the game, allows you to immediately see who has how many cards, so you can immediately see which person is first.

While it’s the best game to play with friends, it hasn’t earned its reputation as the best game to destroy friendships between friends.

“Grandpa, there’s no problem with enjoying it this much, right?”

“Of course. If this is the case, the head of the family will not say anything to Master Kyle.”

“It’s nice to hear it. Sally, I’m sorry, but could you bring me some more bells? Let’s do it one more time.”

“Yes, yes!”

“And this time without auras or magic. Do you know why?”

“… … … Yes.”

“Yes… … … … .”

It’s great for the two of you to have fun like that, but I should be able to join in as well.

I smiled brightly, looking at Grandpa and Sally who were a little glum.

Up to this point, I.

I thought this was going to be a game that only the three of us could enjoy.

Just like it has been all along.

*

“Hehehe… … … .”

“Sally? Sally!”

“Huh!? Uh, huh?”

“Calm down, Sally. I have to sleep now, so don’t keep laughing.”

An annex where the family’s maids stay.

Among the employees, there were those who commuted to and from the family home, but in the case of maids and butlers who had to work early in the morning, there were many cases where they stayed in a separate annex within the mansion.

And naturally, a unique atmosphere and customs are formed in the annex.

Elements such as hazing, backstabbing, cliques, and bullying toward new employees.

Sally was a veteran maid who had a bit of experience in those places, and even though she learned magic from the family wizard, she was an outlier who didn’t bother to stay in the annex.

Even though she could have stayed as a full-time wizard instead of a maid if she wanted, she still maintained her position as a maid.

Of course, there was no one here who did not know the reason.

“Senior Sally, are you thinking about Master Kyle again?”

“Huh!? Me, absolutely not!”

“I don’t think so. Sally, are you still dreaming? Do you think Master Kyle will be interested in you?”

“… … Well, just by being next to me… … … .”

“Eolssi-gu. I will be very satisfied.”

Sally turned her head away from her maid classmate who was laughing and buried her face in her pillow.

However, the story about Sally and Kyle had already blossomed among the maids.

“Senior Sally is also very frustrated. How many years has it been?”

“10 years. Around that time, Master Kyle brought that Duntingi.”

“Ah, did you say Sally was from an orphan?”

“Don’t say that when you are the same. It’s strange to hear something.”

“What do you think? Normally, orphans can make fun of you for being an orphan. So you have been working exclusively for Master Kyle for 10 years?”

“That’s what it means, right? There was a time when I was demoted midway, and after crying a lot, I suddenly learned magic and returned to my full-time job as a guard.”

“Wow… … … .”

While Sally was pretending not to hear, the maids continued to chatter.

The topic naturally moved from Sally to Kyle.

“Master Kyle is good. He’s handsome, kind, and doesn’t get angry. Sometimes, I wish the second master would follow suit.”

“Have you forgotten the dice gambling incident a few years ago? That’s what happened because the second master lost all his pocket money there.”

“Ah… … … .”

“I’m done and I’m jealous of Sally. Wouldn’t it be so much fun to be Master Kyle’s exclusive member!”

“Fun? What do you have?”

“You don’t know yet? Why is Deacon Charles next to Master Kyle? Since you are the third son, you don’t have anything special to do, and you mostly play games while staying at the mansion. If I work next to him, I can spend the day playing games, it’s the best.”

“Really… … ?Senior Sally, this is shameful!”

“Are you a little upset after hearing this? While we’re busy working and moving around, isn’t Sally playing board games with the handsome master?”

Tingling.

The maids who realized the red truth focused their attention on Sally. Cold sweat flowed from Sally’s neck as she pretended to sleep.

By all accounts, she was one of the most senior staff in the annex, so the only maid in the same class stood as the representative.

“Sally.”

“Now, I’m sleeping… … … .”

“Sally.”

“I heard you were sleeping… … .”

“I’m not trying to take away the exclusive maid position from you. Still, you can take turns for a day or two, right? Isn’t that right?”

“I can’t hear you… … … .”

“Shall I advise Master Kyle directly?”

“Ugh, uhhh… … ! You… … … !!”

When Kyle’s name came up, Sally couldn’t hold out any longer. If she was a master she knew, she would change it for a day or two and tell her to get some rest in the meantime.

For Sally, being next to Kyle was relaxing… … If I had the courage to say it directly, I wouldn’t have been like this for 10 years.

There was a need to be sure here in order not to be separated from Kyle.

“No way! In the first place, I was by your side as a guard wizard──”

“Deacon Charles is there anyway. Is there anyone who can beat him?”

“Ugh… … … .”

“And we can please Master Kyle more than you, right? He’d probably get tired of playing board games with only you, wouldn’t he?”

“… … Board game?”

“Huh?”

“Well, that’s it… … ! Okay, if you can beat me at least once in a board game!!”

“What if you win?”

“… … … Hey, hey, hey, give in… … … Give it a go!!”

“Oh?”

The maid’s eyes lit up at the unexpected harvest. Because I didn’t know that this young lady Sally would turn out like this.

If I lose even once, I’ll have to give in and shed tears of blood, but if I beat all the maids gathered here, there won’t be any backlash from now on.

For Sally, it was the gamble of a lifetime, and it was no different for the other maids.

The only problem was why Sally suggested this bet.

‘What, you can’t possibly win even once?’

In the end, the maids’ thoughts converged. A vague conviction that there was no way the more than ten maids gathered here would all lose.

The maid who exchanged glances nodded as a representative.

“Okay, can I bring that game board?”

A game that Master Kyle called ‘chess’ where the goal is to win the opponent’s king by moving multiple pieces.

Although it was a maid from the same class who was trying to prepare the game board.

“Oh, no… … Hey.”

“Huh? What else is there?”

“… … Kyle Galli.”

“Kyle… … … What?”

After a moment of being taken aback by the truly familiar name, Sally rummaged through her personal baggage and pulled out a restaurant bell and a stack of cards.

She and Deacon Charles made new cards in place of the cards that were ruined while playing.

Since it was an item that Kyle had entrusted to her, Sally took it out with great care.

“What is this?”

“Master Kyle… … Well, it’s a game you made yourself.”

“Huh? Master? Really?”

“There are no complaints about this, right?”

“Of course not, but… … … .”

As a fellow maid who remembered the dice incident a few years ago, I couldn’t help but frown slightly.

If I do this wrong, won’t it be the maids, not the knights, who fall into gambling this time?

Despite her suspicious looks, Sally looked somewhat confident.

“Try it first! If you try it, you’ll know!”

“Uh, yes… … .”

Well, if it’s not gambling, it’s probably just a way to kill time.

Even if it’s not as good as chess, it’s great if it’s moderately fun.

The maid thought so and placed the bell on the floor.

“Instead, it shouldn’t be a game that takes too long? I have cleaning tomorrow morning.”

“Well, don’t worry!”

“Really? Then what.”

“Playing games with seniors!”

“Let’s take a look first. Take a good look and get ready to beat Sally.”

“Kyle Galli… … ? A game with your name on it?”

Well, even if I lose, only one of the remaining maids has to win.

Let’s have some fun first, shall we?

*

“… … … Kyle, you know why I called you.”

“… … Yes, father.”

The head of the house’s office is located on the top floor of the mansion’s main building.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a place where usually only my father, eldest brother, and key retainers are allowed to enter.

I couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat because I knew this didn’t mean anything good.

Me, shaking with anxiety, with my back to him, and my father sitting at the desk with a solemn expression… … William Byron, the head of the Byron family.

“Today, 14 maids, including four exclusive maids and a senior maid directly under the head maid, were late as a group.”

“… … … … .”

“Being late in itself is no big deal. It wasn’t like there were any VIPs, and it wasn’t like there were any employees working there other than them. I was late for about an hour, so it ended up being a small incident… … Only.”

Tuk.

William took out a slightly dented bell from a drawer and a stack of cards that looked like they had been used quite harshly.

I put it down on the desk.

“As I listened to the reason for being late, an interesting story came out.”

“… … That is.”

“Kyle Galli.”

“… … … .”

“I heard it was a board game you made, Kyle.”

“… … That’s right.”

“And this was also a game you made.”

Wow.

Likewise, take out five dice from the drawer and roll them.

Dice were considered taboo in the family after knights were caught gambling a few years ago.

“I already heard it from Charles, but it would still be best to hear it from myself.”

“… … … Yes.”

“So, explain. Kyle.”

“… … … … .”

“If the explanation is inappropriate or insufficient.”

William is a good father, but he is also a cool-headed head of the family.

My father, who, like my second brother, did not look favorably on the board game itself, blinked.

“Board games are prohibited from now on.”

… … Even for my boredom, my hobbies, and my future.

I had to do something.

certainly.