I’m an Ordinary Returning Student at the Academy

[Translator - Angel Dust]

[Proofreader - Prototype]

Side Stories 16

"My turn, huh? Uh-huh! I won again, Eloise."

"What? Why? ...Argh! Isn't this game rigged?!"

This damn luck-based game! Why did that card have to come out now?!

Eloise looked like she was about to flip the table. She's going to have a stroke at this rate.

"Eloise. What did I tell you?"

"Luck-based game!"

"No, not that. Lefia, can you explain it for me?"

"Oh, yes! Oppa said that a game is just a game!"

That's right, that's right. That's the correct answer. A game is just a game.

Enjoying it passionately? Good. Trying your best? Good.

Not causing trouble for other players? Even better.

But that's it. Games are best enjoyed as games.

"But my deck keeps getting messed up!"

"That's just your bad luck. Don't blame the cards."

You know who designed and made them, right? Blaming the cards is like insulting your future husband.

"Arghhh...!"

Well, I can't say I don't understand Eloise's frustration.

Her record against Lav is a whopping 0 wins and 12 losses. That's a complete shutout.

With their subtle rivalry, such a record would be a nightmare.

She's been diligently opening card packs and trying out better cards. She tried everything.

But what is this game in the end? It's just luck.

Good cards are useless if you don't draw them.

In that sense, I think Lav is winning in the luck department.

"Give it up, Eloise. You won't win with your luck."

"Let's play again!"

"Let's stop. It seems like you've already used up all your luck for next year, when you'll be the second to marry my Orabeoni."

Huh, now that I think about it, Lav might be right.

After graduation next year, who will be the first to get married?

Eloise won that important battle.

I remember Lav being quite upset at the time. She was gloomy for almost three days and even cried.

To comfort her, I had to create the spectacle of being with another woman despite being newly married.

I was lucky that Selena was understanding, or I would have looked like a real jerk.

"That's beside the point! But losing to Lefia is just absurd...!"

"Hehehe! Eloise is really bad at games!"

"Grrr! No! I'm not!"

For the record, Eloise's record against Lefia was 0 wins and 11 losses. In other words, another complete shutout.

* * *

"What the hell did you make?"

Selena approached me as I watched the three women walk away, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

"You're back?"

I hurried over to greet Selena. She wasn't alone anymore, so I had to be careful!

Of course, Selena chided me, saying, ‘It's still early. You don't have to be so overprotective!’

But she didn't know. Pregnant women should always be careful, especially in the early stages!

[TL/N: This soon?! Anyway Congrats]

"Everyone's going crazy. Eloise, Lav, Lefia, and even those four... Ah, should I call them Marquis and Count now?"

"They vehemently protested, saying it made their skin crawl."

"Well, they'll have to get used to it. Anyway! The academy is in chaos, the empire is in chaos. I never imagined it would make headlines in every newspaper."

Selena handed me the newspapers, filled with news of our glorious card game.

They called it a new form of entertainment that had taken the Empire by storm, or a game of extreme strategy, or questioned how much thought and trial and error must have gone into creating such a thing.

A lot of thought, yes, I did put in some. The quartet came to me whining, after all.

But trial and error... I'm not so sure. I don't know if I should call this an experience.

Thinking back to my past life, I did suffer a bit because of that game.

"Karl, can't I try it too?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"It's bad for your health."

"This? It's just a card game, right?"

Oh, Selena. Just a card game? Didn't you hear Eloise screaming earlier?

And while this game highlights the good parts, there are also many dark sides to it.

I'm not exaggerating when I say I almost had a mental breakdown playing this game.

It feels like experiencing ten years' worth of stress all at once.

"It's not good for our baby."

"No! I'm still in the very early stages! Stop treating me like I'm about to give birth!"

"Still, no. Our baby should only learn good things."

"What are you talking about?! Are you saying Karl made something bad?!"

Actually, I'm starting to wonder if that might be the case.

When I first made it, I just wanted to make some easy money.

I never expected the entire Empire to go crazy and buy card packs like this.

I'm realizing the importance of entertainment.

This is madness. And they're even talking about exporting it to other countries.

"I'm thinking of exporting this to Lasker. So, Karl, how about making a new deck? The Knight Deck! Wouldn't Lasker, obsessed with knights, go crazy for it?"

"You think they wouldn't play this game? Of course they would! They don't just swing swords all day, every day. They have normal lives too. What if we threw this at them?"

I asked Lefia just in case, and Shulifen was right.

Even though Lasker is the land of knights, they don't do that all the time.

In fact, doing so could backfire and dilute the sacredness and longing for knighthood.

So, they should be intensely admired but not too easily accessible.

Apparently, some of the board games in the Empire originated from Lasker.

This alone showed how serious they were about their ‘play culture.’

"Shulifen suggested a Knight Deck for Lasker? Then how about a Wizard Deck for Avileshti? What do you think, Karl? I think it's a good idea."

A few days later, Wilhelm contacted me with a proposal for a Wizard Deck, having heard the news.

The number of people enjoying the card game continued to increase, but some emphasized the need for new cards and decks, saying that without changes, the game's popularity could quickly fade.

As always, I would only provide the ideas.

I told the quartet to handle the business expansion since they were much better at it than me.

And about a week later, I started hearing things like—

"Young Lord Karl Adelheit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed me that the elves have caught wind of the new card packs for Lasker and Avileshti. They're asking if we could add something new for them as well."

"What? The elves are playing this luck-based... I mean, this card game?"

"It seems the exchange students who attended the academy spread it."

I was dumbfounded. Where did all that elven pride go?!

I know our Empire emasculated them, but did it really work this well?

They said they weren't interested in human culture, and now they're playing this stupid game!

...Of course, that's just what I'm thinking. I can't say that out loud.

I immediately asked Alexander and Joachim to create a suitable pack for them.

And soon after, the Forest Folk card pack, also known as the Druid Deck, targeting the elves, was released.

The reaction? Well, as expected, they were thrilled when cards representing their culture and mythology were released.

I briefly considered adding some Kanfra-bashing content out of spite, but I held back.

There was no need to add fuel to the fire between humans and elves, which was finally dying down.

"Karl."

"..."

"Karl!"

“Uh, yeah. Selena? Did you call?”

"Look over there. Aren't those people from the church?"

"Huh?"

A group of people were being escorted into the mansion.

As Selena said, judging by their priestly robes, they seemed to be from the Radiant Church.

What's going on? Did something happen?

I tilted my head in confusion and returned to the drawing-room, where I was greeted by...

"Brother Karl, I heard you created something quite interesting."

"Ah."

"We believe this could be beneficial for the church if utilized well, so we came to visit. We'd like to ask if you'd be willing to create cards that incorporate various stories from the church."

"..."

"Brother Karl?"

"Ah, yes. Uh, that wouldn't be a problem. However, it would be best to discuss the details with the Hydra... I mean, the quartet... I mean, the Marquises and Counts..."

I'm starting to think I might have created something unnecessary.

I just wanted the academy students to enjoy it on a small scale!

I never intended to make the entire continent shout ‘Luck-based game!’

* * *

"This! Give me this!"

"As you wish, Your Highness."

The head maid carefully handed a book to the Crown Princess.

It was a rather advanced book for a child who wasn't even three years old.

Its sheer thickness was intimidating, but it was the Imperial Law Code, so it made sense.

Normally, a child her age would be reading picture books. That's the natural order of things.

But the Crown Princess was different. She had already learned to read.

And for some reason, she kept poring over the Imperial Law.

"I cannot fathom why Her Highness is doing this..."

Meanwhile, the Crown Princess of the Empire, Lily, diligently flipped through the pages with her tiny hands.

Then, she exclaimed, ‘Ah! Found it!’ and started smiling brightly.

[ Imperial Marriage Law ]

[Translator - Angel Dust]

[Proofreader - Prototype]