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Side Stories 14

"Karl! Karl. Karl. Karl!"

"Are you calling for me, or are you looking for a sword? Because if it's the former, you're being awfully loud, and if it's the latter, I happen to have a greatsword right here."

Shulifen flinched and shouted, ‘Definitely not the latter!’

Seriously. Do these guys still act like they're fifth-year academy students even after all this time?

You guys are the heads of your families now. You're Marquises and Counts of the Empire!

Why are you still acting like children?! You're not heirs anymore?!

"Both of you, stop it and focus. We're being serious here."

"My point exactly. I can understand Shulifen, but why are you acting like this too, Karl?"

"What are you guys talking about? I'm still a newlywed, you know? Who barged in and said, 'Let's have a discussion'?"

This is unfair. It's really unfair. It's only been two months since I married Selena.

So I'm still a newlywed. Nothing in the world should interfere with my newlywed life.

That's why the military, the church, and even the Imperial Palace have been quiet.

"It can't be helped. There's a lot going on in your name."

"If anyone heard you, they'd think I was the one who caused it."

"Hey, if you approved it, you have a stake in it too."

"That's right, that's right."

Honestly, if you didn't have the ability to speak, I might actually find you tolerable.

"So. What's the problem that you came to me for a discussion?"

"We need something new."

"...?"

Do you guys always have to speak in riddles?

I'm not part of your hive mind. If you talk in half-sentences, I don't magically understand your meaning. It just sounds like nonsense to me.

"In other words, Alexander is saying that the patent business has been slowing down lately."

"I see. Hey, can't you guys explain things simply like Joachim over there?"

"We could. Sure, sure. We could."

"You just don't want to."

Honestly, if these weren't Marquises and Counts of the Empire, I'd tell them to cut the crap and get to the point.

"By the way, it's already slowing down. Does that mean the damn mint chocolate craze is finally over?"

"What a hurtful thing to say. You can't find mint chocolate anywhere these days because it's so popular."

"Not only in our empire, but also in the southern elf lands, Lasker, and Avileshti. It's selling like hotcakes. Especially in Avileshti, they say there's nothing better for the mental and physical well-being of mages."

"..."

Damn mages. Why are they finding peace of mind with mint chocolate?

Thanks to them, our empire is even more enthusiastic about developing mint chocolate.

"The problem is the rest of the items besides mint chocolate."

"Hotteok and bungeoppang aren't doing as well as they used to. How should I put it? They've become too common? Plus, being winter snacks, they're just a trend that can't last forever."

"You're saying we need to develop new menu items."

"Or come up with something completely new that we can patent."

I think I've figured out why these guys suddenly came to me.

They say it's a patent, but isn't it ultimately for the continued support of the pension foundation?

Noble families are still donating a lot of money, but that alone has its limits.

The more we ask for help, the more influence they have, so we need to be careful about that.

So we need to create another source of income.

Hmm. To be honest, nothing is really coming to mind.

"You're saying the most effective way is to launch it at the academy?"

"That's what happened with bungeoppang, hotteok, mint chocolate, and hot packs."

"It can't be helped that the academy is a trendsetter. It has the children of the best noble families, successful commoner students, and even international students."

The academy. The academy. That's the best place to target.

Students. Juniors who study hard but also want to have fun.

What would leave a strong impression on them...

"...Entertainment."

"Karl?"

"Hey, you guys, come here for a moment."

I think I'm starting to see something. This might work.

But before that, let's get the opinions of the brilliant fifth-year academy students.

"You guys, didn't you want to have fun when you were at the academy?"

"Is that even a question? Of course."

"But there wasn't much to do, was there? Even if there was, it was hard to do things together because everyone had different interests and different things prepared."

"...Maybe?"

"Was it like that? It was, wasn't it?"

Good. Then this is the best thing, after all.

"You guys wait here. Just 30 minutes. Okay?"

* * *

What the... Karl, what crazy idea has he cooked up now?

Shulifen and Wilhelm, Alexander and Joachim sipped tea in the drawing-room.

Barging into a friend's newlywed home was quite the overstep.

I thought we'd be beaten and kicked out on the spot.

Thankfully, neither Karl nor Selena could bring themselves to do that.

"Something simple to follow up bungeoppang and hotteok would be nice."

"Me too. I'm not even hoping for mint chocolate level."

"But does it have to be food? Anything else?"

"Other things are good. But the problem is, nothing's sparking any ideas."

The four of them—no, the two marquesses and the two counts—were about to engage in a heated discussion.

BAM!—

"I'm back, you damn quartet!"

With a confident air, Karl returned with a smile.

His arms were full of strange papers.

"What's that?"

"The future product that will lead you all into the world of luck-based gambling."

"...What did you just say?"

"Anyway, Karl. You've got a surprisingly foul mouth."

"Shut up."

Looking closer, they weren't just papers. They were cards with pictures and numbers.

Hastily prepared, they were rough around the edges, but that was a story for later.

What mattered now was what they were and what they were for.

"Alright. Listen closely as I explain the rules. Drawing a card is called a 'draw', and each of you starts with 30 life points. Think of it as thirty lifelines..."

"This damn CCG(Collectible Card Game)... No, wait. Anyway, in this game, you can only have two of the same card..."

"Ah, just give it a try. I want to see your reactions."

Karl said, pointing at Shulifen and Wilhelm as his test subjects.

His reasoning? They'd have the most intense reactions compared to Alexander or Joachim.

"What the hell is this, anyway?"

"Let's just do it. There must be a reason Karl's acting like this."

Some time passed.

"Damn it!"

"What the—?! This is totally rigged, isn't it?!"

"Someone messed with my cards. What? Deck? Whatever. My deck! How come I haven't drawn a single usable card?!"

With each turn, the two men pounded the table in frustration.

Alexander and Joachim, who had been watching blankly, turned their gaze towards Karl.

The unspoken question hung in the air: Karl, what kind of monstrosity have you created...?

Meanwhile, Shulifen and Wilhelm continued their card game.

"My turn! Draw! ...Oh! If I activate this card, I can draw again!"

"Isn't that cheating? Getting that much from one card?"

"Well, if you have a problem, you can just use this card too."

"Karl made that card! What am I supposed to do?!"

The ensuing battle left the two with 3 and 1 life points respectively.

Wilhelm was sweating, while Shulifen was confident he would end it this turn. But the heavens—no, the cards—betrayed his expectations.

"No way?! How is this possible?!"

"Bwahahaha!! If you're salty, you know what to do, Shulifen? Just get yourself a good card like this one!"

Wilhelm cackled, waving the card that had just slashed Shulifen's life points down to zero.

The sight was so infuriating that even the two who weren't playing muttered, ‘Wow. I really want to punch him.’

Clap!—

"Alright, let's stop there for now."

Karl, who had been silently observing the entire situation, clapped his hands to break the tension.

Then, he asked Shulifen and Wilhelm, who had participated in the game.

"So, what do you think of this card game?"

"Make more good cards! I almost won, but this is ridiculous!"

"Bwahahaha! This is awesome! Let's start playing for real!"

"What about you two?"

Karl turned his question to Alexander and Joachim. The two shrugged and replied.

"If you look at those two, the answer is obvious."

"You just saw two marquises turn into bickering children. I thought I was back in my first year at the academy."

Alright. With this kind of reaction, we can start right away.

First, these roughly made cards were just for demonstration, so let's quickly dispose of them...

"Hey, what are you doing, Karl! Give me back my cards!"

"What are you talking about? I'm going to make the official ones, so get a grip!"

"My deck! Give me back my deck, Karl!"

Watching the scene, Karl thought to himself.

I don't know about anything else, but I'm definitely making cards based on those four.

Hmm. The name should be 'The Four Idiots', right?

The effect... Well, it depends on my mood. I'll make it a moderately powerful card!

* * *

And exactly three months later, when Karl's card game was officially released to the world—

"Card packs! Give me card packs!"

"Eeeeeek! A rare card!"

"Hot damn! This battle is mine!"

"Ugh! Damn it! This luck-based game!"

Another whirlwind, following the mint chocolate craze, began to sweep the empire.