Inside the carriage returning to the capital, Sylvia looked outside with a joyful expression.
“Miss, did you enjoy the game magic?”
“Yes, I loved it. It exceeded my expectations.”
Sylvia had obtained almost everything she desired during her visit to the Irene School. She acquired the distribution rights for Tetric and a card for the Kingdom Foundation Day festival.
Of course, she couldn’t quite understand why they said it was superior to ‘Tetric,’ but looking into Yuren’s eyes, she felt something at least on par with Tetric would come out.
So, there was no way she could feel bad about that, and Thomas also felt pleased seeing his lady’s happiness.
“It was worth the trip all the way to the southern region. I’m glad.”
“Indeed. I’ll have a headache dealing with work when we return, but I think playing Tetric will soothe it a bit.”
“That’s a relief. Hahaha.”
Thomas had been Sylvia’s butler for ten years. Sylvia’s father, the current head of the Edward Consortium, Mark, had hired Thomas as her guardian and tutor, and he had been helping her ever since.
For Sylvia, Thomas was more like a father than her actual father, and she could share her inner feelings, something she wouldn’t easily do with others.
“Thomas, I want to surpass my father. But until now, I haven’t seen the way… I think I’ve found it today.”
Sylvia wanted to surpass her father. However, that opportunity seemed elusive. The Edward Consortium had flourished thanks to the chances presented by a war over thirty years ago.
While it was true that seizing opportunities was a skill, without that opportunity, the consortium wouldn’t even exist today.
Sylvia felt she was missing the stage to show she was the protagonist.
Until now, that is.
“I will show it. That I am the protagonist.”
Suddenly thinking this, she remembered the game Yuren mentioned earlier.
An uncle in red with a mustache… it was a bit different in image but resembled Thomas in a way.
“By the way, Thomas, what do you think if you were the protagonist in a literary work?”
In this other world, literary works also existed. Given the presence of magic, there were even more fantasy-flavored stories. And just like in real-world literature, beautiful men and women were usually the protagonists.
An uncle with a mustache would only make it as a companion or mentor role.
“I am already the protagonist of my life. Even if not the world’s protagonist, I live enjoying and being satisfied.”
Thomas pondered and then shared his thoughts like a well-refined answer befitting a butler.
And then…
“But if there were such a thing… I think I would be very happy. Very much.”
The human Thomas showed a hint of yearning to her, someone like his own daughter.
“I see.”
In Thomas’s eyes, gazing out the window, a touch of nostalgia glimmered. Sylvia pretended not to see it.
Just as Sylvia showed some of her inner feelings only to Thomas, Thomas only displayed this side to her as well.
*
Super Mario is a fun game.
Just throwing it out there would be enough for success, like Tetric.
But is that really enough?
Is it really okay to just throw out a legendary game like that?
No, it’s not okay.
The grand stage of the Foundation Day festival was being prepared.
The best game would also be prepared.
Then, a ‘grand production’ to match it would also be necessary.
However, to achieve that alone would be difficult for me.
To pull it off, not just me but our entire school needed to become ‘game developers.’
“So, Jiren and Karen, create Tetric 2 together.”
“Wha—? Me?”
Jiren made an expression like he heard something unbelievable, almost like a celebrity.
“Us? Yuren-sama?”
“Yes, you two should study and make it starting now. You can definitely create Tetric 2.”
Jiren, contrary to his image, was smart, and Karen was just plain smart.
If they could whip up a Ping Pong game in two days with the know-how I shared, then together they could definitely manage Tetric 2.
“But, Sensei, what on earth is Tetric 2? Is it just an addition to Tetric’s magic?”
Right! In this world, the concept of sequels probably didn’t exist yet.
I explained to them about the Tetric 2 I envisioned for the best stage.
“Tetric 2 would incorporate a ‘match mode.’”
“Match mode!? …What’s that?”
“Okay, so the match mode is…”
Even playing alone is fun, but playing together makes it even better, you know? Simple score competitions are already happening among the students.
But what if you could add a combat element, enabling you to directly attack your opponent based on their score?
I still remember the laughter of that guy who was a master at Tetric and crushed me by instantly building blocks in a combo, leading to my game over.
I earnestly explained the concept of the match mode to Jiren and Karen.
“Do you think this is doable?”
It wouldn’t be easy to adapt Tetric for two players based on what I created.
However, considering these two were the top two players among the students, I believed they could manage it.
Jiren looked uncertain.
“I get the idea, but…”
“I think it is possible. No, we can do it, Yuren-sama.”
Jiren probably thought it was doable. After all, he just hadn’t tried it yet, so couldn’t be too certain.
“Let’s try it out. If it’s us two, with a little help from other students, we could absolutely do it within a month.”
“If Karen says that, then… okay, I’ll give it a shot, Sensei.”
While it felt like just the beginning now, they would surely one day create game magic on their own.
Just like how I began my first game production by making a mode based on a famous game.
“By the way, Sensei, can I ask one last question?”
“?”
Organizing what he needed to do, Jiren asked me.
“Is this ‘match mode’ really necessary for the Foundation Day festival?”
“It’s necessary, very much so.”
The match mode inclusion in Tetric 2 was a crucial part of the plan, as important as Super Mario.
Upon hearing my words, Jiren spoke as if ready for a fight.
“Got it. I’ll make sure to do my best.”
“Right, I believe in you, Jiren.”
Jiren was the first disciple I gained after becoming a sensei, just after my own.
Starting from the founding of the Irene School, we had gone through many experiences together, and due to everything we had seen, he was more like a younger brother to me than just a disciple.
And then I learned that someone who is prepared is genuinely reassuring.
“Those who are determined are happy.” I think I read that in some work.
Something along those lines.
Anyway, now I just needed to trust Jiren and focus on my work.
*
Before creating Super Mario, the first thing I needed was a new magic.
Unlike Tetric, which used paper magic, Super Mario required a wider variety of actions.
It would be possible to continue creating with paper magic, but it would be highly inefficient.
So, I sought wisdom from my mentor after a long while.
“I need your guidance, Master.”
“Now, you say?”
After dinner, when I visited my mentor’s room, he was… eating strawberry ice cream.
If he ate it in front of the other students, the younger ones would want some too, leading to tooth decay issues, so Master was sneaking it.
“…It’s fine after eating strawberry ice cream.”
“I got it! Just wait a moment, my disciple.”
Master hurriedly finished his ice cream and then held his head in pain.
My dear mentor, still adorable today.
After a moment, we headed to the classroom.
“Let’s have a class for the first time in a while, Yuren, my disciple.”
“Yes.”
I shared my concerns with Master.
He became serious and listened to my troubles.
Once I finished speaking, Master began to reply.
“Disciple, it seems you want to create a world.”
“Yes, in a way, that’s correct, Master.”
As Master contemplated my words, I could see he would surely have some solution with his centuries of magical knowledge.
After a long moment of thought, he spoke.
“Then, my disciple, how about applying ‘Boyer (Void Magic)’?”
“Boyer?”
Boyer is a magic that deals with the void world, the foundation for barrier techniques.
A sage-level magician can create barriers in the void world to create advantageous battlefields or separate worlds for experiments, much like in certain comics or games.
However, reaching the level of world creation would consume too much mana and be incredibly difficult, even for me.
Thus, void magic is mostly used for moving places or creating storage spaces.
Using void to create vast spaces in scrolls for storage was a common utilization method.
“Boyer allows one to use the world of the void that exists but also does not exist.”
Master brought magic scrolls and began to use Boyer magic.
Violet mana spread and started engraving the scroll.
“Usually, it’s used to create a very large world with imposed rules as a barrier technique, but if made very, very small…”
Ah… Oh!?
I suddenly grasped what Master was doing.
Could it really be possible using that method!?
As I marvelled at the revelation, Master showed me something amazing before my eyes.
“Look, Yuren! This is the game made by Jiren and Noirin!”
It was Ping Pong.
That game magic, made by Jiren and Noirin over two days, was completed by Master in ten minutes.
Unbelievable… Master truly was a sage.
“You’re truly amazing, Master. To think of that concept…”
“Ahem!”
In the end, games are about creating worlds.
Connecting rules within a realm of 0s and 1s to create fun; that is what a game is.
Master has approached the idea of world-building to create a concept for making games using void magic and barrier techniques on a small crystal ball.
This way, not only creating Super Mario but other games would become considerably easier as well.
As if now the concept of a game engine has emerged, making it simpler to create games.
Today marked another milestone in Master’s history.
The title of ‘The First Wizard to Create a Game Engine.’
