Chapter 157

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 157

“...Junior Lefia?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“This... Didn’t you say this booth was for traditional Lasker games?”

That’s right. Lefia’s festival booth was called the “Traditional Lasker Games Booth.”

The Empire and Lasker shared a border, but they weren’t exactly close neighbors.

Their natural environments and ways of thinking differed slightly, so their traditional games were bound to be different too! That was the starting point.

But something was strange. Really, really strange.

“Those... Are those four sticks you’re throwing... Are those—”

“Ah! Yes, you know it?! The other students had no idea! Did you perhaps hear about it from Baba Yaga... I mean, Count Friedrich?!”

“Um... Yeah, I guess so.”

Over there, the juniors were throwing something into the air, shouting, ‘Please, just one more time!’

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, those were definitely Yut sticks. They might be called something different in Lasker, but to me, they were Yut.

Even the game board looked exactly like Yutnori.

[TL/N:Yutnori is a traditional board game played in Korea, especially during Korean New Year.

Please Don’t Skip or you won’t understand shit:

The sticks are cast to determine how far a token can advance. The score is determined by counting the sticks that are over, and those that are up. Each combination has a name. One stick over (flat side up) and three sticks up (round side up) is called “do” (도, pig). Two sticks up and two sticks over is called “gae” (개, dog). One stick up and three sticks over is called “geol” (걸, sheep). All sticks over is called “yut” (윷, cow), whereas all sticks up is called “mo” (모, horse). A “do” is worth one space advancement, a “gae” is worth two space advancement, a “geol” is worth 3 space advancement, “yut” is worth 4 space advancement, and “mo” is worth 5 space advancement. When the sticks come to the result of either “yut” or “mo”, the player has another chance of throwing the sticks up again (optional- some people prefer not to play with this rule). If you get “yut” or “mo” consecutively, you play (throw) again.]

The square outer path, the X-shaped shortcut inside. Each player had to return their two to four pieces to the starting point.

“Ah! Got caught again! This is so frustrating!”

“Hahaha! Didn’t I tell you, you get another turn if you catch a piece? Wow, Lasker has such fun games! I love it!”

“Nonsense! You’re just happy because you’re winning!”

Even the rule of getting another turn for catching a piece was the same. It was just a fantasy version of Yutnori from my past life in Korea!

‘Well, come to think of it, the basis of this world was created by a Korean author... So it’s possible. It’s possible— No, it’s not! This is crazy! What the hell?!’

A Western-style country with a hint of vodka, but the traditional game is Korean? What kind of bizarre mashup is this?

I’d like to grab the author and ask them how they created this world, if possible.

“Senior Karl, would you like to play too?!”

“Me? I...”

I was about to say no thanks, that I already knew the game and wasn’t that interested. But moments later, I found myself starting a game with Selena.

Lefia’s eyes were sparkling with such enthusiasm, and Selena seemed interested, so my job was to simply play along.

“I’m throwing, Karl! Hyah!”

“Oh! Senior Selena! It’s Mo! Five spaces forward and another turn!”

So they call it ‘Mo’ here. Well, at least they changed the word.

“It’s Karl’s turn!”

I took the Yut Sticks (they call them ‘yung’ here) from Selena.

Muscle memory from my past life kicks in, and I instinctively gather the four sticks, tapping them rhythmically against the ground.

“Just throw whatever.”

—Clack!

“Senior Karl got a Mo too!”

“Ah?! Does that mean my piece gets caught?!”

“That depends on Senior Karl’s decision, but first, you have to throw again!”

Lefia handed me the sticks, and I casually tossed them into the air.

“What?! Another Mo?!”

“Eek?!”

“...”

I prayed inwardly as we finally reached the booth where the two women were—

“Huh?”

I was surprised, but for a reason entirely opposite to what I’d been worried about.

“Oh, Karl!”

“You’ve arrived, S-Senior!”

“What’s this?”

Didn’t they say they were running separate booths? But no matter how I looked around, they were sharing the same one?

And that wasn’t all. Looking closer, I saw elf exchange students and first-year juniors working together.

I couldn’t see clearly, but judging by the smell... Hmm. This is the smell of baking cookies. And this, what is it? It smells sweet and fragrant?

“Ta-da! What do you think! This is my booth, featuring special jam from the Southern Great Forest!”

“What are you talking about, Eloise? Your booth? It’s our booth. And the name isn’t ‘Southern Great Forest Special Jam Sales Booth,’ it’s ‘Academy Cookies Baked with Love and Topped with Southern Great Forest Special Jam Booth.'”

[TL/N: long ahh names.]

[PR/N: Both Trash.]

“Same difference! And honestly, our jam is the star of the show! Cookies are just dry without jam! We’re the ones making this work!”

“I don’t agree. What kind of flavor is there in just eating jam? And it’s not ‘star of the show,’ it’s ‘crowning touch.’ Get it right, elf.”

Hmm. They don’t seem to be on that bad of terms. That’s a relief?

“Eloise. Lav.”

“What!”

“Yes, Senior?”

“The booth name is too long, so I’ll give you a new one.”

Why this sudden change of heart? Well, watching the two of them and the students working together, something clicked.

“Let’s call it the Empire-Elf Grand Unity Booth.”

“...Your naming sense is terrible, Karl.”

[TL/N: ????]

“The ‘Academy Cookies Baked with Love and Topped with Southern Great Forest Special Jam Booth’ is way too long. And ‘Grand Unity’! Doesn’t that sound impressive?”

“Senior, I don’t want to disagree with your opinion, but isn’t it a bit premature to discuss grand unity over mere jam and cookies...?”

No, no. This isn’t just a booth selling cookies with jam.

I raised my hand, pointing past the two women, to the two groups of students working together.

“Just last year, it was hard to see something like this. Elf exchange students actively participating in the festival, and Imperial students running a booth together with them.”

“That’s because the war ended not too long ago...”

“Exactly, so this is the start of grand unity.”

Working together, struggling together, experiencing events and accidents together, and gaining something together—these things naturally create a sense of camaraderie.

In the military, they call it ‘comradeship,’ and in the academy, they call it ‘fellowship.’

And the fact that the Empire accepted elves from Hyzens as exchange students, and that Hyzens deliberately sent their elves to the Imperial Academy, all of it was possible because of a certain will to foster that ‘fellowship’ and strengthen their relationship.

“It certainly is a good sight.”

“Hmm...”

Eloise smirked, and Lav crossed her arms, lost in thought.

“Still, I think our booth members are doing a better job.”

“Huh? What are you saying? My kids are doing better!”

“Want to ask Senior Karl?”

“Why not!”

Hey, hey? Guys?

“Hey, Karl! Who’s doing a better job? Tell us!”

“We request your impartial evaluation, Senior Karl.”

“No... Why are you all suddenly doing this when you were getting along so well?!”

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]