I’m an Ordinary Returning Student at the Academy

[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?!”

“…”

This can’t be good. And as always, my gut feeling was right on the money.

“Another Mo?!”

“Karl! What’s going on? How are you getting Mo every time!”

“This time it’s Yung!”

“You get to throw again with Yung too?!”

“Yes, yes! Senior Selena! You always get another throw with Mo and Yung!”

I decided not to capture Selena’s piece for now. But my turn just wouldn’t end.

Mo. Mo. Mo. Yut. Then Mo again. Mo. And another Yut. I was clearly throwing them haphazardly, but for some reason, these damn sticks refused to give me a simple Do, Gae, or Geol.

“…It’s Yung again.”

“Junior Lefia, when does Karl’s turn end…?”

“Well, you see, Mo and Yung mean you keep throwing… But they’re not supposed to come up easily, so it usually goes to the next person’s turn. But this! Even I can’t predict this!!”

This wouldn’t do. At this rate, even with four pieces, I’d be the only one playing.

“Junior Lefia, I think there’s something wrong with these Yung. Can you switch them out?”

“Ah! You might be right, Senior Karl. Just a moment!”

While Lefia disappeared behind the booth, Selena tilted her head and quietly took the Yut sticks from my hand.

“Hold on. Karl, let me try throwing them.”

The sticks left Selena’s hand and fell to the ground.

Thud!—

“One more time.”

Thud!

“…Just one more.”

Thud Thud!

Do. Gae. Geol. All the types came up. And that was statistically correct. In Yutnori, Yut and Mo don’t come up easily.

“These seem normal, Karl?”

“They do.”

But why only for you? Selena’s expression seemed to ask that question.

What could I say? The only thing left to do was to suggest, ‘Maybe we should call it a game.’

* * *

The Lasker traditional games booth experience was over.

For the record, even with the different Yut sticks Lefia brought, the result was the same.

After seven consecutive Mo throws, Selena gracefully conceded the match.

And at Lefia’s booth, they gave me the absurd title of ‘God of Yung.’

I wanted to tell them not to give me such a title, but Lefia was smiling so brightly that I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Now, where to next…?”

“Over there. I heard Eloise and Lav are running a booth together.”

“The two of them are that close? Is that okay, Karl?”

Don’t ask me, Selena. I didn’t put them together. Ask the organizers.

Selena had a worried expression.

It seems she already knew that Eloise and Lav were rivals. I’m starting to worry too. If they end up fighting, it’ll be a big problem.

Those two… No, one elf and one human aren’t like Selena or Lefia, who were raised gently.

They’re more likely to prefer cutting off an enemy’s head and putting a bullet in their heart than having a calm, reasoned discussion.

Lav even fought against elves. Even though they weren’t enemies, Eloise and I were initially a bit awkward, so they must be even more so.

“Are the two of them really on bad terms? They seemed fine to me.”

Lefia, who was next to me, quietly voiced her opinion.

I’m not sure if she’s trying to state the truth or reassure Selena and me.

‘…Why does it seem to get more chaotic the closer we get? Seriously, guys. Please.’

Last year’s me was enough for festival shenanigans. Please don’t follow in my footsteps!

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]