Duel in a Sword & Magic World: Girls Spirit Duelist

The high-level Monster Cards embedded in ornate frames on the wall—their actual power levels might be questionable, but just their sheer Lev

The high-level Monster Cards embedded in ornate frames on the wall—their actual power levels might be questionable, but just their sheer Level alone made them a symbol of rarity in this world.

"Let me ask, Rovik-senpai... where did you get all these high-level cards?"

Unable to resist his curiosity, Miles voiced the most important question through Aisha.

"Or rather... did you summon them yourselves?"

Hard to believe. If this High-Level Spirit Research Society actually had duelists capable of summoning that many high-Level monsters, then without a doubt, such a person would be the most powerful individual Miles knew of in this world.

Of course, only in terms of monster summoning power. The kind of person who could stomp hundreds of Kevins and Aishas.

As for actual dueling skill... well, if they were just using something like [Gate Guardian], the shame of high-Level vanilla monsters, Miles wouldn't exactly call them a "powerful duelist."

Pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, Rovik explained:

"Oh, these cards? They're just Replica Cards. None of them actually house real Spirits."

"Replica cards?"

"Put simply, they're toy cards. Mostly for display purposes. Of course, if you wanted to use them for casual games as simple paper cards, you could."

Kevin nodded, adding, "I heard about this from my father. It's the Braun family's latest project, right? To let people without Spirit Eyes enjoy the fun of Duel Monster Cards, they produced a batch of replica cards with just the artwork, no Spirit connection."

'Replica toy cards, huh…'

Having gotten his answer, Miles took another long look at the high-Level Monster Cards displayed in frames.

As Rovik said, even though they looked identical to regular cards, there wasn't the slightest hint of Duel Spirit energy coming from them.

Especially with monsters of this caliber, their spiritual presence should be overwhelming.

In short, they were soulless.

In fact, these replica cards might even be worse than the fake cards you see in anime.

At least anime fakes could trick Duel Disks and see actual use in a Duel.

These replica cards would never be recognized by Spirit Eyes, nor could they ever be used in a Duel.

As Rovik said, they were toys at best, good for display. Or, at most, for letting people without Spirit Eyes experience a casual game.

Still, Miles found the Braun family's idea quite appealing. Bringing the joy of Dueling to the common folk.

Even if they couldn't materialize monsters with Spirit Eyes or enjoy the thrill of real combat, just sitting down with friends for a casual tabletop game was beautiful in its own right.

Kevin inspected the framed cards and asked, "I get that low-Level replicas are common on the market... but what about these high-Level ones? Are there even channels for getting something like this?"

After all, the core of any replica was the "original." Without an original, there'd be nothing to copy.

"Well," Rovik said, "thanks to the Braun family's network and financial resources, we managed to get support from some very powerful duelists, which is how we got the chance to create these high-Level replicas. Of course, none of these are for sale. They're strictly non-commercial."

'Powerful duelists, hmm…'

Miles repeated the phrase in his mind with a hint of sarcasm.

Yeah, powerful duelists... who use [Gate Guardian].

Still, if these were all just replicas, where had that fleeting divine-like aura Miles sensed upon entering the room come from?

Though it had vanished almost instantly, Miles was confident he hadn't imagined it.

Somewhere in this clubroom, there might be the real deal.

"Aisha, can I borrow your body for a bit? I want to explore this place thoroughly."

"...Looks like you really love high-Level cards, Miles. Okay."

—Soul Exchange.

Aisha didn't mind at all that Miles had developed a strange obsession with high-Level cards, likely born from her inability to summon them. In fact, she felt a bit guilty about it.

"Hmm!" Kevin picked up on it instantly. "You're getting all serious like during a Duel... I didn't expect this from you, Aisha Carlos. Seems like you really care about high-Level cards too."

Kevin's uncanny ability to notice whenever Miles was in control right after a Soul Exchange... If not for knowing Kevin's true nature, Miles might start wondering if Kevin was a Millennium Item holder, too.

And then, the very next second after the Soul Exchange—Miles felt Aisha's arm suddenly wrapped in something soft and warm.

Once again evading Rovik's watchful eye, Nia had bent down and hugged Aisha's arm, burying the girl's slender, fair limb deep into her two tanned assets.

"So this was your real goal with the Soul Exchange?! Miles, you're despicable!"

Usually as docile as a bunny, Aisha now sounded almost angry as a tiger for once.

But this was clearly a misunderstanding!

"Ehehe~ Miss Aisha Carlos, it's about time you showed me your card, right?"

"Card?"

"Arcana Knight Joker, of course! The one you Fusion Summoned today. I've been dying to witness its noble form with my own eyes!"

"Oh, so that's what this was all about."

Miles finally understood why Nia had been sticking to Aisha like glue ever since earlier—or rather, the real reason she'd invited Aisha here today.

After all, Arcana Knight Joker wasn't a card that had existed in the Spirit Continent before. However, after Miles successfully Fusion Summoned it, it had undoubtedly become a real addition to Aisha's Extra Deck.

As for showing her the card... There was no harm in that.

Miles was nothing if not cautious, but here on the Spirit Continent, each card was soul-bound to its owner, so there was no need to fear any bad intentions from Nia.

She really just wanted to LATC: "Look at the Card."

Lifting the hem of Aisha's short skirt, Miles opened the card case strapped to her thigh.

After seeing Nia's stunning dark-skinned figure up close, Miles couldn't help but feel that Aisha's ordinary fair thighs seemed a little... lacking by comparison.

"By the way, I don't mind showing you the card..."

Suddenly, just as Miles plucked Arcana Knight Joker from the case and noticed Nia's eager gaze, an idea struck him.

"But this is the real deal. You can't just show me replica cards in return. As the High-Level Spirit Research Society, you guys must have at least one... an actual high-Level card, right?"

That fleeting divine aura still nagged at him.

There had to be something real in this clubroom... something more than just [Gate Guardian], that joke of a high-Level monster.

...

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