Gacha Kingdom Building

--This chapter is written using Elizabeth's POV--

The cold mountainous regions of Cobierzh... As expected, traversing this place is difficult.

Under the heavy snow, every next step feels more challenging than the previous.

It's hard to find my footing due to the snow, but it becomes a perfect accident-inducing region when combined with the already uneven ground.

For humans, this is a big problem...

This probably explains why, while mostly human like most other countries in this continent, there doesn't seem to be any human settlements in this region.

However, while that would be acceptable, it doesn't explain why other races have not settled here.

The conditions are perfect for certain tribes. As an example, Mia's tribe, the Snow White Wolves.

They have an obvious preference for cold climates, and they can move freely in the snow and ice.

As a matter of fact, this is such a good region for them to inhabit that I'm told they once did reside around this area.

And the reason for their departure, as it turns out, also explains why no other races have ever settled around these parts.

Apparently, there's a monstrous creature here. A dragon capable of putting the entire world at risk once awakened.

Quite a shame.

Elizabeth: "...I hope you can entertain me, little one."

The so-called Dragon Of The North...

This world's strongest known creature...

It is truly deserving of his title.

It's almost twice as big as Angelica in her dragon form. When it moves, it's almost as if an entire mountain is moving with it.

And yet, it is hard for us to make its shape.

A tremendous blizzard accompanies the creature.

Once it stops or slows down, the blizzard catches up to it, enveloping it and hiding its presence.

Not only does my sight become useless, but so does my mana sense.

Each flock of snow has its own magic signature. All of them are incredibly similar to that of the dragon, making it a daunting task to follow the monster by using its mana.

Thankfully, our group is not made of humans.

Valkyries, a Dragon-Angel, and a Devil.

The five of us possess one characteristic in common, something I'm sure our liege thought about when creating this group.

And that is the fact that we all have wings.

I tend to keep mine, as well as my horns, retracted due to old traditions when it comes to dealing with humans and human-like creatures, but...

In times like this, they prove their usefulness.

Although the snow makes them heavier, it is still far preferable to walking.

It can be physically tiring, however, thanks to my ability to fly infinitely using my magic, I for one, have nothing to worry about.

And so, when the dragon comes our way, its mouth open, showing us fangs that are bigger than our bodies...

I have no delay in my response.

A blizzard like this... The eruption of a volcano... There are no natural disasters capable of stopping me.

And so, I launch a volley of lightning strikes against the dragon.

Not my strongest ones, of course, I would hate to kill it before evaluating its worth...

But still, they were enough to make the creature fall to the ground where I could see it face to face.

Perhaps because its eyes were so incredibly big I could see just how much contempt it had for me.

This creature saw me as nothing more than a bug biting it.

It showed me its bloodlust... Its hunger.

I was to be his appetizer.

Of course, not one to back down from a challenge, I decided to allow my true nature to flow a little, and as the abyss looked at me, I made sure to look back.

Frankly, I could see the bottom of this one far too easily.

Perhaps I have been expecting a little too much after Miwen...

In any case, the beast seemed to realize exactly what it had challenged.

Its wings started flapping quickly, and as fast as it could, it made its way back to the sky.

I would have loved to pursue it, but... The blizzard... It was tying me down.

I could feel the effects of my own magic lessening while under it.

It took me more mana to launch myself off from the ground...

It wasn't doable for me to keep being affected by it. Not if I wanted to enjoy fighting to my heart's content at least.

Thus, I started preparing a bubble of lighting around my body.

It kept the snow flocks away from me, removing their effects.

I saw the other girls struggling a little, so I cast lightning to destroy the flocks around them.

After casting a barrier I made my way to them and explained that if they wanted to live, they should stay put and focus on protecting themselves.

Thankfully, they were very understanding.

And so, I made my way back to my challenger...

It seemed surprised to see me rise to face it again.

Its roar would have been deafening if not for the barrier I had already cast around myself.

Surprisingly, I could feel it tremble quite a lot.

This one wasn't especially strong, it was mostly reactive, focusing on destroying the flocks of snow more than protecting me. And it didn't crack...

However... For just a simple roar to damage it...

It was truly interesting.

It made it far too worth the time we spent looking after this thing.

Elizabeth: "Oh, believe me, I'm also excited. However, I'm not fond of shouting competitions. I prefer to exert my authority with a calm voice. Thus, I'll forfeit this to you. And in exchange... I'll have your soul. Sounds like a good deal, right?"

Few are the ones who can say they have bested me in anything.
Your adventure continues at empire

As a deed, it is far more valuable than this poor thing's soul.

Sadly, this monster was a little too dumb to realize the value of what I offered.

The blizzard became whiter... and then whiter...

Surprisingly, it made it even harder to see.

The snow flocks started to change their shape. They became thinner, more like needles...

However, this didn't make them any less of a threat.

They were now faster... Their quantity had risen to make up for their size...

And now, they could pierce my barrier.

The lightning it was creating wasn't enough to destroy all of them. There was just too much.

Their increased speed also made sure that some would get past it.

And so, sure enough, after a few thousand needles or so had managed to avoid my lightning, my barrier was broken.

No doubt, my body would have been eviscerated had they managed to reach me.

But such an oversight is below me.

After the first barrier, the others were much more focused on passive defense rather than actively countering the magic.

They were far sturdier because of it.

Sadly, they couldn't destroy the needles before they were hit, so they were taking far more damage.

One by one, eventually, they would all be gone.

Elizabeth: "I suppose this means I'll have to exercise a little..."

I started casting a volley of thunderbolts. They circled around me before being launched, destroying everything in their way.

The lightning sparking out of them reduced the number of needles reaching me to almost zero, and now, the one being overwhelmed was the dragon.

However, to my surprise, that thing was also able to multi-cast.

Or at least, it could cheat an easier multi-cast.

By flapping its wings the monster produced enough wind to more easily combine [Wind Magic] and [Ice Magic], creating freezing wind blades that intercepted my lightning bolts...

As they cut through my magic, they made their way to my barriers, cracking them with ease...

Elizabeth: "Hmm... It's no wonder that that cave-dweller woman had so much trouble with you... Yes, I can see why this world would fear you... However... I can see that you are wounded..."

The only injury in its body... A cut...

It was far too perfect to have been done by a sword, so I had to assume it was Nissa's magic.

Or rather, her Gift.

In my assessment, Rodky, with the help of the Snow White Wolves that lived in this land, must have been able to damage this dragon.

I heard it was driven away, but it was probably taking time to recover from its injuries.

The only one it could not recover from was a cut in one of its legs caused by Nissa...

Elizabeth: "Sadly, if that woman was able to do so much, I cannot afford to not do at least triple. So prepare yourself."

Multi-casting two different magics while of of them contains two different elements... Quite a feat for a dragon in a world with such low level.

That blizzard was also quite interesting...

However, I noticed the trick.

The blades it launched against me had the normal mana signature that a spell should have.

It would have been incredibly effective if this dragon was able to mask all of its magic inside this blizzard, but alas, this clearly wasn't the case.

Which meant that the blizzard was special.

It didn't have these characteristics because the dragon chose them for it.

Rather, it was simply like this.

In other words, it wasn't a spell, it was part of his Gift.

That should also explain why its mana signature is so close to his. It's almost like a second body for him.

Thus, destroying it was probably impossible.

As long as the monster was alive, the blizzard was bound to accompany it.

However, even though we spent months searching for it, this is the first time we see this blizzard...

Either it gets contained by the place it is in, or... It has a way to deactivate it.

Whatever the case, it wasn't going to apply to this situation, so I decided to simply keep a note about his and focus back on how to defeat the creature.

Normally, I can outlast any enemy thanks to my Gift, but judging by the size of the blizzard, expanding to reach all of the mountain range, and the fact that it had not weakened even a little during this entire time, it was safe to assume that such a strategy would not work.

The blizzard was costing it almost no mana. Or it had reserves high enough to maintain it for a long time.

In any case, the next step was to test if I could maybe defeat him through a strong enough attack.

For that, I started flying even higher, standing above it, I summoned my lightning.

The strikes began to hit one another, being developed by darkness and then by blue flames as they took their form...

Ironically, that of a dragon.

As I finished chanting... The first lightning dragon fell from the skies... And then the second... And the third...

Sensing its death approaching, the dragon focused the entire blizzard against my spell.

In a surreal sight, the snow needles were now falling upwards, challenging the sky itself.

However, when met by the first dragon, they started melting instantly.

The Dragon of the North tried to evade it, but... I was still in control, and together with my second dragon, I did a pincer attack on it.

Without much choice, the monster used what must have been its most powerful attack.

It's dragon breath... An icy beam that met one of my dragons and, to my surprise, destroyed it.

However, it couldn't do much about the other, and when it got hit, it fell to the ground.

I was ready to deal it the finishing blow, but...

Elizabeth: "I could use you. Say, wouldn't you prefer to become my pet over losing your life-"

The blizzard became even more dense...

The dragon opened its mouth...

I predicted it was going to use its breath again, so I launched my attack from the sky, however...

Dragon: "...Away."

Elizabeth: "...?"

I wasn't expecting it to talk.

It took me by surprise, and at that moment, it took the chance to escape.

Inside the blizzard, I couldn't see it or distinguish its mana...

And once the blizzard had finally subsided, the monster was nowhere to be seen.

Elizabeth: "...Outsmarted by a monster."

That's obviously a learned trick. It's definitely not the first time it has pulled it off...

However, I am still furious.

The idea of allowing that beast to escape...

Angelica: "...You couldn't follow it?"

Elizabeth: "Unfortunately."

I was surprised to see that Angelica and the Valkyries had chosen to remain instead of running to the Kingdom.

Come nightfall, we set up camp as trying to search for the dragon would be much too dangerous.

We also received a message from Miwen.

However, it was completely ignored, much like the ones before.

The kid underestimated me a little too much.

He seemed to believe that by attaching these girls to me, I would be forced to fight with all I had, or else I'd risk them getting hurt.

I have to admit, he was able to read my personality pretty well.

It is true that the shame of allowing one of the citizens to be hurt under my watch far outweighed my desire to bring a good trophy back.

However... Who's to say that I need to choose between one or the other?

Of course, he also predicted I might take such a route, which is why he chose Skuld to be in charge of this mission.

Another mistake on his part.

A leader is not chosen, they become.

And if he thinks I'm to be controlled and ordered by someone else... Well, he's completely wrong.

Loyal and disciplined as she might be, it didn't take long for me to convince her that trusting me would be for the better, as I'm the one with the most experience, and the main factor to our success.

I used her desire to show her usefulness to her master by threatening failures, and she quickly accepted my terms.

The other Valkyries seem to follow her will, though Eir seemed a little begrudging.

The biggest problem was actually Angelica.

Even though she has joined us quite recently, she seems very devoted to Miwen.

I had to find a way to change her perspective a little.

Instead of going against his will, I chose the narrative that capturing and taming the dragon would be far more preferable.

The first day ended in failure, but we kept searching for the dragon.

We managed to meet it a couple of times, but on every occasion, the beast managed to escape.

And worryingly, our time was starting to run out.

Angelica: "...This will not work. We will fail."

Elizabeth: "Such a thing is not possible. Sooner or later-"

Skuld: "We agree with her. It might be time for you to take this seriously, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth: "..."

I might not have a choice...

But after spending almost a year, I would hate to come back with a simple kill...

It is still better than failing though...

However, I'll use all days available to me in order to-

Angelica: "...That's not what I meant."

Uncharacteristically, Angelica raised her voice more than the others had ever done.

Elizabeth: "...Explain."

Angelica: "Before I do so, there's one thing I'd like to ask... Have you ever tamed a dragon? You seem far too confident in your ability, but I have never seen that happen. At least not with a proper dragon like this one."

I suppose that is true.

Most dragon riders just ride flying wizards or wyverns.

Hardly what we would call proper dragons like Angelica and this one.

This is something that is true in most worlds, however...

Elizabeth: "Of course. I have conquered all the dragon tribes of my world. And I had also acquired the most exquisite monsters for myself. Some with bloodlines as interesting as yours. Among them... Well... There was one I remember quite fondly, is all I can say. However... Does this bother you?"

Angelica: "That's not it... I just want to make sure that you can do it if we create the chance. Because... I think you'll only get one shot."

True... This one does seem to be quite smart...

Angelica: "...As far as I can tell, the biggest problem is that you can't follow it through the blizzard, right?"

Correct.

If the monster wasn't capable of healing itself, we could have been able to wear it out enough with every encounter, eventually cornering it.

But... Every time we meet it, even though I'm sure my attacks have connected, it appears completely unharmed.

Normally, it appears after a few days... But it does mean that it takes time for it to heal itself.

If I can prevent it from escaping, it will have to choose between death or servitude.

Elizabeth: "...What's your suggestion?"

Angelica: "[Light Magic] can be used to reveal the truth..."

Oh...

That is true.

This aspect is mostly used to dispel illusions or reveal curse effects and their caster, but under the right circumstances, it can do much more...

For example, a good enough practitioner could possibly distinguish between two different mana signatures, even if they were to be incredibly similar.

Angelica: "The problem is that... I'm not that good. I would need time and a bunch of different tries..."

Elizabeth: "...But you can do it?"

Angelica: "I'm not confident I can do it with my current mana pool, but... If I had unlimited mana... Then yes, probably..."

So I would have to constantly feed her my mana while also fighting the dragon...

Hm... It should be doable.

However...

Elizabeth: "I would need you close to me. Otherwise, it would be meaningless."

And that... Incurs quite a lot of danger.

I'd need to make my barriers bigger, which would make them weaker, even if slightly.

Against this monster... I'm not sure my current output is enough to guarantee her safety...

Angelica: "No matter its strength or abilities, it's easier to corner a beast in a group. I experience that myself..."

...I see.

Elizabeth: "...You're proposing... Attacking it when it flees from me?"

Angelica: "Yes. You should be able to distinguish our mana signature, or at least that of our attack if it is big enough. Even if we don't do enough damage to ground it... You could defeat it, no?"

Elizabeth: "Of course... But that would be even more dangerous."

In this case, she, together with the other Valkyries, would position themselves away from me, protecting themselves and then casting one big spell to act as a beacon once the dragon starts to flee...

It's even more dangerous than what I thought initially...

They did manage to protect themselves every time we fought against the dragon, but I had also used a barrier of mine on them as insurance...

Angelica: "I can heal myself and the others... And well... You said it, right? Miwen doesn't need to know every detail. And... In case you get hurt... We can always blame you for carelessly trying to approach it. You did say you were going to take responsibility. Unless you plan on going back on your words, Oh Mighty Devil..."

...I might have made a mistake of my own.

I underestimated how far Angelica was willing to go for Miwen's sake.

I was sure that convincing her that taming the dragon would benefit him would give me free rein to act as I pleased, but... She used my words and promises to corner me instead...

Elizabeth: "...Well done."

I'm sure these four planned it together.

I had already noticed that the Valkyries seemed anxious about not participating.

However, it was definitely a worthwhile plan.

I chose to respect the strength they showed to stand up to me, and the determination they had to put themselves in danger...

I expected nothing less of the citizens of his kingdom.