Gacha Kingdom Building

Amencia was the biggest and most developed city I had seen in this world.

The prosperity it enjoyed for centuries could be felt in every street.

Every building followed a different trend, making it easy to tell when they were built.

And although the trends might have come and gone, the buildings themselves stood the test of time.

The city was worthy of being the pride of an established and powerful kingdom like Hamperlon.

However, I believe nothing embodied their pride and greed more than the Royal Palace.

That structure was both taller and wider than any other building I had seen in this world.

One of its sections was an immense tower, stretching so far into the sky that anyone would suffer from severe neck pain if they attempted to look at its tip for too long.

It was this very tower that enabled Hamperlon to contact and house harpies.

The harpies are a species that prefers to live at high altitudes, but they can't handle the cold, so no region on this continent accommodates them.

The achievement of peacefully bringing some, even if only a few, to this continent was just one of Amencia's many feats throughout its extensive history.

Although... Upon a closer look, some problems become evident.

The lack of available rooms caused a competitive environment for who could occupy the tower.

This ended up working in Hamperlon's favor, as at least one General was born out of the continuous disputes, but at the same time... The number of winged beastmen slaves that appeared for auction on this continent increased noticeably.

Of course, most of them had one thing or another that could easily classify them as "undesirable"...

Terith, Evretis, Rodky, and any other nation on the continent... As impressive as they were, they couldn't hope to compare with the sheer scale, so any criticism was just jealousy.

Amencia was like a kingdom by itself, the crown of Hamperlon, and Hamperlon's Royal Palace was its most valuable jewel.

As such, it couldn't have a single stain.

Cassandra: "But if the city is so important, why would they risk it like this? Aren't you a little curious?~"

Miwen: "Not really."

Amencia was in its last days.

No one was coming to save them, and they couldn't hope to defeat our army.

Everyone knew this, from the lowest beggar on the streets to Hamperlon's ministers and knights.

Those who continued to defend it did so believing it was a worthy cause.

The city had given everything to them, as they had given everything to it.

From generation to generation, entire lives were dedicated to making this place what it had become.

Knowing that this was what they were fighting for inspired Hamperlon's army for this one last push, but... It was in vain.

Sooner or later, the city was bound to fall.

And no one knew this better than Gerbil.

Which is why he chose this approach...

Miwen: "I was surprised by their trap, but when I saw that he had fled the Palace, everything became clear."

He didn't care about the city, the Palace, the soldiers, or the people.

Hell, he didn't even care about his pride, duty, and responsibility as their king.

All he cared about was his life, and considering this, his decision started to make a lot more sense.

The trap wasn't meant to win them a battle or cause us to slow down.

It was meant to create chaos.

After all, with every exit of the city blocked or heavily guarded, only through this chaos did he have any hope of escaping the city unnoticed.

This man saw everything around him as a sacrifice for himself...

Cassandra: "Hmm... I get why that would make you angry, but... You're a little more nervous than I expected..."

I was making my way through the underground tunnels below the Palace, fighting my way through the few soldiers we found along the way.

It's not like I was being careless due to their imminent defeat or anything like that, but Cassandra was right.

My grip wasn't too stable, I was taking less-than-ideal decisions, thinking too little and acting too much.

It was far from my usual self...

Cassandra: "Oh! I get it! It's because of the girls~"

Miwen: "Can you blame me?"

As much as she had inspired her in the past, unfortunately, Melissa's shadow had clouded Mia's eyes.

That girl worked incredibly hard to defeat her without ever acknowledging how strong she already was.

It felt like it was never enough for her, and I worried a little, seeing how much she pushed herself, both physically and emotionally.

Unfortunately, it wasn't up to me to decide when enough was enough.

Melissa wasn't lightweight, and no one knew her better than Mia.

All I could do was help her and hope for her victory...

On the other hand, Claire and Licia did not have the same excuse, no matter how much they tried to argue that if they couldn't defeat the black knight, they would forever be unable to grow.

It was pretty obvious that they were just upset and wanted to clear their record.

Had I not already given the go-ahead to Mia, I would've stopped the two...

Well, sincerely, I wanted to stop all three of them.

Seeing them injured and hurt is something I'd like to avoid as much as possible.

I couldn't calm my heart or my mind, knowing how difficult their fight was going to be, and that there was zero chance for them to come out without injuries.

Cassandra: "Have a little faith in them~"

Miwen: "You wouldn't believe how much I do."

I believed in their victory.

But I couldn't help worrying about them.

Especially as I felt the inner ceiling of the tunnels and the ground beneath my feet trembling.

It was bound to happen. Battles were happening everywhere aboveground.

The water dripping down and the debris falling weren't something to worry about, but...

Sometimes the earth would shake so much that even I would be thrown off balance.

Whenever that happened, my heart throbbed.

No other battles could cause something like this to happen.

It had to be one of the girls or their opponents.

Cassandra: "Oh... Big and thick~"

Eventually, Cassandra and I reached a wall.

Well, we had met plenty of dead ends, even with Gabriella's schematics, but this one was a little special.

Miwen: "There's a lot of mana here..."

Cassandra: "There's even more behind it. Two knights, I'm pretty sure... Want me to kill them~?"

Miwen: "If you can do it..."

The wall was made haphazardly, with stones and bricks found within the tunnels, and only one layer resembled the other walls enough to camouflage it.

But as Cassandra had put it, it was thick.

It went for about 20 meters, and the fact that its mana kept increasing meant the men behind it were still not done with it.

Cassandra: "Silly~"

Like she did in our battle against Nissa, Cassandra took control of my arms, forcing me to grip her handle with both hands before lowering herself below my chest.

Then, in a single motion as the tip of her blade pointed to the wall, she stabbed it.

Just before the blade met the bricks, she extended it, piercing the wall and the skull of the knight behind it.

Before the other one could respond, or really even understand what happened, she severed his neck by swinging in his direction.

The precision, using only the mana emanating from their bodies to calculate her attack, was astonishing.

Not only that, I worried that whatever she'd do would cause the walls or the ceiling to collapse, but the cut she left was so thin that once she returned to her normal size, it was hard for me to see it, even though I knew it should be there.

Cassandra: "Maybe long is better than thick after all~"

Miwen: "...I'm surprised by how much you can change your shape."

I decided not to engage with her comments.

Even the praise I had prepared for her... It mysteriously disappeared as soon as she opened her mouth.

Cassandra: "Well, I guess I'm pretty good at it, but my race is pretty good with this type of thing. Like, if we couldn't do this much, we'd be useless to giants and titans, right? Well, aside from being used as-"

It was always hard to know what I should take seriously or not when it came to her, but surprisingly, she distracted me incredibly well, and before long, we had reached the place where Gabriella was welcomed as a guest, Gerbil's mansion.

But as we made our way up, we reached a rather unfortunate place.

The smell was so strong that for a minute, I was glad I had left Mia behind.

Bloodstains painted the grey ground and the walls.

It was cold and dark, there were insects everywhere, and every type of human remains imaginable.

Hidden by thick iron bars was a solitary woman, her hands were handcuffed and tied to the ceiling, her legs had been nailed to the ground, and chains extended from the collar on her neck.

??????: "Kill... Me..."

Her eyes had no light in them.

She could barely speak.

And although it was incredibly worn out, I recognized the face.

It was the same one that the White Knight on Maides Island had.

I had no idea how there were two of her, but this was most definitely an effect of her Gift.

Perhaps something akin to a one-time resurrection...

Miwen: "You're the Seven Rain-"

Suddenly, my arm moved against my will.

Miwen: "Cassandra!? What are you-"

Cassandra: "We saw nothing here. Let's move on."

Miwen: "We... Could have saved her."

Cassandra: "...Just because the blue-haired one had the will, doesn't mean everyone has. For her, this was salvation. But if you really mean it, then try to summon her in the future. You'll see for yourself how much your Gift does to bring back a companion in their best possible state."

It was hard for me to argue.

The girls I summoned have a unique perspective I'll never experience on such things.

Cassandra herself said she had been broken when she was killed, but once she was summoned, her body was fine.

And Licia... I still don't fully know everything that happened to her.

The state she was in when I first summoned was already scary, and she told me enough for me to understand her situation, but going into details wasn't something she wanted to do, and I would never dare force her into it.

Cassandra: "If you think I'm stepping out of line, feel free to punish me later~"

Miwen: "...No, it's fine."

Cassandra: "Then let's move on, shall we?"

...The rest of the mansion wasn't as bad.

We met a few servants along the way, but much like in the Royal Palace, we assured them we meant no harm and directed them all into a random room, just so that no accidents could happen.

And then, in a room on the third floor, I came face to face with the runaway king.

Miwen: "...Yo! I've been searching for you everywhere!"

Gerbil: "...Isabella's knight. You arrived even before I expected."

The king had a new haircut...

And his clothes weren't as dignified as the ones we saw in our peace meetings.

He only had a maid by his side, although her arms were quite muscular...

Miwen: "Someone sure likes to run."

Gerbil: "Hmph... I can tell you sacrificed your fellow to reach this place so soon, but I can't say I dislike the decision. One can't achieve anything without some sacrifices, right?"

I was a little confused by his assumption, but when I thought about how I had left the girls behind, it started to make sense.

He probably had a way of knowing the condition of his undead knights, so if they were still fighting "Isabella's Knights", it would make sense for him to assume I had left everyone to face the challenge while I focused on getting the glory of capturing the most valuable piece on the board.

Gerbil: "Say, aren't you interested in helping me get out of Amencia? I can assure you it would be more rewarding than anything the Umbral Queen can offer."

Miwen: "Uh-huh... Sorry to say, but I'm not really strapped for cash right now."

Gerbil: "I would imagine... However, how about something the Umbral Queen can't offer you?"

Miwen: "You'd be surprised at how much she offers me."

Even things I really don't want.

Gerbil: "Even immortality?"

But not that.

Miwen: "..."

I can't say I wasn't surprised to hear that coming from his mouth.

There was a chance it was not a bluff, but judging by the maid's reaction, it was probably true.

Since his Gift already made him a necromancer, it made some sense to me that he could offer such a thing.

Miwen: "Becoming an undead, you mean?"

Gerbil: "Hah... Of course not. What I'm offering is true immortality. No matter how much time passes, you would never die."

Miwen: "Oh... I see. But what if something like this happens?"

This time, I used Cassandra to strike down the maid accompanying him.

She had positioned herself at the exact distance to be out of Cassandra's reach, but I knew a few centimeters were nothing for Cass.

She left her guard down for just a brief moment, and that was all I needed to prevent a fight that would probably drag on a little too much for my liking.

As the maid, or rather, his last General, fell to the ground, Gerbil's smile disappeared for a second, but just as fast, it returned.

He had barely batted an eye at her...

Gerbil: "Well. As long as that doesn't happen..."

I see...

Miwen: "In that case, I'm not very interested."

There are plenty of means to acquire immortality, according to the Traveling Merchant.

Quite a few of them don't involve trading with such a disgusting man.

Gerbil: "Hahaha... She trains her dogs well, huh? No matter. I'm sure the next one will be more willing when they see what has become of you."

Three soldiers I had already killed invaded the room.

And in front of me, the maid I had just killed started to rise again.

Gerbil: "No matter how skilled you are, you shouldn't have come here alone."

Miwen: "..."

The three men raised their swords, but before they could cut me into pieces, shadow blades emerged from behind me.

All of their limbs were cut down as they swirled and danced, and their heads were then cut off by the kitty that had jumped out of my shadow.

With a flick of my fingers, their corpses caught on fire.

And before the maid could fully stand...

Several arrows broke through the window of the mansion.

They stuck to the maid's head, reaching to her shoulders.

Her body started to crack and collapse before each part ignited.

Miwen: "You should stop assuming we are alone."

Lana stood by my side, and Cassandra transformed back into her humanoid form.

And finally...

Isabella: "Oh... I'm late?"

Miwen: "...Really?"

At least this time, she was accompanied by her brothers and knights.

Gerbil: "..."

The hatred he had in his eyes was something I had never seen before.

If Cassandra didn't have him at the edge of her blade, I think he might have jumped Isabella regardless of our presence.

Gerbil: "Why? Why would you do this? I was going to-"

Miwen: "You hurt someone I care about, that's all."

Gerbil: "...You? Who even are you?"

Miwen: "Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted. Accept the invitation."

Gerbil: "If I don't?"

Miwen: "I'll throw you off the Royal Palace's balcony. But not before I tell the crowd everything there is to know about their king and the things you did."

Surprisingly, Gerbil still insisted on a few terms, but we didn't really listen to him.

After some convincing, he was quite willing to join my kingdom.

Miwen: "Isa, don't go inside the Kingdom."

Isabella: "Eh? But I've already seen-"

Miwen: "This is nothing. I'm counting on you two."

The only ones I could rely on were her brothers.

Especially since I couldn't even lock her outside any of the Kingdom's buildings due to her role that allowed her to change everything as she pleased.

Lily: "Ah! You're back! Who's this?"

Of all people we could have met...

Miwen: "Don't worry about it. Can you do me a favor?"

Lily: "Y-Yes?"

Miwen: "Remember that scary place I said you shouldn't go to? Find Nissa and tell her to go there for me. Also, if you can, when Bea, Liz, Angie, and Mia show up, tell them I'm waiting there as well."

Lily: "O-Okay!"

She was definitely a little worried, but she turned her back and quickly went after Nissa.

As for Gerbil and me... We made our way to the scary place.

Edmond: "Release us!"

Sabrina: "I wanna go back, please?"

Miwen: "Ignore them."

My own underground dungeon was about to receive a new guest, but before that, I had to create a new room.

It took me only a minute or two, and then I threw Gerbil inside.

Miwen: "Lana... Can you step out, please? I'm sure Lily would appreciate the help."

Lana: "I'm not like her. I've seen my fair share of-"

Miwen: "I'm sorry about that. Someone like you truly shouldn't have to, so... Please."

Lana: "...Tch. I get it..."

She made sure to leave without entering any shadows, so that I'd know she had truly stepped out.

Of course, she could always sneak back, but it was hard to believe she would do such a thing.

Even if she had gone through a lot, she wasn't the type to enjoy such things.

At least not like the others.

Miwen: "Cass, can you use your magic to create a few things for me?"

Cassandra: "Sure!"

I prepared as much as possible before the others arrived.

Miwen: "Mia, I'll leave him to you for now. Vent your frustrations as much as you like, but try not to kill him, okay? The rest... Let's talk a little outside."

Mia: "Sure..."

As promised, I left her alone in the room with him and headed out with the other girls.

Miwen: "...Angelica. You don't have to participate. I doubt he'll die with me and Nissa there, but... For me to be able to focus, I'd like at least another healer. Raella is a definitive no, and even if Gabriella accepted, I can't trust her. It's up to you, though."

Angelica: "No, I... If that's what you want..."

Miwen: "Great. Bea, Liz, Cass... How about you?"

I already had an idea of how they would react, but just to be sure, I gave them the option of rejecting it.

Elizabeth: "Hah... What do you take me for? The ones I punished personally were never the same again."

Beatrice: "Can't say I am thrilled, but there were a few spells I wanted to try, so... It's good to have a test subject."

Cassandra: "It's been a while, but I'll have you know I am an expert~"

Since Nissa didn't get a say, once Mia was done, the rest of us entered the room.

Because of the time dilation, Gerbil was only seen a month later, just in time for his execution.

The man who was once so afraid of dying now welcomed it more than anything.