Gacha Kingdom Building

The time Anna bought for us was incredibly valuable, and since our orthodox route was unexpectedly fast, we reached Terith's capital earlier than I had imagined.

Miwen: "Maybe luck is on our side, after all?"

Isabella: "...You're going to jinx it."

That would be hard to do.

As much as I agree with her that jumping the gun can be disastrous, the odds of Terith being able to stop us were pretty much null from the moment we set foot back in their capital.

The capital was even busier than normal. Merchants and craftsmen of all trades saw the potential to make money and made their way here.

With most guards and several men levied for the war, the royal knights were forced to start patrolling the streets...

Not exactly for suspicious activity per se, but to maintain order and a sense of security since the stability of this city reflects on the entire kingdom.

For us, the important part was that this meant the palace, where the royal family and many of the ministers or influential people resided, was almost unguarded.

This is risky at any time, but it was unlikely that any of their opposing factions would reach this place this soon.

No matter how quickly an army moved, they were bound to be stopped at some place or another.

And the chances of them reaching this far without being detected, even with their problems maintaining control, would be almost zero...

Although... One or two figures sleeping past security could definitely happen.

But what could one man do...

Royal Guard: "Halt!"

I was surprised by how big and impressive the palace was.

We researched a little, and the place had two main gates, meaning we would have to quickly seize both sides in order to prevent the people inside from escaping.

I also imagined there would be other hidden passages and things like that, so ideally we would take over the place before anyone could even realize they were being invaded.

Royal Guard: "Identify yourself and state your reason for-"

Two guards were standing in front of me, and since I was wearing a suspicious cloak that hid my face, once I got close enough, I was stopped and questioned by them.

Seeing the commotion, two other guards stationed nearby shifted their focus, gazing at me with eyes filled with suspicion.

I recognized the faces of the two men from the last time I had to defend against Terith's Royal Knights, but seemingly the same wasn't true for them.

Miwen: "Sure. We came here to take over the palace and hold the royal family hostage. As for our names..."

Licia and Claire appeared by my side.

The two men, impaled by their swords, couldn't even register what had happened before their deaths.

Without raising a finger, the meek guard standing between us and the royal family fell swiftly, including the other two guards on this side who had their hearts crushed from behind by Mia and Lana.

Miwen: "I don't think you need to know anymore."

Naturally, the passersby, seeing this, started to panic.

As for me... Well, there was no reason for panic.

Calmly, I walked forward, forcing the gate open and entering the palace.

Inside, I could see a few different people.

Many of them seemed quite busy.

Even the guards, who heard the commotion outside and saw unknown figures enter, quickly rushed to stop us from continuing forward.

The six men couldn't be blamed for their suspicion. They were well-trained, having already drawn their swords from their sheaths.

Even though our numbers were equal, in that instant, they seemed confident in their ability to fight us off.

That changed suddenly.

Mysteriously, when they were up against 50 people each, they didn't seem as confident as before.

Miwen: "Kill the guards and bring me the royal family. I'll be checking the throne room~"

Most of the people residing in the palace were of importance, but almost none were knights.

We predicted they wouldn't resist surrender, but I warned the Snow White Wolves to kill anyone who tried to resist.

As much as I wanted to keep things orderly, my desire not to risk one of them getting hurt still prevailed.

Miwen: "Oooh! I like this! Maybe I should buy one?"

Made out of gold and adorned with valuable jewelry, it was the typical depiction of a throne, standing right after a small stair, giving the one who sits on it a view at others from above.

Claire: "...It's not very comfy."

Licia: "I also like our sofas better..."

Those two seemed to have a differing opinion though...

And... Yeah... I could see where they were coming from.

It was hard to sit on this for too long...

Isabella: "You three... Is that really necessary? I told you it wouldn't be different from the one in Evretis..."

Miwen: "You say that, but aren't you dying to try it too?"

Isabella: "..."

She looked at us as if she were above the idea, but deep down, I felt she wanted to join in on the fun too.

What she wanted didn't matter too much though.

Less than an hour after our arrival, Mia brought us the three members of the Royal Family of Terith, bounded in both arms and legs, I made them kneel before the throne where Isabella sat.

In the middle was the King, on his left was his daughter, Edmond's sister, and on the right was his wife.

Miwen: "Now... Which one of you is the one trying to harm our princess?"

King: "...Isabella? It was me-"

Miwen: "Right. At the Graduation Party."

There were a few questions I wanted answers to, but the most pressing was regarding the Graduation Party incident.

Terith's king had plenty of chances to kill Isabella, both before and after the Graduation Party.

It was a little weird for him to do it directly, even considering the problems she was causing with the Saint.

However, there was another thing...

Miwen: "But what about her kidnapping?"

There were quite a few weird things about that incident.

For starters, the noble it led us to was obsessed with Isabella, but also... I got a chance to put him under Elizabeth's soul bind contract, and surprisingly, he confessed to being approached by someone to do the deed.

The person said he could do anything he liked with her, as long she never again appeared in public.

The most likely suspects at the time were Sabrina and... Isabella's father.

Unfortunately, for Sabrina's, the timing wouldn't work too well.

Sabrina arrived in this world almost at the same time as me, making it hard for her to plan and contact the people needed for it to work.

She also wasn't responsible for the incident with the child who almost made Isabella lose her first day at the academy, even though Lana discovered some links between their family and the church...

As for Isabella's father... While he was untrustworthy, considering his objective, it wouldn't make sense for him to orchestrate her kidnapping and cause trouble for her during her stay at the school.

Judging by the reaction of Edmond's father, neither of them was his fault.

The queen also seemed a little suspicious, but she didn't come close to Edmond's sister.

It was already obvious to me who was behind it, but...

Queen: "...It was... me..."

King: "...N-No! I did it. I wanted Isabella dead! P-Please, let them go-"

Miwen: "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

I can't be mad at them for protecting their family.

I never expected to gain any respect for them, but... I guess life is full of surprises.

As it turns out, even bad people can be good parents. Somewhat.

However... That made me question another thing.

Miwen: "...Did you know about your brother's Gift?"

King: "Albris'? N-No...?"

Miwen: "Hm... That would be weird. After all... You dealt with the investigation pretty quickly, right?" Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

As he always does...

No matter the result, it's almost like he already knew about what might happen.

But that begs the question...

Miwen: "Were you aware of his plans for your grandchild if Edmond ever had one?"

King: "What would he... No... He wouldn't...Bastard!"

This reaction was a little more convincing than the previous one.

I wish I could have gotten him in a "Hah! See how you don't care about your family? You were willing to sacrifice your grandchild to your brother". But alas, it seems like he was unaware of this part.

King: "I knew about his Gift, but... I never thought he would go so far... Believe me, Isabella."

Isabella: "Uncle... I believe you. As for you..."

She approached Edmond's sister, with a cold, emotionless look on her face.

Isabella: "I understand why you wouldn't want a bad woman like me to be near your brother..."

Princess: "Does that mean you will forgi-"

Isabella: "Shh... Uncle. You will crown me queen, won't you?"

King: "...Y-Yes... Of course..."

Isabella: "I see... In that case, I'll guarantee your safety. As long as you play along."

She gave her best to smile at them, but to say it did nothing to make them less worried was an understatement.

Miwen: "I'll confine you three in a room. I'll assign a few guards, and no one else will be allowed to enter. Tomorrow will be the time for your announcement. We have a script ready for you to train. One word off and your head, and your wife's, and your daughter's, will roll. Now follow me, please."

Terith's king surrendered to Isabella.

For all effects and purposes, in an unlikely twist of fate, the weaker nation, Evretis, overcame Terith and the land was reunited under Isabella, its new ruler.

Surely a time of peace and prosperity would be ahead were we able to defeat Hamperlon.

Unless of course, the only other person who could argue about this turn of events had anything to say.

Teith's crown prince and hero...

I was looking forward to his arrival.