Gacha Kingdom Building
Chapter 159 - 159: Audience

The tea and the cake that were brought to this room had fallen to the ground.

Even though they surprisingly didn't make too much of a mess, Isabella rushed to grab a towel and began cleaning desperately, as if she had committed a crime.

In such a scene, I would've expected the maid to do something.

Either help her, or at least apologize, but instead, she remained completely still, looking down from above at Isabella's desperation, without ever lifting a hand to help.

I couldn't understand either of their actions.

Maybe Isabella wanted to clean everything and send the maid away to hide everything that was happening, but of course, that would never work.

The maid was just the closest to the room, and after her, a few knights and butlers also arrived on the scene.

Between them, there was one particularly powerful knight at level 78.

The others' questions and smirks didn't stop her, but once he arrived, Isabella halted her efforts.

He only glanced at the dirty floor, but I could tell that it sent shivers down Isabella's spine.

?????: "You brought a man to your room!?"

I'm sure he saw the summoning circle, but he made no remarks about it.

Isabella: "N-no Brother, I-"

Miwen: "Nah you kinda did. Own up."

Isabella: "I told you to shut up!"

She was sweating, and I could see tears in her eyes, although she was doing her best to hold them back.

The attitude she showed me was completely different than the one she had toward her brother. It was difficult to measure which one was the real her, but...

The fear she had toward her own family seemed abnormal to me.

Even if being seen with a man might be damaging to a lady's reputation, it would've been better to tell the truth here.

It didn't look like she was in the mental state to lie, and there was plenty of evidence to support the claims of me being simply a summon.

Instead, the lack of words and confidence made it seem like she was rejecting reality.

Quite different from the girl who was telling me off just a few seconds ago.

In front of him, she became incredibly meek.

?????: "And who might you be?"

Miwen: "I'm a king from a faraway land. The lady summoned me and has yet to explain things."

?????: "...What is your name, and realm."

Interesting. He didn't deny my claims outright.

Perhaps it's an effect of my high level.

Or he decided to ignore Isabella and judged the situation based on what he could see.

Miwen: "I'm from a kingdom without a name. Although some refer to it as a paradise, it exists nowhere. As for me, you can call me Miwen."

I've yet to decide on a name for the kingdom.

A few of the girls have been calling it Paradise, but it doesn't feel appropriate to me.

Some say I should just call it The Kingdom Without A Name, while I fancy calling it Nowhere.

After all, one of its biggest characteristics is that the place isn't anywhere in creation. Even the First Daughter and the Merchant have trouble reaching it.

Still, since we can't decide, for now, I'm going with all three.

?????: "...I'll take you to my father."

He was suspicious of me, but it was understandable.

Isabella: "Wait, Lenard, please-"

Up until this point, she was only looking at him from the corner of her eyes, not daring to look directly.

The mention of her father changed that.

It seems that in her desperation, she called his name, which made him look back at her.

However, this resulted in her cowering from him.

Isabella: "Brother... please don't involve Father... I can correct this..."

It was impossible to believe what she said.

She spoke quietly and slowly, doing her best to not stutter, but in the end, her words came out as weak as they could be.

If one wasn't paying close attention to her, they probably wouldn't even have listened.

?????: "...You? What can you do?"

Isabella: "..."

She wasn't expecting a reply.

It shocked her so much that she wasn't able to answer him. The weight of her words was once more reduced, now going past zero and reaching the negatives.

It wasn't simply a waste of time to have listened to her. It was insulting to anyone who gave the benefit of the doubt.

Having realized that, her head went into a deeper downward spiral, not allowing her to recollect herself.

She was facing the abyss from the edge. The more she looked down, the more she would realize how bad it truly was, which in turn, made it harder to look away.

It was truly a pathetic display.

But... by no means was it deserving of the faces the servants were showing her.

Even her brother didn't seem to show her any sympathy. Although to be fair, he was dealing with me, and seeing my level, he became a little agitated.

Miwen: "Seems like it's decided then. Guide the way, Lenard."

I gave her a pat on the back, pushing her forward.

Isabella: "W-what are you doing?"

Miwen: "Hm. I don't feel safe without my summoner around, so take responsibility."

Isabella: "No... I can't..."

This was a problem.

Although I had an idea, I wanted to see Isabella's reaction to her father.

It's clear that she is the Darkest Star I'm supposed to be helping, but I still don't have much information.

As such, it is advantageous for me to use this situation and push a little more, or else, I'd have to spend some time building trust with her until she felt comfortable telling me.

I plan on doing that either way, but... I want to waste the least amount of time possible.

I already know that the Event timer can be quite deceiving.

However, while I thought she was just acting timid or anxious, the truth was slightly different.

Lenard: "She doesn't have permission to step out of her room."

Miwen: "Oh, I see."

It could be bad to disrespect the rules of the house, and so...

Isabella: "Wha-"

I gave her a princess carry.

Miwen: "I'll be sure she doesn't step anywhere."

Lenard: "...What are you planning?"

Miwen: "Her presence is non-negotiable. I have no plans to leave her side."

He started measuring me.

His hand was reaching for the sheath of his sword.

Miwen: "I wouldn't recommend that. Blood will leave a worse stain on the floor."

Lenard: "You are surrounded and unarmed."

Miwen: "Am I?"

Cassandra appeared, turning into a sword by my side.

I had to move Isabella a little, but with my level, it was no problem to carry her on my shoulder with one arm, no matter how much she protested.

Miwen: "I'm armed now. And I also have a hostage. If this isn't enough to level the playing field, shall I prove your first claim wrong?"

While he was 8 levels ahead of me, at 78, it seemed like he didn't have as much experience.

Paired with my skills, even without Cassandra, I was probably able to take him on.

The other knights could become a problem though.

Not a single one of them looked particularly strong, but numbers do make a difference.

Lenard: "I'm temporarily lifting your punishment, Isabella. Come this way."

Starting a fight wasn't going to be particularly useful to me, as it would probably only work to bring me closer to the bad ending.

Calling Isabella a hostage could've been seen as a provocation, but there was a reason for that.

I wanted to see how much he cared for her. If any at all.

While he didn't react too much, I did notice that he became more nervous.

Although It could've been the case that he didn't want to give away his feelings and controlled himself.

And his action was the right call if he had his sister's safety in mind.

Definitely not a ten, but passable in my book.

I walked by Isabella's side while we made our way to the room that her father, Duke Albris, was waiting in.

She didn't raise her head once.

Neither on the way nor when we arrived.

Albris: "Have you not learned anything, Isabella!? The maids saw blood on the floor. Your reputation is already like this, and you plan on damaging it further?"

So disingenuous.

That amount of blood could never have been from something like that.

Even though I stepped on it, the purpose of it was also obvious.

What bothers me more is that Isabella has no apparent scars on her body.

Which indicates that she's been collecting blood for a while.

Without her servants noticing...

But there was a chance that she had cuts in parts of her body covered by the clothes, so I decided to wait before jumping to conclusions.

Albris: "As for you... I see you carry a spirit. However, I have not heard of a king who has a contract with a sparrow. Are you truly from Paradise?"

...?

Seems like there was some miscommunication in his reports.

I thought that Lenard's whispering had already told him everything, but it didn't appear to be the case.

Miwen: "That's just how some call it. Whether it is or not, I cannot answer. Once again, my kingdom has no name."

Isabella wasn't saying anything.

However, aside from me and the Duke, no one was.

But the fact that he could see Apollo told me that he either had a Gift that facilitated it, or he had a contract with a spirit.

It would be strange to have a Gift that allows one to be a Spirit Contractor and not have a spirit, however, I couldn't see his anywhere.

Apollo also wasn't helping. He decided to rest on Isabella's head, and it didn't seem like he wanted to get out of there.

Albris: "Can you prove your words?"

Upon hearing his words, not only Lenard, but all the knights unsheathed their blades.

While I had to give him props for having more authority than the elven leader back then, his actions only made the situation walk backward.

This gave me no choice, so, I called Claire, as well as the Valkyries.

Claire: "...Hm? Isn't that-"

Miwen: "Shh... Focus. We'll talk later."

Her reaction basically made me certain of my theories regarding Isabella, but there was going to be a better time for us to discuss.

Miwen: "Whoa... And here I thought we were becoming friends..."

Lenard had a stance prepared, and once he saw me distracted with Claire, he took the opportunity to slash me multiple times.

Every time, I met him head-on, and his strength wasn't enough to overcome mine.

He got irritated, burning with more energy than ever, but...

Cassandra changed her size, which allowed me to reach his neck.

Miwen: "This time, it was your father's fault. However, I wouldn't recommend doing that again. It's usually a fatal mistake."

All the other knights in the room were defeated or didn't even get to properly fight before being disarmed or having their swords broken.

Most of them were on the floor, afraid of the monsters I had brought.

Miwen: "As for you, Duke. Your actions are insulting. How do you plan on repaying me?"

Albris: "What are you saying, the swords you broke are more expensive than the rags you wear."

While true, it was still extremely rude.

But it worked out for me.

Miwen: "Right, then I suppose I should be the one paying you."

Albris: "...?"

Miwen: "Since I don't plan on leaving my summoner's side, how about you hire me as her personal butler? I'll work for free until my debt is paid."

I think the excuse of a summon wanting to be close to the summoner is believable.

Even more so if I make it look like I don't particularly care for Isabella if not for her role.

I didn't come here to beat anyone up. If I wanted to complete the Event successfully, I should focus on what it was that I came here to do.

And so, I'll have to be as close to Isabella as possible. Only this way can I understand her wants and needs.

Albris: "Our house is in no lack of servants."

Miwen: "And yet your servants are lacking. A maid who dared to bring cold tea and hard cake, even though it doesn't seem like you lack money judging by the wonderful insanity-inducing white room you've prepared..."

Albris: "That is none of your-"

Miwen: "Maybe. But the knights are. I'm not sure how much my life is tied to hers, so I can't accept second rates watching over her."

Claire noticed instantly what I was doing, but it didn't seem like she was mad about it.

If anything, I think I saw a light smile on her face.

Albris: "...What do you propose?"

The Duke was finally willing to negotiate.

He is level 92, and aside from the Valkyries, he is stronger than anyone in the room.

But with the shameful display of his knights and the difference in power between him and even the weakest of the Valkyries, he didn't have too much room to dispute my claims.

Miwen: "I'll act as her exclusive butler. I'll also bring a maid, a knight, and a bodyguard for her. All free of charge. Fire or move all of her other personal servants and give us permission to move freely, as well as to use the houses' facilities."

Albris: "What about her teachers?"

...The only thing I wasn't that confident about.

While she looks to be around my age, it's probably safe to assume that the education in this world is behind Earth's.

In which case, I could probably get away with teaching her anything below the high school level.

However, if it comes down to it, I'll bury myself in some books until I'm able to teach her.

The only problem is...

Miwen: "I'll have to study this world's history and geography, but aside from that, it should be fine. As for magic and-"

Albris: "There is no need. She doesn't have a Gift."

Isabella: "N-no... I... received one... two, actually..."

It was the first time she raised her voice and it was barely audible.

Still, it was enough to surprise everyone who listened.

Albris: "...At your age? Is this how you summoned him? What do they do?"

His attitude suddenly changed. Quite a lot too.

He seemed completely disinterested in her before this.

Also, this is truly another world. Receiving a Gift at her age would've been totally normal on Earth.

Isabella: "Ah... Well..."

Although I was also interested, I decided to cut the conversation short.

Miwen: "Don't tell."

Isabella: "Huh?"

Albris: "...This is between me and my daughter-"

Miwen: "Then why are there so many people in the room? Unless you're telling me they are all trustworthy, me included. In which case, feel free to tell me yours too."

The room fell into silence.

Albris: "I'll not expose-"

Miwen: "But you're fine with exposing hers. I won't allow information that can be prejudicial to me to be disclosed. It's best if no one else knows about it."

Isabella: "W-what are you saying? i-"

It seemed like she had no intention of going against her father.

So I had no choice.

Miwen: "I order you using 500 points. Do not share details about your Gifts with anyone who isn't me."

This sealed the deal.

If she acquired more levels, she could probably resist the Order without suffering too much from it, but then I could just renew it with more points.

It was a little forceful, and I certainly angered her father, but it was necessary.

I don't mind the other one, but I can't have details about [Gacha Kingdom Building] leaking like this.

Especially knowing how much other people would try to make use of her for it.

Miwen: "With that said, it seems our business here is done... Claire, Skuld. You take her to her room. I'll take a look at the kitchen and bring you lunch later."

To hide your Gift is just common sense.

It was strange that the Duke was so keen on having her tell hers.

However, he seemed to have understood that he couldn't have his way with her as long as I was close by.

And so, I brought Mei, Bea, and Licia to make up for the girls that left.

I still had a few serious things to discuss with Albris, and depending on how things went, I thought it would be good to show I had more firepower in reserve than just the remaining Valkyries and Cassandra.

Given the knight's anger, I didn't want to risk another brawl even if we could win it.

Thus, now that everyone was a little more calm and willing, I started the true negotiations.

The ones I'd rather Isabella not see.