Gacha Kingdom Building
Chapter 162 - 162: Suspects

Even though I talked big to Priscilla, I ended up going through a humbling experience myself, as some things in this world aren't as easy and convenient as they are back on Earth.

I had to grind down a few spices that I had never heard of, so while I wanted to make something nice for her, it ended up being somewhat of a shot in the dark.

My high level of [Culinary Arts] was really helpful though. I get levels in it as often as with every other skill, but only now that I stepped out of my comfort zone did I understand how good it truly is.

Just by trying something once I'm flooded with ideas and a rather good perception about how I should use each ingredient or utensil.

Even with that though, the girls couldn't help but watch in amusement at my trouble in the kitchen since it was so similar to their own experience back in their first days on Earth.

While offering help, they had the smuggest smiles, and I could hear them excitedly joking behind my back.

Certainly well-deserved karma for all the times I've teased them.

Although I was having a few unusual problems, like almost slipping or cutting my fingers, however, even with that, I managed to prepare a good meal for Isabella, and I've been able to teach her how to cook for herself too.

It was just a matter of adapting and trying out the different utensils they had for me to learn too.

One thing to note though is how reliant this world is on magic.

It's quite interesting.

Their use is more refined compared with the humanity I know. Their knowledge and experience with it are way ahead of ours.

On Earth, outside of enchantments for weapons and tools, we normally use mana orbs for electricity.

However, this world has a different way of using them altogether.

They can draw the power of the element, allowing even the people who don't have a talent for that specific type of magic to utilize the tools and achieve the desired results by simply running pure mana through it.

This completely different philosophy led to some contraptions I wasn't expecting to find in a medieval world.

For example, their alternative to a stove uses fire orbs to function. Those are usually powered by monster cores using an intricate system that doesn't require electricity.

They still use wood or charcoal to keep the fire burning, but the color of the fire orb indicates the temperature, and it's possible to change and control the temperature using it.

As Claire pointed out, this system is not commonly used since it tends to be very expensive.

A good orb is needed to make the system function for a long time on a house as big as this, which means there's also a necessity for powerful monster cores to power said orb.

It's like trying to build an engine. It needs to be powerful, but the more powerful it is, the more fuel it will require.

The likelihood of these things affecting Isabella's lessons was low, but I decided it was better to keep an eye out for them and understand as much as possible.

It's clear this house is not the safest place for her, so I couldn't let my lack of knowledge hinder me in preventing any schemes, incidents, or misunderstands from happening.

And speaking of incidents, I'm currently unable to use the library.

After one of Isabella's episodes that happened before I reached this world, it has been put under maintenance.

I had asked her about it, but she refused to elaborate. She only said that she had her reasons.

She ended up not giving me anything to go on from, so while I didn't doubt her, I couldn't do anything aside from accepting the situation.

And so, a few days went by.

Her mood was slowly improving thanks to a better diet, and I was able to start working more with her.

I've allowed her to use my tickets however she sees fit, and she's been a little more willing to listen to my advice, which has made her sentence shrink considerably fast.

She has also promised to pay me back but I'm not really in need of money, and to clear this event, I was ready to invest everything into her anyway.

Still, without access to the library, I wasn't able to learn much about this world, and had to rely on Claire's knowledge and...

Mei: "...The blonde one, Chloe, has been sold by her family. She's talkative and is interested in us, so I've been approaching her."

Her reports.

Miwen: "Just be careful with what you say. I don't want to reveal anything vital from our side."

Mei: "Of course."

I've been using Mei to gather more information about the house servants and their opinions on Isabella.

For her to blend in a little better with the others, I've allowed her to perform duties that aren't necessarily related to Isabella.

Still, the information she has provided me is making me understand the picture a little better.

Most of the people working in the house don't have a favorable opinion of her, but they also don't have a personal reason to hate her.

Of course, they can also be hiding it, but...

From what we could gather, they have some dissatisfaction with their jobs and with other members of the family.

Since targeting them is way harder and riskier than Isabella most of the employees have been using her as stress relief.

There's no one willing to stand up for her, and she doesn't have a strong position. Anyone who watches her could see that.

She's also quite nervous around the rest of her family.

This is a situation that has been naturally developing over the years, one thing feeding another until it grows into the status quo and no one even questions it.

However, there's a possibility that someone either took advantage of the existing situation or planted the seeds for things to happen this way from behind the curtains.

Lenard doesn't seem like the type to care for such things.

Albert is usually quite occupied, so it's hard to tell what he's been up to, but considering he has a position in the ministry, it's understandable to some extent.

While their relationship with Isabella isn't particularly good, neither seem to hate her per se.

At most, they are harsh with her due to the problems she causes, which obviously doesn't help her situation, as it paints the picture of her existing at the bottom of the family's hierarchy.

Pamela seems to control the internal politics of the house more than Albris, who is occupied with external politics.

Her personality also makes her the primary suspect, but Mei hasn't managed to hear about any wrongdoings or rumors yet.

For now, it seems like she cares a little too much about appearances.

If she doesn't harbor ill intentions toward Isabella, we might be able to use her desires in our favor by arguing that the servants' lack of discipline might damage the image she tries to maintain.

The most difficult to deal with, however, will be Albris.

Even if there is no mastermind behind the current situation, his actions, or rather, lack of actions, are certainly a problem.

There's a whole situation going on, as this dukedom used to be independent a few years ago.

According to Isabella, Albris is the uncle of the current king. They entered a union due to the power of the surrounding nations in an attempt to strengthen their nations and prevent a war from happening.

But this has also put Albris in a difficult situation, as he and his children have legitimate claims to the throne, making other Dukes jealous and distrustful.

This means he has to pay a lot of attention to them and dedicate himself to building trust, which can be quite hard considering their positions.

As such, Albris has prioritized his relationship with the other families instead of his own.

Still, due to his negligence, Isabella has also earned a bad reputation with other families after participating in multiple incidents in gatherings with their ladies.

The facts behind those are even more obscure though...

Claire: "I told you this was hard... Almost everything that Isabella does makes the situation worse."

It's as if fate itself hates her.

And it doesn't help that she has a problem trusting others.

Miwen: "Doesn't matter. If I can't have her reconcile with her family, I'll make sure she can live without them."

Claire: "I guess... I think that getting her to be more independent is good, but don't forget that the point of the game was to have her enter a relationship with one of the targets at the academia. There's a chance that her desire lies there..."

It's good to remember that this was a dating sim to begin with.

There's probably a clue there.

But Claire didn't manage to get too far in the game, so I asked her to go at it when she had time.

I also got Licia, Beatrice, and Ellie to start their own saves too.

These three are all a little better at romance... or bewitching... or acting cute.

With different approaches, we might get somewhere.

I also asked if Mia wanted to participate, thinking that her distinctive personality could also lead to a different route in the game, but she had no interest in any of this.

Still, when it comes to romance...

Miwen: "That's actually the easier part. She can use her telepathic link to get advice from one of the girls whenever she needs it. I'll also be there to help."

Claire: "...I get the others, but what will you help with?"

Miwen: "Hm? I'm basically a god at romance by this point."

She barely tried to hold back her laughter after hearing what I said.

Claire: "Haha! You're taking Mia's comments way too seriously. As far as I remember, you kept waiting for Licia and me to make a move."

Even though it was true, it kind of hurt my pride a little.

Especially when I think that Anna and Cassandra also took the initiative.

Ellie kind of did too, but at least I insisted a little on her.

I also took the initiative with Bea. Kind of.

So... I'm not that bad at this.

At least I think I understand the heart of men pretty well.

Most guys will be more than satisfied with a cute, loving girl.

And in that department, Isabella is rather pretty. As long as we fix her attitude a bit, people will be all over her.

Although that might also be a problem.

If we consider her position as the daughter of a Duke, I can see others trying to approach her while intending to use her as a stepping stone.

While this might make her happy at first, I doubt it's going to last, and it would probably affect my ending too.

So call me an overcaring parent, but I'm not allowing these types to approach her at all.

Still, that's all the more reason to invest in her education.

Because if I can't protect her against this type of people, I can at least make her capable of protecting herself.

But sadly her homeschooling is not going as well as I first expected.

She's not particularly smart or talented and struggles with simple concepts sometimes.

It's not too concerning since she puts in the effort, which I think is the most important part, but sometimes she complains to me about the difficulty of the subject and well... me.

I was never a good student, so I knew I wouldn't do a good job teaching her the same way I was taught.

So, I tried a different, less traditional approach.

I've been using math to cheat on a bunch of different games, and once she gets mad enough I explain the trick and the math behind it.

She absolutely hates it at first. But once she gets to win, she starts developing her skills quite rapidly.

Whenever I give her some problems to solve, I ask her to write down her thoughts and the steps she took to solve them.

It helps me understand where she's having problems, and I can then reinforce some concepts.

It's also creating good notes for her, which might help her remember things better. Her reading and writing skills are also developing nicely.

Her progress these past few days is reasonable. Not particularly good, but we'll at least be able to finish the introductory book that the academy sent.

From there, I can give her reinforcement lessons on the subjects taught, and she should be able to achieve high grades.

She's not too sure about that though as she thinks that playing games with me is a waste of time.

Still, different activities should distract her from this white room, and I know she's just worried about her future.

She'll also thank me when we start training her magic and body.

Since I'll leave that to the girls and I'm also subject to those frequently, I know how hard it can be.

It might even delay our schedule a little bit.

Still, to do that, we need to get her access outside of this room.

But that can only happen tomorrow. It would be dangerous if she tried to resist her kidnapping.

And so, while in her room, I wait patiently, pretending to sleep.

In the middle of the night, there was a sudden change in the air.

It was filling the room, so I made a few air bubbles to guarantee I wasn't going to get affected by it.

??????: We're only getting this one chance, so don't screw it up."

Two men and a girl...

One of them rather big.

I'm not sure about their identities.

Which is strange considering I think I was introduced to everyone in the house.

I do know the girl though.

She's the blonde chick Mei was talking about.

Chloe: "...I heard the boy is supposed to be royalty of some kind. The Duke is even giving him special treatment."

??????: "Take him too, then. We might be able to get a ransom. If not, we can always make an example of him to make her more willing."

Great.

I thought I was going to have to make a move, but they took the stupid decision all on their own.

Perhaps getting kidnapped is considered bad luck and Isabella's Gift is giving me a hand?

Whatever the case, I decided to trust the professionals, so while a little rough, I was able to fully enjoy my kidnapping.

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