Gacha Kingdom Building

-This chapter is written using Claire's POV-

I lived with my life with my head held high. I completed the tasks that I received, and I was capable enough to be recognized by my family.

While it was short, I don't regret the decisions I took back then, nor the course my life took, even if it is true that I didn't have a choice and was simply swayed by the motions.

But I've been feeling strange about it for a while now.

I earned my rightful place through might. I was strong. And I used my strength to shut down any nay-sayers along the way.

I didn't work hard for the position of duchess because I wanted to partake in politics or had the desire to rule.

Not at all.

I hated politics. The two-faced nature of those who attended social gatherings, always looking for weaknesses to exploit in the character of others, disgusted me. Not to mention the rumors that sprouted from the most minimal things. It all felt so annoying.

Thankfully my family only had strong connections to the Royal Family of Lunaria... but even around the few friends I had at the time, if I wasn't careful, it was possible to besmirch my family's reputation.

Having to tip-toe like that over the most superficial things was soul-crushing. It felt like I couldn't trust anyone who wasn't an Ashbrodd.

The only thing I liked about the path that was forced on me from a young age was the fight and struggle. Getting more powerful and silencing the doubters was satisfying.

The me from back then was strong. I was powerful enough for even my father to recognize it.

I would probably never have become a good ruler, but I have no doubts that I'd be a great general.

...It's a bit unfair to me now... The me from the past fought for something she didn't truly believe or desire... Now that I have something I desperately want to fight for, I'm way weaker...

And yet... it's also unfair to my past life...

My position by his side is unquestionable.

I put much less effort into it, and I got so much more... it leaves me ashamed.

It's almost insulting to my past self. I'm sure that girl would reprimand me. For having everything that she desired... while doing so much less than her.

And I have this feeling... that by Miwen's side, I'll climb high enough to overshadow her power...

And if that's the case... what would be left for the me who died back then?

Not my strongest self, she never got to taste the things she wanted. She was a satisfied and accomplished woman, but she was not happy like I am now. How could she know, that the life she spent so much time on, would one day become so meaningless?

The more I live this life... the more I indulge in it... the more I step on who I was...

If I could go back... maybe I could make everything better this time...

I know who I am now, how I want to live my life...

At the same time, I want to be here, with him... I want to enjoy what I have now...

These contradictory feelings might one day be my end.

But today, I feel like they are pointing in the same direction.

I'm sorry for my past self... but I'm not fighting to become a duchess anymore.

I'm fighting for Miwen. And the title I struggled so hard to obtain is meaningless to him. He was born to become much more.

In his path... he'll need more power than I can offer him... more power than I could use back then even...

I want to help him, I'll have to become my strongest self.

Which means I shall not lose or run away from any fight. Even the one against myself...

As such... I cannot hesitate about this any longer... I'll use the power that caused my life to end... I'll make it useful for him.

AOTG Member: "Did you only now realize your position? Very unlucky that you had to face me of all people."

Unlucky my ass... Elizabeth and I reacted instantly when they shot at Miwen... she must've noticed my magic, and since she locked onto me, I had no choice but to fight back.

This was all premeditated...

This girl is a water mage... and she's pretty decent too.

Beatrice says that the theories of magic are not as advanced in this world, but they sure are creative in their use...

When our battle began, she threw me into the inside of a building across the street using her water magic.

Due to the disadvantage of my element and the proximity of the others, I couldn't resist the attack and had no choice but to fortify myself for the impact.

But this girl came up with a pretty ingenious plan on the fly... either she's used to hunting fire mages, or she has a very quick wit.

Her first move was to hide inside a water bubble that sprawled forth tentacles. She used them to move around quickly, and this enabled her to use the walls as a platform too, crawling on them like a spider.

I knew my sword would be my biggest trump card in this fight as fire magic wasn't going to be effective, so I made sure to not let go of it, but my swordsmanship couldn't keep up with the 9 tentacles that she spawned out of that water bubble, and it didn't take long for me to be overwhelmed by then.

I took hit after hit... she focused more on my legs than anything else, but with these things behaving like whips, it was hard to predict their trajectory, and even if I managed to defend against one, I simply didn't have enough arms to block the others.

Cutting them off also didn't do much aside from wetting the floor since she was able to quickly regenerate them.

My sword skills weren't good enough to defend or attack, I felt like I was being played with.

And to no surprise, I pretty much was. I didn't think much of the soaked ground, but she started manifesting her tentacles from it.

She had to lower the number on the bubble, reducing her defense and mobility, but still, with these things appearing out of nowhere, I didn't have any opportunity to fight back.

Controlling two different types of magic while also maintaining the water in the ground under her control was quite a feat... I thought that in this World only the ones under Miwen were capable of something like this, but I was completely mistaken.

I needed to gain the upper hand, or at least take one advantage of her off the table as they were starting to pile up, so I unleashed a ring of flames in every direction to evaporate the water around us.

Hopefully, I'd be able to break her barrier too, but...

She concentrated the water in a thin stream. Not only did it block my flames, but it was also capable of perforating my left leg.

Both speed and power were exceptional. If I hadn't jumped out of the way, I would have left this exchange with a way more serious injury than the small hole that grazed me.

As for the bubble... I didn't even have the chance to test it's durability.

Once the stream passed me by, she threw it against a wall, splashing the water everywhere, and recreating her arena. With this move, she disregarded my effort and made the battle go back to its starting point, the only difference being that my legs were in way worse condition than when we first started.

I couldn't think of any obvious strategy that would grant me victory and ended up distracting myself too much while thinking of a possible weakness I could exploit.

This allowed her to grab my feet and arms, holding me in the air with these disgusting tentacles.

Try as I might, I couldn't break free with strength alone.

I thought I was facing a mage... but this girl fights like an assassin. From the start, she sought to restrain my movements, and now, I found myself in this situation, completely immobilized.

Claire: "Out of respect for your strength, I'll give you one chance to surrender! My king is very kind, if you answer my questions and head back to where you came from, I'm sure he'll find it in his heart to forgive you."

AOTG Member: "Wow. A shameless bluff, huh? Well, too bad. If you're talking about the guy that went after Lance, he should be dead right now."

....

Claire: "Haha.... hahaha! A bluff? Pfft! I'm really being underestimated here, huh?"

But that's not what pisses me off the most.

It doesn't hurt my pride to be underestimated. I have the other version of myself to compare to, so I know better than anyone how weak I truly am.

What I cannot forgive, however, is the way she dismissed Miwen as if he wasn't even worth considering.

Claire: "I don't know why you put so much trust in this guy, but let me tell you something. You guys screwed up, really badly. The girl who went after them is a monster... and before Miwen, she becomes a defenseless pet. He is a man who doesn't flinch in front of imminent death. The power of his opponent doesn't matter, once he's set on someone's fate, there's nothing they can do but abide by it."

That's why I need to quickly become stronger... He walks slowly but aims high. The complete opposite of me...

And still, by his side, he has Elizabeth, a woman who makes even my past self tremble.

He still doesn't consider us as his direct power, but the truth is that we are. And so, Miwen is already way stronger than I was back then, simply by having her.

It's hard to accept this... Miwen should have no use for a weakling like me when he has her.

So, to maintain my position... I need more power... I need to...

....!

I see...

So you are still here, huh? My dear past self.

I should have known. You're not easy to kill, after all.

So, why are you pestering me? Can't you see I'm busy?

Are you so afraid of being left behind that you seek to bind me with the shackles you made for you? You should know that they don't fit me anymore.

Things aren't the way they were before... We are more than just power for him... he loves us dearly.

He is not going to abandon us.

And even if he does... you won't become meaningless. I'll carry you with me forever. The life we had... I'm glad for it.

I'm thankful to you.

So... Can you help me?

You failed to control it that time... but you were alone, fighting a meaningless battle... and you had the power that Father recognized.

I want to surpass you, but... I also need you. You're the strongest. I recognize that... and as long as I have you... the training you did, the power you showed me...

then I have nothing to fear.

The weak me, and the strong you... I know that together... we cannot be defeated.

AOTG Member: "You have no idea... Lance is a psycho through and throughout. A normal person will flinch the moment they see how violent he is."

Claire: "Then I cannot waste more time here."

I suppose beasts seek each other... but I don't need to fear for Miwen... he's going to come out on top.

But I need to finish things quickly on the off chance that he needs me there, after all, it might be hard for him to fight without his most devoted knight.

...You might be afraid of doing this again since you refrained from doing so even when your life was on the line back then.

And I agree that this might be a mistake... but I know he'll take care of it for us since he always looks out for me.

So let's go all out.

Claire: "Burn away and let not even ashes remain... So that my doubts are reduced to cinders..."

I don't know many chantings for Solid Magic.

Using Formless magic tends to be enough for me, even more so when I'm fighting with the sword, since timing the chant and a slash for an effective combo is too troublesome.

But I always liked this one. It is simple and strong. More than visualizing my purpose with the flames, it helps me calm my mind.

Once everything in my way has been destroyed, I shouldn't have anything to worry about.

As such, looking similar to her water bubble, a globe of fire starts forming around me, and it expands to cover the entire area, evaporating all the water.

I'd love for this to have been the end, but my opponent was smart enough to chant a barrier of her own.

AOTG Member: "Oh, waves. Grant me your power, protect me!"

As expected, a small wave came crashing down against me. It was quite the dense barrier, and it also made for a good cover, as once it dissipated, I could see that this mage reconstructed her bubble.

I suppose she believes it's going to be as effective as it was the first time...

Well, what a shame... By getting rid of my indecisiveness, you're facing twice the woman you were before.

Claire: "May my heart be set ablaze as I follow Abdure's flames..."

AOTG Water Mage: "Oh, waves. Grant me power, protect me!"

My body started flaring and she sent another wave my way.

To her surprise, even after the water had hit me, the flames continued to dance on my body, completely unaffected.

Claire: "I'll follow him ahead, but I will not burn the past..."

AOTG Water Mage: "...You're still going? Wait, wait... you're not making this chant up as you go, right? ...You're nuts! It's obviously going to backfire!"

Well, someone is not as good of a mage as I imagined.

It's fine to improvise every now and then~

It makes for fun and unpredictable results after all.

Claire: "...May my fire awaken the Morning Stars, and may they in turn light my way!"

AOTG Water Mage: "Oh, waves. Grant me power, protect me! Oh, waves. Grant me power, protect me! Oh, waves. Grant me power, protect me!"

Spamming barriers... that's so Elizabethian.

I kind of want to test this against her now... the ones from this mage are lacking in both power and quantity.

This is the attack responsible for my death. I used it when I destroyed the sacred forest, and when the final act of my life came... I refused to do it again.

I saw this as a mistake. The lesson I learned was that having too much power could be as harmful as having too little.

Deep in my heart, I ended up blaming it for my fate. I became afraid that if I used it again, somehow it would lead me to a bad result.

But this time I'll make it work.

I'll take a note from Miwen's book and I'll use my own weaknesses as a weapon.

It should be easier to control than last time due to my level.

And since I have already used it once in the past, I already know what its full potential looks like.

Last time I only summoned one Morning Star... But alongside the red star from my World, I wanted one that resembled the sun from this one.

They are both way smaller than the one I used to destroy the bandits...but my heart is screaming that I should throw one against the other to see what happens...

Ugh... I know it's going to be trouble... But it's so hard to get over my habits...

Focus! Let's fulfill our duty first. Then we can play with Elizabeth! And if I can control this I can show it to Miwen next time we burn the elven forest!

Claire: "...You should've given up when I gave you the chance..."

She kept trying to attack the Morning Stars, but these babies work like Golems. They follow me around and launch flares that disintegrate anything in my way.

For each of them, I had to expend 40% of my mana, but it was well worth it.

Because her jet streams cannot reach me. She cannot wet the floor anymore. And those tentacles aren't a problem at all.

It's surprising that her water bubble is still resisting, but...

The true power of this attack only comes when the stars are launched.

They are pretty much the strongest fireball I can use.

And of course, her barrier couldn't take it.

Her hands became completely scorched, and the girl fell to the ground while suffering from Mana Depletion.

She summoned too many barriers to defend against this, but it saved her life.

Claire: "...I suppose I should be grateful for you... thanks to your power, I didn't burn more than necessary."

Mia: "Acting like you didn't reduce their power when her mana ran out, I see..."

Claire: "She was a worthy opponent, wolf. I should show some respect."

The two watching me from outside the building finally revealed themselves.

Mia: "Yeah, about that...

Claire: "I can already imagine..."

During our battle, I saw my experience rise a little bit.

Since I hadn't killed anything, there was only one possible explanation.

Angelica approached the opponent I just defeated, and took out her heart, sealing her fate.

It was a gruesome sight, and while I accepted it, I wasn't interested in watching.

Claire: "If you were watching, you could've lent me a hand. Rivalries aside, we need to clear them as fast as possible to help Miwen."

Mia: "No way I would get in the way of those things. You were obviously going to win faster without my interference."

Claire: "Oh, admitting that I'm stronger then?"

Mia: "Not at all!"

...Now that I take a good look, Mia's face is a mess.

Since Angelica has some levels now, she probably healed her a bit. Probably enough to stop any bleeding... but for her to get hurt like this... I'm starting to worry about the others.

Some of them should be fine, but...

Claire: "Beatrice and Ellie might struggle... maybe we should go help them..."

Mia: "Especially Ellie... these guys are not amateurs, and that girl doesn't seem to have too much experience fighting against people since she was an adventurer in her past life... not to mention..."

Claire: "She's honest to a fault, and these guys are just the type to take advantage of that..."

At least she has a good head, and is very loyal to Miwen... this probably means she's not going to immediately offer her opponent a way out.

Angelica: "Ellie ended up inside a building too, to get there we'll have to pass by Anna and Beatrice anyway... We could also help Licia if you want to."

Mia: "Hm? Nah, she'll be fine."

Angelica: "Hm? But she also doesn't seem used to fighting anything other than monsters. I thought she might struggle-"

Claire: "Oh, absolutely. In her mercy, she'll take her sweet time. But I don't see her losing to these guys."

Mia was also in complete agreement. After all, when I wanted to do some practical fire magic training, I got a bit of Miwen's hair burnt... and Mia's tail... and Beatrice's clothes when she was feeling too cocky.

Sure, these were all accidents... for the most part.

But Licia was the only one who managed to leave unscathed.

And when it comes to swordsmanship, she's incredible at adapting herself to any kind of challenge due to her time as an adventurer.

Sure, fighting people is a whole different matter due to a more objective use of magic, but the same goes for her. She has an entire arsenal in her head when it comes to her ice magic. No matter what you do, she will have at least three answers.

Claire: "It's decided then, let's make our way to Ellie, and if the others are struggling we'll help them too. We'll come for Licia later and then we'll head out for Miwen."

These two are the ones who need help the least. They should be fine.

The important thing is protecting those Miwen holds dear to him.

It's the duty we have now.