Gacha Kingdom Building

Since we were going to do an open-air barbecue, there was no better place than the Kingdom, even more so considering how much I had expanded it to give Lily some space to work.

The Kingdom appeared on my map as a single line with four total plots unlocked, three that I had unlocked as either a freebie or spending Kingdom Points, and the initial one. Around them, everything was completely black.

Points-wise it wasn't expensive to expand the Kingdom, and taking into consideration the fields and possible increase in residents, I decided to increase the size of this land more than I had ever done, making it a 5x5, with two lines added on each side of the initial plot, and each of them having 5 plots in them.

Since Elizabeth was protecting the walls with her barriers, security wasn't too much of a worry. We also knew that the monsters rarely left the forest on their own, but if need be, we would do an expedition later to see what new beasts are living in the added areas.

However, the most concerning thing was actually the size of the Kingdom now.

Before, the kingdom had a perimeter of 10 km and an area of 4 km².

This expansion brought it to a perimeter of 20 km, and an area of 25 km².

When I thought about these numbers, I mistakenly thought they didn't seem too bad. But as expected of a student who never got above average, math had gotten me good.

The perimeter becoming twice as big didn't seem like a big deal to me, and the area becoming a little more than five times bigger was a little more concerning, but still reasonable as the Kingdom wasn't that big to begin with.

Not to mention, the actual area that we would be able to farm in at first wasn't going to be that big since we would need to clear the forest and the monsters to make it safe for Lily, so, this allowed me to have a quick expansion route, while maintaining a sizeable area to start with.

However...

There's a third way to look at this... and it's a perspective that better portrays reality and scale than just the numbers.

An area of 4 square kilometers, means that to walk through the entire kingdom, not skipping a single spot, I would have to walk 16 kilometers.

And now that the area had been increased to 25 square kilometers... I would have to walk 625 kilometers.

Seeing it for myself, my little expansion ended up being quite big.

Lily: "B-but... this is fine... you also want to have farm animals and they need a lot of space to be happy and healthy! So more is better..."

With the way I expanded the kingdom, inside the walls, the houses and other buildings were in the middle, separating the fields into two areas.

The plots directly to the side of the initial square of the kingdom were a plain field instead of the forest area that exists in front of it.

I was going to use Kingdom Points to prepare the land by removing weeds, rocks, and the random debris that came with the new plot since it's really convenient, but a good surprise presented itself.

Bea asked if she could work with Lily to take on the cleaning of the land with their magic instead.

It was a very strange request coming from Bea since she doesn't usually show interest in doing jobs like this, but according to her, she wanted to study Lily's use of [Earth Magic].

Due to being a farmer, not a scholar or a fighter, Lily had a different approach to [Earth Magic], and thanks to that, Bea wanted to see and study it.

This made me a little happy. There should have been plenty of opportunities for Bea to learn from farmers in her medieval world of magic, but her coming to learn it now showed that she had changed a little bit, either thanks to recovering her memories, realizing her mistakes, or... developing more trust in others thanks to the relationships she has in the Kingdom now.

It was lucky that Lily, like Ellie, is a bit shy and meek, which might've been the determining factor for Bea to take the first step into starting a friendship with her.

Her close friendship with Ellie, her developing relationship with Elizabeth due to their shared interests, and now her friendliness towards Lily... seems like this evil witch is slowly changing from the woman who locked herself in a cabin and never tried to understand others.

At least for me, this was a welcome change.

And for the job itself... they did well. Lily seems to know how things should look better than I do, so there wasn't any complaint for me to make.

Miwen: "Since there's an Invasion Event tomorrow, I think we should start working on the day after. Is there anything you'd like?"

Lily: "Um... since you're going to provide everything needed for the field... I would like... maybe a book, or... something to research your world's farming techniques... Your knowledge over it was...

heh..."

She stopped short and became embarrassed to say anymore, but I had no problems with it. Truly, my knowledge of this area was lacking.

At most, it was superficial. I knew the names of some topics and had some basic ideas, but I never went deep into research because... Well, because it looked kind of boring.

But taking a look at it for myself now is kind of making me regret that. I'll probably accompany Lily with her research and work going forward.

I think it's useful to know and understand how our food is produced so that if any problem arises, I have some basis to guide my response.

There's also the matter of technology... things from Earth are quite expensive, even more so in quantity, so we'll have to start slow. but even someone like me understands that Earth has developed techniques that don't require too much, or any technology to work.

Out of the top of my head, I knew we could apply crop rotation, and while I was oblivious to the best ways to do it and its intricacies, I at least knew Lily was going to need more than one crop option.

Lily: "Also... since my level is so low and the area is quite big... another pair of hands would help a lot."

Mei: "Allow me to help you, then. What would you like to be done?"

Lily: "Um... right now... I think there isn't too much to be done, but..."

The girl offering to help is called Mei.

Out of everyone that has been summoned, she certainly competes for the spot of oddest one.

She remained completely indifferent while I was explaining their situation, almost as if she wasn't listening to it at all.

After I had finished, I allowed them to ask any questions they still had, and this girl simply asked if I was to be her master.

It wasn't something I was expecting to hear at all.

And my answer... was actually yes. Even though I don't force a subservient behavior on the girls or demand anything aside from loyalty, I am hierarchically above them, and while they can treat me however they like when it's an order, I expect them to follow.

If this ever becomes a deal breaker for them, they are always free to leave.

Still, once she heard my answer, Mei's [Loyalty] skyrocketed, reaching the levels of Licia and Claire, pretty much at the edge of the slider.

Aside from that, another strange thing occurred when it was time for me to start distributing clothes to them.

I had some options downloaded to show them... I also asked that, if they had anything in mind, they could describe it to me.

Gabriella, the girl with platinum hair, instantly stood up and started describing what she wanted. There were all sorts of things such as a coif, tunic, and veil... and it became pretty obvious that she was speaking about a habit, which confirmed that she was a nun or a religious devotee of some sort.

The last one to pick something was Mei, but she had her answer ready from the start.

She just wanted a maid uniform.

Having one of the newcomers wear something like that could set strange expectations for the others, but no matter what I said, she didn't budge and kept calling master in our discussion while in front of everyone, which wasn't helping things in the least.

It felt like the more time I spent trying to convince her, the lower the opinion of the others would become of me, so I ended up conceding.

She then immediately asked me where we stored the brooms, and once I got one from Earth, she went on a cleaning spree through every building of the kingdom.

Miwen: "It would be good if you could help Lily in the future, but I think you've done enough for today, feel free to rest."

Mei: "I'm sorry master, but I've barely done anything. I've yet to find the laundry and prepare the meals."

...That... might be more than Claire has ever done in her entire life.

Miwen: "There's no need to cook today, me and my father are going to take care of it. Speaking of which, I'd like to invite you to our small gathering. It's not obligatory or anything, I'll bring food to your room even if you don't participate, but... if you try it, I'm sure you'll like it."

I felt like this could be a good way to show them we meant no harm, and good food could convince them to stay too.

Mei: "That cannot come to pass. Master, you should not bother with such mundane tasks, please, allow me to-"

Miwen: "Eh... but I like cooking."

Most of all, having the girls show appreciation for my food makes me quite proud and happy.

It's well worth the small effort.

Mei: "I humbly object. It's my duty to-"

Miwen: "Right. If you are going to be so serious, then... take it as an order. As your master, I'm demanding that you participate in tonight's activities and that you relax and have a good time."

Mei: "...If it's an order... then... I shall abide..."

Even though I didn't use the [Order] system, I hated going so far as to force my will into a girl, but she was getting ahead of herself.

Sure, I appreciate the help, but I don't like the idea of leaving everything to her, or any of the other girls, for that matter.

Since this is something more personal, that I enjoy doing, this time, the one who wasn't going to budge was me.

Miwen: "Also, there is actually one thing you could help Lily with. See, I got a few pots to make small gardens in the ceiling of the houses, can you plant these seeds?"

Lily: "Sure!"

...While one showed a dignified smile, indicating that she was happy, the other couldn't seem more energetic about it.

The idea of lazing around all day with nothing to do is appealing to most people, but more and more I've begun to like the chores and work I did with the girls, to the point where now I was one of the weirdos that also was happy to do some work.

I'm glad that Lily seems to enjoy gardening and farming so much though, since it is a tough job, I was worried about putting too much work into someone's hands.

Since her tail was excitedly moving from side to side and she couldn't look more happy, I instinctively ended up petting her.

It was an honest reaction that came out of nowhere from me, such was the power of her cuteness, but before I took my hand off, I noticed she didn't seem mad about it, so I enjoyed her fluffiness a little more.

After that, I went to call the other summoned girls to participate too.

Gabriella: "Will the demon be there?"

Miwen: "Absolutely."

Gabriella: "Then, fear not, I'll be there to-"

Miwen: "Great. But don't start any trouble."

I've been very lucky with the girls that I've summoned, as most of them don't have a problem with the demon race.

At most there's some attrition between Elizabeth and Cassandra, but it stems from Cassandra's lack of regret rather than hate towards her race.

But Gabriella straight up hates Elizabeth to the point where she has volunteered to stay in the Kingdom for as long as necessary to... prevent evil from taking root, as she said.

She believes this is a heavenly test for her and that she must cleanse our hearts from Elizabeth's influence.

It's very annoying, but Elizabeth herself said that it was a positive thing, as it meant that this girl had essentially agreed to become [Citizen] for life.

She was clearly favoring the expansion of the kingdom over her own feelings, and I decided to honor that determination, ignoring Gabriella's antics and not responding to her.

However, I did warn her that if she initiated any unprovoked action toward Elizabeth, she would be kicked out.

And even if I'm ignoring her words, I told the girls that Gabriella and Lana, the catgirl who attacked me back in the hall, are at the top of the list for potential threats and that we should keep an eye out for them.

Speaking of which, Lana is currently the [Citizen] with the lowest [Loyalty]. It's not on the edge of the dangerous side but it's more skewed to it than the loyal side.

She was also the only one who refused to participate today.

It was understandable though, if anything, I thought the others would also show more resistance.

Perhaps the reason for their acceptance was fear of possible repercussions.

Still, as the the darkness started to paint the sky and the evening approached, with the girls and my family sitting on the grass, sharing food, drinks, stories and just having a good time, the newcomers that joined also slowly became more comfortable.

Small positive increments in their [Loyalty] as the hours went by were signaled to me that they were warming up to us a little.

Since this was a good mood and opportunity, I thought it was sad that Lana ended up isolated and away from this, so I decided to bring a plate to her room in hopes that she would accept a second invitation.

But there was no answer, and I left the plate on the table in the kitchen and went back to our little party.

Unexpectedly, before reaching the others, I had a sudden urge to pee. Thankfully there was a convenient bush right in front of me, and no one around, so I didn't think much of it and just did it there.

This was a grave mistake.

It resulted in me being the target of never-before-seen cruelty, a move that could only be described as cowardly brought me a fate I wouldn't wish for my worst enemy.

Lana: "Raise your hands slowly."

She came out of my shadow, aiming at my neck with a knife made completely of black mist.

I didn't know when she got there, it could've been the first time I went to invite her or the second.

Her ability to hide and travel through shadows is very impressive and hard to detect. She might even have the potential to surpass Alex when it comes to espionage...

Miwen: "I'm a little bit busy right now, so, can we play lat-"

Lana: "I don't care!"

She kicked my dick.

It didn't hurt due to my high level and defense, but that is not something a reasonable person should do.

As demands the laws of motion though, it swayed to one side due to the force applied, and then it swayed back to the other before stabilizing in its usual place.

Lana: "Waah! Y-you... you peed on me... noo... I hate this... I hate you..."

It was a strange scene. I had my dick out a girl crying right next to me, but I was still the victim.

If anyone was to blame, it was herself, and at most, we could place the blame on karma.

Miwen: "There's a river running downstream outside the walls. You can go there to take a bath."

I then bought and handed her a similar set of clothes as the ones she was wearing.

Lana: "You're not going to trick me. I demand to be released."

Miwen: "Sure. Hand me back the clothes I lent you and you're free to go anywhere you want."

In the hall, I had offered them two options, either they could go out, defenseless, clotheless, and directionless... or, they could spend a month inside my pocket dimension.

Once the time was up, I would offer them my full support in whatever they decided, be it staying in the kingdom, or even seeking somewhere else to live.

While the choice was theirs, one was clearly much more advantageous, so I was pretty much sure of what they would decide on.

If they chose to leave though, I'd send them happily, even if they wanted to go out as a [Citizen].

Like seeds or a virus, they would have value outside the Kingdom as well, as they could come to me in a time of desperation, and could even ask me to make others into [Citizens] as well.

What mattered to me the most was maintaining the number of registered citizens, inside or outside the kingdom.

And in case they left and stopped being a citizen, I could just repeat the process as many times as necessary, and the kingdom would always have new blood, and certainly, some that choose to stay, increasing its population permanently.

Also... I was confident in the kingdom.

It's a safe haven. And we are working to make it prosper. Eventually, there won't be a place outside capable of competing with what it offers.

Lana: "Don't be an idiot. I won't expose my back to you."

Miwen: "Eh... I already have my hands full with another attention-seeking pet, if I don't return soon, I'm sure she'll be sad. But hey, if you want some attention, you know where to find me~"

Lana: "Wait! Don't move. Don't forget who is in control here."

How could I ever forget that?

It's my world, the control is, and always will be mine.

Miwen: "You're in my sandbox, kitty. So play nice, will you?"

Our levels were so far apart, that I had no doubts that she couldn't hurt me with her shadow dagger.

My biggest concern was finding a way to deal with this without hurting her.

And my solution was quite simple.

I just had to make her give up without even touching her.

Back in my first days as an adventurer, a recurrent worry was spending all my mana, as that would lead to mana depletion, a terrifying state that makes one unable to act.

Up until we met Elizabeth, it was still something we had to keep in mind.

A level one like her needs to be very careful with how she spends her mana, and so, by creating a single light orb, I ended her little rebellion.

Lana: "Are you an idiot? It will only make the shadow stronger."

A medieval-age catgirl is trying to teach me about science. How ironic that I would, in turn, teach her about magic.

Miwen: "Precisely. And thus, you will need more mana to maintain it. But you should be about to run out completely..."

There was nothing she could do once the mana depletion kicked in.

Her Gift was pretty good, but it wasn't enough to pose a threat to me with her current level.

Miwen: "I'm pretty sure you'll be forced to play my way then..."

Lana: "Tch. I won't forget this."

She grabbed the fresh clothes from the ground and ran away as quickly as she could toward the gate in the walls.

Miwen: "It's going to be tiresome to domesticate this stray..."

Mia: "Not on my watch. She'll make a great addition to the anti-playboy camp."

Miwen: "Are you talking about the camp whose leader went as far as to equip Cassandra to rush as fast as possible to my side? Somehow I don't think she'll be interested."

Mia: "Nrgh... wrong... she insisted on coming."

As I thought, Cassandra is actually quite-

Cassandra: "Yep, I thought you were doing something naughty and I really wanted to come~"

Yeah, I should've imagined.

The way she said that she wanted to come was enough to embarrass Mia.

Which gave me a great idea.

It was time for payback for my earlier defeat at her hands.

And thankfully, I knew my opponent's weak point and had the perfect weapon in my hands.

Miwen: "Speaking of which, Cassandra, are you also on the anti-playboy camp?"

Cassandra: "What? No way! I'm fully devoted to the slut camp. I only want to be against you in bed~"

Mia: "I'm going ahead!"

I think I've never seen Mia's face so red before.

Since Cassandra doesn't mince her words and has my memories, she's the perfect partner in crime to tease the girls with. I might even make this her official position.

And even though she said she was going ahead, instead of rushing to the others, Mia just walked in front of us, trying to ignore everything.

It's cute how she denies her worries but still acts like this.

When we got back to where everyone was, I saw that the mood was still going strong, and the newcomers seemed a little bit closer to the girls.

After a while, Lana came to join us too. She looked annoyed and displeased with me, but couldn't resist the food, and ended up not creating more trouble throughout the night.

It's not like she had an opportunity to either, as a more troublesome guest arrived shortly after her.

Marcus: "...! Something broke my barrier. I'm going to-"

Liz: "He broke mine too, but you don't need to mind him. I think he just came to steal food-"

Merchant: "You're absolutely right! Can I get some of that? Thanks."

He teleported behind Claire, got a sausage, and teleported back to my side.

A few extremely hot fireballs came close to hitting me as she tried to hit the thief, but it was no use.

Hitting this guy was a pipe dream.

Merchant: "So many new faces... If I knew you were throwing a party, I would've brought Priscilla. Actually, let me see if she's available."

I think Priscilla is the person I pity most in the universe.

The girl appeared with a bow in hand, positioned on one knee and ready to shoot an arrow glowing in an extremely bright blue, just the sheer concentration of mana on that arrowhead was suffocating to everyone around.

Priscilla: "...? YOU ABSOLUTE MORON! I was going to... Haah... Where did my life go wrong..."

Merchant: "Turns out she was free after all."

I couldn't be sure, but something made me think otherwise.

But this presented a good opportunity. With Priscilla here, there was a good chance I could Maya healed... for a price.

Maya was going to be healed one way or another but what Angelica would take months to do, Priscilla did in just a couple of minutes.

Seeing her walking on her own, completely fine again... I didn't manage to keep my emotions in check in this stance. And I wasn't the only one.

For even Mom to cry... while my parents have a lot of faults, their love for us was as real as you'd expect.

Seeing us like this, Maya tried to cheer us up, but it only made the tears flow more as they weren't a result of sadness, but joy.

The dark clouds blocking our little bright star were removed and she could finally shine again.

After everyone became a little more calm with the news, the Merchant started babbling to me.

Merchant: "I saw a strange gate, but when I tried to enter, I got denied. Apparently, their elevator is under maintenance. I tried using my power, but... that thing was connected to all of reality at once... what is that, Miwen?"

Miwen: "Oh, that is-"

First Daughter: "It's a gate that connects to the Infinite Hotel. Don't waste your time trying to enter, it's impossible without my permission."

She suddenly appeared, sitting in the grass as if she had always been there.

I guess the event she was talking about back at the Infinite Hotel was just this gathering...

Then why was she so serious about it?

I swear, she says she's not lonely, but then she acts like this is the biggest deal ever.

Merchant: "...The Infinite Hotel... Are you one of the Endless?"

First Daughter: "Oh... have you forgotten me? Perhaps this face will remind you."

Merchant: "...The Receptionist."

I thought the Merchant was searching for the Endless, but... apparently, he knew a different face of The First Daughter.

That felt a little bit strange to me. If they had a good relationship, surely he would know the face she's using in this Cycle.

Also... The Traveling Merchant... The Receptionist... letting these guys name themselves was a mistake.

Merchant: "You have a very high rank within your family, right? Could I ask you-"

First Daughter: "I am Second Of The Endless. And no. I refuse to deal with you. I have not forgiven your sins. I shall not interfere on your side."

It seemed like she didn't even want to look his way.

Claire: "Turns out the oh-so-great self-sacrificing higher lifeform is not that selfless after all. The plot thickens!"

Miwen: "I know, right?"

Frankly... I was heavily interested in their conversation, as anything said by either of them probably affects creation as a whole.

But with these guys being who they are... we simply had no idea what was going on between them.

Miwen: "So... did you scam her or something?"

Merchant: "No... I... made a mistake. Long ago, there was a flower, and I-"

First Daughter: "You should stop."

She was angry. An emotion that I thought I would never see in her face.

Even when she jokingly complained about the topics I was bringing up inside the Infinite Hotel, she looked cute throwing a fit, but this time, there wasn't a tinge of that.

Priscilla: "...!"

As it turns out, Priscilla was the type to take on a challenge.

Unfortunately for her, it would be ridiculous to call this a fair fight.

There is simply no match against The First Daughter. The very concept of power is meaningless before her.

Maria: "Magic is prohibited. Fighting is prohibited. Those who break the laws will lose their powers as punishment."

And then another one decided to join what was already a mess.

It was no use though.

The monsters in the Kingdom can be placed in three different leagues.

First, there's Mom, who tries to play the arbiter, even though she is actually fond of a good fight.

She is completely incapable of touching Priscilla. The gap between them is immeasurable.

And Priscilla is just our middle-tier monster.

I'm pretty sure she could take an army made entirely of clones of my Mom.

And yet... she is less than an insect before The First Daughter.

If the three of them decided to throw down, the one who would lose was... me.

Because these higher forms love to drain me of my resources, and fighting seems to be one of their preferred methods.

Miwen: "I swear I'm not getting scammed again. If you break, you'll pay. Also, you said you weren't going to trouble the girls, and my cute elf over there is terrified."

Ellie: "Uh? Ah... Y-yeah, I'm terrified. Could you please stop ?"

First Daughter: "...You're right. I'm sorry for my outburst."

Merchant: "...Priscilla."

Even I was surprised that I came on top of all of these monsters. I was genuinely annoyed and planning what I could replace with the remaining Kingdom Points.

Merchant: "...I will not ask anything else, so please, just answer me this..."

First Daughter: "I can't remember the last time we've unanimously agreed on something, so you might be able to convince the other Endless of your cause. But it will depend on who you meet."

She didn't even wait for him to say it...

Merchant: "So there is hope... that is all that I need."

The Merchant seemed genuinely relieved upon hearing that.

Perhaps, the First Daughter might be the only one capable of reassuring him, even if her words weren't kind or supporting.

A man who has decided to carry the weight of creation on his shoulders...

Marcus: "Well said, young man. Here, eat some more, so that you can grow some muscles."

Guess great minds think alike. And so do the dumb ones.

Their magnetism to one another is incredible, almost as if it were fate.

Sure, their respective responsibilities are in completely different leagues but... their decision is the same.

They are both heroes who heard the call and rose despite the odds.

The Merchant is proof of a promise's importance to a man. He fought through the death and birth of the universe multiple times... just to do what he thought was right.

I thought my father would one day stop, but... I guess men like them don't know how to.

Merchant: "Oh yeah, Miwen. Since Priscilla helped you out, there's something I want you to do in return."

I really can't escape him huh...

How did Priscilla manage to live so long with this guy?

Well, his conditions this time weren't so bad. He just wanted me to help recruit someone to the Caravan.

He can't go to their world without the Gods coming down to meet him, so he wants me to go instead.

I told him I was a little busy, but he said I was too weak to go right now anyway and agreed to send me at a later date.

And thus... all of the problems I started the day with, or that were created as the day progressed had come to an end, and I could enjoy this peaceful scene.

The First Daughter was creating beer and meat so that we would have an infinite stock for as long as the party went on, and she was also throwing some in the ground, saying that she wanted it to drink too.

The Merchant and Priscilla were having a good time talking with my parents while Maya was having a nice moment comforting her boyfriend who had a face filled with despair after receiving the talk from my mom.

Lily almost like a concerned little sister, was trying her best to cheer up Lana, who still seemed annoyed.

Speaking of which, Cassandra was teasing Angelica, saying they were sisters due to being summoned together, and poked at the relationship between Beatrice and Ellie, which prompted the two quiet sidekicks to hold back their sisters who got a little too animated.

Licia was serving Agatha, Grabiella, and Olivia, while Claire was being served by Mei.

Meanwhile, Mia and Anna were in an endurance contest... to see who could drink faster one entire bottle of the strongest drink I brought.

Elizabeth: "In creation... Nowhere is quite like this... For even beings like an Endless and the Merchant to sit down and enjoy their time with mortals... I think I made the right choice.."

Miwen: "Nowhere, huh... That doesn't sound so bad."

It was not that some things were impossible.

It was just that... they existed in nowhere.

An isolated piece from reality, where its ruler's only desire was to grow together with those under his wing.

In my family, subjects, and allies... I could see my past, present, and future...

Thanks to [Gacha Kingdom Building], I was able to make this land, and the people in it, prosper.

So, as a sign of gratitude, I took a page from The First Daughter's book and offered the land, the very manifestation of my Gift, a reward in the form of a shared drink.

May we prosper together, you and me.