Once we arrived home, I got started on dinner while the girls went to shower.
Claire was a little reluctant at first, but Licia convinced her almost instantly by saying they could have a girl talk I wouldn't hear.
I expected it'd feel a little lonesome being by myself while the two showered together, but every so often, I'd hear giggles and animated chatter through the sound of the running water.
Before I knew it, just imagining what the two were talking about brought a soft smile to my face.
Still, I tried not to get too distracted.
It was the first time we'd have Claire join us for dinner, and I wanted to leave a good impression.
Besides...
Claire: "Oh... That's a nice smell."
Licia: "Fufufu... I told you! The breakfast was just a fraction of his skill. Miwen would have even a royal chef beat!"
The two came out of the bath looking refreshed, their hair still slightly wet.
Just like she'd done on our way back from the Dungeon, Licia proudly showed off my skills as though they were her own.
She'd boasted so much that Claire's eyes flared with expectation, a teasing smile on her face telling me that she wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't meet her standards.
I had no idea how I'd compare to an actual chef, especially the ones a Duke's daughter was used to, but... I couldn't disappoint after that.
Licia: "What are you doing today?"
The two seemed hypnotized by the scent. Drawn to the kitchen, their faces peeked from over my shoulders and around my sides, like curious, impatient children.
Miwen: "Just a simple beef stew... And a small surprise for later."
The cream-streaked mixing bowls gave me away, and Licia immediately pieced it together.
Thankfully, she kept my secret, taking Claire out of the kitchen with her.
Once I had finished, Licia helped me set the table, and we enjoyed a nice, if simple, meal together.
Truth be told, I'd have loved to do something more extravagant that fit Claire's taste, but... This was what I was most confident in.
Licia: "You're being a bit quiet..."
For a moment, their personalities seemed flipped.
Licia had a smug smile on her face, leaning over Claire's view as she quietly faced away, blushing.
Claire: "Hmph. I... I don't know yet."
Licia and I both looked at her with surprise.
I was a little disappointed, but then...
Claire: "Can I have a little more? Don't misunderstand, it's just... I want to make sure before giving my verdict. Yeah."
She nodded to herself, occasionally glancing my way from the corner of her eye.
Of course, she had already given a positive verdict.
Miwen: "Sure. But just a little. I have something else for you."
Claire: "Eh?"
After getting her seconds, I brought Claire and Licia slices of a strawberry shortcake I had made while they bathed.
Desserts weren't really my thing, but...
Seeing their starry eyes and joyful faces, I started wishing to improve my cooking skills, if only to see more.
Claire: "Hah... That was great..."
The words escaped her, and Licia was quick to catch them.
Licia: "Right!?"
She was only truly satisfied once Claire admitted it, even though Claire kept insisting that it could've been a one-time fluke and that she'd have to taste more of my cooking to score it.
Licia: "And he says he's an amateur. Tsk, tsk..."
Claire: "...Oh? The chefs in this world must be incredible, then."
Hearing their talk, I thought it'd be nice to take them to a restaurant one of these days.
They'd surely enjoy it.
Still, after dinner, I decided to put my Gift to use.
We had gotten another sword from the Goblin Lord on the first floor, and from the little experience we had of the second floor, the daggers were still plenty enough, so I ruled out the [Weapons Banner] for the night.
With Claire joining us, there was no need to try the [Companions Banner], at least for a while, so...
I returned to the old, not-so-trusted [Skills Banners].
With the ability to share skills between citizens and our newly discovered experience-sharing, this one just felt even stronger.
Claire's Gift also benefited a lot from it.
If I could help get her some free levels on certain skills through this banner, that'd save her Sparks to increase other skills. As long as she'd agree, we could create a strong feedback loop with our Gifts.
[Faster Tree Climbing
As the user already has this skill, its level has been increased, allowing even faster tree climbing.
This skill has no mana cost and can be deactivated at any time.]
I was cursed.
I had to be.
Why else would this skill show up every time?
It even had the gall to show up before all the others, just to make sure it'd spoil the whole thing.
Claire: "...Everything alright?"
Licia: "I think it's fine... He probably got something bad, is all..."
The two caught me clenching my fists, biting my own lips.
It took me a second to regain my composure, but with Licia patting my back, I continued reading the results.
[Swordsmanship
As the user already has this skill, its level has been increased, improving the user's proficiency with swords and, to a lesser degree, other bladed weapons.
This skill has no mana cost and can be deactivated at any time.]
The second skill almost instantly made up for [Faster Tree Climbing], and I raised that very same clenched fist.
Claire narrowed her eyes, looking at me like I was a lunatic.
Licia, on the other hand, instantly realized what this meant. Knowing she'd eventually get something good herself, she couldn't contain her enthusiasm, excitedly patting me faster as if rushing me to go on.
[Mana Shield
Envelops the user's body in a thin aura of mana capable of blocking both physical and magical attacks.
By expending more mana on the skill, the shield can be expanded to protect allies as well.
The minimum area for the shield has an upfront cost of 1 mana point, and for every 5 seconds it remains active, it will drain the same amount from the user's mana pool.
Bigger areas will have an increased cost in mana points, as well as a higher upkeep cost.]
I stood silent for a second.
While the mana cost was still a small problem, this sounded like a great defensive skill.
The girls complimented my awareness more than once before, so I could probably make good use of it to protect our teammates.
[Greater Might
Directly increases the user's strength stat by 1 point, allowing for physical feats beyond the user's normal capabilities.
This skill has no mana cost and can be deactivated at any time.]
The last skill was probably the best, not only of this roll, but of all rolls I'd done so far.
It was simple enough, just a straight free stat point like [Increased Movement Speed], but that's what made it so strong. It was basically a level-up without levelling up.
While the cost to level up this skill was higher than spending the level-up points in the strength stat itself, that would change with time, and this would become a cheaper alternative every so often...
[Increased Movement Speed] was basically the same, so... They were my best skills, without a doubt.
Licia: "You got something good, yeah?"
Miwen: "Yep. Faster Tree Climbing."
She gave me an annoyed look, not even pretending to believe it, and quite literally shaking the truth out of me.
Miwen: "And a few other skills. Some that I think you'll like a lot."
[Greater Might] especially.
That one was gonna benefit all of us.
Licia: "Hmmm... So, what are your plans now?"
Her voice sounded extra sweet, her feet swinging happily off the sofa.
Meanwhile, Claire got herself another slice of cake, staring at us with suspicion in her eyes.
Miwen: "I still have the Kingdom Points to claim, but... There's something new I wanted to check beforehand."
After registering Claire as a [Citizen], a message popped up about a system called [Events].
I brushed it off back then since the situation with Claire was the priority, but now that things had settled, it felt like a good time to take a look.
The [Events] appeared as a tab inside the [Kingdom] section, so I ended up claiming the 10 Kingdom Points from our combined levels while at it.
Since there was a chance I'd have to use them in the Events, I saved them for later.
As I focused on the [Events] section, a system screen appeared before my eyes.
[While there are more than 3 registered [Citizens], the [Events] function will remain unlocked.
Currently, the user may choose between two different [Events].
Once an [Event] has been selected, the user may not switch to another [Event] until an ending has been achieved.
Each [Event] has a timer and specific conditions that will cause an ending.
[Events] may have different endings depending on the course taken.
Restrictions may be imposed on the user during [Events].
Failing [Events] will have negative repercussions on the user and the [Kingdom].
It's possible to fail at events, which will have many different negative effects on the user and the kingdom.
Completing events will reward the user and the Kingdom, based on the ending achieved.
Events can further unlock unique systems and buildings."
That was already a lot.
It almost felt like an entire Gift by itself.
And yet, there was more to come.
Just like with skills, there were two tabs related to [Events]: [Available Events] and [Current Events].
Of course, there were no [Current Events], and the system didn't exactly explain much about what the [Events] themselves entailed, so...
I took a deeper look...
Claire: "Is he still with us?"
She waved her hand before my eyes, messing with the screens.
Licia: "We're gonna eat all the cake, you know?"
Miwen: "That's fine. Just give me a second..."
The two seemed worried, but I was actually quite excited.
Anything that'd make me less reliant on the Gacha was a win in my book.
However, the first [Event] option took me by surprise...
[Disaster! A Star Falls From The Sky
A comet hailing from another universe has fallen into our world.
It has brought many resources that never existed in this dimension; however, its anomalous power has begun to corrupt this reality, changing the surrounding environment into a forest labyrinth of crystallized flora and plant-mineral hybrid aberrations.
Will the King claim these resources for himself? Or will he perish like all the other thieves?
Restrictions:
All gacha banners are restricted, except for [Weapons Banner] and [Armor Banner].
The user can claim [Kingdom Points] during this [Event]; however, they cannot be used until an ending is achieved.]
After the lengthy description of the event and its restrictions was a sliding bar.
Much like the [Loyalty] system, a needle seemed to point to the difficulty.
In this case, the needle was on the red edge of the sliding bar, and if it could, it'd probably break away from it.
That was enough for me to take a look at my other option...
[War! The Fall of the Snow White Wolves Tribe of the Maide Island
The Kingdom of Hamperlon has been fighting against the residents of Maide Island for a decade.
Hamperlon's army is much bigger, but individually, the residents of the island, beastmen of the Snow White Wolves, are much stronger.
Naval invasions have been attempted, most soldiers dying in the cold water, before ever feeling the frostbite of the snow-covered island.
However, the Kingdom of Hamperlon has recently ended another war and is on the verge of reinforcing its attempts against Maide Island and its residents.
The final act of a decade-long war is upon us.
Will the King ally with great conquerors or with the valiant defenders? Or perhaps... Will he conquer both?
Restrictions:
All gacha banners are restricted, except for [Weapons Banner], [Spellbooks Banner], [Armor Banner], [Items Banner], and [Supplies Banner].
Time Limit:
Two Years.]
The slider for this event was slightly closer to the center, but it still rested comfortably on the red side.
While the descriptions hinted at what I should do during the [Events], they felt more like a throughline.
Considering that the island invasion one even had a timer, I could probably do whatever or nothing at all if I wanted to.
Though the latter would probably cause the event to fail, or maybe a bad ending at least...
Another interesting thing I found was a line of text sitting below the second [Event] title:
[Time until the next selection of events:
5 days.]
It didn't mention any repercussions for not selecting any of the [Available Events], so I figured it meant they'd just cycle through.
Which meant I wouldn't see them again...
Miwen: "...This is tough."
The two beside me tilted their heads, one of them with a streak of cream on her face.
It was an interesting system.
I wanted to check it as soon as possible, especially since there was a reward involved, but...
For that to happen, I'd have to get as strong as possible, as both options seemed quite difficult.
Still, there was a path...
Miwen: "I'm gonna need your help."
Their eyes widened, and they briefly looked at each other before answering me.
Licia: "I'm actually happy to hear that."
Claire: "Hmph. If it's interesting, I'm in. And I guess I owe you one for the cake... And the stew..."
Both seemed curious, so I went through the whole [Events] system again, reading it out loud for them.
Once I had finished, they showed me excited smiles, agreeing that we should focus on getting stronger for the upcoming challenge.
For the time being, though...
I decided to use the [Kingdom Points] on a slightly less direct improvement.
Miwen: "Alright, Claire. Have you selected a new change of clothes?"
Claire "Yeah... Lend me your thingy."
Just like before, she had quite the eye for style.
But now they both had two changes of clothes each, so with the 5 Kingdom Points that remained, I shared a few skills around.
First was the most obvious choice, [Enhanced Drop Chance].
With Claire around, this skill's effect would stack even more, making our raids that much more profitable.
Lastly, even though it was a skill easily enhanced through training, I decided to share [Swordsmanship] with both of them since they should make the most of its level-up.
Besides, that'd save a few of Claire's sparks for her other, equally valuable skills.
While Claire seemed content, turning her head from me so I wouldn't notice it, Licia kept murmuring "heehees" and "ehehes" next to me.
However, that only lasted until I said that tomorrow, I'd be focusing the Kingdom points on getting myself her [Ice Magic] and Claire's [Fire Sword Arts].
The two went to sleep satisfied, though.
And after trying a single roll in the [Mana Gacha] so as not to suffer from mana depletion, I went to sleep with a new ring in hand.
The worst part was that when I got to the bedroom, I found the two already occupying the entire bed.
After a deep breath, I squirmed my way between the two, getting hugged and pushed all the way to my pillow.
All that effort not to touch them somewhere inappropriate was swiftly wasted, as a few minutes later, we were already in a compromising position.
Still, I at least tried my best.