While the Second Prince's arrival and their troops disembarking on the island were bad news, I hadn't lost all hope just yet.
However, to turn the war around, all we'd need was...
Melissa: "...Rejected."
Her nonchalant expression resembled the one she wore when we first met. The tone of her voice was as cold as the snow falling outside.
Refusing to back down, I met her gaze across the table.
Miwen: "...Why?"
Melissa wasn't unreasonable.
She put up a front, pretending to be annoyed that I wasn't taking her word at face value. It didn't take long before she relented, letting out an exasperated sigh.
Melissa: "The cloak only allows one blow before the effects wear off. Even if you strike a clean hit, given the gap in your levels, you can't kill a Prince or a General, and you won't have a second chance."
I proposed a plan similar to the one we used to bring down the Angel Of The Night. The difference was that since Melissa needed to defend her tribe, I'd be the one taking them out from the shadows.
I'd infiltrate their ranks and target the Seven Rainbow Miracles first, and then, I'd go after the Second Prince if I had the chance.
The Third Prince probably would've retreated after these losses, but even if he didn't, I'd only need another night to take him out.
Melissa: "What's more... having you interact with the Second Prince at all would be dangerous."
She seemed concerned.
If Normyu were to get his hands on [Gacha Kingdom Building], even if it were a weaker version, that'd probably be the final nail in the coffin for the Snow White Wolves.
Still, it's not like I was being optimistic.
We needed to make a move; otherwise, the situation would only worsen.
Miwen: "Do you have another suggestion then?"
I crossed my arms, relaxing in my seat.
Mia looked annoyed at me, while Melissa faintly smiled.
I didn't want to pressure her since she already had so much on her plate, but I couldn't see a way out of this that didn't involve one of us risking ourselves.
Melissa: "...I do actually. Let me have a look at your Gift."
As she brought a hand to her face, her smile grew slightly too excited for my liking.
Miwen: "Hm? Haven't you seen plenty already? Both the items I bring and the girls are part of my Gift."
Melissa: "I should have been more specific. I want to see your kingdom. Please?"
There were a few risks in bringing someone to my Kingdom, but by this point, I trusted Melissa.
Besides, it was unusual for her to be polite, and I found it too cute to resist.
Miwen: "I'm gonna have to register you as a [Citizen], though. Is that fine?"
Melissa: "I'll treat it as a formality. Mia, you stay here. If I don't return, you can kill whatever comes out."
She accepted my terms with the same carefree attitude that she used to threaten my life.
Mia: "...! Yes, Mother!"
Her daughter was pretty much the same.
Or maybe even worse.
For a second, it seemed like she was so eager to give me a beating that she recovered a little from the talk we had before.
Since the pair was like that, I decided to get a little revenge on them.
I allowed Melissa to enter the Kingdom as soon as she accepted becoming my citizen.
A second later, she vanished from our sight, leaving a surprised Mia behind.
I followed right after, the dark underground prison disappearing from my view.
[Since the king can now claim more than 100 kingdom points, new buildings with special features have been unlocked. Please keep strengthening your kingdom.]
I was quite interested in the sudden system message that popped before my eyes, but for the time being, I focused on something else.
Melissa: "I see. Quite peaceful... or maybe empty would be a better word."
She took a quiet stroll through the Kingdom.
There wasn't much to see, though, so she was done pretty quickly.
Melissa: "I take it you've been living here without any problems?"
Once she was done looking at the scenery, she turned to me for answers.
Miwen: "My original world is a little more like yours, but since I came into contact with your world, I was forced to live here."
While answering her, I took a look at her skills.
The one I was most interested in was her [Mark Of The Beast Lord], but unfortunately...
[You do not possess enough Kingdom Points to obtain this skill at its current level. The skill level will be reduced to the highest level you can afford. Do you wish to proceed?]
After confirming that I wanted to get Melissa's skill despite its lower level, another system window popped up.
But before I could read it, Melissa already had another question for me.
Melissa: "I'm sorry to hear that. I would've liked to see your original world..."
Her words sounded surprisingly gentle and sincere.
Melissa: "Still... That house over there looks similar to the ones I'd see in our villages. Is that intentional?"
Miwen: "Yes, I believe it was unlocked when I saw the houses from your tribe..."
She stared longingly at my small, cozy home.
Meanwhile...
[The target skill's level surpasses that of the target citizen. The skill level is thus reduced to the highest possible level. Do you still want to proceed?]
As if a recurring joke, after I accepted these terms, another window appeared right after.
Melissa: "I see, if that's the case... This might actually be perfect for what I had in mind."
Unfortunately, I couldn't read the next skill, as Melissa's words caught my interest.
Miwen: "And what have you planned?"
Looking at me with the corner of her eyes, as if I had become her prey, she smiled with the same intensity as when we were in the fortress' prison.
Melissa: "I'll tell you at a later date."
Seeing me furrow my eyebrows, a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
Melissa: "For now, can you bring the girls here? I want to ask them a few questions."
Miwen: "...Sure. But they might not answer immediately."
There was a good chance Licia and Claire were busy watching movies, taking a bath, or just hanging out.
Melissa: "That's fine, I'm willing to wait a bit."
The girls would usually answer me instantly, though.
But I decided Melissa didn't need to know that.
Using the time I bought with the earlier excuse, I dealt with the wave of screens that stopped me from obtaining her [Mark Of The Beast Lord]...
[The target doesn't meet the requirements to obtain this skill. The process has been canceled.]
Why...
Why wouldn't this be the first window!?
Sometimes, this Gift was just...
Whatever.
Instead of complaining, I decided to get something else for my revenge.
But first, I called the girls.
Claire: "Hey! You finished early today! How was it with your wolf girls?"
Not noticing Melissa's presence, Claire appeared, waving her hand, without a shred of the refined demeanor befitting of a Duke's daughter that she'd usually try to wear around Melissa and Mia.
Melissa: "Although we are not finished yet, I personally had a pleasant time."
Claire immediately lost most of her energy, her face briefly flushing red.
Licia: "S-sorry... we weren't expecting any visits, so we didn't bring anything. But if you want to, we can-"
Even though she had nothing to do with it, Licia stepped up, drawing attention to herself so that Claire could recover from her embarrassment.
As always, she was incredibly kind, which immediately took away Melissa's smug smile and prevented her from provoking Claire any further.
Melissa: "There's no need for that. I won't be staying long. But... You could help me by answering a few of my questions."
Since the girls were always bringing me whatever I needed from my home, I never thought about leaving snacks or anything in the Kingdom...
I should probably work on that.
Still, Melissa really didn't seem like she minded the Kingdom's emptiness too much. Even after I offered to go inside the house or bring her a chair, she refused, sitting on the ground with the girls.
Licia: "What do you want to know about?"
Despite the soft tone of her voice, Licia was quite wary of Melissa.
She'd often pick her words carefully while doing her best to read the Wolf Chieftainess' intentions.
Surprisingly, Melissa seemed pretty fond of her attitude.
Melissa: "Mostly about how you're treated, and what he allows you to do. I'd also like to ask how you feel about him."
Despite keeping her guard up, Licia's face turned even redder than Claire's.
Claire herself had only just recovered, yet upon hearing Melissa's question, she immediately looked away as if it had nothing to do with her.
Licia: "W-well... about that..."
Her embarrassment spoke for itself.
Her eyes darted between Melissa, me, and the ground.
Claire, on the other hand, continued to stare at the vast nothingness stretching on the Kingdom's horizon.
Miwen: "If you prefer to talk about this in private, you can just enter the house. I think it would also be good for Melissa to see its interior."
Even though I had already offered it to her, this time, I was actually making the offer to the girls.
Licia: "...Can we please?"
Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible.
Melissa: "You're asking me? I don't mind it."
She glanced my way only once, but I had nothing to say.
The girls' feelings were their own. There was a lot I didn't understand, and a lot I didn't want to misinterpret.
But for the time being, that was fine.
We'd eventually figure it out.
So, as the three figures disappeared inside the house, I began looking through Melissa's skills once again.
It was a huge list, with quite a few interesting items, like one that seemed to give her a temporary berserk mode that she didn't use during her fight against the Angel.
Thinking back on it, since her Gift made her stronger the more injured she was, she probably didn't even use it as well.
Even though it worked within a time limit of one minute, paired with that berserk skill, she would've been even more monstrous.
At the same time, a berserk mode was probably best suited for someone who's already plenty strong. For someone at my level, losing my rationality would only make me easier prey.
Still, I was determined not to leave empty-handed.
After taking a good look, instead of gambling on an unfamiliar skill, I decided to grab her [Ice Magic].
Even though we could level up this skill by training, as one of the [Advanced Elements], this skill was quite costly to strengthen with level-up points, so grabbing it with [Kingdom Points] was a tremendously good deal.
With Melissa as my citizen, I received a week's worth of [Kingdom Points] in one go, which allowed me to get her [Ice Magic] at level 6.
Unfortunately, as the system revealed earlier, I couldn't use [Skill Share] to trade skills that had a higher level than me, but still... This was going to be a massive boost for Licia and me.
Fully satisfied with my revenge on her, I checked the special buildings that my system warned me about when Melissa joined the Kingdom.
[Quest Center
Allows [Citizens] to take on quests.
Quests often offer guaranteed rewards.
Quests vary depending on the creatures and the environment around the Quest Center.
Even when they have the same requirements for completion, rewards may vary from quest to quest.
Price: 1000 kingdom points.]
...I thought it was quite interesting, until I read the price.
Even with Melissa as a citizen, I'd have to save for more than a week to get it.
Considering how much I'd get by obtaining Melissa's skills, the rewards for the quests would have to be incredible to be worth it.
Still, there was one more building unlocked...
[Enhancement Facility
This facility offers a variety of special training for the citizens of the Kingdom.
Most training increases the speed at which citizens learn and strengthen themselves.
Price: 5000 kingdom points.]
Even though the [Enhancement Facility] seemed simpler than the [Quest Center], its price was way higher.
I could only imagine the effects were worth that much, but honestly, that only made me question how good the [Quest Center] was to begin with.
I'd really like to test both facilities, but with the amount of points I'd need to invest...
I'd rather take Melissa's skills.
But after that, I'd definitely try them out.
While waiting outside for the girls, I remembered I could check Melissa's loyalty now that she was a citizen.
Even though we had a good relationship and I didn't worry about her betraying me, she kept quite a few secrets from me.
She seemed to have been planning something for quite a while, too, but I couldn't grasp it.
All I knew was that she wanted Mia and me to get closer, and looking at her loyalty only made me more confused.
The bar wasn't as close to the green edge as Claire and Licia's, but it was also reasonably far from the middle section. Around a 65~70%, maybe.
It could be that her not thinking of herself as a citizen was skewing the metric a little, but it seemed reasonable enough.
Though, since it was close to the girls, maybe they also didn't see themselves as being part of the Kingdom either?
The loyalty bar was, in many ways, unreliable.
But then again, almost everything in [Gacha Kingdom Building] worked like that.
Besides, I couldn't blame them.
With only one plot of land, a house, and three citizens, I didn't consider myself that much of a king either. It was fair that they didn't think of themselves as citizens of a kingdom.
One day, that'd change, though.
My kingdom was definitely going to become a great empire in the future, and then-
Melissa: "Is it normal for him to daydream like this?"
Claire: "That's a first."
Lying on the grass, I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed them approaching.
I couldn't even blame it on poor timing, either. Since there wasn't much to do in the kingdom, I often caught myself thinking too deeply about one silly thing or another.
Miwen: "So, are you finished?"
Pretending that nothing had happened, I stood up.
Claire: "Yeah, we told her about how you overwork us and make us risk our lives in the dungeon. She said she'd protect us from now on, so we will be going with her, alright?"
Her lips curled into a big, smug smile.
Miwen: "Is that so? That's ok with me. I hope you like living on that icy island, with no movies, and no one to cook for you..."
Almost immediately, her expression soured.
Claire: "Sorry, sorry, sorry! I was just kidding, right, Licia?"
She looked at Licia, her eyes pleading for help.
Licia: "Eh? But didn't you say that-"
Having stepped up once already, Licia decided that this time, she wanted to enjoy Claire's reaction a little more.
Feigning ignorance, she innocently recalled their chat.
Claire: "Must have been your imagination."
Unfortunately for her, Claire was quick on the uptake, and sensing she wouldn't be getting the same favor again, she cut Licia off and stopped all attempts at getting back to that topic.
Despite her teasing, I was actually glad that the girls had someone to talk to about how they felt. Back on Earth, we had to lie about our circumstances to Roy and Sam, so chances like these were few and far between.
Since I didn't want anyone trying to exploit my Gift, this much couldn't be helped, but still... It was probably a relief for them.
Melissa: "I have another question for you, Miwen. Are you sure this place is truly safe?"
She seemed determined.
Miwen: "The fog is the only thing that might cause harm. I can't recommend getting close to it, but... Yeah. Outside of those I allow to enter, there aren't any entities in here, so there's really nothing to worry about."
At the very least, I could say this with a straight face.
The Kingdom was mysterious, but so far, I had no problems living inside it.
Melissa: "I see, then it's fine. So, how do I leave this place?"
It was a bit sad that she wanted to leave so soon, but then again, she had already seen everything the Kingdom had to offer.
Miwen: "Just focus on leaving. A pop-up will appear for me, and if I accept it, you'll return to the prison."
Melissa: "I see... I'll make a [Blood Contract] later so that you can't refuse when I wish to leave."
That puzzled me a little.
Miwen: "...You don't need to waste your time with that. I have no intention of blocking you from coming and going."
I could understand her wanting reassurance, but by this point, it should've been obvious that I meant her no harm.
Melissa: "I know. But I feel like it is necessary."
It didn't seem like I could convince her.
After some back and forth, she promised me that the [Blood Contract] wouldn't hurt me or restrict me in any other way, so I ended up accepting it.
I had no plans to stop her from entering and leaving anyway, so even if it felt meaningless to me, this much was fine.
After taking her back home and teasing Mia about our safe return, I went back inside the Kingdom.
Before going to bed, I thought about why Melissa was so keen on this contract, but ultimately, it was just one more thing I couldn't figure out about her.