Gacha Kingdom Building-Chapter 220: Plans For Her Future

The war between Evretis and Terith finally ended with Edmond's capture.

The two realms, now united, are under Isabella's rule.

Unquestionably, this was her victory.

However, even in victory, we still had a few matters to attend to.

First... Even though we won the war against Terith, this isn't the only war we are currently fighting.

We still have to deal with Hamperlon, a much bigger fish.

Aside from this, there's also the perception of the other countries regarding this matter.

The war started because of Isabella's kidnapping of Saint Sabrina, a controversial move among every nation on the continent.

Having Isabella, the perceived villain of this whole ordeal rise to the throne angered several people, and for a while, we had reason to worry that other nations might choose to side with Hamperlon against us.

But on that front...

Isabella: "Just how much did you prepare..."

Miwen: "Hm? What are you talking about?"

Isabella: "What else? Hamperlon."

The mountain of paperwork we were dealing with made it hard to see Isabella's face, but I could tell from her voice that she was excited about the news.

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My priority has always been Hamperlon. Terith was just a quick stop that turned out a little more inconvenient than I had anticipated.

However, my position allowed me to pull Terith's strings in a way I couldn't do with Hamperlon.

When Isabella asked me if I had something similar prepared for them, I had to be honest and tell her I did not.

There was nothing I could do to quickly defeat them like I had done with Terith, especially since they were also watching our movements and prepared accordingly by hiring mercenaries to increase the manpower in their armies and reinforce their capital to prevent the same scenario from occurring to them.

That being said... While not in the same league, I did have a few moves ready.

Isabella: "Saint Gabriella mysteriously disappeared from Hamperlon only to arrive in Cobierzh a few days ago. Once in their territory, she accused Hamperlon of being the culprit behind Sabrina's kidnapping, as well as her own, stating that she was forced to serve in their territory and that the demonic and draconic calamities their land is facing are the result of their interference with her and Sabrina's duties... She also said they framed Evretis for this to cause a war and conquer territory from the two warring nations..."

Miwen: "...How evil. Someone should punish them for that."

Isabella: "Haah... What's the point of playing pretend? This is obviously your doing, right?"

Miwen: "...Woah. I wasn't expecting you to catch on."

I don't have any qualms about sharing my plans with Isabella, but her inquisition about Gabriella was a bit of a special case since her actions, up until the very last moment, were completely up to her.

I had given her instructions to act this way, sure, but I couldn't trust her to do it.

This task involved having her in a high position where she could have easily betrayed us, which was actually something I was expecting to happen.

I wanted to deal with Hamperlon and her both at the same time...

Fortunately... Or unfortunately... This scenario never came true.

She did as I told her...

Isabella: "Well... I'm just impressed. The narrative has shifted quite a lot... It helps that Hamperlon operates under a rule of conquest, but still... I didn't know there was so much animosity against them... It's like everyone was waiting for a chance to kick them at least once."

That's what happens when you beat everyone around you.

The first chance they get, they'll start walking with sticks.

And if they have the chance... Well, they might beat you just so they don't have to carry the sticks anymore.

Even though Isabella has a bad reputation, Hamperlon's behavior is way more tangible and their record is more stained. Once things become a little murkier, without a black-and-white, right or wrong scenario, even if manufactured, the other nations will show their resentment and pick favorites.

The fact that they acted so quickly to intervene also helps a lot.

The facade of justice they had was seen through by others almost instantly, and now, even though they are innocent, it's hard for them to argue against Gabriella's words.

Especially since she brings evidence like the calamities attacking them in search of the Saints...

Internally, things aren't looking so good for them either.

Gabriella is, surprisingly, a decent Saint.

Much more than Sabrina, actually.

While Sabrina was busy trying to court men and villainy Isabella, Gabriella went and performed her duty, helping and guiding people in Hamperlon.

The people in these areas are currently questioning their leaders, and a few minor problems have started.

It's still not enough to decisively change the outcome of this war, but it is a start. Especially since it creates an opening I can try to abuse later on...

I only wish we weren't buried in problems of our own...

Mia: "Ugh... I don't get any of this... What did Claire mean by "I dealt with it?". Can't she write a proper report?"

Miwen: "That's... The Rampage in that forest, right? She probably meant the forest is gone."

We had to revise almost every aspect of the two kingdoms after unifying Evretis and Terith.

We already expected the supply routes and logistics to suffer changes, but we also had to decide our policy for the soldiers and their assignments.

Even though the fight was quick, it was hard to ask the men to trust the people they were fighting with just a few days ago.

This extended from the footsoldiers to the commanders, and since we need the combined armies of Evretis and Terith to oppose Hamperlon's, we now face a problem with the main army composition and the chain of command.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to fix this...

But in the meantime, I scattered the girls around and asked them to do a few odd jobs for us to help keep things smooth.

One of the problems we currently deal with is the recurrence of Rampages or nests forming because of a lack of personnel.

We could ignore this until the war is done, but... Since this is the land Isabella will inherit and we have yet to decide on our next move against Hamperlon, I thought it would be fine for the girls to deal with it before it grew into a problem.

Isabella: "...If this type of work bothers you so much, why not help train the troops?"

Mia: "I wish, but I can't. I'm motivation."

Isabella: "...Sorry? What does that mean?"

Mia: "This idiot said he'll work twice as much if I keep him company. So... Apparently, the best I can do to help is motivate him."

Isabella: "I'm surprised you fell for his smooth talk..."

Mia: "You don't understand... This guy... When there's a girl to help, he becomes immensely reliable... So... I need to do this..."

She seemed incredibly reluctant, almost pushing herself through all the paperwork.

But yeah... She's one of the reasons why I'm going after Hamperlon, so having her around gives me the motivation I need to go through the less interesting parts of the process...

Licia: "It's one of his qualities!"

Mia: "It really is not..."

Everything is more fun when we do it together, so... Mia wasn't the only one I asked.

It's just that a few, like Claire and Anna, were adamant about doing anything else...

A few hours after we had started, the girls asked for a break, and with them gone, all my motivation disappeared as well.

We had already talked a bit about the future plans and revised our current situation, but once it was only Isabella and me in the room, I noticed she glimpsed at me a few times before turning her gaze away, never saying anything.

It's rare for her to be bashful, so I decided to ask her about it.

Miwen: "...You know you can ask me anything, right?"

Isabella: "Really? How about a kiss then-"

Miwen: "Other than that."

Isabella: "Mean..."

...

She's dangerous.

She knew I would see through her act and ask her about it, but instead of going straight for what was on her mind, she seized the chance to get even more.

Isabella: "It's about Edmond's family and what we did..."

Miwen: "...?"

Isabella: "The other girls warned me... They said that if I had really forgiven them and cared for their safety, I had to keep an eye on you. But... That's a little hard since you moved them to the Kingdom. That's why... I'm asking you now..."

...To cement Isabella's rule, I had Terith's royal family participate in a bit of a play.

Basically, the idea was to burn them all at the stake in a public execution for the masses.

Or... Only pretend to do it.

I asked Claire to be in charge of the flames, so even though they were powerful and surrounded Edmond and his family, the fire never touched them.

After some time of them "burning", I ordered them inside the Kingdom, and we pretended that they had been burned until only ashes remained.

This was mostly to prevent any factions from trying to seize power or reinstall them.

By leaving Isabella as the sole claimant to the throne of Terith and Evretis remaining, she probably wouldn't face many problems in the future.

I promised to keep them safe and liberate them somewhere within Hamperlon so that they could live their lives free, but...

Miwen: "They are safe... But we have a problem."

Isabella: "...Is it between Edmond and Sabrina?"

Miwen: "Yes... Sabrina doesn't want to return to our world and Edmond doesn't want to be away from her. However... Leaving the two together is basically the same as asking for problems..."

Isabella: "Hm... Have you thought about a solution?"

Miwen: "I want Sabrina to return to our world, to be honest. Both as a little punishment, but also... Back there, she doesn't represent nearly as much danger and I can keep an eye on her if she steps out of line."

Claiming to be a Saint won't give her immediate recognition on Earth.

We lack the means to test those things, and we tend to find fault in public figures.

It's hard to imagine someone like Sabrina having the same influence there as she has here.

Isabella: "Then... Are you going to release Edmond in your world as well?"

Miwen: "Maybe... No. I'm thinking of keeping him as a prisoner, to be honest. Maybe even both of them..."

Isabella: "I see..."

I could tell she wasn't approving of this, and sincerely, even I wasn't sure if that was truly what I wanted to do.

However, considering this is the world Isabella will live in, I wanted to make it as safe as I possibly could for her before parting.

Edmond is powerful enough to challenge her rule, no matter where I release him, and the same could be said for Sabrina, although in a different, less direct way...

The best-case scenario would be to separate them and have at least one stay within the Kingdom to use as a bargaining chip against the other...

Even if Isabella has forgiven them, I have not.

I might have promised not to hurt them because of Isabella's decision, but I still believe they should suffer some punishment.

And also... I have to protect Isabella.

Now and in the future...

Isabella: "Oh...? Is that brotherly love I feel?"

Miwen: "Shut up..."

Isabella: "You don't have to worry! I can handle myself."

Miwen: "That doesn't matter."

Isabella: "Hmph... Then... Can I always count on you? Are you gonna be by my side forever and ever?"

Miwen: "Obviously..."

Isabella: "I see, I see... I'll make sure you keep this promise, then."

At the time, I underestimated just how much these words meant for her.

But those were my true feelings.

I wasn't thinking about giving her a hand and then leaving her to fend for herself.

I was always going to be ready to reach for her.

It's just that... Isabella had different ideas for her future.