Gacha Kingdom Building-Chapter 238: The Hamperlon Campaign

In the aftermath of Rodky's fall, the mercenaries hired by Nissa took advantage of everyone's exhaustion to flee the battle, leaving her as the target of everyone's anger when her position as Rodky's de facto ruler came to light.

Suspicion, ire, and resentment colluded in the hearts of our knights, who demanded her execution, reparations from Rodky, and a few other demands.

I wasn't interested in creating a new enemy, and personally had no problems with the people of Rodky themselves.

If anything, to me, they were as much a victim of Nissa's short-sighted last stand as we.

I couldn't have Nissa executed after all the trouble I went through to keep her alive either.

Unfortunately, there was no easy solution to satisfy everyone.

One side had to give, thus, Terith's high command, Nissa, and Rodky's council spent the next few days discussing how they would resolve the situation while the soldiers were told to clear the field like they were doing before this mess started.

Ultimately, we were unable to reach an agreement.

On our side, we maintained that Nissa would be kept alive and under the Kingdom's custody. To us, this was non-negotiable, but to the men who almost met their end due to her scheme, it was unacceptable.

We also had problems when it came to demands against Rodky.

The overall sentiment was that they should be held responsible for the damage they caused and the mercenaries' attack, but too many unreasonable demands were being discussed.

If the discussions escalated to war, while it was hard to measure Rodky's power, we would at least become vulnerable to another attack from a reorganized and recovered Hamperlon.

Creating more enemies would do us no good, no matter how much resentment our side had towards them.

Of course, disregarding the soldiers' feelings completely also wasn't an option.

Thankfully, a few things worked in Rodky's favor.

For starters, the fact that if not for their help, the entire army would have been destroyed helped us advocate for them.

Particularly, one member of their council, a certain old man who created a giant flower bed for the city to land on, reducing most of the impact it would've otherwise have caused, had won a lot of favor with our men.

It's worth noting that there was a certain bubbly dog girl who, seeing his efforts, helped with her magic and played a huge part in the success of the flower bed, but... For the sake of negotiations, our side chose to keep her uncredited, rewarding her with praises and headpats instead.

In any case, it was easy to paint them as victims like us.

Few people knew of Nissa, and even fewer knew she was the only one responsible for the city's core and systems.

While not completely scotfree, we settled the question of their responsibility after they promised to pay a large sum to Terith and agreed to share some of their research and tools.

The only problem was that Nissa was the only one who understood the city's mechanisms, so I tried to sneak an argument against her execution in there, but...

Those who demanded her death were more than happy to force her to work before being executed.

No matter how I argued or which angle I tackled this from, the men were keen on having her pay one way or another, and having her serve under me meant nothing to them.

Thus, the talks stalled until someone else settled it for us.

Before the incident with Nissa and Rodky, when I had first reached this castle and heard what happened with Claire, Licia, and Mia, I asked Isabella to come to the frontline.

I had never expected Claire, Licia, and Mia to lose, but I knew I would have to adapt our strategy and bring more power to the front to fill the gap left by Claire and Licia being out of commission for the time being.

Almost everyone I could rely on was already playing their role, but by taking the risk of bringing Isabella to the frontline, I could have the Valkyries be a little more proactive and make better use of their power.

We had to be careful. There was always a chance for Hamperlon to get their hands on her, and no matter how, if that came to pass, they would have a powerful bargaining chip to end this war on their own terms.

However, after considering everything carefully, I decided that instead of separating the two armies, I should leave the South to Elizabeth and her Dragon, use Evretis' army to reinforce our defenses, and buy us time to respond to Hamperlon's movements.

As for the Kingdom's forces, now that we knew there was a threat we would have trouble facing, it would be best to consolidate Anna's group with the Northern one, that way, everyone would be under my watch in the battles to come.

Perhaps I was being a little overprotective in doing this, but I did not want to risk any of them being injured like Claire and Licia.

It took Isabella a while to reach us, but she was fast enough to catch us in the middle of our discussions, swiftly bringing them to an end.

After her reputation consolidated and spread, no one, especially Terith's men, dared go against her will.

As the one who decisively defeated them, she held incredible authority. By claiming Nissa as her slave, as their ruler, she made it seem like restitution for the people, who now had a powerful, expandable pawn on their side.

Of course, behind the curtains, this made little difference.

Nissa was made a slave through [Gacha kingdom Building], and thus, she simply occupied a role under both Isabella and me, allowing either of us to order her as we saw fit.

Isabella demonstrated her powers of control using "her" Gift to order Nissa during a public show to quell the few soldiers who still weren't too happy, and after they settled down, Nissa was told to restore the city's systems and pass on the authority to control them to Rodky's council.

After the city's departure, I brought Nissa to the Kingdom.

I hadn't decided on her living quarters yet, but before consulting with Jackie if she'd be okay sharing her workshop, I decided to have Skuld give her a tour, just in case she found somewhere she'd prefer to stay.

While Nissa was getting her tour, I told Elizabeth to return to the Kingdom so I could tell her how I cleared her little challenge.

Elizabeth: "As expected, you've soundly beaten her. Congratulations, Your Majesty. I never had any doubts."

Paired with her attitude, Elizabeth's words sounded like lip service, but in truth, she meant everything she said.

To her, Nissa would have never been able to defeat me.

Because, unlike her, she still saw me as a ruler.

Miwen: "You were right, Liz. Nissa's hands-off approach made her weak as a ruler. She lost all authority. The people of Rodky recognized the council as the ones in command. When she tried to mobilize them, it was already too late. Their goals had drifted apart, the city moved without her, and she had no choice but to move without the city. They became separate entities, having only herself to rely on, and she was even willing to sacrifice what she had built. It had no relation to her anymore..."

Simply put, she lost her place.

After delegating the authority and decision-making power to others for so long, they slowly molded her creation into something different than what it was initially.

Elizabeth: "But of course. A ruler is a figure, Miwen. If no one's there to see, they might as well not exist. That does have its merits, I suppose... But if you wish to command and control, you must be seen."

She placed her hands on her legs before she stood up from the stone on the ground she was sitting on.

Her eyes, delicate as I started to perceive them, were in truth sharp and deep as she glared at mine.

Her body dispersed thin strands of purple lightning as she approached me, less than an arm's length away.

Elizabeth: "You must have a vision. A direction you want to take your people toward. You must show them who it is that they serve. Why they serve. And above all, they must know that you are the one who bestows upon them their purpose."

Miwen: "...I thought you wanted me to rely on others?"

Elizabeth: "Precisely. No one rules alone. Trying to do so would only make you fall like she did. But if the people under you will have authority, you'd better make them remember who is in control. Maintenance is an important part of the job."

Miwen: "I don't think I need to worry about that. The girls understand it well. And I'll make sure the people who follow them understand it too. I'm not going to give the Kingdom to someone else..."

I stood up as well.

My hands, cloaked in [Wind Magic], were placed on her shoulders, disregarding her magic and applying the slightest pressure.

She only glanced at it briefly before locking onto my eyes again.

Miwen: "Nor am I letting someone take it from me."

Elizabeth: "...Hm? What does that mean?"

Miwen: "It means you're free to challenge me any time, Elizabeth. And I'll always welcome your guidance, no matter how you choose to do it. But you should keep in mind your own position."

Elizabeth: "...You believe I desire your position? For you to question my loyalty... You're... Afraid?"

I was already expecting this, but...

The smile she had was terrifying.

She understood it as a challenge, and I could feel her excitement growing.

Miwen: "Well, I have my doubts about your loyalty. For example... Take off your clothes. I'm going to use you."

In just a few seconds, the grim on her face disappeared.

In its place, she had the most serious look on her face.

Elizabeth: "I refuse. But you already knew this."

Miwen: "..."

Perhaps subconsciously, the lightning emanating from her body changed colors.

Their dark, almost black hue warned me I was stepping into dangerous territory.

I was a little worried, but I decided to maintain my position.

Elizabeth: "Haah... Your methods are infuriating. But I understand. I can refuse a direct order because I know this isn't what you want. And I know this because you made yourself known to us. You allow us to act freely. We know well what you desire, the things you want to do, and those you'd never... Even when we aren't subservient, we are still serving you."

Miwen: "...So? Do you think you are loyal?"

Elizabeth: "Of course. All my actions are done to improve and refine your kingship. Even those who cause you trouble."

Miwen: "Good. In that case, I'll leave Nissa to you. Consider it a bit of retribution."

She's bound to cause trouble, but Elizabeth should be enough to keep her in line.

And if I'm lucky, this might cause them to get in each other's way.

Elizabeth: "Huh... Are you sure? That's a lot of power you are giving me."

Miwen: "Perhaps. But if you get any ideas, I can have Cassandra deal with you."

Elizabeth: "...The previous joke was funnier. If given the chance, I'm not holding back against the stupid sword."

Oh...

I wonder if that's because of her dislike of Cassandra or because she couldn't afford to go light on her.

Elizabeth: "Oh, I suppose you want me to remove the fallen ruler's curse?"

Miwen: "Nissa's? Nah. I want to see her go full 'pyon~ pyon~' at least once."

Elizabeth: "I'm glad it was to your liking."

I knew it.

Elizabeth remains a loyal girl.

One who understands me pretty well to boot.

I gave Elizabeth a piece of my mind in return for the challenge and lesson she bestowed on me, but with our business done, I sent her back to the South so she could continue her campaign while I headed back to the castle.

For the next few days, I was to discuss with the knights, coordinate, and prepare for the next steps in our campaign against Hamperlon.