Gacha Kingdom Building

-This chapter is written using Isabella's POV-

Although Miwen managed to expose and foil Abris' plan, unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about some of the preparations already in place.

The most troublesome of these was his will...

Pamela: "...Thus, in the event of my untimely death under suspicious circumstances, I'll have Lenard removed from the line of succession and I will nominate Albert as my heir."

It's a bit of a long document, touching on a few different subjects, but the most relevant bits are the ones where he exposes his "fear" of Lenard attempting to take his life.

The will is filled with slander attempts at Lenard's reputation that would otherwise be seen as creditless, however, with his assassination...

Well, it's all bullshit anyway, but... It poses a problem to us since he left a copy with the royal family.

Although we have sent an envoy to explain the situation, under such suspicious circumstances, we already expect them to conduct an investigation from their side.

They will probably wait before officializing our decision, no matter what it is, as well...

Among many things, the document revealed Albris' "fear" of Lenard attempting against his life.

And on that topic... Our family has to decide who will succeed Albris and inherit the duchy.

Before any of this, the answer was pretty obvious. It's tradition to have the older sibling assume the position, but...

Even with Albert's support, thanks to Albris' efforts, it is hard to believe there won't be protests against him inheriting the title.

Especially problematic would be the royal family and some of the most powerful houses under ours.

Albris had a good relationship with them and they could enforce their will upon us.

However, we can't follow Albris' will and allow Albert to inherit the duchy.

If Lenard agrees to step down and Albert ascends to the position of the Duke Of Evretis, it will be seen as an admission of guilt, and there's bound to be pressure for Albert to punish Lenard, even if he attests to his innocence.

Even if Albert can satisfy the nobles with a light punishment for Lenard, his reputation will be forever stained...

There is also another factor to consider... Both the royal family and the noble families within the duchy might change their opinions and positions solely based on what's more beneficial to them, seeking to take something away from us as they see our weakened position and difficult circumstances.

Some who have shown support or have developed a particularly good relationship with Albert might pressure him, all the while, those who have already invested too much into Lenard might do everything in their power to guarantee a Duke who favors them.

Those in the middle might change unpredictably...

It really seems like there is no correct answer here...

Lenard: "I think that if you were to be the one to succeed him, Albert, there wouldn't be as many protests. You should also be better than me at managing the territory. The duchy will be in safe hands."

Albert: "Nonsense. Not only is it your right, but I refuse to follow his scheme. Also, your strength has been recognized multiple times, Lenard. If we remove you from the picture completely, the tribes conquered by Albris will be sure to rebel. It is a time of crisis for us, so it's best to have a strong leading figure.."

Miwen: "So both of you are considering the other, huh... And here I thought the script was omnipotent."

My brothers were worried about two completely different things.

Albert is surprisingly the more emotional one when it comes to our family. He wishes to protect Lenard's reputation and his rights.

Lenard on the other hand doesn't seem to mind any of that. He's more worried about the territory itself.

I doubt any of them will give in.

...

Perhaps there isn't a solution that can satisfy everyone, but maybe...

Isabella: "What if I were to inherit the duchy instead of you two?"

The silence was as expected.

If anything, I was surprised that no one laughed at the idea.

Miwen: "..."

I'm not sure whether or not Miwen approved of it.

If I know him as well as I think I do, he's probably searching for a reason since I never once showed interest in taking the title for myself.

Lenard: "Sorry Isa, but I don't see how that would help."

Albert: "Yes, if anything, you'd probably face a harder time than both of us."

Right...

My reputation is bad enough already without me being involved in a conspiracy.

Under such suspicious circumstances, if out of the three siblings, I was the one to emerge as the Duchess, everyone would suspect me of foul play.

They would definitely imagine I have somehow manipulated my brothers, and they might even question if I wasn't the one responsible for the murder of my father.

However, that's actually not a bad thing for us.

As it currently stands, Lenard is bound to be seen as the culprit, even if the royal family concludes that he wasn't responsible for it, the truth is that he'd be the only one with a reason and the one who gained the most from it.

But if I were to be thrown in the mix, at least one more suspect would be added. Especially if I'm the one who comes out on top by the end of it all.

However, I have one advantage over my brothers.

Not only was I not cited in Albris' will, but unlike those two, my connections and relationships are completely unknown.

Aside from my behavior, no one knows anything about me.

This means I can mold my reputation into that of a manipulative woman who played the entire family to gain her position.

Whether or not the nobles would try to oppose me would still be up in the air, however, if the royal family clears me of any wrongdoing, we would be seen as collaborators, and the chances of any noble family protesting against both of us would be incredibly low.

Isabella: "Also, at least diplomatically and militarily, I'd be in a better position than both of you. I also believe that I should be as capable if not more than you at ruling the land."

Albert: "...How so?"

Isabella: "The queen of Cobierzh and I have an alliance. If I were to inherit the duchy, she would officialize it, showing me her full support. The king of the Nameless Kingdom is my personal butler, were I to become the Duchess of Evretis, it would be the same as creating an alliance between them and our house. And well... You have seen what they are capable of with your own eyes, right? They also possess a Saint recognized by Volan among their ranks. I'm sure I'd be able to get their blessing as well."

Most of what I have to offer is actually Miwen's power, but he has remained silent...

The only reaction he showed me was that of surprise when I started talking about Cobierzh.

Well... I wanted to talk to him about this yesterday, but... I was always suspicious of how he made it a point with both Marin and Lyra that they should support Evretis instead of Terith.

Oddly specific, for sure, but... Since it's him that we are talking about, it's quite possible he had some way of predicting I might become the Duchess.

Especially since he was already aware of Albris' plans...

In any case, there shouldn't be anything wrong with this... It's beneficial for both of us since he'd be getting my help as the Duchess of Evretis as well.

Lenard: "...Isabella, you're underestimating the consequences. Your reputation won't simply be damaged like it used to happen in the past, the way people see and behave around you will change. You might never be able to gain anyone's trust again."

Isabella: "Right... But it's better than what would happen to yours. In any case, I'm already used to being disliked without even being given a chance, so... It won't affect me too much."

...And it's not like I'm underestimating it.

I know fully well what this implies...

I might not be able to build relationships with good people anymore. I might start attracting only the worst of the worst, but...

I still think it is worth it.

Between all of us, I should be the best at dealing with a bad reputation. I've been doing it for ages, after all.

Lenard: "...I'm not going to let you bear that cross, Isabella. You don't need to worry, we can solve this-"

Isabella: "I'm not the same weak girl from before... What if I show you I have what it takes?"

Lenard: "...I guess that would be the quickest way to crush your ideas."

With my challenge accepted, we headed towards the garden.

The rules were simple. We obviously couldn't fatally wound each other, but whichever one of us landed a decisive hit would be declared the winner.

The prize of this battle was... The duchy.

Lenard was confident he could stop me, but he had no idea how much he was underestimating me.

When our battle began, he rushed me with a wide swing of his sword.

It was both slow and weak. It left him full of openings, but I refused to use this chance to strike him and win the match.

If I had done so, the match would have been decided because of his carelessness rather than my aptitude.

Isabella: "You won't get any more chances, so I don't want to hear complaints later if you don't come at me with everything you got."

Lenard: "...You're right. There's no point if I don't take this seriously."

Lenard has almost twice my levels.

When he comes to strike me, although I can block his attacks, they force me back and make me lose my posture.

His sword is heavy... His strength is greater than mine...

I have no choice but to use everything I've developed while training with the girls.

I focus completely on my vision and hearing, to the point where I lose almost all the strength in my hands.

My body relaxes, and Lenard sees this as an opportunity to attack, but...

The moment his feet leave the ground... I'm already prepared.

His sword, same as before, comes to me in a wide swing from the top.

I use just enough force to block it for a second, but I step to the side, using the push from his attack to add momentum to my body and strike him with a punch to his side.

However...

Lenard: "That's very unbecoming of a noble lady."

It's because I didn't learn it from a noble lady...

In any case, I was expecting this to give me an opening, but instead, we reached a standstill as he blocked my punch with his arm.

I knew that being so close to him would be disadvantageous for me, so I jumped back and...

Lenard: "I'm proud of you, Isa. I'm sorry for underestimating your strength."

Isabella: "Eh? Are you calling it?"

Lenard: "No. I'm going to show you why I can't let you do as you want. See? This is what I'm trying to protect you from."

Lenard is physically stronger than me... I've been able to shake him off by giving it my all, but...

Once he activated his Gift, the situation was completely different.

There was simply nothing I could do against it. Technique and tactics wouldn't matter as his Gift allows him to reinforce things... Including his weapon and himself.

In the blink of an eye, he became stronger and faster.

For me, who was barely able to keep up, this was the end.

A truly hopeless situation.

But at least it meant he had finally gone all out against me. He was as serious as he could be, so there would be no contesting the result...

It also meant I could go all out as well.

And so, both of us rushed against the other.

He was caught by surprise, thinking I was going to try to defend against him, but...

There was no need. In his next step, the ground under him gave in. A small hole was formed, just the size of his feet, but deep enough to get him stuck.

My blade reflected the light of the sun, blinding him for a second.

He fell face first, while blinded and holding his sword, he hit his head against its hilt.

It was a pathetic look, but...

Isabella: "I know you probably wanted a proper swordfight, but if you used your Gift, it's only fair that I use mine."

[The Darkest Star] is a crippling Gift that reduces my luck and causes misfortune.

However, there is one way I can use it... And that's by cursing someone to share its effects with me.

The sudden drop in luck... The misfortune it attracts... It all comes in at once, collecting its debt for all the good luck a person has had.

This would be the price I'd have to pay for being lucky for even a minute. It's a little bit sad, but... Thankfully I'm always unlucky, so I face the consequences constantly instead of all at once like this.

Isabella: "...You're not going to go back on your words, right?"

Lenard: "I will not. I'll support you as the Duchess of Evretis, Isabella. However..."

Albert: "You still have to convince me."

Albert is a completely different beast compared to Lenard.

The curse I used before was the strongest one I have developed, however, I doubt it would be as effective against him.

To fight me, he barely needs to move. He's able to maintain multiple spells working simultaneously, including a barrier that negates my physical advantage over him almost completely.

He still needs to reinforce his barrier, which allows me to make him waste his mana a little, but...

The pressure he puts me under more than makes up for it.

I've learned a lot about how to fight against a magic duel thanks to the mages of the Kingdom, but the truth is that I'm still not great at it.

Dark magic is not exactly meant for a face-to-face fight and it is the only element I can use.

Even then, while some of the girls from the Kingdom like Lana could definitely make do with it thanks to the help of their Gifts, mine does nothing to help me.

All I can do is focus on the power of my curses...

However, even then, Lenard is a mage.

He's much better at noticing the flow of mana than Lenard.

I can't afford to give him anything too powerful or he'll notice it and focus on dispelling it before it activates.

Albert: "I'm sorry Isabella. But this is my way of making up for all the times I failed you. Let your brother take care of things this time."

Isabella: "Hm... I appreciate the thought, but hasn't it occurred to you that perhaps I want the title? Maybe I'm that greedy..."

Albert: "Maybe. But if there's one thing I know you don't want, is being hated. Nothing scares you more than the thought."

...Still, I'm not a kid anymore...

I understand I may have to sacrifice some things in order to achieve others.

And well... It's not like I'll be hated by everyone.

While I can only hope that some won't turn their backs on me, there are at least a few I know will not. They'll extend their hands to me all the same... No matter what...

Isabella: "Did you know? The most troublesome thing about curses is that each one counts independently as a debuff."

Albert: "And...?"

Isabella: "Well... It means you can get cursed an infinite amount of times. And sure, one or two weak curses might not matter, but..."

Put enough on top of each other, and you'll have the same effects as a strong curse.

In this case, I used a lot of curses to effectively make the cost of launching a single basic attack extremely high.

Meaning that the next is his last before he suffers from mana depletion.

He also shouldn't be able to launch anything substantial.

Isabella: "It's over..."

Even though he can skip incantations and lower the cost of using spells through his Gift, it is not enough to overpower the sheer amount of curses I put on him.

Albert: "Hah... I'm really not good at fighting. Maybe I should have challenged you on something else."

Isabella: "All have you know that my scores at the academy are better than yours ever were. I wouldn't lose in that either..."

Albert: "Is that so? You've grown a lot, Isabella. Maybe it's time for us to believe in you, after all."

I... never thought I would get to hear those words from them...

Now all that I had to do was prove through actions that this was the right decision-

Miwen: "Isn't there someone you're forgetting to convince?"

No...

I imagined he might not agree with it since he wasn't saying anything, but... I wasn't expecting him to go against me...

If it's Miwen... Maybe he won't bring Cassandra... He'd still be stronger than me physically, but...

No... I can't use [The Darkest Star] against him since he can cancel it with [Hollow Destiny]...

Curses... I think he knows the same I do... I'll have to change the formula on the fly and hope he doesn't-

Miwen: "You're seriously considering fighting me? Idiot. If it's so important to you, you just have to convince me with your words."

Isabella: "...How?"

He slowly approached me and whispered into my ears...

Miwen: "Isabella, you understand that this won't bring you any good, right? You will be sacrificing yourself for them. You might lose everything you have been working for."

I see...

So he's still worried about me.

I should have guessed.

Isabella: "You seem happy even though you are always sacrificing yourself for others. I thought that maybe I could do the same."

Miwen: "I was lucky, Isabella. Incredibly so. That's not something you can count on, and you know that better than anyone else. So... Why don't you tell me the real reason you've suddenly become so interested in inheriting the title?"

Oh... Even though he knows I'm hiding something, he doesn't know what...

Heh... Maybe I'm quite hard to read?

I could probably use this to trade for information with him.

Or I could tease him about it...

But... I think it's better if I'm honest with Miwen.

He has helped me a lot so... I think it's the least I can do."

Isabella: "I think... I'm starting to feel differently. About myself... and... what I want."

Miwen: "...How?"

Isabella: "I'm still not sure. But... Today, when you left the room... I felt truly grateful for you... But I also wanted to be in a position where I could help you as much as you have helped me. So... You don't have to worry. This is not self-sacrifice, it is something I truly want."

I'm not sure why I'm feeling like this, but... I want to stand by his side and know we can count on each other.

I want to be someone who can offer something to him.

I think I'll be truly satisfied then... I'll be someone who is able to help him like he helped me.

Miwen: "...I don't need your help, Isa."

Isabella: "I know. And you won't ask for it either. You'll keep your secrets until the last moment. And that's fine. You can do what you want. And I'll do what I want as well."

It might be a little selfish of me to trample over his expectations like this, but...

Isabella: "I'll be counting on your support Miwen. And I hope one day you will count on mine as well."

Miwen: "Hah... Someone is getting ahead of themselves... But well... We can talk about this later when you face the consequences. For now... You have done a great job taking what you wanted. I'm proud of you, Isabella."

...

How come he said the same thing... And yet...

I feel so much more realized...

What I'm feeling right now... I don't think there will ever come a day when I'll regret this decision.