Gacha Kingdom Building

My childhood was pretty standard.

I lived with my parents and siblings in a small village, in a county somewhat far from our kingdom's borders.

During my childhood, I was inseparable from my two older brothers, Dario and Luca, and my older sister, Bianca.

We'd spent every minute from sunrise to sunset playing in the streets together with other children, or helping our parents with the chores.

Dario was a tall boy for his age, and his selfless nature made him incredibly reliable.

Even in my earliest memories of him, I remember other kids and even the elderly asking him for help when no adults were nearby, to which he always responded with a smile.

Luca, the second brother, was as gentle, but he didn't stand out as much.

He was much more meek and reserved.

Taking the initiative and approaching others didn't come easily to him, and he had trouble communicating and standing up for himself, often choosing to back down to avoid conflict.

As for Bianca...

She was the embodiment of sunshine.

A pretty and delicate young girl, she had an assertive and responsible personality and was incredibly attentive and sympathetic to others.

While the villagers caringly nicknamed Dario their guardian, they proudly talked about Bianca as a flower bud, sure to blossom beautifully.

As their youngest, I was always playing catch-up to them, but everyone, from our family to our neighbors, treated me incredibly well.

I was spoiled every day, warmly welcomed by those around me.

These days, bright and filled with happiness, were blinding to the young me, who had yet to know the meaning of strife.

This changed a few weeks after my fifth birthday, when tragedy struck our family.

My father, a lumberjack, had run into a monster while chopping wood in the nearby forest.

He was left seriously injured after the encounter, and it was predicted that natural recovery would take months.

While we weren't struggling up until this point, Father's job was only enough to make ends meet.

We couldn't afford to buy potions or hire clerics, nor could we survive through the year without him.

The villagers offered us all the help they could, and Mom tried to reassure us, but even I could feel the dread permeating our lives.

Or, at least, I could feel it from the worried expressions my siblings had.

Their smiles, once natural and warm, had become forced and filled with anxiety.

From the bottom of my heart, I truly hated seeing them force themselves to smile, but at only five years old, there was nothing I could do.

Even Dario, who was ten at the time, was still two years too early to start working.

However, the boy who couldn't bear to see strangers struggling without offering a hand would never stand by when his family needed him.

Not a month after Father's injury, he started working in the fields.

He would leave the house early in the morning, before I had even woken up, only to come back after I had already gone to sleep, every day, for months.

Whenever I saw him from a distance, he looked exhausted, but still working tirelessly.

His job didn't bring in as much as Father's, but it kept us fed until he had recovered.

Of course, Father felt ashamed about this situation and tried to convince Dario to stop working for a while, at least until his twelfth birthday, but that never happened.

Instead, he instantly accepted when offered the position as a village guard, a job even more dangerous than Father's.

This all came to be due to unfortunate circumstances, but at the time, Dario ironically seemed fulfilled.

Whenever he came home after his pay, he would shower us with presents, and while his job was risky, he'd often talk to us when patrolling the streets or guarding the gates, something he couldn't do before when he worked in the fields.

It was all thanks to him that we could weather the storm during that period, but a new one was brewing.

Luca wanted to start working earlier, too, but Father couldn't accept it.

Especially since Luca wanted to work with him.

Eventually, the two agreed that Luca would work as a farmer for one year, and if he had grown enough by then, Father would take him to the forest.

Because the boys were busy all day, Bianca and I went outside less frequently, spending more time indoors with Mom, who had many different things to teach us.

I wasn't able to learn as quickly as Bianca, especially when it came to sewing, but I was happy to help them.

Mom was also very devoted.

Aside from the masses we used to participate in as a family, once Bianca and I had adapted to her schedule, she brought us with her to the local church every day.

There, I learned about the Gods, their names, their teachings, their myths...

And the more I frequented the church, the stronger I felt something resonate deep inside me.

It was as if I could understand their will, hear their voices...

But among the words they spoke, there was one I didn't recognize.

"Demons".

Mom was knowledgeable and patient.

She always had a story ready to answer any questions we had for her.

But when I asked her what this meant, her reaction was nothing like I had grown used to.

After spending the entire day quieter than ever before, once the night had fallen, she entered our room.

As usual, she had a story to tell.

It was about the neighboring country, a once-prosperous land that had started to struggle in recent times.

Their soil had gone bad, and their produce was running low.

Their forests had burned, and their officials were corrupt.

Their people had become angry and violent.

Entire regions faced uprisings.

In one of those uprisings, their king was taken hostage, and a demon usurped the throne.

Under that demon, their problems magically disappeared one after the other, ushering in a new age of prosperity.

Or so it appeared.

For immediate gains, they sacrificed their values, surrendering themselves to the temptations sin whispered into their ears.

In their moment of fragility, they abandoned the Gods in favor of those who corrupted them and sought only to defile the good and divine.

That nation never found satisfaction.

The more they got, the more they wanted.

Entire cities turned into open-air brothels, where lust was indulged openly, without a thought for who might be watching.

Laws were first loosened, then discarded entirely, until order itself rotted away.

Trust became a relic of the past, and deceit was the only coin worth anything.

Neighbors preyed upon neighbors, and even the bonds of family were bartered for comfort or gain.

They raised strong men and tricksters with unparalleled minds, who, if not for their animalistic lifestyles, could have easily carved their names in history as great men.

Their citizens had successfully avoided misery, at the cost of their virtue.

Rumors say that, from the very beginning, this had all been orchestrated by the one who stood to gain the most.

After all, it's in despair and misery, in chaos and evil that they thrive...

The demons, that is.

Mom's story stuck with me.

It was the first time I felt so terrified, and a foreboding feeling took root in my heart, but beyond that, this was also the last time Mom would tell us a story.

Only a few weeks later, she lost her life minutes after giving birth to our youngest sibling, Chiara.

And as if losing Mother wasn't devastating enough for us, the child she sacrificed her life for had little prospects of surviving through the night.

What we expected to be a blissful night was about to turn into the worst memory of our lives, as even our Father, a stoic man, couldn't stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks.

I was desperate, and didn't know what to do, but...

Whenever I felt this way, I stopped and asked the Gods for guidance.

As I prayed with all my heart, the room, once filled with the cries and whimpers of my family, started to become slightly quieter.

The darkness that filled my closed eyes started to dissipate, giving way to pure light before the Gods told me to open my eyes.

My body was glowing in white, and I felt the need to approach the child.

With a wave of my hands, the light wrapped her tiny body, and her breathing slowly became steadier.

Everyone looked at me, confused, but even I couldn't explain what had happened.

All I could think of was how grateful I was for the Gods' bottomless kindness.

That they would look after us so much, and that they'd give me a chance to save my baby sister...

Even if it was a reward for Mom's devotion, I couldn't be happier knowing that Chiara was going to be alright.

My life changed a lot after this happened.

The [Light Magic] I had was stronger than anything anyone had seen, and before long, people came to me for help.

At the start, they were people from the village, but word of my powers spread, and suddenly, our house was visited every day by strangers from other towns.

I wasn't only capable of healing, though.

When a horde of monsters formed and decimated nearby villages, many refugees came to our town.

They told us about how strong the monsters were and how the knights failed to defeat them.

Once it was our turn to face them, it looked like we would share the same fate.

Bianca wanted to flee the town, while Dario and Luca wanted to stay and protect those who couldn't move.

Terrified, I prayed to the Gods for help once again, only to hear their whispers tell me I already had the power to stop the monsters, and it was my duty to do so.

I didn't have much magic knowledge, but I knew [Light Magic] was offensively among the weakest, so I first tried to form a barrier around the village.

It didn't last a minute, and only seemed to provoke the monsters even more.

Seeing those beasts, the thought of Father's injury crossed my mind, and filled with disgust, I extended my hand, as if to stop the monsters in their tracks.

Suddenly, a massive pillar of light came down from the heavens, incinerating the monsters before they could reach us.

Once again, the Gods had saved us.

Not long after, just a few weeks after my twelfth birthday, a company of knights visited our town.

They took me to the royal capital, where I had an audience with the king.

I was forced to explain everything that happened and clear all the rumors about my deeds, as well as...

Prove my claims.

Even though I had not claimed anything.

Still, their test was, thankfully, easy.

All I had to do was hold the Staff of Passage in my hands and wave it at the Divine Vault.

The gates leading to the Divine Vault had been locked for more than seven decades, ever since the passing of the previous Saint, so if I managed to open them, I'd have proved myself as a Saint.

And sure enough, as soon as the staff reached my hands, I felt its warmth guiding me towards the Divine Vault, needing no instructions to reach it, even though it was my first time in the royal palace.

When I stood before it, pointing the staff at the gates was enough to have them open.

Inside it, there were many manuscripts, books, and relics left by different Saints.

The king said they belonged to me now and asked that, in return, I offer him my services.

It was a tough choice, as it meant I would rarely be able to come back home, but I felt the Gods were guiding me towards this all along.

For five years, I did as told.

Still learning more about my role as the Saint and the theories of magic, I traveled around the Kingdom, helping heal the injured from natural disasters, calming down the violent, and inspiring the willing.

The more I prayed, the stronger my powers became.

Learning about more Gods and their tales, their teachings, and their blessings, I became even more connected to them.

Every step I took felt guided by them, and I made sure to spread my knowledge as much as I could, teaching kids and adults alike about the virtues the Gods gave us, and their wishes for our lives.

Sometime during these years, Dario became a knight, and under my recommendation, he became my very own Holy Knight.

He seemed a little dissatisfied to achieve what was essentially a position higher than those of the Royal Knights through his sister, but at the same time, getting to spend time together like we used to before made him incredibly happy.

Unfortunately, our happiness didn't last long.

The neighboring kingdom, Ashvar, which was taken by the demons, attacked our land.

For months, I helped repel their attacks.

But I was overwhelmed.

They were slowly gaining ground, and it was just a matter of time before they reached my hometown.

The Gods told me to head back to the capital and defend it, but I simply couldn't.

However...

I arrived too late.

The village was already gone, and the only signs of my family were Bianca's workshop and the house I grew up in, both in ruins.

Ignoring the Gods' words was my downfall.

They stopped answering my prayers, and as a result, in a matter of days, the demons overran the capital.

Dario tried to stand up to them, but it was no use.

We were captured, and my execution date was set.

When the day came, I was forced to stand before a crowd.

Cruel to no end, the demons brought before me the hostages they had taken in my hometown.

Luca was stripped naked while his limbs were cuffed, his ears were blocked, and he was blindfolded.

He had strange marks and tattoos over his body, and from his male parts, white goo kept leaking onto the floor.

????: "What did you do..."

Demon Queen: "This one? The succubi found him adorable. They gave him their best treatment and marked every inch of his body with their signature. Their kisses still linger, pleasuring him constantly."1

The demon inched closer to him, removing the cloths covering Luca's ears.

Demon Queen: "Even the faintest stimulation will do it for him now. Isnt~ That~ Right~?"

Her whispering made his body twitch, and he shot that liquid farther than before, reaching my face.

Then, she moved on to Darios.

He had been beaten to a pulp.

His body didn't have the time to scar yet.

His injuries were still causing him to bleed all over.

????: "Why..."

Demon Queen: "Like you, this one gave me a lot of trouble... The onis were happy to have a sparring partner though..."

????: "There is no need... For you to do this... We were... Peaceful..."

Demon Queen: "Huh? You're kidding, right? Do you have any idea why this war started in the first place? The treatment demons receive in your kingdom?"

????: "You have... Strayed from the will... Of the Gods... You are vile... Evil..."

Demon Queen: "Is that so? And yet, here you are, Ms. Saint. Why have the Gods abandoned you? Did you perhaps stray from their will?"

????: "Yes... That is why... I accept my punishment. But they don't deserve it..."

Bianca: "...Gah.... Bri..."

Bianca was held by the strings she used to make her lovely dresses.

They were cutting into her skin, destroying her delicate body.

By her side was Chiara.

Although I had managed to save her life, she was born deaf.

She had her eyes gouged out and her limbs severed, together with her tongue.

I couldn't imagine how scared she must've felt.

Bianca: "Why... Are you not crying... Why... Do you never... cry..."

????: "Sister... Can't you see? It's just like when Father was injured. Or when Mom passed away... The Gods are testing our faith... We must pray and remain strong... If we do, they are sure to save us."

Bianca: "No... You are wrong-"

Demon Queen: "...You. Are you sure you are a Saint?"

With a signal from the Demon Queen, the strings enveloping Bianca's body tightened.

Whether she died from suffocation or blood loss, I did not know.

Luca's heartbeat kept rising under the succubi's touch, until it finally gave out.

Dario had his neck severed, and I was made to stand with Chiara on a pyre surrounded by their corpses, alongside Father's.

As the two of us burned to death, I could only apologize to the Gods, and swear I would follow their will in my next life.

Miwen: "Aaah! Fuck..."

This time, I emerged in the Infinitesimal Border without awakening in the Kingdom.

The point at which the lives stopped was always different, but this one felt purposeful.

First Daughter: "...Gabriella?"

Miwen: "Yes..."

First Daughter: "Oh..."

Out of all people, she was the one I was looking forward to the least.

I hated the way she treated the others, and while I knew she probably had a reason to hate monsters and demons as much as she did, the fact that she couldn't see Angelica and Elizabeth for who they were was unjustifiable to me.

First Daughter: "...Did that change?"

Miwen: "...No."

The more Gabriella suffered, the deeper her connections to the Gods became, but...

Somewhere along the way, she started to attribute everything to them.

The good was a reward for her devotion, and the bad was a test of her faith.

She gave up herself and turned into a tool for their will.

Unthinking, uncaring.

The only attachment she still had was her family, but when she felt the Gods were testing her faith again by making them suffer as her punishment, instead of letting a tear flow through her eyes, she smiled, welcoming the opportunity to prove herself to them.

That girl...

Something about her is broken.

Miwen: "I can't help but feel I missed something, too. I could hear the voices in my head, but it was like there was a filter... I think there was a huge gap when she entered the Vault."

This wasn't the first time I felt this way.

Beatrice had messed so much with arcanum and destroyed so much of her memory and mind that I left her life unable to make out anything that happened.

Since she only started to recover her memories after becoming a [Citizen], all I got from her was something akin to an illogical nightmare, with scattered and distorted images that made no sense.

Gabriella's case was a little different, almost as if I could see through her eyes, but not remember through my mind.

Yet, the effect was still the same.

It was as if I were forgetting something important.

First Daughter: "They're probably trying to prevent you from going insane. Or, at least, not letting it happen the easy way."

Miwen: "How considerate... How many more to go?"

First Daughter: "About seven hundred."

Miwen: "Great."

After resting for a while and recovering from the shock of being burned alive, I once again took another step into the shadows.

Not Elizabeth, by the way.