Gacha Kingdom Building

Every time I recovered my consciousness, I would repeat the same question.

Miwen: "How many more?"

It was hard enough to prevent my identity from blending with others after going through their lives, and it made keeping track of how many were left outright impossible.

Thankfully, even though I was acting like a lunatic, asking the same question time and time again, the First Daughter never lost her patience and continued to answer me like it was the first time.

First Daughter: "None... Congratulations, by your next step, we'll have arrived."

Her tone wasn't very celebratory.

If anything, she seemed a little down about it.

I, on the other hand, was utterly relieved.

The last few lives took a bigger toll on me than I had imagined they would.

It wasn't so much about me struggling to maintain my identity as it was about my brain handling the information I was given.

There were hundreds of Snow White Wolves within the Kingdom, and the majority of them had come from Maides Island.

Which means, they all had interconnected lives that I had to experience through innumerable perspectives.

Sometimes, I saw someone through outsiders' eyes before I became them. Thinking about it made my brain ache, and recalling those memories was nearly impossible.

To a degree, the same was true for Mia, but I think my brain unconsciously prioritizes her, somehow.

Another problem I had was the long lives of Elizabeth and Cassandra, as well as Liz's new dragon pet.

Perhaps the human brain wasn't meant to store millennia of memories, or at least mine wasn't, so now they felt like a long, fragmented movie I could only glimpse pieces of unless I focused on them.

It's pretty much the same for everyone else after I returned to my senses, but I'm able to recall shorter lives better.

In any case, after taking some time to recover, I took the final step out of the Infinitesimal Border, into...

An endless grey.

It didn't feel as oppressive and dangerous as the shadow-filled Border, but what it lacked in that regard, it made up for in emptiness and mystery.

I was worried for a second, thinking I'd have to face another trial, but then, the First Daughter moved her hands a little, and a building appeared just a few meters ahead of us.

The building looked pretty much like a modern office.

It only had three floors, but it was quite wide, so the insides were sure to be spacious.

I couldn't see inside its windows, though.

Somehow, looking at it in this grey zone reminded me of an unfinished or debug area in a video game.

A place not meant for a player to be in.

This realization suffocated me a little.

I was starting to get too anxious to step forward, but after everything I had gone through, fear of the unknown wasn't going to stop me.

Especially since I had come to this place ready to face any consequences, knowing the odds of leaving alive were low to begin with.

Thankfully, the First Daughter didn't bring the building, or us, too close, and although there were, at best, only two minutes' worth of steps separating us, it gave me time to prepare myself before heading inside the building.

First Daughter: "I'm astonished..."

Miwen: "Really? I think it's pretty bland."

Everywhere I looked, there was nothing to see but the one building that the First Daughter brought closer to us.

Aside from being a brighter shade, it wasn't all that different from the Infinitesimal Border we were in before.

First Daughter: "I was talking about you. I knew you were obstinate, but this... It wasn't the type of thing that motivates you, right? You're normally more about others than yourself. I was sure you would give up."

Miwen: "...Is that why you lied to me?"

First Daughter: "In part, yes."

I couldn't keep count of the lives I had gone through myself, but I knew the First Daughter was lying about how many were left.

Up until the last step, her answer remained "About seven hundred", even though I knew it couldn't be true.

At first, I thought she was worried about me getting overexcited and not resting enough between lives, if I knew I was getting closer to the end.

However, thinking about it after all was said and done, she probably knew it was impossible to convince me to stop, so she hid my progress to demoralize me.

First Daughter: "...Strange. I thought you would be angry at me."

Miwen: "I would be, had you not done it out of worry."

For an all-knowing God, her understanding of people's hearts was a bit lacking.

She had good intentions when she handed me a snack after I came back from a life of starvation.

Doubtlessly, it was the same when she threw me a water bottle after I was burned to death in Gabriella's body.

Since she doesn't interact with others too often, her approach is a bit awkward, but her heart is genuinely good.

Even though she could have used the chance to leave me to face the torment of the Infinitesimal Border alone while she dealt with the situation by herself, like she wanted to, she chose to stay by my side for as long as I needed.

It might be a small sacrifice, but to me, it's enough proof of her priorities.

Miwen: "You already know I'm way more forgiving toward friends."

First Daughter: "Oh, so you consider me a friend?"

Honestly, my first impression of her wasn't the greatest.

Although admittedly, this was mostly due to my own bias.

The Infinite Hotel Girl was never an enemy of ours, even if her method of making contact was a little shady and forceful at first.

And ever since that first encounter, she's only acted kindly towards me.

This was the first time there was any friction between us, but considering it involved her family, I couldn't even get mad.

In her position, I'd act the same way to protect my family.

Honestly, compared to me, she might've even been too soft.

Miwen: "Does it offend you that an inferior being like me thinks of you this way?"

First Daughter: "Not really. If anything, it makes me happy... The last time someone thought of me this way must've been cycles ago."

Miwen: "..."

The longing in her eyes once again affirmed to me that she was-

First Daughter: "Don't push it."

Miwen: "Right. Sorry for thinking."

I still find her mind-reading annoying, though.

In any case, the two of us entered the office-like building through its front door.

The First Daughter stepped inside first, almost as if trying to protect me from any traps that might lie inside, however...

That place most definitely had no traps for me.

As expected from the outside look, the building inside was clean and fresh.

It had several different games on shelves, and while they weren't sorted in alphabetical order, a lot of thought had been put into organizing them.

I was quite interested, so I gave one of them a better look, only to see Sabrina on the game's cover.

Similarly, there were action games with Mia and Claire, and I even found a horror title with Beatrice on the cover.

After living their lives and reading the game's synopsis, it became obvious what they were about.

However, the fact that people's lives were stored and displayed like this reminded me a lot of the Infinite Hotel.

And seeing the First Daughter's troubled reaction, I wasn't alone.

Miwen: "So... I'm assuming this was meant to provoke you this time?"

First Daughter: "...It would seem so."

The place copied the Infinite Hotel's meaning and function, but to such a small degree that it was obvious it hadn't received nearly as much time and effort.

Since I was judging it mostly based on the First Daughter's reaction, I couldn't be too sure, but I felt like this place was a parody meant to ridicule the First Daughter's project.

The Infinite Hotel was something she valued a lot, and it bothered me to see the disappointment in her eyes.

Miwen: "This is just childish."

I felt the same when I was forced to go through the lives of my citizens.

These games they were playing on us were ridiculous.

Maybe there was a reason for them to target me.

But considering the way the First Daughter reacted when I threatened her family, at least towards her, this was uncalled for.

??????: "Oh... Good day! Welcome to the Never-Ending Dreams Studio! NEDS for short! How may I help you?"

As my distaste for this place grew, a girl turned a corner before us, sitting behind the desk that was blocking our way.

When I first met the First Daughter, I thought her clothes didn't really match the Hotel's vibe, and her story about being a simple receptionist fell flat immediately.

However, this girl took it to a whole other level.

Her cyan-blue eyes sparkled with her pupils forming stars, and her blonde hair was styled in a single braid that rested on her shoulder and reached as low as her chest.

She had a cheeky, incredibly annoying smile.

It was bright, yes, but too much so.

Especially considering her clothes.

They evoked in me the same feeling of attention-seeking I had when I first met the First Daughter, only much worse.

She wore a slightly loose jacket, but refused to close it, showing the dress and skirt underneath.

The star pendant and the headband with another star ornament weren't too bad, but her socks did it for me.

They were horizontal-striped knee socks, pulled down to give them a slouchy vibe, and with no shoes to boot.

Aside from her hair and necklace, she only wore two colors: cyan and white.

While cute and comfy-looking, I couldn't emphasize enough how her style and demeanor were too bright for such a place, and I immediately dismissed the idea of her working here, even as a receptionist.

First Daughter: "She's my sister, the Fifth Daughter."

Miwen: "I figured."

I saw this girl before, when I had checked some of the Infinite Hotel rooms.

The members of the Endless changed appearances on every floor, but their core remained the same, so it wasn't too hard to determine who's who, as long as I knew I was dealing with one of them.

Miwen: "Is she the one behind this?"

I didn't exactly mean to, but I had a mean look on my face, which the Fifth Daughter responded to by shrieking behind the desk and hiding her face with her hands, which failed to contain her smile.

First Daughter: "Yes, but not the only one. Call your brother, please?"

Fifth Daughter: "Big bro is very busy right now! He's working on a sequel to his best-seller!"

Of all the games on the shelves, she pointed to the one with Sabrina on the cover.

Or, in other words, Isabella's life.

First Daughter: "Calm down... You know she only wants to provoke you."

Fifth Daughter: "Kehehe! Do I? Aren't you assuming too much there, dear sister? Why would I even care about a minuscule being like him?"

Miwen: "You're not fooling anyone. The only one with the ability to mess with my Gift to this extent was the First Daughter, and even she had to find a workaround to have me inside the Infinite Hotel. If she had to go so far, only another Endless could directly force an event."

Fifth Daughter: "Don't talk to me as if we were equals. You worthless-"

Everything around me started to grow bigger.

Or rather, I was the one shrinking by the second.

Before the Fifth Daughter could finish her phrase, I had already stopped hearing her.

The desk was so tall, I couldn't even see beyond it.

But just as quickly, I returned to my normal size.

First Daughter: "Stop this."

Fifth Daughter: "Hmph! Your boyfriend was insolent, sister. He deserves some punishment, wouldn't you say so?"

First Daughter: "Is that what this is? Punishment?"

Fifth Daughter: "...Why do you care about him? You never cared about anything other than the Infinite Hotel."

First Daughter: "That's not true. I've always cared about you and the rest of our family."

Fifth Daughter: "Kahaha! No, don't give me that. You don't have the right. If you truly cared about any of us, you wouldn't be standing here right now."

First Daughter: "..."

...It was a strange exchange.

The First Daughter didn't seem to mind the Fifth's provocations, up until she mentioned her love for their family, but...

I've seen for myself how much she cared.

Even if just emotionally, it should have been the easiest claim to rebuke, yet the First Daughter simply stood still in silence, lowering her head and facing the ground.

She wasn't acting like herself.

Or at least, how she acted towards us.

I never expected to see her so... Sorrowful.

It was like there was a war going on in her heart, preventing her from speaking out.

Yet, although she avoided the topic, she found the strength to press her sister a little more.

First Daughter: "...Is this revenge against me, then? Just because I found him interesting, you want to torture him?"

???????: "Of course not, sister. We have nothing against you."

His words reached us before his body, but soon enough, from the same corner the Fifth Daughter had come from, a demon appeared.

Or at least, I assumed him to be one, since he had the horns and the wings.

The only thing I didn't recognize was the floating red crown-like halo above his head. Otherwise, he shared the same characteristics Elizabeth had as a demon.

His clothes were, for the first time, fitting for the environment.

A simple black suit with a red shirt underneath and a black tie on top.

Simple, elegant, but still eye-catching.

His eyes were hard to decipher, though.

They had the same grey shade as the building's outside, making their movements hard to track, and the same feeling of emptiness whenever I looked into them.

As for his identity...

While I couldn't remember a demon amid the Endless, I did recall a man with his black and white hair, albeit in a different style.

Miwen: "That would make you... The Third Son?"

Third Son(?): "Correct. And if I'm not mistaken, you're... The King of Nowhere? Oh, right, you liked "The Kingdom Without a Name" better, right?"

Miwen: "...It's the contrary."

Third Son: "My mistake."

Of course, assuming he had anywhere near the same knowledge as the First Daughter, there was no way for him to make such a mistake.

Third Son: "And what business does one such as you have here today?"

Miwen: "I think you know very well. I want to know what you want with me. And why me?"

I wasn't crying about it or anything like that.

Of course, I wanted them to stop messing with me, but I was also genuinely curious why they would target me in the first place.

Third Son: "Hm. It seems like you don't know your place. Did my older sister give you the wrong impression? We are beings far beyond your reach and comprehension. We owe you no explanation."

Miwen: "Indeed, I don't know much about you. And no matter how well your sister treats me, I understand we are not equals. However, I do know something. You guys have rules. And you have broken them. All I want to know is the reason behind it. I wanna know what about me made you think it was worth it."

Third Son: "How accusatory... Do you have any proof?"

Miwen: "Oh, you want me to prove it?"

This guy was good at getting under my skin.

Just as much as his sister, the Fifth Daughter, who was laughing by his side, too.

For such petty brats, their eyes were a little too filled with contempt for my liking. Even if they were the same type of being as the First Daughter.

Before coming here, I had the faint hope that this might've been a misunderstanding, or at least that there was a good reason for it all that I couldn't see.

It would certainly be possible given who we are talking about, but...

Their attitude made it clear to me that they wanted nothing more than to antagonize me.

And if I wanted an answer from them, I'd have to force it out.

With whatever means I could-

Third Son: "Or so you think. And you think very loudly."

Fifth Daughter: "It hurts my ears!"

...I-

First Daughter: "No. You two have gone too far. Before I punish you, you will explain this. All of it, from the very beginning. And it better be a good explanation. Especially this place."

Oh...

Compared to the meek tone she had before, her voice changed a lot.

Perhaps her quietness was just temporary for her to steel her resolve, but I quite liked the big sister energy the First Daughter displayed.

Although her siblings still had a confronting look on their faces, she seemed equally as fierce.

And with our goals aligned, I felt like I had a better chance to get what I wanted out of them.