Gacha Kingdom Building

Six days after Reina's summoning, the peace I worked so hard to build inside the Kingdom was already on the brink of collapse.

She had under her command 150 Snow White Wolves.

Their formation was composed of 50 archers in the backline, while the rest were barefisted soldiers equipped with bracelets or, at best, small shields, serving as her frontline.

The opposing forces led by the Demon Queen Elizabeth were equal in number and strength, with the only difference being their formation and equipment.

She had only 30 archers in the backline, with 90 footsoldiers equipped with swords and shields, and to support them from behind, 30 others equipped with long spears.

Before their battle, the two commanders approached each other, staring down one another.

It was possible to see the sparks clashing in the air as the tension rose and the two refused to even so much as blink.

Yet, neither showed concern for it, and kept their composure despite fully understanding the atmosphere they had created.

Miwen: "...You get one hour to plan and adapt however you see fit. After that, while you can't fight yourselves, you will be allowed to shout commands. The victory conditions are to either defeat all of the opponent's troops or their commander, alright?"

If not for these conditions, Elizabeth could probably take on Reina's side by herself.

However, not only would that defeat the purpose behind this battle, it would also make for an uninteresting match.

Elizabeth: "Of course, Your Majesty."

And Liz was never the type to run away from an interesting challenge.

If anything, it's usually the opposite.

Reina: "I understand, my lord."

While Elizabeth focused on Reina when answering me, the latter at least spared a second to look my way when answering.

They were both being as respectful as always, but today, I was keenly watching for those small differences.

After all, they were what sparked today's situation.

Miwen: "Claire will give you a signal when it's time to start. Good luck."

The two turned their backs to each other and headed to their side to discuss.

Meanwhile, I joined the other referees for this match.

Cassandra: "Oh... The old hag has this one in the bag."

Claire: "Seems that way. I was expecting more from Reina after such big talk, but..."

Cassandra: "Don't tell me you bet on her?"

Claire: "No way. It's Liz we are talking about here, you know? She's got what, centuries of experience?"

Our totally unbiased judges had already reached a consensus.

I couldn't blame them, considering how haphazard Reina's formation seemed, but it made me wonder about what the others' thoughts were.

Miwen: "What do you think, Anna?"

Anna: "Hm... I don't understand why Reina didn't even give them swords. Liz's side has more variety, better reach... I think those are good, right?"

Anna wasn't a judge this time, but she really, really wanted to take a close look, so instead of watching it from the walls, I invited her to watch it with us on the plains outside the Outer Walls, where the battle was to take place.

I was also interested in having her watch and learn.

Although she surprised me a bit.

Her analysis leaned heavily on her own experiences, her preference for heavy weapons, and her distaste for intricate abilities.

All of this made Liz's formation seem superior in her eyes, as if personified, it would be a nightmarish opponent for her, embodying both her strengths and weaknesses.

Miwen: "That's not bad... And you two?"

Licia: "Hmm..."

Mia: "No idea... But I'd prefer to fight on Reina's. I'm not really fond of swords and spears..."

She thought similarly to Anna, using her own experience and preferences, but ultimately, while still a little unsure, she bet on Reina instead.

As for Licia...

She got lost in thought and never gave us an answer.

Which was actually pretty fair.

The numbers in this battle were high for an exercise, but still low enough that even a bit of luck could make all the difference.

Especially since Mia handpicked the participants to ensure both sides had equal strength not only in numbers.

Mia: "What about you? Who are you betting on?"

Miwen: "It's not fair for a judge to bet on a contestant, you know?"

Mia: "You..."

Aside from their unprofessionalism, betting on who they thought would win, we had assembled a pretty good team to oversee the queens' match.

Licia and Bea were in charge of ensuring no one would use magic, especially Elizabeth.

Even though my little Demon Queen is so adept, our witch has studied quite a lot with her and should be able to sense and identify her mana even by a tiny trace.

And while Licia was a little behind in her mana senses, her instincts for cheating, as the improvisation master she is, more than made up for it.

Aside from these two, we also had Ellie, Angelica, and Mia.

Pairing Ellie and Angelica gave them that sky view over both sides, and with Ellie's sight, nothing could escape them.

And if somehow they could hide their cheating from view, Mia's keen senses and instincts were sure to capture it.

As for Claire and Cassandra...

One got a little jealous that I invited Licia and demanded to be a judge too, while the other just wanted a front-row seat to watch Reina's or Liz's defeated face.

Miwen: "I'm still surprised you don't like her..."

Given her attitude towards Liz, I'd think she'd get along great with Reina.

Cassandra: "Hmph. Messing with little old Liz is my thing. If that newcomer wants a piece, she should beg me nicely~"

Miwen: "Oh... So it's not because she talked about your behavior?"

Cassandra: "Eh? The lascivious thing? I thought that was a compliment?"

It was definitely not.

Although it was also completely true, I can see why Cassandra didn't even process it as an insult.

She's a woman who proudly calls herself a slut, after all.

In any case, as soon as the time was up, Claire launched her fireworks into the sky, announcing the start of the battle.

The ground shook, and even the wind changed directions as the soldiers clashed against each other.

Elizabeth's soft-spoken voice became loud and clear as she organized her side to intercept the oncoming force without breaking formation.

Reina, on the other hand, directed her soldiers in turns, shouting for them to protect themselves when Elizabeth's archers had readied themselves and using her own to suppress Liz's army and stop them from attacking when her side was still vulnerable.

While it was only a mock battle, with wooden equipment and painted tips, we underestimated the intensity and competitiveness of the Snow White Wolves.

Between the shouts and loud clashes, we saw swords and shields being broken, people being chased, and even some being tossed around.

If not for Liz and Reina's command, this could have easily devolved into something else, yet there was a surprisingly high amount of order to all the chaos.

Those who had the opposing team's paint on their vitals left the match without complaining, and upon closer look, almost all had satisfied smiles on their faces.

They mocked each other for losing, and when they met the one who defeated them, it was pretty wholesome.

I was worried for a moment, given it seemed like they had forgotten it was just a game, but I suppose it really was just their way of having fun.

Frightening as it may be.

Miwen: "You guys are really energetic, huh..."

Mia: "Have you not gotten used to it yet?"

Miwen: "Maybe if you help me?"

Mia: "Hmph... Pervert."

She only bumped my arm a little and then faced away from me, pretending to focus on the battle.

It was a surprisingly meek reaction for her standards.

Nonetheless, I thought it was incredibly cute how she's trying to restrain herself, yet her embarrassment always wins out in the end.

Following her example, I started to pay more attention to the battle as well.

I already had an idea of who would come out on top for this one, but truthfully, I was only certain after I saw the arrows flying from one side to the other.

They were all incredibly fast and precise, but thanks to their instincts, the soldiers were able to defend against them.

Whenever they did, though, it created a window for the opponent to attack.

Both Liz and Reina tried to use their own archers to change momentum on the frontline, but as expected, Reina was the one having an easier time.

Even a novice like me could tell it wasn't a matter of bad timing on Elizabeth's part.

It was just that Reina had more archers, so they created bigger windows.

She also refused to have them all fire at once, having a few purposefully delay their shots to counter Elizabeth's, who couldn't afford to do the same without being overwhelmed.

This created a big problem, but Elizabeth's focus had always been on the frontline, where not only did she have a numerical advantage, but also a better formation, according to our judges.

However, that wasn't completely true.

As it turns out, even when no arrows were flying, the battle still seemed to go in Reina's favor.

Claire: "I don't get it?"

Mia: "Don't look at me, I also- Wah! Not here, you per-"

Licia: "You said it yourself, remember?"

It took her a while, but Licia reached the same conclusion as I did.

Although it seems like she exhausted herself trying to predict the winner, and decided that the only way to recover was to hug Mia and Claire.

Anna: "...Is it... Because of the weapons?"

Licia: "I think so...

Were this a normal battle, Liz would have the advantage, as Anna predicted.

Unfortunately, in this case, they were the key to her defeat.

Not that she could do anything about it.

Before this battle began...

Before they had decided on their formations...

Reina had already won.

The moment their argument began, Elizabeth had already fallen into a trap.

Things just progressed naturally from there.

As for how things came to this...

It started two days ago, when Reina finally showed us her Gift.