Chapter 111: Rainy Day

-This chapter is written in Elizabeth's POV-

I don't understand it.

When I first met them, they seemed like seasoned warriors. Their levels ended up being lower than what I thought they'd be, but they still showed experience and courage when fighting.

Every one of them understood the roles they were supposed to play, and not a single one cowered against me.

It was a magnanimous display, I couldn't help but admire their dedication to the boy. Even if he wasn't the strongest, surely there was something to him that captivated them so much that they were willing to trade their lives for his without blinking an eye.

At the very least, I could tell that his rule wasn't by fear or power, so I quickly became interested in him and how he managed to unite them so well under his banner.

I wanted to know the path he took, the one that earned him so much trust and appreciation from those surrounding him.

Thanks to Pris, I ended up being forced to become his subordinate, but I thought that wasn't all that bad since it would be a good opportunity to learn more about him.

I didn't want to be a burden to the Caravan, and since the Merchant also seemed to have taken a liking to him, I was sure that by helping him out, I'd be helping them too, even if indirectly.

Of course, knowing that the Merchant went as far as to negotiate for my sake with him proved that in his eyes, the boy was important, so my interest only grew after our fight.

But... the way things are... I can't really call this a kingdom, or him a king.

Ever since the day started there wasn't an ounce of the respect I saw them demonstrate for him during a life-or-death situation to be found anymore.

I'm told he sleeps around with multiple girls every night, so I expected him to only be awake during the afternoon, instead, he was the first to get up, not only that, he took for himself the job of preparing everyone's meal even though I could he was somewhat tired.

I made the mistake of accepting the pop-up to leave the kingdom as soon as it appeared, thinking it was a request of his, but apparently, he sends these to everyone as soon as he's up to give them the option of coming and going as they, please.

Through that action, I found myself alone with him for a while. I could tell he was not really pleased with me, but he still did his best to be polite and wished me a good morning, to which I answered in kind.

I couldn't blame him for any hostility and suspicion on his part, as just a day prior we were enemies trying to take each other's lives, but this is where my problems began, as the blue-haired girl, Licia, and an elf, Ellie, joined us.

These two showed me a gentle smile in the morning as if I hadn't even hurt them before. I couldn't understand what motivated them do to so. It was on our agreement that they were supposed to forgive me as long as I played along to their requests but it was so soon and they didn't have an inch of animosity, or, they were extremely good at hiding it.

It was good that they had joined us, as Miwen changed his focus to them as they helped him prepare breakfast. Normally, he should leave it to them if they are his cooks but... he seemed to be the one in charge.

I thought it might be everyone's job to help in the kitchen, or that they took turns with it, so I tried to help them but... I didn't know where to begin, the task seemed to be simple enough that any of them would be able to do it by themselves, and paired with the strange equipment they used, I wasn't sure where I could lend a hand.

It also doesn't help that I never took such a job before... just watching their harmonized act made it seem like we were worlds apart. Even through that though, Miwen noticed that I was lost about what I should be doing, and offered me to either watch and learn or take it easy and relax, to which I ended up accepting the latter...

I was sure the request of being his "assistant" was purposefully vague in order to have me do a bunch of different things for him, but the way he acted right now seemed to indicate otherwise, at least when it comes to cooking, it seems like they don't really need any hands.

It was also a bit reassuring to me that he looked after me... it was not even close to the gentle care and attention that he showed the two girls, but it was surprisingly warm... He didn't remind me at all of the man whom I faced yesterday, the one with whom the Merchant had a tough time negotiating.

I suppose he's in love with them... well, it's clear from their interactions that this is the case...

Ellie: "...Sorry that I'm a bit slow today... I ended up sandwiched between Licia and Claire this night and barely managed to sleep~"

Licia: "It's not our fault that you are so huggable..."

Miwen: "Huh... Surprisingly the same happened to me, though it had the complete reverse effect..."

Quite flirty of them. Supposing that they are the ones responsible for the first meal of the day, I'm expecting it to be some sort of sweet. For a loveless woman like me, being forced to hear youngsters in love first thing in the morning was a bit torturous though...

Thankfully, as more people started arriving, the mood went from that of a date to... a reunion between friends, is the best way I can put it.

Miwen is their king, a position that demands authority and should have them looking and talking to him with a manner of respect and admiration. I know for a fact that every single one of them is incredibly loyal and dedicated, and yet... they pile up selfish requests on him as if he were no more than their personal cook.

The simple breakfast I saw before was just shared between the three of them, and even though two out of three of them seemed to not be in the best condition energy-wise, they still complied with everyone's requests.

The audacity of the elf to even question if I also wanted something specifically... are you looking to trouble your king even more?

I went with the same they had done for themselves, and after everyone finished eating, we left our plates and cups in the sink for them to wash. Again, Miwen took the role of a maid and seemed happy cleaning plates with those two.

I was about to join them too when the red-haired girl, Claire, used her authority over me to request that I clean her plates in her stead. On the battlefield, this girl showed immense power considering her level, and the wolf girl, Mia, told me that she was a duke's daughter.

It's a great fall from glory for me to be serving a measly heiress to a dukedom but right now I'm the same as a commoner, after all, an ex-queen is just... someone who is not a queen anymore.

I couldn't help but be over-conscious of this fact, but this didn't stop me from trying to do the job assigned either way, after all, this was fair... it was the price I had to pay to get here, and considering how much I hurt all of them, it could be said that it was very kind of them to allow me to live like this.

Or so I thought... Licia seemed to get quite angry on my behalf and demanded that Claire clean her mess and her plates. The latter protested all the way saying that no one else did that, which was a fair point, but Licia made sure to counter-argue by telling her this was to show how improper it is to make such demands of someone else on your behalf.

To further hammer home the point, she made Claire clean other people's plates.

Miwen, Licia, and Ellie... the three of them seem to do this work voluntarily for everyone else... and out of them, the one who showed more disposition as a king was actually Licia. Her words seemed almost absolute as no one in the room dared interject on Claire's behalf, even though it was a request for me to serve as her maid, which Licia just basically made void in a single argument.

However, this ended up making me feel even more lost about what I should be doing here, which only changed when Licia took me to "play" with her. I thought she was the second in command here, and that following her words was going to be necessary in order to maintain an amicable relationship with Miwen and the others but she had torturous plans for me.

She made me stay put in a chair for more than an hour as she used all kinds of cold jelly things on my face, not to mention some powders, and even drew on me. I was sure she wanted to make a clown in front of the others, but...

Licia: "So, what do you think?"

Miwen: "I think the rain is not stopping anytime soon..."

Licia: "I'm talking about Liz!"

Miwen: "Hm... Yeah, she's cute. You did a good job with the braids, the pencilwork is a bit heavy for my taste, but it suits her face well."

I... don't recall being so close to her that she can call me by a nickname, but pointing that out might be dangerous. I also don't mind it too much... especially since she looks very happy and proud right now, even though the one being complimented was me.

Well, ain't no way I was going to fall for such an obvious joke, so I didn't really feel anything. Though the mirror proved me wrong twice, as she really didn't make me look weird or anything like that... and also, judging by how red my face was, I couldn't deny that being called cute had... some effect.

I would prefer to say that this mirror is faulty or broken in some way though.

...Now that I think about it, I misjudged tremendously. Licia and Miwen are both strange. I can tell that they are in a relationship, but she got happy when he called an unrelated girl cute when normally I would expect a girl in love like her to get jealous in such a situation.

That aside... we're apparently having a day off today. According to Mia, on such days, Miwen sometimes comes up with something to do or somewhere to go that allows everyone to waste their time on a meaningless task.

Elizabeth: "I just don't understand... the Traveling Merchant recognized him, his power should be amongst the strongest in this Cycle at the very least! Why is it that he seems so content in... living quietly why you all?"

Mia: "Well... it's a day-off so that's to be expected... when we are adventuring in the dungeon he is a bit more serious. But yeah, you're right, he doesn't seem very ambitious right? And yet..."

Ambition... I see not a trace of that. Nor authority or anything that would make him stand above them.

The man I faced... seemed like a beast with a single purpose, but it was unique... unlike a cornered animal that bites out of instinct, he seemed to become one with his own.

A monster made of the worst aspects men could possess, using both his rationality, emotions, and instinct for a single goal: Killing me.

He was a mass of hatred,... his eyes looked at me like I was less than an insect, he didn't even consider me a living thing, just a target... someone who had to face punishment, almost as if he stood so much above me that it wasn't even a matter of capability, but his right to do so.

I found myself fearing him... but that should not have been possible.

I was leagues above him in power, but I knew those eyes... they were the same I acquired after losing my father... no... it was only after a long war... it was that which scared me the most.

I knew that monster, it took me a long time to become it, and yet... he seemed to flip to that in a second after his comrades were hurt.

How could I not be interested in it? I wanted to tap further into it, provoke him, and corner him, just to see how far he could go into it.

I was so sure I was the hunter... by all perspectives, I should've been, and yet... his tricks and schemes grew more and more, every time I thought he had shown me all he had, he would come with something new, slowly approaching me, and before I realized, I had barely managed to escape death.

All that time I thought I was measuring him... that I was the one doing the hunting... but I was wrong... since the start, I was the prey...

That thing wasn't the same as me... it was much worse than I would ever be able to become... a simple matter of its nature... it understood who it was and what it was there to do, it never took control of the man, it was part of him from the start, simply waiting for the moment it would be necessary... when he would let go of its restraints...

That realization shocked me to my very core but... he still had more up his sleeve... the beast was still chained, he only loosened his grip a bit, I'm certain of it.

if the Merchant had not appeared, that boy might've done it... Miwen's mind in that state seemed like an endless pool of malice, it's only focus was on hurting... on making me pay... I'm sure he would keep trying until either of us was dead.

I couldn't help but admire that endless potential... I must've been pretty dumb to think I had ever reached that state. A monster like that would make the past me look like a small, defenseless pet.

Mia: "...Sometimes Miwen seems like a completely different person... I have my theories for why that is but..."

Guess I wasn't wrong then, they've also been exposed to two different people when facing him...

Elizabeth: "Won't you share that with me? I believe I saw something similar in our fight..."

Mia: "Sure. See, Miwen is not power-hungry, right? As you said, his Gift might be the peak in terms of potential, and yet, he uses it quite responsibly, making slow strides instead of big jumps in power... He knows he is inherently above us thanks to his Gift, but he doesn't treat us badly due to that either, he actually takes care and responsibility for us to an unreasonable degree..."

There's no denying that, I've experienced it the entire day... It's a complete parallel to what he saw me as when we fought... but it's still undeniably an effect of his belief that he's unmistakably above the others, so much so that he has to constantly care for those he took under his wing.

While he could quickly become strong by boosting his power base, it would make his foundation way weaker as he wouldn't be able to create such strong relationships.

As such, by summoning a limited number of people, he gets to keep control and a watchful eye over all of them... Which is a valid path to kingship... and it suits his desires incredibly well, even if he doesn't realize it.

Though by tapping a bit more on his Gift's potential, he could definitely go for something greater.

Mia: "It's clear that he realizes his own potential, but he also reins in himself quite a lot... He also uses us as his chains, creating excuses like preventing us from being harmed by others and whatnot... I think that's because of what he was in the past... You heard him say that people in this world only manifest their Gifts when they become 18 right?

Well, he also shared with Licia that his parents were high-rankers, so just try to imagine how hopeless it must've felt for him to have this barrier called a Gift in the way of becoming like the ones he admired the most..."

Yeah, it's obvious why that would be a problem. Even after acquiring his Gift, it's possible that his feelings of inferiority never ceased.

Confirming my suspicions on the matter, Mia also talked about a sister he apparently has.

According to her, whenever asked, he says that most of the things he knows, he learned in order to help her out. He also calls her a genius while downplaying his own abilities, even when it comes to things he's quite capable of, saying that she would do it better.

Perhaps he gave up on himself and decided to dedicate his life to her...

In which case, it might be that after acquiring his Gift, he simply started using these girls as replacements for that relationship...

But that would imply that up until now, he has been using his Gift simply to get back to what he feels is his starting line...

Then what happens when he decides to start running? His Gift is clearly forcing him on the path of kingship... and he's slowly leaning into it as he didn't stop after a single girl was summoned...

Right now, he might be unconsciously testing the waters... if it was just a matter of getting back to where he was, he would surely have stopped at the first one... but he's still going... the fact that he rules over others must be gradually taking root in his mind... it must be part of his desires, even if unbeknownst to him...

But where would that stop? After reaching his rightful place among the strongest in his world, or after conquering it for himself?

Would that quell the desires of the beast I saw...? No way... if the man from yesterday set his sights on becoming a king, he wouldn't stop until he became the greatest. Not until all land in creation was under his control...

Well, he would have to face Asdrea for the position though, which...

Which is what the Merchant would want...

Hahaha... cunning bastard...

But I hope you calculated this well, uncle... because even after almost losing my life I still didn't manage to fully grasp the depth that he's hiding and in case Asdrea falls short, the Caravan would end up being next on the chopping board if you don't have a good plan...

Miwen: "Hm... as I thought... it's cold."

Mia: "Whoops..."

We went back to the living room after we finished our discussion. It did take quite a while, enough for his drink to lose its heat. Mia drank hers while it was still hot of course, but she didn't bother heating his cup at all...

Since I was also partially responsible, I tried to apologize, but he didn't really care about it.

Once the movie finished, Ellie woke up, and together with Licia the three of them went to prepare dinner.

The entire day went by without a sign of the man I feared, and I felt like I understood him less than before.

Even then, it was enough for me to decide on what I should do as his assistant.

I must see to it that he becomes the fully realized king he was born to be, no matter what form that may take.

And if that ends up becoming my downfall, so be it, it ought to make for an entertaining showdown at the very least.