Chapter 151: Collision (02)

Since the Dungeons' entrances have been blocked, no one from Earth can meet people who remain inside.

At least not through conventional means.

Thankfully, there were a few ways available for me.

My Gift has always been capable of breaking the Dungeon's rule, or rules in general for that matter. Even the First Daughter has a tough time with it, so I had no doubts that the barriers placed by Gods, who are an inferior species to the Endless, wouldn't be able to impede [Gacha Kingdom Building].

However, I didn't have any citizens on the floor I needed to go.

Maya, who currently holds one of the [Special Roles], was inside a completely different dungeon, and thus, meeting Erika through her was going to be almost impossible.

Thus, even though my Gift might look almighty from time to time, there was no circumventing this limitation.

But I still had an option. An expensive one, but I took it as an investment.

I was sure that a Gift at least as powerful as mine would be able to ignore the barriers, and luckily, I knew someone with the perfect ability.

Merchant: "Oh, I wonder which old friend you've prepared for me to confront this time. Or maybe Liz is being rebellious and you want me to scold her?"

Miwen: "Nah, she's fine..."

The merchant was happy to see how much my attitude toward Elizabeth had changed.

Despite how much I rejected her for hurting the girls, I now consider her one of us.

And truth be told, there was no way I wouldn't.

Powerwise, she's still the biggest addition to the Kingdom. Even the three Valkyries can't compare.

She also offers a lot of unique experiences as a ruler.

Her loyalty is high, and she has demonstrated that she'll keep her word to me even if at the cost of her own life, and even if meaningless.

Granted, this might just be that she's too prideful to go back on her word, but still...

The Merchant read both of us perfectly.

He knew how serious Elizabeth was. She was willing to do anything to earn forgiveness from the girls, and her genuine effort quickly got her forgiveness and acceptance from the girls.

I couldn't stay mad at her after seeing her usefulness and willingness. Even if I did, the girls would call me unreasonable.

Even though I was still on my toes due to the risk she posed... after the battle against the AOTG I couldn't see her as being different compared to the others.

It took a while. She had to be extremely useful. She also had to go through excruciating pain.

But she earned my forgiveness.

And I have no doubts that this guy knew from the start that this was going to happen.

Showing me her past served a bunch of different purposes, making me more sympathetic toward her was a given, but now that I think of her as a family member of ours, if she asked me for revenge against the Gods, I'd willingly join the Merchant's cause.

I hate how this bastard can be at the same time both the most stupid and cunning person in the room.

Miwen: "The job I have for you this time should be pretty easy... I guess..."

Not that he was going to give me any discount for it.

Since it was quite simple though, I decided to ask one thing that was on my mind before explaining it to him as I was sure he would be able to immediately act on my request anyway.

Miwen: "I've received some reports about plants and flowers disappearing from the Kingdom. You wouldn't know about it, right?"

Merchant: "No idea~"

What even was the point of blatantly lying like that? It was almost as if he wanted to get caught.

To think this is the same guy that managed to make us fear for our lives back then... Either I became too good at reading his act, or he didn't even try this time.

Miwen: "So... What are you doing with them? Are you preparing a bouquet or something?"

If he wants to declare his love for Priscilla, I'd be more than willing to help him.

It would be more than worth it just to see that woman kicking his ass.

Merchant: "Oh... that's not a bad idea. But it's not something for you to worry about. They are meant for someone else."

He was nice enough to ask if I wanted him to stop. There were plenty of flowers in the universe he could gather, and it just so happened that the Kingdom was a convenient garden due to the random spawns sometimes bringing exotic or pretty ones.

I told him that it was alright. Apparently, he has been doing this for a while, and I just noticed it because Agatha told me about it. Frankly, if this had any significance or importance, it was lost on me.

The only interest I had in this was his reason for doing it, but... "They are a feeble attempt. To correct the mistakes from the past, and make amends in the future." was all he said.

I already knew him well enough to understand that forcing a good explanation out of him is impossible.

It's not that he's not capable, but more so that he's unwilling.

Thus, I gave up.

It didn't look like what he was doing was going to affect me either way, so I just went ahead and asked him to facilitate my meeting with a certain succubus.

After describing Erika a little to him, he was able to use his Gift to reach her.

Once there, I pulled Liz and Bea out. They ended up not saying much, but I wanted them to accompany me since having a demon and an arcanum user could show Erika that I'm able to accept such things.

Although I do prohibit the use of arcanum when there's no Demonic Power to avoid the side effects, I at least wasn't against its study.

I had also brought Cassandra along, but I feared the interactions she could have with a succubus, so I asked her to stay in sword form.

Our discussion went somewhat smoothly. At least in the sense that I managed to tell her everything, both the upsides and downsides that my Gift could offer her.

I also got her to agree to be a citizen temporarily and showed her the Kingdom and what we were up to there.

Pretty much the same as Roy and Sam, I introduced her to the inhabitants and then came back to hear her answer about becoming a citizen.

I wanted to bring her sister and their party as citizens too, so I extended the invitation to them as well.

Erika: "I knew I wasn't wrong. The moment I laid my eyes on you... But, as expected... that's a little too much. You get it, right? The risks are too high."

Demons seem to value their freedom quite highly according to Elizabeth, but becoming a citizen would mean giving up all your rights to me.

I can have citizens under orders and roles that strip them of any rights. My will takes precedence over theirs, and their choices are incredibly limited.

Once I say no, that's the end of it.

It's incredibly easy to abuse this power.

While it offers a lot, it can also take just as much. It's a hard decision to make once you know exactly what you're getting into.

Even the girls only enjoy the freedom to do as they want because I allow it.

While it's not the case since I genuinely value their opinions and choices if this power was anyone else's, you could easily call into question if they are really free since that can be taken away from them in an instant.

That's a bit more on the philosophical side though, as in any society, you're only free because the laws ensure that. And so, you are free because you're allowed to. Which to some might already not constitute freedom.

Going further, it's hard to imagine true freedom, as we will always be dependent on something. Even if the most basic things that the environment has to offer.

In a more practical sense, I can use Gabriella as the first example of what happens when my will is challenged.

I'm forcing her to live under my values. She can do as she pleases only until it goes against my rules.

Depending on if and how she steps over the line, the punishment might be as simple as me throwing her out.

Still, she's the one I've enforced my rule on the hardest yet. She's the most limited inside the Kingdom by far.

I do have an idea to turn her around peacefully though. But I cannot guarantee I'll do this every time and for everyone in the future.

To be honest, I didn't mind watching this a little longer. It reminded me of the times when a teacher would put a student in charge of the others so that he could leave the room for a minute.

Much as he tried to control the others, it was barely going anywhere.

He was trying hard to keep his dignified appearance and composure, but it was clear that the others didn't think of his position as being that much higher than theirs.

For the last few, he had to raise his voice in order to shut them.

I can't remember acting this way with the girls. Forget treating them as equals, I treat all of them as my treasures, and yet, when I'm serious, they follow my command without question.

Thankfully things eventually settled, and so, I began to tell the story of what happened inside the Dungeon.

I could hear a bunch of "serves you right" from people who shouldn't even be in the room, and even my patience was starting to run out.

This obviously also didn't go well with Elizabeth. She felt it insulting that a man so incompetent was being called a ruler, as taking that position would mean that one is her equal in at least one way.

To prevent the same from happening again, lightning and fire started to surround Liz and Claire's bodies, silencing the room much more efficiently than the elf leader ever could.

This allowed me to finally get to the point.

For starters, I wanted to meet face-to-face with both the elf from back then, as well as the one responsible for the forest's growth.

The elf leader seemed a bit anxious about this, but he didn't dare say no in front of those two.

All of the other rowdy ones had also gone quiet, leaving him completely alone, and with no other alternative, he relented.

A while later, a few guards came accompanied by the elves I asked for.

Miwen: "Yo! Your Highness! Funny seeing you here."

Elf Prince: "What do you want, bastard?"

His pompous attitude was nowhere to be seen. I could tell that he hated my guts by now.

The feeling was mutual though.

Elf leader: "Please, forgive my son's insolence. He's still young and doesn't yet understand his role."

And neither do you...

Still, I guess them being family makes his claims back then true. I suspected as much, but seeing someone in a position of power with such an attitude was quite infuriating to me.

He also didn't look that young, but I could forgive it if he really was a child who didn't know better. Simply because this would mean he had room to grow and change with a little help.

I'm sure Ellie would prefer this too.

Miwen: "So, how old is he?"

Elf leader: "He'll turn 120 this year."

.....

I get that they live for a long time, but to be called a child at 120 years is a bit...

I didn't even know if a human could live that long.

Claire: "Well, they are elves, so... I guess that's like... twelve in human terms? Maybe a year old..."

That... has a lot of bad implications for me.

Liz: "That's a misconception. He might be young to others of his race, to the point of looking like a child, but it's meaningless to try and convert his age."

Elizabeth's statement made me a little bit confused, so she explained further.

Since Ellie was still quiet and Angelica died at a young age, she was the only one on our side capable of speaking about this.

Liz: "Past the point of maturity, both demons and elves basically stop aging. Thus, it's meaningless to try to convert their age. Take me for example. I've lived for a few millennia. Since most demons don't survive that long, this would put me at around 300 hundred years in human terms. Which doesn't really make a lot of sense."

Ellie: "If he's past 30, you can treat him as-"

Elf Prince: "Who allowed you to talk, whore? Know your-"

Miwen: "Who allowed YOU to talk? I've heard enough of him, you can shut him up, Liz."

I was intrigued by it, there's no universe where I would give more importance to what this guy had to say over Liz and Ellie's words. No matter the subject.

It also infuriated me that he interrupted Ellie when she finally mustered the confidence to speak up.

Even though she was holding my hand, she wasn't hiding her face. This growing confidence, though small, made me really proud of her. And then he just had to run his mouth.

Not only that, he even insulted her.

Kid or not, he had sealed his fate.

Liz surrounded his head with an air bubble. No matter how much he screamed, no sound reached us. Even his breathing was only possible because she allowed it.

His face filled with desperation was incredibly rewarding to see.

The others in the room acted rashly upon seeing that, but... they met the same fate. Water chains were now holding all of them in place, while air bubbles prevented them from speaking.

The same was true for the elf leader. Elizabeth's patience toward him had run out quite a while ago, and the fact that he tried to excuse his 120-year-old son's behavior by calling him a child might as well have been the tipping point for her.

Their levels and numbers were higher than we had when we first faced Liz, but they didn't pose nearly as much of a threat to her.

This made me realize why she was so interested in our fight back then. It was abnormal for us to be such a challenge for her, but on our side, we had an insanely capable witch preventing her from taking control of all the mana, as well as Licia and Claire's prowess with their elements.

As for physical attackers, Anna and Mia are way above the average for their levels. They can punch much higher.

To compare that with what the elves could do... it was no match.

Any magic that they tried to cast was instantly denied as Elizabeth took control of the mana before they could launch it.

They also didn't have anyone with enough strength to break the chains she had placed.

She wasn't exaggerating when she said she could deal with them in a matter of hours.

Miwen: "Well... that leaves only you then."

Wearing a humble white dress without many adornments, the last one on their side who was still capable of speaking was Kiara, the elf with the Gift responsible for regenerating the forest.

Kiara: "I... I don't know anything. I'm innocent, so please spare me."

She looked at us as if we were barbarians, completely filled with apprehension, which was comprehensible given that we invaded her home and took a bunch of her people as captive right before her eyes.

However, I had no mean intentions towards any of them aside from the little prince.

Until she said that...

Miwen: "You... innocent? Have you taken a look at what you've done?"

Kiara: "I haven't hurt anyone, so-"

Miwen: "I see. You can shut her up too Liz."

This whole thing was only possible thanks to her Gift. She might not have attacked anyone directly, but to say she hadn't hurt anyone was naive at best.

Miwen: "Since I got a good lesson today, It's only fair that I give back some knowledge. Consider this a stroke of good luck. Now you get to learn about the world from me."

I told the elf leader to take all of his troops as far away from the dungeon gate as possible since we were going to burn a good chunk of the forest again.

Then, I had Elizabeth bring these two with us. Our destination was the city where we previously enjoyed an evening.

A few men tried to stop us, but it was meaningless.

They were also told to stop, as the others realized that not only was it futile, but it risked us getting even angrier at them, which could lead to a greater disaster.