Gacha Kingdom Building

After we escaped from Terith, I forced Sabrina into the lowest role in the Kingdom and sent her to our newly created prison.

This area was designed for us to contain and convince the most troublesome and tough nobles of Evretis and Terith to sell away their souls to Elizabeth.

Although it's a dark and desolate building, it is hidden underground to hide it from the rest of the Kingdom and preserve our pristine view.

I was also careful to keep it nice and clean, so there was no stench of blood or flesh remains to be found.

Even though it had already helped me achieve my goals and served little other purpose, I decided this facility could still be useful.

I had initially planned on not allowing unruly and untrustworthy people within the Kingdom to prevent rebellions and danger to me and my citizens, however, it was hard not to recognize the value of keeping prisoners inside the Kingdom.

Unless we deal with someone with powers similar to the Merchant, any prisoners we keep in the Kingdom are virtually unreachable.

It would also be hard to escape once inside the Kingdom. Once inside one of the jails, they are practically inside two different prisons since the only way of leaving this dimension is with my permission.

With such high benefits and low risks, as long as I have someone take care of them, I believe it's a worthy trade-off to keep certain prisoners inside the Kingdom.

Of course, we wouldn't want to imprison too many people since every single one increases the chances of something bad happening, however, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to imprison Sabrina.

Discovering her real identity was definitely helpful, but there were still many mysteries I could only hope to uncover with her help.

Certain answers were impossible for me to obtain while keeping up the act of Isabella's loyal butler since there was no way of working around them without revealing myself as someone who also doesn't belong to this world.

Miwen: "Hello, Sabrina. I hope our accommodations are to your liking."

Her room was the best we had to offer in this building.

She had a bed, a bucket, and a small curtain in the corner.

It was quite luxurious compared to the other cells, but that was also on purpose.

There were cases where offering a prisoner even a little bit more of a better condition for being more cooperative went a long way into breaking the spirit of another.

Sabrina: "...What... is that...?"

Throughout our academic life, she would often shift her attention toward me.

But this time, her eyes were fixated on Elizabeth.

She was sweating and wouldn't blink.

Alongside other signs of fear...

Elizabeth's mere presence impacted her, but I was unaware of the reason.

It could have been due to a similar antipathy as Gabriella's demon aversion, but it could also be because of the events of the Graduation Party.

Although Sabrina had collapsed, there was a chance she was still conscious enough to see Elizabeth descending and controlling the beast she had no hopes of challenging even after preparing and plotting for a year and a half.

Miwen: "Hm? This is my secretary. She might look a bit bad-tempered, but I assure you that that's the least you'll have to worry about when dealing with her."

I wish I could have something nice to say about Liz, but calling her a good person or equating her to one would be a lie.

Right now, if her actions have an ounce of morality behind them, it is because of the nature of what I order her to do.

While I'm also not the sweetest fruit in the garden, I can only imagine the chaos she would cause if she were left alone.

It makes me wonder which one, between her, the dragon, and me, is supposed to be this world's calamity.

Elizabeth: "Even though I did my best to perform in the mission given to me and present you with a worthwhile Gift, Your Majesty seems to be in a bad mood. Was it perhaps not to your liking?"

Miwen: "...Later, Liz."

I had a lot to talk with her about regarding this, but Sabrina took precedence since our talk was necessary for me to decide how to deal with her going forward.

Miwen: "Now, Sabrina... Do you mind telling me your name?"

Her wrists were bound with magic handcuffs that made her unable to use any spell and most magic.

Their material is not of the highest quality, but aside from Licia, who broke them during a test, they had proven themselves a worthwhile investment.

Even the most powerful nobles we imprisoned couldn't break them with their physical strength alone.

Sabrina also had a collar around her neck chained to the wall of her cell. This one wasn't as easy to break away from, so Sabrina wasn't in any position to escape or refuse me.

But I still didn't want to be overly malicious.

It would make everything easier for both her and my soul if I could get my answers without treating her worse than necessary.

Sabrina: "What type of question is that? You already know, don't you?"

Miwen: "I'm not talking about the name of the Saint. I'm talking about the name you had on Earth."

Sabrina: "Haah... So she even told you about that. No wonder you are so willing to believe that viper."

Miwen: "I recommend you keep your mouth shut about Isabella. My patience is not as big as you might think. And also, you are completely wrong."

Throughout our little school life, the idea of me being a traveler from another world never seemed to have crossed Sabrina's mind.

Until the very last moment, she ignored every single one of my actions and words that were suspiciously unlike those of the other characters.

I can't blame her too much considering the butler and his abilities are supposed to be a mystery throughout the game, but... I believe that above all, she was enamored with the idea of being this world's savior, and us, male characters, being hers to conquer.

She mistook every strange action or thing I said as a character quirk and a window she could take advantage of to progress our relationship.

Probably because she saw that I was quite playful with the other girls and imagined that cultivating such a relationship was key to conquering me.

Whatever her reasoning or lack of reason might have been, she believed that Isabella was the one who, like her, was a player with knowledge of this world's reality reflecting the game's script.

I decided to preserve this misunderstanding.

It was beneficial for me to play along with her fantasy.

However, having her in this position, there was no reason for me to continue this, and I could ask the direct questions I could not afford before.

Miwen: "Isabella is not from Earth like you. I am."

It took her a few seconds to process my words.

But the gears in her mind had started to move.

Sabrina: "...That... Can't be true.."

It was definitely a shock for her, yet, it was the truth.

Sabrina: "You... You would have sided with me if that were the case... Only with me could we ensure this world's everlasting peace..."

Miwen: "If you are talking about the dragon, we already dealt with it."

Sabrina: "Isabella is a vicious woman! You should know that if you played the same game I did! She's only able to cause disaster and-"

Miwen: "I told you to shut up about her, didn't I?"

I came to her cell without any intentions of being violent.

But with the snap of my finger, a small flame appeared inside her mouth and started to burn her tongue.

Since I still needed her to talk, I made sure not to burn it, but... It served as a good warning.

Not overly violent... Just justifiably violent.

Miwen: "Isa is not the person you think she is. Or rather, she's not the character you think she is. Thanks to our help and her own efforts, she treads a much better path than she was allowed to in the game. I won't forgive you, or anyone else, who belittles our effort."

Sabrina: "Hah! For God's sake! Are you mad? She's the Umbral Duchess! This world's curse! Did you fall in love with her body or something? There's no light in her heart. She will do anything, crush anyone, to get what she wants."

I couldn't burn her tongue anymore.
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So I went for her feet.

I can't really justify how much of her legs I burned with anything other than... she pissed me off.

Miwen: "Go ahead. Do it again. I have enough mana to keep your body burning the entire day."

Sabrina: "..."

Miwen: "You can think whatever you want. But if you insult her again... Well, you already know."

To me, it was almost like therapy.

God only knows how much I wanted to make her pay for everything she had done to Isabella.

And being forced to play pretend with her... Putting on smiles and saying a bunch of bullshit I didn't mean just to get her to spew what she knew...

I had to control myself, or else, I could have killed her before I got what I wanted.

Miwen: "Now, will you answer me?"

Sabrina: "If I do... Will you let me go?"

Miwen: "..About that."

There are a lot of complications regarding this girl.

Firstly, I'm unsure of what I should do with her.

She hurt Isabella a lot.

She pisses me off.

She also tried to brainwash me more than one time.

Sure, she might not know or understand about her charm, and since it seems to be more of a passive effect, I could forgive her for it.

However, that pendant thing was as on purpose as it gets.

Honestly, it's a bit disgusting. I'm already not very fond of having my mind and thoughts attacked or invaded, but having them controlled... Oh, that's a whole other level.

Considering the nature of her intentions toward me, it also feels a little disgusting.

It might be a little rich of me to criticize someone for using their powers as a foundation for a relationship, but I think our circumstances are wholly different.

I recognized that [Gacha Kingdom Building] put me in an advantageous position concerning the girls I summoned, but I did my best to be fair and responsible with this power.

Never did I plan or try to force them to stay. Be it from our very first time meeting, or even now.

There are a few different circumstances for some of the girls I met later and weren't summoned, but the core principle of allowing them to choose their destiny remains for the most part.

Like before, the most I'm willing to do is give them reasons to stay.

But that's for a different reason now...

In any case...

Miwen: "I don't know what to do with you."

That's the crux of the issue.

My heart screams to make her pay for what she did to Isa.

But I don't want to do something I might regret.

When I think about it, this is ultimately a girl who was too caught up in her own fantasy and didn't pay enough attention to her surroundings to understand that they were not what she thought they were.

But with her being someone from Earth, I can understand why she would think and act the way she did.

After all... It is a fantastic idea.

And it is hard to blame her for being wary of Isabella given how much knowledge of the game she has.

However, being wary is where it should have stopped.

Miwen: "Before I decide what to do with you, I want to know more. I'm giving you your last chance to redeem yourself, so it's in your best interest to be honest with me."

Sabrina: "This world was made for me... I am Sabrina, its heroine..."

Miwen: "...Right."

It didn't seem like I could convince her to leave fantasy land, so I decided to focus on what mattered most.

Miwen: "Isabella summoned a few weeks before starting the academy. I'm assuming it was the same for you."

Sabrina: "Yes..."

As long as I didn't question her identity as Sabrina, she was willing to talk and cooperate.

Miwen: "The spell you tried to use against the Dragon Of The North. Can you explain it to me?"

It wasn't something the girls had come across in the game, so I was a little curious about it.

Sabrina: "...It's the only way to defeat the boss. It collects and multiplies the power of every character you have max affection points with and defeats the dragon in one shot if this condition applies to every character. It's hard to do because of... You. But the pendant you broke is a cheat item that temporarily maxes your relationship with every character present in an event for as long as the event lasts. I was going to use it to cheat the final boss..."

Even though the pendant was now broken, I could still have the girls confirm it by acquiring it in the game.

According to Sabrina, the pendant is a memento from her mother. It can be found in the church she was raised in by inspecting a drawer every day at least once.

That place wasn't too useful. With an unintuitive requirement like that and it being pretty much inaccessible for Isabella, I can see why the girls never found it.

In this world, she found it instantly on the first day but chose not to use it until the Graduation Party, when it would be needed the most.

Miwen: "I see... Then... Can you tell me about the circumstances that brought you to this world?"

Sabrina: "Why?"

Miwen: "Mine are very special, so I'm interested in yours."

I doubt it is as complex as mine.

Especially since they probably don't involve only [Gacha Kingdom Building] or even [The Darkest Star], but something much bigger.

Sabrina: "I was just playing the game. But I suddenly lost consciousness... Next thing I knew... I was here."

As expected, not at all like me.

Miwen: "So it had nothing to do with your Gift?"

I still wanted to confirm it, but she surprised me by how she reacted.

Sabrina: "...Gift? Do you mean my power? Of course not. I only got it when I possessed Sabrina's body."

Miwen: "...Huh?"

Sabrina: "Huh???"

Something was strange about the way she talked about it.

It made me want to ask more about it.

Miwen: "Did you not have a Gift before coming to this world?"

Sabrina: "Yeah? Isn't that obvious?"

Miwen: "...Why would that be obvious?"

Unless she's a minor, she should have a Gift.

This should be true for both worlds.

The only exception I have encountered thus far was Isabella, but I believe the reasons for that are unique.

Sabrina: "Well, because there's no such thing as special abilities on Earth...? That's why I like this world so much. There's magic, romance, adventure... Everyone is special and powerful..."

I was shocked.

I could even feel Liz's gaze change directions and focus on me for a second.

Miwen: "The world that you came from... Did it not have any magic? What about Dungeons or monsters?"

Sabrina: "Yeah? It's Earth we are talking about, right? Oh... Don't tell me you are one of those creeps who-"

Shocking might be an understatement...

As if it was the most obvious thing... The world she described was completely different from the one I knew.

I... was at a little loss for words, but I decided to continue digging...

If the Earth she knows is different from mine, one possible explanation could be...

Miwen: "Do you remember what the date was when you... left Earth?"

Sabrina: "Hm... I think it was November? Maybe October? I don't remember the day exactly..."

None of that was useful.

What I really wanted to know was the year.

Sabrina: "...Ah. The year was 1999."

Miwen: "Are you sure? It was before the turn of the millennium?"

Sabrina: "Of course! I even remember everyone was making a big deal about it."

That explained it.

Chances were that she didn't come from a different Earth.

She came from a different time.

Before the world was even blessed.

But led me to another mystery...

Miwen: "...Can you tell me more about the game you played? Things like the videogame you played it on. The gameplay. Graphics. Everything."

Sabrina: "...Uh... Yeah? Sure..."

Claire asked me for a phone to play this game since it didn't work on mine due to its requirements.

They are not so outrageous considering all the game functionalities, but...

While my phone was far from the top tier, it should be as good if not better than anything available for a consumer in 1999.

And even if that weren't the case... I cannot imagine anyone being able to run the game Claire had on her phone in 1999.

Even after Sabrina told me everything about the game she played, I still had more questions than answers.

It did fit my theory of who might be behind this, but...

The only reason I could think of was so... childish...

It wouldn't make sense for them...

Miwen: "Then, one last thing, Sabrina."

Sabrina: "Yes?"

Miwen: "Do you want to return to Earth? I'd be happy to give you money to go back to your home and we can pretend that we never crossed pa-"

Sabrina: "No! Anything but that!"

...That was the most merciful offer I had for her.

The one that I thought might be more than what she deserved.

However, the way she reacted...

Her eyes were filled with more anger and desperation than I had ever seen.

Sabrina: "Anything but that! I would rather die than go back!"

Miwen: "...I see. I guess I'll decide once I'm done here then."

Sabrina: "Wait! Come back! Please... Edmond... Anyone..."

I turned my back to her and started walking upstairs.

But I did notice Elizabeth was a few steps behind me.

Liz: "Praying to anyone but him won't do you any good. This place has collected a lot of negative energy... Soon it will even produce Demonic Power... Your prayers have no effect here, little Saint."

With a hand in her mouth and a condescending look in her eyes, Elizabeth chuckled as Sabrina's hopes were shattered.

No one was going to come save her.

Her powers were useless.

And all she could hope for was my mercy.