Gacha Kingdom Building

Even though two days had passed since I defeated Marin in our game and earned us her permission to board the ship, we still had yet to find any of the pirates known to be raiding in the North.

I wasn't expecting us to find and capture them on the first day, but being in the open sea like this gave me a lot of free time, so I started to think more about the situation in hopes of figuring out their next move or where they could be hiding at.

However, I eventually noticed that something wasn't adding up.

The three most traded goods in the North are fish, wood, and fruit. While they are valuable to the people of Terith and other frozen lands, they don't exactly make for the best target when it comes to pirating.

Typically, it's only worth raiding a country's coast or engaging ships at high seas if the area is known for trading high-value goods.

Often those high-value goods will be things like expensive minerals, gold, or even slaves.

And so, it made sense that pirating activities would rise in this area when Hamperlon conquered Maides Island and started mining orichalcum and gold. They also enslaved the population there, and I know for myself how expensive they can be.

However... All of this happened a few years ago in this world.

While Maides Island remains under Hamperlon, the gold rush ended long ago.

They still get some value from the island, but it's not comparable to before.

Thinking logically, they shouldn't have departed from the south, and the best target in the north would be Hamperlon, not Terith. So... Why would they be here?

Bea: "Hm... Perhaps it's because there's less competition? They might also have underestimated the security of Terith's north coast since Marin is the only one protecting it."

I wasn't too sure about that. While Marin's abilities are not that well-known or talked about in Licerce or the North in general, I doubt her former crewmates and enemies didn't spread the word in the South.

I suppose it's possible that her reputation deteriorated enough with time though.

Especially since her ship seems more suitable for voyages than naval combat.

It's fast enough for its size but it contains four big rooms that were clearly made to accommodate nobles, which hurts its combat capabilities.

It also doesn't seem to be that resistant since she had to use her ghost ships to defend against the monster we encountered before.

Apparently, she was relegated to a courier more than an admiral due to the lack of activity in this area.

Miwen: "...Such a waste..."

I guess I can see some people underestimating her given the situation, however, things still didn't add up.

Even if Bea is right and there's less competition. Even if they underestimate Marin...

The reward is just too low...

Bea: "Well, I can see it piqued your interest, but... Although I'm not sure if it's the woman or the mystery."

Sharp as always...

Miwen: "Why not both?"

Bea looked at me with a piercing stare before letting out a laugh.

Bea: "For you to think about another woman at a moment like this... Should I be worried?"

Miwen: "Pfft. You know very well that you don't."

I had spent the night with Bea and Ellie since I wanted to see for myself if they had truly made up.

And well... It's always fun to play with them.

Sadly, Ellie left first to fish, so it was just Bea and I on the bed for a little while.

It was a surprisingly sweet and peaceful morning, considering I was sharing it with a self-proclaimed evil witch, but it eventually got interrupted by Cassandra, who barged into the room.

Cassandra: "Fuck..."

I thought it was the same as always since I had decided to spend the night without her, but even though she blurted out her favorite word, something felt off.

Her movements and gaze were nowhere as sharp as they usual.

She also didn't have her sadistic smile. Instead, she was pouting... She seemed genuinely upset.

It wasn't an expression I'd ever thought I'd see on her face.

Miwen: "...Everything alright, Cass?"

Cassandra: "Hic... Can't believe you... Didn't invite me... You're so mean to me, boy..."

Bea: "...Heh? So this is how you act when you get drunk? It's kind of cute~"

I thought the same.

Cassandra is always sincere about her feelings but she never looked so weak and cute when speaking before.

Normally, her sharp eyes in addition to her raspy voice make her every word almost seem like a provocation, as if she's looking to pick a fight.

Her attitude also contributes a lot to that, but... Even though her words remained the same, the way she delivered them was too different.

Cassandra: "I don't get drunk! Dumbass!"

She also doesn't raise her voice often. Normally, she has such an ominous aura that everyone stops to listen to what she has to say.

For her to act like this when drunk... It was cute as hell.

Bea and I were surprised by it, but we couldn't help but laugh at how different she was.

Although it was funny and cute, I got a little worried since it seemed like she was having a hard time keeping her balance.

Bea: "As amusing as taking care of her sounds, I already have an appointment with Raella..."

Miwen: "Right... See you later then. As for you, Cass, get on the bed for now."

Cassandra: "Yay..."

Even though she interpreted it as me inviting her for some naughty time she didn't show as much energy as I've come to expect of her.

The moment she landed on the bed, she mustered all of her remaining energy to hug me and come close to my face for a kiss.

It didn't last long though. Her tongue movements clearly told me that she was barely conscious and soon, she stopped moving completely.

I waited a little to see if she had fallen asleep, and once I confirmed it, I gave her a pillow to hug instead so I could leave the room and find someone to look after her.

My first thought was to find Licia since she's usually happy to take care of the girls.

Marin: "Oh... The blue-haired one? She wasn't feeling well so I took her to the spare room..."

Apparently, the three of them had spent the night playing and drinking, but since I was busy, Marin couldn't bring Licia to me when she passed out.

I was surprised that she managed to outdrink both of them, especially considering what happened last time Licia started drinking with a redhead and how strong she is to alcohol.

She's also quite responsible, so I was glad she let herself enjoy as much as she wanted, even if that meant she went overboard for once.

Miwen: "I'm thankful that you look out for her as well."

Most importantly, Marin had my gratitude for that.

Marin: "That's the least I could do, right? After all, they were nice enough to keep me company."

Judging by the results, they must've had a lot of fun together, so I doubt it was any sacrifice on their part.

However, I understand the feeling perfectly.

When we first met Marin, she was drinking alone, and while it might not have seemed like it bothered her, the fact was that it looked pretty solitary.

It looked like she had way more fun when we were playing together.

Miwen: "I wonder why you chose to remain in Licerce instead of going to the south like the rest..."

I get that it's her hometown, and that could certainly be a reason to stay, but...

At least for me, the people around me are more important than the place I'm in.

In her place, with all of my comrades gone to the south, I'd probably choose to go as well.

Even if I had attachments to the city, ultimately, I'd choose the people.

Marin: "...Who knows? Maybe I never thought that deeply about it."

Even though I didn't know her too well, this felt like a lie.

She tried to hide it behind a confident smile, but it was no use.

I'd love to be able to deduce her reasons, but... Sadly, I didn't have too much to go on from, and between the two mysteries, the pirates' took precedence.

It didn't mean I couldn't have some fun though, so after I moved Licia to the same room as Cassandra, I went around annoying the girls.

I saw that Anna, Ellie, and Mia were all fishing from the bulwark, so I decided to help Ellie a little since it looked like she was having a hard time compared to the others.

Ellie: "Hnm... Miwen... It's hard..."

Miwen: "I know. But you need to be patient. I'll help you keep warm in the meantime."

She's always been the least resistant to cold among the girls, and when I found her, she was trembling a little, which wasn't helping with her fishing.

I decided to help her by sitting down and hugging her from behind, this way, we could share body heat.

I also wanted to spend more time with her, so it worked out greatly.

Ellie: "...Thanks, but... I meant you... It's poking me a little... Didn't we just... You know..."

Miwen: "Actually, that might be the reason."

Normally she doesn't complain about it, but I guess I was hindering her a bit since she was getting even more fidgety.

Because of that, I decided to play with Mia instead.

However, she was clearly paying attention, and because of that, the moment I got close to her, she jumped off the ship.

Miwen: "She's going to be alright... Right?"

Anna: "She caught these ones with her hands, so yeah."

I was somewhat relieved to see that she had jumped to get more fish.

For a second, I thought my fiancee had chosen death over spending some quality time with me.

Miwen: "Well, I guess I have no choice then. Mind if I join?"

Anna: "Of course!"

I sat down next to Anna and we enjoyed fishing together for a while.

Mia also noticed I had thrown another bait, so she pushed me into the water one time, which made both Ellie and Anna quite worried.

I was surprised by how much colder it was compared to the last time, but swimming after Mia to get revenge was still fun enough for me to not mind it too much.

As for the fish... Anna was pretty much the only one who managed to get a good amount legitimately.

Ellie was seriously trying to compete, but she was not very good at it. As for Mia, even though she caught the biggest ones, she was cheating, so it didn't count.

Thankfully, we were doing this mostly to pass the time since we had already stocked the ship and wouldn't run out of food.

Even if we got close to running out, I could always sneak back inside the Kingdom to restock.

After a while, Ellie gave up trying to catch fish and excused herself to look out for other ships from the crow's nest.

Her vision is good enough to where she could probably spot them from a long distance even from the bulwark or the deck, but on that spot, she's sure to not miss a thing.

I took my time having fun with the girls, so it was almost time for me to go to my assigned task.

Before that though, I couldn't help but check in on Claire and Isabella.

When I asked Marin to help the girls learn a little about manning a ship, the two self-important duchesses wouldn't budge on the idea of being at the helm.

Everyone was justifiably worried about either of them steering the ship, but surprisingly, they were doing a good job.

I still couldn't rest peacefully without taking a look though.

After that, I went to the kitchen since the girls insisted that I'd be the one handling the meals.

It was pretty much a given since they like my cooking so much, but it was oddly reminiscent of the early days, so I happily obliged.