Looking through a window inside the house I made to live in the [Kingdom] I reflect on how empty and strange this place truly is.
First of all, there's a day and night cycle, which should mean that there is a star somewhere and that this place orbits it right? It's true that both a star and a moon cycle through the sky, but it feels so artificial seeing as there's this thick fog surrounding everything. It truly looks like a videogame scenario where there's an initial area that you're not supposed to leave.
But due to the emptiness in this place, it feels more like a horror game where monsters will jump at you, of course, this effect is more evident during the night, which is why I wasn't paying it any mind until now.
There used to be only a single hut in here, but due to the circumstances I found myself in there's now a house place in the middle of this space. Normally it would help things look more... human? But a single house surrounded by this fog in an otherwise empty place doesn't really do much to make the atmosphere better.
Being here alone also doesn't help things, I feel like something will come out from the fog when I least expect it, but alas, it never happens. Since I can leave this place and not one thing seems to have been changed or a new entity appears, it's also safe to assume that such a thing will not happen.
Another strange thing that I've noticed is that the kingdom seems to be synchronized with both Earth and the event world, as the duration of the day and the night seem to be the same in these three "worlds". I doubt this is actually the case though, many things can affect the duration of the day on a planet, so for these three to be matched must be due to some magic.
It's doubtful that I can find the answer to everything here as it stands, and there's also the fact that my Gift has unlockable features as was the case with the events, so maybe if I make enough progress, the answers will naturally come in the form of the unlockables. Well, either answers or more questions, but for now I'm satisfied with the way things stand.
Though, I'm to summon more people, I'd like to at least be able to guarantee their safety. Since my house is already pretty crowded. I only hope that nothing unpredictable starts happening around here as time goes on.
Licia: "You seem worried."
Miwen: "Hm? Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
Licia: "Is it about the execution?"
Miwen: "Nah. I believe Melissa won't have any trouble with it, it's also understandable why she would want to do it. The guy gave her tribe so much trouble after all."
If Melissa had killed the Angel Of The Night back in the cave, I would've gotten some experience out of it, since Licia somewhat helped in the fight and we share the same experience gains.
Due to the level difference, we could have gotten a level up or two straight away, but Melissa prioritized the morale of her army over it.
I don't hold any grudges against her for it though, given our low levels, it wouldn't make much of a difference since she doesn't expect us to directly help in fighting.
I could at least provide her with more items if I had a level-up, but at the end of the day, she valued her troops more than that.
Miwen: "Is Claire not coming?"
Licia: "I tried waking her up, but she asked for a few more... hours. I think she'll only come to see you during the night."
Miwen: "Perhaps she got tired from using mana to shoot at Mia and lighting fires in yesterday's arena..."
Licia: "Not at all, she's good at controlling her mana input so she kept herself from total mana depletion. It's just that since we aren't going to the dungeon, we have a lot of free time, so we've been watching movies in your house."
Miwen: "And that led to her being this tired ?"
Licia: "Well, she wanted to watch one more before I left, but I guess it didn't end up at just one..."
I can't really be mad at her for that, I've been in the same place before after all.
Miwen: "If it's boring to you, feel free to go to the dungeon, but just be careful, alright?"
Licia: "I don't like the idea of just the two of us facing the boss, it's possible that we could win, but it's an unnecessary risk. What's more pressing is that you scold her when this ends, or else she's going to become a freeloader who doesn't work to earn her stay."
Miwen: "Alright, alright. I'll be sure to talk to her later, ok?"
To be honest I don't really mind having a cute girl freeloading back at home, but Claire is very strong, and having her on the dungeon raids brings a lot of power and fighting experience to our party.
Miwen: "I'll bring Melissa some gifts from the gacha, do you want to come along?"
Licia: "As much as I'd like to share a cell with you, right now I'd prefer to catch up with the movies Claire watched without me."
Is she being ironic about the cell thing or should I get my hopes up? Well, we already share a bed anyway and nothing really happens, so sharing a prison cell also wouldn't lead to anything. But if we can't at least hope, then what can we do?
I depart with Licia while maintaining these thoughts, and when the scenario changes from the creepy yet safe kingdom of mine to the dungeon cell of the White Snow Wolves, where before me stands their chieftess and her daughter.
Miwen: "Oh, so you're still alive? I was worried sick you know?"
Mia: "!.."
Since her mother is right here, she won't do anything rash or even talk back, so I won't miss the chance of teasing this cute wolfgirl. And after her mother took away a potential level-up from me, it's only fair that I get the reward of seeing her daughter flustered like this.
Mia: "If I had the mark-"
Melissa: "Eh? If you came here to flirt, I can just leave you two alone."
When it comes to teasing Mia, it would be foolish of me to try and compete with her mother, the expression on her face right now is something I'd fight the entirety of the Hamperlons for, even if that would surely cost me my life.
Even then, I'd be a fool not to notice she just tried to hide whatever Mia was about to say. I don't mind if she keeps secrets from me, but I believe it's already time we start being more honest with one another, so I'll be sure to question her about the things I have doubts about.
And well, between Melissa and Licia, I've been getting many tempting offers lately, but this one's a hard pass.
Miwen: "No, thanks. I like having my head attached to my neck."
Melissa: "Quite clever, I wouldn't expect less of my ally."
Miwen: "So you recognize me as your ally and yet you still keep secrets from me?"
Mia: "..."
Melissa: "...It's not really a secret. I can tell if you'd like me to but... let's just say right now is not the best time."
Miwen: "Alright. But then what about the dragon?"
Melissa: "...The dragon?"
I don't like this attitude, I've been working hard for her, so the least she can do is share with me what she knows. That way I'll be able to better help her.
Miwen: "I believed it was called the Dragon King of Frost, and the harpy said that you had a pact with it or something."
Melissa: "Colluded. He used the word colluded."
So she's not going to play dumb. Well, it would be useless either way.
Melissa: "And he was wrong, we never colluded with that beast."
Miwen: "I'll gladly listen to the story."
Melissa: "Even though it's not worthwhile?"
Miwen: "Well, the girls have been enjoying some entertainment as of late, so I might be feeling a bit envious. A good story would be enjoyable."
Melissa: "It's not even enjoyable, but alright..."
I sit in anticipation, it might not be much, but her sharing this already proves to me that she's willing to tell me what I want to know, even if to her it's not worth it. This one might be trivial, but there's another thing I've been meaning to ask her, so I'll do it after judging how truthful she is with this one.
Melissa: "So, to start with, the Dragon King of Frost is a beast of old, a mythical dragon that has not been seen for more than five centuries. Legend says he's responsible for the frozen lands in the north that stretch all the way to this very island."
I've noticed the frozen land on the map she gave me, but I thought it just meant we were close to the north pole equivalent of this world.
At first, it seemed strange to me the way the ice spread, but I'm not an expert on these things, so I figured it just seemed odd because I'm used to seeing Earth's world map.
There's also the chance that their map just wasn't that precise to begin with. Since maps of old ages on Earth were also flawed, I believed it would make sense for the maps of a tribe in the middle of nowhere in a setting that looks medieval to also make mistakes in their map-making.
Melissa: "No one knows where the dragon was born, but the most accepted version of the legend says that he came from this island and traveled north, freezing everything in his path. On the mainland, they tell tales about how our tribe wanted to spread and made a covenant with the Dragon King of Frost, where he would freeze the entire continent so that we would be the only ones capable of living in it."
Miwen: "But you're saying that's not true?"
Melissa: "I can't be absolutely sure, but it's rather convenient to place the blame of a disaster on a tribe that rarely leaves their birthplace, it makes it quite hard for us to spread our version of the story, at the very least."
Miwen: "And what happens in your version?"
Melissa: "Well, the story we tell is that the beast came from the north, it was freezing everything in its way, so our people, who at the time had a small kingdom, were forced to migrate to avoid the dragon. This was normally impossible for most other races, but thanks to us being resistant to the cold, our ancestors managed to escape before the conditions became too harsh. Eventually, though, we couldn't migrate further, and upon reaching the shore, it was decided that our tribe would do a last stand."
If their tribe was the only one to escape, then it would make sense for them to be thought of as cooperating with the dragon, and since they ended up on this island with a small population, it would be hard for them to argue against the theories that the people of the mainland made.
Melissa: "That dragon could freeze an entire area by just approaching it, so even though our people managed to win and repel it somewhere else, we couldn't really inhabit the land anymore, so we arrived at this island. Even though the dragon never really touched this place, just by flying next to it, this became forever a snow-covered island. My tribe can still live under these conditions, so it didn't take long for us to make this our home."
Since they are both different versions of the same legend, told by different tribes and kingdoms, it's hard to pinpoint which one is correct. The truth might be a strange mix of both or it could even be the case that both versions are completely wrong. If I had to choose what I believe in, it would probably be what Melissa told me.
Although the island has a harsh climate, it's habitable, if the dragon had started his path from here, then there would be no way someone could live here. Melissa's version explains why the effects of his freezing are less powerful in this place. Another thing to note is, if that dragon was so powerful, why would he make a pact that didn't really favor him at all? In both versions, it seems to me that the so-called Dragon King of Frost didn't really stand to gain anything.
Aside from that, the last point in favor of Melissa is that... her tribe resides on this island instead of governing a big chunk of the continent. If they had truly made a pact with the dragon, then by now, at least 500 years later, their standing should be much better, with much more land to their name.
It might be that since Melissa's telling the story she's choosing to include more details in the explanation of her side of things, but I'd need to hear the other version from someone on the mainland to know for sure, and that's not happening any time soon.
There is one thing I'm sure about though...
Miwen: "I can see why you didn't want to talk about it. It's not really useful information."
Even if I could somehow bring that dragon here, what are the chances I could use it for anything? In the most likely scenario, he just freezes both Melissa's tribe and anyone in his path.
Melissa: "Maybe you should trust me more, boy."
Miwen: "That will depend on what you have to say about my next question."
Melissa: "If it's about marriage, I believe I'm a bit too old for you, but I can arrange for Mia to-"
Mia: "Mom! P-please..."
Gotta give it to her, she's good at this.
It's the first time that I see Mia talk back to her mom, and of all things, it's just to refuse to marry me. Truly I've never felt so dejected.
Miwen: "It's related to Mia, but sadly it's not about our marriage yet. What I want to know is..."
And so, I take my shot at having her answer something that has been on my mind ever since I first met Mia.