Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 154: Date and Encounter (02)

A man was at my door.

He was not so much older than me. Around 20 for sure, I'd give him 24 max.

And that was about it.

There wasn't much else I could say about him. We had never come in contact before.

But also... He was empty.

Miwen: "That's not how you start a conversation."

Even then, I knew his name.

To protect Maya, I had to.

Erik: "I know you. You know me. Let's not waste our time."

Never a noticeable presence, he's been the shadow behind the AOTG leader for a while.

Although that's a facade by itself, in truth, he is the de facto leader.

Thanks to a combination of wit, luck, and power, he's managed to steal the whole organization for himself, starting from the top of all places.

He used his position as the shadow leader of the AOTG to concentrate and acquire all of the organization's power. Most of the members now were slaves to his will, either due to their own will or thanks to a trap or two.

The contracts going around on the AOTG seem to be his work. Although only those who have signed know everything the contract entails, and of course, they are unable to speak or share information about it.

Maya, my sister, was one of the last members with a meaningful position and some authority remaining who stood against him.

He tried to take care of that with an ambush that hurt and almost killed her.

I didn't think he was going to show up like this, under the daylight and all, but he brought too many high and top-rankers with him to simply talk.

Perhaps he's about to make such an outlandish move that killing some people in public like this will not even matter.

Numbers and levels are on their side for the most part. Even considering that the average level of my party has increased since the last Invasion Event this would be a hard fight.

The amount of bystanders around should also make it harder for us to act. However, this might not be a disadvantage we share.

Miwen: "I thought you would be smarter. Are you sure it's fine to lose so many resources again? Quite poor timing if you ask me."

Erik: "You misunderstand. I came to make up for the resources I lost last time. Although your answer tells me all I need to know. I don't suppose you'd be interested in joining us ?"

A ridiculous proposal.

Any human being with a shred of sympathy would understand where the problem lies.

But I suppose this would be too much to ask of... him.

I should've expected that the one in control of that animal would undoubtedly be as broken, but...

This was bad news for me.

We were too much of a poor match. I instantly knew I'd have to be very careful.

Erik: "...You're not on Maya's level. A shame. Still, if you bring her to me, I can at least provide you with a good position in the new age I'll create. A reward for your contributions, if you will."

Unconsciously, I had clenched my fists.

Controlling my emotions in front of him was difficult.

Miwen: "What a joke. You, who barely qualifies as a man defining a new age? Hah. Spare me. I don't need you to rise. And as for my sister...

You should give up. She's already got a boyfriend, and let's be real... you're not in the same league. Take your sales pitch next door."

Erik: "Perhaps you are in too much of a shock to believe my words, but you should reconsider. This is the most someone unremarkable like you can ever achieve. If you show some goodwill here, you'll get to enjoy your best life. You must know that your sister is priceless. Selling her to me would ensure your future.

And by helping her correct her mistake, you'd be doing an admirable job as her little brother."

A provocation. One that showed he could see right through me to boot.

He wanted to limit my alternatives, controlling my first move would make all my following actions predictable.

I'd be ceding control.

Yet, being rational was getting harder by the minute.

My best option was to cheat.

Miwen: "Dear! I think I dropped the remaining of my goodwill under the sofa, can you take a look for me?"

Licia: "...Sure?"

Claire: "Wha-"

Licia: "Hm... Nothing here!"

He was hitting where it hurt the most.

I'd be done for if I allowed him to see just how effective it was. My best option was to hide it by acting casual about it. As if it didn't affect me in the least.

As if the idea of selling my sister wasn't an absurdity. An insult.

As if I could ever show goodwill to the one who hurt her in the first place.

I had to control myself... He was already four steps ahead of me.

He came to my house. This showed he knew my address and could reach me at any time. The idea of this place being safe for my family was no more.

He brought enough people to make his last attempt look like a warmup.

His attempt to bring me to his side showed that he knew I had some value, so he must've known about my involvement last time.

This meant he also knew that information about that could be a problem for me, especially since they had yet to declare themselves as state enemies.

The perfect offer should've been his finishing move. The last and biggest advantage that would ensure his victory.

But he misread.

Sure, there may have been a time when I envied Maya. My parents too.

I also felt insecure and angry about how unjust it was that I had nothing and that she was so much better than me in every way.

However, those were childish thoughts that went away quickly. It wasn't anyone's fault, to begin with.

But this might be where we differ the most. I didn't stand in the shadow to steal someone's light.

I was there to emphasize her brightness.

There is no way I would ever betray my family. No world where I make my star shine less.

Miwen: "In which case... you are free to join them if you want."

Beatrice: "...He has nothing to offer me. No... it's more like... anything I could get from him, would ultimately be empty."

As always, Beatrice is quite impressive.

Both of us ended up reaching the same conclusion about him, but...

It's still an uncertainty.

No matter how good we are at reading other people, he's barely a human.

It's hard to be sure... and even harder to probe deeper. We came off as empty, but...

His fixation with Maya.

His desire for revolution.

And his move today.

I felt like they didn't fit completely even though I could excuse them.

If I forced it, I could make an argument for them all being attitudes toward the same goal.

And yet-

Elizabeth: "Why do you fret? Have you not realized that you're capable of much the same?"

So close Liz...

Miwen: "Let's see.. Do you think we are alike, right now?"

Liz: "Well... No... But. You are... with us. When you are facing an enemy, you change.

I saw the same eyes on you when we fought. Focus, precision. A mind that thought of everything as a resource to be used to reach a single objective."

I really left a strong impression on her...

But it's clouding her judgment.

It's not that she's entirely wrong, but because she saw too much at the end, she's forgetting the less impressive beginning.

Miwen: "You're right, I can match him the same way I did his pet. But by that point, it would already be my loss."

Liz: "Hm... ? How so?"

She might've been a little too tired to get it.

Miwen: "...Disable your barriers, Liz."

Liz: "...Sure? Aw- What are you doing?"

I gave her a flick on the forehead.

Miwen: "Go to rest. You still have a job today and you are no machine. You can think about this tomorrow~"

Liz: "... I... Hmrh... if you say so..."

It was the first time I saw her mumbling. She really didn't like not knowing the answer.

But I couldn't blame her too much for not being able to see the difference between him and me.

It was way harder than Lance, and only on Earth do we have something to equal him to.

Unfeeling and uncaring. Even when I called his underlings "resources", not only did he not flinch, but he also did the same, in a much more natural way than me no less.

Calculating and efficient. He focuses on his objective and what he needs to accomplish it. Everything is only as valuable as the investment he puts into obtaining it and how much benefit it provides him.

Barely a man, he's much closer to a computer or a machine.

He and I will use everything at our disposal, but... I remain a man.

My feelings and my instincts will still guide me.

There are things I won't sacrifice or turn my back on, even if it is advantageous.

Only when they are no more, can I truly become like him.

Only when I'm alone.

Elizabeth thinks we resemble each other because she's fixated on the state I was in after almost everyone was down. The more she took from me, the farther from a human I became.

But still, while I can inch closer to both extremes, animal and machine, I exist in neither.

It wasn't just my mind that was focused on defeating her, every ounce of my existence was. My body, instinct, and power worked together with my reason and knowledge in search of a way to kill her.

I keep my hands on two reins at all times. So that I can remain perfectly in the middle, an average man, who doesn't fall to either side.

Which is why I might not be able to match him now.

Even if I could win by sacrificing one of the girls, I wouldn't do it.

This path makes the girls both an asset and a liability. Any machine seeing them as a resource would conclude they equal zero.

Thus, they'd see this as the least efficient way to achieve their goals.

But it doesn't matter.

He's not someone who can understand this anyway.

Although... I'm also not able to fully understand him either.

He should know that going after Maya at this point wouldn't be beneficial. Her running away from him was also a given, so it feels strange to me that he would come after her like this.

I guess that girl really has a special way of creating problems...

She really needs to... chill...

No way, right?

He wouldn't... think she's like him.

That couldn't be.

...Hah.

Licia: "Ahem. You're being creepy. Should we cancel today?"

Miwen: "Hm? No way."

The date with the girls didn't provide any benefit to my goals whatsoever.

However, it was more important than anything else for me.