Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 345: To Kill A Planet (05)

--This Chapter is written in Catherine’s POV--

I spent years biding my time, lurking in the shadows and abandoning everything I valued with the sole objective of surviving.

In my original world, I avoided the woman known as Demon Queen Elizabeth like shadows around the light, always close enough to know where that beacon was, only so I could keep away.

After she became unavoidable and I was forced into the ranks of her army, I came close to death more than I had ever before, until finally, I escaped that damned world and found myself in Hwa’s.

It took me a long time to ascend to godhood. I had to pretend Hwa’s heroes had killed me, only to resurface a century later when he wasn’t looking anymore.

When he realized that all of the past Demon Queens who had conquered half of his world were I, he refused to spend the Divinity necessary to kill me. Instead, he invested it into ascending me as an apprentice and ally, hoping that I’d repay my debt.

As a Goddess, I schemed not to betray him, nor did I practice any wrongdoing. Even as a Demon Queen, I lived a regulated life so as not to draw attention, sating my hunger without succumbing to gluttony. Even when blood alone hardly sufficed, many survived meeting me with their hearts still beating.

My plan was to work diligently in godhood. The Caravan and stronger Gods were my only sources of fear, but as long as I stayed in my lane, they shouldn’t threaten my life.

I was secure at last.

So why could I hear cathedral bells announcing my death?

Abdure: "...Consider it a gift."

Ever since Divine Event’s Second Phase started, Abdure had been eyeing Lapis and me.

I pretended not to notice during the first day, as one of my Champions caused a fiasco by turning the Lens of Divination meant to capture their valiant struggle into cameras for his porno.

Nyxie’s silent, fuming rage and Asdrea’s hysterical laughter were already enough of a headache for me.

However, today, Abdure finally approached Lapis and me with a small, ornate box in his hands.

Catherine: "A gift? Why?"

Perhaps it was a parting Gift?

Abdure was one of Asdrea’s closest Gods, so yesterday’s situation might have earned me capital punishment after all.

Abdure: "Your Champions have been the most amusing since the previous phase... Lapis told me you’d enjoy these."

I had noticed the two talking a lot since yesterday, but since Lapis was quite familiar with the upper echelon of Gods, I thought nothing of it.

Still, his word choice was quite poor. Almost every sentence carried ominous energy, and his stare was unsettling even when he was calm.

Catherine: "Thanks..."

His eyes remained fixed on me as I took the box in my hands. He was waiting, expecting something from me.

Of course, I had no gifts to answer him with, so I could only offer a promise-

Lapis: "Are you not going to open it? I helped him pick, you know?"

I couldn’t read the intent behind his eyes, and it never occurred to me that he simply wished to see my reaction to his gift.

Though the thought that Lapis was somehow involved irked me, I took a deep breath, opened the box, and revealed its contents.

Catherine: "...Chocolate?"

There were six small, chocolate-topped cream puffs inside the box. Some were star-shaped while others were heart-shaped, and their toppings ranged from white to dark chocolate.

Inside the box was also the emblem of Abdure’s house, a flaming lion.

While it surprised me that his gift was something so simple, he seemed to mistake my reaction, and a small, content smile formed on his lips.

Azure: "Oh!? You’re giving her a gift? Even though you never give me anything!?"

Even though I had last seen her on the other side of the room, Azure appeared from thin air like she had been summoned by magic.

She grabbed Abdure’s arms and tapped her feet on the ground, an intent gaze in her eyes as she stared at the box.

Lazo: "Oh, did you make these yourself? Maybe you should retire and open a pastry shop."

The air thickened so much, I could barely breathe.

No.

There was literal smoke in the air.

Nyxie: "I’ll give one to His Majesty. Wait, no. He should have two. Consider this punishment for showing my Lord something so unsightly yesterday."

The supposed maid, not at all one of the Thorn Queens, didn’t bat an eye at me before taking away a third of the box’s contents and offering them to Asdrea.

Ythyleon: "Oho! It’s been ages since you cooked anything, huh? Easy to forget you used to be a chef."

I thought it was strange how Lazo’s provocation didn’t get a reaction out of Abdure. If anything, there was almost a nostalgic look on his face.

Still, after Ythyleon got one cream puff for himself, I was left with only three.

Diana Novaes tugged my shirt, asking for one.

So I ended up with only two.

Azure and Lapis both wanted one, and while I wouldn’t mind giving them everything, wouldn’t it be an insult to Abdure if I didn’t eat any myself? He was still waiting to see my reaction.

I had already mistakenly provoked Azure’s ire during the Divine Banquet; I couldn’t afford to create a feud over chocolate cream puffs.

However, Lapis was a monster who’d happily kill me out of boredom, so...

I was trapped, and there was no way out for me.

My only choice was which dagger I wanted shoved in my heart.

Between the three, which was most likely to kill me for my insolence?

The king’s swords? Their pet monster?

If Lazo were to insist on one, would he also-

Abdure: "...I thought you’d say that, Azure."

He walked toward one of the tables and pulled its skirt up, revealing three more boxes with the same decoration.

Abdure: "I also imagined they’d bother you."

While he gave Azure the first box and Lapis the second, he handed me a new box with another set of sweets.

As expected of a man of his caliber, his foresight was on another level.

Though when it came to hiding his emotions, his ability was still a far cry from ideal, as his smile was slightly different when handing Azure her box.

Not that it was of my interest, and I couldn’t tell whether that was out of romantic thoughts or just satisfaction at seeing the Goddess blush.

Catherine: "In that case..."

I tried both the heart and star white chocolate sweets that remained on the box, and while I expected to mask a sour face, as any food without blood was like poison to a vampire, my mind was blown by how great they were.

Lapis: "Oh! The last time I saw Cathy make such a face was... Eh? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it!?"

My face had remained the same.

Or it should have.

I couldn’t tell, as the faint, sweet heat of the chocolate filling lingered on my tongue and spread from mouth to throat.

Catherine: "...How?"

He seemed satisfied by my reaction, as the smile on his face grew further, still barely noticeable, but at least the line on his lips curved upward a little more.

Abdure: "I used a drop of my blood. It’d usually be too thin to notice, but with enough Divinity, anything’s possible. It’s just one more ingredient to balance..."

It couldn’t have been so easy.

The others had not tasted blood in the pastries, so he must’ve used quite the amount of Divinity to ensure that only a vampire like me would taste it. Unless it was the other way around and he guaranteed it by measuring how much blood went in?

It’d be hard to replicate such a thing with my abilities, as I had yet to fully acclimate to Divinity as much as I had to Demonic Power, and I was more of a gourmet than a chef to begin with.

As such, I decided to enjoy it as much as I could.

Unfortunately, I only got to taste one of the cream puffs in my second box before things turned sour.

Julie: "What do you think you are doing?"

I was heading to the couch to enjoy my sweets when Julie and Felix blocked my path, both wearing frowns on their faces.

Lapis was busy talking with Abdure and Azure.

Meanwhile, Hwa was sucking up to Asdrea as the King of the Gods watched the Divine Event through his favorite champions’ lenses.

The sweets had distracted me, and I was alone to deal with the siblings.

It was hard to believe this timing was coincidental, though. They had not approached me one time since the Divine Event’s Second Phase began.

Catherine: "...What do you mean?"

Though I had a slight inclination of what it could be about, I wasn’t sure what they wanted, and we had very little to discuss.

Julie: "You do remember what this Event was meant for, right? You were supposed to compensate me back for what your Champion did in my world!"

She raised her voice a pitch, but thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed.

The circumstances that led to this involved Lapis’ underground game ring, and I wasn’t sure what would become of us if anyone discovered that.

Besides, this Divine Event had already morphed into something beyond its original intent the moment the Gods of the upper echelon, and even their king, joined in.

Catherine: "Lapis is the one who has organized this. Why don’t you ask her?"

Just like everyone else, I was just playing by Lapis’ rules.

While I gave her a couple of ideas, she was the one who ran wild with them.

Julie and her brother both fell silent for a second.

Their furrowed brows and stern expressions made the air feel uncomfortable, so I took one of the cream puffs from the box to distract myself.

Catherine: "In any case, can’t you let bygones be bygones? Earth has already lost eighty thousand people, are we not even?"

Even though I’d prefer to avoid making a single God my enemy, Julie was around the same level as I.

Her brother, however, was a tier above us.

Julie: "...Because of Lapis’ whims, I had to participate in the First Phase as well! I lost another eighty thousand!"

She stepped forward.

Staring me in the eye, Julie pressed her pointed index finger against my chest.

Julie: "I know vampires don’t understand this, but I don’t want to see more meaningless death. Just pay back the damage you’ve caused!"

She kept poking against my chest as tears welled up in her eyes.

Felix: "Julie... Calm down-"

He tried to stand between us, but his sister didn’t relent.

Even though I never meant to provoke her, she searched for an emotion my face couldn’t reflect, and without me saying a word, she grew more erratic.

Julie: "...You were the one who suggested that final phase to Lapis, and we know not a single Champion will make it out alive with that monster around. Even if Lapis could pull strings to send them into my world, you just killed my people again!"

A soft sigh escaped my lips.

She was far too troublesome.

Catherine: "Perhaps. And if so, I apologize. But maybe Lapis will do something later since she loves her games so much. For now, why don’t you sit down, relax, and enjoy a sweet-"

Just as I offered her one of the cream puffs, Julie slapped the entire box from my hand in a fit of rage.

The world seemed to slow down to a crawl as I watched the box fall to the ground.

Julie: "I don’t care about your dumb cream puffs! Do you have any idea how much I’m losing because of you!?"

Even though she shouted, I could barely hear her.

My gaze, alongside my knees, had fallen to the ground as my life flashed before my eyes.

Hwa and Asdrea both turned their attention toward us, and I could feel the mana of everyone else through their stares as well.

I had no time to entertain her anymore; she was a small fish.

Instead, I tried desperately to gather the cream puffs.

Each of them contained a trace of Abdure’s blood and the pride he had in his craft.

They were worth my life twice over, and I had just dropped them to the ground like trash.

Men far below him would not tolerate such an offense.

Felix: "Julie, you went too far-"

Before I could pick up all of the sweets, I felt a heavy, warm hand land on my shoulder.

Despite the control I had over my blood, I failed to stop the warmth that spread within my body.

I knew exactly whose hand it was, but I didn’t dare to turn my head.

As I tried catching my breath to apologize, another hand landed on my other shoulder.

These were even heavier, and I couldn’t even crawl.

Catherine: "I’m sorry, I’ll eat. I’ll eat from the ground, I swear-"

I was melting.

Or at least, I felt like I was.

A sudden burst of mana turned the entire room into a volcano.

Abdure: "...If you want to shed my blood so much, be my guest. But be advised. I hate nothing more than trash who only knows how to prey on those weaker than them."

All I saw was the carpet and the open box.

Everything seemed redder, like a star had unleashed its blazing fury.

I knew this wasn’t the case. These were just his words.

But the impact they had...

If not for how reinforced the Celestial Palace was, the entire world might’ve burned.

Felix: "She’s a vampire, the embodiment of gluttony. Feeding them is the same as feeding rats."

The roles seemed to have reversed, and Julie was the one trying to stop her brother.

Abdure: "Those are tiny lenses. A warrior should be more aware of his surroundings. You can tell from her pale complexion that she doesn’t overeat..."

He suddenly released the pressure of his hand, allowing me to stand.

Or perhaps, inviting me to.

Ythyleon also extended a hand to me, wearing a warm smile on his face as he patted my head.

Abdure: "...That, to me, shows her respect for her food. Vampire or not, that’s much more commendable than someone who’d throw food to the ground."

His eyes were not like what I had seen before.

It was like the flame behind them had reignited.

He flashed me a brief smile, smaller than any before, yet it somehow felt more powerful.

Julie: "I... I’m sorry! I was stressed..."

She bowed once to Abdure and me, and then extended her hand.

Sweat ran profusely down her face as she stared at me with widened eyes, offering to shake my hand in a gesture of peace.

For a moment, she seemed even more pale than I was.

Catherine: "I apologize, too..."

Ythyleon silently nodded his head, and even Abdure closed his eyes with a satisfied expression.

I tried to eat the cream puffs that had fallen to the ground, but Abdure told me not to, promising he’d bake more whenever he had the chance.

As Julie and her brother left, Ythyleon and Abdure joined me on the couch, and even Asdrea came to check what had happened.

I had somehow made it through this crisis alive, but I wasn’t sure how many more I’d survive.

Fucking cream puffs had almost ended my existence...

The Gods were much scarier than I gave them credit for.

It was the same as when I worked under Elizabeth.

My life was constantly threatened just by being near them.

And now I had somehow found myself amongst the most dangerous of the bunch, the ones I wanted to avoid the most...

I had to find a way out before it was too late.

Asdrea: "Oh... Look at what Maya is doing to your pet, Ythyleon..."

He pointed to the Lens of Divination that reflected one of my world’s champions.

Ythyleon: "...Bwahaha! I never thought this would happen! You sure did a good job picking your Champions, Catherine!"

Once again, Earth’s champions had earned me their attention.

That world...

I had to burn it.

Before it burned me.