Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 346: Downpour (02)

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

Yesterday, just as the daylight stopped streaming through the cave’s entrance, it started to pour.

I told Miwen that I could create a snowy zone around us with my Beastification, but he chose to delay our attack, saying there was a good chance Turner could detect a blind spot moving toward him.

Because the black rain could be used defensively like this, we spent a quiet night together in the cave.

Just like before, I kept a close eye on Miwen.

While his behavior was closer to that of the idiot I fell for, there was still an air around him that felt both odd and familiar.

It was like I had met him for the first time after a few years apart.

The way he had been isolating himself with Cassandra and Piper already bothered me, and now there was something else in the way...

Being married turned out to be tougher than I expected, but he had bad luck. I was determined to be a better wife than he deserved, even if it meant putting him on a leash.

Mia: "Tomorrow... Don’t you dare run somewhere I can’t see..."

He answered my tired protest with a quiet, tight hug that pulled me in so close, I could feel both our hearts beating against each other.

For all the trouble he put me through, nights like these felt so rewarding that I almost forgave him for it.

The next morning, as the rain outside stopped and the scent of damp earth filled the air, I caught a glimpse of a sleeping Miwen whose arms still wrapped around my chest.

Licia was pretty much the only early bird who had slept with him frequently enough to boast about having seen this, so it had almost become an urban legend within the Kingdom.

Mia: "...Cute."

He was always making fun of me. Always poking where he shouldn’t.

I liked his dumb smiles, but I spent more time than I’d like to admit watching his peaceful expression.

It was like every breath he took made my worries vanish, the tension in my body leaving alongside them.

While it still bothered me that he didn’t seek my help as soon as he needed it, a small, heavy sense of pride welled up in my heart at the thought that I could do for him the things he had done for me.

I’d still need a few more nights to bring him back down to earth, but for now, this reassured my throbbing heart.

For a few minutes, I played with his defenseless body, rubbing my nose against his, poking his jelly-like cheeks, and kissing a line that went from his neck to his forehead.

He opened his eyes, and the embarrassment of mine being the first face he saw in the morning hit me hard. At the same time, it felt great, and the kisses he gave me afterward even made me wish this could be every day.

After a quick breakfast with the others, Miwen arranged a pair of matching beach hats for us so that I could hide from the blazing sun.

On our way to the ruins, a small bird eclipsed the sun for a brief moment before landing on Miwen’s shoulder, chirping non-stop as if telling him about a long journey.

Of course, Miwen didn’t understand a single word and started provoking Apollo, saying he’d feed it premium grain if it spoke in human language.

The bird flapped its wings in protest and even tried to turn its head from him, but Miwen was the champion of being annoying, and before long, Apollo left his shoulder to nest on mine.

Since I tended to move fast and abruptly, Apollo often preferred to rest on the other girls’ shoulders rather than mine.

But feeling like I had gained a new pair of eyes to help me watch Miwen, I was careful with my every step, making sure my shoulder remained firm and stable so that Apollo wouldn’t want to leave.

Kiara: "I wonder if I’m going crazy. He looks nothing like the man I know."

Aside from Apollo and me, another person was monitoring Miwen.

Mia: "You only knew one side of him."

Even though I didn’t fully disagree with her, the man Kiara knew was exactly what I was trying to prevent Miwen from becoming.

Unlike some of the other girls, I didn’t mind the cold, monster-like Miwen that threatened war against anyone who so much as insulted us.

I especially couldn’t after what he had done for Isabella and me.

However, I also enjoyed him best when he was the careless idiot, and I knew that he felt the same way.

In the end, I just didn’t want Miwen to hurt himself. I didn’t want him to suffer being the person he hated being.

Mia: "...Do you think he looks scary?"

He was wearing a goofy shirt and a hat that was too large for his head.

His face was plastered with a big smile that was equal parts dumb and smug.

Half the words that left his mouth were just playful nonsense to push other people’s buttons and get them to react, which Kiki always fell for.

If I didn’t know him better, I would’ve mistaken him for a little child playing with his aunts in the forest.

Kiara: "He looks ridiculous. But... I think he’s somehow more terrifying now."

It was hard to pinpoint where the change happened, but even though she was on his good side now, he still emanated enough danger for her to feel this way.

This was something he used to be extremely careful with.

The few times he released his grip, he had done so on purpose, but now...

It felt like the chains were slowly slipping from his hands even when he didn’t intend them to.

Miwen: "...You two alright?"

He patted my head through the hat, his eyes full of concern and care.

I bumped him on the shoulder, triggering my Gift and kneeling behind the bush so I could watch the ruins by his side.

Mia: "I’m ready whenever you are."

Miwen nodded before glancing at the other girls.

Once he gave the signal, Kiki, Fenya, and Kiara spread out, and we walked down the hill.

Using his [Green Magic] to burst roots from the ground, Miwen captured two Champions who kept watch over the ruins.

As the two were dragged toward the forest, the men inside the ruins poured out.

The one leading them was the mercenary with the black book, Turner.

Turner: "...I was gonna save you for last."

His eyes sent chills down my spine, and as he stared at me, I furrowed my brows.

Miwen: "How kind."

The book in Turner’s hand opened, and the pages flipped one after the other.

A thin jet of water suddenly cut a circle around the mercenary, and from the cracks in the ground, a torrent of water burst forth.

After reaching the height of the tallest building in the ruins, the water ceased.

With the curtains lifted, the Champions under Turner appeared, casting a barrage of magic toward us.

Miwen answered their barrage with magic of his own, throwing a long blade coated in crackling lightning that pierced the beam of flames scorching the earth.

As the flames ceased, Miwen’s blade sank into the ground, only to explode into thousands of iron shards.

Lightning cracked from the shards.

The Champions who were hit not only had their skin pierced, but a shock ran through their bodies, stopping their advance.

At the same time, the torrent that Turner launched into the sky condensed into a sphere that crashed against the ground before us.

The water splash sent sharp bullets toward Miwen and me, but I was able to pull him out of the way.

Miwen: "...You really like doing this to me, huh?"

He let out a long, exasperated sigh. While I zigzaged through the magic, carrying him by the collar, he wore the expression of a dejected kid.

Mia: "Think we drew enough attention?"

Miwen didn’t get the chance to answer me as Milo, the skinny man from Turner’s mercenary group, reached me with sword in hand.

The air seemed to bend around his blade.

It moved strangely, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it even when more magic hurled toward us.

Mia: "Tch."

I couldn’t fight Milo while carrying Miwen, so I threw him aside for a moment and focused on the opponent in front of me.

Just like his sword, Milo’s fighting style was strange.

He didn’t have a fixed stance like Claire’s, and following his sword was a hurdle.

While not a great swordsman, he was good enough that I couldn’t approach carelessly, and thanks to the support of the mages behind him, there was no opening for me to land a hit.

At the same time, Miwen was struggling to keep up against so many Champions.

Between pushing them back and covering my back, he had little time to cast his magic.

Things weren’t looking great for us, but at least the cavalry arrived in time.

Fenya and Kiki surrounded the mercenary’s group, taking two Champions out of the fight by surprise.

The shouts of his comrades drew Milo’s attention for a second, and though he managed to regain his posture, Kiara destabilized his feet by growing a small tree underneath him.

Milo slashed the air in front of him, but that was all he hit.

My knee struck his stomach, and as he gasped for air, I punched his face in.

He rolled on the ground, and with the second effect of my Gift, I stole most of his speed.

From that point on, he couldn’t fight or run.

His last strike was a desperate attempt to surround me with swirling, cutting wind while he stabbed my neck, but...

Despite being caught in the eye of a tornado, I dodged every blade that came my way, including that of his sword.

Kiara asked us not to kill Milo and Turner since they were the only ones with information about her friends, so I grabbed his neck and slowly, I let my touch freeze him.

He struggled against my grip, but without his sword, he could only scratch me with [Wind Magic] before I froze him in a block of solid ice.

Miwen had been fighting most of the Champions and Turner, so once I found him, I rushed to his side.

However, after just a single step, rain once again poured from the skies.

This time, the water was a purple so deep, I almost mistook it for the black rain from yesterday.

The similarities ended in their shade, though.

With every droplet that touched my skin, my body grew heavier.

At first, I thought it was just a feeling, but as I pushed myself to take a step forward, the ground cracked underneath my feet.

Even Milo’s ice prison began to crack as each droplet hitting it was as heavy as a boulder.

I had to choose between using my magic to reinforce my body and run toward Miwen, or reinforce the ice and make sure Milo wouldn’t free himself.

I chose neither.

Instead, the muscles in my leg ripped as I dashed forward, pouring my mana into the ice rather than my body.

When I finally reached Miwen after what felt like an eternity, a flash of relief colored my face.

Miwen: "Sorry, Mia. I tried getting myself an umbrella, but I underestimated him..."

He held what looked like a stone cane while rock fragments lay scattered on the ground.

We had defeated most of the Champions, but Turner was nowhere to be seen, and Kiara seemed apprehensive.

I closed my eyes and sniffed the air.

Despite the rain, I could still sense his scent in the forest.

Mia: "It’s not too late. If I go, I can catch him."

Running at top speed would mean leaving Miwen behind.

However, I trusted him to catch up.

Miwen: "Oh, we’re playing catch now? Alright... Get him."

Heavy snow began to replace the rain.

The night that had started so hot grew cold by the second as my body grew larger and my fur thicker.

I felt my instincts starting to take over, a voice in the back of my head taunting me to hunt.

Turner’s scent grew so strong, I could almost see him through it.

At the same time, Miwen’s scent felt almost intoxicating.

After so many years of training to master Beastification, I’d never have guessed that the instinct I’d have to fight the hardest was my love for a man.

I was still in control, though.

Opening my eyes, I kissed my stupid husband’s cheeks and dashed into the forest.

Neither the darkness nor the trees could stand in my way.

In a matter of seconds, I had closed the distance.

It’d take Miwen and the others a while to finish their fight and catch up, so...

It was just me and my prey.