I returned to the Kingdom the sa way I had left, through the Infinite Hotel's doors.
Suddenly, I found myself on the walls, looking from above at the entirety of the land.
Reina, my newly summoned, yet unproven companion, stood by my side, or rather, slightly behind , as we walked towards the girls waiting for .
Miwen: "...What do you think? As a forr queen..."
Reina: "I believe it is splendid work, my lord. However, and you already know this, there is room for improvent."
Miwen: "Right, but I think I should take things slowly with them..."
The Snow White Wolves represented the vast majority of the Kingdom's citizens, making up almost 750 of our 782 citizens.
While we had led an incredibly successful campaign, it was impossible to completely restore the Snow White Wolves once they had lost their hos.
Most of the ones we recruited were won and children, with the number of fully fledged n reaching below 50.
Unsurprisingly, during the years after their tribe's conquest and our arrival, the males of the Snow White Wolves who weren't sold to nobles were used as a disposable workforce by Hamperlon in Maides Island's mines.
As for those who beca slaves...
They were on a tir.
Quite a few were used as entertainnt in battles, until their deaths, while most found themselves far from ho, serving nations they hadn't even heard of before.
It was easier to find won and children in "good" condition, but this has its own problems.
The most inhibiting factor right now is myself.
I feel the weight of my decisions more than ever, and I'm afraid of the negative or unforeseen consequences my ideas may have on them.
Thus, I trick myself into waiting for them to settle before making the changes I believe necessary.
After experiencing so many of their lives, it might be even harder for
to act now...
Reina: "My lord, would you care for this one's advice?"
Miwen: "Yeah?"
Reina: "...For the good of those he rules, a king must do what his people won't. Most often, this requires montary sacrifice for the greater good that awaits."
Miwen: "Noted."
I hoped that she would offer a different perspective from Elizabeth's, but her words weren't too dissimilar to her answer when I presented her with the sa problem.
Not that this disappointed , though.
I could tell from her way of speaking that she was much more satisfied with her position than Elizabeth.
The two spoke to
with reverence, but she lacked Liz's almost sarcastic, defiant cheekiness.
For so reason, unlike Liz, who acted dutifully due to her own pride, it felt to
like Reina actively sought to work under .
I didn't know how to feel.
There were plenty of girls loyal to , but it took ti, which made sense to .
I found it hard to believe in imdiate devotion.
Reina: "...The truth is often strange, isn't it?"
Miwen: "I guess? I'm not going to trust you just because of a few words, though. I still want to see what you can do."
Reina: "A wise decision. However, for now, would you like to use
to support yourself?"
Even though I was doing my best to act naturally, either due to keen eyes or because she had experienced my mories, she quickly noticed that my steps were heavier than usual.
They were ssy. I was having difficulties walking straight.
But that much should be obvious.
My body didn't feel like my own.
At tis smaller, at others bigger.
Sotis sturdy, sotis flimsy.
Faster, then suddenly slower.
I had forgotten how to walk like myself.
The wind touching my back felt strangely different.
I found the light of the Kingdom's sun both pleasant and unpleasant.
Each sensation was foreign, often contradictory.
I noticed then that this is how it should've been.
The only reason why I didn't feel like this before was, most likely, thanks to the First Daughter's influence and silent support.
Outside of the Infinite Hotel and the other cosmic places, without the First Son and her helping
from the shadows, I was confronted with the toll of the many lives I lived.
Each voice in my mind was from a beautiful life.
Yet, like shattered stained glass, I couldn't see the whole picture or tell where each piece should be.
Where it started, or where it ended.
What was mine, and what wasn't.
The things that would take
a mont to process now took minutes.
Sotis, I had to give up entirely and move on to the next thing.
I walked like a drunkard, each next step more frantic.
Even my words and answers were slightly delayed, the words I chose didn't feel like my own, as I could picture soone else saying them.
The aning I had for them was lost in the sea of so many others, all equally justified inside my brain.
Yet, in my confusion, I refused Reina's offer and walked forward on my own.
It would be fair to keep the others waiting after I gave them such an ominous goodbye.
Even if I wasn't...
I had to make sure they knew I was fine.
Miwen: "...! Wait!"
I wanted to apologize to the girls.
I knew I had made them worry.
However, in that state, I could barely formulate a thought.
And the most I managed vanished almost imdiately, all thanks to Licia of all people.
As soon as her eyes landed on , she jumped my way without a second thought.
She didn't an anything by this.
She couldn't know about my condition.
Yet, in doing that, she healed .
The familiar, precious feeling of her body pressing against mine was so precious to , it suppressed everything else I could feel in that mont.
Thanks to her, I knew exactly what thoughts and what feelings were mine.
They were, after all, the loudest.
And so, although her arms still squeezed my body with all of her strength, I could finally breathe like myself.
I could finally hug her like I wanted to.
Licia: "I can't believe you acted all dramatic only to co ho with a new woman."
Reina and the others silently watched the scene play out without saying a word.
To anyone who knew the two of us, this much was expected, after all.
Still, Licia's words were a little surprising.
Miwen: "Feeling jealous?"
Licia: "I was worried! But now... I'm relieved."
It took her a while to be satisfied and release , but while waiting, I couldn't help but think how well her words described everyone's feelings.
From the coldest, most detached and distant girls to the closest, most sensitive and sincere ones, in their own way, everyone seed glad to see
return alive.
Although if I'm being fair, there were exceptions like Marin, who was too wasted to show complex emotions, and Nissa, who seed like she'd been happier had I shown up in a more sorry state.
Honestly, these two were more or less as expected.
However, the one who really caught
by surprise was Claire.
She is both among the loudest and the most emotional girls we have, yet this ti, she was oddly among the quietest.
Even when approaching , she did it slowly, uncharacteristically carefully and gently.
As she silently faced , with her hands on her hips, I could only prepare myself for the worst.
With my mind back to a functional state, I imagined she would demand an apology for making her worry needlessly, however...
Claire: "...Miwen! You ended the event now, right?"
Miwen: "...Yes?"
Claire: "Good, good."
Surprisingly, she didn't even ntion my selfish request or my reckless decision.
Instead, in response, she simply closed her eyes and nodded her head.
The grin she had on her face before beca more smug by the minute, and then, with a step so powerful I could feel the ground shaking beneath ...
Claire: "Congratulations on a successful campaign!"
A bright smile with the energy of a few dozen stars, the likes only she could give.
During our Dungeon raids, Claire was always recklessly charging forward, with not a spare thought for enemy and ally alike.
This attitude made it hard to believe that she knew the concept of strategy.
Yet, during this war, she proved that she was undoubtedly the fearless commander she claid to be.
Even more than that, she felt like a goddess of not only war, but also victory.
The girls and I saw firsthand the commander she was in her previous life, and it was brilliant.
She quickly gained the trust and respect of the n around her.
They were inspired by her strength and felt that with her on their side, victory was nothing if assured.
Ti and ti again, this girl showed that to be stopped, the enemy better bring their biggest guns.
Either that, or an entire mage squadron focused solely on stopping her.
And they better be good mages too.
Because when it ca to long, drawn-out sieges and battles, attrition was always on our side.
There's simply no supply line or economy capable of resisting her power.
She is both an alchemist's best friend as well as a treasurer's worst nightmare.
That's not to say about the poor souls who tried to stand against her from behind the walls.
Who could bla them, though?
Castles that had proven themselves capable of holding for months, if not years, were brought down within the week by the flas of her sword.
And if that wasn't enough, her tactical insight was nothing to scoff at either.
She was able to read the enemy's movents well and helped
prepare accordingly more tis than I could count.
And either due to instinct or experience, during battles, she knew exactly where her power was needed the most.
"I'll deal with the annoying ones
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