My mind was overtaken by confusion.
There was no logic to be found in what I was seeing.
I didn't want to believe Melissa would attack Mia. It didn't make sense.
However, it was just the three of us inside the Kingdom, and there was no way I could ever do something like this to Mia.
After just knocking her daughter out, Melissa gently stopped Mia's fall, grabbing her by the collar before slowly letting her body rest on the ground.
Before standing up to face me, Melissa briefly stroked Mia's hair, her fingers moving with tender love.
Miwen: "What is happening, Melissa?"
Even though it was pointless, I raised my guard.
Melissa: "She can't leave if she's unconscious..."
True.
But that was no answer to my question.
Miwen: "I don't get it. Why did you attack her? What are you doing, Melissa? Answer me, goddamnit!"
I wanted to believe in her, but...
I needed something to hold on to.
At least one thread.
Something that made even a little sense.
Melissa: "You're so angry..."
Her lips curled slightly, her eyes still somber.
Melissa: "I see. I made the right choice then."
She was talking, but not answering.
So, I refused to respond to her.
I stared deep into her eyes, searching for the answers myself, but...
Melissa: "...I suppose you deserve answers at the very least."
With a disarming tone, she promised me what I'd been searching for.
Melissa: "You see, boy, you've earned my trust and my respect. So, I decided to leave my hopes to you. This... This is the way I win."
It relieved me a little to hear she was still thinking about winning, since by this point, I thought Claire and Licia were right about her having given up.
However, there was still too much I didn't understand.
Melissa: "Sorry, boy. I get that you must be very confused right now..."
She sat near Mia, resting her hands over her own knees.
Melissa: "You see, this is what I had been planning since I first met you."
Extending a hand, she signaled for me to take a seat as well.
Still wary of her, I did as she wanted.
Melissa: "With your level and skills, disembarking on the island was impossible for you, and crossing through the snow to the point of reaching the forest was even more unbelievable. Unless a Gift was involved."
Even though I was lucky that the [Event] brought me close to the forest, it took all I had to cross the snow.
In her shoes, I'd also be suspicious from the very start.
Miwen: "But if you found it strange, why did you bring me to the cell?"
Melissa: "Because whatever your Gift was, it gave you the ability to come to this island... I was hoping it could also let you leave."
The cogs started turning in my head.
Melissa: "Thankfully, on that very first day, you confirmed that your ability had something to do with teleportation. If it turned out to be something else, and you were unable to leave, then I'd have killed you."
I should've realized...
Since the very beginning, she did her best to negotiate for information about my Gift and me.
Melissa: "I was also hoping you could teleport someone out, too... It was also rather convenient for me that you wanted an alliance. It gave me the perfect excuse to bring you and Mia closer."
With an innocent look on her face, she began scratching her chin, as if everything had gone her way.
Melissa: "But I guess I failed on that, right? You two don't seem to get along too well..."
I shook my head.
At least on my end, our banter was mostly for fun, and I quite enjoyed having Mia around.
However, at least I finally discovered why she had Mia wait for me day after day, even though we could just agree on a time for me to leave the items behind.
By the time we faced the Angel, I had already fallen for Melissa's trap, and the only Snow White Wolf I trusted was Mia.
...That's why I felt she never gave up.
Melissa never sought my help to win the war in the first place.
She wanted me to save them from it.
Miwen: "You weren't planning on fighting. You were planning on fleeing."
I wasn't expecting that from her, but...
I guess the girls were right.
Melissa: "Not quite..."
Her eyes landed on her daughter.
Melissa: "Mia is my everything."
For the first time, I saw Melissa lower her head.
Melissa: "There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. I'd kill a thousand men if need be, but... I'm not facing a thousand men."
She furrowed her eyebrows, forcefully holding back the tears in her eyes.
Melissa: "Even though I couldn't do anything to protect her, I couldn't just bet on anyone, so... I made sure to confirm everything there was about you. After everything you've shown me about yourself, and the things your friends said... I came to believe I could trust you with Mia."
I... couldn't be mad about that.
It was my fault for underestimating her.
Melissa took her job as Chieftainess seriously, and as a supposed king, I looked up to her. However, that was secondary to her.
She was a mother first.
I understood why she couldn't just trust me with everything, especially her daughter's safety, but if only she had been more honest with me...
I'd gladly have lent her the Kingdom as a safe haven for her and her tribe.
Miwen: "...But there's still time... if you bring your tribesmen here-"
Melissa: "There are thousands of us. I don't think this place, or you, can support that many people."
That stung.
But there was a way around it.
Miwen: "I can increase the land size, and... It might be tough for a while, but I have savings that..."
I quickly ran the numbers in my head and flinched.
Noticing my weak resolve, Melissa's sorrowful smile returned.
Melissa: "...Our ancestors fought the strongest dragon on the continent for that island. For centuries, it's been the place we've been raised in, where we experienced love, joy, and life itself, and the earth we will return to when we die. It is our home. I'm not gonna surrender it to anyone, and you won't find a single coward among my tribesmen who would, either."
Fur spread across her arms, and her nails grew bigger and sharper.
The tears she'd been holding back finally fell as she shouted.
Melissa: "...Before you arrived, Mia told me that... She'd like to fight until the end for her home. Just like her father."
She wiped the tears from her face, but they kept falling nonstop.
Melissa: "Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to hear? My daughter..."
Even though she should be at her strongest, her legs gave out, and she knelt to the ground.
It finally made sense why she had to put Mia to sleep.
If Mia were awake, she would follow Melissa into-
Miwen: "Melissa... don't tell me you're going back there."
My voice trembled.
I didn't want to believe it.
Melissa: "I told you... There are no cowards who'd surrender our home in my tribe. You've helped me fulfill my duty as a mother, and for that, I'm thankful. But now, I need to fulfill my duty as the Chieftainess."
Slowly, she regained control over her body.
The fangs that were once the size of my fingers receded, though they remained as sharp.
Miwen: "...I can forgive you for deceiving me, but I can't forgive you for leaving your daughter behind. Stay here. I'll make you both happy."
This time, I meant every word.
But despite my conviction...
Melissa: "That's tempting... But... I want you to treat my daughter as one of yours. While I pray the day never comes, I fully expect you to become a king who'll carry out your duties, no matter the sacrifice. So let this be my lesson to you... I'll show you how a ruler fights for their people. "
She had me dancing in the palm of her hand since the start.
My interactions with Mia, the [Blood Contract], her inspection of the Kingdom, and her talk with the girls...
Maybe even preventing me from attacking Normyu was because she feared that he could obtain my Gift, but regardless...
She never deviated from her plan.
I had every right to be mad at her.
I was mad at her.
While I was looking for ways to help her win, she was looking to bind me to her daughter.
She even tricked me into believing there was an actual plan to win, just to stop me from hindering her goals.
Miwen: "So this is it, then...?"
After all this, how could I convince her of anything?
In the end, I found myself giving up.
Melissa: "Well... You actually helped me way more than I thought, you know?"
She placed a hand on my head, patting my hair.
Melissa: "I was honestly surprised that you came up with a way to defeat a general and even went as far as risking yourself for it. You've also given me a damn good idea..."
Miwen: "...?"
I pushed her hand away, and she just smiled back, as if looking at an angry child.
Melissa: "I have unfinished business with the damned Second Prince, and while you can't kill him, I sure as hell can."
She showed me that she had the invisibility cloak with her.
Miwen: "It won't do anything. You'd be behind enemy lines, and the cloak only allows a single strike... You're sure to die."
Melissa: "Sure. But I'll die after him, so you'd better be sure I'll die with a smile. Besides, I'll make sure to take down as many as I can before I go."
This was the unrelenting spirit I had seen in Melissa.
Her confidence was never a lie; she always believed in herself and never once thought about fleeing from the fight.
It was so brilliant, I ended up blinded by it.
I guess I was right about her, after all.
She could give up and run.
But she would never.
This mother and daughter duo... Nutcases, both of them.
What troublesome allies I made.
Yet, after all that...
There was still one thing I could do.
Miwen: "You asked me to protect your daughter, Melissa..."
She was about to leave, but my words forced her to turn her attention to me.
Miwen: "But I'll do more than that. I'll be sure to make her happy..."
Melissa: "Hm? Are you asking for her hand? If you want to marry her, you've always had my blessing, you know? Ah... How I wanted to see her in a wedding dress-"
Before her tears could fall again, she wiped her eyes, clenching her fists.
Miwen: "Check her status, Melissa."
Melissa: "...It can't be. To think you'd be able to do something like this for her..."
Back when she told me about it, Melissa didn't seem too bothered by it, but...
Now that I knew her true character, I was sure she was also having a hard time about it.
So, even if it was just a little bit...
Even if it was too late...
I helped Melissa realize one of her objectives.
It was unreasonably expensive, and I couldn't be sure whether or not the power was worth it, but...
To them, it meant much more.
Melissa: "I thought I'd never see the day, but I always knew she was worthy of the [Mark Of The Beast Lord]..."
Miwen: "I can't share all the levels you have on it, so she'll have to make do with it at level 3, but I'm sure she'll get it much higher."
It was my parting gift to her.
A gesture that showed I'd care for her daughter as much as she had, and that I'd make sure she'd have a bright future ahead of her.
Melissa: "It's way more than enough... Thanks, Miwen."
Miwen: "You're welcome, and... farewell."
Melissa: "Goodbye, boy. I'll hold you to your promises."
A message popped up, telling me a citizen wanted to leave the Kingdom.
Refusing would mean my death, so I accepted it.
A few hours later, I checked Melissa's status, only to see that she had managed to kill someone.
She was pretty close to a level up ever since she killed the Angel of the Night, but seeing her level rise, I chose to believe she had killed quite a few men.
I had no way of telling who, though.
I could only hope she had settled her debt.
After taking Mia inside my home, a message suddenly arrived in my system.
[A citizen of your kingdom has died.]
Melissa's fate had been sealed.
[War! The Fall of the Snow White Wolves Tribe of the Maide Island
The Chieftainess of the Snow White Wolves Tribe fell in battle, and her army is soon to follow.
With no way to resist the overwhelming numbers attacking their home, the Snow White Wolves' last fortress was conquered, and so was Maide Island.
Due to choices made during the [Event], some rewards have been blocked.
Due to event progression, some rewards have been blocked.
Ending achieved: A Tribe Conquered.
The ending achieved rewards you with:
Necklace of The Underdog (x1)]
[Due to successfully completing the event, you can choose to either add or subtract a day from the event timers permanently.]
"Successfully," huh?
Fuck off.
Even if a bad ending still counted as an ending, you could've skipped that word...
There was no way I was going to subtract a day from the timers, either.
If I had more time, I...
It was hard to convince myself that I could change anything, even if I had a month more to prepare.
This was way above my league...
Still, I had to keep moving forward.
Now more than ever, since I had yet another person to look after.
Before the next event, I should make myself as powerful as possible.
So that I wouldn't lose someone like I lost Melissa.