Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 201 The End Of The Year Party

The second semester was in many ways a simple continuation of the first.

While there were changes in the status quo, they only seemed to emphasize the trends we were already seeing before.

The already existing ideas only consolidated as the general opinion regarding Isabella and Sabrina continued to form much the same as it had before.

The incidents that were happening to Sabrina never stopped, there were only a few days where the girl was left alone, and Isabella remained the most probable culprit in the public perception.

However, because of her position demanding respect and commanding authority, many if not all felt afraid of voicing their opinions and concerns. At least directly.

Behind her back, theories and rumors continued to form. Many scenarios and reasons were created to reason her actions, even if there was never substantial proof of her being the culprit.

Thanks to our help, as well as in many cases her own intelligence and newly developed confidence, Isabella was able to deny and defend herself against all accusations and evidence.

But even still, there was enough evidence to make her suspicious. Almost every time she was simply the only one who could have or had a motive.

Because of this, even Edmond decided to take action.

Whether or not Isabella noticed his intentions is unknown, but he started to ask her to help him study more often.

This could have been a good opportunity for them to get closer to each other, but the truth was that he was doing it simply to prevent Isabella from acting against Sabrina.

In his mind, as long as he occupied her time, she wouldn't have a chance to strike against Sabrina.

Obviously, this would never work since Isabella was not the culprit, however...

It did, in fact, work.

Whenever Edmond was with Isabella, nothing would happen to Sabrina.

Sadly, this probably caused Edmond of all people to become even more sure of her identity as the culprit.

And to make matters worse, unfortunately, while I have discovered the identity of the true culprit thanks to Lana's efforts, we have no way to prove it.

Or rather... We could easily prove it thanks to "modern" technology. A.K.A. my not-so-new phone.

Lana has taken plenty of photos of the mastermind doing their work. From multiple angles and on multiple occasions.

And yet, even if I were to borrow Claire's phone to catch them in HD or 4K, it still wouldn't be enough.

It's a problem of credibility.

While on Earth a phone is well understood and we have ways to determine whether or not evidence provided by them is true or not, this world simply does not.

The very tool is completely unknown to them, and so, whatever proof is created by it has very little to basically no power to convince others.

Because of this, when accusing the culprit, it would simply become a battle of reputation.

And sadly, as Isabella's entourage, we stand no chance against them.

Still, I decided to keep the evidence we gathered. If they make a mistake, or if an opportunity presents itself, I would be able to force them into the light.

However, more realistically... Considering the path Isabella and the others are walking and the future events... I'll probably have to use it as a last defense to cause chaos and confusion.

Aside from Isabella and Edmond though, I also got to spend some time with Sabrina.

Our time together was nice, as expected, but thankfully, it seems to not have affected my feelings toward her.

All thanks to the contract I made with Elizabeth, of course.

But I can't say my opinion about her hasn't changed either.

After confirming my theories, it has actually decreased quite a lot.

And so, this is where things stand within the academy.

Neither Sabrina nor Isabella seem capable of conquering all characters.

While one seems to have all but one left, as long as I have Elizabeth's protection, she won't be able to persuade me.

As for the other...

She has already given up on all but one.

When she challenged her brothers, she already knew that these would be the consequences.

It wasn't really suitable for such an occasion, it was quite breezy due to being sleeveless, and it only went up to her knees.

Quite a simple design, the most flashy thing about it being the lace around her waist.

In other words...

Miwen & Licia: "Cute!"

Mia: "Hrnm..."

She tried her best to pretend the compliments had no effect on her, but... It was no use. She could never hide her embarrassment from Licia and me.

Miwen: "Although... White, huh?"

Mia: "...! I didn't mean anything by it."

Miwen: "Uh-huh."

Mia: "Ugh... Idiot..."

Even though she seemed a little angry, she ended up trying a few others.

I also ended up judging Isabella's... And Beatrice's... Claire's... Even Lana, who also seems to share the same philosophy as Mia ended up trying a few out.

All of them were as cute as I expected, but...

Miwen: "Are you not going to try one?"

Licia: "Ah, no... I'm having fun watching... Heh... To be honest, I'm not really sure why Isabella invited me. I'm not good with fancy things like this..."

There was a tinge of sadness in her words.

It was quite hard to notice, but still, I was sure it was there.

As for the reason... I had a good idea.

Although Licia earned quite a sum of money in her time as an adventurer, she never got to spend much of it on herself.

At most, she would only spend it to upgrade her equipment to make more money.

And the reason for that was obviously her sick sister.

Licia was in a constant race to earn more money and buy more and better potions as her sister's disease grew stronger.

She probably closed her heart when it came to expensive things, trying her best to save up as much as she could.

Not only clothes, but food and even small things, I'm sure there were things she wanted to buy but didn't dare to even if with the money in her hands.

Miwen: "You radiate your calm and gentle nature in a way that I can only describe as beautiful. It's quite easy to get infatuated by it, and when it comes to attracting people, it is as powerful as whatever Bea and Claire can offer."

Licia: "Hm?"

Miwen: "I'm saying your modesty is something to be proud of. You offer a different view, and you are capable of extracting the beauty of the simple things. It's no wonder to me that Isabella wanted your insight."

Ever since the first day, I always thought that Licia looked very humble despite her appearance.

I think that's part of her charm, and it made sense to me why Isabella would want her here.

Even if she thinks she doesn't belong in fancy places like this one, the truth is that she's grounded, but also has a good eye for the simple, yet beautiful.

She's the perfect bridge between Claire and Bea, and with her help, they were bound to see things they wouldn't be able to.

Miwen: "That's why you should also try a few on. Don't worry, it won't be a problem."

Licia: "No, I-"

Mia & Claire: "Oh, you will!"

The two jumped out of the rooms where they were supposed to be changing, clearly having listened to the whole thing.

They were a little more forceful than me, but ultimately, I was glad for that as well.

In the end, all of them tried on a different design.

Even Mei, who did her best to avoid doing such a thing, saying she didn't need a different attire, and that her only reason for coming was to help Isabella and the others, eventually ended up trying one or two when I phrased it as an order.

I made sure to buy the ones they liked the most, and it seems like Isabella also managed to choose the one she wanted to wear for the end-of-the-year party, and so, we waited for the day to arrive.