On a snow-covered island, past the shores, there was a forest with trees so large that they blocked the sky.
Even in its harsh environment, there was a collection of villages within the forest, and in its center, a fortress stood tall.
Any invading forces would have to disembark on the heavily guarded shores, set camp, and walk through kilometers of snow and dense forest. All the while fighting off the natives on their home turf.
The reward for all that effort would be a gruesome siege against the heavily defended fortress that I somehow found myself in, having been taken inside it by the residents of the island themselves.
Though most invaders probably wouldn't envy my position that much, as I was imprisoned in a cold, damp prison built on the lowest floor of the fortress.
With no windows in sight, almost no light reached me. The little that did came from the stairs leading to the upper floor, but it hardly illuminated the room enough for me to see where I was stepping.
There were no prisoners other than me, and considering how small the cell was, I figured my captors didn't usually take prisoners.
Or at the very least, the ones they took didn't last long enough to crowd the prison.
Miwen: "... Although if I wanted to leave, I could do so at any time..."
Despite the circumstances, I spoke with a casual, slightly detached tone.
Melissa: "Is that so? But I bet you couldn't even escape the cell, much less this fortress."
Across the bars of my cell stood a woman whom I had become acquainted with during my stay in prison.
Actually, she was the one who captured me in the first place.
She had long white hair and a serious, mature look, which contrasted sharply with her fluffy wolf ears and tail.
Since her body wasn't covered in fur, these were pretty much the only traits giving her species away. Though looking from such a close distance, the sharp fangs she showed were quite a giveaway, too.
There were a few humans on Earth who could transform into all sorts of animals and beastmen through their Gifts, but of course, this was the first time I had met a true beastwoman.
It was probably the first time humanity had come into contact with another sentient species like this, or at least, the first time for "Earth's humanity".
That alone was exciting, but I had hit an even greater jackpot, as it turned out that Melissa was the chieftainess of this tribe.
She caught me while coming back from her patrol, as I was about to step into the sea of trees.
After guaranteeing my safety, she took me to this cell, where she sought to interrogate me.
Miwen: "Well, I can show you if you want me to?"
I stepped out of the hard wooden bench they called a bed, standing before Melissa.
Melissa: "Boy, you can say goodbye to your heart if you so much as touch these bars."
She grabbed the bars herself, pushing a hand into the cell and lightly stabbing my chest with her two fingers.
Miwen: "Harsh. If you are planning such cruelties, why are you keeping me alive?"
She withdrew her claw-like nails almost instantly, a single drop of blood staining my shirt.
Melissa: "You're the first person to infiltrate this deeply to the point of reaching the woods. I want to know how you did it, and if anyone else managed to do the same."
She squinted her eyes, her gaze piercing me deeper than her nails had done.
Miwen: "Well, if I give you the answer to your questions, I believe my worth as a prisoner will come to an end, will it not?"
So far, Melissa had been acting like a reasonable person.
In fact, I was surprised that her first instinct was to interrogate me instead of just starting with torture.
However, I wasn't naive enough to believe this wouldn't change, so I tried to ascertain my position and her personality as much as I could while I still had the chance.
Melissa: "It will decrease by a lot, but I'm hoping I can at least ransom you. If not for money or weapons, maybe for a ceasefire?"
Unfortunately, that wouldn't work.
Miwen: "Pfft. Sorry, but... I assure you, you can't ransom me to anyone. My kingdom has no one capable of paying for my rescue. The only thing I can offer you is information."
Even though I was acting bold and defiant, I kept the screen that gave me access to the [Kingdom] open and within view at all times when talking with Melissa.
Melissa: "I see. Sorry, but you give me no choice. I can't afford to have anyone infiltrate us. It saddens me to see a young boy broken, but I hope you understand the safety of my people comes before your well-being."
The conversation suddenly took a turn for the worse, as Melissa began searching a nearby bag, bringing out a skinning knife.
I already expected this to happen sooner or later, though.
Since she was kind enough to do it "later", I decided to compensate her by being a bit charitable myself.
Miwen: "Wait. I'll talk. But you need to fulfill one condition for me first."
She stopped approaching the cell for a second, staring into my eyes.
Seemingly curious, she lifted her shoulders, tilting her head slightly to the right.
Melissa: "I won't make any promises, but state it, and I'll see what can be done."
It didn't seem like she was taking me too seriously. But since I wasn't desperate either, I managed to pique her interest.
Miwen: "Then, let me show you what I can do for you guys."
I turned my back to her, looking straight at the prison bed before me.
Melissa: "Huh?"
Ignoring her confusion, I claimed the daily tickets I could and spent them in both the [Armor Banner] and [Weapons Banner].
As usual, my mind went blank for a moment.
It was quite dangerous to lose consciousness even for a moment in these circumstances, but I was fairly certain that Melissa's shock would last longer.
Melissa: "What are these?"
Miwen: "Check for yourself."
There were seven different items in total. While appraising them wouldn't waste even a single full point, I didn't have as much mana to spare as Melissa.
Besides, it was better for my mental health that I didn't check them thoroughly. One look at the pile scattered on the bed, and I could tell that some items were better than anything I had gotten so far.
Perhaps since I meant to summon these weapons in exchange for a few favors from her, the gacha considered her luck as well?
I couldn't be sure, and I tried not to think too much about it since it hurt so much to give them away.
Melissa: "..."
Her eyes darted around for a few seconds as she analyzed the items in front of her.
While she was indifferent to most of them, her eyebrows would sometimes raise on their own. These were just brief flashes of surprise, but I could tell they were genuine.
Of course, the quality varied a lot.
Melissa: "This is... quite good, actually. Congratulations, your value has gone up a lot."
I felt a breath of relief welling up inside me, but I kept it from showing, mimicking her poker face.
Miwen: "So, do you want to negotiate an alliance now?"
I wasted no time, hoping that the shock would affect her position.
Unfortunately...
Melissa: "...That would be hard, boy."
It took her a second to answer, but she kept a cool head.
Miwen: " Why is that?"
I was hoping that giving her weapons would prove I wasn't on her enemy's side, while also showing I could help her war effort.
However, Melissa was smarter than I thought.
Melissa: "That's all fine, but you've forgotten one thing. You're my prisoner. With no hopes of escaping, I can force you to produce these for me without any compromise other than your life."
She tossed the knife away and approached the cell, holding my chin in her hand.
Melissa: "So, how about this deal? You tell me how you got here and everything you know, and after I'm satisfied, I'll extend your sentence by a day every time you summon me more weapons. How does that sound?"
She had a good point, but she was wrong. It's not that I had forgotten about being in captivity, but it didn't matter to me.
So, unfortunately, I wasn't too keen to accept the terms of this master negotiator.
Miwen: "No deal, you are being too unreasonable. I'm looking for an alliance with equal standing. If you accept that, I'll tell you all I know and throw in the weapons as a bonus."
I tried grabbing her wrist and pulling it away, but even with two hands, she was too strong for me.
Melissa: "Boy, if I really wanted to, I could torture you until you gave me both, you know? I believe I'm being quite generous right now-"
It didn't look like things were going to progress the way I wanted, so I decided that the time for words was over and showed Melissa why she had grossly misunderstood our positions.
Miwen: "I think you need more time to think about my offer. I'll come back tomorrow so that we can discuss things further. You can have these as a gift and a token of my sincerity."
The prison began to fade from my view as a much warmer breeze brushed against my skin.
Melissa's eyes widened, and I briefly heard the metallic sound of the cell bars bending over her grip.
Melissa: "...? Boy, I-"
I couldn't quite catch what Melissa said before I disappeared into the Kingdom, but to be honest, I had no resentment towards her.
She was fighting a war, and a suspicious person somehow managed to infiltrate her territory. The way she acted towards me was, ironically, humane.
She couldn't trust me right off the bat, especially as I pushed for an alliance; however, since I didn't mean any harm, I'd have plenty of opportunities to show her that this would benefit us both.
I could understand her.
I could agree with her.
And in her place, I would probably do the same as her.
Not letting outsiders disturb our house and threaten harm to our families was an ideal I could get behind, too.
While I had no doubts she was sincere when she said she was going to torture me for the information, I could tell she was also honest when saying she didn't like it.
Her tough act seemed more like a guise.
Behind it, there was a woman who didn't want to kill without motive, going as far as to search for reasons to keep me alive, be it ransom or information.
Be it king or chief, for the sake of those who depend on them, a leader has to steel their heart during war. No matter how good their hearts may be.
Melissa was determined to act in a way unlike her nature for her people.
Because I understood this, I respected her determination.
Still, I couldn't just admire her and follow blindly just because I liked her.
For now, I needed to level the playing field a bit, and showing her I was a prisoner in name only would definitely help.
The only unfortunate side effect was that she'd probably spend the day looking for other infiltrators, which would probably hinder her war effort a little. However, I couldn't do anything about that other than hope that the items I gave her made up for it.
Also, that was only a temporary side effect. If I were to gain her trust, I'd be able to help her without any problems, and that would make it all worth it.
But now that this battle was over, it was time for me to face a harder one.
I entered the Kingdom and found two girls waiting for me.
To say they were angry and worried enough to kill would be an understatement.