I would always find it funny when Licia and Claire commented about how soft our bed was.
But right now, I can't help but feel like they were absolutely right.
Yesterday, we ran some tests about my inability to leave the Kingdom, and to my surprise, that only applied to me.
The girls maintained the same restriction as always, needing my permission to leave once inside, but they could request to go anywhere with no restrictions.
As long as I gave permission, they would find themselves wherever they wanted to go.
Albeit convenient, this was also a bit lonely since, for the first time in several days, I'd spent the night away from them.
Since it seemed like we'd be traveling between the world of the [Event] and the [Kingdom], I decided to spend the points from the Kingdom menu on a house.
It wasn't really needed, but I think it would eventually be useful anyway, and to be honest, I really wanted a bit more comfort than what was currently available in this place.
In the buildings menu, I opened the house section, where I could see a small list, with the first item being "Earth".
Inside it, there were the names of a bunch of medieval kingdoms and tribes, some of which I recognized.
Quite a few, I'm certain, come from civilizations that do not exist anymore.
I quickly grasped what this entailed.
As if in a building simulator, I could decide on the design of the house, following the architecture of any civilization in my world.
Since the costs for this small house didn't change, it was safe to assume that its size and the furniture inside it would always be the same, and that the only difference would be the design that should match whatever civilization I'd pick.
I didn't really care or know too much about these ancient houses, so I was willing to go with whatever.
But before that, I wanted to take a quick look at the second item on the list.
Under "Earth", there was another item called "Szyla". And upon opening it, there was only one option for the design of the house, the one from the Snow White Wolves Tribe.
Of course, this made me extremely intrigued, so I went for it.
I had seen some houses when I was being escorted towards the prison by Melissa, but obviously, I couldn't take a look inside, so curiosity got the better of me.
My first impression was quite good.
Although called a small house, it had a comfortable size.
There were two bedrooms, each with enough room for an extra bed.
I think this "small house" could reasonably support a family, maybe two.
Looking at it, the total area of the house had to be bigger than mine. This became even more apparent when inside, due to the lack of furniture.
For now, this was what I could call my castle, I guess.
Yeah, quite small for a mansion, much less a castle, but I did not need anything that spacious.
What I needed, this house already offered: two floors, the first one with a small living room and kitchen, while the second had two bedrooms. The only thing lacking was a bathroom, but...
As long as the girls weren't here, I could just do my business outside.
So overall, I had made a somewhat safe and comfortable base of operations inside the Kingdom.
I still valued my home on Earth more, though, so I sent my two strongest warriors to defend it for the time being.
Still, after all was said and done, I started to rethink that "comfortable base" idea that I initially had.
The bed was horrendous; I felt like I had slept on a rock.
Waking up without the girls by my side also turned out to be a negative...
Guess the true value of something only shows when it's gone, huh?
Not that I'd admit that to them, though.
As far as comfort went, this went nowhere. Having a roof over my head was enough to make me happy, and the girls were kind enough to fetch me one of my pillows, which helped a little.
On that topic, since I couldn't go back to Earth and had no idea how to use this house's kitchen, Licia was responsible for breakfast.
After being left off yesterday's events, she was happy to have something entrusted to her, even if it was just breakfast.
Claire, on the other hand, seemed amused that our roles had swapped. Every time I'd struggle with the cultural and technological differences of this house compared to mine on Earth, she'd act all smug about it, as if vindicated.
I guess this was karma for how much I provoked and laughed at their reactions...
Licia: "Are you sure you'll go back to that place?"
I told Licia that I could at least wash the dishes, but she refused to let me handle it and separated them, aiming to take them back to Earth.
Miwen: "Yes, I need to keep advancing the event one way or another, or else I might be stuck in it for at least two years..."
I reached for a dishcloth to help her, but she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, pushing me away.
Claire: "She might kill you on sight, you know? I certainly would do so if I thought my prisoner had a teleporting ability."
Almost as if on purpose, Claire contrasted with Licia, leaning against the table and speaking matter-of-factly.
She didn't even bring her own plate to the sink. At most, she had extended her arm and left her plate on top of Licia's when they were both done.
Miwen: "I gave her a few reasons to keep me alive for now. And she seems reasonable, as long as I maintain myself as someone friendly and helpful, I doubt she'll try to harm me..."
Claire: "So by friendly and helpful you mean this...?"
She pointed at some arrows and rings scattered on the table. Basically, all the junk I got from the [Mana Banners] or useless things that were collecting dust back home.
Well, the arrows weren't junk per se. It's just that nobody in our party had any use for them.
Miwen: "Gifts are a good way of swaying people, you know?"
Claire: "If someone showed up at my father's mansion with something like this as a gift, I'd be offended."
She completely dismissed the arrows and rings, pushing them into a pile away from her.
Since she was a duke's daughter, Claire must've received tons of gifts and proposals during her past life, so I guess her standards were pretty high.
Licia: "Normally that might be the case, but since this is a war we are talking about, I guess every little thing counts. I doubt she'd be offended by this, even more so if it's just an appetizer, right?"
I wasn't expecting Licia to start by agreeing with Claire, but since I fully agreed with the last part, her opinion ended up being somewhat in the middle between Claire's and mine.
Miwen: "That's what I'm hoping for. But I'll consider Claire's opinion. Once inside the Event, I'll hold the menu for the Kingdom open so I can quickly escape if Melissa gets the wrong idea."
I doubt she'd give me the chance to explain if I offended her, so at the very least, I'd have to wait a few hours before returning there.
Licia: "You should do that anyway. At all times, even."
She was a bit of a worrywart, but she was right. And Claire was too, despite saying it in a joking tone.
At least on Earth, there are plenty of stories about royalty thinking so highly of themselves that they actually get displeased by certain gifts.
Still, Melissa didn't seem like that type of ruler. I felt like her seeing the intention behind my actions, rather than the item's plain value, was a safe bet.
...But just to be safe, I used the Quiver of Duplication to make several copies of the arrows.
With so many of them, Melissa was bound to hear me out for a bit.