Chapter 71: Chapter 70

"Everything that doesn't kill me is just a trial. If I consume the trial and survive, I’ll grow stronger."

That was Cecilia’s mantra.

“Get lost.”

I grabbed Cecilia by the collar and spoke.

“…What?”

“I said disappear from my sight. I don’t care where you go, just don’t show your pitiful face in front of me. I only want to see beautiful things.”

“...Why aren’t you killing me?”

-Thud!

I roughly tossed Cecilia’s body to the ground.

“All your talk of trials and strength—it’s pathetic. Honestly, it was disappointing. If you really want to be my food, then come back stronger.”

“…Lady Laura, do you even understand what you're doing right now? You’re just going to let a monster like me go?”

“I’ve been saying exactly that. Don’t you get it? For a princess, your language skills are lacking. You should really work on your education.”

“You’ll regret this.”

Cecilia glared at me.

“I’m no longer human. Do you know how many people I’ll kill as the monster I’ve become?”

“Well, then that will be your next trial.”

“What?”

“It’s your own motto, isn’t it? Anything that doesn’t kill you is just a trial. Overcoming those trials makes you stronger. Let’s say your next trial is to live without becoming a monster. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t care about your trials or your circumstances.”

I shrugged.

“Why should I care about your problems? Whether you turn into a monster and kill people or not, that’s not my responsibility. You’re quite brazen, aren’t you?”

“…I think you’re the brazen one, Lady Laura.”

“If you’re so upset about it, then be born as a noble in your next life. Besides, keeping you alive benefits me in a few ways.”

“Benefits...?”

“Go west to the mountain range. There’s a band of thieves there. Take care of them, and I’ll let you live.”

“...”@@novelbin@@

Cecilia looked at me with disbelief.

I smiled, watching her reaction.

“Being food means I’ll use you until I’ve drained every drop of value. As long as you keep yourself useful, I’ll make sure you don’t get beaten down. So, hurry up and go.”

[Virtual VTuber Gallery]

[Live Broadcast] Round 3 ended in a draw.

What happens now?

[Comments]

They’re going into overtime.

Rinko is crazy, lol.

Anna’s crying at home, lmao.

Laura sure doesn’t care about seniority or rank, huh? ㄴ Guess her nighttime skills are top-tier. ㄴ Sora can’t live without Laura anymore.

I didn’t expect the mutual destruction move, lol. ㄴ She went all-in, attacking from all angles, lol.

[Live Broadcast] Round 4 is starting.

Wait, did that chick just pick Trickster??

[Comments]

Did she get inspired watching Rinko’s Trickster?

Has Laura ever played Trickster? ㄴ This is her first time. ㄴ But she’s probably good at everything.

So many wildcard picks today, lol.

[Live Broadcast] But this screenshot was never used.

(Photoshopped meme)

After exhausting all her strength in Round 3, Rinko was utterly defeated by Laura’s Trickster in Round 4.

[Comments]

That’s a shame.

It all fell apart so fast, lol.

Rinko put up a good fight, but Laura’s Trickster was just too good… ㄴ For real, is there anything this girl can’t do? ㄴ Maybe she can’t, uh… you know. ㄴ Except she’s always doing it with Sora, what’re you talking about, lol. ㄴ Yeah, Sora and Laura’s “baby” is Ainatsu, isn’t it? ㄴ What nonsense are you spouting, lol.

[General] “Since I won, please sign here, Rinko-senpai.”

(Meme)

“Three Kingdoms… is Wuxia.”

[Comments]

Can’t believe it ended like this.

Lmao.

So savage…

Well, if you hate it, you should’ve won, lol.

This devilish villainess! ㄴ She doesn’t care about alliances, lmao.

【This_Code: One-on-one chat with Aurora】

Kisaki Rinko

[Wanna grab a drink?]

[When are you free?]

"Looks just like on the screen..."

Three days had passed since the EYEAI Labyrinthos Tournament.

Rinko showed up in front of my house.

“Rinko-senpai, you look different from how I imagined.”

She had multiple piercings and dyed hair. But maybe it was because she wore glasses that she didn’t come off as sharp.

“I hear that a lot.”

Rinko chuckled as she walked ahead.

Her steps were neat and tidy, which contrasted with her hip appearance.

She probably had a serious side to her. In gaming terms, she was like a tryhard dressed in a flashy skin.

“You’re wearing some bold sunglasses, Laura. Don’t you have a prettier design?”

“Sora gave them to me.”

“I meant to say, they suit you well more than they’re just pretty.”

Rinko quickly tried to recover, realizing her comment could be taken the wrong way.

I didn’t mind much. The sunglasses weren’t all that pretty anyway.

I adjusted them slightly.

“Sora said I look too much like the in-game model, and the fans might recognize me.”

“Ah, that’s possible. But if that’s the case, maybe you should think about your hairstyle too.”

“Hairstyle?”

“Your hair looks great down, but it gives off the same vibe as the in-game character. Maybe try tying it up—it could change your look a lot.”

“That’s a good suggestion.”

Though I wasn’t sure if Rion could pull it off. She was the one who usually handled my hairstyling, but her skills were just average.

Now that I think of it, didn’t Sora study cosmetology?

“So, what do you feel like eating? What’s your favorite food?”

“My favorite food, huh. I’m not sure you’d like it, Rinko-senpai. Are you okay with that?”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll eat whatever you want.”

“Alright then.”

I nodded.

And we ended up at a pork soup restaurant.

“…Laura, do you know how I feel right now?”

“Senpai, there are some things in this world people won’t know unless you tell them. Please, be honest.”

“I feel ridiculously guilty.”

Rinko sighed as she looked at the soup in front of her.

“Oh, were you worried about calories? If so, I apologize.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Do you dislike pork soup?”

“I actually like it quite a bit. It just… feels like bringing the King of England to eat spicy rice cakes.”

I understood what she meant. I had a similar experience when I first entered the academy.

There was a princess in my class, and we had to take the placement test together. Suddenly, a gate opened, and we ended up stranded together.

I had to catch and eat a magical beast inside the gate, and the princess was horrified. I felt guilty at the time, but there was no choice. Sometimes, you had to survive on what was available.

“I thought you’d be more of a pasta person…”

“I like pasta too. But if you ask me what my favorite food is, it’s definitely pork soup.”

I had loved this food long before I became a villainess.

I added some chili paste and a bit of salted shrimp to season it just right. A sprinkle of perilla powder added a fragrant touch. Then I mixed it well and dumped in the rice. For the record, I ordered the mixed pork soup, which included both intestines and blood sausage.

“So, what brings you here, Rinko-senpai?”

As I savored a piece of intestine, alongside some radish kimchi, I asked her.

“First of all, drop the honorifics. Just call me Rinko.”

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

I switched to informal speech right away.

Skipping over the 2nd to 5th generations and going straight to addressing a 1st-gen VTuber so casually felt strange, but since Rinko herself wanted it, it didn’t matter.

I preferred it this way too. After all, I’m a noble lady.

“So, what’s the reason you called me out?”

“Quick to switch modes. I like it. Why did I call you out? I just wanted to talk, really.”

“Talk about what?”

“Just… stuff.”

And so, Rinko started talking about last year’s defeat against MadMask.

“I didn’t really care about the hate comments. What hurt was that my teammates believed in me until the end, and I couldn’t live up to their expectations. Especially Narim…”

She was referring to her teammate, Son Narim.

Son Narim, a 2nd-tier pick for the Black Team, belonged to 23rd SerenadeKR.

“Laura, I’m not planning to participate in the Fantasy League this year.”

Rinko said suddenly.

“Before our match, I was thinking about a lot of things. What does Kisaki Rinko have that’s better than Aurora? What will be left of me after I lose to you?”

“So, what’s left?”

“A shitty, long-ass life.”

Rinko gulped down her water.

The way she did it, she might as well have been drinking booze in broad daylight.

“Soon, I’ll lose the title of EYEAI’s flagship VTuber. I’ll be overtaken in subscribers, in star power, charisma, gaming skills, mental toughness—everything. There’s nothing I can beat you at.”

“You’re stating the obvious. Why did you think you could compare yourself to the sun?”

“Because right now, I am the sun of EYEAI. Hurry up and take the title. I’m ready to let it go.”

Rinko chuckled.

She seemed much more relaxed compared to when we clashed blades in the tournament.

Back then, she’d been so serious. Now, she looked relieved.

“But just because I let go doesn’t mean it’s over. Even if I lose the title of flagship VTuber or the position as a Labyrinthos specialist, I still have to live out the rest of my life.”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

“Yeah. But sometimes you forget the obvious. ──In the end, everything is just a passing point.”

Unless you suffer a catastrophic failure, life doesn’t end so easily.

Success, even more so. Rarely does life end with just one big success.

Whether you succeed or fail, life goes on.

So, success and failure might not matter as much as we think.

One success won’t define your entire life.

And one achievement won’t mark the end of it either.

So, it’s always important to think about what happens next.

“I may not enter the league this year, but there’s always next year. If I prepare seriously for a year, I can make up for the time I missed.”

It seemed Rinko had come to that conclusion.

I didn’t have much to say.

Whether Rinko’s choice was right or wrong didn’t really matter to me.

Even if she failed again, it wouldn’t be the end of her life.

In the end, anything that didn’t kill her was just another trial.

“There is one small flaw in your plan.”

“A flaw?”

“Just because they decided to hold this year’s league doesn’t guarantee there will be a league next year.”

Whether or not next year’s league would be held would depend on how well this year’s performed.

Though it would probably happen. Since they rebranded the streamer league to the Fantasy League, it seemed they intended to continue it.

“Laura, you’re the one missing something. This year’s league will be a hit, and there will definitely be a league next year.”

“Oh? That’s quite a bold claim.”

There weren’t many certainties in this world.

“Well, Laura, you’ll be in the league this year, won’t you? If you’re participating, the league’s success is already guaranteed.”

That was what Rinko said.

“Laura, enter the league. Get in there, avenge me, make the tournament a hit, and return even greater than before.”