We're Screwed
We're screwed.
"Ha. So she's going for Grand General, is she…"
Seated in the captains' row, watching Lily's interview play out, Vlack sank deep into thought.
At its heart, the whole Mock Siege Battle was designed around the Grand Generals.
With overwhelming odds, the matches would revolve around Grand Generals rather than ordinary Generals — which meant he, Leo, and Chukachip, the three seated in the captains' row, were the ones expected to carry the show.
But beyond them, he'd counted on other variables too: Lily and Yena, and Dinosaurs Are Alive, whose synergy with Leo was proven. And though the spotlight never found her, Raguel of the Angel Guild remained as threatening as ever.
Except now—
The Grand General slot is up in the air.
That changed everything. The careful balance he'd spent so long engineering could be ground into dust.
And yet he couldn't exactly stop Lily from challenging for the title, either. Dozens of people had put in the work to lure her into the Mock Siege Battle in the first place, and Heaven only knew how much budget had been burned doing it. She had declared her intent to run for Grand General in front of a crowd — there was no walking that back now.
Is she that confident?
That aside, the simple truth remained: to claim the title, she had to beat a captain.
However skilled she might be, could she actually take down a single-digit ranker?
"What do you think, Lady Leo?"
"Hm?! Me?"
Leo, who had been staring at Lily just as intently as he had, whirled around as if startled.
"About Lily. Do you really believe she can beat the captains?"
"Hmm… it won't be easy, that's for sure."
Fidgeting with her spirit, Leo kept her eyes fixed squarely on Lily as the extra interview continued.
"…But I wouldn't say there's no chance! Obviously, as things stand right now, we'd win — but in a properly balanced match? Who knows!"
"Is that so?"
"That's what I think! Not that it matters — I'm picking Lady Lily either way."
Who cared if she was Grand General or not? And what did it matter if she was?
Leo already had her heart set on Lily, and she fully intended to draft her no matter what.
Though I am settling the Grand General slot with a duel, of course.
That was that. A duel was a duel. She wanted to trade blows with her anyway.
"I see. Then…"
Vlack's gaze swung away.
To the seat right beside him — where Chotachoka Chukachip sat practically radiating anxiety.
"Choco."
"No way, there's just… huh? What."
"You doing okay?"
"Obviously?"
Haha! She forced a laugh and puffed out her chest with both hands, way too hard.
She did not look okay.
"What's your read?"
"Hmm. Lily? I mean, come on, is that even a question? We win, obviously!"
Chukachip grumbled with her microphone switched off.
She hadn't changed a bit. Vlack nodded.
"Good to see the confidence hasn't gone anywhere."
"Of course not. Who am I? Lady Lily can be as good as she wants — she still can't beat me."
"So what are you going to do? Draft her?"
"……"
"Look, I'm the organizer here, so I'm not going to lecture you. I'm just curious."
"…We'll see."
Chukachip snapped her head away.
Lily's interview was drawing to a close.
"Honestly, her skill's great, but she seems a little too greedy. I'll have to think some more about the draft."
"Fair enough. Pick whoever you like."
"Yep."
…We're doomed.
"And with Lily, we wrap up the player interviews! Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for—"
"That's right. All that remains is the team selection."
"This year's draft follows the same format as before: teams built line by line."
As the casters spoke, the screen cut away.
The captains' row, where the three highest-seated players sat, and below it three player sections arranged in a triangle, facing one another. In each section, just as in the captains' row, three players waited.
"Now then — first up is the tanker line!"
The camera zoomed in on the first section.
Two hulking slabs of muscle, and beside them one tiny pipsqueak. The little one, overwhelmed by the roaring crowd, waved her hands threateningly with a fierce oossh — and looked about as threatening as a kitten.
"Ooh~ just looking at this lineup makes you feel safe!"
"The tanker line is the one that holds the front with rock-solid defense! Body-reinforcement specialist Iron! Truck Shield, with the impact of an actual truck! And, um… the Black Flame Dragon, Devil? That completes the trio!"
"God of Darkness! God of Darkness, I said! You humans!"
Kraaagh! The god of darkness — no, Devil — bellowed with all his might.
The caster just laughed it off.
"Understood! Our very own God of Darkness, Devil, rounding out the roster! What a dependable lineup!"
"Defense-specialized classes naturally boast far superior defenses compared to classes that wield other weapons."
"Exactly. I have a feeling these tankers will end up playing a crucial role this time around."
"Wonderful. Next up — the ranged dealer line!"
The screen moved on.
Two heads of snow-white hair and one head of red.
Fracion, Raguel, and Redberry — a ranged dealer line built on three.
"You simply can't leave ranged dealers out of a team game like this!"
"Precisely. Two mages and an archer. The classes might look a bit ordinary, but their skill and uniqueness are beyond dispute."
"I'm especially looking forward to seeing what Raguel of the Angel Guild brings to the table."
At the casters' words, Raguel sheepishly scratched her snow-white hair.
As one of the Seven Archangels of the famed Angel Guild, she was certain to put on a show.
"And finally… our long-awaited special line!"
"They are NOT the leftovers! Please, no misunderstandings!"
AHAHAHAHA—
A man who looked like a high schooler, leaning against a colossal bear. And there was Yena, her red eyes and assassin's garb unmistakable, along with the ever-unflappable Lily.
"I'd say it's fair to call this 'special' line the heart of this year's event."
"An assassin, a spearuser, and a druid — all three step just a little outside the standard class mold. Which means the synergy that emerges when they combine with a captain is something we'll simply have to wait and see."
"Keep a particularly close eye on the spirit user and the druid this time."
"That's right. And given that the number-one pick, Lily, and Dinosaurs Are Alive share the same line, the odds of Leo drafting Dinosaurs Are Alive just went up as well!"
Bottom line: from Leo's perspective, whether she drafted Lily or Dinosaurs Are Alive, she couldn't lose either way.
"Alright! That wraps up the line introductions! Captains — please come forward!"
In an instant, the players in the captains' row strode out to the stage at the heart of the plaza.
One marshaling spirits, one channeling raw physical power, one weaving skills — each stepped into position on the model castles, facing one another.
At the castle's center, on a small patch of flat ground, a single three-sided die rose into view.
Each face painted in the colors of the captains' castle banners.
"Each captain will roll, and drafting will proceed clockwise from whichever captain's face comes up."
And in the name of fairness…
The die floated up into the air and landed in caster Kim Yong-woo's hand.
"If the captains rolled it themselves, some of you might come away with… unfortunate misunderstandings. So I'll be rolling it personally."
Kim Yong-woo paused for a beat, then looked out over the silent plaza stage.
All three captains — every last one of them — had their eyes locked on him, and only him.
"Our captains seem quite nervous, folks."
"I imagine Lily's earlier words are weighing on them a little."
"Can't wait. Here we go."
Gulp.
Every eye in the plaza was on the die.
At last, it rolled.
The die swam through empty air, every gaze in the crowd converging on a single point, until finally it began its descent to the ground.
Tock. Tu-du-dook…
"Ah."
"Our first pick belongs to Chotachoka Chukachip! Her captainship!"
We're screwed.