Please, Just Put Me Out of My Misery

"Um... could you please just kill me now?"

The dice chose Chukachip.

Since the order had been set clockwise, Vlack would follow, then Leo. For the team captains, it should have been the sequence they'd wanted most—first pick meant first claim on whoever they desired—but right now, it was anything but.

The Grand General will be contested.

It was a stone thrown at the captains who had all been hoping to snap up Lily first, the standout in both skill and popularity. To Lily, it might have been a pebble, but like a stone cast into a lake, the ripples it sent out were enormous.

And the one hit hardest by those ripples was Chukachip herself.

Before the draft, she had already gone on record in her interview with something that amounted to a provocation—declaring that she would pick Lily, if only for Lily's sake.

Lily hadn't exactly risen to the bait, but either way, it was Chukachip who now had to live with the fallout of her own words.

If I don't pick her, people are going to talk.

After promising to pick her, backing out now would earn her nothing but accusations of cowardice. Chukachip had always been thick-skinned enough to shrug off spiteful comments and snide remarks, but this was a matter of pride. Losing to the rival standing right in front of her was worse than anything a stranger could say.

Not that she considered Lily a rival, exactly. But she'd crushed her alt character once, so she'd grant her that much recognition.

If I do pick her...

Honestly, she was confident she'd win.

How many years ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had she wielded her twin spears? How many enemies had she cut down with them? Of course she'd win.

But what if.

What if, against all odds, some freak variable cost her the Grand General title?

Then it would all be meaningless. From team selection all the way to the end of the Mock Siege Battle, she would gain nothing but losses. Once you've already lost, no amount of heroics afterward matters.

"Alright! Team Captain Chukachip! You may now choose your player! You can pick only one per line, so please choose carefully!"

"......"

"Hmm... it seems she needs some time to think."

"It looks like Lily's challenge has weighed heavily on her decision. 'I'll contest the Grand General'—as a team captain, that's not something you can accept lightly."

"Perfectly understandable. Take all the time you need."

The camera swung away from Chukachip, panning across the waiting players. Faces from the three lines drifted past one by one until Lily's appeared on screen, wearing what could only be described as quiet expectation.

"I..."

◇

"Who do you think she'll pick?"

"Me, probably?"

Yena, seated beside me, nudged me with an excited grin, whispering. It only made sense that she'd pick me, didn't it? She'd said something similar in her interview, and plenty of people were hoping for it.

"But honestly, I don't think she's going to pick you, Lily."

"Why not?"

"Well, putting it simply—there's the whole Grand General thing, but mostly it's the matchup everyone's dying to see. Spear versus twin spears."

It was the talk of the town even before the Mock Siege Battle lineup was announced. Chukachip, the professional of twin spears, versus Lily, the super rookie who wielded the same weapon. If the two clashed, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would come out on top?

With so many people anticipating that duel, Chukachip might deliberately pick someone else just to avoid feeding the hype.

"My money's on Dinosaurs Are Alive."

"Because of Leo?"

"Exactly. A spirit druid is seriously, catastrophically overpowered. There's actually an NPC out there with two classes, and you absolutely cannot beat them. Even ten-odd rankers rushing them at once would struggle."

"Hmm..."

Dinosaurs Are Alive visibly flinched at the sudden mention of his name. When Yena and I waved at him, he gave a small, stiff bow.

"Why are you so tense?"

"I'm just... nervous. Haha..."

"Oh, look—she's making her choice."

After a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠few minutes of agonizing silence, Chukachip lifted her head and gripped the microphone. Her voice rang out across the arena.

"I choose Yena."

An unexpected choice, and the plaza erupted into murmurs. It was understandable, in a way—Lily and Dinosaurs Are Alive were both defensible picks.

Lily's skill was undeniable, but it had yet to be properly proven, and since she'd openly declared her intent to contest the Grand General, passing her over was a legitimate option. But if so, Chukachip should have taken Dinosaurs Are Alive. Setting aside the synergy between him and Leo, Leo herself was firmly entrenched as the current number one. With Leo's turn pushed back to third, Chukachip needed to claim either Lily or the dinosaur—if only to keep Leo in check.

Instead, she gave up both.

"ME?!!!!!"

Yena kicked back her chair and let out something close to a roar of disbelief. She glared at Chukachip with resentful eyes, but the captain only wore an amused, knowing sort of smile.

The casters exchanged a few words before one of them leaned in.

"Ah... you've selected Yena. Is there a particular reason?"

"From my standpoint, picking Lily would have been the more advantageous move. But so many people were looking forward to a match between her and me. I deliberately passed on her out of respect for that anticipation."

"And one more thing."

Chukachip turned her head. Yena still wore a look of utter bewilderment.

"Some of you may remember, but Yena was once one of the very top rankers. Even now, there'd be nothing strange about her holding a captain's seat."

"That's right. I may not have mentioned her as much as the other players, but Yena is genuinely, exceptionally skilled."

"Team Captain Chukachip seems to rate Yena very highly."

"I do. I'm actually an old fan of hers, personally."

"...A fan?"

Yena let out a hollow laugh and slumped back into her seat. Her head must already have been spinning, because she just sat there chuckling weakly to herself.

"...Are you okay?"

"I'm not okay... The siege is over... Leo's going to win..."

"You never know."

"Know... what..."

"You're really good, Yena."

Whip! Yena's head snapped up. It never ceased to amaze me how quickly her moods could swing.

"Um... could you please just kill me now?"

"I mean it."

"Ugh, come on."

"But I believe in you, Yena. That crazy overpowered pendant from before, your gear, your skill—you've got it all."

"Then I'd have to be strong, wouldn't I? It's just that monsters live in that line, that's all."

Yena let out a groan and dropped her head again. Nothing I said was going to cheer her up. I patted her back in silence and turned my eyes toward the captain's podium.

Vlack, standing at the crossroads of his own decision.

"Well... this is unexpected. I was preparing to pick Dinosaurs Are Alive, you see."

To think Choco would—no. To think Chukachip would choose Yena.

Vlack let out a dry chuckle, cleared his throat, and after choosing his words carefully, looked my way.

"Um... may I ask Lily a question?"

"A question?"

"Yes."

Caster Rakl gave a thoughtful "hmm..." before nodding his assent.

"Lily, is that all right with you?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

"Then, Lily, I'll be direct. If I pick you and we win the championship, I will give you the winner's ring. Even if you never become Grand General."

Oooh~

He'll just hand it over, no Grand General title required...

"And what about the rest of the team?"

"Naturally, I intend to provide rewards befitting their contributions to every member as well."

Vlack squared his shoulders with practiced confidence—every inch the team captain proclaiming just how much care he'd poured into his players.

"So, with that in mind... might you consider giving up the Grand General position?"

"......"

"We'll have our friendly exhibition match, of course, but I don't think you need to stake everything on the Grand General title. The ring, the prize money—I'll see to it all—"

"I think you're misunderstanding something."

I rose from my seat.

The black armor Vlack wore stood out sharply against the lights. The demons had been exactly that size, once. And this was exactly the posture they'd struck when they dangled their offers—every one of them without price.

"I'm not entering this siege to acquire a single ring. I will challenge for the Grand General position, and even if I'm told I can't have it, I have zero intention of simply taking it off someone else's hands."

So don't make me offers like that.