Gladiator vs Villainess Duchess (1)

"Since you couldn't kill me, this too must be nothing more than a trial." That was Cecilia's favorite saying. "A trial that failed to kill me only makes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me stronger. Therefore, it would be fair to say I have grown stronger than before."

"If that's what you believe, then I'm glad." The frail Cecilia was probably the student at the academy closest to death. That peculiar habit of speech was likely her unique way of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠putting others at ease. I picked up the teacup I had set down and took another sip, replaying Cecilia's words in my mind.

"To summarize, a gate suddenly opened at the academy and most people failed to escape. You happened to be receiving treatment outside the academy grounds, so you weren't caught up in it."

"That's right. You have a talent for organizing information, Lady Laura."

"And you want me to resolve the gate for you."

"Yes."

"What about the Holy Knight?" I asked. The Holy Knight—the protagonist of the Labyrinthos series, the one who receives divine will and leads this world to salvation. "Why come to me instead of asking the Holy Knight?"

"I had no way of knowing where the Holy Knight might be. And if we delay any longer, the damage will become uncontrollable."

"So you came to me first. But tell me, have you ever thought the Holy Knight is far too kind for their own good?"

A truly protagonist-like figure. Someone who cannot tolerate injustice and is driven by justice. And as the villainess duchess, I stand in the position of tormenting the Holy Knight's party. In other words, I am the complete opposite of the Holy Knight.

"Of course, I'm not asking for your help without compensation, Lady Laura. If there is anything you desire, you may demand it."

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything at all."

"Do you have the means to pay?"

"With your excellent mind, Lady Laura, I imagine you have already finished calculating. If the academy is saved, the prestige of House Iris will rise higher than ever before."

She was right. The kindhearted Holy Knight helps people without expecting anything in return, but I cannot do the same. The Holy Knight can afford such things because they are a commoner and a religious figure. But I am the future head of a ducal house. Every decision I make affects my family, my territory, and potentially even this entire nation. In noble society, one is criticized if one does not generate profit. So I considered it briefly and concluded that I could indeed extract some benefit. Above all, it had been quite some time since I last swung a sword, and my hands were itching for action.

"Very well. If that is your will, then I shall lend you my hand. Be honored to stand beneath the protection of Laura Iris."

"Of course I am honored. Thank you, Lady Laura."

"There is one thing I would like to ask, however. Why do you wish to save the academy?"

Cecilia was not an imperial student. She was a foreigner from another country. Therefore, whatever happened within the empire should have been none of her concern. The fact that she was negotiating with me, a ducal daughter, out of a desire to save people was something I found rather difficult to understand.

"You're right. Explaining it would be quite difficult, but there is a word that would be appropriate for helping you understand, Lady Laura. —Let us say it is for revenge."

"Revenge?"

"Yes." Cecilia spoke. "I came to find you, Lady Laura, for the sake of my revenge."

VR My Room. Kisaki Rinko stepped inside. The room had been decorated quite convincingly. It was shaped like an arena—vast and imposing in scale. The agency probably hadn't created it themselves. Nor had they outsourced it just for a one-time tournament. They had likely purchased an asset and applied it. Anyone who saw it might think actual fights took place here. And yet it was merely a venue for pre-match interviews.

"Mommy!" The moment Inagika saw Oh Lora walking toward her from the opposite side, she dashed forward. She threw her arms around Lora's waist in a tight hug. Was this the first time their faces had met like this…? Even in VR, was hugging the moment you met really a thing…?

"We finally met! Mommy!"

"Step back a little."

"Nooo! I'm not letting go until you pat my head! Pat pat! Pat pat!!"

"This is troublesome."

Laura placed a hand on her cheek and gave a subtle glance. It was a look that said, Someone get this child off me. With a sigh, Veronica stepped forward, and Rinko joined in to peel Inagika away.

"Mommy! I don't want to be separated from you! I want to live with Laura Mommy forever!"

"Oh dear, you're being ridiculous. That's enough."

"You're old enough to know better. What on earth are you doing? Drunk again?"

"No, I'm completely sober."

The sober Inagika returned to the commentary seat. It seemed she had simply wanted to cause a scene for once. Ahem. After clearing her throat a couple of times and straightening her posture, Inagika picked up the microphone.

"Yes, we now have both players who will conclude today's tournament. I'll be conducting individual interviews."

Her tone shifted so dramatically. If she could speak so normally, then what exactly had that sudden regression in mental age been about earlier? Perhaps she had developed temporary dementia. I should suggest she get a dementia screening after the tournament. Thinking about it, with how much she drank, it wouldn't be strange if she had alcoholic dementia.

Maybe I should make a bet stream with Inagika later, with a penalty involved. And if Inagika lost, the penalty would be a full medical checkup. That would be the most terrifying punishment for her.

"First, a word from Kisaki Rinko."

Inagika handed over the microphone. At the end of Rinko's gaze stood Oh Lora. This situation where they were facing each other—it was clearly an invitation for trash talk.

Honestly, I don't really like looking down on others. Acting arrogant didn't suit her personality. In truth, Rinko had always considered herself a rather insignificant existence. She was merely a first-generation VTuber who had gained a bit of popularity. She felt she was in a position beyond her actual abilities. On top of that, there were many cases where people got into controversies for saying harsh things unnecessarily. So she usually found it more comfortable to be careful with her words.

"If you say EYEAI's representative Labyrinthos VTuber, that would be me, wouldn't it?" Rinko said. But she knew that maintaining humility even in a place like this wasn't ideal. She was a four-year veteran VTuber, after all. To make things entertaining, she needed to let loose a little and be a bit rough around the edges. Rinko smiled as she spoke.

"Last year, only six Korean streamers could participate in the Streamer League. And one of them was me. In effect, I'm the Labyrinthos streamer representing Korea. Yet a junior who debuted not long ago dares to stand on equal footing. I suppose I'll have to put her in her place."

Heh. Deliberately laughing in an unpleasant way, Rinko passed the microphone over.

"Yes, we've heard Kisaki Rinko's interview. Next up is Laura Mommy's—"

"Say it properly."

"—Aurora's interview. Aurora, please give us a word."

Oh Lora received the microphone from Inagika. Swish. Rinko and Lora's eyes met. Rinko nodded. It meant she could say whatever she wanted. There was no point in being overly conscious of their senior-junior relationship. Wouldn't the viewers enjoy it more if they abandoned etiquette and spoke with a bit of malice? Fortunately, Lora seemed to understand the look in her eyes and nodded back. Then she spoke.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a wuxia novel, isn't it?"

…….

What?

"Before coming here, I read through Senior Rinko's profile. It said your hobby was reading wuxia web novels. I wanted to get closer to you, so I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It had both wu and xia, so I found it quite enjoyable."

"………………."

I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill that woman. The burnout Rinko had been feeling was instantly reignited into flames.

Of course, Rinko knew Laura had said it as a joke. But it was still incredibly irritating. She was genuinely furious. Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Rinko, who could tolerate most things, couldn't let this one slide. Honestly, when she heard those words, she wondered if she was about to enter a state of demonic possession.

Stay calm… Stay calm…… If she stayed calm, she could destroy her opponent more thoroughly, couldn't she? Thinking that, Rinko hunted neutral mobs.

Rinko and Lora's event match was not being held in Single Combat mode. It was possible to do 1v1 matches even in Arcade Mode. A format similar to Single Combat yet more complex. As a result, the established matchups from Single Combat mode apparently didn't apply in the same way. To be honest, she didn't really understand it. Couldn't they have just done a normal Single Combat match? But this tournament, as mentioned earlier, was sponsored by Deadlaus to promote Arcade Mode. Therefore, even the 1v1 matches had to be conducted in Arcade Mode.

This round isn't much different from Single Combat mode. There were just more secret passages. Since the victory conditions hadn't changed or been added to, there wasn't anything particularly worth worrying about. That was why Rinko was determined to win this round no matter what. Lora had apparently been studying various Arcade Mode maps up until now.

"I was wondering where you were. Here you are."

Tap. Tap. Footsteps echoed, and then a wall was torn open. Not physically torn, but through magic. She had probably discovered a secret passage and reached here in one go. Rinko had wanted to hunt more neutral mobs to grow stronger, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible.

"Berserker, I see."

"Yes. And you, Senior Rinko, are a Gladiator."

That was only natural. The class she was most familiar with was the Gladiator. Rinko adjusted her grip on her sword and met Lora's gaze.

"Let's begin."

With those words, Rinko immediately charged toward Lora. A downward slash from above. She deliberately swung diagonally rather than in a straight line. She knew that swinging straight would let the opponent dodge to the side. After forcing Lora to backstep, she activated a skill and began tumbling.

-Whoosh!

Her vision flipped, and a strong floating sensation enveloped Rinko's body. Having used the Gladiator class extensively, Rinko was acutely aware of its weaknesses. Just as the Hunter's greatest weakness was during a jump, the Gladiator's greatest weakness came right after tumbling. Because you couldn't see the enemy. That was why novice Gladiators often made the mistake of losing track of their opponent's position. Chell had made the same mistake when using a Gladiator against Lora last time, but of course, that didn't apply to Rinko. Even as her vision inverted and she couldn't see, she sensed Lora's location instinctively.

She's aiming for the sword.

It was one of the ways to counter a Gladiator. Since the Gladiator's sword was fixed in position, targeting it could throw off their center of gravity. But Rinko had seen this before.

-Huff!

Rinko supported her weight with just her arm strength and performed a windmill motion. Instead of striking downward, she spun both legs in a rotating motion. As if she had become a fan. With that acrobatic display alone, Lora couldn't approach. If Lora were hit by the Gladiator's sweeping legs, her bones could shatter. Confirming that Lora couldn't get close, Rinko threw her body forward. Landing safely on the ground, she yanked her sword free from the floor with the same momentum. Rinko spun as if dancing. The Gladiator's greatsword was by no means ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠light. Therefore, to swing it, one either needed large movements or had to rely on inertia. Using the inertia from throwing her body, she swung downward in a large arc.

-Boom!

Lora deflected the sword.

"What…?"

"The Gladiator's greatsword is large. It's designed to support the Gladiator's weight."

That was why striking its side with a fist wasn't impossible. Lora's fist connected, sending Rinko's sword flying back significantly, and Lora charged forward.

"I'll be taking this round."