Light surged upward.
Three beams of light blossomed into the sky.
The meteor made of light swirled in the heavens, depicting the faces of Lily and the General players of Team Lily.
Each one, a painstakingly crafted illustration made of thousands upon thousands of dots.
Eventually, the star drawings all disintegrated and flowed into a magical LED screen that towered on stage.
Each face was reflected, and amidst them walked the caster, Kim Yong-woo.
People were waiting below the stage with prizes and bouquets.
Kim Yong-woo shouted loudly in front of the numerous audience.
“The fiercely contested third mock siege war! The coveted victory goes to~~~~”
Waaaaah!!!!
“Team Lily~~~~!!!”
Boom~! Boom~!
[Lolololol]
[Lily! Lily! Lily! Lily!]
[It was the expected result]
[Look at those fireworks lol]
[How much is all that lololololololol]
[Your viewing fees are exploding!]
[Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!]
[For real, it’s insane]
[Wow]
[Legendary moments galore lol]
[Wow]
[500 million simultaneous viewers… my heart is swelling]
[Slapping DCK in the face lol]
[Lily’s viewers surpass 300,000 OMG]
[Lily is “culture.”]
[International viewership is crazy]
[Lily is truly a cheat lol]
“Now! Let’s welcome the glorious winning team to the stage!”
The LED screen displaying each face split in two, and from the middle, we emerged.
Me, Redberry. And Black.
An air of curiosity flowed as the Devil did not appear.
“The Devil player has been unable to attend due to sudden circumstances. Of course, the prize money and rewards will be given, so you don’t have to worry! Sharing it is up to Team Lily’s captain, though.”
You don’t have to share.
Hahaha.
The audience roared with excitement at Kim Yong-woo’s words.
I grabbed the microphone that was handed to me earlier, chuckling.
“Shall we?”
“Yes?”
“Just kidding.”
It’s been a while. This kind of scene.
[D…]
[What’s with Lily Fox]
[Her smile is so beautiful]
[Wow]
[Is she insane?]
[Lololololol really insane?]
[When will this person broadcast again]
[Wait, is someone with that appearance a virgin? OMG]
[Whoa]
[Lololol]
[Pure Lily]
I had often experienced speaking in front of countless people after achieving something.
But this time, it wasn’t a ‘speech’ for someone, nor was it about a serious and heavy topic.
It’s a festival.
Experiencing the festival and being one player who shone in it was my first time.
“I can’t help but ask your thoughts on winning. Lily! You participated in the mock siege war for the first time and achieved an incredible record of winning all three matches! How do you feel?”
“……I’m happy. Really happy.”
A game meant purely for enjoyment and fun.
Perhaps this was something I had wished for all along.
As Lily, breaking free from the responsibilities and position of being the Saintess.
Just as my pure self.
“First of all, I want to thank my teammates, including myself, Black, Redberry, and Devil. It wouldn’t have been easy if I were alone.”
I’m strong, but with them, it became a lot more fun.
A game where everything doesn’t end and countless people don’t lose their lives just by breaking the core.
I could do my best in my own way, and my teammates also showcased their skills in their respective positions.
‘…Did Redberry feel a bit left out?’
She didn’t show anything special compared to Black or Devil.
It was partially because she was still learning and hadn’t been given special instruction.
“I appreciate the teammates who followed along, and above all… um.”
Ah.
I paused for a moment to collect my voice.
The scenery that entered my eyes.
And the numerous people densely packed in the audience seating.
I slowly took it all in.
One by one.
Not leaving out a single thing.
“You can take your time speaking.”
“Yes.”
[Lily getting emotional?]
[ㅜㅜㅜㅜ]
[Is Lily also shedding tears of emotion?]
[It’s overwhelming, isn’t this the Lily who didn’t know a thing about Deoen…?]
[Don’t cry.]
[Don’t cry!]
[Huhuhuh, even Lily is sentimental.]
[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[The ones who lost probably want to cry even more, lol.]
[Breaking news) Yena is really sobbing, hahaha.]
[Wow.]
[Lily isn’t crying?]
Always thinking.
“…Thank you for always loving me.”
I’m really glad to be back.
■
“Ah… I won. I am the champion!”
Waaah!!!
Black! Black! Black!
As Black clenched his fist tightly and raised it high, cheers filled the stage.
Excitedly announcing his thoughts, Black.
In fact, for him, this mock siege war was quite a big gamble.
Done.
A scale that could rival a formal event.
From stage preparations to the countless material resources of the audience and staff, the costs were absolutely tremendous.
“I heard it was over ten billion… or something like that.”
“This mock siege war could only have been won thanks to Lady Lily…”
Of course, it was conducted with sponsorship from various kingdoms and sponsors, but there must have been some difficulties in managing the numerous interests and procedures.
Speaking of which, there’s another schedule for tomorrow.
“A banquet… right?”
Clap clap clap clap clap.
“Now! For the final event, it’s time to raise this trophy and present the prize, the Mythical Equipment, ‘Blue Guardian’!”
I stepped forward.
Countless cameras were pointing at me.
As Kim Yong-woo handed me the Blue Guardian, I put it on my left index finger.
It looked pretty big when I wore it, but thanks to some magical effect, it fit just right.
It’s pretty.
[You have obtained the heritage of the great blacksmith, Drak!]
[You can now proceed with the World Quest – Legend of Talikal.]
[The Blue Guardian is staring at you intently.]
‘World Quest? Talikal?’
Could it be that the Mythical Equipment is related to quests?
─Lady Lily.
I was lost in thought, staring at the ring, when I lifted my head at Black’s voice.
─Quest progression is nothing much. It’s just one of those collection quests, and since some users have already obtained a few, it’s impossible to complete.
To collect all the Mythical set equipment…
A desire was bubbling up inside me.
“…I have a bad feeling about this.”
“That’s good. Very good.”
“Seems like you’re watching? Then…”
One… two… three!
Click!
■
“That turned out well.”
I held up a photo.
A large silver trophy engraved with a pattern of three castles facing each other.
In the picture, the three of us were all smiles while holding the trophy.
Me, Black, and Redberry.
It’s a pity that the Devil isn’t here, but still, the photo came out great.
There were probably countless edited photos of it already posted online.
“Right?”
“…Why do we always lose? Why are we always pushed back…”
And in front of me was Yena.
After the event’s cleanup and broadcast, Yena barged into my house, saying she wanted to vent about it and brought food and drinks.
I had mentioned going out for a meal sometime, but I didn’t expect her to actually show up.
I poured the wine that Yena brought.
It clearly looked expensive.
Having lived in a fancy place, she must have bought something pricey.
Looks like you bought something expensive.
“Sometimes in life, you lose.”
“Ugh… Life’s bitter.”
Yena has already started running.
“You’re going to collapse like before.”
“Not like that. I don’t go down that easily; that was just an odd moment.”
I normally wouldn’t be affected even if I drink your entire bottle…
Muttering for no reason, Yena downed another shot with a “Hah!”
“Hmm…”
Well, back then, I guess I was more under the influence of the medication.
Of course, even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change my original tolerance; I just got drunk faster.
I too lifted my glass.
“But you worked hard. You’ve grown plenty, Miss Yena.”
“…Honestly, I’m quite curious. What exactly does Lily do? I thought it would be rude to ask at first, though.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Nope.”
“Definitely drunk. It’s obvious.”
“No, I’ve only had a couple of shots… just two…”
“And back then?”
“Ahh!”
Mentioning that is off-limits!
Yena, shouting as if she had a fit, looked down at me for a moment before plopping back down.
She grabbed her drink again.
“I need to hear about it, even if it means getting drunk today. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Think that’s possible?”
I can really hold my alcohol.
“Hah! You only saw me for one day, so you probably don’t know. Just wait and see what happens in two hours!”
■
“Hrrk… Hrrk… Why can I only remember getting beaten all day long…!!”
“That could happen.”
Two hours later.
Yena, having downed three bottles of wine, had become one with the table.
While the alcohol was indeed strong, it’s a bit of a funny situation considering her earlier bravado.
Clank.
But it seems to have worked, as my face was starting to flush a bit as well.
“The world is inherently unfair. Of course, it’s not only the world that’s to blame…”
“Hrrk.”
“Just saying. You have quite a bit of talent too, Miss Yena. Just a bit slow.”
Yena definitely has talent.
It’s just that there are so many people around her who shine brighter, making her seem dull in comparison.
Clank.
The ice in my glass had run dry.
I tried to pour more but glanced at my empty finger.
A ring that exists in Deoen, though not in reality.
“A World Quest, huh…”
Sounds fun.
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