LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 63 - Ban Pick
“Lady Laura, you have a visitor.”
As soon as I heard those words, I realized it—I was dreaming about those days.
The days when I was Laura Iris, not Aurora.
A short snippet from the ten years I spent in the world of Labyrinthos.
I set down the teacup I was holding.
“A visitor? If I recall correctly, I don’t have any appointments today.”
“You’re correct, Lady Laura.”
“I see.”
In other words, this visitor had come to the Iris Ducal Estate unannounced.
Even the Imperial family sends multiple letters back and forth before visiting. Considering that, it meant this visitor was being extremely rude.
Normally, I would have no issue throwing them out, but…
“Who is it?”
“It’s Lady Cecilia.”
“Cecilia…”
I winced slightly at the mention of that name. In a sense, she was the most troublesome person in the world.
“Let her in. I suppose I’ll have to meet her in person.”
“Understood, my lady.”
The butler left, and soon after, a girl entered my tea party room.
Her hair was ghostly white, and her skin was incredibly pale.
Her eyes were hollow, with dark circles tinged with blue underneath.
The most notable feature was that she was seated in a wheelchair.
It was well-known at the academy that Cecilia was very sickly.
Cecilia always looked ill, so I tried not to pay much attention to it.
But I couldn’t fool my own eyes. She seemed to have more scars on her arms and legs than I remembered, and parts of her dress were visibly torn.
“It’s been a while, Lady Laura.”
“Lady Laura, is it?”
I thought to myself when I heard that title. She was giving me permission to treat her as inferior.
“Yes, it’s been a while. You look quite different from usual. What happened?”
“There was an accident. I apologize for showing you such an unsightly appearance.”
“An accident?”
“Yes.”
Cecilia nodded.
“I’ll get straight to the point. The academy is currently being overtaken by a gate. Can you help, Lady Laura?”
***
===
EYEAI Official @EYEAI_official
“Guess the winning team of the EYEAI Labyrinthos VR Tournament!
Vote for which team you think will win!
Among those who guess correctly, 20 will be selected to win gift cards!”
Current Vote Standings
1. Spring Team (45.4%)
2. Fall Team (38.2%)
3. Summer Team (10.1%)
4. Winter Team (6.3%)
===
【Virtual VTuber Gallery】
[General] Is Spring Team the favorite to win?
ㅇㅇ?
[Comments]
– Spring Team is the favorite for sure.
ㄴ (Author) Why?
ㄴ Because Rinco is the coach and the 2nd generation is also pretty good.
– If not Spring, then Fall might win.
– One thing’s for sure, Winter Team won’t win, LOL.
ㄴ (Author) Even though A-Grade Virgin is the coach?
ㄴ The 6th generation was just playing horror games last time LOL.
ㄴ They’re all beginners. Even if Lady Laura herself came, they wouldn’t stand a chance LOL.
===
[General] Opening match: Spring Team VS Winter Team LOL
These guys have no luck LOL.
===
***
Sunday, September 22nd.
Before I knew it, it was the day of the EYEAI Labyrinthos VR Tournament.
[How are you today, Mother?]
And the opening match? Our Winter Team vs. the 1st and 2nd generation alliance, Spring Team.
Before the match, there was a team introduction and pre-game interview, and Ainatsu, who was hosting, suddenly said that.
“Are you still drunk?”
[No. I’m perfectly sober.]
“Then why are you calling me that?”
[Mother, there is something I have learned during my 3 years as a VTuber: once you start getting embarrassed, there’s no end to it.]
Ainatsu started saying something nonsensical, even though she was sober.
[At this point, I’ve accepted it for the sake of my mental health. So, I will continue to revere you as Mother from now on.]
“I have a lot to say, but first, what’s with that tone?”
[I wanted to express my feelings. Did it bother you?]
“It bothers me.”
I replied honestly.
Ainatsu was just as annoying as Anna.
No, maybe even more.
[Then I’ll call you ‘Mom’! Mom Laura! Mom Laura! Mom Laura!!!]
“There’s one thing I really want to ask—how old are you?”
[That’s unfair! Don’t ask questions like that! Just pet me without asking anything…! Even adults want to act spoiled sometimes! I’m really desperate here!]
[…Please stop bothering your junior.]
Miyamoto Veronica, who was co-hosting the broadcast with Ainatsu, let out a sigh.
[Anyway, Coach Laura, could we get a few words from you before tXhe match starts?]
“Words of determination, huh? I once looked up the word ‘determination’ in the dictionary. It said, ‘the mental preparation for upcoming events.’ But is there really anything to prepare for?”
I smiled faintly.
“How many people prepare themselves for the sun rising and the moon setting? Our victory is already certain, so there’s no need for any special determination.”
[Ha ha! Coach Laura is full of confidence! We’re looking forward to a great match.]
[See you later, Mom Laura!]
With that, the pre-game interview ended, and we moved to our private Winter Team voice channel.
[…Ainatsu-senior is really something.]
“Isn’t she? It’s only been about a month since her VTuber debut, and now I have a daughter older than me. I wonder who the father is.”
[Don’t say things like that…. If it turns into a weird meme, people might misunderstand.]
People who regularly watch EYEAI VTuber streams wouldn’t misunderstand, but there are those on forums like the VTuber Gallery who approach everything through memes.
Without any background knowledge, memes can lead to misunderstandings. Just like how many people wrongly assume that one famous person is a Shin instead of a Kim.
Sora said I should be careful, or some people might start thinking I’m a married woman with a child.
“That’s a bit scary. Anyway, let’s focus since the game will start soon.”
[Okay.]
The camera work of the shared Discord screen wobbled slightly. It seemed like Sora had nodded.
Currently, Sora, Inagika, and Chel had launched Labyrinthos. All three had already entered the custom room.
I was watching through Sora’s screen share. Since I, as the coach, had to leave the voice channel once the game started, this was the method we were using.
[The ban pick has started.]
Sora’s voice was low.
A large notice appeared on Sora’s screen.
【Battle Confirmed: Academy Map / Guardian】
【Both teams have a ‘Guardian’ on their side.
Defeat all enemy team members or take down the enemy ‘Guardian’ to win.
Defeat the enemy ‘Guardian’ before your own ‘Guardian’ falls.】
“Academy.”
I muttered to myself.
I had just dreamt of “that” earlier today, and now the match was on the Academy map?
For some reason, I felt a bit nostalgic.
[Lo… Laura…?]
“The Academy is one of the outdoor maps. But the unique feature is that the buildings are scattered around.”
I explained.
It was similar to the “Ghost Town” map Sora had played before.
Instead of being a cave-like indoor area, it focused on outdoor combat, resembling urban warfare.
The difference was that, unlike a typical urban area, the buildings were spaced apart. Each building was large, and some had secret rooms or underground facilities.
“Let’s ban the Assassin.”
The Academy map could be likened to a university campus. It was spacious with few cover points.
So, banning the Assassin, a fast-moving character who excelled in open terrain, was a priority.
After banning the Assassin, Spring Team banned the Cavalryman.
The intention was clear: they didn’t want us to take advantage of the wide map.
There was also a sense that they were targeting Chel specifically.
“Next, we’ll ban the Necromancer.”
I chuckled slightly. We hadn’t even planned on using the Cavalryman, but it was amusing that they were so quick to assume.
Spring Team then banned the Archer. This was both a snipe at Inagika and a signal that they didn’t want us sniping from rooftops.
‘No, that’s not it.’
More accurately, it was the Spring Team’s coach—Kisaki Rinco—who had made that judgment.
Rinco was clearly aiming to limit our team’s character pool as much as possible.
“Lastly, we’ll ban the Technomancer.”
On the other hand, our bans were entirely focused on the opponent’s strategy. As long as our strategy was fully realized, we would win.
So, we couldn’t allow the Technomancer, who could disrupt our plans. We needed to block their map-hacking ultimate.
Spring Team’s final ban was the Bard. They were wary of the Bard’s team-wide movement speed buff and also reduced Sora’s character pool.
With that, the bans were over.
“Inagika, pick the Martial Artist.”
[Y-Yes…!]
Inagika locked in the Martial Artist.
It was Spring Team’s turn to pick next, but there was a noticeable hesitation. The empty pick screen seemed to reflect their indecision.
Were they caught off guard by Inagika’s Martial Artist pick? It was possible. Inagika had the image of someone who would play a backline role.
After some deliberation, Spring Team picked the Beast Tamer.
While not as fast as the Assassin or Cavalryman, the Beast Tamer had decent mobility, especially riding the Giant Wolf, and was better suited for difficult terrain.
Since it was a snake draft, Spring Team had the next pick as well.
They chose the Gunner. Given the Martial Artist’s short range, they intended to keep their distance and kite.
“Chel, pick the Hunter.”
Chel locked in the Hunter.
The Hunter had tracking skills and was strong on the Z-axis.
Incidentally, it was also Rion’s main character in Labyrinthos. Since the Hunter’s character was a cat-person, you could see in Rion’s old stream archives that she played the Hunter extensively.
Now it was Sora’s turn to pick the last character.
“Sora, can you do it?”
I asked.
I already knew what her answer would be, but I had to check one last time.
[I can do it. I’ve been practicing.]
“Good.”
I nodded.
If Sora was confident, then so be it.
I opened my mouth.
“Sora, pick the Dark Knight.”