"No Marriage, Please! vs. Marry Me or Die: The Ultimate Love Showdown" - Episode 19

“I’ll ask one more time. Who are you?”

“Well, I’m Yuri, but…”

A rapier’s tip was thrust toward me.

W-Wait… how did it come to this? No, actually, this is probably my fault…

“You claimed to be an F-rank adventurer, didn’t you? And yet, the strength you displayed earlier is far beyond that level.”

“Uh… yeah, when you put it that way, I don’t really have an excuse.”

She was clearly suspicious of me—understandably so. I am registered as an F-rank, and suddenly showing real skill out of nowhere would naturally raise eyebrows. And to make things worse, I had been quite

persistent in inviting her to join my party. Definitely shady behavior from her perspective.

“You were planning to disguise yourself as my brother and kill me, weren’t you? You thought you could fool me just because we haven’t seen each other in years. Big mistake.”

“No, wait, Eve! I swear I’m really your brother!”

“—Enough talk!”

“Whoa!”

Without another word, Eve swung her rapier at me. While I was still processing everything, she used Swift Step to close the distance fast.

“Who are you really!? Show me your true identity!”

“I told you! I’m the real deal!”

“I won’t be deceived…! Impersonating my brother is beyond despicable…!”

I kept dodging her relentless attacks.

At this rate, I’d be forced to retaliate. Looks like I have no choice but to use my trump card…

With resolve, I pulled out the secret weapon—information only the real me could know.

“Eve! You’ve always had a sweet tooth, and you couldn’t sleep at night without your favorite stuffed animal! And when you wet the bed, you tried so hard to hide it, but the maid always found out anyway!”

“…W-What!?”

My proof of identity: personal memories from when we lived together. If this doesn’t convince her, nothing will.

But instead of calming down, Eve’s face turned bright red—and her magical aura flared up even more. Wait… what?

“See!? Only the real me would know this stuff! I’ve got more if you want—”

“S-Shut up alreadyyyyyyyyy!!”

I quickly stepped in and grabbed her wrist, pulling her close.

“—Eve. Please, believe me.”

I spoke seriously, face-to-face. Her face flushed even deeper, but then she finally relaxed and lowered her weapon. Looks like she believed me.

“…Those are extremely unpleasant memories I would rather forget, but… fine. I acknowledge that you’re my brother.”
“Thank you.”

As I released her wrist, she sheathed her rapier. Still, I figured I owed her an explanation. I suggested we talk somewhere more private.

“Eve. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Can we sit down and talk?”

“Very well. I also have questions for you, Brother.”

We left the dungeon and headed to the tavern we had visited recently. After securing a corner table, I put up a simple barrier for privacy.

“My treat. Order whatever you like.”

“Thank you.”

She ordered nothing but desserts. One in particular—a towering stack of pancakes dripping with honey and ice cream—looked like a stomachache waiting to happen just by looking at it.

Several other sweet treats followed. This was… extreme.

“Eve. Do you only eat sweets?”

“Yes. Sugar is the source of human strength.”

“Sugar is important, sure, but so are proteins and fats. You’ve got enough fat in your diet, so you definitely need protein.”

“What does it matter? My diet is my own concern.”

“Not when I’m your brother. I can’t ignore your terrible eating habits. Eat your meat and vegetables too.”

“…Fiiiine.”

Grumbling, Eve reluctantly picked at the salad I ordered and eventually ate some meat as well.

“Now, to the real matter—I’ve come across some important information.”

“Information?”

“Yeah. The Empire has already begun its invasion of the Kingdom. Some nobles have even been caught using illegal magic tools. I’m acting to stop the invasion before it escalates.”

“I see.”

Eve nibbled her desserts happily, cheeks puffed like a squirrel.

“That explains why you’ve been hiding your true rank.”

“Exactly.”

“From what I’ve seen, your actual strength is probably S-rank. It pains me to admit this, but… you’re stronger than I am.”

Pains her to admit it, huh… yeah, not exactly on great terms.

“So, you’re working behind the scenes? Then wouldn’t it make sense to share this information with the Royal Knights?”

“I can’t trust them.”

“…You mean, there might already be spies from the Empire?”

“Highly likely.”

I told her that, though I was already certain. It’s knowledge from the original storyline—something I couldn’t share—but based on the Cedwyn incident, this line of reasoning would make sense to her as well.

“Naris Cedwyn. He’s a noble from the frontier. He was using a magic tool imbued with dark magic.”

“Completely illegal. What happened to him?”

“The tool was rigged with a self-destruction spell. I cornered him, but he died with the ring.”

“…That’s… rather grim.”

Eve seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation, and our conversation went smoothly from there.

“I’m currently monitoring the Empire’s movements while working to better control my powers. I still haven’t fully mastered them. So, here’s my proposal: for now, why don’t we officially form a party together? I can teach you new battle techniques too.”

After thinking it over, Eve finally spoke.

“…Very well. I still don’t trust you completely, but I admit you’re strong. I’ll accept your offer—but only provisionally. I hope you understand.”

“Of course. Let my actions speak for themselves. So… let’s start tomorrow, okay?”

I reached out for a handshake. Even if we’re only half-siblings, she’s still my sister—and I want to protect her.

“Ah, um… Yes. Looking forward to working with you.”

________________________________________

After the talk with Eve, I returned to the inn and found Ria already waiting for me.

“Welcome back! Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“Ah, sorry. I already ate.”

“…Hmm. With who?”

Guh…! What is this pressure!?

“With my sister, Eve.”

“Oh! Your sister, huh! So, anyway, I wanted to tell you—I asked some of the local adventurers about things. Apparently, there’s this guy named Baldo who’s really good with rumors and info.”

“Baldo…?”

That adventurer I met in the village? I didn’t know he was here in the capital. First I’ve heard of it.

“Yup. I’ve arranged to meet him tomorrow. Could you come with me? But only if you’re okay with it!”

“Of course. I’d be glad to. Thanks, Ria.”

I genuinely meant it—Ria was someone I could always count on.

“Ehehe. Great! Then… um, can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I just… feel kind of lonely by myself.”

Ria looked down, clearly uneasy. We’d already slept in the same bed once—nothing happened, so it should be fine again.

“Alright. Let’s sleep together.”

“Yay!”

We lay back-to-back in bed, preparing to sleep. Still… I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was slowly closing the distance between us.

Well, whatever. Tomorrow, we’ll talk to Baldo. That was the plan as I let sleep take me—but then, I felt a soft touch on my back. Like a breeze, delicate fingers traced across my skin.

“Hehe… Hey, Yuri. I’ll always, always be by your side, my dear husband—okay?”

A cold, faintly dark whisper reached my ears.

And yet, exhausted, I quickly drifted into sleep.