"No Marriage, Please! vs. Marry Me or Die: The Ultimate Love Showdown" - Episode 2

“Huh?”

“Hey, Yuri. What’s going on? You owe us an explanation at this point.”

Sophia stood stunned, unable to process what she’d just heard. Theo, on the other hand, fixed me with a serious gaze. In the original story, this would be the point where, driven by jealousy, Yuri picked a fight with Theo and got him exiled—but I had chosen to change that.

“I’m not at your level. In other words, I’m just dead weight.”

“That’s not true!”

“Yeah! Why would you even say something like that!?”

Both Theo and Sophia immediately denied my words. Their voices were filled with sincerity, a reflection of their genuine kindness.

But the truth remained—there was a problem with me… with Yuri.

“No, it’s the truth. Given the nature of my skills, I’ll only end up putting you two in danger.”

“…That’s…”

“…”

Theo and I were complete opposites. He specialized in light magic. Sophia was a healer.

And me—I wielded the power of darkness.

“My affinity is with dark magic. And I have a unique passive skill that draws monsters toward me. Theo mentioned how he often ends up fighting more monsters, but there’s no telling what kind of danger I might drag you into. A destabilizing element like me… should be removed. It’s the logical choice.”

“But we’re childhood friends! Don’t you remember? We promised we’d become great adventurers together someday!”

“I remember. I do. But walking the same path is dangerous now. Theo, Sophia… you’re both good people. You deserve to walk the righteous path. If I’m with you, that path becomes a twisted one. I’ll keep my promise in my own way. And someday, we’ll meet again—as true adventurers.”

“…Is your mind made up?”

“Yeah.”

Theo looked at me with pleading eyes. A tear slipped down Sophia’s cheek.

“Yuri. Let’s make a promise. We’ll meet again someday. And when we do, we’ll both be S-rank adventurers.”

“Yeah. You’ve got a deal.”

Theo wiped his tears and held out his hand to me. I grasped it tightly.

“Yuri-kun…”

“Sophia, don’t be so down. It’s not like we’re parting forever.”

“But still…”

She kept crying. Sophia had always been like a saint—kind, even to someone like me.

She was the main heroine of the story and destined to end up with Theo.

In the original plot, our love triangle would only become more complicated from here. But I was truly happy for the two of them. I wouldn’t get in their way.

“I’ll come back stronger. That’s a promise. So, take care of Theo for me, okay? He can be kind of clueless sometimes.”

“…You’re right. Okay. It’s a promise.”

“Yeah.”

We sealed the deal with a pinky swear. Theo muttered, “I’m not that clueless,” under his breath. That kind of playful exchange… I’d miss it.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“Take care of yourself, Yuri.”

“Yuri-kun! I believe in you! We’ll definitely meet again!”

“Yeah.”

With a wave, I left the Adventurers’ Guild behind.

I never looked back.
________________________________________
“All right… First stop: the royal capital.”

I was alone now, making my way down a beast trail toward the kingdom. It would be a long walk, but I didn’t mind. I couldn’t afford a carriage anyway.

“My top priority… is gaining strength.”

The final war that Theo would one day face was called The Starfall War.

It would be a massive conflict between the Kingdom of Levaris and the Empire of Lagnas, one that would drag the entire world into chaos.

Theo would join the Levaris side and ultimately lead them to victory—but in the process, I was fated to die protecting him.

I had two options: prevent the war from breaking out… or gain enough power to survive it when it did.

That was my goal for now. Fortunately, I knew the true nature of Yuri’s abilities.

It was a curse, yes—but when used to their full potential, my powers could even surpass Theo’s.

I needed to hone my skills… and find a way to extinguish the sparks of war before they turned into wildfire. That was the path I had to walk.

“Hm?”

While lost in thought, I suddenly realized I was surrounded.

A pack of Red Wolves had appeared. They were ferocious monsters with fire-based attacks.

It was because of my passive skill, of course—but this made for a perfect opportunity to assess my current strength.

I immediately shifted into combat mode.

“All right then… let’s give this a shot.”

In this world, two types of power existed: magic and skills.

Mages were people who manipulated magic by channeling mana through magic formulas to cast spells.

Skills, on the other hand, were enhanced through traits, experience, and technique. They included combat skills like body enhancement or crafting skills for specific professions.

While both required mana, skills didn’t need a magic formula—meaning they could be activated instantly. However, they couldn’t replicate the complex phenomena that magic could.

Think of skills as fast, straightforward abilities.

Grrrrrrrrr…

The Red Wolves encircled me, biding their time, growling low and steady, their paw steps echoing in the silence.

GRAH—!!!

Suddenly, they lunged all at once, spitting fireballs from their jaws in unison.

But I didn’t rely on magic—only on pure physical enhancement.

I launched myself into the air to evade the fireballs. As I descended, I drove my fist into a wolf mid-leap.

GYAOW!!!

Without hesitation, I delivered a flurry of blows to the surrounding wolves.

Yuri, as a character, was meant to be Theo’s dark mirror—and his potential was immense.

Before I knew it, the remaining wolves, now trembling in fear, turned tail and ran.

“Well… that wasn’t too bad. I’ll save testing out magic for another time.”

Not many people could use both magic and skills. Though both relied on mana, they operated in entirely different realms.

In that sense, talent was everything.

And I—once again—continued down my path.

My combat ability was more than adequate. If I stayed focused and trained hard, I could reach heights far beyond what I’d known.

“As for the other issue… I should be fine.”

By “other issue,” I meant the marriage flag—the one tied to my death flag. But that was easy enough to avoid.

All I had to do… was not fall in love.

Simple, right? If I didn’t get involved with any of the heroines romantically, I’d be safe.

…Or so I believed at the time.

But the greatest challenge I’d face going forward would be that very marriage flag.

Who was I destined to end up with?

I didn’t know—and that ignorance would cost me dearly.

I had no idea then… that I would be proposed to by multiple heroines.

Not even in my wildest dreams.