"No Marriage, Please! vs. Marry Me or Die: The Ultimate Love Showdown" - Episode 22

Eve and I were making our way deeper into the dungeon. Just to be safe, I kept my senses sharp, watching for any signs that someone might be tailing us—but there was nothing suspicious.
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“Brother.”

“What is it?”

“You can use both magic and skills, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Would you be willing to spar with me for a bit?”

“Sure. I was planning to suggest that myself.”
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I accepted Eve’s proposal. I wanted to reassess her abilities as well.
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“Then… here I come!”
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Eve drew her rapier and instantly activated both body enhancement and high-speed movement, closing the distance between us. I mirrored her moves, activating the same skills. As I dodged her attack, I simultaneously cast Dark Lance, launching it behind her—but without even looking, she avoided it.

So, she can sense presence too, huh? That’s not surprising, but it’s not a huge problem.
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“Haaah!”
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Eve pressed the attack, launching a flurry of strikes, but I kept just the right distance—close enough to engage, far enough to stay out of danger. She noticed that her attacks weren’t landing, so she took a bold step forward. That’s when I countered.

I activated Titan’s Grip, a higher-level body enhancement skill, and thrust a hand strike toward her throat. Her eyes widened in shock, and she lowered her blade.

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“I… I yield…”

“You’re not bad, but you rushed too much.”

“Yes… The distance between us was frustrating, and I lost my patience. Since you seem better with magic, I thought I’d have the advantage in close combat…”

“That was exactly what I wanted you to think. Not just humans—high-level monsters use that kind of baiting too. When facing an unfamiliar opponent, it’s best to start by understanding their traits. Rushing in might work sometimes, but that takes experience.”

“I see… That’s incredibly insightful…”

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I thought again—Eve really does have amazing potential.
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“Shall we go another round?”

“Yes! Please!”

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We continued sparring for several more hours.

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“Haa… haa… That’s enough for now. I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah. Here—have some water.”
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I tossed her my half-full water bottle.

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“Ah, thank you.”

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She stared at it for a moment, then drank it all in one go.

We found a nearby rock formation to sit and rest for a while.

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“Brother… Aren’t you ever scared when you fight?”

Eve asked without looking at me, her gaze fixed on the ground.

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“Of course I’m scared.”

“What…? That’s not possible! You’re so strong—how could anything scare you?”

“Being strong doesn’t mean you stop being afraid. Eve, do you think fear is something bad?”

“I… I’m not sure…”

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This felt like a turning point. If I chose my words carefully, Eve could break through to a new level.

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“Why did you become an adventurer?”

“…Because I have talent. It’s the logical path—being where I’m best suited. My own will doesn’t really matter. I live where I’m most useful.”

“Right. You have talent, so you chose to be an adventurer. Makes sense. But even with that talent, you hate that you can’t overcome your fear, right?”

“You understand not just combat… but my heart too, don’t you?”

“I’m no mind-reader. But look—I’m scared too. Fighting is basically risking your life. No matter how strong you are, death is always a possibility. But I think courage means moving forward with that fear.”

“Courage…”

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Eve quietly repeated the word, as if tasting its meaning.

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“You don’t have to eliminate fear. Just carry it with you. Courage and fear are two sides of the same coin. Being brave doesn’t mean you’re fearless—it means you keep going in spite of it. Sure, it sounds like a cliché, but mindset really does matter.”

“So… true courage…”

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She seemed to be mulling over everything I had said.

As we made our way back from the dungeon, I decided to propose something—an idea I’d had for a while, made more timely by our talk today.

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“Eve.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“Hmm… I don’t have anything planned.”

“Want to go shopping with me? I’m still not used to the capital, so I thought it’d be a good opportunity.”

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Eve hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking away briefly before looking at me again.

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“Just the two of us…?”

“Yeah. We didn’t really get to do normal sibling things before. But we’ve left that house now. I don’t think we need to be tied down by its baggage anymore. Is that okay?”

“…Yes. I’d like that.”
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She paused slightly, but agreed.
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“Then, shall we meet at noon by the fountain?”

“Got it. See you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah. See you.”

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After parting ways with Eve, I returned to the inn.

Ria was already there waiting for me, dinner prepared. We sat down to eat right away.

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“Mmm, this is really good.”

“Really!?”

“Yeah. You’ve improved a lot, Ria.”

“Hehe. That’s thanks to you, Yuri!”

“No—it’s thanks to your hard work.”

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I decided to ask her how she was doing as an adventurer. She’d been working solo, but I was curious about her progress.

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“So, how’s it going for you? Have you ranked up?”

“Yup! I’m a C-rank now!”

“…Huh? Sorry, could you say that again?”

“C-rank! Thanks to your training, I’ve had no trouble fighting monsters. Courage really is important!”
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I did talk to her about that—but could it really make that much of a difference…?
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“You’ve been going solo, right…?”

“Of course. Impressive, huh?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Hehe. I worked hard hoping you’d praise me, Yuri~!”

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She’s already far beyond what I remember from the original story… Can someone really grow this much?

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“Still, things do get tougher from C-rank onward. My goal’s S-rank, of course!”

“I see. That’s a great goal.”

“Yup!”

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At this point, I was genuinely curious to see how far Ria could go. Just how high might she climb?

The conversation ended there, and suddenly, Ria pulled her chair right next to mine. She pressed herself against me slightly, her eyes looking up with a soft gleam.

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“Hey, hey. Are you free tomorrow? We haven’t really spent time together lately… So, I was thinking—how about just the two of us, like old times? There are some clothing shops I want to visit in the capital, and I want you to come with me. And maybe we could make dinner together again? What should we cook tomorrow?

I really want to eat that soup you made for me the first time. Hehe. That day was so fun… Oh! But I’m happy now too, of course! Don’t get the wrong idea, okay? Okay?”

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Clearly excited, she touched my hand and subtly pressed her chest against my arm. The soft sensation lingered, making things a bit awkward… But still, tomorrow, huh?

I couldn’t just cancel my plans with Eve. So, I decided to be honest with her.

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“Sorry. I’ve already made plans with Eve to go shopping tomorrow.”

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“…Huh?”