Hoodori ignored him and addressed Yae casually. “If you would rather stick with me, that would be no problem.”
Even being told she had the right to choose her husband did nothing to lower Yae’s guard. Arai had the same reaction.
“Oh, how generous of you. Yae, let’s kill them. You can feed their meat to the birds,” he said. This tiger man’s thirst for blood was a little concerning.
“Hey, like I want to marry some woman who’s been sullied by her secret lover…,” Akanagi said wearily.
“Don’t call me her lover. Our relationship is nothing so trifling. Yae and I are connected on a much deeper level,” Arai snapped in response.
“Will you shut up? Who are you?!”
“What’s that, now?! I’m a god! Show some respect!”
“Like hell you are!”
Akanagi and Arai glared at each other again. This was mostly Arai’s fault for riling him up unintentionally. He had meant what he said about their relationship and his identity entirely literally, but his wording invited misunderstanding.
“Those antlers mean you’re a deer elebeast, right? Yae, how do you feel about venison?” Arai asked, watching Akanagi with the eyes of a ravenous tiger.
“Ha-ha, bring it on. If you think you can kill me, go ahead and try! My appearance causes me to be treated like a divine beast back home. If you kill me, you’ll be hunted by the villagers of Miya Province for the rest of your life,” Akanagi said threateningly.
“Why should I give a crap? Those wimps can’t touch me. Let them come; I’ll curse them all.”
The mood had become frigid. Yae was troubled over how to respond as she watched their war of words from the sidelines. The truth was that she didn’t want to go to Miya Province. She couldn’t imagine the trip would end with a simple explanation to the elders. She was sure that once she arrived, they were going to use some twisted logic to demand something unreasonable from her.
That said, running will probably lead to more trouble down the line. The original purpose of the marriage arrangements was to bring unity between the two provinces. That meant Hoodori was likely chosen because he was one of the most excellent young men in the province. Despite his importance, he had readily offered his own life to quell Yae’s anger. Miya Province desired her presence so badly that they were willing to trade his life and offer her a member of an elder’s family in marriage in order to convince her to come.
Why? I’m not anywhere near that important of a person. Rejecting their request would not be a smart decision. She understood that, but she was still reluctant.
“…Arai,” Yae whispered. Arai turned his head from Akanagi to look at her. She wondered if he would come to Miya Province with her. “I’m thinking of going to Miya Province to see Oshiro and the other women. I’d be grateful if you came with me.”
“Gotcha. You want me to come with you and slaughter the entire village. Count me in,” Arai responded.
“No, we’re not killing anyone.” Yae rejected his idea immediately. Come to think of it, Arai held a strong grudge against Miya Province… It sounded like he was willing to come with her, but she would have to be careful not to let him kill everyone in sight.
Yae made up her mind and turned to Hoodori. “I can’t promise everything will turn out the way you hope, but if that’s okay, I’ll come.”
“That is fine… I swear that this time, I will protect you,” Hoodori responded.
“Th-thank you.”
Yae didn’t think she would have any trouble sidestepping the marriage proposals, since those talks had essentially returned to square one. She had never taken the arrangement seriously in the first place.
Hoodori sighed in relief, and just then, a white tiger emerged from the trees with a basket full of pears hanging from his neck. The Miya Province men turned around simultaneously and drew the swords at their hips.
“It’s okay. He’s Arai’s brother.” Yae hurriedly stopped them, and they both frowned.
“…They are very strange elebeasts,” Hoodori said. Arai snorted.
“Like I said, I’m a kind of god… Doubt me all you want, but don’t insult me or my brother unless you want to be cursed.”