Tanya was pissed.
They’d chosen to let the self-proclaimed “fiancé” speak first. This very quickly proved to be a mistake.
“I mean, you didn’t say no, did you~?”
That was the first thing out of his mouth.
“Remember, back at the tavern~? I found you nodding off, and I got worried for your safety~!”
“I was nodding off?”
“That’s right~! I figured you’d gotten drunk or something~!”
“That’s not possible! I didn’t have a single sip of alcohol that night!”
“Then I guess the medicine was too strong—ahem~!”
“Medicine?”
Tanya thought back to a conversation she’d recently overheard at a pub. Rumor had it that unsavory individuals were lacing women’s drinks with some sort of drug to put them to sleep.
“N-Never mind that~! Anyway~!” The man collected himself and declared, “That was when I asked you to marry me, and you didn’t say no~!”
“Because she was ASLEEP!” Tanya roared on reflex.
“No, no, her eyes were open~! And if she didn’t say no, that means it’s okay, right~?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
The absence of a “no” means “hell yeah, go for it”?! Funny, I never got that memo!
Just then, something occurred to her. As an adventurer, she was fully capable of putting her foot down and saying no to anything she wasn’t interested in. But what about girls born to nobility, or the daughters of the working class, who couldn’t stand up for themselves? How many young women out there were getting forced into marriages they didn’t want, all because they didn’t—or couldn’t—say no?
The thought made her stomach lurch.
“Besides~”
“There’s more?!”
“When I went to introduce myself to her family, oh, it was so romantic~! Want me to tell you about it~?”
“Not really, but this is a formal discussion, so knock yourself out! Were it not for the laws of this land, I would slaughter you!”
“See, I started stroking Anca-bear’s hair, and then she turned all red~!”
“That’s because I was trying to hold in my rage!” Anca argued, her voice shaking.
“But you were looking at me with all that emotion in your eyes~!”
“That’s because I... I was struggling to process what was happening!”
Her voice had escalated to a desperate scream... but Tilde Man didn’t seem to care. Instead, he grinned.
“You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed~!” His tone was one of abject mockery. “So there you have it~! I asked Anca-bear to marry me, and she didn’t say no~! What more proof do you need~?”
The next thing Tanya knew, her body was moving, she was on autopilot. She stormed right over to Tilde Man, grabbed him by the head, and squished his cheeks together with both hands.
“Bbfffph?!”
“You agree to call off the engagement, right?” Tanya asked quietly. Her hand strength was currently boosted by Earth Magic, and in this state, she could probably crush a boulder. As such, with her iron grip smooshing his lips together, he couldn’t actually respond to the question.
“Bbff... bbffphh...!”
“I’ll ask you again: you agree to call off the engagement, right? And while we’re at it, you agree that the results of this negotiation won’t have any negative repercussions for your family’s business relationship with Bianca’s Quality Meats, right?!”
The only sound was that of his muffled grunting and labored breathing.
“...Good.”
Tanya relinquished her grip, and the man fell to the floor.
“Wh... Who do you think you are...?!” he coughed.
“You didn’t say no.”
“...What?”
“When I asked you to call off the engagement, you didn’t say no, correct?”
“Th... That’s because I could barely talk!”
Tilde Man was now so frazzled, he’d forgotten to speak with tildes. This was the man beneath the simpering mask.
“Yeah, and? Anca here couldn’t talk either—because she was asleep! Intentionally put to sleep, might I add! For that matter, why would a grown man want to marry an underage girl? You should be ashamed of yourself!”
“Miss Tanya...!”
Anca gazed up at her, her eyes swimming with tears. She’d never felt this way in all her life. Tanya was fuming on her behalf, and she couldn’t begin to express how touched she felt that someone else would rail at the injustices done her.
Meanwhile, the man glared at Tanya. “Rrrrgghh... I... I refuse to accept this! I demand a duel between my representative and yours!”
“Gladly,” Tanya responded with a smile.
✦ ✦ ✦
Tilde Man’s “representative” turned out to be a skinhead with a ripped physique, polar opposite to his opponent, Katherine, in every way.
“This is my big chance to shine, and I’m not going down this time,” she muttered to herself.
Just then, there was a loud snap directly behind her.
“Huh?”
The next instant, her skimpy “standard Mage girl” bikini began to transform.
Long white sleeves. A bright red hakama skirt. Slits running up the sides, exposing the tight-fitting compression shorts worn beneath.
“No way... Is this—?!”
“Traditional foxkin shrine maiden’s garb? You bet it is! Your grand-mère showed it to me before we left!” Laplace called out in a singsong voice.
“Oh, wow... Katherine, you look so impressive!” Nadine gushed, her eyes sparkling.
“Heh heh... Interesting. Looks like someone’s got good taste.”
Katherine tightened her grip on her magic staff. She could feel Anca’s desperate, pleading gaze boring into the back of her head as Tanya embraced her protectively. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever fought to protect someone, she mused to herself.
She scrutinized her opponent. Judging from his armor, he was probably a Brawler. And if his punches were faster than her spells, she wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“Hey, lady. You really think a little costume change is going to help you?”
“Nope. But that’s okay... because I don’t need any help taking you down!”
Somehow, in standing up to defend someone else’s honor, Katherine felt stronger than ever. And if it wasn’t for Lilium, perhaps this was a feeling she would never have discovered by herself.
She took a deep breath.
“Round and round the wheel turns! Hellfire, I summon thee! Heed my call—AND GIVE CHASE! Fox-Fireball!!!”
Dozens upon dozens of pale blue fireballs descended upon the Brawler.
“GYAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Holy cow!” Anca gasped.
Tilde Man sputtered and stammered in disbelief as his representative hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
Laplace put a finger to her cheek and tilted her head. “Wait a moment... Did she just formally adopt Tanya’s nickname for her spell?”
“Gah! Look, it was just easier to call it that, okay?!” Katherine snapped, turning away in a huff... but it was obvious to everyone watching that she was trying to conceal her embarrassment.
Katherine Foxxi: a woman possessed of a will strong enough to rival even Tanya’s. Her heart was in the right place—she was just a little awkward at expressing herself.
Okay, more like really awkward, but still.