Chapter 16
This “marriage-by-duel list” may, at first glance, look as though it’s tinted with the pride strong-willed women take in their own strength.
In fact, I’ve seen on community boards and the like that other matchmaking agencies get clients like this once in a while too.
Top Match is the prime example.
The employees at Top Match, the biggest and most famous name in this industry, are key informants who often leak tips to the community.
Top Match doesn’t take on these marriage-by-duel cases in the first place.
The moment they accept one, there are far too many things they have to keep an eye on.
The same goes for the others.
Wedding Company tries to persuade them as much as possible, but if that doesn’t work, they send them off; places like Royal Matching, which cater to the upper class, naturally cut them off at the door.
If you look at the community, people like that pop up from time to time.
- Smash our big sister! Smash!
- A self-reliant woman image! Marriage by duel!
- The confidence of not losing to men is so cool.
- Ah, if I had the ability, I’d declare marriage by duel too ㅠㅠ
Even now, in an age where awakening and floor unlocks have almost erased the difference between men and women, these are still old remnants.
No one pays them any mind anymore, but those who occasionally show their faces say women who want marriage by duel are independent and strong-willed.
But.
In industry slang, this marriage-by-duel list is—
[Marriage-by-Duel List]
- The Grand Duchess of the Night, Lumiere.
- The Infinite Library, Beloa.
- The Impassive Sword Maiden, Namgung Hwaryeong.
- The Neon Valkyrie, Mosko Bychakos.
- The Yasha, Ryu Seoram.
- The Clearwind Martial Queen, Peng Sorin.
- The Elf Queen, Lenea.
Spinster list.
Nothing more and nothing less.
In reality, they were a world apart from the “independent women” people talked about on the community boards.
Just think of the Impassive Sword Maiden, Namgung Hwaryeong, for example—
‘M-m-massive! And so, so hairy! Y-you’re going to force me— hnnng!’
‘C-customer! You can’t pee yourself in hereeee!’
Yes, that was the sort of feeling it gave.
On the other hand, Beloa of the Infinite Library had a completely different vibe, but she was no independent woman either.
‘Dad clearly said that all I had to do was study hard.’
‘Customer?’
‘He said that if I just kept researching magic hard enough, romance would come naturally.’
‘Customer?!’
‘I came all the way to graduate school at the academy, and there isn’t even a person here, let alone a man.’
‘B-boss! It’s an earthquake!’
‘I don’t…… like books anymore. I want to hold hands with a man now. I want to date. Boss, could you hold my hand just once?’
‘C-customer! The building’s shaking?!’
In other words.
The marriage-by-duel women people talk about and the real ones are very different.
They aren’t relying on their own ability and hoping to “win.”
They either get “defeated” by a strong man, or they simply don’t know how to build relationships with other people.
Well then.
Today’s customer.
What about Yin-Yang Dual Pulse Baek Yeonhwa?
“…….”
Baek Yeonhwa stared at the list with a shocked expression.
She even seemed to recognize some of the names, as she stammered out a question.
“D-did Lady Namgung Hwaryeong, the Impassive Sword Maiden, and Lady Peng Sorin, the Clearwind Martial Queen, also visit Meracle?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Y-yes, of course, Meracle…… so the claim that it’s the best in the industry wasn’t just empty talk. I’m sorry for judging it by the building’s exterior.”
That’s a misunderstanding, yes.
But in Namgung Hwaryeong’s and Peng Sorin’s cases, they first went to other agencies and only came here after failing to register there.
“Hoo. Those two have been around for quite a while too. They came around the same time and got listed. So what do you think? Do you really want me to add you?”
“…….”
Baek Yeonhwa kept sneaking glances, clearly uneasy.
At the very least, I figured anyone with a brain should be able to tell this was a graveyard for spinsters.
“Ahem! I, I, a maiden! How could I ever go back on my word!”
“Ah, yes.”
Goodbye, Raypenber.
No, that’s not right.
- Yin-Yang Dual Pulse Baek Yeonhwa.
Once I officially entered her on the list, Baek Yeonhwa’s expression twisted into a complicated tangle.
As if this wasn’t what she had imagined at all.
“There, I’ve entered you. We don’t charge membership fees for marriage-by-duel clients. Just write down your contact information. When the other party comes, we’ll contact you.”
Grip!
As I was about to hurry her out, Baek Yeonhwa grabbed my wrist in a panic. It hurt enough that my wrist ached, which showed just how desperate she was.
“W-when? Can I know roughly when I’ll be contacted?”
“……I’d have to contact you when the other party shows up, wouldn’t I?”
“Isn’t there an average?! Like, roughly when do they usually come!”
Well.
I was wondering what on earth I should say to that when—
“Uh, none.”
In the end, Kim Yang delivered the finishing blow from the side.
“Y-you don’t get calls. That means you can’t get married.”
“B-but there were people who did—.”
“Th-that was a special case. A-and the other side let them win.”
“Huh?”
It was a little sorry to see her look so shocked, but Kim Yang’s bluntness was definitely refreshing.
Her satisfying little jabs kept coming.
“W-who gets married like that these days? Y-you idiot.”
“Eh?! But marrying a strong person is the duty of the martial world, and what everyone wishes for—.”
“W-what if the one who wins smells really bad? Y-you said you can’t stand bad smells.”
“……As a wife, I suppose I’d have to put up with it.”
“Th-then they’d be cheating all the time.”
“…….”
“A-and they’ve got two kids!”
“…….”
“And they even bring home a different woman every day—.”
“Enough! Enough! Th-that’s enough! H-how could I, Yin-Yang Dual Pulse Baek Yeonhwa, possibly lose to such a vulgar man!”
“S-so if someone you don’t like comes along, you grit your teeth and win. A-and if someone decent comes along, you plan to lose?”
“As if! That logic makes no sense!”
Nice one, Kim Yang.
I feel wonderfully refreshed.
Creak!
Then, with the squeal of an old hinge, the door opened again.
I thought it was a customer, but it was the convenience-store part-timer from the building next door, and she had a lunchbox in her hand.
“Oh? A customer? You’re busy already this early in the morning?”
“What? You’re already here to stir up trouble?”
“Heh heh, look forward to it. I’ve got the floor cleaned up nice and well.”
Judging from that grin, she really did seem like she was planning to lie down on the floor and make a scene.
“But not right now. There’s still some food marked for disposal. Want it? I’d have to throw it all away anyway.”
“Oh, thanks. I haven’t eaten breakfast.”
“L-Lenea, the convenience-store part-timer?”
“Mm! It’s the building next door! I’m doing economic activity! E-rank is right around the corner!”
“Y-you can’t raise your rank with part-time work.”
“……I heard you earlier, so you didn’t need to say that.”
She took the discard lunchboxes.
Three of them, in fact.
“What huge hands, just like you’d expect from a grandma.”
“What did you say?”
While trying to avoid her gaze, Baek Yeonhwa stared at Lenea and asked.
“Lenea? Then are you by any chance the Elf Queen Lenea listed here?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes, this is the marriage-by-duel list. That’s right, I am.”
Lenea puffed herself up, shoulders bobbing with the strange pride of a senior.
But to Baek Yeonhwa, perhaps that looked like a savior.
She hurriedly sought advice.
“I-I heard that if your name is on that list, the chance of getting contacted is almost zero! Is, is that really okay?”
“Hm?”
As Lenea tilted her head, Kim Yang calmly began explaining—
‘I should get back to work.’
I decided to ignore it and look at other tasks instead. Things hadn’t worked out with the lioness beastkin Yain that Mr. Lee Cheolsu had met last time.
I searched the list for another beastkin to match him with next time.
‘A little more wild, huh…….’
I wanted to say, “Then just get a pet, you bastard,” but.
‘If a premium customer says jump, you jump.’
She’s a customer who pays 500 a month without fail. She even keeps piling on options, so she really has a very sound economic outlook.
Personally, I’d prefer it if she found a match at a more leisurely pace.
The longer it takes, the more money I make.
“How dare you—!”
Startled by Lenea’s sudden shout, I looked over there.
After hearing Kim Yang’s explanation in full, Lenea was pointing at Baek Yeonhwa and glaring at her.
“Do you think marriage is that easy?! What, win and then just follow along? You! Are you trying to marry up?”
“What? N-no, that’s not—.”
“Win and follow along? Nonsense! I’d love it if someone took me away like that too! But that’s not how it is! You have to work for it! Do you think I don’t know how I feel, having lived 1,901 years and still working part-time at a convenience store!?”
“1,901 years old?!”
“Don’t talk about my age! Anyway—! How dare you try to reach marriage so easily! Sweat! Blood! Tears! Love that’s forged at the end of it all! That is marriage!”
Now it didn’t look like she was scolding her so much as venting her own grievances.
Well, fine.
Let’s just let it slide.
“But aren’t you also on the list, Your Majesty!”
Baek Yeonhwa pointed at the clearly listed ‘Elf Queen Lenea’ on the marriage-by-duel list.
The old lady clicked her tongue, looking smug.
“Why stop at the marriage-by-duel list? I’ve also put my name on the ‘Born-Single List’ and the ‘Romanticist List.’”
“……Eh?”
“This is what effort means! The spirit of sowing seeds! I’m saying you work at it by just hooking onto anything first!”
“Ah.”
“If you only cast out one fishing rod, you only catch one fish! But if you cast out two, three, four! Dozens of them?”
“Aaaah……!”
“This is my effort! Don’t look down on marriage pursuits, you greenhorn!”