—There was once, beauty.

It was a stylish restaurant popular with women, its bright interior open to natural breezes and sunlight and filled with the cheerful voices of ladies enjoying themselves.

Every woman there was dressed well, without a single dowdy outfit in sight. It was not quite an establishment for the nobility, but it was the sort of place frequented by people with a certain amount of money.

Among them sat one girl, elegantly enjoying a cup of tea.

She had long pink hair and pink eyes, pale skin like untouched fresh snow, and a pure-white dress. She looked perhaps fifteen, maybe a little older.

Her features blended beauty and cuteness in perfect measure, making her at once lovely and adorable. She was beautiful enough to be mistaken for a goddess, the sort of girl who could leave women staring just as readily as men. In fact, quite a few people were stealing glances at her from the corners of their eyes.

Beautiful as ever…

One man in particular was looking at her with unusual intensity. Seated a short distance away was a man in military uniform, his face slack with an infatuated grin.

His name was Evans, a royal knight serving the Kingdom of Yukt.

Though he was a royal knight, Evans had been born a commoner. As one might expect from someone of his upbringing, he was uncomfortable in fancy places, and under ordinary circumstances he would never have come anywhere near a restaurant like this. Today, however, was different.

I-I’m going to tell her. Today, for sure…!

He had shaved, fixed his hair, and put on the dress uniform he normally wore only for ceremonies.

Evans himself thought he looked best in armor, but when he suggested that to his colleagues, they had told him, “Don’t even think about it,” so he had settled on the uniform instead. Considering how badly a suit of armor would have stood out in a place like this, their advice had been sound. In any case, this was about as dressed-up as a man who rarely bothered with fashion could manage.

He tightened his formerly lovestruck expression, ran his fingers through his hair, and checked once more that his clothes were in order. Then he took a deep breath to calm himself and rehearsed the lines he had prepared in his head.

After repeating the process three times, he gripped the bouquet in his right hand, stood, and marched toward her.

He knelt before the girl and held out the flowers.

“M-Miss Levia! I love you! P-please go out with me! With marriage in mind!”

—He had said it. He had actually said it.

He had stumbled over the words a little, but there was nothing he could do about that now. The die was cast.

The public confession sent the women around them into excited whispers and squeals. The younger ones reacted openly, while those of a certain age were more discreet about it. Romance was, after all, one of the great interests of their lives.

The girl called Levia, on the other hand, showed little emotion. She did not look particularly surprised, and her expression was close to blank.

I-is that a no…?

Evans felt his confidence weaken, but he continued staring at her. His heart hammered as his chest tightened with tension.

Several seconds later, after what felt like an eternity to Evans, Levia gave him a gentle smile and opened her mouth.

“Please, do have a seat.”

She gestured toward the chair across the table. Evans was somewhat taken aback. In his rehearsals, she had been supposed to answer either yes or no.

“Whatever is the matter? Please, sit.”

She urged him again. He still did not understand what she intended, but he decided that obeying was probably best. He stood and, still tense, took the chair opposite her.

Levia smiled at the visibly stiff man.

“I’m very pleased to hear how you feel. I would be delighted to accept.”

The women around them let out delighted squeals while Evans’s thoughts came to a complete stop.

What had she just said? She was pleased. She wanted to accept. In other words, the answer was yes. Once Evans understood that, joy welled up inside him and his expression brightened at once.

“Th-then!”

“There are a few things I would like to discuss first, however. Since you said you were approaching me with marriage in mind, I would be uneasy accepting too casually. I can tell that you are in the kingdom’s service, but apart from that, I know nothing about you. So please, tell me about yourself.”

…That was true. She knew nothing about him, whereas he knew at least a little about her.

—Levia Gran, adventurer.

She had come to the Kingdom of Yukt only a few months earlier, yet in that short time her strength and beauty had made her famous almost overnight.

She was a member of the all-female adventuring party Poppy Anemone, and her adventurer rank was A, the highest normally awarded. It would have been stranger if someone like that had not become the subject of rumors.

Evans, by comparison, was merely a knight. His social position was respectable enough, but he was not particularly famous. It was impressive that she had accepted his confession at all.

…No, nothing had been decided yet. She was only open to the idea. The real test began here.

Steeling himself, Evans answered, “Ask me anything!”

“First, where are you from?”

“A town called Seaton, in Alt Territory!”

“And your occupation?”

“I serve with the Royal Knights! I was promoted from junior knight to full knight just the other day!”

“My, a knight! To become one despite being born a commoner… You must have worked very hard.”

Levia’s face brightened into a smile. The sight of it made Evans’s already flushed face turn even redder, and once he realized she was praising him, delight rushed through him.

“And your hobbies?”

“I-I’m afraid I don’t have anything in particular… If I had to name something, I suppose sword practice.”

Levia gave a soft laugh. “How earnest of you. I find that quite appealing.”

Appealing…

Evans felt as though he might ascend to heaven.

Of course. She was an adventurer. Her livelihood consisted of exploring ruins and hunting monsters, so naturally she would look favorably on that sort of dedication. Under the table, Evans quietly made a fist pump.

The questions continued for some time.

At moments it felt somewhat like a job interview, but Levia was very good at responding and keeping the conversation moving, so Evans did not find it unpleasant. She was trying to understand someone she had barely met, after all. It was only natural that it would resemble an interview to some extent.

Eventually, the subject turned to married life.

Evans was a knight and Levia was an adventurer. Normally a knight would earn more, but Levia was an A-rank adventurer, so her income was probably higher than his.

Even so, he did not want his future wife putting herself in danger. Evans was nervous about what she might want, but her answer was unexpected.

“If possible, I should like to devote myself to the home. Supporting my husband and giving myself to him as his wife… I have always admired marriages like that. I’m quite good at housework, you know?”

It was an unusual dream for a rough female adventurer—though Levia herself was clearly an exception, with an air that could almost be called noble. In any case, it was not the sort of dream Evans associated with female adventurers.

This was good news.

He had heard that many high-ranking adventurers, particularly those of A- or B-rank, could not forget the thrill of adventure and continued working even after marriage. Some supposedly quarreled with husbands who disliked it and ended up divorcing. The fact that Levia was not one of them seemed an extraordinary stroke of luck.

Evans immediately assured her that he could provide for her. He knew his income was lower than hers, but he was still comparatively well paid. They would not need two incomes merely to make ends meet as an ordinary household might.

He told her earnestly that he could make her dream come true. Perhaps his enthusiasm got through to her, because Levia responded happily and began talking about this and that she wanted from her ideal home.

The more Evans heard of Levia’s ideal married life, the more it sounded ideal to him as well.

He pictured it: himself returning from work to be greeted by a devoted wife. It was a wonderful image.

Enjoying the thought, Evans nodded along with remarks like “I see” and “That sounds nice.” He genuinely wanted that future too, and continued listening to her with a sincere smile.

“Naturally, I shall be managing the household finances once we are married—”

…Huh?

Evans felt a slight sense of unease. He knew there were households where the wife handled the money, of course. Still, it was not as though that were automatically the wife’s role…

No, no. Maybe I should let her handle it. Unlike me, living in the barracks, Miss Levia is probably very responsible.

An adventurer could not afford to be careless with money. Although they belonged to an organization called the Adventurers’ Guild, in practical terms their position was closer to that of the self-employed.

On top of everyday living expenses, they had to keep careful track of weapon wear, supplies, medical costs, and all manner of other expenses. Those who could not manage that either died or spent their entire lives at the bottom.

Evans, by contrast, worked for the kingdom and had much of that handled for him by the state. Levia had probably made the suggestion with that difference in mind. Reaching that conclusion, Evans ignored the small sense of unease.

“As for your allowance… let us say around five thousand rilks.”

“Five thousand?!”

Five thousand rilks was only enough for one night out drinking, or at most two if he went somewhere cheap. Joining everyone afterward for a second round would be impossible. Surely that was too little.

“Why, isn’t that only natural? We need to save as much as possible for the future.”

“W-well, yes, but five thousand is…”

Levia sighed. “Forgive me, but do you know how much it costs to raise a single child to adulthood? Including living and education expenses, one needs thirty million rilks.”

“Thirty million?!”

That was an enormous sum, difficult to manage even if someone of Evans’s common birth rose as high through the ranks as he possibly could. They would have to save a considerable amount.

Still, he could not imagine his own parents having had that much money. His family only ran a butcher shop, and there had been five children. Surely that could not be—

“?”

Levia tilted her head.

C-cute…

Evans’s mind went blank. The childish gesture, coming from someone so beautiful, affected him rather strongly.

…Ah! N-no, I got distracted. Someone this cute is going to be my wife…

He stared at his future wife. The doubts he had been entertaining moments earlier disappeared, replaced once again by happiness.

“Um…?”

“Ah! S-sorry. Yes, you’re right. Then I suppose it can’t be helped. We’ll have to save for the children.”

Evans agreed. He still felt that something was off, but convinced himself that he simply had not prepared himself properly for marriage.

“I’m glad you understand. I won’t require an allowance of my own, by the way. If I need anything, I shall simply take it from the household budget.”

Of course. She had already resolved herself to what marriage required. She understood that otherwise they would never be able to afford children. Perhaps Evans should consider himself fortunate to receive even five thousand rilks for himself.

Along with a sense of guilt, he felt deeply impressed by what a responsible woman she was. He still thought something seemed a little strange, but it was probably his imagination.

“By the way, how much do you earn each month?”

“What about bonuses? Overtime pay?”

“…Is that all? Then please work overtime until at least ten in the evening. Working on your days off would be fine as well.”

“What do your parents do? …A butcher shop? Self-employment is a little less than ideal, but I suppose it is within acceptable limits. Worst case, you can simply disclaim the inheritance.”

…It’s my imagination. It has to be.

She was beginning to sound as though she were after his money, but her income was far higher than his. She had no reason to marry him for money.

Perhaps she was simply too careful about finances, and that was why it sounded so unpleasant.

In other words, Evans was the strange one. At least, that was what he tried to convince himself.

“Very good. I believe I understand you quite well now. Once you sign this and this, we shall officially be husband and wife! Please, go ahead!”

“What?”

Isn’t this moving kind of fast?

Then again, there were advantages to moving quickly. A woman as beautiful as Levia would surely have no shortage of suitors, and Evans certainly wanted to make her his before a rival carried her off.

Thinking that, he picked up the pen and looked at the papers. One was a marriage registration form. For some reason it looked like a one-way ticket to hell, but that was surely just his imagination.

The tip of his pen trembled. Unable to find the courage to write, Evans looked at the second sheet in an attempt to distract himself.

There he saw—

…Life insurance?

Life insurance. A product that, in exchange for a fixed monthly premium, paid out a large sum in the event of illness or death.

It had originated as insurance against losses suffered by traveling merchants, whose work carried considerable risk, and after developing in various ways, policies covering risks to individuals had recently begun to appear as well.

Naturally, applicants had to meet certain requirements to prevent fraud: age, occupation, family circumstances, outstanding debts, and so on. Evans held a socially reliable profession, had no troublesome relatives, and carried no debt, so he would probably qualify without issue.

…He understood. He understood the reasoning.

If war broke out, Evans, as a knight, would be among the first sent to fight. Naturally, his risk of death was higher than that of an ordinary person. It was only proper to prepare for the sake of his wife and children. Most likely, all his married colleagues had insurance already, and Evans simply did not know because he lacked common sense in such matters.

That had to be it. And yet…

He glanced at Levia. Just as before, she tilted her head.

Cute. She was cute, but…

…Why do you have the eyes of a hunter?

Despite her refined smile, her eyes were those of a hunter. They had the sharp look of someone drawing a bow with prey before them.

Evans looked away and returned his attention to the document. It appeared to combine several forms of insurance, with all sorts of small figures listing how much would be paid for outpatient treatment, hospitalization, and so forth. He knew little about insurance, but the terms seemed fairly ordinary.

There was, however, one unusually large number among them.

—DEATH BENEFIT: 100,000,000 RILKS—

…SHE’S GOING TO KILL ME!!

Cold sweat burst from Evans’s body. The pen was no longer merely trembling but shaking badly, while his heart pounded for an entirely different reason than before.

“Whatever is the matter? Please hurry and sign.”

Hurry up and die. Hurry up and turn into money.

That was what Evans heard.

One hundred million rilks. Even an A-rank adventurer could hardly earn that kind of money easily. In other words, there was only one explanation. Levia was not merely a hunter of monsters; she was a natural-born hunter who made prey of humans as well.

Perhaps she was like a Siren, one of the beautiful sea monsters said to enchant sailors and lead them to ruin. Their allure was said to be so great that even those who knew what they were could not escape it. And indeed, Evans felt that if he stayed here any longer, even knowing he was being deceived, he might still let himself be—

“I-I’m terribly sorry! I just remembered I’m on duty this afternoon! P-please excuse me!”

“What?”

Evans shot to his feet and fled like a startled rabbit. He ran as hard as he could, nearly tripping over his own legs in terror. Incidentally, he had also left without paying, but he was in no state to worry about that.

Meanwhile, the monster left behind stared after him blankly, one hand still reaching in his direction.

Around her, the ladies began whispering among themselves. Apparently they had been listening.

“No, that was too much.”

“Way too obvious.”

“I mean, I understand how she feels, but still.”

They offered their opinions as they pleased.

After some time, the monster muttered quietly.

“Wh-why…?”