What was up with that unnatural surrender!?

Karina, a contestant who had taken down King Barbaros, the odds-on favorite to win the championship, as well as General Garou, the crowd favorite.

Two spectators who had bet on Karina as a sort of charity donation were kicking themselves for not betting more as they watched her advance through the tournament, but they also felt somewhat relieved when they saw her lose to Misha.

"Man, for a second there I thought she might actually win the whole thing, but I guess not."

"Yeah. Who would've thought Misha would beat her."

Since both King Barbaros and General Garou had been eliminated, the bet the two had going on who'd pay for tonight's drinks ended in a draw, and they'd have to split the bill.

Incidentally, Misha went on to lose normally in the finals. The winner was King Barbaros's son, Prince Uru, though needless to say, he looked rather unsatisfied standing on the winner's podium.

"… …"

"… …"

"No, no, no, no! What the heck was up with that unnatural surrender!?"

"Right!? Riiiight!? She clearly still had plenty left in the tank! More than just having stamina to spare, it's like she lost on purpose!!"

And so the two shouted about how Karina had surrendered looking perfectly satisfied after just spanking Misha's butt.

Karina had skipped out on the third-place match and fled, earning her a forfeit loss and fourth place. However, given her track record, she was essentially first place.

After all, she'd fought eleven consecutive battles in King Barbaros's place.

"She instantly killed King Barbaros!"

"She toyed with General Garou!"

"And then she surrenders because she's exhausted from butt-spanking, what's that even meaaaan!?"

"Misha was so hoooooot though!!"

The two caught their breath after all that screaming.

"Maybe that was just an excuse, and she actually ran out of mana?"

"Her weapon was some kind of projectile weapon, so maybe she ran out of ammo… She was punching everyone else besides General Garou… If you told me she was running low on mana and barely managed by using her weapon, I suppose…"

They tried to analyze Karina's defeat as charitably as possible.

Still, they couldn't fully accept it, not when Karina had fought the entire time looking completely relaxed. There's a limit to how charitable you can be.

"Let's change the subject… What was up with that divine statue glowing? I mean, it's a match before the gods and all, but I've never heard of a god's statue actually glowing."

"Me neither. And there was a huge commotion after the match. Some referee was saying maybe the god was angry because Karina fought in such a frivolous way."

"No way. Anyone who saw that light could tell it was a light of joy… Yeah, somehow we just knew… Felt it in our souls, you know?"

That only added to the confusion. What did it mean for a god to be pleased by a match like that? … Well, in the end, they concluded it must have been an unusual, entertaining fight that gave the god a good laugh.

And so, because of all that—and since Karina had disappeared—even more attention fell on Misha. Details of the match spread, and her fame rose, if in a puzzling way.

Misha became suddenly famous as the woman who pleased a god by having her butt spanked.

"I heard she got the title 'The Butt That Pleases God.'"

"What the… Is that impressive… or what?"

She was originally skilled enough to make it to the semifinals, so earning a title was appropriate, but… butt?

It showed just how impactful that match was, but… butt?

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! That bastard! I'll kill herrrr, nya!!"

Speak of the devil.

Right on cue, a rampaging cat beastkin—Misha—stormed into the tavern. The person with her was probably her father. She'd mentioned her parent came to watch the match.

The two who'd been drinking noticed Misha and quietly started eavesdropping.

"Hey, hey, Misha. Calm down already. They're saying the god was pleased, right?"

"Even so! No, that's exactly why, nya, Papa!! I wanted to please the god with a proper fight, nya!! Waaaaah…"

Misha sat down at the counter, crying.

"People are asking to spank my butt instead of shaking my hand, asking to rub my butt! I'm the tournament runner-up, nya, and all I get are weirdos, nya!!"

That did earn some sympathy. But they could also understand why people would ask.

"This is all that Karina's fault, nya… I'll kill herrrrr!!"

"Kill her, you say, but actually attacking her would be a crime, so don't do that, okay?"

"I know, nya, Papa!! I'll enter a tournament she's in and kill her fair and square, nya!! Or I'll send her a challenge letter and set up a proper duel, nya!!"

For a moment they thought this was something to report to the authorities, but she was just a wholesome challenger.

She must be a good kid at heart. That's surely why Misha's fight pleased the god.

"Next time I'm gonna spank HER butt, nyaaaaa!!"

"That's my girl! … But skill-wise, can you even beat her? She was completely playing with you."

"Ugghh!! We agreed not to mention that, nya…! Oh, I got a big payout from the fight money, so dinner's on me today, nya! I got runner-up, nya, so don't hold back and eat lots, Papa!"

"Oh! That's nice to hear. I'll gladly take you up on that. Thanks, Misha."

"Ehehe!"

Her father patted her head. Her face was full of pride.

Seeing what looked like a good family relationship, the two eavesdroppers felt their hearts warm.