CH 7

7: Defeated – Strange Mad Dog!

Author’s note: I changed last chapter’s scene from Wolf putting a hand on Sophia’s shoulder to her head (Consideration for the maiden).

This time will be some bystanders’ POV.

The smell of alcohol and the sound of laughter filled the bar at night as a bunch of adventurers argued with each other, beer steins in hand.

“Like! I! Said! Our party’s gonna be the one to invite Sophia next time! You guys can get lost!”

“What did you say?! Guess we gotta settle this with a fight!”

“Oh! Go at it, you guys! Beat each other up!”

A bunch of male adventurers was causing an uproar. For the past few days, the talk around the bar was overtaken by a certain girl. Her name was Sophia Gracia, the daughter of Duke Gracia whose land was infamous for being poor.

When they heard that she became an adventurer, they wondered how tight on money the duke must have been or what kind of scrawny girl would show up, but their hearts were stolen the moment they actually laid eyes on her.

“Hehe… I knew that she’d be a princess.”

“Exactly. And I was surprised that she even wore such a nice dress. Is she really from that dirt-poor territory?”

Taking sips of ale, the men recalled the image of Sophia. They really were surprised when they first saw her. Her smooth, red hair made them want to touch it, her pale skin oozed youth, and her blue eyes resembled jewels. Moreover, her pure-white dress and that elegant cape that resembled an angel’s raiment further increased her beauty.

“She looks all high-class and all, but she’s so bright and that smile of hers! When faced with that sparkling face without any hint of malice or desire, just… how can I put it… like it squeezes my chest!”

“Yeah, Sophia has such a beautiful heart! She’s completely different from us who only got money on the mind!”

“Oh yeah, have you heard? Apparently, Sophia distributed medicine to her people for free! She’s completely different from the grubby feudal lord we had back home.”

"Sophia is a saint!” All of the men cheered together. Since she was kind-hearted on top of using her skills as an adventurer, she was bound to be the talk among the people. Even in the city of Stella, Sophia Gracia was what you’d call “a bit famous.” The normal folk were beginning to be charmed by Sophia and spread the word about her.

But the male adventurers still didn’t know that the reason why Sophia polished her appearance was for the greedy reason of “making money and marrying into a rich family.” The reason she distributed medicine to her people was for the selfish hope that “they’ll get better, work, and pay their taxes.”

Unaware of these factors, the men recommenced their discussion on “who would invite Sophia to their party now that she had gone solo!” but at that moment—

“B-bad news! Our Sophia was spotted walking together with a wild, dog-eared, handsome adventurer! And she was smiling!”

“What?!!!”

This abrupt and shocking news caused all the men to drop their beer steins at once. After the sound of shattering cups died down, the bar’s atmosphere had completely gone cold.

Suffering from unbelievable heartbreak, the male adventurers took a break from adventuring. As they remained cooped up in their beds, they all swore to themselves, “As if I could let Sophia be taken away by some strange dog who suddenly appeared out of nowhere! In that case, I’ll improve myself!” And they strove to beg that detestably handsome employee Reggie until he agreed to teach them his ways.

Sophia and Wolf were unaware, thinking they were lucky that their competition had lessened.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s earn some money, Wolf!”

“Yeah, let’s rake it in!”