《The Story of a Poor Lady Being Mistaken as the Saint》 CH 1 1: Re:Zero - Starting Life in Poverty! "Cough, cough¡­" I spat out blood as I fell onto the ground deep inside a cold, dark cave. Surrounding me were undead monsters¡ªskeletons¡ªwielding rusted swords and spears. Their bones rattled as they drew closer. In contrast, I was covered in heavy injuries and completely out of mana. I no longer had any means to fight back. I was completely cornered. "Hah¡­ I guess this is the end. My life was the worst¡­" I muttered as I looked back at the twenty years of my life as it drew to its end. Firstly, the household I was born into was the worst. My family was technically granted the title of baron, but it was only in name. We lived in constant poverty. My grandfather was a decent magician, so he rose to the ranks of the aristocracy through his achievements in battle, but the land he was granted was so barren that he couldn''t live an extravagant life by any means. The people who live on our land were criminals and sickly people who had wandered in, and they had vacant looks in their eyes as they supposedly ¡°lived¡± their lives here. So having been born in such a place, I couldn''t possibly have grown up normally. My mother left because of the hard life, so as I spent my days always suffering from hunger, I inevitably became the definition of a gloomy girl. Naturally, my body¡¯s growth was stunted and no one wanted to marry the scrawny daughter of a low-class aristocrat. When I turned fifteen, I was told to earn money for the household and forced to become an adventurer. That was the start of my days fighting to the death against monsters. And those were terrible and painful days. I got injured several times trying to gather herbs to be used for medicine, and I risked my life multiple times to collect materials from monsters to be used for accessories aristocrats wear, despite being a member myself. And in those five years, I relied on the decent amount of mana I had inherited from my grandfather, was on the verge of death numerous times, and was ridiculed by my peers for my gloomy personality. I desperately fought to live¡ªonly to die like this without really accomplishing anything. "Haha, I don¡¯t care anymore¡­ If you''re going to kill me, then do it already!" As I laughed at how terrible my life had been, I screamed at the skeletons surrounding me. Oh, yeah, how long had it been since I last laughed? Tears, on the other hand, flowed every night. As I recalled such a pointless thing, my entire body was skewered all over. Then¡­ "Oh! It''s finally delivered! And¡­it''s a girl¡­" Huh?! What?! What happened?! Just when I thought I had been tormented by and killed by the skeletons, I found myself being held up by my father. W-what was going on?! Was I miraculously rescued and admitted to the hospital by my father? No, there couldn''t be any hidden meaning behind his words. I had undoubtedly suffered from fatal injuries, and my family had no funds to spend on medical fees. And while I couldn''t see very well through my blurry eyes, my father looked like he had gotten younger or something¡­ "Hm? What''s wrong with this baby? She''s not crying at all¡­ Well, it''s fine as long as she''s alive. From today forth, your name is Sophia Gracia. Grow up well so as to not soil the Gracia family name." W-what?! I mean, I am Sophia Gracia, but really, what was going on? I was deeply bewildered, but I was suddenly hit with drowsiness and everything went dark. CH 2 2: No Matter How Much She Struggled, She Was Still Poor It had been 15 years since then, so I was convinced that, for some reason, I had gone back in time to when I was born. At first, I thought that this was a hallucination I experienced before I died, so I pulled at my soft, squishy cheeks, but it only resulted in pain. I didn''t wake up. The destitute house and the dead eyes of my parents were just as I remembered. It was like a recreation of my nightmares. I tried my hardest one more time to wake myself up, pulling my cheeks forcefully. Ow¡­ Well, whatever. Whether this was a dream or a hallucination, if I was given the chance to start over again, I had only one goal. I had experienced the worst way to die, so I would obtain a fortuitous life this time around! I was sick and tired of all those terrible days! Therefore, I decided to "reconstruct" every little thing about myself. First was to distance myself from my gloomy personality. I had picked up on pieces of this in my previous life, but the little things like voice and behavior played a big role in making impressions. You could be looked down upon by your peers or have your share of the reward lessened by the party you joined. That was why I decided that I would always speak clearly and in a loud, bright voice. "Father~! Good morning!" "G-good morning¡­" My father was no exception to the gloominess as the people on this land lacked the heart to greet each other this energetically. Right! I was going to be a girl as bright as the sun! Although, to be frank, I honestly believed such was very impossible since the root of my personality was dark, but I continued to work hard so that I could hide it. Next was to work on my appearance. In my previous round, I didn''t have the comfort to afford to care about being stylish, but now that I finally had the chance to let my curly, red hair grow, I strove to comb it every day so it could maintain its silkiness. As for my facial structure¡­well, it wasn''t that bad since my father was decently handsome, so a nice smile would work fine. The female adventurers I recalled from my previous round all had charming smiles on their faces. ¡­And mine turned even darker out of envy as I muttered. "It must be nice to be happy¡­ Damn it." Well, in any case, I needed to take care of my body. I decided to go out into the mountains and successfully hunt some animals in this round. "Alright! I got some meat~!" "Squeak?!" Fortunately or unfortunately, I had taught myself how to make traps when I was forced to become an adventurer. Since the time I was three in this round, I''d been eating deer, raccoon, and the occasional rat. As such, I believed I would grow up healthily. Although the flatness of my chest still bothered me. Anyways, I also fed my family, leading to my father''s stomach becoming quite rotund. Hey, let''s exercise, okay? And last was to focus on strengthening my skill with magic. Magic referred to a supernatural power that utilized an energy known as mana that only certain people possessed to artificially create natural phenomena. But I was rather very unskilled at it and had only been able to send small orbs or fire or water through the air. And since I only had a decent amount of mana, I didn''t have the talent to truly utilize any magic skills. However, if I didn''t have talent, I would have to make it up with hard work. Fortunately, I could use the same magic as my previous round from the time I was born. So during those 15 years, I poured many hours into continuing to increase my magic''s power and control. As a result, I could produce a flame capable of easily lighting a person on fire, produce and manipulate water, and concoct medicine by mixing herbs. I earned a lot selling these cheaply in a nearby city since they were indispensable for adventurers who got injured on the job. Naturally, they weren''t as good as the ones out in the market, but since I priced them at half the cost, I practically sold out my stock every day. Well, I couldn''t keep up for long since some other magicians sold their own at even lower prices as another source of income for themselves. Nevertheless, I still made enough money for my family to save, so everyone was delighted. I gave my ineffective, failed attempts for free to the citizens, so they were extremely thankful. Hehe, it felt good to do good deeds. Everyone, get well and feed me! (Everything was calculated.) Now then, I''ve created the perfect Sophia now! A beautiful (forced) smile, a healthy body (of an aristocratic woman who went hunting), and magic skills (cultivated to earn money) all in one package! This was the birth of the absolutely perfect lady. Okay, now it was time to marry into a promising aristocratic or merchant family and live a happy life this round! Sure, I could make it big as an adventurer, but who wants a job where one mistake could mean your life, idiot? Ahahahaha! I had those thoughts in mind on the night of my 15th birthday when my father called me with an extremely apologetic look on his face and told me this. ¡°Nn, ah, cough, cough¡­! S-sorry, Sophia. To tell you the truth¡­ you see, I have been ill for some time. I might not even have long to live!¡± ¡°N-no way! You¡¯re lying!¡± I was shocked for two reasons by my father¡¯s sudden confession. My father dying from a disease didn¡¯t happen in my previous round when we were poor! In this round, I fed him until his stomach was nice and plump, so why¡­? Oh, wait! Could that be the reason!? Then¡­ was this my fault?! I fell to my knees on the spot out of shock. My father panicked. ¡°Wa¡ª Sophia?! You¡¯re wrong, so calm down! Oh, I mean, it¡¯s sort of true¡­ Well, in any case, the doctor said that the treatment for this disease will cost quite a bit. So, to earn enough money for my medical expenses¡­ will you become an adventurer?¡± ¡°?!!!¡± Whaaat?! Hold on a sec. Being told to become an adventurer when I turned 15¡­ was the same as my previous round! Huh? Why? Was this my inescapable fate?! Truth be told, I would rather die¡­ Argh! But if my father¡¯s illness was because of my lack of foresight, I had to take responsibility! If possible, I wanted to find another way to make money, but my father said himself that he might not have long to live. In that case, making a fortune by collecting valuable materials from monsters as an adventurer was best. At the end of my mind-wracking session, I nodded my head. ¡°¡­I understand, Father. I will definitely save your life!¡± ¡°Ooooh, Sophia! What a kind-hearted child you are! You¡¯ve kept that bright smile and demeanor since long ago and cheered on me and our people! You braved danger to feed us delicious meat! Oh, my child, you are a saint! Even though I am sick, my chest is filled with joy!¡± A-ahem! D-don¡¯t take it the wrong way! My behavior and smile were all calculated! They were something I could cheaply mass-produce! Besides, it was (probably) my fault you got sick in the first place! ¡°Then, Sophia, do your best as an adventurer!¡± ¡°Yes, Father! I will do my utmost!¡± Although I said with a gallant face, I was inwardly crying. Waaah! I really, really, really don¡¯t want to be an adventurer! I¡¯m sick and tired of those days of risking my life in battles! Sniff, dammit! In that case, I¡¯ll take advantage of my previous round¡¯s memory and experiences, earn a fortune quickly, and get this over with! My dream since long ago has been to become a bride!!! CH 3 3: Let¡¯s Work, Sophia! TL note: This chapter is from multiple POVs, so the author wrote it in the third person POV. My daughter is too amazing. That was what the current Baron Gracia, Parn Gracia, always thought. Firstly, his daughter¡¯s ability to talk came extraordinarily fast. Saying ¡°I am hungry¡± and ¡°My back is itchy¡± ¨C phrases expressing ego ¨C was quite the feat for a one-year-old. Next, there was her dexterity. When she turned three, she entered the mountains in the back, made traps, and hunted animals. Moreover, her method of draining the blood from the animals was perfect. Her skills were like that of a real hunter or adventurer who had been dungeon-diving for five years. Moreover, her skill with magic was rather high. The Gracia family had always been skilled at fire and water magic, so he decided to teach his daughter beginner-level magic like [Fire Ball] and [Aqua Ball] when she turned five. ¡°I did it! Okay, Father, teach me intermediate-level magic next!¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Even though they were small, the projectiles of fire and water flew with proper speed and precision. Parn watched on in shock. Sophia should¡¯ve been a beginner, yet she successfully used beginner-level magic in one go. This wasn¡¯t impossible, but it was still hard to believe. While they were the first magic skills anyone learned, it normally took a year of training to be able to use them. A five-year-old who didn¡¯t even have full control of their thoughts or emotions should take even longer. In truth, Parn was ten when he first could use beginner-level magic after continually practicing since he was eight. At that time, he gave up since he had no talent. Even now he couldn¡¯t use intermediate-level magic. Unlike her father, Sophia silently continued her magic training, and when she turned ten, she could perfectly use intermediate-level magic. Furthermore, she concocted medicine with the effects of water magic and sold them. Parn was surprised by how popular they were in the nearby city. Oh, how mind-blowing of a genius Sophia was, he thought. Additionally, she never let any of this go to her head as she always acted cheerful towards her family and the people on our land. Her red hair was like a burning fire and her blue eyes sparkled like the water¡¯s surface. She smiled at anyone and everyone. She was like the sun shining over our land. When did the father start to feel this kind of respect for his daughter? If she didn¡¯t hunt or sell her wares, the Gracia family would be in a far worse state. The people also deeply adored Sophia. She didn¡¯t discriminate against the sick or the exiled but interacted with them. Because of the medicine she graciously gave them as gifts, they could live on this barren land with smiles on. Parn and the people believed that Sophia Gracia was indeed a saint who descended upon this land. Therefore, Parn wondered if a girl as wonderful as her should be stuck in this remote area. Sophia was so kind-hearted! He was certain that she would continue to work for this land without complaining and quietly live her life to the end without marrying anyone. ¡°Let this girl¡¯s talents stagnate in this place? No, we must not let that happen! Think about it! My daughter, Sophia, wasn¡¯t even ten years old when she exhibited talent teaching herself magic skills and building hunting traps. She even concocted medicine herself using materials from animals! I tell you, she was born to be an adventurer! No matter what others may say, I believe she will become a grand adventurer whose name will be carved in history, harumph! So, people of this land, do I have your support!¡± ¡°Yeaaah!¡± When Sophia would soon turn 15, Parn and a group of the people on his land gathered in a meeting and enacted our plan. That name being: ¡°Plan to make Sophia a legendary adventurer!¡± Parn was sure that if he told his kind-hearted daughter to become an adventurer, she wouldn¡¯t agree. There was no doubt that she would continue to work for this land and let her talents stagnate in this barren place. He wouldn''t be able to stand seeing such a young genius end up with nothing. That was exactly why Parn and the people of the land planned this. They didn¡¯t care if she grew to hate them. They would lead her to the path of becoming an adventurer by making some natural reason to earn money quickly. As such¡­ ¡°S-sorry, Sophia. To tell you the truth¡­ you see, I have been ill for some time. I might not even have long to live!¡± ¡°N-no way! You¡¯re lying!¡± As Parn watched Sophia fall to her knees in shock, he felt like vomiting from the guilt. In truth, he wasn¡¯t sick. Rather, because of the wild game meat she hunted, he¡¯d been full of energy as of recently. And the people added their side the next day. ¡°Sorry, Princess Sophia! To tell you the truth, there¡¯s an illness going around and it¡¯ll be difficult for us to pay this year¡¯s taxes!¡± "Wha?! That can¡¯t be! No, impossible¡­ Was it my medicine¡¯s fault?!¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no! Rather, we¡¯re all chipper because of your medicine! Err, I mean, we¡¯re not feeling very well now! Cough, cough!¡± The people watched as she turned pale and thought, ¡°We¡¯ve done a very mean thing (feigning sickness, of course).¡± But they simultaneously felt proud. A heartless aristocrat would shout, ¡°You useless lot. Maintaining your health is also your job,¡± but before Sophia would condemn others, she would reflect on if there was any issue with what she did. Oh, to think that there was such an aristocratic lady out there with such a strong sense of responsibility! Parn just wanted to announce to the whole world, ¡°My little princess is so splendid!¡± If the truth behind the ¡°plan to make Sophia an adventurer¡± got discovered, Sophia might hate her father. But Parn didn¡¯t care. After all that she had done so diligently for this land, he wanted to send her off to the wide world out there! He wanted her to use her magic, which was far wasted on driving away wild animals in the forest, to defeat terrifying monsters to her heart¡¯s content. That was what he and the others believed. And just as they had planned, Sophia magnanimously announced, ¡°I understand. I will save you and our people!¡± and prepared to leave in several days. Oh, what a gallant daughter! She was indeed the one who should be called the saint! The view the people in the Gracia territory had of Sophia had finally escalated into the realm of worship. On the other side¡­ ¡°Uwaaah! I don¡¯t wanna!!! I really don¡¯t wanna be an adventurer! Even after doing it for five years, I was at the bottom of the bottom! I¡¯m not suited for it! I may have my previous round¡¯s memories, but I¡¯m still nervous!¡± On the night before my departure, Sophia bawled her eyes out on top of her bed. Everyone around her thought that she had the making of an adventurer, but they were mistaken. She was a ¡°former adventurer¡± so her behavior from that time carried over as a habit. But her father and the people around her weren¡¯t aware of this, and she couldn¡¯t refute becoming an adventurer due to another misunderstanding on her part. ¡°Sniffle, sniffle¡­ In my previous round, Father, let alone everyone else, wasn''t this sick! This is definitely because of the failed medicine I went around distributing! Uwaah! I¡¯m sorry, everyone! But I thought it would be a waste to throw it out! Ooooh!¡± Thinking that the epidemic spreading among the people was her fault, she cried even louder. She brazenly announced to herself that she would become a ¡°bright, cheerful girl¡±, but she was originally a timid, gloomy one. She was accustomed to getting hurt but was terribly weak against the guilt of hurting someone else. ¡°Uuuh¡­ I¡¯ll be punished if they find out. I¡¯ll work hard to pay for any medical feeds, so pwease forgibe me, eberyone¡­!¡± And thus because of misunderstandings between both parties, Sophia decided to return to the world of adventuring against her wishes. CH 4 4: Killer Caterpillar ¡°Whoa, we really made a fortune today. Here¡¯s your share, Sophia!¡± ¡°Thank you all very much! I¡¯ll take my leave now!¡± Faking a broad smile on my face, I left the adventuring party I had collaborated with behind. It had been one week since the outbreak on my land that was (probably) my fault. I was living my life as an adventurer for the second time in the neighboring city of Stella. As I walked for the first time (although not really) on the cobblestone road, I pondered about how having my past round¡¯s memories was really convenient. To begin with, having a full grasp of the dungeon located at the edge of the city was a huge strength. Dungeons ¨C evil caves located in historical places that endlessly produced vicious monsters ¨C were dangerous places. We adventurers dove inside and defeated the monsters to prevent them from overrunning the outside, all while collecting monster teeth and skin to be made into durable material. Therefore, knowing where your targeted monsters were located and how to escape when necessary were indispensable skills for an adventurer. ¡°But I had so much trouble until I could completely memorize the layout¡­ No one has time to leisurely check their map while inside a dungeon where no one don¡¯t know where the monsters spawn¡­¡± When I recalled the pain of my previous round, I reflexively sighed. But because of my hard work during said time, how to navigate dungeons had been ingrained in my body even with that ten-year break. Furthermore, thanks to these memories, I could distinguish between ¡°trustworthy adventurers¡± and ¡°dangerous adventurers I shouldn¡¯t approach¡±, so that was also helpful. As such, even I, who was naturally gloomy, could be temporarily added to a party of nice, veteran adventurers, and I successfully recalled the proper way to fight monsters within these few days. Now then¡­ I have to do my best alone starting tomorrow. While I felt safer going together with a group, the rewards earned would be split among us. My land was in an emergency. My father told me, ¡°We have some funds saved because of you, so you don¡¯t have to send anything for the fixed fees,¡± but I didn¡¯t know when everyone¡¯s conditions would take a turn for the worse. If possible, I wanted to earn a massive sum within a year and give them the best treatment out there. Additionally, I needed to gather funds quickly for my adventuring gear. Why, you ask? ¡°Oh? Is that Lady Sophia Gracia? She stands out as usual¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that little lady from the boondocks, right? You can notice her right away even from afar~.¡± Uweh! Sensing eyes on me, I quickly dove into an alleyway. Sigh¡­ Yeah, I know I stand out. Not only was I an aristocrat-turned-adventurer, I was also the only woman out there who would go into a dungeon dressed in a pure-white dress! I played around with the lace around my chest as I thought back. The reason I was wearing such an outfit was my father, who was stupider than he was in my previous round. On the day I departed, my father suddenly handed me this and said, ¡°Instead of armor, wear this. It¡¯s a special dress I prepared for you when you become an adventurer, err¡­ I mean, when you marry an aristocrat! Since it¡¯s made using the threads of the killer caterpillar monster known as the Genocide Worm, even blades cannot pierce it! You can feel safe even if you enter a life-or-death battle with your mother-in-law!¡± ¡°Th-thank you very much¡­ But a dress¡­¡± ¡°Bwahaha, it¡¯s cute, right!¡± ¡°Yes, it is¡­¡± After all of this, I ended up wearing it, and its durability was as my father claimed. It was tough against abrasions and resilient to dirt. It was far more durable than your standard leather armor. I believe the threads from the Genocide Worm were capable of self-repair, so this dress would last. It was like this dress was ordered specifically from the beginning for an adventurer to use. It looked very clean and cute, but you know¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­ it¡¯s the best gear I could ask for, but I stand out too much!¡± It would be fine to wear at an aristocratic party (although I was never invited to one!), but it looked terribly out of place in a dangerous dungeon. I was originally a gloomy person, so standing out stressed me greatly. But I also couldn¡¯t remove this and wear some cheap adventuring gear. After all, I had been injured inside a dungeon, couldn¡¯t move, and was skewered all over to death. That experience taught me the great importance of gear. Until I could find something with the same quality as this dress, I would have to stick with it. Sigh. I tried to wear a red cape to disguise from afar that I was wearing a dress, but people still stared. I was restless and believed this was what everyone thought. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she have any shame? A destitute lady smiling like an idiot in an outfit that doesn¡¯t suit her?¡± CH 5 5: Strange Dog ¡°Good morning~!¡± I went to the adventurer¡¯s guild in the morning the next day. The building was built around the dungeon entrance. It was a large-scale facility that had places for appraisals, healing, selling, and even eating and drinking. Although it had seen better years, it was a splendid, three-story building, and to be frank, I felt like crying at how it was bigger than my family¡¯s mansion back home. I pushed down those feelings behind my fake smile and brightly called out to the receptionist. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Reggie! The weather¡¯s nice today, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh, hello, Miss Sophia. While it¡¯s true that today¡¯s sun is blinding, your smile shines even brighter.¡± ¡°Oh, you with your jokes! So, Mr. Reggie, what materials have a high demand today?¡± ¡°Um¡­ I wasn¡¯t¡­ joking¡­¡± Reggie shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ¡°You¡¯ve got a tough guard up today as usual.¡± Just as you¡¯d expect of someone who threw such a pickup line right away, this man was infamous for his flirting. In fact, he also worked as a waiter at a female-oriented bar, so he had more information sources than the other receptionists. ¡°Anyways, I believe there¡¯s a lack of mandragora roots. That¡¯s about it. Oh, but I also heard that a huge banquet for aristocrats was suddenly planned for tonight. If you can gather some fresh troll meat by noon, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll fetch a nice price.¡± ¡°Really?! Thank you so much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good. All the male adventurers look at me like I¡¯m some kind of enemy, so they¡¯ll go to other receptionists as long as the lines aren¡¯t backed up. I don¡¯t have many people to share this info with, so I hope it does you good.¡± Reggie said, his face looking slightly exhausted. Well, all the male adventurers were the type who made their place in the world through their physical feats, so seeing someone like Reggie, who earned a living with his looks, probably upset them. And since adventurers were mostly male and many of the guild employees were former adventurers, he must have had a terrible time. But Reggie seemed like he didn¡¯t care about that. It might be because he worked in the field of hospitality, but he always talked to me even when I was gloomy and scrawny in my past round. ¡°Here, Miss Sophia, your dungeon pass. Have a safe trip down.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Dungeons were places to mine resources, so illegal entry was considered a serious crime. I quickly grabbed the pass from Reggie and headed to the dungeon entrance to the side of the reception area. Alright, let¡¯s rake in the money! There was not a second to delay. Let¡¯s find a rich husband and live a cushy life! With that hope in my heart, I was about to take my first step inside the dungeon when¡ª ¡°Is this where the dungeon is¡ª?!!!¡± A beastly roar echoed through the building. The employees and I simultaneously looked toward the entrance and saw a brutish man with black eyes and hair wearing a tattered coat standing there. A collar, like what you would give a dog, was secured around his neck, and he even had wolf ears on his head¡­ Wait, he was the #1 among the ¡°dangerous adventurers you shouldn¡¯t approach¡± ¡ª the ¡°Mad Dog¡± Wolf! He was once the prince of a kingdom of beastmen, but our two nations went to war, resulting in their loss and his capture. His reputation was dragged through the mud as he became His Majesty¡¯s pet. But one day, His Majesty told him, ¡°Wolf, if you desire freedom, earn 500 million gold. If you can¡¯t, you¡¯ll be an underdog for the rest of your life.¡± Thus, Wolf had a cursed collar placed on him that couldn¡¯t be removed without the owner¡¯s permission, became an adventurer to earn money, and caused all sorts of trouble¡­ In about a year, he died a dog¡¯s death. That was what my memories from my past round told me about the ¡°Mad Dog¡± Wolf. ¡°¡­Oh. Now that I think about it¡­ we¡¯re like the same¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed until now. Even though I was 15 in my previous round, I had no time to consider it when I was suddenly forced to become an adventurer. I never thought about going near a guy who was on edge and ready to start a fight at any time. This was probably the first time I ever looked at him this closely. Wolf spotted the dungeon entrance next to the bewildered employees and me. He grinned, revealing his large teeth. ¡°Oh, over there? Alright, time to beat up some monsters and earn a fortune! Just you wait! I¡¯m coming for you!!!¡± Wolf proclaimed and rushed at the entrance with terrifying speed. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Was he planning on going straight inside without stopping by the receptionists first?! He¡¯ll be committing a serious felony if he enters without a pass! Huh? Did he come to the adventurer¡¯s guild without knowing that? No wonder he caused all sorts of problems and died a dog¡¯s death! ¡°Oraah! Woman, move out the way!¡± Gyah! He¡¯s coming this way! Oh, well, I guess he would since I was practically standing in the middle of the entrance. Hmm¡­ if I was my gloomy self from back then, I would be running away in tears, but I had decided that I would change! I¡¯ll be strong and stop a like-minded comrade from committing a serious crime! I extended both arms out to block the dungeon entrance. ¡°H-hey, wait a minute! You¡¯ll get in trouble without a pass¡ª¡± ¡°As if I care! I wanna earn my freedom as soon as possible and beat up that bastard king!!!¡± Eeek! This guy wasn¡¯t slowing down at all! Won¡¯t he crash into me at this rate?! Argh, jeez, I guess I have to act. ¡°Water, strike down my enemy! [Aqua Ball]!¡± ¡°Huh¡ª? Gweh?!¡± I suddenly fired off an orb of water that crashed right into Wolf¡¯s stomach, sending him flying high in the air. He smacked loudly against the wall, knocked out and motionless. ¡­Oh no, I¡¯ve done it now!!! I overdid it!!! ¡°¡­A-amazing, Miss Sophia! Okay, everyone, restrain the strange dog who attempted to infiltrate the dungeon!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± Still unconscious, Wolf had restraints wrapped all over him by Reggie and the other employees. As I watched on, I quietly whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± CH 6 6: First-Time Partnering! Author¡¯s Recap: Sophia sent a strange dog flying. ¡°So you see, Wolf, there are hardly any safe areas in dungeons, so to preserve your stamina, it¡¯s good practice to avoid any unnecessary fights.¡± ¡°Hah? Why do I gotta follow some ¡®good practice¡¯? I¡¯m gonna fight everything!¡± ¡°Ahahaha, you have so much energy, Wolf.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Thanks!¡± I wasn¡¯t complimenting him¡­ With that head of his, it was no wonder why he caused so much trouble and died in my previous round. In the dim dungeon, I let out another sigh inside my mind. The cause was, of course, the black-haired, hooligan prince Wolf who was excitedly walking next to me. He had been restrained by the adventurer¡¯s guild for attempting to illegally enter the dungeon, but immediately afterward, someone calling himself the king¡¯s butler arrived and told the guild this. ¡°His Majesty was greatly looking forward to the day Wolf becomes an adventurer and meets his demise. Yet it pains His Majesty to see it all end from a blunder at the very start. For His Majesty¡¯s sake, may I ask that you please overlook this indiscretion, just this once?¡± The butler said as he took out a bag stuffed with gold from inside his coat. I see, he was going to use shush money. Now, the guild was hard-pressed to refute since they couldn¡¯t ignore the wishes of the king, the most powerful person in this land. Thus, Wolf was released¡­ but things got weird from then on. The butler suddenly called out to me who had been just observing. ¡°You truly can¡¯t believe in only what you see. From what I heard, you knocked out the Mad Dog in a single hit, correct? I would like to purchase your strength. Just for today is fine, but can I ask that you teach this one the rules and standards of entering a dungeon? Feel free to beat him if he disobeys.¡± The butler put a bag of money in my hands after saying that. Wait! He was totally taking advantage of the poor! I didn¡¯t want to babysit the hooligan prince, but well, if he was going to pay me¡­ guh¡­ Thus, I buckled under the weight of money and formed a party with Wolf. Buuut¡­ ¡°Oh, found a goblin! Hit-it-before-it-realizes Punch!¡± ¡°Gobu?!¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± No matter how many times I told him that he should avoid unnecessary fights, my words went in through one ear and out the other! Wolf energetically sent the goblin, a monster resembling a green monkey, flying with a punch. As a beastman, his physical abilities were superb. He could defeat all kinds of monsters with punches or kicks. He didn¡¯t need swords or magic. Or rather, this guy was strong. He was infamous in my previous round for causing trouble, but he was also well-known for his strength. And¡­ how can I put it? He looked all around the dungeon with sparkling eyes and cheerfully announced comments like ¡°The stones are glowing!¡± and ¡°There¡¯s some weird grass growing!¡± Seeing him like that made me feel restless for some reason. ¡°Hm? Hey, woman! There are these huge goblin-looking monsters over there! Are they the trolls we¡¯ve been looking for?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. There¡¯s¡­ wow, more than 14 of them¡­¡± The two of us peeked our heads out from behind a corner and watched a group of humanoid monsters carrying clubs patrol the area. Hmm, there were too many of them for us to handle. Maybe we could lure some over and split them up. After putting in some thought, I was about to strategize with Wolf when¡ª ¡°Those guys are all squishy¡­like your chest. Alright, let¡¯s go and defeat them already!¡± ¡°Huh? Why are you sexually harassing me now?! ¡ªWait, Wolf!¡± Wolf dashes out, his tattered coat fluttering behind. He lunged at one of the trolls, raised his fist, and howled. ¡°Hit-it-before-it-realizes Punch!!!¡± ¡°Gugo?!¡± His fist made contact with the troll¡¯s face, and the monster was sent flying through the air before lying still on the ground. The other trolls were surprised. Wolf took this chance to attack another one among the confusion. But¡­ ¡°Die!!! ¡­Huh?!¡± ¡°Gugoooh!¡± One of the trolls wore a wicked grin. Wolf¡¯s fist was caught by the troll¡¯s thick lumps of fat. While Wolf was confused, another troll approached, raised its club, and swung it at Wolf. Wolf¡¯s body crashed into the wall. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°W-Wolf!¡± I rushed over to him and raised his limp body. It seemed that he fortunately didn¡¯t have any broken bones. His tough muscles seemed to have protected his body. ¡°Gugooh! Kill¡­ Eat¡­you!¡± ¡°ngh!¡± The group of trolls slowly drew closer, their heavy footsteps echoing. Except for the first one that was incapacitated by Wolf, they could all still fight. I wracked my brain. Unlike my opponents, my comrade was in no condition to fight. It¡¯ll be difficult to run away while carrying him on my back, and it¡¯ll be tough to fight while trying to protect him. ¡°What should I do¡­? What can I do¡­?¡± I thought hard about my options as the trolls slowly approached. At that moment, a scar-covered hand clumsily plopped down on my head. ¡°Huh? Wolf?¡± ¡°Hehe, sorry ¡®bout this. It looks like I¡¯ve caused you a lot of trouble. Woman¡­no, your name¡¯s Sophia, right? I promise to listen more to you next time!¡± He said, stood up, and got ready to punch the trolls again. He suffered from heavy injuries, but it seemed that his fighting spirit was still strong. Rather, it seemed to burn even hotter now, enough for me to feel the heat coming from his whole body. Oh, I see now. He was even enjoying things in this kind of predicament. Unlike my previous self who could no longer move from the pain and died like that, Wolf had an insane smile on. I revised my view. This guy was an idiot. He saw the world differently from the gloomy coward I was. He was an idiot adventurer who rushed ahead with sheer energy and enthusiasm. Yet I found myself standing next to him. ¡°Huh? Sophia? You wanna have a go too?¡± ¡°Of course. My original plan was to hunt these guys, remember? Also, their fat absorbs physical attacks, so if you¡¯re still going that route, aim for their heads. They can¡¯t protect themselves there.¡± ¡°¡­Gotcha! Then, let¡¯s go all out!!!¡± Wolf and I simultaneously charged at the group of trolls. My previous self wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything against them, but I was different this round! For these 15 years, I diligently trained¡­ to earn money! I drew the two swords at my waist and unleashed my sword techniques as I rushed ahead. ¡°Enraged flames, dwell in my blades! [Fire Enchant]!¡± At that moment, the blades of the two swords in my hands released a violent flame. This was an intermediate-level magic I learned during my 15 years of training. I further concentrated mana at my feet and unleashed another new skill. ¡°Raging waves, open the way! [Aqua Splash]!¡± This was another intermediate-level magic. It produced a torrent of water from my feet and carried me right towards the trolls. ¡°Haaaah!!!¡± ¡°Guoooh?!¡± I brandished my flaming swords and jumped right at a troll¡¯s neck. Its thick fat was useless before my scorching blades. I sped up again thanks to the water magic and defeated the other trolls who were confused. ¡°Heh, you really are strong! As a man, I can¡¯t lose either!¡± ¡°Fufu, make sure you don¡¯t mess up this time, Wolf.¡± ¡°S-shaddup!¡± Wolf blushed as he punched another troll up in the air. It appeared that the hooligan prince really did reflect on his actions. He had quite a cute side to him. We stood back to back and glared at the trolls around us. ¡°Gugoooh! Damn you!!!¡± It seemed that the troll was finally serious. It raised its club and rushed right at us. But I had no intention of losing. I noticed that both Wolf and I were smiling at the same time. I tightened my grip on my swords. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this! Don¡¯t die on me, Sophia!¡± ¡°I could say the same to you, Wolf!¡± Sensing each other, the two of us jumped at the troll. Several quick minutes later. We defeated all our targets and we high-fived with smiles on our faces after the battle. CH 7 7: Defeated ¨C 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¡ª ¡°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!¡± CH 8 8: Convenient Woman Sophia! ¡°Wolf, the monster went that way!¡± ¡°Got it! Obliterating Punch! Rawr!¡± Hmm, don¡¯t you think that you should put more thought into naming your skills, Wolf? It had been a week since I met him, but it felt natural to form a party with him. Today, we¡¯ve just been defeating monsters in the depths of the dungeon. For some reason, the other adventurers had been taking a break from activities recently, so now was the perfect time to earn some money! ¡°Alright~! We¡¯ve cleaned up the monsters here! But all this blood splatter on me feels gross. Sophia, could you make some hot water?¡± ¡°Fine, I guess I¡¯ll help you.¡± After collecting our spoils, Wolf sat cross-legged in front of me. I¡¯ve come to understand recently that this gesture meant ¡°Pour it on me.¡± I felt that doing this was a waste of mana, but we were already finished for the day. Skillfully using my fire and water magic, I produced a shower from my hands, and Wolf looked very satisfied. ¡°Gah! I really can¡¯t get enough of this! Normal water magicians can¡¯t do this, right? You really are a convenient woman, Sophia!¡± ¡°Okay, children who innocently badmouth others get their water¡¯s temperature instantly raised!" ¡°Huh? Hot, hot! I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ahahaha. In truth, his statement didn¡¯t really hurt my feelings. I learned in our week together that this dog-eared prince lacked all forms of consideration. He would casually say, ¡°You smell nice,¡± ¡°Your chest looks really soft,¡± and ¡°I bet you¡¯ll taste sweet if I lick you.¡± When these comments came up, I was shocked by this strange dog, but when I asked him about it later, he told me that after his home lost and he became His Majesty¡¯s slave at a young age, he had hardly ever interacted with girls. In other words, Wolf wasn¡¯t a strange dog but a pitiful one. The shower returned to its normal temperature, and after he finished washing his face, he brazenly removed his coat and shirt and began washing his upper body. To blatantly reveal his tight muscles and hard chest so casually in front of a woman like myself showed how abnormal his way of thinking was. ¡°Haah, I feel so refreshed! Sophia, you really are a convenient woman¡­no, I mean, a woman who makes me feel good!¡± ¡°¡­Okay, that¡¯s a good boy.¡± ¡°Hey, why are you looking at me with those super sympathetic eyes?! You know I¡¯m older than you, dammit!¡± Wolf¡¯s ears stiffened in anger, but he didn¡¯t attempt to stop me from patting his head. As my hand combed through his spiky, black hair, he let out a content sigh. I guess he really enjoyed it. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back, Wolf. It¡¯s too dark to see the ground, but are you going to be okay? Do you want to hold this big sister¡¯s hand?¡± ¡°Like! I! Said! I¡¯m the older one!¡± Hmph. Sorry to tell you this, Wolf, but I¡¯m mentally older than you. As I talked to the prince as his facial expressions flipped back and forth with his emotions, the two of us left the dungeon. ¡ô ¡ó ¡ô ¡°Oh-hoh. So to help the people who can¡¯t pay their taxes because of an epidemic, you became an adventurer to earn some money. That¡¯s really honorable of you!¡± ¡°Hehe, yeah.¡± After cashing in on all our spoils for the day, Wolf and I walked through the city of Stella underneath the evening sky. As we went around buying and eating the wares of the outdoor stalls, our conversation topic landed on why I became an adventurer. ¡°I was wondering why someone like you would be fighting monsters, but I see now. You¡¯ve got your circumstances.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean by ¡®someone like you¡¯?¡± Did he mean ¡°someone as weak-looking as you¡±? As usual, Wolf didn¡¯t sugarcoat his words. After he finished chowing down on his skewer, he crossed his arms for some reason and began grumbling. ¡°I really do think you¡¯re honorable for doing this for your people. I would know. I was once a prince, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah, but your country lost and you were taken prisoner by His Majesty.¡± ¡°Right. My status and honor were stripped away, and the land of the beastmen fell to ruin¡­ But I haven¡¯t given up. One day, I¡¯ll definitely reclaim my freedom and the land of my people!¡± Wolf¡¯s eyes sparkled with firm determination as he boldly proclaimed. Yeah, I think he was the more honorable one. The reason I was working for my family and people was because of this unpleasant guilt. I hunted when I was younger and strengthened my magic skills, but I was still scared of monsters. If I wasn¡¯t together with the battle-hungry Wolf, I would have never spent a whole day inside a dungeon. Because of him, I made so much money, so I really should be thanking him. ¡°¡­So, Sophia, when I do reclaim my kingdom, I¡¯ll feed you for the rest of your days as thanks! I¡¯ll even buy your poor territory and make it prosper. Don¡¯t you worry!¡± ¡°Ahaha, thanks, Wolf. Okay, let¡¯s work hard and make some more money tomorrow!¡± ¡°Alright! Oh, by the way, stay over at the inn with me. Let¡¯s sleep together!¡± Okay¡­ Wait, what?!!! What was this guy saying all of a sudden?! Seeing me shocked, Wolf cocked his head to the side. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sophia? Didn¡¯t you tell me before that the only one you should sleep beside is the one you love? Then, this should be okay. After all, I love you!¡± ¡°T-thanks for telling me¡­ But listen here, Wolf! There are two kinds of love: affection and passion. They¡¯re different, you know!¡± ¡°Oh, really? Then which is my love for you?¡± As if I would know! Besides, who confesses their love to someone in the middle of the road?! Oh, wow, now I noticed that everyone was looking at us. Wolf was good-looking so seeing a handsome guy like him flirt with an awkward girl like me would stand out in a bad way! ¡°For now, let¡¯s go to an alleyway for a second because people are staring at us. I¡¯ll explain more there.¡± ¡°Okay, Sophia! Teach me about love in a back alley!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but mind your wording!¡± Sigh, at this rate, how long will it take for him to learn to be normal? The strange dog prince happily laughed while my face was bright red.