Chapter 317 Dancing Sophia
After leaving the Commerce Guild, Sophia decided to head straight to Maiden's Tower.
Originally, she planned to return to the Sophia Merchant Guild, but Daniel thought it would be better to go toward Grandchester Castle because he sensed something unsettling behind them.
However, just before entering the forest path leading to Grandchester Castle, they were surrounded by about ten men. They gave off a more dangerous vibe than the usual thugs, suggesting they might be involved in more serious crimes... like murder.
"Looks like they finally showed up."
"Seems so. How unfortunate... or rather, reckless."
Sophia and Daniel chatted casually. Today, Sophia needed to wear a dress for a meeting. She had no choice but to use a simple dress that allowed for horseback riding and a side saddle. Since Durandal had returned to Maiden's Tower with the golem Sara, she was riding a different military horse. Daniel was also using a military horse raised on the Grandchester estate, and while they could have easily shaken off the suspicious group, they chose to show a little vulnerability to lure them out.
When Sophia suggested this plan, her bodyguard Daniel opposed her idea, but he couldn't say no to his master, who was just as skilled as he was.
The men approached Sophia and Daniel with lewd grins on their faces.
"Sorry to bother you. It seems our master has business with that young lady over there."
"I'm not sure who your master is, but if you have business with me, please make a reservation in writing. I'm not free either."
"That won't work. My master is impatient and doesn't mind being a bit rough."
"How rude and seemingly foolish you are. Please wash your face... um, you all smell, so take a full bath and come back. It would be best if you also washed your scalp properly. Leaving it oily can cause hair loss. It seems like your crown is already thinning."
The man who spoke seemed to have some awareness, as his face turned red with anger.
"Shut up. Who's bald?"
"No, you're just thinning. It's only a matter of time, I think."
"Stop whining and come here. I have orders to be a bit rough before bringing you in. I might have some fun, but I won't take your life."
"Ah, is that so?"
Daniel smoothly drew his greatsword while still mounted.
"Lady Sophia, could you please step back a bit? I really don't want you to deal with this filthy guy. He truly stinks."
"That's fine, but it seems there are people hiding behind those over there. What will you do about them?"
"Depends on the situation, I guess. I'll do what I can for now."
"The people hiding seem cleaner than these smelly bald guys. They probably have to mask their body odor for stealth."
"Who are you calling a smelly bald guy?!"
"Ah, my apologies. I meant the unkempt, thinning-haired man."
"Shut up! You guys, catch these guys. You can kill the guard if you want."
The men all jumped at Daniel at once. But Daniel swung his greatsword easily, dodging all their attacks.
"Hmm... I had a feeling, but these guys are too weak. The real target must be hiding."
"Oh, just like that man's thinning hair?"
"Lady Sophia, are you really going to point that out?"
"--You keep poking at what people are sensitive about! Don't you get called mean?"
"Everyone says I have a nice personality."
"That's not a compliment!"
When Sophia tilted her head in confusion, the bald man argued back in frustration. He tried to get closer to Sophia while dodging Daniel, but was sent flying by the flat side of Daniel's greatsword.
"I won't let you go. You guys are pretty foolish. You're just too weak."
While Daniel was dealing with the men, suddenly, men in dark outfits swarmed out from the forest behind Sophia. They were already holding drawn daggers.
"Hiding in the Grandchester Castle forest, huh? That's quite clever. But there are quite a few traps here."
"I'm honored by your compliment."
"And it's impressive how clean you are."
"As Lady Sophia pointed out earlier, body odor can be a problem when hiding."
"Your hair is covered with cloth, so I can't tell its condition."
"Oh, I'm fluffy! My father and grandfather weren't bald."
"That's good to hear."
"--So stop talking about hair!"
The earlier man shouted while fighting Daniel, as if he could hear their conversation.
"Wow, you're pretty relaxed while dealing with Daniel."
"By the way, just to let you know, that smelly bald guy over there has nothing to do with us. I really don't want to be grouped with him."
The leader in black replied.
"I see. Then we'll just dance over here."
Before anyone noticed, Sophia had twin swords in her hands.
"Hmm... I thought you were no ordinary person from your presence, but you're a twin sword user."
As the leader charged at Sophia, several others in black moved in from behind, coordinating their attack on her.
"Everyone, what a wonderful teamwork!"
"Individual strength is important, but we achieve many times that strength through our coordination."
"I see. That's interesting."
Sophia was on the defensive, blocking the attacks from the men in black with her sword. Since it was physically difficult for many to attack at once, they constantly switched positions, launching quick attacks in succession.
"Truly elegant. I understand why Master wants to take you. But if you're afraid of hurting us, you won't win."
"How cruel to say that to a delicate maiden."
"Delicate, you say... I feel like that's not quite right..."
While she deflected her opponent's slightly exasperated comments, Sophia noticed out of the corner of her eye that Daniel had already subdued the men who attacked him first. Since she didn't have the time to pull something out from her spatial storage, she dropped a sturdy rope from above onto the fallen men in front of Daniel.
"Daniel, tie them up."
"Understood. By the way, do you need help over there?"
"Just tie them up first. I'll keep dancing until then."
"Understood."
Daniel quietly tied up the attackers.
"Could it be that you think we are dance partners?"
"I think there are too many of us to be called partners. It feels more like a group dance."
While dodging attacks without breaking a sweat, Sophia began to see the black-clad men getting anxious.
"Well, they all look like men who have been rejected by Lady Sophia for a dance. Don't you realize the difference in your levels?"
"Are you saying we are weaklings, you guard? You don't know who you're dealing with?"
"That's right. Daniel, you're being rude to them. They're not bad dancers."
With skilled hands, Daniel finished tying up the men and swung his greatsword around as he approached Sophia.
"Lady Sophia, I'm done here. What should we do next?"
"I wanted to dance a bit longer, but we still have work to do, so let's wrap it up."
"I'll help too."
"Hmm. If it's you, Daniel, you'll knock them out, and that's a hassle since we can't drag them away on horseback."
"I think it's cruel to make them walk in a line behind a horse."
"It's fine; I won't be dragging them at high speed or anything."
As Daniel and Sophia continued their uneasy conversation, the black-clad men became furious.
"I'd like to end this playtime soon."
"Yes, it's unfortunate, but I think I should do the same."
Sophia used a body enhancement magic. In fact, she had been moving without using magic until now.
"Ugh!"
The black-clad men noticed that Sophia's aura and movements had changed significantly.
"Lady Sophia, could you please stop cutting off their limbs?"
"Is that not allowed?"
"When you do that, it often leaves scars on the heart that never heal."
"Hmm. So you can attack others with weapons, but when it happens to you, you break down? Don't you realize you could end up in the same situation?"
"Lady Sophia, you said something similar earlier at the Commerce Guild, right?"
"Oh, it's basic that if you do something, the other person will retaliate. Why can't you understand such a simple thing? Well, in that sense, these people attacking me is just a result of what I've done coming back to me."
"That's definitely true. Oh, and if blood splatters on your clothes, it will make it hard for the maids to do laundry."
"Ah, that's true; blood is hard to get out. Then I guess I'll start harvesting souls like Daniel. Sorry, but could you help me with that?"
"Understood."
Sophia moved with more precision than before, diving into the enemy's space and knocking them out one by one. Though her dress was simple, it made her look like she was dancing with every step. Even the men she was fighting were captivated by her movements, almost mesmerized.
On the other hand, Daniel handled his greatsword with ease, subduing the men surrounding them to match Sophia's rhythm. Despite his tough appearance and large build, Daniel's movements were delicate and accurately targeted the enemies' weak points.
"I can't believe... you were holding back... that's impossible..."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to watch your movements a little. Oh, I apologize for the misunderstanding, but if it comes to cutting off your bodies, I can do that easily, you know?"
"Where did the fragile maiden go?"
"Let's just say it's a maiden's secret."
Sophia said this with a smirk, then kicked the last remaining leader guy hard in the groin with a high kick. The man flew sideways and stopped moving.
"Ah. Lady Sophia, I think you should avoid doing that in a dress."
"Oh, did you see that?"
"No, it's more like it looks like I could see something, which is even worse."
The two of them, who had knocked out more than 20 attackers, continued their relaxed conversation without even breathing heavily. Of course, Daniel was tying up the attackers, while Sophia was using her wood magic to bind them with plant vines.
"Isn't there a bit too many of them?"
"I heard they are from a different group, so it can't be helped. But still, Lady Sophia, don't you get too much attention?"
"Well, I'll just hand them over to the knight order for questioning."
Sophia took out an ocarina for golems and played a special tune. After about ten minutes, the first and second golems from Maiden's Tower arrived. The golems seemed to understand the situation and were pulling the largest cart from Maiden's Tower.
"First golem, I want to take these people to the knight order's headquarters, but there are more of them than I expected. What should I do?"
"You just need to make 2 trips with the cart. The second golem will keep watch, so I'll go back and forth. Is there anything you want me to tell the knight order?"
"Umm, it seems like the group in black and those smelly people over there are from different groups. Please make sure to question everyone properly and clarify who their employer is. Also, send the report to Maiden's Tower."
"Understood."
As Sophia approached her horse to mount, Daniel offered his hand. She could mount by herself, but this was very much like a former knight.
"Oh, right, could you also tell 28 that Sophia won't be able to return to the Sophia Merchant Guild today through Magi? I think it's fine since there shouldn't be any meetings scheduled."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
"According to 28, Baron Jilbafuchs has visited the Sophia Merchant Guild without an appointment."
"Really? I wonder if something happened since he came without notice... In that case, I'll head back to the Sophia Merchant Guild. Daniel, I'm sorry, but I need to go there again."
"Ugh. I don't mind, but that guy..."
It seems Daniel doesn't really like Jilbafuchs.
"It's work, so it can't be helped."
"Understood."
So, Daniel and Sophia turned their horses back toward the Sophia Merchant Guild.
Since it was more like early winter than late autumn, the sun was leaning to the west, and it was already that time of day where deep blue and the red of dusk created a strange gradient.
Suddenly, Sophia thought.
'It would be nice if there were streetlights or something on the main roads in the Grandchester territory.'
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