[No hate against anyone's sexual orientation]
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"Hwewe~ man...You look hella fuc*able."
'Isn't that what he had said?' Seraphina recalled while nodding her head.
That night, when she was going back home, she had happened to overhear his drunken talk. But back then, she had ignored them, which was the main reason of why she did not recognize him at first.
Her testimony, coupled with the circulating rumors, really painted an image of him as a homosexual...
Seeing the poor worker getting bullied by this adventurer, the silver-haired girl wanted to provide her help; however, she had not forgotten what happened with Elyott at the Adventurer's Hall.
Seraphina did not want to embarrass herself more than necessary. Moreover, she was not the only person here who could teach him a lesson; even if she did nothing, others would probably intervene in her place.
However, their argument continued without anyone stepping in between, which made the silver-haired girl a bit worried about the innocent man's safety.
Her worried expression did not last long because everything changed when she heard someone say the word 'heretical'. The target of her focus changed from the staff member to the adventurer.
'Homosexuality is same-sex relations and...Hmm....'
The little girl was realizing something, so she momentarily closed her eyes in thought.
'Same-sex relations are sodomy!' She concluded, her eyes fixing the man with a hint of gravity inside. 'Sodomy is bad!'
Like the rumors were saying, homosexuality was a heretical act. It was even widely regarded as a crime against nature to have this type of impure relation.
If the adventurer was truly what they had said, then, as a High Priestess, she would be required to intervene even if she did not want to.
But those were all rumors with no concrete proof; also, Seraphina did not want to put on her robe and act as a member of the Church. After all, she was in her casual wear for a reason.
She could just ignore it all since this did not concern her yet, but being the ever-diligent priestess she was, Seraphina would stay until the end in case it did concern the Church.
"You all shut up!" he shouted, turning to the crowd whispering about him.
This adventurer really was a 2-Star. He had managed to overhear everything being talked about himself, even while he was arguing fiercely with the staff member.
"I'm not a disgusting demon spawn!"
Everyone, this included the crowd, the staff members, and even the High Priestess, frowned, with some even looking on with disgust, the moment he mentioned the words 'I' and 'demon spawn' in the same sentence.
To be associated with the demons, it seemed like homosexuality was truly a grave sin...
Then again, this harsh treatment could be explained pretty easily.
"Tsk." A staff member clicked his tongue.
"That's what the abominations burned at the stake also said..." a rich-looking merchant mumbled.
"You should pull your pants up then!" a father of three, who had come to Alequessa to purchase ale, shouted.
As it could be seen, no matter who they were, what their status was, or where they had come from, as long as they shared the human race, one thing was for certain,
They are all influenced in some way, shape, or form by the Church.
Anyways, the adventurer did as he was told and quickly put his clothes back on before continuing.
"Who cares about that!? That's not the point!"
He roared while turning back to face the worker.
"I'm not paying if they're not! Do I have to tell you with my fists so you can understand!?"
Jerking at the staff member's collar, the adventurer yelled in the poor man's face, with bits of spit landing over his face.
He raised his hand into a fist, about to punch the uniform-wearing man, when suddenly—
*Clasp*
Just as his fist was about to land, a hand appeared between them, stopping the blow.
"Just pay up, idiot," a black-haired young man said, catching his fist mid-air.
Seeing that someone had helped him, the worker silently thanked the person.
"Who are you to tell me that?!!" he shouted as his attention left the innocent man, which allowed him to escape.
The black-haired young man released his hold over the other's hand after seeing the worker getting away.
"Name's Ombre. I'm a C-ranked adventurer." Ombre announced as he pulled up the black sleeve covering his right arm. "As you can see, I'm a Single Star and I'm ranked above you."
The black-haired young man was proudly displaying his beige forearm so that everyone could see. Over it was a small black star.
Besides his hair and strength, Ombre was a tall man, two heads taller than our High Priestess, actually. He was wearing a similar uniform to the Convoiery's staff at the exception that his was black, and not brown.
As for his appearance, the young man had quite the androgynous face, without any sign of facial hair. Compared to the E-rank adventurer, his body was also much slender, giving him this youthful look.
Seeing Ombre's only star as well as his face, the E-rank opened his mouth to burst out:
"You think a weak kid like you can order me around!?"
"You don't deserve to be in C-rank!" he spat.
Not only did Ombre have access to free rides, but he was also a C-rank, and not just a mere D-rank!
Showing up before this salty adventurer, what reaction other than fury was he expecting?