Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 67: Training the Newcomer
Tauro wanted Bob to send a letter inviting his girlfriend as soon as possible. However, Bob admitted that he wasn’t good at reading or writing, so Tauro wrote it for him.
Apparently, she could read and write, so the message should reach her clearly.
Bob would be embarrassed if the letter’s full contents were shared, but in summary it said:
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long. I have rented a house very cheaply in the village I told you about, so let us live together. I think you’ll like it here.”
That was the essence of it.
The details contained a great deal of personal information, so anyone who wanted to know more would have to ask Bob himself.
Tauro handed the letter to a courier and asked him to depart immediately.
Naturally, he paid the special rate.
Couriers normally waited until they had accumulated enough mail to make a journey profitable.
Tauro therefore paid the extra expense out of his own pocket.
After all, a good deed was best done quickly.
Tauro was once again in the forest on a medicinal-herb gathering quest.
This time, a novice adventurer accompanied him.
Chloe, the guild receptionist, had asked Tauro to teach the newcomer the finer points of gathering herbs so he could quickly become a capable adventurer.
Tauro knew more about medicinal herbs than even the veteran villagers who specialized in gathering them.
Medicinal herbs were an important source of income for Dansas, so the village needed as many capable gatherers as possible. For that reason, they entrusted Tauro with training the newcomer.
Tauro had now been promoted to F rank.
The sturdily built novice beside him had short black hair and dark eyes and was ranked F-.
Although their ranks were nearly equal and the newcomer was seven years older, Shin was humble and receptive.
Whenever the younger Tauro explained something, Shin listened seriously, intent on absorbing it as quickly as possible.
“This medicinal plant is called Heela Grass. When harvesting it, cut it above the roots rather than pulling the whole plant out. Otherwise, it won’t grow back. Gathering this herb is the most basic medicinal-herb quest.”
“All right, I understand!”
“This similar plant is only a weed, so be careful. You can distinguish them by how pointed the leaf tips are and by the thickness at the base of the stem.”
“Then… is this one a weed?”
Shin plucked a nearby plant and showed it to Tauro.
“Yes, that’s the weed. The one growing beside it’s Heela Grass. It’s often mixed in among weeds, so take care.”
“I see.”
Shin was deeply impressed by the younger boy.
Rumor claimed that Tauro had served as the village hero Bob’s assistant and helped him exterminate a Goblin Knight, a Goblin Sorcerer, and the goblin band under them.
Shin had once helped other villagers kill a lone goblin that was raiding his village’s fields, but that had been only one.
Tauro and Bob had killed more than ten between them, so Tauro’s composure was clearly no act.
Even now, he remained constantly alert and tracked the movements of nearby monsters.
At first, Shin had been struck by the equipment that seemed inappropriate for an eleven-year-old in the F ranks. Now he understood that Tauro was fully worthy of it.
If anything, he wondered why the boy was still only F rank.
“Encounters with monsters are common while gathering herbs. For now, run whenever you meet one. Goblins in particular usually travel in groups, and it’ll be too late once they surround you. Stay vigilant and be ready to escape the moment you see them.”
“Did you run away when you first started too, Tauro?”
Shin had grown curious about this strangely impressive boy.
“Of course. I ran away constantly. Adventurers in the F ranks are supposed to begin by gaining experience against small monsters such as Unicorn Rabbits. Fighting anything else won’t help your rank, and those are the guild’s rules. There are penalties for breaking them, so please be careful. Besides, if you fight something and happen to die, that’s the end.”
That was true.
Shin had imagined only victories and had easily forgotten that losing meant being killed. Monsters would show him no mercy.
He shuddered as he imagined his own death.
“Now that we’ve met the quest quota, I’ll show you the valuable medicinal herbs that grow around the village. I expect money is tight for you right now, but collecting these should make life easier.”
“Oh! That would be a huge help!”
Shin’s eyes lit up.
He had left his village clutching the money he had desperately saved, but he could barely earn enough to cover his daily expenses.
Some days he actually lost money and had to draw from his meager savings.
For a novice adventurer, everything Tauro taught him was enormously helpful.