Chapter 385: The Dye Village

　Tauro and his group had come to a village near the city of Caxart.

　The village is located near a forest and half of it is hidden within the forest, but there is a lot of smoke rising from various places, so even from a distance it is easy to see that people live there.

　Also, there were many dyed cloths fluttering about to dry, which also served as good landmarks.

　As we got closer, we saw that the entire village was surrounded by a fence and was surprisingly secure, with a gatekeeper standing at the entrance.

“Is this the dyeing village of Zenyu?”

　Tauro checked with the gatekeeper on behalf of everyone.

“Yes? Yes, but what do you guys want? You don’t look like customers though.”

　It was a group of two armed children and two adults.

　As the gatekeeper he would be on guard, but it’s inevitable that he would be puzzled by this combination.

“We are adventurers from the town of Caxart. We have come here on an escort mission at the request of the chief of the village of Zenyu.”

“Yes! I’ve heard about it. But is a team of adventurers with two children really the strongest team in a big town like Caxart? Of course, I don’t doubt you, but are you sure your up to the task?”

　There’s no way for the gatekeeper to check.

　The marriage of the village chief’s daughter is a major event for the village and is also important for the future development of the village.

　This time, the role of leader of the event was entrusted to the adventurers, in preference to the skilled travelers visiting the village and the village guards who are proud of their skills.

　Then, an adventurer, supposedly a child leader, had arrived.

　It was a cause for concern.

“In case you are wondering, I am a D+ adventurer in the city of Caxart. Here’s a copy of my request form and my adventurer tag.”

　Tauro produced and showed a sheet of paperwork and the silver tag hanging from his neck.

　Following Tauro’s lead, Raguna and the others also showed their tags.

“Sure looks like the real thing. ……They say the world is a big place, but to think that there’s a child adventurer who has reached D rank…that’s quite something. Look, there’s a house at the back of the village with a lot of smoke rising from it, right? That’s the village chief’s house. Right now, we’re in the middle of the dyeing process, so it’s a bit tense, so please don’t disturb the people around you.”

　The gatekeeper told us this and opened the village gate to let us in.

“I understand. Thank you very much”

　Tauro bows to the gatekeeper and goes inside.

　Raguna and the others followed suit.

“Adventurers these days are so polite. When I was an adventurer, they weren’t like that.”

　The gatekeeper smiled at Tauro and the others when he saw them off.

　Tauro and his friends decided to cut through the village and head for the village chief’s house.

　Just as the gatekeeper had said, the surrounding area seemed to be in the “dyeing” stage, and inside each house, they could see artisans carefully dyeing each color with a brush.

“Wow. It looks like they’re doing some pretty high-skilled work here.”

　Tauro peeked into each house through the windows and doors that had been opened for ventilation and shared his impressions.

“This village is the second most famous in Count Graunewald’s territory the salt from the salt lake. This is my first time here, but I’ve heard that the dyed fabrics here are known as ‘Zenyu dyed fabrics’ and are traded at high prices.”

　Ankh shared some interesting facts with Tauro.

“I’ve heard that too. Apparently it’s so popular that it’s even exported outside the territory.”

　Zion is also a resident of Caxart, so she seems to have some information about the neighborhood.

“I see, then it makes sense that they would hire the best adventurers and be lavish with their money.”*

　Ragune was proud of the fact that they were the most highly regarded adventurers in the region.

“Hey, you guys, what did you just say?”

　A young villager overheard Ragune’s words and called out to them.

“We are the adventurer team “Black Golden Wings,” who have come to on a request from the city of Caxart.”

　Before Raguna could reply, Tauro stepped forward in front of the villagers and introduced them as a greeting.

“Oh come on, give me a break. I’ve never heard of an adventuring team with two little kids on it. How are we supposed to protect the little lady with these guys telling us what to do?”

“That’s our job this time, so we’ll do it.”

　Tauro responds with a smile.

“The kid has been talking a lot for a while now, but is the leader with the great sword on his back staying quiet? Are you guys sure you’re all right?”

　The young villager was either very confident in his strength or just didn’t like being bossed around by an outsider, as he kept pestering them.

“He, Ankh, is not the leader. I am the leader, Tauro. Nice to meet you.”

　Tauro could have made Ankh the leader to avoid any trouble, but he decided that if a young man like this was going to be serving under him during the escort, it would be better if he was understood, so he came forward himself to be the leader.

“What? Are you serious? Who’s going to follow a kid as a leader? Give me a break!”

　Finally, the young people’s frustration mounts.

　People gathered around to see what was going on.

“Hmm. Well then, would you like to have a light match with me? I’d be happy to play against you if that’s what you’d like.”

“Are you serious, kid?  No one in this village can match me when it comes to using a stick.”*

　The young man grabbed two sticks that were propped up on the eaves of a house and threw one to Tauro.

“A stick? I’m not very good at it, but I used to practice with sticks, so it’s fine.”

　Tauro replied, waving his stick lightly, making a noise as it cut through the air, then took a ready stance.

“…Your stance is impressive. I won’t show any mercy even to a kid, you know?”

　The young man replied, and then he took a stance against Tauro.

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