Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 22: The Forbidden Move
A few days later, Tauro’s lavish party and his donation of all the remaining money to the orphanage were warmly received by everyone involved.
However, the fact that these were the actions of a ten-year-old adventurer became the talk of the city, and Tauro’s name quickly became famous.
Very few people outside the guild and his other acquaintances actually knew what Tauro looked like.
After all, he used [Presence Concealment] whenever he walked through the city, so the townspeople almost never noticed him.
As a result, only his name spread through the city. The few genuine details about him became embellished by people’s imaginations until the rumors took on a life of their own.
“Satou, I heard you go out every night and punish evildoers.”
“I heard you brought an old man back from the dead.”
The adult adventurers found the rumors amusing and teased Tauro about them.
“Of course I didn’t!”
Tauro looked utterly troubled.
“That’s what I figured, so I told them it wasn’t true.”
The adventurers laughed as they said it.
As his fellow guild members, they had apparently been correcting the false rumors for him.
“Thank you, everyone.”
When Tauro thanked them, someone among the adventurers called out.
“We owe you for the drinks, and you’re one of us. Of course we’d set the story straight.”
The speaker was Mauve, the veteran adventurer.
“You did a fine thing, so hold your head high. The rumors will die down before long.”
“Yes!”
Tauro’s own background was one reason he had donated to the orphanage, but Mauve—who had helped him in so many ways—was another.
When Tauro first arrived at the guild, receptionist Nei had told him that Mauve had grown up as an orphan. Apparently, Mauve regularly donated part of his adventuring income to the orphanage.
That was probably why he hadn’t left the city even though he had reached C+ rank and was close to B rank, the benchmark for a first-rate adventurer.
Mauve is as cool as ever!
Tauro felt grateful to him all over again.
A few days later, Tauro was shopping in town while using [Presence Concealment] as usual when he noticed several puppet shows being performed along the roadside.
There seemed to be far more of them than before.
The increase itself didn’t concern him. The problem was that he was the hero of their stories.
There was rarely much to talk about in this city.
For the puppeteers, stories starring Tauro concerned the most popular topic in town and offered the perfect opportunity to make money.
Whether the rumors were true didn’t matter as long as the story was entertaining. The puppeteers exaggerated the tales into amusing yet heroic adventures.
“This is bad… Before the rumors can die out, the puppet shows might spread them even further…”
Puppet theater also served as a way to pass local legends and stories down to future generations.
In the distant past, it may even have had a ritual purpose, but now it was primarily entertainment.
In other words, the stories about Tauro were on their way to becoming part of the city’s local entertainment.
People in his previous life had said that there was no stopping gossip, and this was a perfect example.
“I have no choice… It’s risky, and it’s a worn-out, forbidden move, but I’ll have to use my trump card…”
Tauro apparently had one last card to play.
“Sorry, puppeteers, but it’s an eye for an eye. I’ll counter entertainment with new entertainment and bury the rumors beneath it! Now that that’s settled, it’s time to start building!”
Confident that his plan could work, Tauro hurried back to the guild.