Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 58: Rare Species
If Bob’s nose and instincts could be trusted, something was wrong with the shrine.
The more Tauro listened, the more that suspicion hardened into certainty.
“An adventurer from this village helped me a long time ago. He told me how kind the people here were, so I remembered his stories and decided to visit. But what I heard and what I found are completely different—far too different. I can’t believe that adventurer lied to me, so I started wondering whether something had happened to the village.”
Now Tauro understood why Bob had remained and continued completing quests instead of simply leaving.
Tauro, in all honesty, had planned to depart as soon as the ten nights he had already paid for were over because of the villagers’ cold treatment.
Most other visitors would probably leave just as quickly under the current conditions.
At this rate, the village would inevitably decline.
Bob had trusted the adventurer’s account and was searching for the cause in hopes of saving the village.
Compared with him, Tauro felt ashamed for having written the place off so quickly.
He decided to trust Bob and help the village.
The next morning, Bob again accepted a quest to exterminate monsters around the shrine and left early.
Tauro was only F-rank and couldn’t accept the same quest. Since his herb-gathering quest also took him into the forest, he used it as a pretext to follow.
He ventured deeper into the forest than ever before. Medicinal herbs grew in abundance, and Tauro collected them as he advanced, using [Presence Detection] and [Presence Concealment] to avoid monsters whenever possible.
He sensed Bob.
Bob was fighting a monster whose silhouette resembled a kobold.
As far as Tauro could tell from his presence, Bob still had plenty of strength to spare, so he should be fine on his own.
Tauro was more interested in inspecting the shrine Bob had mentioned.
An overgrown, crumbling path led deeper into the forest. It appeared to have gone unused for years and now resembled an animal trail more than a road.
Tauro followed it farther and farther.
There seemed to be a clearing ahead.
He couldn’t be certain because he stopped before reaching it.
[Presence Detection] had found several monsters beyond the trees.
Tauro quietly parted the bushes and peered into the clearing.
“I’ve never seen one before… Is that a Goblin Sorcerer?”
A goblin in a ragged hooded robe carried a staff and commanded roughly ten ordinary goblins.
The goblins that attacked Bob the day before had used poisoned knives. The idea might have come from this Sorcerer.
Goblin Sorcerers were an intelligent, magic-using rare species. They were troublesome foes that demanded extreme caution.
As Tauro considered what to do, the Sorcerer led the goblins into the shrine at the far end of the clearing.
So that’s the shrine Bob mentioned. He was right—it might be dangerous.
Tauro murmured to himself.
Though only at the most basic level, Tauro could use [Spirit Magic].
That ability had also enabled him to see spirits.
Dark spirits clustered densely around the shrine. One look was enough to tell Tauro that something was happening there.
“For now, I should wait until the goblins come back out. But Bob might arrive soon too… Wait, is that him already?”
[Presence Detection] picked up someone who seemed to be Bob.
Bob stepped into the clearing from the bushes on the opposite side.
“Bob!”
Before Tauro could decide whether to call out, goblins emerged from the shrine. They spotted Bob and immediately raised an uproar.
“You goblins are infesting the shrine again? You never learn!”
Bob drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance.
But more goblins poured from the shrine one after another.
There were ten in all.
When the Goblin Sorcerer emerged last, even Bob realized the odds were against him.
“Damn. This isn’t a job for one man!”
Seeing that, Tauro made up his mind to help.
The Goblin Sorcerer had to be eliminated first.
From the bushes, Tauro drew his bow and loosed an arrow at the Sorcerer.
The arrow flew straight toward its target, but in the next instant—
Clang!
A sword thrust in from the side and knocked it away.
Another rare species had emerged from the shrine: a Goblin Knight equipped with an iron sword, armor, and a small shield.
“Bob, retreat for now!”
Tauro judged that they had little chance of victory. He revealed himself from the bushes and urged Bob to withdraw.
“R-right!”
At Tauro’s warning, Bob hurriedly fled.
Tauro released [Presence Concealment], then used arrows and the earth spell [Stone Pebble] through [Spirit Magic] to harry the goblins chasing Bob and draw their attention to himself.
Once they changed targets, Tauro activated [Presence Concealment] again and escaped.