Chapter 67: Teaching the Newcomer

I asked Bob to write a letter to get his girlfriend to come to him quickly, but he said he couldn’t read or write very well, so I wrote it for him.

　She seems to be able to read and write, so it will be transmitted properly.

He didn’t feel okay talking about the contents of the letter, so I just wrote briefly.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting for so long,  I was able to rent a house in the village I told you about at a very reasonable price, so let’s live together. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

That’s all it said.

If he were to go into details, it would involve a lot of personal information, so he decided it would be better for her to personally ask Bob about it.

Tauro handed the letter to the letter carrier and sent him on his way.

He paid the special rate.

Normally, letter carriers don’t move until they have a certain amount of mail, because they can’t get their money’s worth.

So Tauro paid more out of his own pocket.

Anyway, good things should come in a hurry.

Tauro was in the forest again on a quest to collect medicinal herbs.

This time, he was accompanied by a new adventurer.

Chloe, the receptionist, asked him to teach the newcomer how to gather herbs so that he could become a full-fledged adventurer.

Tauro knew more about medicinal herbs than the veteran herb collectors in the village of Dansas.

As the source of funds for this village, the more people who can collect medicinal herbs, the better. So they decided to entrust Tauro with the role of educational instructor.

Tauro has now been promoted to F rank.

This newcomer, blessed with short black hair and dark eyes, is F-ranked.

Although their ranks were almost the same and he was seven years older, this newcomer, Shin, was straightforward.

When Tauro, who was younger than him, explained, he was serious about learning everything as quickly as possible.

“This herb is called hera herb,” Tauro said, ” when you pick it, don’t start from the roots, but from the top. If you don’t, it won’t grow back. This is the basics of herb gathering quests.”

“Ok, I get it!”

“There’s a similar weed, but it’s just a weed, so be careful. You can tell them apart by the pointy ends of the leaves and the thickness of the base of the stems.”

“So… this is a weed?”

Shin plucked a nearby weed and confirms with Tauro.

“Yes, that’s the weed and the one growing next to it is Hera grass. It often gets mixed in with the weeds, so be careful.”

“I see.”

Shin was full of admiration for the younger Tauro.

Rumor had it that as an assistant to Bob, the village hero, he’d worked to exterminate the goblin knight and goblin sorcerer along with their group.

He had killed some stray goblins that were raiding the village fields with other villagers, but only one.

The two of them had killed more than ten goblins together, so his calmness was no mean feat.

Even now, Tauro was constantly on the lookout for his surroundings, sensing the movements of the monsters.

At first, his young age, equipment and F-rank tag caught Shin’s attention, but now he knew that it was appropriate.

On the contrary, he even wondered why Tauro was still in the F rank band.

“It’s common to encounter monsters when collecting herbs. When you encounter them please run away. Especially goblins, since they usually act in groups and it’ll be too late if you get surrounded. Be vigilant and try to escape as soon as you see them.”

“Tauro, did you also run away at first?”

Shin was curious about this boy with an air of mystery.

“Of course I ran away. It’s a basic duty of the F-rank to subdue small monsters such as rabbits. It doesn’t affect your rank if you deal with other opponents, that’s how the guild works. There are penalties if you don’t follow the rules so please be careful. Besides, if you fight against them and happen to die, it’s over.”

That was true.

It’s easy to forget when you’ve only ever imagined yourself winning a fight, but if you lose, you’ll be killed and they’re monsters, so they won’t show mercy.

Shin trembled as he imagined himself getting killed.

“So, now that we’ve met our quota for the quest, I’ll tell you about the expensive medicinal herbs that can be found around the village. I know life’s hard for you right now in terms of income, but if you can get this, it’ll be easier for you.”

“Oh! That would be great!”

Shin’s eyes lit up.

He’d left his village clutching desperately the money he’d saved, but he could barely earn his daily living expenses.

On the other hand, there are days when he’s in the red and has to take out of his small savings.

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