CH 201

In a corner of the dining room at the Rest Pavilion.

Tauro and the others were sitting in front of a man.

He had shaggy red hair, red eyes, black iron armor from top to bottom, a large sword on his back, and a scar on his temple.

The age of his equipment suggests that he may have been in the battlefield as a mercenary before becoming an adventurer.

It seems that he has really risen to the E- level in a short period of time through sheer strength.

“So, Mr. Ankh? Why did you want to join a young team like ours whom everyone seems to avoid at first glance?”

“ Hm? Because you were the one team I saw recruiting for the vanguard position, ……, but this, I’m surprised …….”

“”……?””

“No, I’m sorry. This onee-chan is a rare race, isn’t she? I’m not one to talk about it, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen your kind.”

Ankh looked at Ragune in surprise.

“…… How did you recognize my race?”

Ragune hides her race from view by using a visual inhibiting magic.

The actuality is that you can’t really see it.

“ I have good eyesight. I can get through some inhibitions. And I also have a low-grade person appraisal …… that girl over there has great inhibitory skills, I have no idea what her name is.”

Ankh shook his head and cowered exaggeratedly as he pointed at Aeris.

I wonder if he has the skill to spot inhibition systems, he also has an appraisal and his skills are likely to stand out.

“ I’m the leader, so a kid will be in charge, is that okay?”

“ When it comes to mercenaries, it doesn’t matter whether they are children or adults on the battlefield. The one who survives the longest is the best.  And I’m just starting out, having only been here a month or so. The secret to longevity is to listen and absorb what the veterans have to say.”

Apparently, he doesn’t care that the leader is a child.

Aeris looks at Ankh with a dubious look.

“Then, I want to see how good you are, may I ask you to do an E-rank quest with me?”

Tauro immediately suggested.

“Oh? You’re moving fast. Are you sure? If a twenty-six year old guy like me joins, I’ll raise the average age of the group.”

Apparently, he was confident that he could pass the practical test.

“For what it’s worth,…In spite of appearance…, ah, excuse me, I don’t mean that in a bad way. …… you seem to be more understanding and less stereotypical than I thought you would be.  Also, it seems that you’re answering the questions honestly, and since you’re showing your hand, I would like to respond appropriately as well…….”

Tauro looked Ankh in the eye and answered.

“….. that’s terrifying, boy.”

Ankh was taken aback by the look in Tauro’s eyes.

The quests for Ankh’s acceptance or rejection were the usual goblin slaying and the promised herb gathering quests.

“I can understand the …… goblin slaying, but gathering medicinal herbs, again, an unexpected choice.”

Ankh was puzzled by Tauro’s unreadable choice of quests.

“Basically, this is what our team does. Then let’s all get started.”

Aeris and Ragune, as a matter of course, quickly found and collected medicinal herbs.

Tauro found an expensive medicinal herb that was supposed to be difficult to find and returned immediately after leaving the area for a moment.

Seeing Tauro, Ankh also rushed to the spot and started collecting medicinal herbs.

Surprisingly, Ankh knew how to gather medicinal herbs.

He may have done the quests at the guild in the Royal Capital, or he may have done them when he was a mercenary.

“When did you become a mercenary?”

Tauro asked Ankh while showing Aeris where the medicinal herbs were.

“I guess since I was …… ten years old, when I took up a spear at my employer’s side. That’s when I killed my first one, and I’ve been in the mercenary business ever since.”

He is now twenty-six years old, which means he has more than fifteen years of experience.

He is a veteran warrior.

“Why did you become an adventurer again?”

“The reason is simple. I got tired of killing people. But I’ve been in the battlefield for a long time. I can’t do much else. I thought being an adventurer wouldn’t be too far out of my field.”

Ankh’s answer was clear.

I think he meant what he said, but there was something about it that stuck with me.

But it wasn’t bad.

Tauro thought that Ankh was not the type of person to play tricks.

“Well, then, it’s time to go and take down some goblins. There seems to be a goblin pack nearby.”

Tauro confirmed the goblins with his “presence detection” and caught their silhouettes with his “true eyes”.

“Oh! I can finally show off my real job skills.”

Ankh lightly tapped the hilt of the great sword on his back.