Volume 1 Chapter 23 The Nurturer's First Job
The girl with black hair glances at me and quickly looks away.
Her semi-long black hair reaches down to her collarbone.
She wears a huge triangular hat, decorated with a pink ribbon around the rolled part.
Peeking a little closer, I can see her baby face with soft-looking cheeks hidden under the big hat.
But right now, that baby face is scrunched up in a frown.
Did I do something to upset her?
"Um, who is this girl...?"
I ask Ms. Terra about the girl who was suddenly brought here.
She puffs out her chest confidently for some reason.
"As I said yesterday, I found a struggling rookie adventurer. I want to contribute to the development of Nurturer too. By the way, her name is Cosmos."
"But, even if you say she's a rookie adventurer..."
I remember that she mentioned finding a struggling adventurer yesterday and promoting this place.
Since Ms. Terra works at the guild every day, she should be good at finding those kinds of adventurers.
So, it wouldn't be surprising if she brought one right away...
"Is this girl really an adventurer?"
The black-haired girl, or rather Cosmos, looks to be around ten years old.
She has a slender build and is only about my chest height.
She looks too young to be adventuring...
let alone walking around by herself.
Is she really an adventurer? Isn't she a bit too young for that?
I started adventuring when I was 6, so I can't really judge, but there's a big difference in perception between boys and girls.
"I became an adventurer pretty early too, but for a girl to start adventuring at this age..."
As I start to say this, I suddenly realize something.
Being told that this girl is an adventurer, I focus on Cosmos's Divine Revelation with my 'Divine Eye' skill.
[Job Class] Stardust Magician
[Level] 15
[Skill] Spell Chanting
[Magic] Meteor Magic
[Divine Blessing]
- Strength: F80
- Agility: E120
- Resilience: F50
- Magic: D250
- Holy Power:E 150
The level is pretty decent.
Reaching this level means that she has been regularly hunting monsters.
Just living a normal life wouldn't lead to such a Divine Revelation.
So it seems this girl is really an adventurer.
Well, there's one "worrying point" though...
As I recognized the girl in front of me as an adventurer, Cosmos suddenly turned to look at me.
She shot me a very displeased look and opened her small mouth for the first time.
"Don't treat me like a kid, you 'broke shopkeeper'..."
"..."
It took me a moment to process the girl's words.
It's not that I didn't hear what she said.
I was just so taken aback by the unexpected words that I questioned if they really came from her.
I mean, it felt like such an inappropriate way to speak...
"Did I, um, mishear that? Just now, you called me..."
"I said broke shopkeeper. I heard you're a Nurturer with no customers at all, but seriously, there's not a single person here. You don't even hear your customers, so maybe your ears are rotting or something?"
"..."
I didn't mishear.
It seems this girl really talks like that.
I see...
Being called a broke shopkeeper ignited a fire in my heart, and I placed my hand on the door with a big smile.
"Well then, thank you for today."
"Wait, Roezé! You haven't done anything for her yet! I know her words are sharp, but she's basically a good kid!"
Ms. Terra stopped the door with a 'thud!', and reluctantly, I decided to listen to her.
Since it was a bit awkward to just stand there, I invited the two of them into my house and prepared some tea.
During that time, the black-haired girl kept glaring at me, making me feel really uncomfortable.
What is up with this girl?
I don't really know why she's in a bad mood, but maybe this is just how she usually is.
If I had to sum it up in one phrase, it would be "sharp-tongued, prickly black-haired girl.".
I wasn't really keen on hearing her story, but I reluctantly took a seat to listen.
"So, what's going on with her?"
"Um, well, Cosy just registered as an adventurer a year ago. I was thinking maybe Roezé could help her out."
"Why's that...?"
I couldn't help but wonder why Ms. Terra brought her here.
"She's been trying to take on high-difficulty quests without teaming up with anyone, and the receptionists keep turning her down. I felt a bit sorry for her, so I told her that if she really wants to take on tough quests, she either needs to join a party or get stronger herself."
"...Wait, is that how it went?"
"I suggested she ask the Nurturer Roezé to help her get stronger quickly. I thought it would be a good fit since Roezé was looking for clients."
So that's why Ms. Terra brought this black-haired girl here.
An adventurer girl who doesn't team up with anyone.
She wants to take on high-difficulty quests, but as a beginner solo adventurer, she can't accept them.
Seeing her get rejected over and over, Ms. Terra felt sorry for her and told her about the Nurturer.
It's unclear why she's so determined to take on difficult quests, but at least I understood the situation.
However...
"I get the situation. Since Ms. Terra brought this job to me, I don't want to waste my first request as a Nurturer, so I do want to take it on, but..."
"...but?"
"It seems like she's not really interested."
Looking over, the girl called Cosmos was sulking like a little kid who didn't like a birthday present.
Seeing this, Ms. Terra asked in a flustered tone.
"W-What's wrong, Cosy? You were excited about this at first!"
"From what I've heard, I thought it might not be so bad. But when I actually saw that Nurturer, I just lost the urge to ask for help."
As I tilted my head, wondering what that meant, the girl's gaze suddenly turned towards me.
"Seriously, can I really trust someone like this to help me get stronger?"
"..."
What the heck, I secretly clenched my fist.
This cheeky little girl, I was about to let my anger out when she made a surprisingly on-point remark.
"Every time my level goes up, I have to pay money, right? If that's the case, you better show me that you're worth it, or I can't even think about hiring you."
...Well, that's a fair point.
Even if someone told me I'd get stronger quickly if I trusted them, I wouldn't believe it without proof.
They didn't even write down how they would help me grow on the promotional paper.
So, to quickly show my power, I opened my right hand and chanted.
"[Show skill]."
A piece of paper, like parchment, appeared out of thin air.
I grabbed it and immediately handed it to the girl in front of me.
She opened it with a suspicious look and checked the contents.
The details of the Trainer's greatest strength, the 'Support' skill.
[Support]: Level 10
- Effect reflects on nearby people.
- Divine growth point acquisition rate 5 times.
"Do you get my power now?"
"..."
Cosmos narrowed her black eyes, glaring at the skill before eventually crumpling it up and making it disappear.
Then, her expression softened just a bit.
"It seems you really do have the power to help level up quickly. But that alone doesn't make me fully trust you."
"Eh?"
"From the looks of the skill's effect, it means you'll help me grow by going on adventures together, right? If that's the case, show me not just your skill but your own strength too. I can't take someone who might just be a burden when we go monster hunting."
...That's also a pretty valid reason.
If we're going to hunt monsters together, it's better to know that person's strength in advance.
In a danger zone, you never know what might happen, and it's better to decide where to go monster hunting based on your own strength.
So, I thought I'd show off my skills for now.
Maybe I could show Divine Revelation next time, but I decided to choose a more convincing way.
"How about we have a little spar?"
"Huh?"
"It's quicker to see how we fight in action. Plus, I want to see your strength too, so let's spar with me and check each other's power. The rule is simple: whoever lands the first hit wins."
"..."
As a Nurturer, it's important to know the strength of my clients.
When I dealt with Rose, it was easier because I knew her abilities beforehand.
Hearing my suggestion, Cosmos frowned again, looking annoyed.
"...I won't be responsible if you get hurt."
I wasn't thinking that at all.
It felt like she was taking it as a challenge or something.
Honestly, I did have a tiny bit of a desire to teach this slightly cheeky girl a lesson.
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