Volume 3 Chapter 23 This Is The Job Of A Nurturer
It was 3 days after I asked Fran that he brought me a sign.
A standing sign made of dark brown wood with 'Nurturer' written in white cut-out letters.
He even made a hanging sign to attach above the door.
"Wow..."
I looked at the Nurturer with the signs set up and let out a sigh of admiration.
It was such a childish reaction, but I couldn't think of any other way to describe it.
The place really looked impressive now.
Is it true that all of this is handmade? It's completely different from the cursed tools I was making that were full of nails.
"Also, right now, I'm making wall signs and stuff during my breaks. I'll bring them when they're done."
"Ah, thank you..."
Fran smiled quietly without showing any signs of fatigue.
He really loves making things.
Maybe it's just his nature as a Blacksmith; I think he enjoys creating something with his own hands.
Still, Fran can normally make signs and tools like this.
When he worked on weapons, they initially looked terrible because of the Divine Revelation.
I wonder if it's because signs aren't treated like weapons? But depending on how you use them, they can definitely be dangerous.
Maybe if Fran doesn't consciously think of them as weapons, the Divine Revelation doesn't manifest?
"So, was this okay?"
"Ah, yeah, I think it's perfect."
I gave a thumbs up in response to Fran, who asked with a worried look.
He then let out a sigh of relief.
I guess he was really nervous.
Well, Fran tends to be a bit of a worrywart, so whether it's a weapon or a sign, he probably feels a sense of responsibility when he works on it.
So, to reassure him, I praised him as much as I could.
"By the way, it was just this notice until now. You didn't have anything else like a guide sign prepared, huh?"
"S-sorry about that..."
Fran looked at the paper that had 'Nurturer' written on it, which had been stuck to the front door all this time, and smiled wryly.
I reflected on ,y low awareness of advertising.
At first, I didn't want it to stand out too much, but now that I wanted customers, I regretted not putting more effort into advertising earlier.
"This area of the residential district is pretty easy to get lost in, so I think it's hard to find Mr. Nurturer's place. There might be people who couldn't find the shop and just went home."
"Y-Yeah, that's true..."
The fact that hardly any customers had come until now might have been because Nurturer's location was hard to find.
Rose and Cosmos only knew about this place thanks to Ms. Terra.
Now, I was starting to worry if there had been customers who left because they couldn't find Nurturer.
"But well, I think they'll be able to find it properly now. Fran's sign is really easy to see. Thanks again!"
"N-No, it's a thank you for making me stronger."
Fran looked up with his round, light brown eyes and once again wore a soft smile.
Then he glanced at the exterior of Nurturer and said.
"It seems like we're both going to get busy from now on."
"I don't know about my Nurturer, but Fran is definitely going to get busy."
So, in any case, I think opportunities to spend relaxing time together like this will become rare.
Since we're both in this Hyamars town, I think I'll still visit the workshop fairly often, so we won't completely stop seeing each other.
But somehow, a similar sense of loneliness to when Ms. Nemophila was around welled up inside me.
Although he probably didn't sense my feelings, Fran offered reassuring words.
"We might actually be 'similar types' after all."
"Huh?"
"Mr. Nurturer helps novice adventurers who are struggling to grow. The blacksmith makes powerful weapons to make them stronger. Even though our methods are different, we both help adventurers, which is really similar, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
As I thought about that, Fran looked up at me with a blooming smile.
"So, we'll probably meet frequently from now on, since we're both in a position to help adventurers."
"Maybe."
Thanks to those words, I was able to shake off a bit of my anxiety.
Nurturer and the blacksmith.
We both make a living by helping adventurers.
We might indeed be kindred spirits, and because of our work, we might actually have more chances to meet.
"Also, I plan to start working on Rose and Cosmos's weapons right away from tomorrow, so I'll bring them back here once they're done. So just wait a little longer."
"Okay, thanks, Fran."
I thought I would likely be relying on him for various things in the future.
* * *
The day after I received the sign from Fran.
Maybe it was thanks to the promotion for Rose and Cosmos.
The effects showed up right away that day.
Knock knock knock.
"Hello!"
The door of Nurturer, which had a new look, was knocked on, and I quickly ran to the entrance.
When I opened the door and looked outside, there were 2 young people standing there.
"Um, is this the place for Mr. Nurturer?"
"Y-yes. This is Nurturer."
A boy around 15 wearing a tunic and chest armor, and a girl of the same age dressed in a white robe with a staff.
They both looked like "novice adventurers" and bowed their heads as they spoke.
"Um, we came here because we have a request for Mr. Nurturer."
"Please make us stronger."
"..."
I was genuinely moved that the effects of the promotion showed up so quickly.
Just by changing the introduction paper and the store's appearance a little, and having Rose and Cosmos spread the word, there was such a big change.
I was so moved that I froze for a moment, but I quickly responded to the two of them.
"O-Oh, it's you two. Understood."
"Is it okay for both of us to be at the same time?"
"Yes. There are no restrictions on the number of people with my Nurturer ability, so as long as you both fight near me, the amount of divine growth points you earn will increase."
"O-Oh..."
The boy and girl widened their eyes in surprise.
However, I could still see a bit of anxiety, so I explained further.
"Also, I'll provide support magic, so you can safely carry out monster subjugation."
"Can we start having you accompany us from today?"
"Yes, that's fine."
When I agreed, the boy and girl smiled happily, looking their age.
"Well then, today we were thinking of going to the East Forest for a subjugation request and training, so we'd like you to join us on that adventure. Both of us haven't been able to grow at all lately, and our monster subjugation hasn't been going well..."
"Even if you don't manage to grow this time, you won't have to pay if your levels haven't increased, so you can rest easy about that."
After saying that, I secretly felt like I was actually doing my job.
For now, I would just accompany them on today's adventure, and they would decide whether to continue using my services based on the results.
Ideally, I wanted to take care of them long-term like Rose, Cosmos, Ms. Nemophila, and Fran, but since there might be other customers, I decided to take requests on a daily basis.
Maybe this was the original form of a Nurturer.
Deciding each day whose help to provide, I could take care of adventurers in turn, helping everyone grow widely.
Eventually, I might get so busy that I'd have to manage schedules in hourly units.
While thinking about that, I was holding onto a worry in my heart.
"...What if someone comes again while I'm out?"
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