Chapter 21

In the summer rain, I’m standing in front of the tent, it’s Herman here. Rainy days are forced days off. I really can’t bring myself to go out and gather in this rain. It’s cold, the water is icy, my glasses get foggy, and it’s cold. However, I don’t have any books to read. I’ve already read the Alchemy Encyclopedia thoroughly, and I can’t just read for entertainment. Books are valuable, and there are no books for entertainment. That’s why there are bards and geishas.

Bards and traveling performers generally don’t rely on income from villages. They usually earn money from performances in towns and make a little extra by traveling through villages. Sometimes they even take on the role of adventurers by slaying monsters. Most traveling performers are registered as adventurers, so they can fight. They even actively slay monsters while riding in stagecoaches. Some bards sing sagas, and some include their own battle experiences in their songs. It adds more realism, and I think it’s better that way.

When such traveling performers come to a village, it’s rare, so children gather around. When children gather, traveling performers often know and will perform a trick or two. It’s not for money, but it’s good practice for getting used to an audience. Children who cheer you on, even for a simple trick, are a blessing for performers. This way, they get more experience and prepare for larger performances in towns. This cycle is how traveling performers sustain themselves.

For that reason, in villages with no entertainment and few visiting adventurers, it seems that visitors are rare. As I warm myself by the fire wrapped in a warm blanket, I see children peeking from behind the building. I wonder if they’re cold from the rain, but they seem more interested in me. Are they interested in adventurers? If so, they must be second or later-born children.

First-born children should receive a solid education as farmers and wouldn’t be allowed to wander freely in the rain. If the heir were to fall ill, that would be a problem. Second or later-born children are often left to their own devices. They will eventually leave home and face the tough life of an adventurer. They could settle in a town, but even then, they would either marry into a family or work for the Adventurer’s Guild. Whatever job they choose, they need to be able to read and write. Even if they live in an empty house, they need money, and they will likely have to be adventurers at some point. And if they can’t read and write, they will be stuck.

The world is full of expenses. Being a farmer in a village can be a happy life. Otherwise, they can only hope for talent. If they have talent, they can find work in a town. But I can only see a future where they get stuck because they can’t read and write. Even if they find work in a town, they can’t do much without reading, writing, and especially arithmetic. Well, if they become apprentices, they will be forced to learn.

But how long will they keep watching me? They’ll get bored eventually, but they’re getting soaked. It’s not a downpour, but it’s still a decent amount of rain. I thought they would get bored and leave soon. ...It’s boring. Well, I can’t do anything until the rain stops. Huh? They’re coming over. I hope this doesn’t get complicated.

"Adventurer, adventurer, tell us a story."

"Tell us, tell us."

In the rain, they came over for a story. Well, it’s a good way to pass the time. ...But here, it’s not suitable, so let’s borrow the church’s preaching room. We can’t stay drenched.

"Let’s go to the church. You’ll get wet."

"Okay."

So, I ended up at the church with four children. I need to dry them off at least. I’ll lend them towels and negotiate for the room. I’ll go to the back and ask the priest. Maybe one large copper coin for the donation.

"Excuse me, I’d like to borrow a room to tell the children a story. Here’s the donation."

"Of course, you can use the preaching room."

"Thank you."

Now that I have the room, I’ll call the children and dry off the ones who haven’t been dried yet, and head to the preaching room. What story should I tell?

"Well, what story do you want to hear?"

"An adventure story!"

"A battle story!"

"Okay, okay, I haven’t been in many battles, so it will be a simple story, but is that okay?"

"Okay."

So, I’ll tell them about my first goblin hunt. I might also tell them about the adventures I saw from the stagecoach. That’s about all the battle and adventurer stories I have. I’m mainly a gatherer.

So, I told them the goblin hunt story for about 30 minutes, but I ran out of stories. I could make one up, but I’ve never seen a bard before, so I don’t know what to do. I’ll ask the children.

"What story do you want next?"

"How do you become an adventurer?"

"I want to be an adventurer."

"Me too."

One after another, children who want to be adventurers. So, you want to be adventurers. Then, there’s only one thing to do.

"If you want to be an adventurer, first, you need to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic. This is the most important thing."

"How do you learn to read and write?"

"What’s arithmetic?"

"You can learn that at the church. Wait a moment."

I caught the priest and asked if the church teaches reading, writing, and arithmetic.

"Excuse me, does this church teach reading, writing, and arithmetic?"

"Yes, we teach it to those who wish to learn. Do you want to learn?"

"No, not me, but the children in this village. If possible, could you start teaching them tomorrow?"

"Understood. Let’s go to the children."

The priest went into the preaching room, and I followed.

"Do you want to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic?"

"Yes! It’s important to become an adventurer!"

"I want to be an adventurer!"

"Me too!"

"Then, come to this church tomorrow morning. We’ll study here."

"Okay."

"Good answer. Tell your parents where you’re going."

"Okay."

This should be fine. If they can read, write, and do arithmetic, they can become decent adventurers. This way, they can avoid the adventurer square. Then, it’s just a matter of praying. They need to pray to become adventurers and for the talents they need. They might not need to pray, but prayer has a track record. Even Edwin and Marie prayed to get the talents they wanted. The power of prayer is great.

"Father, can we go to the chapel? I want the children to pray for the talents they want."

"That’s a good idea. Let’s go together."

"Let’s go. Follow me."

Led by the priest, we went to the chapel. Here, we kneel and pray.

"I’ll show you how to pray. Mimic me and pray sincerely for the talents you want."

I took a prayer pose. I’ve already been given my talents, so I won’t pray, but I’ll say thanks. Thank you for the alchemy talent. I released the prayer pose and looked around. There were four children praying sincerely. Good, they’re praying. When they finished, they all stood up.

"Got it? You need to come here to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic every day. Even after you finish, you should pray every day until the star ceremony. If it’s raining or you have family matters, prioritize those, but try to pray as many days as possible. That’s the first step to becoming a good adventurer."

"Okay."

"Good answer. ...The rain has stopped, so let’s call it a day. Start studying seriously from tomorrow."

"Okay."

The rain had stopped. If it had stopped earlier, I might not have come to the church. Thinking about it, maybe the rain led these children here. In this world, where gods truly exist, I can’t help but think that the gods did something.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I don’t mind.

I would appreciate it if you could leave a rating.

If you could also leave some feedback, it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.