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“Uh…”

 

Not exactly.

I went to the place between dimensions when I was 30. And then I fought for 10 years.

So that meant that I was 40.

 

But being honest and saying that I’m a 40-year-old, F Rank Adventurer would just make them suspicious.

 

“No, I’m a little…um, quite a bit older than you two.”

“I see. But you look quite young.”

“Yes, you look young.”

 

They were good at flattering people.

Actually, Goran did say that I looked younger.

Maybe it was an effect of Drain Touch after all.

I really should consider making money off it as a beauty treatment.

 

I thought about such things as we walked.

 

While I talked with Ario and Josh, we moved on to birthplaces.

Both of them had only just come out of the countryside.

 

They had been hunting goblins and other monsters back home.

 

“We’re good at killing goblins. So you can depend on us, Locke.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Hunting goblins is annoying, but they are a big threat to farming villages.”

“You accepted the quest because you were worried about them too, right Locke?”

“Well, yes.”

 

I answered, and they smiled.

 

“That’s what I thought. Most newcomers don’t want to hunt goblins.”

 

As we were all people who were worried about the farming village, we got along well.

Ario was a cheerful person who easily got carried away. Josh was serious and did not talk much.

 

It took over a day of walking to reach the village. It was just past midday when we arrived.

It had been so long since I last camped outside, and so it was quite fun.

We then asked the villagers about the damage done and the direction that the goblins came from.

 

“They stole our cows…”

“Most of the time, they break the fences on the west side.”

Yesterday, my sheep…”

 

It seemed that the damage was quite bad. That was why they had made a request at the guild.

 

“So I guess their nest must be over there.”

“Yes.”

“As far as scale, there must be at least ten of them.”

“I think so too.”

 

Ario and Josh’s conclusion was mostly correct.

And so I stayed silent.

 

But I did think they misread the number a little.

 

A pack that could steal cows and sheep so frequently must be larger.

It was more natural to think that there were more than 10.

 

Still, it would not be dangerous as long as I was there. I could just help them if things turned sour.

 

And so our party of three headed in the direction where the goblin nest would be.

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