Goat Village is situated beside a clear stream named Maple Creek. The village isn’t small, with roughly a hundred households.
The villagers mainly make a living by farming the fertile lands by the stream and raising a type of cold-resistant, wool-producing goat.
Gauss recalled the village’s information while slowly guiding his chocobo along the countryside road.
The village’s condition seemed decent; although the wooden fence had some damage, there were no signs of large-scale destruction and repair.
An old man with graying hair, accompanied by several strong young adults, stood at the village entrance, likely informed by the shepherd boy they encountered earlier.
"Are you the ones sent by the Adventurer’s Guild?"
The old man noticed the neatly worn badges of the group.
"Yes, Village Chief. I’m Captain Gauss, and these are my teammates, Aaliyah, Serdur, and Ying."
Gauss dismounted from the bird and courteously responded, presenting the commissioned document sealed with the Adventurer’s Guild stamp to prove their identity.
"We’ve been commissioned by the guild to assist your village in training self-defense forces and eliminating the surrounding demons."
Once their identity was confirmed, the old man sighed with relief and led them into the village.
"Village Chief, what kind of monsters do you have around here?"
As they proceeded down the village path, Gauss gathered intel.
"Goblins, kobolds, and a group of skeletons. It’s said a war occurred on this land long ago, burying many corpses, so occasionally skeletons emerge, stretching an arm out of the ground."
"I understand."
Gauss nodded, planning their upcoming schedule.
Thanks to Serdur’s foldable house, Gauss and his companions didn’t need to stay at villagers’ homes like before.
Considering the following days involved not only demon extermination but also village training, the foldable house was set up in the open area among the village houses, not too remote.
"Sir, is here alright?" The Village Chief curiously looked at Gauss. "Do you need our young men to chop some wood for you?"
He had heard Gauss and his team mention something about a house and assumed they were going to build a temporary wooden house on site.
"No need."
Gauss shook his head.
Under the watchful eyes of the Village Chief and the curious villagers who had gathered unnoticed.
Serdur placed the foldable house at the selected spot and softly chanted an incantation.
After the incantation ended,
The satchel quickly inflated and expanded.
Soon, a delicate large house stood firmly on the ground.
"Wow!"
"That’s amazing!"
"Is this magic?"
The villagers had never seen such a magical scene before and exclaimed in awe, feeling they had broadened their horizons.
Time quietly passed into the afternoon.
The completed Gauss squad arrived at the training ground.
Originally the village’s central threshing floor, it had been temporarily converted into a training ground.
But the transformation was just leveling the ground, removing debris, and building a simple wooden platform.
As Gauss entered the venue, nearly everyone capable of moving in the village, young and old alike, had gathered here.
Altogether, there were roughly a hundred people.
Most wore patched rough cloth clothes, holding pitchforks, hatchets, wooden sticks, and occasionally a bow and longsword.
While Gauss came to train the militia, the villagers weren’t foolish and wouldn’t miss such a rare training opportunity,
even if it meant delaying some farm work.
Unfamiliar with Gauss and his team, the crowd’s eyes gleamed with anxiety, curiosity, and a hint of yearning for strength.
Gauss stood on the platform, silently observing everyone without speaking.
No wonder the wooden fences looked good before he entered the village; even with many young children and women, the number of adults was still substantial.
More people meant more power, and small groups of monsters couldn’t trouble this village.
"Hello everyone, I’m Gauss, the captain of the adventurer squad entrusted by the Sen City Adventurer’s Guild, to train you. I am a Mage, and these are my teammates..."
As usual, Gauss began introducing himself to the crowd.
Except for some quiet exchanges, the place remained fairly silent, likely due to instructions from the Village Chief.
"The courses we’ll teach mainly include swordsmanship, archery, and basic testing of magical and special powers, as well as the making of basic tools, armor, and weapons..."
Upon hearing the course details, the crowd slightly stirred.
Especially at the word magic, the commotion grew, as rural areas held mystery and curiosity about magic with great reverence.
Everyone’s eyes involuntarily became fiery.
Just mastering a trick or two of what Gauss taught could be a life-changing moment for many people.
Feeling the crowd’s enthusiasm, Gauss spoke to douse their fervor a bit.
"But you must know, the skills we teach, especially magic-related ones, most people won’t even be able to start, so prepare yourselves mentally in advance," Gauss said frankly. "Otherwise, the number of successful adventurers wouldn’t be so few."
It’s good to tell the truth beforehand for the villagers.
It prevents future time and effort investment leading to greater disappointment.