The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Half a day after Mererosu's bombshell statement, in the dead of night.

I came alone to the edge of the First Central District.

My purpose was to meet Seori. The reason being that tomorrow we're setting off for the Elven Forest.

Even if there was a plot to trap Seori, they probably wouldn't make a direct move while she's staying at the mansion. Using a trap in the dungeon was clearly out of fear of the Dragon King behind Seori.

Well, either way, if the Dragon King went on a rampage in anger, the entire dragon capital would probably be destroyed.

In any case, I wasn't too worried since I could link senses with her in real-time, but Saaya was different.

Concerned for her newly made friend, Saaya asked me to prepare something in case my help couldn't arrive in time.

She seemed genuinely worried, so of course I readily agreed.

That's why I spent half a day making this. A pill containing Cure, High Potion, and Holy Water. Ta-da!

If she's poisoned or stabbed in the back, with this, miraculously, she'll revive unharmed!

Making liquid medicines into pills was no problem with the [Synthesis] skill.

After all, [Synthesis] is an advanced skill of the state-change system that integrates the intermediate replacement method skills [Solidification], [Vaporization], [Liquefaction], [Melting], and [Sublimation].

Rather, it was more difficult to find the right ratio to maintain the effect in as small a pill as possible. Since I mixed three types of medicine, if left as is, she would have had to swallow a fist-sized pill whole.

As a result, it took half a day until the final product was complete.

"Well, it feels a bit like cheating to be able to see the medicine's status..."

I can confirm its performance without clinical trials.

The result was a black pill smaller than a fingertip. It smells quite strong, but the effect is excellent. It's like a certain famous medicine.

Come to think of it, if I sold this, couldn't I easily make a fortune?

Not that I have any intention of doing such troublesome things.

Anyway, this amazing pill... let's call it "Sugo-dama" (Amazing Ball). Mission complete once I give the Sugo-dama to Seori. Don't comment on my naming sense. I'm aware of it.

"Now then, Seori is..."

I was standing on the roof of a mansion at the eastern edge of the First Central District.

Like other areas, there are only two-story mansions around, but the scale of the buildings is certainly large.

Or rather, the First Central District only has huge mansions.

They're probably the homes of the central nobles who run the country. By the way, since the Bargia Dragon Principality doesn't have a human king, there's no castle like in other countries. Apparently, they gather in a place like a national assembly building, which is much smaller than the nobles' houses, to manage governance.

However, there is a proper symbol of Bargia in the fountain square of the First Central District of the dragon capital.

Needless to say, it's a bronze statue of the Dragon King.

It's a statue of a huge dragon spreading its wings and howling at the sky. It's truly a majestic sight.

This could have been a tourist spot, but unfortunately, the 1st to 3rd Central Districts are off-limits to the general public. There are strict walls and gates, and the number of guard soldiers is ridiculous.

I had an unfair method of movement, so infiltration was easy for me.

That's how I teleported right above my destination - on the roof of the noble's mansion where Seori is staying. Coordinate-wise, I'm standing on the roof right above Seori's head.

I immediately activate my x-ray vision skill.

Seori herself was lying face down on the bed, reading a book. The title is [The Magician Teru and the King of the Evil Eye]... it's exactly the kind of heroic tale that a chuunibyou would like. It was a bestseller that was also in the Muuteru household, so of course I've already read it.

Looking around inside the mansion with x-ray vision, almost everyone except the night guards was asleep.

"[Relative Teleportation]"

For now, I teleported directly below - onto Seori's bed.

I descend, straddling the prone Seori.

The bed creaked.

"Eh... Kya-"

"Shh!"

I cover Seori's mouth with my hand to silence her as she's about to scream.

A rough boy suddenly appears and pins down a girl in light nightwear. Even as I say it myself, this is a dangerous scene.

"Mmm~~!"

"Be quiet. It's me, me. As you can see, I'm not a suspicious person."

For now, I ordered her to be quiet. Seori is moving her mouth open and closed with teary eyes.

She seems to want to say something, but oh well.

"But you know... without the eye patch and bandages, you're quite a beautiful girl."

"...!?"

The drawbacks of chuunibyou fashion.

The clothes are so distinctive that you don't pay much attention to her facial features.

If Seori were dressed normally, she would have quite refined features. There's a good balance between the childishness appropriate for her age and the beauty of becoming an adult. Come to think of it, she's a princess after all. It makes sense.

Seori's cheeks flushed slightly, perhaps unused to being complimented on her appearance, but then she suddenly remembered the situation and guarded her chest with both hands.

No, no.

"I didn't come here to do anything indecent."

"...! ...!"

"Oh, right. You can't speak. It's okay, you can talk."

"I-I am Shadow! The Great King's vile invasion is nothing to fear! Even if my body is toyed with by the evil Great King, my heart will never... submit... R-Really? You're not going to attack me?"

With teary eyes and an upward glance...!?

In my previous life, I might have thought "how calculated," but when actually faced with a beautiful girl, I understand. The destructive power is immense.

...Currently, it's the middle of the night in bed.

In front of me is a beautiful girl who's currently under my complete control.

White skin peeking out from disheveled nightwear...

As I was about to give in to the devil's sweet whispers in my ear, the next moment an angel doused me with a bucket of cold water.

Head cleared.

"Phew. The senpai made it in time."

"???"

That was a close call. Mainly for my life.

As I was putting on a little act, Seori sat up and struck another dramatic pose.

"G-Great King. How do you find my miniature garden?"

"Right, right. We're going to the Elven village for a bit. Saaya was worried about you, so I came to deliver something."

"Eh. You're going far away...?"

"Yeah. But don't worry. We can always come back."

I say reassuringly to Seori, who showed an anxious expression.

Because I've set up an [Anchor] in this room. I can teleport here anytime from anywhere. Just so you know, you no longer have any privacy.

"I came here just to give you this as a precaution. This pill cures status abnormalities and almost fully restores health, so I want you to take it if anything happens..."

No, wait.

Her clothes are full of frills, but there are no pockets, right?

How should I have her keep it on hand?

After thinking for a bit, I came up with a great idea.

"...Hey, Seori."

"W-What is it, my master?"

"How would you like to become a spy?"

"That aura, I perceive it as the calling of the shadow clan. How so?"

"Well, yeah. A professional who lurks in the darkness. That's a spy."

"Hmph... then it's a foolish question. My soul is an echo born from shadows. The connection has already been made!"

Seori seemed eager.

Then there's no need to hold back, right?

I grinned.

"Mm!"

A seductive sigh escapes from Seori's mouth.

"Open your mouth more. Don't bite. Move your tongue, I can't get it in deep enough."

"Mm... ah, mm!"

A warm, soft, slippery tongue caresses my skin inside her mouth.

Seori's eyes are half-closed as she looks up and gasps, her breathing is rough and her cheeks are flushed. If I weren't concentrating, my reason would have flown out the window.

This must be her first time having something thrust deep into her mouth, as she keeps biting down several times. It doesn't hurt, so I could ignore it, but it makes it hard to see the back. I tilt Seori's forehead upward with one hand, and saliva drips from the gap in her lips, wetting the sheets.

A little deeper... about here?

"Mmm!"

Seori gagged slightly as it hit the back.

"Stay still... Okay, that's good."

I pulled my finger out from behind Seori's back teeth and took a breath.

Yes, her back teeth.

When you think of spies, you think of back teeth. When you think of back teeth, you think of spies.

Biting a capsule hidden in the back teeth is a spy staple, right?

"How is it, Seori? Do you think you can bite and swallow it in an emergency?"

"...Master."

"What is it?"

"The secret medicine has already been welcomed by my stomach."

What... did you say...?

Forget emergency, it hasn't even been ten seconds.

"Open your mouth again."

"Mm!"

I've been feeling like a dentist for a while now.

The pill I thought I had inserted in her back teeth is gone. Well, realistically thinking, it's impossible to hide medicine in back teeth. What if she bit it while sleeping? I guess it's just fiction after all...

"...I'm sorry."

"No, it's not Seori's fault."

Well, I was just getting carried away too, so if asked if I was serious, hmm.

Can't be helped.

"For now, I'll give you this."

I put a necklace around Seori's neck.

"Eh, this is..."

"It's an Item Box. Don't let anyone find out about it. Wear it even in the bath."

Of course, it's equipment from our adventurer party [Rozewill].

Well, Seori is my vassal after all. I don't hesitate to give it to her if necessary. Besides, I have about 10 more.

"Put all the 'Sugo-dama' inside. Keep them out of the bag so you can take them quickly. You can use magical devices, right?"

"Y-Yes."

Her fingertips are trembling, probably because she knows the value of an Item Box.

"I'm not giving it to you permanently. Return it when we can undo the subjugation. Don't lose it. If you lose it, you'll have to compensate."

"I-I understand."

"So I've given it to you. My business is done, so I'm going back."

There's nothing else to do, so I'll go back and sleep quickly.

As I was about to teleport, Seori struck one last dramatic pose.

"May peace be with you, my master..."

Oh, that's quite a good-sounding greeting.

I'll use it too.

"See you, my vassal. May peace be with you."

Glancing at Seori, who was looking at the Item Box on her chest with a complex expression, I teleported back to the inn.

And so, we set off for the Elven village.

It's been five days since we left the dragon capital Foosu, heading north.

Along the way, we've been leveling up Punisuke and Saaya in monster-infested areas, while also practicing magic.

Saaya has mastered intermediate-level fire, water, wind, and light magic, and her chanting has become quite fast.

Thanks to this, monster extermination has become much more efficient, and we can finish battles in a short time. Her level has been stuck at 15 for a while, but her additional stats alone are already monstrous.

When Mererosu saw Saaya running at full speed as a test, she was dumbfounded. She now has physical functions on par with S-rank adventurers.

Punisuke has learned to use chopsticks. Mererosu was also practicing out of curiosity, but unfortunately seemed to have given up.

Also, Punisuke's level has surpassed 50. Then, [Race: Slime (Waiting for conditional evolution)] appeared in the race field. It was the first time I'd seen such a description, but I learned that slimes apparently evolve when certain conditions are met.

I wonder what we need to do. Or rather, what can it evolve into?

"What kind of evolution would you like, Punisuke?"

"I want to be useful to Master!"

My child is too adorably earnest.

Well, if there's no specific hope, I guess we can leave it to nature. Whatever happens, Punisuke is an important familiar.

As we were heading north doing such things, we started to see a green giant wall beyond the sparse trees.

Yes, it's a wall of giant trees.

"Is that the Lunera Great Forest?"

"That's right. It's a natural fortress made of magical trees, each over 300 meters tall."

Yes, it's an incredibly huge forest.

To give an example, imagine countless green Tokyo Towers standing in disarray for hundreds of kilometers.

This is a sight you can only see in another world. It's breathtaking.

"The magical trees disrupt magic essence and nullify magic that affects the outside of the body, and they also create illusion effects, so only those who are forest vassals can go straight through. Make sure you don't stray from me."

"Okay~"

"Mm... won't lose."

Saaya and I respond energetically, while Elenora is giving the forest a combative look.

Our muscle-brained sheep girl seems to have gotten fired up after hearing about magic nullification. You can try as much as you want later, but please stay quiet for now. Even if you get frustrated if it's nullified, don't actually set it on fire and burn it down.

"But well, Ruruk-kun should be fine."

"Why's that?"

"The magical trees disrupt the magic power inside our bodies to confuse our sense of direction and five senses. They're not actually casting magic. That's why."

"Ah, I see."

Since I have a rare magic deficiency, I won't be affected by the illusion effects of the magical trees.

"But going straight through such a huge forest seems difficult regardless of illusions."

"That's true. As I said before, only forest vassals with the blessing of the sacred tree or dragon species who are naturally resistant to magic disruption can safely cross the Great Forest. But recently, it seems some demons crossed over to the Mataisa Kingdom... I wonder how they did it."

"It's a skill. A skill that uses shadows to warp."

"Eh? You knew?"

Come to think of it, I hadn't told her about the high-ranking demon Skato.

Since it was common knowledge in the city of Shaboom, and there's nothing to hide about demon subjugation, I'll tell her.

As I briefly explained what happened in Shaboom, Mererosu gave a wry smile.

"I see... You guys really aren't ordinary, are you?"

"We just got lucky to survive."

"Still, it's amazing. And a high-ranking demon at that..."

Mererosu shuddered.

Come to think of it, in Elven lore, demons are said to eat children, right?

"Oh, right. I forgot to ask before, but have you ever heard of a skill called 'Curse Dispel', Mererosu-san?"

"No... I feel like I've heard it somewhere, but where was it?"

Mererosu furrowed her brow and groaned.

If it only appears in heroic tales of familiar masters, it might just be a rumor... but Elves live closest to demon territory among human species. If it appears in Elven lore, it might be more credible.

"...No good. I can't remember. I'll tell you if I do."

"Please do."

As we were talking and repeatedly teleporting, we finally reached the entrance of the Lunera Great Forest.

The trees towering so high that they make the Great Wall marking the territory of the Bargia Dragon Principality look tiny. This continues as far as the eye can see to the left and right.

The checkpoint is small, and the bored-looking soldiers looked at us with puzzled expressions, but when they realized an Elf was in the lead, they seemed to lose interest.

After paying the passage fee and passing through the gate, tree trunks immediately block our view. The forest is slightly foggy, and we can't see far ahead. The sunlight is blocked by the trees, making it quite dark.

It's a gloomy atmosphere.

"Well, we're going in. Make sure to follow closely."

Mererosu took a step into the Lunera Great Forest.

We followed right behind, not wanting to fall behind.

"Huh? Where's Elenora?"

Saaya said, looking back as soon as we entered the forest.

There was no one there, only the checkpoint gate we had just passed through visible.

Elenora, who should have been there until just now, and Punisuke, whom Elenora was carrying, had suddenly disappeared.

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Author Notes:

  ～Afterword Tips for 【Magician Teru and the King of the Evil Eye】～

〇 Overview of 【Magician Teru and the King of the Evil Eye】

  A two-volume entertainment novel published about 50 years ago in the Maguu Empire. It quickly became a bestseller, with reprints in various countries. The story revolves around the bond and conflicts between a young genius boy, his self-proclaimed sister who wields an evil eye, and their master.

〇 Summary

  The setting is the fictional future kingdom of Rikkerlens. With the establishment of technology that converts magic into card-shaped devices, over 500 years have passed in an era where anyone can use magic regardless of their attributes. However, due to the prolonged reliance on magic devices, no one can perform or cast magic by themselves anymore, leading to the disappearance of the profession of magicians.

  In such an era, a boy was born into an ordinary farming family in an unnamed village. His name was Fullthrottle Teru. With a brilliant mind, he mastered the lost art of linguistic magic by the age of four. The villagers, including his parents, feared the boy with such overwhelming power, and he lived in solitude, immersing himself in magic to distract himself from his loneliness.

  One day, a sickly traveler visiting the village for rest saw his magic and suggested, "Why not add logical theory to your magical theory? It will stabilize the basic structure." This idea of supplementing magic with logic was new to the boy, and he took it as a revelation. From then on, he frequently visited the traveler, and the two became close friends.

  A few months later, the traveler had to continue his journey. Concerned about the traveler's health, the boy decided to accompany him. It was after their departure that he learned the traveler was the runaway first prince.

  The boy and the prince traveled together. They visited many villages, helped people, embarked on adventures, and searched for medicines that might cure the prince's illness. Their bond deepened as they heard rumors of a girl in the snowy northernmost country of the continent. She was said to have a peculiar constitution that allowed her to control and absorb the powers of all kinds of magical beasts, but she was also dangerous due to her uncontrolled powers.

  The boy and the prince visited the snow country and met the girl with the evil eye. The boy quickly subdued the power of the magical beasts that no one else could control. To learn to control her evil eye, the girl decided to leave the village and travel with the boy and the prince.

  The three of them continued their journey through various countries for their respective goals. The prince sought to cure his illness. The boy aimed to master magic. The girl wanted to control her evil eye. Eventually, they heard of a legendary medicine in a country on the western edge of the continent and decided to visit it. However, what awaited them was deception and despair masked as hope, and an inescapable death.

  By the time they reached their destination, the prince's condition had worsened to the point where he could no longer move, and the girl was on the brink of death due to the rampage of her evil eye. The boy obtained the medicine but faced a choice of saving either the prince or the girl. This was the first time the genius boy, who had overcome all difficulties with magic, faced true anguish and conflict. What future did the boy choose?

〇 Information about the Sequel

  Although 【Magician Teru and the King of the Evil Eye】 was a huge hit, not many know about its sequel. The first edition was published 35 years ago, titled 【Magician Teru and the Underachieving Disciple】. The story follows Teru at the age of 10 as he becomes a history teacher and lives in a school, dealing with older students. A seemingly ordinary boy with amnesia transfers to the school, but he is an overwhelming underachiever, only able to use a magic device that moves things up or down. Teru takes this underachiever as his disciple, nurtures him, and resolves inter-state troubles. Eventually, the underachieving disciple shows talents that surpass his master, Teru.

  However, this sequel did not sell well and was only available within the Maguu Empire. It is now out of print, but since it is a sequel to a continuing bestseller, it can be freely read in the Imperial Library of the Maguu Empire.

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