The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Everyone doing alright?

My name is Karmarike!

I'm an Elven maiden as bashful as a flower, but actually, I'm the vice-captain of the honorable Protection Division.

Today, I was fighting a human boy using strange magic to protect the peace of the forest, but while I was aiming my bow from the treetop, I was accidentally caught by a bird!

What? No way. I didn't hear anything about being carried off into the sky!

The gallant bird grips me tightly and says this. I'll never let you go for the rest of my life... No, no! Even if you say that, my heart won't flutter!

But if I'm being invited on a date in the sky, maybe I should have dressed up more?

No, no, that's not right! This isn't the time to be getting excited about the bird. After all, we're already high up in the sky. I don't know where the bird is flying to, but please, let me say just this.

What's going to happen to me~?

"...Well, that's probably what Karmarike is thinking right now."

"No way, no way. Absolutely not."

"Mm. Not happening."

As I was imagining Karmarike's inner thoughts while being carried off by the strange bird, the little girls gave me sidelong glances.

"So, what are you Elves going to do? Aren't you going to help her?"

I asked the guardians who were staring blankly at the diminishing Karmarike, but they all just made bitter expressions.

Distania gripped his dual swords tightly and muttered frustratedly.

"Of course we want to help... but we have no means to do so. Neither magic, arrows, nor mystic arts can reach that distance."

"I see. Well then, you owe me two favors."

"Huh?"

Karmarike is cheeky and considers Mererosu her enemy, and I don't like how she tried to sneak attack me... but still, she's a beautiful Elven girl. She's not my type because she's like a small animal, but an Elf is an Elf.

Losing her would be a loss to the world (I declare).

"By the way, is that bird edible?"

"Y-Yes. Jack Bird meat is tender, but... what are you planning to do?"

That's good then. Elenora's eyes are shining too, so it's perfect.

Well then, [Relative Teleportation].

"I'm sorry please help me I'm sorry please help me I'm sorry please help me..."

Up in the sky, Karmarike was praying while crying.

Tch, my prediction was off.

I swung my short sword without a moment's delay.

Cleanly cutting off its head, I stored the strange bird - the Jack Bird - in my Item Box.

"Huh!?"

Karmarike, suddenly released into midair, met my eyes.

Her face is a mess, not just with tears but snot too. Still, it's cute - Elves are unfair, I think.

While I was thinking about that, of course, we start falling.

"Nooooooo!"

"Hey, stop thrashing around. I'm going to save you."

I pulled the flailing Karmarike close and immediately activated [Relative Teleportation].

In the blink of an eye, we return to the ground.

"There, we've arrived."

"...Eh?"

The scenery changed instantly, and we were back in the forest.

I put the dumbfounded Karmarike down on the ground, but her legs seemed to give out, and she just sat there looking up at me.

"So, Distania. Your subordinate's life is... huh, why are you prostrating yourselves?"

It wasn't just Distania.

All the guardians were prostrating themselves before me.

"Because you saved our comrade's life."

"Well, I understand that, but... why prostrate yourselves?"

"We heard that this is how humans show gratitude."

"In a way that's true, but..."

They're quite extreme.

Anyway, it feels uncomfortable to have Elves prostrating themselves to me in unison. Even if we were enemies just now, they're not really our enemies. And they're Elves, after all.

"If you want to thank me, I'll accept it properly later, so you don't need to prostrate yourselves. More importantly, I'd like an apology for attacking us without question, you know?"

"I refuse. That was due to the guidance of the Sacred Tree."

"...I see."

Hmm, Distania is quite stubborn.

Well, I've earned some favors, so I guess that's fine. Unless Mererosu asks me to, I have no intention of getting involved in internal Elven affairs, so I just want to go collect the flower we're after quickly.

Come to think of it, where did our guide Mererosu go?

Looking around, I could still hear the sounds of fighting in the distance beyond the trees. I wonder if Silkuru and Mererosu are evenly matched. Or maybe one of them is holding back to avoid a conclusion.

It's possible, since they seemed to be sisters who got along well.

It doesn't look like they'll finish anytime soon.

"What should we do... Is it okay if we go to the farm area first?"

"I-I'll guide you!"

Karmarike raised her hand sharply.

She had returned to a clean face, perhaps having cast a cleaning magic on herself.

With blushing cheeks, she said,

"I think Distania will keep an eye on Mererosu and Silkuru, so I'll guide you first! Ruruk-sama and the others came to this village for business in the farm area, right?"

"Yeah, that's right, but... wait, Karmarike, did you just call me Ruruk-sama?"

"I'm from the Mannivi Forest, so I know more about the farms than Mererosu, and I think I'm the best person for the job! So can you leave it to me?"

"If you know it well, anyone is fine, but... hey, you just said Ruruk-sama..."

"Thank you! Then follow me!"

Karmarike started leading the way in high spirits. She didn't seem like she was going to listen to what I was saying.

Distania and the others seemed to want to recruit me this time, but they were slightly put off by Karmarike's excessive enthusiasm. Thanks to that, it looked like we'd be able to go to the farm area without being stopped this time.

I guess it's better to quietly follow along here.

"Sigh. Another victim..."

"Mm. Enemy."

"As expected of Master!"

My companions also walked alongside me, saying various things.

To be honest, I'm curious about the battle between the all-rounder Mererosu and the fist-fighter style Silkuru. I'd like to watch, but if I go there, it seems like the militant faction Elves' recruitment (physical) might happen again, so I guess I'll have to hold back.

As we walked, listening to the sounds of sword clashes, Karmarike came up beside me.

"Ruruk-sama, thank you for saving me earlier. Was that a teleportation spell formula?"

"Yeah. The royal-grade [Relative Teleportation]."

"That's amazing. Even among Elves, there are very few who can use royal-grade skills..."

"Your archery skills were amazing too, Karmarike. If I were a normal adventurer, I would have been completely caught off guard and died."

"Right? I'm the best archer among the Elves!"

Karmarike puffed out her chest proudly.

I said that with quite a bit of criticism... is she that pure?

"Do you use buffs on quasi-spirits like Mererosu-san?"

"That's right. All squad members can use three types: [Instant], [Grace], and [Weight]. [Instant] doubles speed, [Grace] increases accuracy, and [Weight] doubles weight. Since Ruruk-sama is a mystic arts user too, I'll teach you sometime."

"Oh, really? That makes me happy."

Summoning methods are my weakest area, so I rarely use them and don't practice much. If there's a chance to acquire new skills, I'll gladly welcome it.

"Then, let's train together when things calm down in the Elven village! It's a promise, ehehe."

Karmarike looked up at me with an unaffected smile.

She's kind of like a little sister. Even though she's about 130 years older than me.

"Ruruk-sama, you really don't want to cooperate with us, do you?"

"Of course not. Even if it's a loss to the world, actively helping in illegal activities goes against my principles."

"I thought that since you can even use teleportation, you're that strong, and you even have companions like the Savior... but indeed, from an outsider's perspective, we'd be the bad guys, huh..."

Karmarike pondered.

Perhaps Mererosu's words, which she had been repeating ad nauseam, were finally starting to sink in.

We walked in silence for a while, but after crossing a small stream, the scenery changed.

Several plots of farmland were lined up between the trees.

Rather than a vast farm, it felt more like many small fields arranged so as not to interfere with the growth of the trees.

"This is the farm area from here on. What are you looking for, Ruruk-sama?"

"A medicinal flower called the star-hiding flower. I heard it was cultivated here."

"If it's for medicinal cultivation, it should be in the southeast... Yeah, let's go there for now."

Karmarike quickened her pace with a clouded expression.

I have a bad feeling about this.

We continued through the farm area and arrived at our destination... but.

"Ah, as I thought..."

Karmarike's shoulders drooped.

The fields were trampled and in a mess.

There were traces of monster footprints and battle scars everywhere, with most of the medicinal herbs and flowers caught up in it, and some areas even burned to ashes.

"As you can see, monsters invaded up to here. We tried to fight in a way that would minimize damage, but... it seems this area was completely destroyed."

"This is terrible. ...By the way, isn't there a storage facility? Any stock?"

"That's the responsibility of the Production Management Division, but all pre-use plants were in that storage house over there... or rather, were."

What Karmarike pointed to was the remains of a small hut that had collapsed, barely retaining its original shape.

It looked as if it had been swept away by an incredibly high-powered magic.

...Hm? Incredibly high-powered magic?

"Elenora-san?"

"Mm. It was a noble sacrifice."

The culprit was right here.

"Ah~ ...Sorry, Karmarike."

"It's okay, it's okay. We saved the village with just that much loss, so we can't thank the Savior enough. Teaching the 'Clean' magic to you is the greatest sign of gratitude we can show to magic users of other races, you know?"

"You hear that? I'm glad they forgave you."

"Mm."

However, if our objective isn't here, that changes things.

We can't make unreasonable demands since Elenora destroyed the warehouse.

"Ruruk-sama, why don't we go ask the captain of the Production Management Division? If we know who they last gave it to, we might still be able to get some if they haven't used it yet."

"That's it! Please, lead the way."

"Okay! Follow me!"

Karmarike started jogging back, beckoning to us.

She's like a puppy.

We passed through the Mannivi Forest and returned to the area with the central hall.

We were guided to a very ordinary house near the central hall.

By the way, it seems Mererosu and Silkuru's battle had ended, and the village was quiet again.

"Kerkure-san, are you there?"

Karmarike knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for a response.

Inside was an ordinary house. A kitchen and living room, with rooms in the back.

"Oh my. What brings you here, Karmarike?"

Coming out from the back room was a calm-looking old man wearing glasses.

He was old but tall. And handsome, of course.

"The Savior's companions want the star-hiding flower. Oh, this is Kerkure-san. He's the captain of the Production Management Division."

"Hello. I'm Ruruk, a human adventurer. Behind me are my companions Elenora, Saaya, and Punisuke."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kerkure from the Production Management Division. Elenora-sama, thank you very much for fighting for our village this time."

"Mm."

We bowed to each other.

Unlike the militant faction, he's polite. This is what Elves should be like.

"So, Ruruk-san, you're looking for the star-hiding flower?"

"Yes. If you have any in stock, I was wondering if we could buy some."

"Unfortunately, all medicinal plants were blown away along with the storage facility. The star-hiding flower is a second-class designated medicinal flower, so we don't distribute it to individual households except for use. ...However, please wait a moment. I'll ask the sales representative of the Foreign Affairs Division if they have any surplus stock for external sale."

"Thank you."

So it's not something kept in households.

Well, it's a medicinal flower with side effects, so they're probably careful with its handling.

Kerkure took out what looked like a grass whistle from his pocket and blew it, and soon a young Elf arrived. He seemed to be a rank-and-file member of the division and was bowing repeatedly to Kerkure.

The rank-and-file Elf immediately went to a nearby house, borrowed what looked like a ledger, and returned.

Kerkure flipped through it while sliding his glasses down to read.

"Hmm... Unfortunately, it seems the star-hiding flower is already out of stock."

"I see."

Sigh, I had a feeling this would happen, but it's really disappointing.

If we start cultivating now, we might get some next year.

We can't wait that long, so we'll have to look for another route.

Seeing my drooping shoulders, Kerkure slightly furrowed his brow and said,

"However, it hasn't been that long since the Foreign Affairs Division last sold it. I don't know how the buyer will handle the flower, but there's a possibility it might still be in their possession."

"Really! By the way, is it possible for you to tell us who the buyer was?"

"Normally, transaction information is kept confidential, but... since you're companions of none other than the Savior, let's make an exception. The sale date was 8 days ago, the location was within the Elven village. The buyer's name is Paraiso. A merchant from Bargia."

"Eh? That's..."

Karmarike blinked her eyes.

Kerkure nodded.

"That's right. The despicable merchant who took away our precious young ones."

Hoho.

So that guy bought the flower I'm after.

I see... I see, I see.

"Hey, Karmarike."

"Yes?"

"I think I'll go look for that merchant."

Not getting involved in Elven problems?

Come on, what are we talking about?

I am Ruruk Muuteru.

I'm a man who easily retracts his words for the sake of his goals!