The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"I'm sorry~ Please forgive me, Mererosu-chan~"

"...No."

We returned to the Central Palace from Kerkure's house.

Mererosu had already returned to the conference room in the Central Palace, and she was frowning in displeasure, looking away. Needless to say, the cause was her sister Silkuru, who was clinging to her.

The sisters who were having a serious battle until just now. Mererosu didn't have a single scratch, but Silkuru was applying medicine to her arms and legs. However, there were no signs of cuts... Wait, could it be muscle pain?

"Huh? What are you looking at, you brat?"

"Sister?"

"Oh my~ I'm sorry, Mererosu-chan. Your big sister was just careless."

Don't glare at me for being "just careless."

Well, she seems fine, so it's okay.

More importantly.

"Mererosu-san, is it okay if I discuss our future plans with you?"

"Alright. Go up to the room first, I'll be there soon."

We did as we were told and returned to the guest room.

After relaxing for about 5 minutes, Mererosu also came up. She was carrying a basket full of what looked like baked goods and a large water bottle.

"Sorry about earlier, for getting you involved."

"It's fine. I was able to experiment with a new technique too."

"...So you've gained another skill, huh?"

"Well, yes."

We gathered around the table and enjoyed tea and snacks.

The tea from the Elven village was herbal tea. Small flowers were floating in it, making it stylish. The kids seemed more interested in the snacks than the tea, but as a tea lover, I was curious about how it was made.

"So, Ruruk-kun, how was the Star-hiding Flower?"

"About that..."

I explained the whole situation to Mererosu.

"I see. So that merchant bought up quite a lot, huh?"

"According to Kerkure-san's prediction, they might have bought as much rare items as possible because they knew about the monster attack."

"I see. So what are you guys going to do? Planning to use teleportation to search for that merchant?"

"Well, yes. We want to find them as soon as possible and at least secure the Star-hiding Flower."

"Then could you take me along?"

Mererosu looked at me seriously as she said this.

"It's shameful to ask for this, but I want to help the children too. I can't use teleportation, so I'd like you to take me back to Bargia if possible."

"Of course, that's the plan."

Having Mererosu with us would be convenient in many ways. Apparently, the Elven diplomatic team is also active in Bargia, so information exchange should go smoothly.

"Thank you. And Ruruk-kun, there's one more thing I want to... well, negotiate about. Is it okay if I ask?"

"What is it?"

"I want you to sell as many of the Cure Potions you have as possible. I'll pay double the current market price, which has gone up. I've gotten permission from the Forest Elder to use the national treasury, so please."

Mererosu looked at me seriously.

Honestly, my reaction was, "Finally."

Mererosu has a strong sense of responsibility. She's not thick-skinned enough to ask without hesitation just because we, who were brought here by chance, seem capable of solving the Elves' problems. She's always polite and humble.

But that's also a reflection of her difficulty in relying on others. I consider Mererosu a friend, and if she asked me, I would have nodded even if it was for free. That's how much I trust her.

So I was a little happy that she finally relied on us.

"Of course. Before we return to Bargia, let's help everyone who's in trouble."

"Thank you."

Mererosu bowed her head deeply.

After talking to the Forest Elder and others, we were guided to where people with actual petrification symptoms were.

There are no hospitals in the Elven village. It seems that for infectious diseases, isolation and treatment at home is the basic approach, but this time as an exception, all patients were gathered in a meeting hall at the edge of the village.

Apparently, they're confined here until the petrification spores in their lungs naturally die off - in other words, until they can confirm that there are definitely no new infections.

The meeting hall is built on top of a thick, low tree. Unlike other buildings, the windows and doors are closed.

"Are you planning to go inside too, Ruruk-kun? It's fine if you just give us the medicine. There's still a small chance of infection..."

"It's okay. I have a skill that nullifies all status ailments, including petrification."

"Eh?"

Mererosu was surprised. Juman, the Forest Elder behind us, also widened his eyes.

It's not that surprising, is it? Elen is immune to all status ailments after all.

"No, no, Ruruk-kun, even having immunity to just one type of status ailment would make you envied by all church believers. Immunity skills are said to be the blessing of the Star Birth God, you know?"

"Is that so?"

The Star Birth God, you mean the Toruz God who is said to be the beginning of all gods. I didn't know that.

Master, you should have taught me at least that much... No, it's impossible. He didn't have that kind of common sense.

"Anyway, I won't petrify, so there's no problem. Let's go in."

"O-okay."

Mererosu opened the door, and we entered the dimly lit large room.

It was like a field hospital with overlapping groans.

Nearly 100 Elves were lying cramped together.

All of them had developed petrification from their hands or feet. Those with mild symptoms were just lying quietly, but those with severe symptoms had already turned gray in their limbs. They seemed to have high fevers too, chronically letting out delirious voices.

This is terrible.

I frowned and immediately took out the medicine from my item box.

"Now, Mererosu-san, please give everyone one of these to swallow."

"Thank y... Eh, what's this?"

What I provided wasn't a Cure Potion, but a small black pill. It's the newly developed all-purpose pill - Sugo-dama.

Mererosu looked puzzled, probably because she had imagined a liquid medicine.

"It's a secret medicine I developed a while ago. It combines the effects of High Potion, Cure Potion, and Holy Water, so it will simultaneously remove petrification and restore health."

"...I just decided not to be surprised by Ruruk-kun anymore, but..."

She said with a wry smile, but she believed my words without doubting them.

Mererosu took the large bottle of Sugo-dama from me and immediately rushed to the critically ill patients.

The first patient was an old woman. At first, she looked skeptical at the unfamiliar pill, but with Mererosu's persuasion and her extreme suffering, she decided to take it.

As the surrounding patients watched with bated breath, the old woman swallowed the pill and then.

"Oh, I feel power surging through me!"

The petrification was cured instantly, and her health was fully restored.

She immediately stood up and then kicked away the cane at her feet.

"Hehehe! I feel like I could defeat the Guardian Squad Captain now!"

Wow, the effect is incredible.

Well, unlike diseases, petrification is just a status ailment, so it's natural that once the petrification is removed, the fever caused by it would go down... No, but that's more than that. It must be the placebo effect.

The placebo granny grabbed Mererosu's hand and shook it vigorously.

"Thank you, Mererosu! Won't you become my grandson's wife? No, you must!"

"I-I'll have to decline."

Avoiding the placebo granny who started to get carried away after regaining her energy, Mererosu began distributing Sugo-dama one by one.

One by one, the Elves recovered.

It didn't take long for everyone to regain their health.

"I'm cured! I did it! I'm cured!"

"Sniff. I thought I was going to die like this..."

"Thank you, Mererosu! May the Holy Tree bless Mererosu with good fortune..."

The Elves exploded with joy, shaking the meeting hall.

...Well, it worked better than I thought.

As I was smiling wryly at the scene beyond my imagination, Mererosu raised her voice.

"Everyone, listen! The medicine you all just took was made and brought here by Ruruk-kun! Ruruk-kun is a human adventurer and a benefactor of our Elven village! Don't forget that!"

"Benefactor-sama! Thank you!"

"Thanks! Can a human really make such an amazing medicine?!"

"Holy Tree, Savior-sama, Benefactor-sama... We truly thank you."

"Benefactor-sama! Marry me~!"

I'm being thanked a lot. If Elves came to Japan, they'd probably buy up all the Seirogan.

I should keep it a secret that I was also conducting a clinical trial on how effective Sugo-dama is for Elves. Yeah.

I told the Elves surrounding me to calm down.

Well, it didn't mean anything to them who were excited, though.

"But Ruruk-kun, is it really okay to use such an amazing medicine?"

"It's fine. I had to make more than 100 pills per lot, so I was just storing the excess, and I still have plenty left."

"...If you put this on the market, it would be quite valuable, wouldn't it? It's convenient to carry, so adventurers would probably find it useful."

"I have no intention of selling it to disrupt the market. Oh, and I forgot to mention, but there's one side effect."

When I said that, the Elves fell silent in an instant.

Did they think such a highly effective medicine would have no risks? Too bad.

A nearby Elf said with a trembling voice.

"B-Benefactor-sama... What is that side effect?"

"You probably noticed a little when you took it, right? This Sugo-dama smells very bad. So..."

"...So?"

To the Elves who were waiting for my words with tension, I said solemnly after a moment of silence.

"It makes your breath smell bad."

Thud!

All 100 Elves fell over comically, like in a Showa-era comedy skit.

"Now, this is the payment for the medicine. It may not be enough for the secret medicine, but this is the maximum token of gratitude that the Elven village can offer at present."

In the conference room of the Central Palace - the room where the Forest Elders gather - the lady Elf who was the head of the Internal Affairs Squad presented a bag of gold coins and a bow shining emerald green.

"What's this bow?"

"This is called the 'Holy Bow: Mist Hunter', and it has a mirage-breaking effect. It's a 'Holy Relic' class weapon, the most valuable weapon the village can offer. We judged that gold coins alone would not be enough, so we would like to present this as payment instead, if you would allow it..."

"Holy Relic class!? Is it really okay to give such a valuable item?"

"Of course. Please accept it as a token of affection from the Elven village as well."

Ah, I see.

They're giving something that's clearly worth more than a bag of gold coins, so it's like saying "please continue to take care of us in the future."

Indeed, for the Elves, we are the "Savior-sama" and "Benefactor-sama." So there's a political meaning too.

When I think about it that way, it's hard to accept. I didn't do this for the Elven village, I did it for Mererosu.

However, I don't intend to miss the opportunity to obtain a Holy Relic class weapon. I'm not quite sure about the mirage-breaking effect, but it's probably not weak.

The problem is that none of us use bows, so it might end up being a wasted treasure...

Well, I can think about that later.

We're in a hurry now.

"Then, I gratefully accept."

I stored it in my item box.

The head of the Internal Affairs Squad let out a sigh of relief. With this, the petrification disease that was spreading in the village is settled.

However, there are still many problems.

"Ruruk-kun"

"Yes. We have some urgent business, so we'll be leaving the village for a bit."

"...Please take care."

Without asking anything, the head of the Internal Affairs Squad bowed deeply. The Forest Elders are doing the same.

...Well, they probably figured out that we're going back to Bargia. They know we can use teleportation, and that alone means we can move much faster than the Elves could go.

We left the Central Palace and headed south through the Holy Tree Forest.

We plan to use teleportation after entering the Demon Tree Forest.

Saaya looks back with disappointment and says.

"Bathing..."

"We'll be back anyway, so just be patient for a bit."

"We're coming back?"

"Yeah. We haven't finished Mererosu-san's business either."

That's about the condition for guiding us to this village.

"I'm really sorry, I was too preoccupied..."

"We help each other in times of need."

"I feel like I'm always receiving from Ruruk-kun."

"That's not true. Mererosu-san has been taking care of us."

"Ruruk-sama~!"

As we were talking, a voice called out to me from behind.

No need to look back. It's the loyal dog Karmarike.

"Wait~! Take me with you~! I'll do anything you say!"

"...Saaya. Let's move forward with 'Relative Teleportation' until we're out of sight for now."

"Is that okay? She's such a cute and obedient Elf."

"You idiot. My type is Mererosu-san."

Besides, we can't just take the deputy captain of the Guardian Squad to Bargia without permission. She's still a valuable defense force.

Stop joking around and let's go quickly.

"Okay. Then I'll take Mererosu-san."

"Thank you, Saaya-chan."

Saaya shrugged her shoulders and held hands with Mererosu.

I also held Elen and Punisuke, and immediately activated "Relative Teleportation."

"Ah~! Wait for me~!"

We moved swiftly through the forest until Karmarike's distant howl could no longer be heard.

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Author Notes:

  [Karmarike]

  > Human species, Elf race. 140-year-old female.

  >> Quite small and baby-faced for an Elf. Her short stature compared to the beautiful Elf women around her has been a complex since childhood. She was bullied as a child due to her very cheeky personality.

  >>> Due to the presence of the "genius" Mererosu in her generation, Karmarike, who had no talent in magic or physical skills, grew up as an underachiever. However, using her frustration as motivation, she continued to make desperate efforts, and her skill with the bow alone grew to become the best among the Elves. Even now, after becoming an adult and rising to the position of deputy captain of the Guardian Squad, her sense of rivalry towards Mererosu remains strong. Having devoted herself entirely to self-improvement, she has zero romantic experience. She becomes the most easily swayed character in this work.

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