The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

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"Good morning, Princess," Riseto came to greet her just as the sun rose.

Seori knew it was about the hunting trip they had promised last night, but she wished they could have let her sleep a little longer.

Rubbing her eyes, Seori spoke haltingly, "My servant... Even if you're eager to see my brilliance, I haven't yet replenished my sacrifices... Yawn."

"Yes. That's why I've come to escort you to breakfast. We'll depart as soon as you've finished eating."

"...Wait a moment."

Though sleepy, Seori endured and closed the door to change.

She wasn't going to wear anything particularly easy to move in for hunting... In fact, she always wore a gothic lolita-style one-piece dress that could be easily put on or taken off so she could return to her dragon form at any time.

Of course, she wasn't wearing any troublesome underwear.

Even though she hadn't returned to her dragon form since coming to the dragon capital, she was prepared for any eventuality. Someone ought to praise her for that.

She put on the eyepatch to seal the evil god and wrapped bandages around her right arm to complete her preparations.

She also struck a pose in front of the mirror.

"I am Shadow Darkness... the incarnation of chaos born from darkness. Kukuku, I'm so cool..."

"Princess, I can hear you."

"I-I'm coming right away!"

Called by Riseto in the hallway, Seori headed for breakfast.

As she was eating as usual, she noticed that Riseto had changed into hunting clothes at some point. Of course, Riseto's loose white hunting clothes were also designed to automatically come off when transforming, allowing him to become a dragon at any time.

This type of clothing is convenient and valued among dragon-kind, but Seori had decided never to wear it even if asked, as it was neither cute nor cool at all.

"I heard from Riseto. You're going hunting in the western forest, aren't you?"

"Indeed. My servant, look forward to my achievements."

"Yes. Please take care and have a good trip."

Berlander, the master of the mansion, popped into the dining room just to greet them before leaving.

He always seemed like a busy human.

As soon as she finished her meal and put down her fork, Riseto approached.

"Then, shall we depart?"

"Y-Yes... Ahem! So, Riseto, how shall we head to the demon's lair? Shall I borrow your back?"

"No, no, I've prepared a carriage for us this time."

"...A carriage?"

Seori tilted her head in confusion.

Riseto was a high-ranking individual of the [Dragon Species - Fire Wind Dragon] dual-attribute type. His flying speed was top-class even among dragon-kind. They could reach the western forest in no time.

Yet, they were taking a carriage?

"Indeed, it would be fastest if I flew with you on my back, Princess. However, I thought it would be good to demonstrate your dignity to the townspeople as we depart. I've arranged for a carriage and issued a notice so that the humans can see you off. The humans are already lined up along the street, eagerly awaiting your noble figure."

"I-I see... How considerate."

So it wasn't just going hunting, but they had to make it like a parade.

Seori's back straightened involuntarily.

Well, she could understand Riseto's reasoning. This country was ruled by the Dragon King. To demonstrate that authority, his daughter Seori needed to show herself to the humans occasionally.

"Now then, Princess. This way."

"Mm."

Seori hurriedly followed behind Riseto, who was leading the way. Before leaving the room, a servant quickly wiped away some bread crumbs that were on the corner of her mouth. Seori had nearly shown an embarrassing face to the public.

Seori struggled to keep up with the long-legged Riseto, who walked briskly ahead. She quickly became out of breath, perhaps due to lack of exercise. For the degenerate dragon princess who had spent a year doing nothing but eating, playing, and sleeping, even this brisk walk was quite the workout.

Thankfully, they reached the entrance before she completely ran out of steam.

Urged by Riseto, she climbed into the luxurious carriage, and the door was promptly closed.

"What about Riseto?"

"I'll accompany you as the driver. We can't bring humans on our hunt, after all. If you need anything, just tap on the window near the driver's seat."

"I-I see..."

It was news to Seori that Riseto could handle horses. Well, dragon-kind had no need to ride horses, so it was natural that she'd never thought about it before.

The carriage set off, passing through the unpopulated First and Second Central Districts.

As they headed straight west and passed through the gate into the Sixth Central District, there were indeed many people lining the streets, just as Riseto had said.

Seori's face stiffened with tension. When she went to the dungeon before, she had been pretending to be a noble lady, so no one noticed her. But today was different. She was officially showing her face as the dragon princess.

"I-It's okay..."

This was her first time being the center of attention. She tried to calm her shaky breath and reassure herself.

The carriage maintained its speed along the street. Peeking out the window, she saw many gazes directed at the carriage.

She felt a twinge in her stomach.

As Seori stared at her clenched fists on her knees, Riseto peeked her face through the small window on the driver's side.

"Princess, remember your dignity."

"Y-Yes..."

That's right, dragon-kind are the strongest species. And she was a True Ancestor Dragon, among the highest-ranking individuals.

If it were her father, another True Ancestor, he definitely wouldn't shrink back in a situation like this.

She had to be dignified.

Seori gritted her back teeth and put on a brave smile.

If she waved her hand with composure, she could convey her elegance and dignity to the humans.

Thinking this, she turned her gaze outside the window and made eye contact with a nearby child.

And that's when it happened.

"How dare you!"

Unexpected words were hurled at Seori in the carriage.

For a moment she thought she had misheard, but then Seori finally noticed. The gaze the boy was directing at her was sharp, filled with what seemed like resentment.

...Huh?

A blank space formed in her thoughts.

The humans lined up around the carriage all had the same eyes as the boy.

Stunned, Seori found herself the target of a barrage of abuse, triggered by the boy's words.

"You disgrace to dragon-kind!"

"Get out of the dragon capital, you spoiled brat!"

"My son died going into the forest because of you! Give him back!"

"And you call yourself the Dragon King's daughter?! You good-for-nothing!"

Huh? Huh?

She didn't understand.

What was happening, why were the humans angry?

Although she couldn't comprehend it at all, it didn't take long for Seori to feel the immense malice.

THUNK

A large stone thrown by someone hit the carriage door and fell to the ground.

If it had hit Seori directly, it would have caused more than just an injury.

She shuddered.

"Eep!"

Weren't humans supposed to be kind?

Weren't humans supposed to be warm?

"Get out!"

"Get out!"

"Get out!"

The humans raised their voices in unison, shouting angrily.

Seori felt a pain as if her heart was being squeezed, and she curled up in the carriage, covering her ears.

"I-I didn't do anything... I didn't do anything, so why..."

Even with her ears covered, the people's emotions, like muddy sludge, seeped through as muffled sounds.

Why?

What did I do wrong?

There was no one to answer Seori's questions.

She could only curl up, trembling, waiting for this storm of malice to pass.

Meanwhile, the carriage continued on to the west gate for half a day, never changing its speed.

"...cess. Princess. Pull yourself together."

When Seori regained consciousness after being shaken, she found herself on a quiet forest path.

It seemed she had fainted from the sheer terror at some point.

"...Where are we?"

"Don't worry. We've already left the dragon capital and are at the entrance to the forest."

The voices of the humans could no longer be heard.

Just as she felt relieved, the memory came back and her body trembled. Despite the warm weather, Seori's face was pale.

"R-Riseto... Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know. I thought humans were not a species foolish enough to treat you in such a manner, Princess... But don't worry. No matter how much the humans may resent you, I am on your side."

"Y-Yeah... Thank you."

Riseto gave her the same warm gaze as always.

Seori felt the earlier chill subside a little.

"Now then, Princess, despite the slight trouble, let's proceed with our hunting as planned. I've already scouted out a suitable hunting ground, so we'll fly there."

Saying this, Riseto moved away from the carriage.

Immediately after, Riseto's body began to change shape rapidly, transforming into a large dragon. It was a massive dragon with emerald scales and fiery red eyes.

"Now then, Princess, please transform as well."

"O-Okay..."

Though still shaken, she nodded at the urging.

Seori crouched down and completely hid her head under her dress.

Being a maiden, she had no intention of showing her naked human form even to Riseto, who was like a brother to her. Besides, there was a clear subjugation mark on her chest. If seen, it would surely be reported to her father. If she returned to dragon form, the subjugation mark would be too small to see, so it shouldn't be noticed.

She also secretly hid the item box she was entrusted with in her mouth. She at least remembered that breaking it would mean a life of debt.

Having made her preparations, she tried to change into her dragon form for the first time in a while...

"Huh?"

It didn't work.

"Nng! Ei! Hnn!"

It wasn't that she had forgotten how to use the [Transform] skill.

And yet, for some reason, she couldn't do it.

"...Why? I can't... turn back into a dragon...?"

Seori was bewildered.

No matter how many times she tried, she failed.

She had never even considered the possibility of not being able to return to her dragon form. She was born a dragon and raised as a dragon. So why couldn't she return from what was supposed to be a temporary human form?

Seori poked her face out from under the dress, her eyes darting around.

"W-What should I do... Riseto, what should I...?"

"To think she would be this fragile," Riseto muttered under her breath.

The voice was so quiet that Seori didn't hear it.

"...I understand. The shock from earlier must have temporarily prevented you from changing back. It can't be helped, but you'll have to hunt in human form."

"Eh? We're still going hunting?"

"Yes. We'll be moving, so please climb onto my back."

Saying this, Riseto lowered herself, turning her tail towards Seori to help her climb up.

Seori couldn't hide her agitation.

"H-Hunt monsters in human form...? That's impossible..."

"You can do it. The monsters this time are very weak. Now, come on, get on."

Riseto's tone became forceful, brooking no argument.

Seori noticed that his gaze held a faint tinge of disappointment.

When her only ally, Riseto, looked at her like that, all she could do was nod.

"O-Okay..."

Though hesitant, she climbed onto Riseto's back, gripping the scales tightly to avoid falling.

Riseto immediately took to the sky and accelerated sharply.

Dragon-kind have the ability to fly unaffected by wind, so there was little worry of Seori falling off. However, knowing she couldn't return to her dragon form, Seori felt her legs freeze in fear just from being in the sky.

She had never wished to be on the ground more than at this moment.

Riseto landed a few minutes later.

It was in a clearing that had opened up in the forest.

After Seori dismounted, Riseto returned to human form, donned her hunting clothes, and handed Seori a short dagger.

The well-honed blade gleamed ominously.

"Now then, Princess. Please kill the monster over there."

"O-Okay... Eh?"

Seori couldn't believe her eyes.

What Riseto was pointing at was a small blonde child chained to a stake in the ground.

That wasn't a monster at all.

It was a young elf.

"...Riseto?"

"That is a monster disguised as an elf. We've just captured it so it won't escape. All you need to do is kill it, Princess."

Riseto stated this matter-of-factly.

That's a monster? No matter how she looked at it, all Seori could see was a frightened elf staring back at her.

"I-I can't. It's an elf..."

"It's a monster. Or do you not believe me, Princess?"

"T-That's not it... but..."

"But what? I am on your side, Princess. Don't you trust me?"

"N-No, that's not what I mean..."

Her instincts were rejecting this.

Something deep inside her was saying that killing that elf was absolutely wrong.

"...I see."

Riseto narrowed her eyes.

The gaze she cast down on Seori was colder and more impersonal than anything Seori had ever seen before.

"So this is the extent of trust I can receive from you, Princess."

"N-No! Riseto is important to me!"

"Then why? If you trust me, shouldn't it be easy to stab a monster disguised as an elf?"

"I-I'm scared... I'm scared..."

The man before her seemed nothing like the kind brother she knew.

Riseto grabbed Seori's frightened face, forcibly turning it towards the elf.

"Princess, you should just do as I say. Look at how weak it is. Even with your eyes closed, you could easily kill it. There's no need to think about anything. Just do as I tell you. Or are you saying that I'm wrong? Do you intend to betray me, who has taken care of you since you were a baby? If that's your intention, fine, I won't stop you. But is that okay? I'm the only one of dragon-kind who can be your ally now that you're hated by humans. The fear, the pain, it will all be over in a moment. Come now, if you don't want to disappoint me... do it."

Riseto pushed Seori's back hard.

Seori was thrown in front of the elf.

The young elf, terrified of the knife, wet itself.

If she didn't kill it, Riseto would completely abandon Seori.

That's how cold her gaze was.

Just imagining being hated by the humans who were supposed to be kind, and then being abandoned by Riseto too, was terrifying. All Seori could do for the brother who had always been by her side taking care of her was to be obedient.

...But.

"N-No..."

Seori shook her head, tears falling.

"I don't want to... Why? Why are you saying such things? Why are you doing such terrible things? Come back! Come back to being the kind Riseto!"

"...Sigh. You really are too weak, Princess."

Riseto exhaled deeply.

"Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, I'll answer. It's because I want you to kill that thing. You want me to go back to being kind? I was never kind to begin with. I've hated you from the start. I've only been taking care of you reluctantly because the Dragon King ordered me to. If I seemed kind to you, that was just your misunderstanding. ...There, I've answered your questions. I've done what you asked, so now it's your turn, Princess. Even for a selfish princess like you, you wouldn't just listen to what others say without reciprocating, right? You understand, don't you? If you understand, then hurry up and kill that thing. Come on, kill it. ...Kill it!"

"Eek!"

Seori screamed at Riseto's sudden change.

There wasn't a trace left of the gentle expression she had always seen before. She couldn't believe the figure before her, not even trying to hide his killing intent as he intimidated her.

This had to be some kind of mistake.

This Riseto had to be an impostor.

Surely the real Riseto would come running to save her any moment now.

Clinging to this last thread of hope, Seori desperately shook her head.

"...This is strange. I thought I had raised the Princess to cower and obey when spoken to this strongly. A fragile mind, an unstable dependence... Did I make a mistake in raising her? No, that can't be. Then, there must be something I don't know about... Some kind of emotional anchor preventing her from being completely influenced by me...?"

Riseto glared at Seori for a while, observing her, but seemed to quickly decide there was no point in thinking about it further.

"Well, fine. If the Princess absolutely refuses to do it, I'll resort to the final measure. The ideal scenario was for the Princess to kill the elf, and for the elf to kill the Princess, but if that's not possible, I'll have to do it myself. Even if we can't get direct evidence, the circumstances alone will be quite damning. Besides,"

Riseto snatched the knife from Seori's hand.

He turned an even colder gaze towards Seori and the elf child, his killing intent now fully exposed.

"The elves already hate Bargia. Conflict is now unavoidable. So, Princess, please die quietly here. You've been nothing but trouble since the day you were born. At least in death, serve my long-cherished wish."

"!"

Those decisive words shattered Seori's faint hope.

...Why?

Where did it all go wrong?

She knew nothing. Was she to be killed in her ignorance?

Had she been hated from the very beginning?

Riseto had been by her side since she could remember.

He was someone she trusted more than her father, more than anyone.

To think that such a brother-like figure had hated her all along.

"That's... cruel..."

It was ridiculous.

Ah, what a ridiculous self-delusion it had all been.

The kindness from humans was a lie.

The kindness from Riseto was a lie.

All the gentleness and warmth around her, everything had been a lie.

To think that even the person she had trusted since birth was someone she shouldn't have believed in.

"...This can't be happening."

"Ah, Princess, that's a wonderful look of despair. I've always wanted to see that face."

Riseto smiled as he raised the knife.

If this was a dream, she wanted to wake up.

If she woke up, she wanted the kind Riseto to come and wake her as always.

But that itself was now a distant dream.

"...I'm sorry..."

"If you're going to apologize, I wish you had never been born."

Before the real knife, words sharper than any blade pierced deep into her heart.

Her tears had dried up and she couldn't even speak anymore. She had never imagined she was thought of in such a way.

...Ah, I really was a fool who knew nothing of the world.

Seori whispered softly and gently closed her eyes.

At least she wanted to avoid having the sight of her brother killing her be the last thing she saw.

That's why she didn't immediately notice the figure standing silently behind Riseto.

"Goodbye, Princ--"

"Gotcha!"

"GUHBAH!?"

What Seori saw when she opened her eyes was neither a scene from waking from a dream nor Riseto returning to his kind self.

It was her master, who had knocked Riseto flying with a casual word.