The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"Here we go!"

"GUHBAH!?"

It was harder than I expected.

Well, of course it is. Even if his heart is rotten, he's still a dragon—and moreover, a dual-attribute individual, which is clearly boss-class performance.

By the way, his detailed status looks like this.

---------------------

【Name】Riseto

【Species】Dragon species - Fire Wind Dragon

【Level】99

【Health】1680（＋4890）

【Mana】2210（＋3150）

【Strength】1400（＋1840）

【Endurance】2070（＋2840）

【Agility】2670（＋3360）

【Intelligence】1890（＋2110）

【Luck】54

【Physical Arts Proficiency】80

【Magic Arts Proficiency】2600

【Mystic Arts Proficiency】10

【Possessed Skills】

≪Automatic Type≫

『Fire Magic Aptitude』

『Wind Magic』

『Ultra-high Speed Flight』(Dragon state)

『Gravity Reduction』(Dragon state)

『Scale Weight Reduction』(Dragon state)

『Luck Increase (Small)』(Human state)

≪Activation Type≫

『Transform』

『Breath (Fire)』(Dragon state)

『Breath (Wind)』(Dragon state)

---------------------

Well, as you can see, as expected of a dragon species. Their base stats - their raw physical strength - are ridiculously high.

So the level cap is 99, huh? It makes sense that long-lived species would level up more, but if there wasn't a cap, it'd be unnatural for there to be so many human nations.

Riseto rolled on the ground once but didn't seem to take much damage. He quickly got up and glared at me.

"...Who are you?"

"Just a passing adventurer."

I'm aware that calling myself just an adventurer after punching him flying is a bit unrealistic.

Riseto didn't take my words at face value either.

"I see. So you're the adventurer Berlander mentioned, who helped the princess in the dungeon?"

"You know about me?"

"Yes. Berlander was grateful, you know? He said you saved the princess when they almost killed her at the wrong time."

"That's not a very pleasant thing to be thankful for."

So it really was that noble who set this up, huh.

I glanced back at Seori, and her lips were blue, probably shocked that Berlander, whom she trusted, had betrayed her.

Being betrayed by everyone close to her, what kind of sin did Seori commit in her past life?

Well, let's stop with the quips.

To me, she's just a chuunibyou girl who became my familiar by chance, but to my companions, she's an important friend.

"So, because of that connection, I'll protect her."

"Don't get cocky, you mere human."

Riseto, who had dropped his polite persona, began to grow larger and larger.

W-what's this? His slim, pretty-boy figure is turning into a dragon- (deadpan).

"Hahaha, are you surprised, human? I am Riseto... a mighty dragon who rules this country!"

"No, the Dragon King rules, doesn't he? It's embarrassing to substitute your species and look smug, you know?"

"Y-you dare mock me too-!"

Maybe because I hit the nail on the head, Riseto snapped.

But his way of snapping wasn't normal. He swung his enormous tail at a terrifying speed.

I quickly grabbed Seori and the elf child and used "Relative Transfer" to move behind Riseto. If I had fought there, they would have been caught in the crossfire.

"Huh? Where did they disappear to?"

"I'm here."

Once again using "Relative Transfer," I returned to Riseto's feet and raised my fist.

Of course, as is, it wouldn't reach the giant dragon, but,

"Fist Transfer!"

"Gugh!"

I landed an uppercut on his jaw.

Speaking of [Dragon's Jaw], I wonder how Agito-san, the harem adventurer, is doing. I hope he managed to clear that field dungeon safely... Oops, focus, focus.

"You little-! Roar!"

"Whoops!"

He roared and slammed down his folded wings, so I read the move and dodged.

Our overall stats are pretty much even. I thought I'd be at a disadvantage due to his huge body, but because he's so big, his movements are large, making it easy to read his attack trajectories.

In other words, it hurts if it hits, but it's easy to dodge.

For me, who's been working as an evasion tank in the vanguard since my two-person party days, he's not a bad opponent.

Slam, horizontal sweep, bite, fire magic, wind magic.

As I consistently dodged Riseto's attacks, he seemed to lose patience and took a deep breath,

"Take this-- Gyaooooo!"

Riseto unleashed his dragon skill "Breath (Fire)".

It was a wide-range, high-powered breath reminiscent of a super-giant flamethrower. If it hit directly, it would be hot enough to melt even bones. The forest behind me wasn't just burning, it was carbonizing.

But well,

"I told you, it won't hit."

For attacks with a big wind-up, I have plenty of time to activate my transfer skill.

I transferred behind Riseto right after he released his breath and kicked him with all my might.

"Guoooo!"

"Now it's my turn--"

"Don't underestimate me!"

As I was about to follow up, Riseto spread his wings and flew into the sky in an instant.

I thought about shooting him down with "Rending Bullet" if he stayed hovering, but he folded his wings and accelerated rapidly.

"Hey hey, are you a fighter jet or what?"

Riseto began to freely circle the sky in a posture that minimized air resistance.

Or rather, dragon species don't ride the wind to fly, huh. Looks like they're flying using magic wrapped around their wings.

"Tch. He's too fast, I can't keep up with the coordinate calculations."

Even if I try to shoot him down, all my long-range formulas are coordinate attacks. The time lag from calculation to activation is instantaneous, but in that tiny gap, he moves out of range. Ultra-high speed flight isn't just for show, it seems.

"I'm not good at leading shots..."

Even in my previous life, I sometimes played FPS games, but I was really bad at reading the opponent's movements, aiming ahead, and shooting. I could never be a sniper, so I always used close-range weapons.

Come to think of it, my fighting style hasn't changed in this life either.

"A mere human can't touch me!"

Realizing I had no means of attacking him in the sky, Riseto sneered.

While still circling, he started releasing his breath attacks.

Fire, wind, fire, wind.

High-powered attacks alternately released from above.

It's what you'd call carpet bombing.

"Whoa! Seriously, are you a fighter jet?!"

It's unfair to have modern military power in a fantasy world.

I guess it's because they can fight in such a cheating way that dragon species boast overwhelming strength in this world.

Does he who controls the sky control the world?

Since it's indiscriminate area attacks from above, I try to counterattack while moving to avoid involving Seori and the others.

"Blade Transfer! ...No good. Too fast and too far. Should I use my trump card?"

Riseto's attacks have grazed me a few times, but I can completely nullify the damage with "Domain Arbitration".

Either way, if neither of us can land hits, it's going to be a long battle.

This is my first battle with the strongest species. I'd rather avoid a lame ending like winning because the opponent runs out of magic.

...Besides.

"I don't know if it's because he's a dragon species, but his fighting style is sloppy."

High stats, ability to fly, and one-sided high-powered attacks.

Maybe because they're such a species, both Seori and Riseto possess few skills. Riseto, in particular, showed no ingenuity in his fighting style.

Until now, he probably didn't need it because he could eliminate enemies with overwhelming power difference, but that means he's never experienced a fight against a superior opponent.

To be honest, I don't feel much threat.

"From what I hear, the Dragon King must be in a league of his own... but is this all the others amount to?"

Thinking that, I started to get annoyed at just receiving these sloppy attacks.

If this takes too long, Saaya will worry.

"How's that, human! You have nowhere to escape now!"

Before I knew it, we were returning to the original spot. The surrounding forest was burnt, and indeed, normally one would stop here and be at his mercy.

Then, it's time to change the situation.

"Hey, dragon species. I'm getting bored, so let's settle this. Okay?"

"How dare you--"

"'Fall.'"

"Guh!"

Just one word.

The formula I released, riding on the Japanese language, greatly disrupted Riseto's balance. The effect was halved against an opponent at the level cap, but well, it stopped his movement.

I raise my mithril dagger.

"Blade Transfer - Multiple!"

"G-Guoooooo!"

What I activated was an improved version of the familiar "Blade Transfer". It's a simultaneous coordinate attack that transcribes the mithril blade as a coordinate attack, then further transcribes the entire formula to strike multiple locations.

Having both hands, both feet, and both wings simultaneously slashed, Riseto couldn't maintain his flight state and fell.

He collided violently with the ground, creating a thunderous noise and tremors.

"Ugh, y-you, what did you--"

"Synthesis."

"Nnngh!"

I used "Synthesis" on the ground to create five stakes that pierced through Riseto's hands, feet, and jaw. I directly restrained him to the ground.

Riseto tried to groan in pain, but with his lower jaw pierced by a stake, he couldn't speak properly.

I'm aware it's a rather cruel restraint method, but against a dragon species with such a powerful attack as Breath, I have to do this to prevent any chance of counterattack. It must hurt, but I hope he can bear with it.

"Wait here for a bit. I'm going to talk to Seori."

If he can't speak, he can't use Breath or magic. He could forcibly pull out his limbs, but he probably won't do that since it would render them useless.

Now then.

For now, I'll leave Riseto be.

It seems we've returned quite close to where we were while running around. We almost got caught up in it, but there's no damage, so we're safe. Though the surrounding forest is burning.

"Seori. Are you alright?"

"Eek!"

Seori screams when she sees me.

Well, that's to be expected.

Even though I came to help, she was originally scared of me. Plus, I'm beating up Riseto, who she apparently looked up to like a brother.

It would be unreasonable to expect her not to be frightened.

"Well, it's okay if you're scared, but I'd like you to answer my questions. How are you? Are you hurt?"

"U-Um..."

"That elf child... I guess they've fainted."

Well, it was an attack on the scale of a kaiju battle. It must have been too stimulating for a small child. Damn Riseto, destroying the environment like that.

"Hey, Seori, what do you plan to do from now on? It seems both Riseto and Berlander were trying to kill you."

"......"

"Do you want to return to the holy land? Or have another noble take care of you? Either way, Saaya is worried, so I'm planning to take you somewhere safe, don't worry."

"......"

"Well, I guess you can't decide right away. I still have some things I want to ask Riseto, so is it okay if you think about it during that time? I want to confirm things like why they wanted to make elves and dragons hate each other, or if this was something only Berlander and Riseto planned."

"......"

"Anyway, after I hear Riseto's story, you can decide what to do with him, Seori. You can choose to spare his life or let him burn along with the forest if you want. I think you have at least that much right."

"......"

Seori remained silent, head bowed.

It's not that she wasn't listening to my words. Just, I noticed that the light had disappeared from her eyes. The eyepatch that was supposed to be sealing the evil god had fallen off at some point, and there was no trace left of the expression she had when happily talking with Saaya.

"Are you okay? I know it's tough, but let's get out of the forest for now. If we stay here, we'll burn to death."

"...It's fine."

Seori muttered in a hoarse voice.

With unfocused eyes, staring at the ground.

"It's okay now... leave me behind."

"What are you saying? You'll burn to death."

"I don't care if I die... I have nothing left now..."

"No, but that's--"

I was about to say something when I realized.

I had no idea what to say to her.

She had been deceived by Riseto, whom she had always looked up to, deceived by Berlander, whom she had relied on, and nearly killed by both.

Moreover, she had been verbally abused by the citizens, had stones thrown at her, and was criticized to leave the dragon capital. Riseto had seemed to be on her side to ease the shock that made her faint, but even that turned out to be a lie.

Furthermore, it was me, whom she originally disliked, who saved her life.

"...I guess I realized it too late..."

I had thought that Bargia's situation and the relationship between dragons and humans had nothing to do with me. That's why I didn't try to investigate beforehand, and I thought Seori had just become my familiar by chance, so I didn't try to get involved much unless Saaya asked me to.

"...How incompetent of me."

If I had acted with Seori in mind from the beginning, if I hadn't been a bystander just to gather information, maybe Seori wouldn't have fallen into such despair.

The fire was rapidly spreading through the surrounding forest, with black smoke rising into the sky.

We shouldn't stay here for too long. But I couldn't bring myself to force Seori to come along in her current state.

Could I take responsibility for forcibly making a girl who was choosing death on her own stand up?

I don't know.

If I were to forcibly take Seori along for someone's sake, it would be for Saaya, who's worried about her.

But what if, as a result, Seori ends up hurting Saaya? I probably wouldn't be able to forgive Seori.

The fact that I can imagine such a future probably means I don't have the right to choose her future. I can't even save one girl in despair right in front of me.

If Seori wishes it, I might have to be prepared to abandon her--

"I'm sorry."

Seori muttered those words softly.

That apology wasn't directed at me.

"I'm sorry for being born. I'm sorry for always being selfish. I'm sorry for causing trouble. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

She was trembling.

Tears falling drop by drop, she hugged her knees.

I was quietly shocked by her appearance... by her words.

Seori, who had been severely betrayed by those she trusted and ended up being hated by humans.

She might have been selfish, but she never had any malicious intent. Even I can understand that Seori is a pure person, for better or worse.

Still, can she think it's all her fault even at this moment when she's prepared for death?

Can she apologize and blame herself without resenting others?

I definitely couldn't do that.

"Seori, you were betrayed."

I found myself speaking to her.

"......"

"When I doubted Berlander in the dungeon, you got angry, right? You said I shouldn't say such things without knowing anything. This is the result of that. It's hindsight, but I'll tell you this much."

I muttered briefly to Seori, who was hanging her head.

"You were right, and I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"......"

Seori's shoulder moved slightly.

I found myself naturally weaving words.

"You tried to trust those around you, while I tried to doubt them. If this is the result, then you're clearly the one who was right, Seori. Do you know why?"

"...I don't know."

"Because I, Riseto, and Berlander were all wrong. The only one who was right was you, who purely tried to trust those around you. It's impossible for those who doubted or those who lied and betrayed to be right. That's why I was wrong back then, I'm sorry. I finally understand why you couldn't trust me. It was all my fault."

"But... that's... too late now."

"Yeah. It's too late. That's why I'll say it again, Seori, you were betrayed. If you can't believe in Riseto and Berlander who were always with you, you might not be able to trust anyone anymore. Because you'll probably think that everything I say to you could be a lie too."

"No. No, no, no! I don't want to hear it!"

Seori covered her ears.

She can no longer face even the facts that have befallen her.

The betrayed dragon princess.

The lonely girl.

...Alright, I've made up my mind.

I'm incompetent, useless when it really matters, a coward, and I'll probably never be a hero-like figure for anyone.

But just this once, I found myself wanting to save her.

"Seori... Seori Bargiria."

I gently grasped both of Seori's hands, moving them away from her ears.

Her trembling hands were surprisingly weak. She's been hurt to the point where she can't even protect her own body or heart.

Is this feeling sympathy?

No, that's not it. Sure, Seori has a tofu-like mentality, she's a scaredy-cat and a useless chuunibyou.

But I've come to know.

Not resenting others is both a weakness and a strength.

It's a strong heart that I can't imitate.

I thought that surely there would come a day when that heart would help me.

"Listen, Seori. From now on, you might not be able to believe anyone's words until you die. Smiles, kindness, consideration, everything might look dark to you. No matter how good your eyes are, you can't see hearts, and no matter how good your ears are, you can't hear true intentions. You might think that nothing trustworthy will appear for you from now on... right?"

Seori slowly nodded to my words.

"...That's why... it's fine now..."

"I see. Then I'll say just one last thing. You probably can't believe my words either, and you might think my true intentions won't get through. But Seori, there's one lie I will never tell you. Do you understand?"

"...There's no such thing."

"Do you really not know?"

"T-That's--"

As Seori was about to speak, she suddenly realized.

I had placed Seori's hand on my chest.

What Seori needs right now isn't words or actions.

It's this world's system.

"A master can grasp the emotions of their familiar. And the familiar, in turn, can sense the master's emotions. That's our demonic contract."

It was a connection unique to us, bound by the chain of the subjugation mark.

"I'll say it again, you don't have to believe my words, you don't have to look at my expressions. But you and I can't lie about each other's emotions. Right?"

I grip her hand tightly.

You can doubt my words. But the emotions carried by those words are different.

Seori had realized it too. That my emotions alone were genuine, something that could never be faked.

"Seori, become my companion."

"...!"

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Ah, I'm quite easy to sway too.

Once I decide to cherish someone, why does my heart waver so much for the wounded girl in front of me?

"...In this world, only I, who am connected to you, can't betray you. So I want you to believe in me, and I'd be sad if you don't believe me after saying all this, and happy if you do. Honestly, you can probably tell that I'm a bit nervous just holding your hand like this, right? It's embarrassing, but that's my true feeling too. So, Seori = Bargiria, I want to make you my official familiar and companion. ...Will you come with me?"

If this doesn't work, there's nothing more I can do.

In the midst of the burning forest, we stare at each other in silence.

"...Promise."

"Hm?"

"Promise me. That you'll never betray me. ...That you'll never leave me alone."

"I promise. I won't betray my familiar. I won't leave my familiar alone... How's that? Did you feel my emotions?"

When I asked that, Seori slowly—but gradually more firmly—squeezed my hand.

This time, she slowly pressed my hand against her own chest. To the place where the subjugation mark is, as if pressing it strongly.

"...My master, is it okay for me to believe you?"

"Believe? Seori, you can tell, can't you?"

"Yes, yes..."

Seori started crying again.

She really is a crybaby.

Along with her tears, I felt an overwhelming flood of emotions pouring out from her.

"Master... Master..."

While tightly gripping my hand, Seori sobbed, giving in to the emotions welling up inside her. It was the one and only connection in this world that only I and Seori could share.

That's why I had no intention of telling anyone, even a god, what those emotions were.