The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

After returning to the inn, we wiped down the unconscious elf child's body, changed them into clean clothes, and put them to bed.

I had thought it was a girl, but was shocked to see a small elephant. You really can't tell the gender of young elves.

When I returned to the living room, Punisuke had brewed some tea. Since I recently learned that even monsters can use magical devices if they know how, I've started entrusting Punisuke with more serious cooking tasks.

Punisuke seemed happy to become a slime that looks good in a chef's hat.

Aiming to be the world's first cooking slime. I don't know if such a slime exists, but still.

While drinking Punisuke's tea, Saaya gave me a sidelong glance.

"...So, the explanation?"

"Eek!"

The one who screamed was Seori, who was clinging to my arm and hiding from the gaze.

"Huh? Are you scared of Saaya too?"

"I can't trust anyone but Master..."

Oh no.

I didn't expect her to fall into such deep distrust of humans. Even though Saaya became friends with her before me.

Saaya showed a sad expression, but since she was seeking an explanation of the situation rather than her own opinion, I quickly spoke.

I explained what had happened to Seori.

The situation in this Bargia Dragon Duchy.

That Seori could only unconditionally trust her connection with me now.

And that there seemed to be another mastermind behind this whole series of incidents, including the elf village.

After listening to the story, Saaya let out a small sigh and made a face as if she had come to terms with something.

"I see. It must have been tough. But that's good, isn't it? That Ruruk was there."

"Was it good?"

"Because I understand the feeling. Even if the whole world became my enemy, I'd be fine as long as Ruruk is here. Seori feels the same way, right?"

"...Yes. As long as Master is here, it's enough."

I feel like the nuance is a bit different from Saaya's, though.

"That's why what's important for Seori is what comes next. I care about Elenora and Punisuke too now. Just like that, I think she can slowly find things she can trust at her own pace. To be honest, I'd be happy if she included me in that. I'll do my best too, so let's get along from now on, okay?"

Saaya winked.

This little girl sometimes becomes quite the charmer.

However, words alone won't resonate with Seori. She's experienced such a heavy betrayal that it can't be helped, and Saaya seemed to understand that too.

"But I'll say one thing. I consider Seori a friend, and I intend to get along with her as a comrade now that she's become Ruruk's familiar... Got it? No monopolizing."

"Mm. No good."

"Not allowed."

Watched intently by the three of them, Seori shrank back and pressed closer to me. She's really scared.

After thinking for a while, I tilted my head.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"The rotation schedule."

"What schedule?"

"Until now, there were three of us, so it was two days on, one day off. But from now on, we'll alternate every other day."

"Again, what are you talking about?"

"The sleeping positions, of course."

No, that's not 'of course' at all.

I was about to say 'What's that about' when it hit me. Come to think of it, I thought the fights before bed had stopped recently, but they had made such an arrangement.

...Wait, hold on. The way you're saying it, there's no option for me to sleep alone, is there? What about my rights? My basic human rights?

"...I understand."

"Then good. Let's continue to get along, Seori. ...Or should I call you Shadow Darkness?"

"!"

Seori, called by her chuunibyou name, seemed to suddenly realize her own tension.

She appeared to be ashamed of showing her weakened self, her face turning bright red.

When I offered her the eyepatch I had picked up, Seori hurriedly put it on. Striking a cringeworthy pose, she raised her voice.

"I-I am Shadow Darkness! The familiar of my supreme master, and the one who seals the evil god who rules over darkness. I commend you for inviting me this time!"

She suddenly became energetic.

Maybe when she's in chuunibyou mode, she can hide her shyness? Does chuunibyou have such an unknown effect? Hmm, chuunibyou patients are deep...

Even Saaya seemed a bit surprised by such a sudden change in attitude, but she soon smiled.

"That's an honor, Shadow who harbors an evil god. But your master is our leader, you know. Keep in mind that he's not yours alone."

"Hmph, foolish human. I am the master's most excellent familiar, bound by the threads of fate..."

"Objection! I'm the best!"

An unexpected rival appeared.

Punisuke seemed unusually angry.

Seori snorted.

"Hmph, look who's talking, you weak species. Let me teach you the difference in our standings."

"Mu~. Master~ Can I beat up this big sister~?"

"...Well, if it's just to make her understand the difference in your standings, that's fine."

No matter how much they're comrades, I can't let Punisuke be called weak.

I could scold her myself, but if there's a hierarchy among familiars, it's better for them to be convinced by each other's abilities. If she still looks down on others after that, then it'll be time for a harsh punishment.

Seeing me affirm Punisuke's words, Seori showed a confident expression.

"My master, a mere slime is no match for me..."

"Seori, let me give you one piece of advice. Dodge for real."

"Eh?"

Did you think Punisuke was just an ordinary slime?

You should've realized it was extraordinary from the fact that it's a slime that can speak.

"Then I'm going~ Ei!"

The next moment, Punisuke bounced.

Punisuke doesn't often stand on the front lines in battles, but all our party members, including Punisuke, train every day. Elen focuses on magic, Saaya on general skills, me on mystic arts, and Punisuke on various skills.

If skills have proficiency levels, they should increase with the number of uses. If that proficiency could be visualized, Punisuke's "Elasticity Manipulation" and "Transformation" would undoubtedly be the highest in the party.

Punisuke bounces around on its own every day. This is training to move in the desired direction at the desired speed and force using elasticity manipulation. It's a movement method using skills rather than stats.

And the "Transformation" skill, which it's been steadily training through repetitive precise movements, is reaching the realm of versatility. Not only can it hold chopsticks, but it can use a knife for mincing, wash dishes, scoop the right amount of tea leaves with a spoon, skillfully use magical devices, and I feel its dexterity has become better than mine.

Punisuke's "Ei!" is faster than a martial arts master's "Sei!" when throwing a punch.

Of course, it's not something Seori's dynamic vision can catch.

"Pyah!"

Punisuke hit Seori's forehead directly.

Seori fell backwards off the sofa. What a manga-like reaction.

"Yay! I won~!"

"T-That's unfair! A sneak attack is mean! One more time!"

Seori got up, rubbing her forehead and complaining.

"Eh~ One more time? Then, can I get serious?"

"Eh, serious...?"

"Yeah. When Punisuke gets serious, it's a bit faster, and spikes come out too. Now it can also grow giant at the same time, so even B-rank monsters would suffer fatal wounds if hit directly. Be careful if you're going to do it."

"Eek!"

Seori hid behind the sofa and started trembling.

Well, I knew from the start. No matter how you look at it, our power hierarchy is Dragon << Slime.

"I'm the best!"

"That's right. Oh, by the way Punisuke. Want to have a practice battle with a familiar I know? The opponent is a rare monster called a spirit fox, so it'll be a valuable experience."

"Is spirit fox tasty?"

"Who knows. I mean, don't eat them. They're a familiar too. Just fight."

"If I win, will Master be happy?"

"Of course I'll be happy."

"Then I'll do it! Bring it on~!"

It jumped at me, so I pet it all over. It's really cute, honestly.

Anyway, the kids accepted Seori as a new comrade without much opposition. I didn't expect her to be put in her place by Punisuke so quickly... I was hoping to see a bit more guts from her, but I guess that's asking too much.

After all, the new member is the tofu-mentality pink-haired chuunibyou useless human-distrusting dragon princess.

So, come on, self-proclaimed best familiar, stop trembling behind the sofa and properly greet everyone.

The elf child didn't wake up even after the sun set.

They seemed to have been treated quite poorly, as they were more weakened than I thought. Since there were no status abnormalities, I made them drink high potions and tonics little by little for now.

When they wake up, we'll need to ask what happened and report while delivering them back to the elf village.

Seori was just as tired, falling into a deep sleep after dinner. A lot happened today, so let's let her sleep well. By the way, Punisuke is already asleep too.

"...Now then, everyone. I didn't say this earlier because Seori was here, but I'm thinking of going to Berlander's mansion now."

I sat on the sofa and told Saaya and Elen.

"I thought so. I could tell Ruruk was angry."

"Mm. Defeat enemy."

As expected of these two I've known for a long time. Looks like they saw through me.

I don't intend to stick my neck out into trouble on my own, but having decided to protect Seori as my familiar, I can't leave alone those who tried to frame her.

I need to find out who the mastermind is too.

"So, since I'm going to commit illegal acts, I'm going to become a different person."

"Okay. How about 'Nezumi Kozou'?"

"'Dragon Killer'."

Without needing an explanation, the little girls suggested aliases.

A mouse and a dragon slayer. Complete opposites.

By the way, if there aren't any good names, I was planning to use my favorite, 'Pokonyanchi'.

"Keep suggesting candidates. I'll adjust the adventurer card to match the name."

"'Kaitou Ranma', 'Goemon', 'Mondokoro'."

"'Legend Breaker', 'God Requiem', 'Dark Master'."

I just thought, isn't Elen's sense quite close to Seori's?

They might unexpectedly get along well... Well, given that one is taciturn and the other is shy, it might take a while for them to start talking.

"Hmm, hmm. Since I have transfer skills, I don't think I'll get caught, but I'd prefer a name that stands out if possible."

"Why?"

"Well, if I get caught, an impactful rumor would be easier to identify, right? Then you'd know the first person who spread the story was the culprit. It's so you guys can find out as quickly as possible if I become unable to move."

"I see. So you want even stronger words?"

"That's right. But Elen, don't kill dragons or gods, okay?"

This is just for self-protection. Not to make enemies.

After pondering for a while, the two seemed to have reached a conclusion.

"'Totto Tonigetarou'."

"'Vaski Bargiria'."

...Not bad.

The former would be talked about humorously, while the latter would make a fool of the idiot who made an adventurer card with the same name as the Dragon King.

After struggling to choose between the two, I decided on the latter this time.

So, I temporarily rewrote the information on the adventurer card. I made sure to put 'dragon species' in the race field too.

"I am Vaski Bargiria. A B-rank adventurer who rules this country."

"It would certainly be laughable if the Dragon King was B-rank."

"Mm. Sounds weak."

I've never met him, but sorry for making fun of you, Dragon King.

I'll go greet you about Seori's matter next time, so please forgive me... Oh, but I need to hide or release the subjugation mark first or I'll definitely be killed. I need to gather information about that properly too.

Well, that's that, and this is this.

"Anyway, it looks like it'll be a good dark night. I'm off."

"Be careful not to get caught."

"Mm. Annihilate enemy."

"No, Elen-san, I'm not going to kill anyone..."

I smile wryly.

The goal is simply to find evidence that Berlander was deceiving Seori and collecting materials, and to discover the identity of the mastermind.

I pulled my hood down low and set out into the night streets.

 ■　■　■　■　■ 

"Late. They're late. Could something have happened...?"

Berlander was irritated.

Riseto, who should have gone to the forest, hadn't returned. According to the plan, he should have long since brought back the bodies of the dragon princess and the young elf. The scenario was that the two would accidentally stab each other after a chance encounter during the hunt.

Berlander himself didn't understand why they were going through such trouble. Berlander's role was to guide public opinion. He had manipulated things to make the dragon princess hated, and merely lent his name to the rest.

He wasn't very involved in this matter, so he didn't grasp the details, but it was inconceivable that Riseto wouldn't return even after nightfall unless there was trouble.

"Could Riseto-dono have failed? That can't be..."

He was a dragon king's retainer, respected even among dragon-kind. Surely there must have been some unexpected event causing the delay.

As he was hoping that was the case, a servant burst into the room.

"Lord Berlander, it's terrible!"

"What is it? How unseemly?"

"I apologize! But a riot has broken out in the outer district!"

"A-A riot!? What happened?"

Berlander couldn't believe his ears, but the serious servant didn't seem to be joking.

When he asked again, the servant shook his head with a tearful expression.

"I don't know. But the people have gathered in front of the gate to the first district and are causing an uproar, and it seems the district gate has been destroyed... And for some reason, they're all calling for Lord Berlander to come out..."

"W-What does this mean...?"

Berlander hurriedly opened the window, and indeed, the sound of commotion could be heard on the night breeze from afar.

Just as Berlander was about to give instructions to grasp the situation, one of the gatekeepers came running in ahead of him.

"L-Lord Berlander! Just now, several women calling themselves the [Luney Trading Company] have arrived at the main gate, demanding to meet with you!"

"[Luney Trading Company]? There's no way I would receive visitors at this hour. Send them away immediately."

"T-That's the thing, they gave me this joint letter from the three grand ducal houses, and this... They threatened to take appropriate measures if you don't meet them..."

What the gatekeeper presented was some kind of ledger.

...No, not just any ledger. It was the purchase ledger of a trading company under Berlander's control, for which he bore responsibility.

It contained detailed transaction data for cure potions and holy water.

"W-Why does a foreign trading company have this!"

Berlander's face turned pale.

Was this the purpose of the [Luney Trading Company] that had apparently been investigating the surroundings? But why? How? Were they gathering information to trap Berlander? But why come at this timing? And what's with the riot? Why are they causing an uproar specifically calling for Berlander?

He couldn't make sense of it and was confused.

"Lord Berlander, what shall we do?"

"...G-Let them in. There's no point in hiding anymore."

He had a strongly bad feeling, but there was no way to avoid this now.

If the [Luney Trading Company] had been bought by the ducal houses, he could pay a higher amount to make them switch sides. Fortunately, he had made them earn money. He should be able to compete financially.

As Berlander, who had moved to the reception room, was thinking this, several women entered the room, led by a guiding servant.

For some reason, they were all wearing masks that concealed their eyes.

One of them, a lady with long, loosely curled blonde hair, bowed respectfully.

"I apologize for visiting at this late hour. I am Heptan, the manager for this area of [Luney Trading Company]."

It was clearly a fake name, but her manners were refined and beautiful. She had an appearance that could be mistaken for a high-ranking noble.

Berlander, hiding his impatience, responded.

"Hmm. I am Count Berlander. Please, have a seat over there if you'd like."

"No, we'll remain standing, thank you."

"......"

The refusal to sit.

It was clearly a cautionary action. It's something that should never be done except in enemy territory, and in social settings, it's a serious breach of etiquette.

Ignoring Berlander's further change in complexion, the woman who called herself Heptan continued.

"I believe you have just seen the documents we obtained, Count. Do you have any explanation regarding them?"

"...Explanation, you say? Is there something improper?"

"Let's not play dumb, it's a waste of time. This is transaction information showing that you ordered the buyout of cure potions and holy water, isn't it? We also have the order documents here, so excuses are unnecessary."

"Wha... How did you..."

"We're the ones asking questions now. According to this history, you knew that almiraj horns would be in short supply in the market. You also knew that the market value of cure potions would rise accordingly. Therefore, you conducted a buyout and made a huge profit by selling them to various places after the price increase. And yesterday, you did the same thing with holy water."

"......"

They had completely grasped the situation.

Sweat was pouring down Berlander's back like a waterfall.

"Of course, market price manipulation, buyouts, and reselling are not uniformly prohibited. In this case, even the Merchant's Guild probably couldn't fault you, Count. Of course, neither could trading companies like us... but only if it was done through legitimate means."

Heptan was glaring from behind her mask.

As if cornering the count, she spoke calmly and methodically.

"Business is regulated under the laws of each country, and the methods you employed, Count, are not illegal. However, the foolish act of impersonating the Dragon Princess is different. Impersonating a member of the True Ancestor clan is considered a second-degree crime in our country under any circumstances."

Berlander was confused.

Indeed, as Heptan pointed out, neither the almiraj horns nor the moonflowers were things the Dragon Princess wanted. By using the Princess's name, unreasonable demands could be pushed through, and since she was going to be killed soon anyway, there would be no evidence or testimony left. He had been making money while also carrying out the "manipulation of public impression" as instructed, but...

"W-Who said it wasn't the Princess's order? Did you ask her directly?"

"Such a thing can be easily verified by tracking the inventory of the collected materials."

What Heptan produced was yet another transaction record.

"The almiraj horns were once brought to this mansion, weren't they? The number was about 370,000. It's amazing how many almiraj were hunted. The almiraj in Bargia must be endangered now. ...And here's the important part. Count, you got greedy, didn't you? It would have been one thing to just profit from cure potions, but you were blinded by the almiraj horns too. The other day, you sold the same number of almiraj horns to the Pharmaceutical Guild from here, didn't you? The accountant of your trading company who accurately recorded the outgoing information is very competent. I highly recommend giving him a raise."

"...W-Why do you have information even about my trading company..."

"Didn't you know? Count, until a year ago, you were a nobody as both a trading company president and a noble. But just because you protected the Dragon Princess who had left the holy land to play, you received many privileges. There are many nobles who don't think well of you, you know?"

Whether they were bought off or betrayed... either way, realizing he had been sold out by his own people, Berlander couldn't form words.

"As such, there were surprisingly many nobles who wanted to use the information our company obtained. Count Berlander, this is the end for you. Your transaction records have been sold, and by notifying each guild, the public's attitude towards the Dragon Princess this morning will be recognized as your scheme. The common people who learned the truth are gathering more and more and are about to riot. The guards are already surrounding this mansion to arrest you."

"...No way, that can't be..."

Berlander realized that the commotion he could hear from the window was already quite close, and knew that Heptan's words were not a lie.

He was finished.

Overwhelmed by the situation, Berlander collapsed onto the sofa. A servant hurriedly took out pills from his pocket.

"Lord Berlander! This is bad, take your medicine immediately."

"N-No need..."

It wasn't illness.

This was the seed he had sown. Even though he had been using others, he couldn't bring himself to such an undignified act as to feign illness with medicine at this point.

If everything had been set up to this extent without his knowledge, ruin was unavoidable. For Berlander, who had incorporated everything into his plans, this was one of the possibilities he had considered.

He was aware that he had been bearing this risk, so while it was shocking, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

What was unexpected was the [Luney Trading Company] calmly speaking before him.

If he remembered correctly, they had only risen to prominence a year ago. He found it terrifying that such a new foreign trading company had infiltrated the center of this country's noble society.

"...Heptan-dono, there's one thing I'd like to ask."

"Our business is finished, so ask whatever you like."

"What is your purpose?"

Even if they provided information, it's not something a trading company would do to come talk like this before an arrest.

The ducal houses would have wanted to assign this role to their own soldiers for the sake of appearance.

Why had a mere trading company taken on this task? What was their purpose?

If ruin was waiting anyway, he wanted to know about the opponent who had grasped our weak points without our knowledge. If he could understand even a little, it might ease his mind.

Heptan answered without hesitation.

"The small reason is as retribution for disturbing the market in the Bargia area where our company is also participating. And we heard that several adventurers died from status abnormalities because they couldn't buy cure potions due to your money-making scheme. It's also to avenge their regrets."

"...I see, that makes sense. And the other reason?"

"The big reason is just one. Everything is for Luney-sama."

"For Luney-sama," the women behind Heptan also said in unison, placing their hands on their chests.

Just a trading company?

No, that's not it. Berlander finally understood.

These women had faith. A group seeking profit is called a trading company, but a group spreading faith is called a religion. The [Luney Trading Company] is expanding its power not just as a trading company, but also because it excels as a religion.

Faith, huh?

Berlander closed his eyes as he heard multiple footsteps running down the hallway and the sound of armor clanking.

He remembered that he too once purely revered the Dragon King.

He would not have hesitated to give his life for the True Ancestor clan connected to him. He remembered his younger self who was so devout.

"...Indeed. One cannot win against faith."

Back then, he felt like he could do anything for the Dragon King.

Before he knew it, he had started using even the Dragon Princess who had fortunately come to him, and even accepted her death.

Ashamed of his foolish self, Berlander slowly hung his head as he watched the guards burst into the room.