The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology
Chapter 127
"Now, for the final match of the day, we'll conduct the familiar battle! Both familiars, take your positions!"
Before the excitement (?) of the pure magician battle had cooled down, we were immediately called to the stage.
I took my position with Punisuke, while Kemuna faced us with Hotaru.
Of course, since this is a familiar battle, we masters can't interfere. The detailed rules were shared beforehand, and Camlock was briefly explaining them to the audience.
"The match is lost if the familiar's main body becomes incapacitated, or if the master becomes incapacitated or steps outside the designated circle! Masters are prohibited from using magic or skills except for defense, and of course, touching the opposing team results in immediate disqualification! The key to victory is for the familiar to incapacitate either opponent while protecting their master!"
This seems to be the orthodox rules for familiar duels.
We're not just decorations; we have to defend ourselves properly. On top of that, we need to give instructions and, if necessary, supply magical power to strengthen our familiars.
Well, I can't supply magical power, and I value autonomy in battle, so I intend to be mostly a spectator.
On the other side, Kemuna is touching Hotaru's cheek, giving her magical power. Hotaru's ecstatic expression is somewhat erotic.
He's providing a considerable amount of magical power, showing how serious Kemuna is.
As expected, even Punisuke seemed to notice the power given to Hotaru.
"Master~ That fox lady is all sparkly... Can I win?"
"Well, in my estimation, it's about fifty-fifty."
Punisuke is strong, but Hotaru seems stronger than I expected. I only thought she'd be an A-rank monster because she's a spirit fox, but with Kemuna there, she seems to be exhibiting power close to S-rank.
Is this too much for Punisuke to handle?
"Well, it's a good opportunity. Let's give it our all."
"Understood!"
Just as Punisuke responded energetically, Kemuna's magical power supply seemed to end.
Confirming that preparations were complete, Camlock lowered his hand.
"Then—begin!"
"First strike wins!"
The moment it started, Punisuke immediately activated a skill.
Using transformation skills, he changed part of his body into a long, tube-like shape. There was a hole at the tip, with a small pointed part above it for aiming.
"Wait, that's a gun!"
Saaya, seeing it for the first time, exclaimed.
Yes, the protruding tube is a gun barrel.
Punisuke separated part of his body and, using elasticity manipulation, fired it as a bullet.
This is the new technique, "Slime Gun."
It's harder than a rubber bullet, so while it won't penetrate, it has considerable power. The bullet, painful enough to be more than just a sting, flew straight towards Hotaru's chest—
"It won't hit."
It passed through.
The next moment, Hotaru's figure that should have been standing there wavered and disappeared, and she had somehow moved to the side. It was a light magic spell with its activation well-hidden. Punisuke had fallen for it completely.
By the way, the missed slime bullet turned back into liquid right after hitting the wall. All effects disappear 1 second after separating from Punisuke's main body. It could be called a safe bullet that needs no cleanup, but because of this, long-distance sniping is impossible.
"Muu! Fox lady, that's cheating!"
"Taste my technique. Flames."
As Hotaru waved her hand, spears of flame were created and flew simultaneously towards me and Punisuke.
Punisuke quickly came in front of me and enlarged his body to swallow the flames. It was a bold absorption, like chugging protein in one go.
"Oh. It seems there's no damage."
"This much is easy!"
Punisuke also has a body temperature control skill. If he's serious, he can quickly lower the temperature of the parts touching fire, so even this bold move of eating flames is no big deal. The damage is minimal.
"Then how about this?"
As Hotaru waved her hand, this time mist filled the stage. It's the first time I've seen magic used like this. As expected of an A-rank monster specialized in magic.
Punisuke fired the slime gun again, but this time it was easily avoided by normal movement. He tried sniping several more times, but inevitably, the direction of the gun barrel gives away the bullet's path. It seems an experienced opponent can dodge it.
Yeah. The bullet speed is simply not enough.
"Gun mode needs improvement, noted."
I leisurely plan for future development.
Meanwhile, the mist thickened, and eventually Hotaru's figure became invisible. This must be hard to see from the audience too, but we don't need to worry about entertainment.
"Mumumu, I can't see~ Master~"
"Indeed. What do you think we should do?"
"I wish I had the wind magic of the big sisters..."
Well, that's understandable.
Unfortunately, this isn't a situation where we can ask for things we don't have.
As Punisuke was cautiously watching the surroundings,
"You're full of openings."
From directly above, a large amount of water poured down.
Punisuke instantly hardened his body using elasticity manipulation, but the water was just water.
"I just got wet! Don't make fun of me~!"
Punisuke grew sharp tentacles and thrust them upwards.
But of course, just because we heard her voice doesn't mean she's there. Rather, blocking our vision and then deliberately speaking out is nothing but a decoy.
Just as Punisuke, having fallen for the opponent's tactics, was about to retract his extended tentacles—
"Ice."
The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.
The soaked body of Punisuke began to freeze rapidly.
Of course, Punisuke immediately activated body temperature control to protect himself.
At that moment, I realized.
...This is Punisuke's loss.
"Light."
From the beginning, I realized that Hotaru's aim wasn't to attack with ice or fire.
In a familiar battle where neither knows the other's capabilities, they would be overly cautious against a mutant slime. The moment Kemuna and Hotaru saw Punisuke speak, they discarded any notion of letting their guard down.
They immediately considered what Punisuke could do, formulated countermeasures, and devised a strategy.
And as soon as the actual battle began, they were testing what kinds of techniques and skills he could use.
As a result, they found out that Punisuke couldn't use magic.
Punisuke's strength is in his skill proficiency, but his weakness is that he can only use skills. Once Hotaru realized that all these skills were physical, she chose not to engage in a direct confrontation.
Before we knew it, countless ice mirrors of various sizes were floating in the mist.
Hotaru's figure was reflected in them.
"For the finale."
"Mu! I'll break them all!"
"How futile."
Punisuke transformed into gun mode and fired wildly at the mirrors.
However, the bullets passed through all the ice mirrors.
From the start, they were all just illusions.
Even the mist wasn't water magic but light magic, and the reason for soaking Punisuke before using ice magic was to prevent him from realizing the mist was an illusion. Therefore, even if we had tried to clear the mist with wind magic, it would have been meaningless.
No matter how much you attack an illusion, it's pointless.
Rather, the more attacks Punisuke made, the more effort he expended, while Hotaru created openings with minimal magical manipulation.
"Torrent."
"Too slow!"
This time, a large-scale water magic was activated.
The enormous volume of water released with accumulated magical power rushed to sweep away Punisuke. Punisuke quickly jumped to evade into the air, but—
"The aim was not you."
"Ah! Master!"
The great wave easily engulfed and swept me away.
I had to hold my breath quickly to avoid nearly drowning. It's the first time I've seen water magic that can produce this much water volume besides Elen's. This spirit fox is genuinely amazing.
And of course, there was no way my small frame could resist that water pressure.
"Match over! The winners are Kemuna & Hotaru!"
Camlock announced the end of the match after confirming that I had landed below the stage, carried by the water.
"Master~!"
Punisuke immediately jumped over and settled on my arm.
"I'm sorry! I couldn't protect Master~!"
"Indeed. It was a complete defeat."
I had thought it would be an even match in terms of pure power, but Hotaru's way of fighting was just too skillful. It felt like a novice adventurer facing a veteran magician.
Punisuke trembled and made a sad sound.
"I'm sorry~ I'm not worthy to be Master's familiar..."
"No, no, that's not true. We need to reflect properly, but my judgment was poor too. Moreover, our opponent was incredibly strong. I feel like I understand how magicians feel when fighting against Elen now."
"Uu~..."
"There, there. Let's get stronger together."
While patting the dejected Punisuke who had suffered a crushing defeat, I returned to the stage.
I called out to Kemuna and Hotaru on the other side.
"Kemuna-san, it was a complete defeat."
"Yeah. As a veteran familiar master, I didn't want to lose to a beginner, so I went all out. Sorry about that."
"Yes. Hotaru-san was incredibly strong too."
"Right? She's my pride and partner."
Kemuna grinned. He descended from the stage, close to Hotaru, while waving to the cheering audience.
Kemuna himself had easily avoided Punisuke's bullets, so he's certainly not weak himself. Rather, since he seems to have talent in magic, I feel like they have a relationship where they fight side by side in actual combat. They're a duo that makes me want to fight alongside them someday.
Although I was frustrated by the easy defeat, it helped me understand Punisuke's weaknesses. He can easily win against monsters, but he can be this thoroughly defeated by opponents with intelligence to devise tactics.
It's good that we realized this before both master and familiar got too cocky.
"I need to grow as a master too."
"...I want to get stronger."
Punisuke seems genuinely frustrated too.
Some words of encouragement flew in from the audience, but fortunately, there were no insults. I bowed slightly towards the audience and returned to the wings.
"Good job, Punisuke."
"Mm. You did your best."
"Heh, my comrade. It was a valiant effort."
Our companions warmly welcomed us, hugging and encouraging the depressed Punisuke.
"Hey, good work, Ruruk."
"You too, Guild Master."
Camlock, who had announced the end of the mock battle, immediately came to us.
He gave a thumbs up with a satisfied smile.
"It went mostly as expected. They were no match for you guys."
"I'm glad we met your expectations. But Hotaru-san was too much for us to handle."
"Well, the familiars of the Kemonoski baronial family are in a league of their own. Even for a mutant slime, the difference in experience is too great. You should be praised just for being able to fight properly."
"Is Kemuna-san's family famous?"
"They're renowned as a family of familiar masters for generations. Especially Hotaru, who's said to be the strongest familiar in their history."
"I see. Maybe it was too early for us to fight them."
"Well, it was a good experience. Monster magic has different incantations, so the countermeasures are different too."
"...If you knew, you could have told us, couldn't you?"
"Heh. It's my job to put cocky youngsters in their place."
So one of his goals was to teach us about the world too. It certainly was educational to meet such strong familiar masters.
This Guild Master has quite a good personality.
"Anyway, Ruruk, the mock battles are over, but I'd like you to show your face for a bit."
"...What is it this time?"
"I just want to talk with you and Kemuna in the infirmary, so don't be so wary."
The infirmary?
Isn't that where the unconscious Furat and Lakirala were taken earlier?
When I gave him a skeptical look, Camlock put his arm around my shoulders.
"We're just going to talk with those idiots. Well, I have a small favor to ask too."
"By the way, what if I refuse?"
"Not an option."
Then don't ask.
Well, we don't have any plans after this except visiting the Elf village, so it's not a problem.
"Alright, let's go right away. If we stick around, we'll be surrounded by adventurers. The news about the princess has probably spread by now."
"I guess so."
There probably aren't any fools reckless enough to mess with the Dragon King's daughter, but there might be many drunks trying to get a closer look at the talked-about Dragon Princess. It seems we've been getting glances constantly since before the mock battles.
"So, let's move," I said.
"Okay!" the girls responded obediently.
Punisuke, still feeling down, was drooping on top of Elen's head, his usual spot.
There were two beds in the infirmary.
The far one had its curtains closed and couldn't be seen, but Lakirala was already sitting up on the near bed.
Kemuna, a member of the same party, entered the room first. The Guild Master followed behind him. Hotaru seemed to be waiting on a chair in the hallway.
"Hey, how are you feeling, Lakirala?"
"Big brother!"
Huh?
What was that just now? I thought I heard a sweet voice from Lakirala's mouth, but was it just my imagination?
Lakirala, clinging to Kemuna's chest, puffed her cheeks like a child.
"...Big brother, my head hurts. Pat me."
"There, there."
"...Hehe."
Yeah, this must be an illusion.
To think that the malicious Lakirala was actually an extreme brother complex... Wait, big brother? Were they siblings?
I wanted to ask many things, but my heart wasn't strong enough to intrude on this atmosphere.
Rather, I want to pretend I didn't see this and go home?
"Lakirala is Kemuna's half-sister. She's the child of a concubine, so she's not recognized by the Kemonoski family," Camlock whispered to me.
"[White Tiger] originally started as an adventurer party of three childhood friends: Furat, Kemuna, and Lakirala. Back then, they were all pure and their personalities weren't twisted... Well, Lakirala and Hotaru never got along from the start."
"I see. People have their histories."
Honestly, I don't really care.
Or rather, were we brought here to see this scene? If anything, this is causing more damage than the mock battle. To our mental state.
"Well, wait. First, Kemuna has something he wants to apologize to you for."
"Kemuna-san wants to apologize?"
"Lakirala, we need to talk," Kemuna said, separating from the clinging Lakirala and glancing at us with a serious expression.
"Before the magician battle, why did you do that?"
"...It's none of big brother's business," Lakirala said, becoming sullen and averting her gaze.
Kemuna raised his voice. "It's not about whether it's my business or not! Do you think it's okay to do such an underhanded thing? What were you planning to do if Elenora-san had been seriously injured?"
"B-but, I thought that was the only way I could win against her..."
"So what if you couldn't win? Think about it. Is deceiving and trying to hurt a fellow adventurer something a hero should do? We're the pride of Bargia, even children are watching us."
"...But,"
"No excuses. I know, I know when you avert your eyes, it's when you feel guilty. I also know that your high pride prevents you from apologizing yourself. That's why I'll apologize with you."
Kemuna grabbed Lakirala's head firmly and bowed his own head vigorously.
"Elenora-san, I'm truly sorry! I'm not asking for forgiveness. But I swear I'll make sure this never happens again. If she does something like this to anyone else, I promise we'll both give up our adventurer qualifications!"
"Wait, big brother, that's going too far..."
"Shut up! What you did was that disrespectful! Realize it!"
At his harsh words, Lakirala immediately fell silent.
"As you can see, Lakirala grew up selfish and ignorant of the world. Furat, who's sleeping in the back, is the same. I knew their recent behavior was getting out of hand, but I indulged them because we're childhood friends, and I just escaped into alcohol. As a result, they've become capable of doing such disgraceful things. I, too, will live as an adventurer with renewed awareness along with these two. So please forgive them this time."
It was a deep apology.
Elen didn't respond to Kemuna's words. She just stared intently at Lakirala.
"...I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Lakirala apologized herself, perhaps shaken by how far Kemuna had gone to speak for her.
Well, it was in a barely audible voice, but still.
"Mm. Forgive."
Well, it seems Elen wasn't really bothered by it in the first place.
Kemuna let out a big sigh and twisted his face in a pitiful expression.
"I'm grateful for your merciful response."
"...Hey, tell me one thing," Lakirala asked Elen with a dissatisfied face.
I thought I'd punch her in the stomach if she said something disrespectful here, but unfortunately, it was a normal question.
"Why didn't the 'magic seal' work? Did you have a countermeasure?"
"Mm. It doesn't work on me to begin with."
Elen answered casually before I could stop her.
"...What do you mean?"
"I have a nullification skill."
"...The magic seal was ineffective?"
"Mm, everything."
"Huh?"
"Everything is ineffective."
Lakirala—no, even Kemuna and Camlock were staring in shock with wide eyes.
Kemuna turned to look at me with movements like a broken mechanical doll. I feel like he's asking for an explanation.
I reluctantly nod.
"Yes. Elen has a skill that nullifies all status effects."
"...That's impossible."
Kemuna looked up at the sky.
Indeed, even a single nullification skill is said to be a "divine blessing." I wanted to keep it secret if possible, but what's been said can't be unsaid.
Lakirala's face had turned pale too.
"...Able to use all attributes and nullify all status effects, there's no way I could have won from the start..."
"Mm. Strongest."
"...What's with that face, it's irritating."
Lakirala glared angrily at Elen, who was provoking her with a sidelong glance.
Don't provoke her too much, really, she's such a hot-blooded little girl.
But well, thanks to the provocation, Lakirala's face looked a bit more composed. After Kemuna said all that, she'll surely change from now on.
Maybe Elen said that with all this in mind. Yeah, that must be it.
As the tension between Elen and Lakirala was somewhat renewed, Camlock interjected.
"Well, that settles things for now. Now, Furat, how long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"
"...I'm not pretending. I just didn't want to see that B-rank's face."
Furat glared at me with a sullen face as he opened the curtain.
"Sigh, this is no time to be sulking. Since we're here, Lakirala should listen too. These guys who defeated you, [Rozewill], recently killed four demons in Mataisa. Moreover, one of them was a high-ranking demon."
"...Huh?"
"The information will probably circulate soon, but this is accurate information confirmed by the Guild. You probably let your guard down because they're B-rank adventurers, but of course, we had already approached them about promotion to S-rank. They're still B-rank only because they refused it."
So he knew after all.
The Guild headquarters in each country must have a copier, so the Guild Master probably had the information for a while.
"You judged them only by their age and rank, didn't you? Among you, only Kemuna properly strategized and created a path to victory. You probably don't know since you didn't see the familiar battle, but Kemuna was the only one who won properly."
"...Tch."
Furat clicked his tongue.
For some reason, Lakirala looked more proud than remorseful. This brother complex...
"Hmph. Maybe those demons weren't a big deal."
"According to the Grand Master, high-ranking demons are equivalent to at least SS-rank monsters. You guys couldn't win even if you stood on your heads. You're just fake heroes who've become arrogant and presumptuous after being praised as the heroes of Bargia."
Furat clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at Camlock's sneer. The words he managed to squeeze out while glaring at me and Camlock were hoarse.
"...If you came to lecture us, just leave."
"No way. I came here properly as a Guild Master to do my job. *Ahem* Furat, Ruruk, there's a designated request for you guys, [White Tiger] and [Rozewill]."
Clearing his throat, he took out a single instruction sheet from his pocket.
"The clients are the 'Three Grand Ducal Houses', and the request content is 'to go to the demon realm and rescue four kidnapped elf children.' An elf 'hunter' will accompany you as support."
"What do you mean?"
This was completely out of the blue.
Of course, I understand that the Guild Master knows about the series of elf children kidnappings, as I reported it to him myself. It's understandable that it reached the ears of the Three Grand Ducal Houses.
But the elf children are in the demon realm? Even the elves themselves shouldn't have had such information as of yesterday.
In response to my question, Camlock scratched his head with a dissatisfied look.
"Early this morning, Luney Trading Company came and provided information. Among that was information about the destination of the elf children that Ruruk had also reported. According to the ducal houses, because Berlander caused significant damage to the Elf village, it's having a negative impact on diplomacy with the previously friendly elves. It seems the nobles have decided to take action to rescue the elf children in order to improve the damaged relationship."
Luney Trading Company again.
Their information network is really amazing.
"I see. By the way, what about the people from the Elf village?"
"Apparently, they were informed at the same time as us. The elves are probably already organizing a rescue team and taking action, aren't they?"
"Well, that's true. They'll definitely go to help."
"So the ducal houses have issued a designated request to you guys. By the way, [White Tiger] doesn't have the right to refuse. You guys received honorary noble titles as a reward for your S-rank promotion, right? Nobles have an obligation to respond to national summons."
"Tch. I know that."
Furat spat out bitterly. Lakirala and Kemuna listened to the conversation seriously without particular complaints.
"And the important part is for [Rozewill]. You guys are free to accept or decline the designated request. The demon realm is an unknown, and I think the quest rank will be set at SS level danger. There's no penalty if you refuse, and no one will blame you. They're only requesting based on your achievement of defeating high-ranking demons."
"I see. By the way, who is the 'hunter' elf accompanying us?"
"A B-rank adventurer affiliated with the Adventurers' Guild. I don't know if you know, but it's a famous solo adventurer here named Mererosu."
"I'll go."
Of course, I answered immediately.
If she was going, I had no intention of refusing.
"So I'm going, but what about everyone else?"
"Of course I'm going too."
"Mm, me too."
"I'm going too!"
"Heh, so it's the demon realm. When do we depart? I shall accompany you as well."
Our members seemed to have no problem with it. And who taught Seori that line... well, it must have been Saaya.
"Are you sure, Ruruk? It's going to be dangerous without a doubt. Just to be clear, it's not for the money, right?"
"We owe Mererosu-san a lot. It's to repay that debt."
"You know her?"
"We sometimes form temporary parties. We even stay at the same inn."
"I see. Honestly, it's a relief... Please take care of these idiots."
Furat and Lakirala, who were called idiots, frowned in dissatisfaction, but they didn't say anything since we're the only ones who have fought against demons.
And so, our [Rozewill] decided on a joint quest with the S-rank adventurer party [White Tiger].
Our destination is the demon realm.
I wonder what kind of place it is.
< Dragon Princess Arc → END
NEXT → Clash Arc >
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Author Notes:
Thank you for reading this far!
This concludes the first half of Act 2 [The Illusory Hero], the Dragon Princess Arc.
The Clash Arc begins from the next chapter.
If you enjoyed it, please bookmark it!
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