The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"We will now activate the teleportation trap. The destination is the boss room on the lowest floor of this dungeon. We expect immediate combat, so adventurers, please be prepared."

As Fia from Luney Trading Company announced this, everyone nodded.

It was the third day since Saaya and the others started conquering the dungeon. The conquest had been progressing smoothly, and they had arrived at the teleportation trap room under Fia's guidance.

The elite elves were full of spirit, and the members of [WhiteTiger] were also bracing themselves for the dungeon boss. Unfortunately, our party's sheep and slime were, as usual, spacing out at their own pace.

Since they're the type to perform when it matters, let's leave them be.

"Then, we'll proceed."

As Fia said this, she stepped on an unremarkable part of the floor.

Light burst forth, and in the blink of an eye, they were in a different room.

"It's the 'Giant of Explosive Flames'! Everyone, keep your distance!"

The dungeon boss was Surtr, an A-rank monster.

Its body was engulfed in flames, and merely touching it would result in damage beyond simple burns. Of course, it also uses magic, and given its giant body, attacks are difficult to land in the first place.

Furat hastily gave orders, and everyone retreated.

Except for Elenora.

"My turn."

"Wait, Elenora! We're a joint team, so you can't just defeat it on your own!"

"Mm... troublesome."

Although Elenora narrowed her eyes in apparent displeasure, this time she obediently followed Saaya's words.

If you're not registered in the party that deals the final blow, unless you land at least one hit on the boss, defeating that boss won't be recorded on your adventurer card.

Elenora, being a dungeon conqueror, knew this well, so she stopped herself from charging in.

The elves weren't adventurers, so the record didn't matter to them, but for the [White Tiger] members, not getting permission beforehand could lead to trouble. Especially since information about conquering a dungeon in demon territory could be invaluable.

"Everyone, what should we do?"

"Of course, I'll land a hit!"

"Me too."

"Indeed."

"I-I'll pass."

Furat, Kemuna, and Besmond stepped forward. Leelin quietly retreated.

Then, amidst the raging flames, the three somehow managed to get close to Surtr, engaging in combat by slashing with swords, hitting with magic, and deflecting with shields. Apart from Besmond's shield warping from the heat, they took no significant damage before retreating to a safe distance.

The basic strategy for giant monsters seems to be hit-and-away due to their slow movements. They seemed to have experience fighting such creatures several times.

"That's enough, do it!"

Furat gave instructions arrogantly.

Elenora activated the magic she had already prepared.

"'Splash Condemnation'."

What appeared was a giant water guillotine.

It formed above Surtr's head and at its feet, bisecting its entire body as if sandwiching it.

This is an intermediate water-attribute magic that normally can only cut a single human-sized target, but in Elenora's hands, it became giant-sized.

Kemuna whistled.

"As expected, little miss."

As it extinguished Surtr's entire body while cutting it, the internal flames didn't rage out of control as it fell. It immediately turned into materials.

At the same time, a treasure chest appeared, which Elenora opened without hesitation. Naturally, no one complained.

Saaya also went to peek into the chest.

"Hey, what's inside?"

"Mm."

Inside was a small magic stone. It's a stone with a strange orange luster... what could it be?

Elenora decided to have Ruruk appraise it later and put it away in her item box for now.

As the elves were praising "As expected of the savior", the door at the back opened.

The elf children should be there -- as everyone was about to advance, the ground beneath their feet suddenly lit up.

"'Mad Flower Profusion'."

It was the light of a magic circle.

By the time they realized, it was too late. Everyone present was standing within the trap's range.

The one who activated the magic was a blonde man who had somehow appeared in the room.

"That was close, wasn't it? Just in the nick of time. But this Luney Trading Company... how did you notice this teleportation trap? If I hadn't come to check things out, the plan would've been ruined, you know? I can't make any more course corrections, so give me a break."

The man was muttering irritably.

Who is he -- there was no room to ask such a question.

Saaya felt her thoughts being dominated by a certain emotion erupting from within her.

And Saaya wasn't the only one without composure,

"I'm the strongest elf!" (Distania)

"I'm going to sleep now! I want to slack off too!" (Leelin)

"Hotaru, let me fluff you." (Kemuna)

"Master, please come." (Hotaru)

"It's unfair that you guys are close to Ruruk-sama! Switch with me!" (Karmarike)

"I'm hungry! Big sisters, food!" (Punisuke)

"Why am I not good enough, Lakirala..." (Besmond)

And so on, including the other elf warriors, almost everyone started revealing their true feelings.

Amidst all this, only Elenora and Fia seemed unfazed. Saaya, barely hanging on, took out a Sugo-dama from her item box and put it in her mouth.

It stinks... but it seemed to have an effect, clearing her head.

The blonde man said admiringly,

"Heh. There are some who can resist? Though the Luney Trading Company woman is cheating, I guess."

"Who are you?"

"Hey, hey, little girl. I don't like people with no manners. Isn't there a custom in human society to start with greetings?"

"You're the one who suddenly attacked us, what are you saying?"

"Hah, you're right. Then let me introduce myself."

The blonde man removed the earring he was wearing.

At that moment, his skin and hair color began to change. His skin darkened slightly, his hair turned white, and his ears became pointed like an elf's, with fangs growing.

There was no need to ask what he was.

"...So you were a demon."

"Saaya-sama, please be careful. This is likely the man who instigated Earl Berlander."

"Thanks, Fia-san."

So this demon is the mastermind who planned the kidnapping of the elf children.

Ruruk would probably be delighted to defeat him if he knew.

The demon, having been correctly identified, glared at Fia irritably, then looked at Elenora with interest. He seemed to have no interest in Saaya.

"A 'Demon King's Seed', huh? This might be a bit tough, but can I win here? But why isn't the enchantment working on you?"

"Sorry to interrupt your monologue, Mr. Demon, but don't forget I'm here too."

Saaya imbued her sword with holy attributes. If the earlier magic circle had a status effect, then his racial skill is probably dark attribute enchantment. Holy magic is effective against dark attributes.

There's no way she wants to lose by being careless while Ruruk is away.

The demon finally seemed to register Saaya as an enemy, glaring at her fiercely.

"What's with that dangerous thing you're using... If you're going to face me, you're prepared, right, little girl?"

"That's my line. Let's go, El-- Huh?"

Suddenly, a presence appeared behind Saaya, who had entered a combat stance.

Thinking it might be an enemy, Saaya turned around to see Furat.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he was raising his sword.

"Die, you damn brat!"

Even though he's a rotten S-rank adventurer party leader.

With his status, even Saaya couldn't avoid an unexpected attack.

The sword came straight for Saaya's chest--

"'Tornado'."

Elenora mercilessly blasted Furat away.

Furat was blown sideways as if he had been hit by a truck, crashing into the wall. One of his arms and legs bent in directions they shouldn't, scattering blood as he fell to the ground.

...It seemed a bit excessive, but she was saved.

"Thanks, Elenora."

"Mm."

While it's questionable why Furat attacked Saaya, it was probably due to the earlier magic circle.

"I'm the one who should be close to Ruruk-sama!"

"Ahhn. Master, more~"

"Zzz... snore..."

"Lakirala! I love you!"

Her companions were going crazy, their desires fully unleashed. Well, Karmarike seemed to be acting as usual.

In any case, it was clearly an abnormal state.

"You controlled Furat-san, didn't you? What a despicable technique."

"Control? Hah, what a convenient mind you have. Do they look controlled to you?"

"...Then why did Furat-san attack me?"

"That's because it's his desire."

The demon pointed at the fallen Furat.

Incredibly, even with broken limbs, he was still expressing his intent to kill Saaya as he stood up and dragged himself forward.

"I just magnified their desires. When there are this many people, they self-destruct without me needing to control them," he said.

"You brat, I'll kill youuu!" 

Covered in blood and wielding a sword, Furatts approached like a zombie. 

Is this his true intention? Why does he want to kill me? I wanted to deny it immediately, but remembering the surge of impulses within me, I realized it was true. 

If that's the case...

"I'm sorry, Furatts-san. Deep Sleep, 'Holy Sleep'." 

No matter the reason, moving around while severely injured will only make things worse. I made him fall asleep without healing him, even though it meant he had to withdraw from the battlefield.

"Elenora, first, stop everyone's movements. If this continues, it will be a disaster." 

Several elven men were already trying to attack Karmarike. She was shouting, "My first time is reserved for Ruruk-sama!" while beating them up. She was managing to hold her own, but who knows how long that would last.

"Understood. 'Paralyze Shock'."

"Ugh."

"Nggh."

"Ahh!"

Elenora paralyzed everyone except herself, Saaya, Punisuke, and Fia. By the way, Saaya had fed Punisuke a Sugo Ball, which restored him to normal.

Seeing this, the demon clapped his hands gleefully.

"As expected of the Demon King's offspring. Seems even Lord Saturn might not be able to beat you."

"...You were Saturn's henchmen too, weren't you?"

"Oh, did I let that slip? Well, it doesn't matter since you're about to die, little girl."

"Who's going to die? I'm not that weak, you know."

"That might be true, but I'm not the one who's going to kill you. Isn't that right, kids?"

The demon snapped his fingers.

From the back door, three young elf girls emerged. Their eyes were dull and lifeless. 

These were the elf children we were supposed to save. They were holding knives to their own throats.

The demon grinned wickedly.

"Now, let's play a game, you strong ones. You came here to save these innocent lives, didn't you? If you want to save these pure souls, kill each other. The survivor and the kids will be spared. That much I, the mid-ranked demon Zendu, promise you."

The demon declared arrogantly. His vile words held the children hostage.

 □　□　□　□　□

Without hesitation, I used "Relative Transfer" repeatedly to move through the demon territory. However, since I wanted to scout the surroundings, I progressed cautiously through the forest rather than taking to the clear skies. With no proper roads, the visibility was poor, and progress was slow.

Two days after leaving the dungeon, the castle finally came into view. Despite this, we were two days ahead of schedule.

"Is that the castle? It's smaller than I expected."

"Yes... It looks like a castle, but it's more the size of a mansion."

I wasn't disappointed, just a little underwhelmed. Standing atop a small hill, it stood out against the surroundings, but that was its only notable feature.

"My master, give the signal to unleash my ultimate destruction upon the enemy!"

"Wait, wait. There are still elf children to rescue. Do that after."

"Ruruk-kun, it's not good to destroy things unnecessarily even after the rescue."

"That's right, Seori. Bad girl, bad!"

"...You change your tune too quickly," commented Lakirala, who still looked a bit pale.

She hadn't fully recovered yet.

"...How are you okay with this? Isn't transferring nauseating?"

"You get used to it."

"...That's a lie."

"Haha, you do get used to it. Even I did."

Mererosu used to feel sick at first too. Lakirala still eyed us with suspicion but refrained from complaining about the convenience of transferring.

I handed a bottle filled with Sugo Balls to the disgruntled Lakirala.

"If it's that hard, do you want one?"

"...No thanks."

"A good medicine tastes bitter."

"...It smells bad, more like."

Why does she refuse so much? It smells, but it's highly effective.

Though I'm not sure if it works against motion sickness, I'd like her to test it.

"...I'd rather bathe in a Bloody Bear's saliva than drink that."

"Just how much do you hate it?"

A staunch medicine hater. In my past life, my childhood friend's younger brother was like Lakirala, hating medicine.

He couldn't even take medicine wrapped in sweet jelly from the pharmacy. My childhood friend and I once managed to get him to take it by throwing a carnival-like event at school just for that.

Just for him to take medicine, it turned into a school festival-scale event... nostalgic.

Maybe if we did something similar, Lakirala would take the medicine too.

"It can't be helped. Let's form a cheer squad with the Adventurer's Guild to help Lakirala-san take her medicine."

"Stop it, that's too embarrassing."

She rejected the idea outright.

As we talked, the castle drew closer. I was about to use transfer to climb onto the roof when I saw something unexpected through the castle's walls.

"Everyone, we're transferring!"

"Okay."

"...Got it."

"Understood."

Three people quickly touched me. Without hesitation, I executed the transfer, and we appeared in a room inside the castle.

It was the castle's great hall. Though called a great hall, it wasn't large enough for a party, more like the size of Muuteru's dining room. There were no tables or chairs, just a summoning circle carved into the floor.

It was almost complete, with a dark liquid flowing through it. But that wasn't why I was startled. The mid-ranked demon, likely the castle's master, was lying dead next to the summoning circle, slain.

And the culprit was still there.

"Who are you?"

She was a small demon girl, wielding a large sword almost as tall as herself. She immediately noticed us and pointed her blood-stained sword at us.

"Are you humans?"

She was as puzzled as we were. Despite her small stature, she wasn't a child; her simple status indicated she was 18 years old. She had dark skin and pointed ears, like a dark elf, but what struck me most were her dead, lifeless eyes, reminiscent of Seori's in her moments of despair.

To avoid provoking her, I nodded.

"Yes, I am human. My name is Ruruk. May I ask your name, fair maiden?"

"As expected. My name is Nagi."

Her words were calm and serene, as if she had seen it all. She seemed interested in humans but wasn't hostile or friendly.

"Why have humans come to this castle in demon territory?"

"We came to rescue the elf children there. We'd like to take them back with us if possible..."

I didn't know her relationship with the dead demon at her feet, but I didn't expect her to release the elf children without a fight.

"I don't mind. I have no interest in children."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why are you surprised by your own proposal?"

Well, you see. I didn't expect the demon we were supposed to fight to be killed, nor did I expect the one who killed him to be a demon who would just hand over the elf children.

If she said yes, I'd gladly take them back. I should be thankful for not needing to fight.

Seeing no hostility from Nagi, Mererosu quickly picked up the unconscious elf girl and returned.

Good, she's unconscious but breathing. We made it in time.

I sighed in relief and looked back at Nagi, who was staring at me.

"Why are you here, Nagi-san? Why did you kill the castle's master?"

"Revenge."

Nagi answered simply.

"I came to avenge my brother, who was driven to his death."

"Did you achieve your revenge here?"

"No, not yet. This was just one of his subordinates. Though he was as despicable as Saturn, having tyrannically ruled over my village."

"...Wait, who do you hate?"

I thought I misheard. Nagi clearly repeated herself.

"The 'Sand King' Saturn. I am traveling to kill that vile man."