The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Several hours after parting with the demons who were attacked by the Behemoth.

Salad, our mount, was running across the wasteland in high spirits, perhaps thanks to eating the Behemoth's meat.

"At this pace, we should reach the desert region pretty quickly, right?"

"Indeed. About three days, I think."

It would normally take several weeks on foot.

Even in the vast demon realm occupying the northern part of the continent, the desert region where Saturn is located is still relatively south. It's not a difficult distance for a giant salamander to run.

"Man~ we picked up a good mount."

"Hmph, it's just a beast without intelligence. With my wings, we wouldn't even need two days!"

When I praised Salad, Seori puffed her cheeks competitively.

I pull on those puffed cheeks.

"Is that so? Sure, if you could transform into a dragon? If we could have a comfortable air journey in the first place?"

"Ow, ow, ow..."

I'm not saying you need to forcibly overcome your trauma, but this useless girl gets cocky too quickly.

If you're going to compete, at least do it after you can actually do it.

Seori rubs her swollen cheeks and puts her head on my lap while whimpering. She's really like a child, immediately seeking affection after being scolded.

With nothing to do and bored, I tap Seori's head with my fingertips, playing a rhythm while looking around.

"Still, it's amazing that there are monsters even in this wasteland where there doesn't seem to be any food."

"Can Ruruk sense their presence too?"

"Well, something like that."

In truth, it's thanks to the great "Eye of Illusion" sensei.

Sensei, I seriously respect you.

"There are hardly any normal animals, I wonder what monsters eat."

"Of course, it's magic essence. Or rather, nothing but magic essence is nutritious for them."

"Eh, really? They don't just eat humans and animals?"

"That's because they neutralize the magic poison from the start. To put it simply, other living beings are like pre-cooked ingredients for monsters. When they can't eat other creatures, they absorb magic essence directly from the air... apparently."

Once again, Nagi shares information passed down from her brother.

I wonder if this is common knowledge for demons. It's the first time I've heard of it.

"Huh. So they're called monster species because magic essence is their food?"

"Yes. That's why we demons are also fine cuisine for monsters."

"I see. So that's another reason why lower demons live in Depth I. To avoid strong monsters."

"The stronger the monster, the higher its detoxification ability, so they also live in higher depths with more abundant magic essence. They have a nature more suited to living in this demon realm than demons... Some say that this land originally belonged to monsters, not demons."

Heh. There are various ways of thinking.

But certainly, if even Demon Kings can't live in Depth V, the northern edge of the continent must be a paradise for monsters. There must be monsters not just of SS rank, but SSS rank, or even immeasurable ones crawling around.

...I definitely don't want to go there.

Thinking about it that way, I now understand the reason why monsters gather in dungeons, which I've been wondering about.

Ley lines, large mineral veins, and magic essence pools are essential for dungeon formation. Dungeons are places where magic essence is stably supplied in the human realm where it's thin. No wonder they gather there.

By the way, it's also clear why Karmarike isn't noticed by monsters. Her magic power must be too bland to be nutritious... Wait, could it be that Karmarike's poor growth is because of nutrition...?

"Somehow I feel like crying. Eat a lot, okay..."

"I don't know what you're imagining, but it's probably wrong."

"Yeah, I think so too."

That's incredibly trivial.

Meanwhile, Karmarike, who was backtracking to escape the dungeon, sneezed loudly... or so I'd like to think.

As we were chatting like this, we saw something ahead again.

Huge rocks piled up. It looked like a large-scale terrain, as if the gods were playing Jenga with rocks.

"What's that? It doesn't look natural at all, right?"

"Indeed. Rocky mountains in the wasteland, rock... rock mountain?"

Nagi seems to be trying to remember something.

Seori raises her upper body and says,

"Hmph... The time has come to clear the blue sky with my single strike--"

"Not yet."

I want her to wait until I decide if it's terrain we can change.

...Wait. What do I mean by terrain we can change? Am I losing my mind too?

Damn, I might be done for... I want to pass this on to posterity... I wanted to die as a person with common sense at least... I wanted to... *thud*

"I remember. That's probably the 'Witch of the Wasteland'."

"The Witch of the Wasteland?"

What's with that moving castle-like term?

Nagi nodded.

"My brother apparently saw it sometimes when he went to Saturn's castle. The 'Witch of the Wasteland' piles up rocks like mountains and moves them like limbs to take down monsters. He said even Saturn doesn't mess with it."

"Moving those rock mountains like limbs? You mean it's a super-super-giant golem?"

"Probably. Many demons living in this area, with Saturn at the forefront, have a high affinity for earth magic... Nagi's brother was like that too..."

"A-Anyway! That means we shouldn't get close, right?"

Nagi's expression deadens. I hurriedly confirm.

After maintaining silence for a while, Nagi says,

"Especially now, if we get too close, it might think we're targeting it and counterattack-- Ah."

"Huh?"

"Uh-oh."

Yes, we were too late.

Although we were still quite far, the monster we're riding is a salamander.

What's the characteristic of a salamander?

It's their ferocity to attack anything that catches their eye, regardless of whether it's stronger or not. There's no need to observe a salamander approaching straight from afar, so...

The rocks started to move.

The massive rocks that were haphazardly piled up began to assemble as if connecting. The rocks that were already piled higher than Salad's back combine even further.

It's no exaggeration to say it's manipulating the mountain itself now.

Seori's legs give out, and Nagi narrows her eyes.

"...This is bad. It's in full interception mode."

"A-Ama..."

"Ruruk, quickly give Salad instructions to--"

"AMAZING!"

I, sir, am extremely excited.

"What is that? It's huge! Looks strong! So cool!"

"Ruruk, give the order to retreat immediately--"

"Isn't it crazy? Hey, isn't it crazy? Ah, I'm the one who's crazy. I'm so excited I can't find the words. This is like some super big battle thing. Or like a morning special effects show--"

"Hmp!"

Nagi elbows me.

However, the notification "Domain Arbitration has been activated" appears in my status. It must have judged it as an attack.

Nagi immediately holds her elbow in pain.

"I-It's too hard... Do you have something in your clothes?"

"Ah, sorry. Just a bit of a mental wall."

The calm and collected senpai mode activated, cooling down my excitement.

Of course, while we were having this exchange, Salad kept advancing, and we were now close enough to be at the knees of the super-combined rock golem.

"...Hey, Nagi."

"...What is it?"

We calmly looked up.

"Why didn't you stop us?"

"You're one to talk! If Nagi dies here, I'll definitely curse you to death!"

"Retreat--!"

At that moment, the golem's fist came down.

Its size was like a building itself falling. This wasn't just an attack. It was a disaster on the level of a meteorite.

I grabbed Seori and Nagi and immediately teleported back. There was no time to worry about appearances.

Even though we moved quite far back, we were still affected by the raging wind.

Naturally, Salad, who couldn't teleport and was crushed under the fist, was pressed into the bottom of a crater like a frog run over by a tire.

"Salad--! Damn, how dare you do that to my cute pet! I won't forgive you, 'Witch of the Wasteland'!"

"W-What happened?"

Nagi was confused, unable to grasp that we had teleported.

There's no time for detailed explanations, so I'll be brief.

"My teleportation skill. I need to be in contact to teleport together, so stay close."

"...I wish you had told me about things like this earlier."

She glared at me.

Well, come on, I didn't think this kind of situation would happen.

I think it's a force majeure.

But Nagi didn't seem to want to keep blaming me in this situation. Or rather, she didn't have the luxury to do so.

The golem, perhaps noticing that we had escaped, was raising its other fist.

"Ruruk, can you teleport again?"

"I can, but... what should we do, run away? Personally, I'd like to get back at the witch... or rather, the golem."

"That's reckless."

She stated firmly.

Well, it is a giant golem that almost reaches the clouds. If Elenora was here, I'd fight without hesitation, but honestly, we lack firepower. There's no way we can win.

I was thinking candidly that although I wanted to avenge Salad, it was Salad who charged at the golem without orders... when Nagi said:

"It's reckless, but... Nagi also wants revenge."

"Eh, seriously?"

"Yes. Revenge... vengeance is Nagi's reason for living."

Her eyes were darker than darkness itself, an abyss one should never peer into.

I almost forgot because we can converse normally, but Nagi had already killed over a dozen of her own kind. Even before meeting us, she had already fallen onto the path of carnage.

It was an intensity that made me shudder slightly, but I had promised to help her on this path of revenge. As long as our interests align, I have no intention of bailing out.

"Alright, let's take it down then."

"I'll leave the movement to you."

"Leave it to me."

I carry Seori, whose legs have given out, with my left hand and put my right hand on Nagi's shoulder.

Faced with the overwhelming mass descending from almost directly above, I psyched myself up.

"Okay, here we go -- 'Relative Transfer'!"

And so began the battle with the suddenly encountered "Witch of the Wasteland".

"Next! The fourth on the right upper arm!"

"Yes. Oni Imagination Style -- 'Sago Palm Cut'"

"Next! The sixth on the lower left of the torso!"

"Oni Imagination Style -- 'Wild Poppy Exorcism'"

An hour had already passed since we began fighting the giant golem.

At first, we didn't know how to fight due to the sheer difference in size, but we gradually chipped away at the rock body by focusing on hit-and-away tactics using teleportation.

The golem's movements are slow due to its size, and thanks to teleportation, its attacks almost never hit us.

However, as I was consuming a lot of concentration and Nagi was using up a lot of physical strength, we opted for an endurance battle with breaks.

If I'm being greedy, I was hoping for the "Witch of the Wasteland" to run out of magic power, but her movements didn't change at all. Not only can she move a golem of this size, but she can also engage in an endurance battle? What kind of magic reserves does she have?

By the way, when I teleported near the face once, I used clairvoyance to look at the witch riding on the golem's face part. She was a small, elderly demon.

She was operating the golem with an expression like a girl in love, so she's probably some kind of battle maniac. After all, trying to create a golem of this size in the first place shows that she's definitely missing a few screws.

"Phew. Are you alright, Ruruk?"

"Yeah. My body's just starting to warm up."

"Don't try to act tough. Should we rest?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

We're holding hands, keeping our distance from the golem.

Seori was asked to wait quite far away soon after the battle began. Occasionally, supporting laser beams come flying in, dealing subtle but good damage.

Fortunately, the golem doesn't seem to have any means of long-range attack, so Seori is relatively safe. Well, in case of emergency, I'll teleport her immediately.

Nagi gripped my right hand tightly. It's a signal that she's ready.

"Alright. This time we'll take down the right arm for sure."

"Yes."

"'Relative Transfer'!"

We teleport near the golem's right shoulder, and Nagi immediately swings down her long sword.

At first, she was gripping the sword with both hands, but after realizing that she could reset her posture with teleportation no matter how unbalanced she became, she switched to one-handed. This allowed us to communicate the timing of teleportation to each other.

Nagi's strike cuts away the rock at the base of the shoulder, gradually reducing its volume. This was thanks not only to her sword skill but also to the "mythical class" "Cursed Blade - Kaminagi".

Its property of "cutting through any formula" not only physically cuts but also severs the transmission of magic power. Therefore, the golem can't repair the damaged parts, and damage gradually accumulates.

However, the golem wasn't just taking hits either.

"Below, gravel!"

"Understood!"

The "Witch of the Wasteland's" magic control was quite precise, able to manipulate rocks even when they weren't in contact with each other at close range.

Although this range was only within a few meters of the main body, we were fighting at sword range, so we had to avoid small drone-like rock fragments flying along the torso.

Therefore, we couldn't stick to close range continuously and had to change our attack location while using hit-and-away tactics, but--

"Oni Imagination Style -- 'Tile Breaker'"

Nagi smashed the part that had been cracked.

At that moment, the golem's right arm swayed heavily. After a grueling hour and a bit, the right arm finally separated completely and fell to the ground.

We teleported away once, close to where Seori was waiting.

With the thunderous sound of the falling arm, a cloud of dust rose around the golem's feet.

"Phew. We did it."

"Yes. For now, at least."

"Master, that was amazing!"

Seori came running up to us.

However, it was still just the right arm. Being a golem, it should be able to function even with one arm missing.

I was thinking it would take until nightfall to completely defeat it when--

"...It stopped moving."

"Yeah, it did stop."

The golem had come to a halt.

Seori's eyes lit up immediately, and she was about to fire off a skill to take advantage of the opening, so I stopped her. She looked dissatisfied, but this operational stop was probably intentional.

"I'll go check it out. You two stay here."

"Okay."

"As you wish."

I teleported alone to near the head.

As expected, the witch had already descended from the cockpit - or rather, the head. She was sitting in a rock armchair, smiling contentedly while viewing the scenery from up high.

Naturally, her expression didn't change when she saw me.

"That was the most fun battle I've had in a long time. Thank you, human boy."

She seems unexpectedly mild-mannered.

I shrugged.

"We had a valuable experience too. Is it okay to consider this the end of the battle?"

"Oh my. You don't intend to kill me? I won't resist, you know."

"I never intended to kill you from the start. I fought with the intention of destroying the golem, though."

The revenge was meant only for the golem.

If I had intended to kill her, I would have launched a coordinated attack on the cockpit from the start.

The witch seemed a bit surprised by my answer, but her smile didn't falter.

"Is that so? Well then, I wish we could have fought to the limit."

"Why did you stop? Because we destroyed the right arm?"

"I ran out of magic power. It's all I can do to maintain this posture now. My back hurts too."

The witch stretched her upper body on the chair.

Looking at her like this, she seemed no different from a madam enjoying afternoon tea in her garden.

I said honestly:

"But your magic is amazing. To control a golem of this size, and for over an hour too."

"Well, I am a high-ranking demon after all."

"I see. If you don't mind, may I ask your name?"

"It's Maeve. You're not afraid of me, even though you're human?"

Maeve smiled brightly.

"I'm Ruruk. As you've probably noticed, the one fighting with me was a lower demon. I don't treat others badly just because they're a different race."

"Fufu. What an unusual human."

"Maeve-san is talking peacefully with me, a human, too, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm quite old now. I understand the workings of the world to some extent."

"...The workings of the world?"

Not race or history, but the world?

I tilted my head, unable to understand the meaning of her words.

Maeve didn't try to dodge the question at all.

"Yes. You're still young, aren't you? With that much power at your age, the time may come when you'll understand soon. That's something for you to think about when the time comes."

"...I see."

I couldn't understand at all, but she didn't seem inclined to explain further.

Anyway, there was something more pressing than such abstract matters.

"Maeve-san, you're a high-ranking demon, so why are you here? I heard this was Saturn's domain."

"Oh my, you're curious about that?"

"Yes, somewhat."

After all, we did exchange blows.

Even though we charged in first, the fact remains that Salad was killed. I wanted to know at least the reason why she was here.

Maeve replied in a languid tone:

"Well, I can't fight so casually in other places, can I?"

...

I was certain.

This person, despite acting so mild-mannered, is really a battle maniac.

She's been staying in this wasteland just to fight. As expected of the "Witch of the Wasteland", living up to her name.

As I was dumbfounded, Maeve glanced at the western sky and said:

"It's almost dinner time. Would you like to join me, boy? I'll invite you if you'd like."

"...Is that okay?"

"Of course. Bring your companions too. I can't offer much hospitality, but I can provide a meal and beds. The night sky is beautiful from here, you know?"

Indeed, with the golem standing, this witch's house is high up in the sky.

I don't sense any malice from Maeve at all, and both Seori and Nagi are girls. It's probably better to stay at her house than camp outside.

"Then I'll gratefully accept your offer."

"Yes. Bring your companions along."

"I will. I'll be right back."

And so, I ended up staying on top of the golem with Seori and Nagi.

Maeve, the high-ranking demon... also known as the "Witch of the Wasteland".

I had once again made the acquaintance of a strange being, filling in one more spot in the "Collection of Strong Old Characters in Another World".

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Author Notes:

  Tips - "Strong Old Characters Collection in Another World"

  1. Verugana

    > The well-known behind-the-scenes boss of the Muuteru family. A former SS-ranked adventurer who is blind.

  2. Guild Master of Stoania

    > A muscular holy demon magic user. A fighter who defeats monsters with infinite healing.

  3. Upper Demon Skato

    > Known as the Shadow King, a specialist in dark magic.

  4. Upper Demon Maeve

    > Known as the Rock King, a battle fanatic. The strongest golem user among the demon race.

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