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The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Chapter 152 Part 2

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Kemuna had never thought he was strong.




Born and raised as a familiar master, he was lucky enough to contract with Hotaru at a young age. Hotaru was strong, wise, and obedient. In the Kemonoski family, where one was considered excellent if they could command a strong familiar, Kemuna, the second son, was expected to be the next head of the family.




What changed Kemuna's life was Hotaru and Lakirala.




Lakirala was a child born to his father and a mistress.




As the child of a mistress, she couldn't be treated as a formal noble, but Lakirala, who excelled in magical talent, was raised together with Kemuna.




The step-siblings, two years apart, didn't get along at first. They looked down on each other because Kemuna excelled as a familiar master and Lakirala as a magician.




Kemuna had always been serious.




He wasn't weak at all, commanding Hotaru and training himself to be able to fight. He acquired the education of a noble and imagined a future where he would become a splendid head of the family -- but what changed this future was the incident where Lakirala was kidnapped.




Even though they didn't get along, she was still his sister with the same father.




Kemuna, who was 12 years old at the time, tried to go search for the kidnapped Lakirala with Hotaru. Since Hotaru was better at enemy detection and searching than anyone in the family, he thought it was natural.




What stopped him was his father, who was also the head of the family.




"No. You are the important heir, you won't risk yourself. Give up on Lakirala."




"Don't be ridiculous!"




Kemuna, who had always been well-behaved, serious, and honest, disobeyed the head's order for the first time and found and rescued Lakirala together with Hotaru.




From that day on, he began to deliberately act like a delinquent.




There was a rebellious spirit against the parent who abandoned his daughter, but above all, it was to protect Lakirala. He went into town, subdued delinquent groups, corrected them, and created the prototype of Lakirala's personal guard. He wished that even if he wasn't around, they would protect Lakirala.




As Kemuna became the leader of the town's delinquent groups, he was removed from the position of next head of the family.




By that time, Kemuna had lost his desire to become the family heir, and he had promised to become an adventurer with Furat, whom he got along with. Lakirala also joined, and the three of them started their adventurer activities.




However, as the second son of a noble family, the family didn't leave him alone.




Ignoring Kemuna's will, they forced him to marry a daughter from a good family. Although Kemuna strongly opposed, his father only said, "If you fulfill your responsibility, I won't say anything more." Kemuna reluctantly fulfilled the minimum responsibility -- having a child -- but there was no affection for his wife.




The child was taken away as soon as it was born and became his brother's adopted child.




His wife also didn't love Kemuna. It seems she originally had someone she loved, and as soon as the child was born, she eloped with that man and disappeared. He heard three years later that she had fallen into poverty, become a thief, and was eliminated by adventurers in some country.




When he heard this, only sympathy for his wife smoldered in his chest.




After that, he had been active as an adventurer for over ten years.




Although his abilities were still far from those of a Guild Master, he had definitely grown stronger. Of course, as a familiar master, he rarely stood on the front lines to fight. Furat was stronger, Lakirala was better at support, Besmond was better at protecting everyone, and Leelin was more useful in dungeons.




He had never been arrogant enough to think he was strong. Still, it was fun to gradually get stronger.




Honestly, he thought he could live as just an adventurer, abandoning his family name. He felt that doing so might release him from all troublesome things.




But he couldn't do that.




That was because he was grateful to the family for allowing him to meet Hotaru, and he was also grateful to his stepmother for giving birth to Lakirala. He never thought of leaving or abandoning Bargia.




Because this was an important place for Kemuna. Because it was an important place for Lakirala.




That Bargia, the people of Bargia, were being trampled by monsters.




"Ruaaaah!"




Kemuna roared.




An overwhelming giant body twice the size of a giant -- the "War Giant" Titan. The sword strikes it unleashed boasted power like a disaster.




While barely dodging using wind magic to the fullest, he countered with magic. Although he could only inflict minimal damage, it still created an opening for Titan. Hotaru, Lakirala, and Leelin took advantage of these openings to launch attacks.




"OOOOOOH!"




Titan shouted. The sheer volume of the voice made their ears feel strange.




The size, the power, everything was on a completely different level. Even Lakirala's strongest magic could only inflict a scratch. Yet, only Kemuna and his group could fight now. To allow as many citizens as possible to escape, they had to keep delaying here.




It didn't seem like an opponent they could win against with just three people and one familiar.




"But we've got no choice but to do it!"




Furat and Besmond were still nowhere to be seen.




The collapsed church. Blood from unknown sources flowed from the gaps in the rubble. There might still be people alive under Titan's rampaging feet. They might be their comrades -- in such a situation, they could only fight desperately while suppressing their hearts. If they got distracted, they would be killed in an instant.




"Why do we always have to suffer like this!?"




Leelin cursed while throwing a short sword.




He first met her 10 years ago. When Leelin was still 9 years old.




In a village they had gone to for a quest, she was about to be killed by a monster. He helped her then and she became attached to him, but at that time, he never thought that she would become a member of the same party five years later.




And unfortunately, a stampede occurred right after Leelin joined the party.




At that time, while other adventurers were running away, Kemuna and his group continued to fight in the square in front of the dungeon. Even Leelin, who still lacked experience, didn't run away despite being a scout and devoted herself to support. She was always cheerful, friendly, and truly excellent.




"...If only I could use stronger magic!"




Lakirala said frustratedly.




With Kemuna and Hotaru approaching to act as decoys, Lakirala continued to use magic from the rear. Although she was excellent as a magician, she seemed frustrated that she couldn't deliver effective attacks against Titan.




It was clear that she had been feeling her lack of power ever since she met the monster-like magician Elenora.




Still, Kemuna knew. Despite having more magical talent than anyone around her, Lakirala never neglected her efforts. He also knew that it was to stand and fight next to him. He had always thought she was a wonderful sister, too good for someone like him.




"Master! This fellow has an old wound near his right flank!"




Hotaru finally saw through the weak point.




Hotaru, the spirit fox considered the strongest in the history of the Kemonoski family. With her versatile magic and elusive fighting style that never showed her true abilities. Her strength, ranked in the upper echelons of A-rank, was said to reach S-rank when combined with Kemuna. She had been an important partner supporting each other since childhood. He couldn't imagine losing her.




"Freezing wings -- 'Ice Storm'! Now!"




"Light..."




Lakirala blocked Titan's vision with icy wind, and Hotaru, who had slipped to his feet, shot a light beam at Titan's flank.




Even Titan, who had only flinched slightly until now, recoiled greatly when he received magic accurately on his old wound.




"We did it! We can keep going like this--"




Just as Leelin's eyes lit up with the hope she finally saw.




Titan forcefully stomped down with his raised foot.




At first, it was like the earthquake they felt at the guild.




The ground where he stomped rose, and a shockwave like a tsunami hit the surrounding area.




"Lakirala! Protect Leelin!"




"'Wind Upper'!"




Although the wind became weak due to greatly shortening the chant, Leelin hurriedly retreated to a safe area, almost swallowed by the cracks in the ground.




Kemuna moved quickly with Hotaru's support and wasn't particularly affected, but--




He realized right after that Titan's stomp was just a preparatory motion.




The real threat was the terrifying strike from the strong stomp.




The sword came down.




"Master!"




It didn't hit directly in the first place. He had properly managed the distance, so he wasn't close enough for the sword to touch him.




But that was if it had been a normal attack.




Titan's sword gouged the ground. It was a cataclysmic strike like a spear falling from the sky.




The ground, which had become unstable from rising, exploded.




Kemuna had instantly thrown Hotaru behind him.




His own evasion and defense -- didn't make it in time.




"--!"




The exploding earth and shockwave hit his entire body.




He was blown back dozens of meters, rolling on the ground while his body took heavy impacts. He almost lost consciousness.




"Big brother!"




Lakirala rushed over in a panic.




Titan wouldn't miss such an opening.




"Lala-chi, behind you!"




Leelin shouted.




Titan had just grabbed a clump of earth at his feet and thrown it. But Lakirala, who couldn't understand for a moment such a primitive attack, couldn't avoid the attack that was like a landslide -- and was swallowed up in an instant.




If she could use earth magic, she could be rescued immediately, but Besmond, the only one in the party who could use it, wasn't here. If they didn't help her quickly, she would suffocate to death in a few minutes.




But there was no time for that.




Titan was running towards them. Although his movements were slow due to his giant size, he could enter range in just a few steps. There was no time to hesitate.




"Leelin, dig out Lakirala immediately! I'll buy time!"




Kemuna stood up, coughing blood.




His whole body was battered from the previous strike. His eyes were blurring from the pain, and there were few places he could move properly.




But he had no choice but to do it.




He couldn't let Lakirala die like this.




"Ugh, 'Wind Boost'!"




Just speaking made his bones scream.




But Kemuna kicked off the ground. He charged straight towards Titan.




Titan probably didn't expect him to come straight at him. A slight hesitation was born. Taking advantage of that opening, Hotaru accurately fired magic at Titan's old wound.




"OOOOOH!"




But this time, he didn't flinch.




Titan swung his sword as if mowing down that arm. It was an attack that the usual Kemuna would have easily avoided, but due to his injuries, his movements were heavy and he couldn't avoid it in time.




"I won't let you! Barrier!"




With Hotaru's magic, a highly viscous liquid was created between Kemuna and the sword. The sword, slightly slowed by this, passed by, grazing Kemuna's hair tips as he barely dodged.




"Uraaaah!"




Kemuna, who had ducked under the sword, leaped towards Titan's feet while letting out a war cry.




From an almost directly below position, he fired a wind bullet upwards.




It deeply gouged the old wound.




"OOOH!"




This time, he definitely inflicted damage.




But that was already Titan's domain. Groaning in pain, Titan swung his foot, directly hitting Kemuna and sending him flying into the air.




"Master!"




Hotaru jumped and somehow caught him.




Perhaps his internal organs were damaged from that, Kemuna was unconscious with uncontrollable bleeding from his mouth and nose. It was a severe injury that seemed like it would kill him in a few minutes even if left alone.




Hotaru, who was usually calm and quiet, immediately moved away and turned back with a pale face.




"L-Lakirala-dono!"




"I-I know -- 'High Heal'!"




Lakirala, who had crawled out of the earth, was covered in dirt and bleeding from her forehead, but she activated holy magic.




Kemuna's wounds were visibly healing.




The bleeding stopped, and death from blood loss was probably avoided, but his complexion remained poor.




In front of them, Titan, still alive, glared at them.




"What are we supposed to do about this...?"




Leelin voiced her weakness.




By now, it seemed impossible to fight properly. One moment of carelessness meant instant death against this opponent. With Kemuna retired, they were like a candle in the wind no matter what they did.




"...Please take care of the master."




Hotaru entrusted Kemuna's body to Lakirala.




The meaning of that -- the action of entrusting her master to someone else -- was not understood by Lakirala, and an unpleasant premonition spread in her chest.




"...What are you--"




"'Mode: Beast'"




Hotaru chanted softly.




It was a spell to break the shell that restricted her as a familiar.




Hotaru's entire body swelled, her fur stood on end, and her tails increased to seven.




Her magical power increased, fangs and claws grew, and her eyes glowed red.




That form was truly that of an ugly magical beast.




It was her true form as a spirit fox that she never wanted Kemuna to see.




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Author Notes:


 [Afterword Tips ~ The Story of Attribute Compatibility ~


 Here's a supplementary explanation of the magic attribute compatibility mentioned for the first time in this chapter.


 First, the basic explanation.


 〇 Magic power can have attributes, and each has an attribute position.


 ・Basic attributes 4 (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind)


 ・Strong attributes 2 (Lightning, Ice)


 ・Opposing attributes 2 (Light, Darkness)


 ・Special attribute 1 (Holy)


 〇 Mutual Interference


 Mutual interference refers to the compatibility of two attributes that have the property of affecting each other environmentally in magic.


 For example, as in this chapter where water magic evaporated due to the temperature around Phoenix, it's a relationship where magical powers interfere with each other before they collide.


 Therefore, between attributes with mutual interference, magic formulas fluctuate, and composite magic cannot be created. (There are some exceptions like "Explosion" which uses a combination of 4 attributes)


 The list of mutual interference for each attribute is as follows:


 ・Fire → Water, Ice, Darkness


 ・Water → Fire, Lightning, Light


 ・Earth → Wind, Light


 ・Wind → Earth, Darkness


 ・Lightning → Water, Ice, Holy


 ・Ice → Fire, Lightning, Light


 ・Light → Water, Earth, Ice, Darkness


 ・Darkness → Fire, Wind, Light, Holy


 ・Holy → Lightning, Darkness


 〇 Complementarity (Combinable - Non-interfering)


 Attributes that do not have interference with each other are called complementary, and they do not interfere with each other before the magical powers themselves collide. (Lightning magic doesn't attenuate with the heat of fire magic, earth magic can't create magic lightning rods (induction needles), etc.)


 Therefore, these can be combined in magic formulas.


 Also, among the complementary attributes, there are some that have particularly good magical compatibility (effects are enhanced), and many magicians prefer to use these combinations.


 Some examples are:


 ・Fire and Lightning "Buster" series


 ・Wind and Ice "Blizzard" series


 ・Water and Darkness "Acid" series


 And so on.


 Complementarity is so profound that there are many specialist researchers at the "Central Magic Society". In particular, the reactions when mixing three attributes, and the quantification of effect increase rates due to differences in magic formulas and environments are being studied particularly enthusiastically.


 By the way, regarding the "Central Magic Society", I'll avoid specific mentions as it's scheduled to appear in the main story in the future.]


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