The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"Tell me where that lizard woman is. If you do, you might avoid being killed right here."

Saturn said threateningly.

I couldn't respond immediately.

"What's wrong? Have you finally realized the fear of death now that your heart is being gripped?"

"...se"

"Hmm? I won't listen to pleas for mercy. Hurry up and tell me where that cursed lizard is,"

"-- Let go of my heart."

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

> "Cool-headed" has activated--

The skill activation notifications continuously filled my field of vision.

Life or death?

I didn't care about such things.

The only thing occupying my mind was one thing.

"Don't touch my heart so casually!"

"What!?"

Saturn's arm, which had been gripping my heart, was repelled from my body.

I had just shouted in anger. Yet, as if rejecting it, Saturn's arm -- his entire body -- was sent flying far away.

Saturn crashed into the wall with great force. He seemed to have protected himself with a sand cushion and quickly got up, looking perplexed. He probably couldn't understand what had happened. The same goes for me.

> "Cool-headed" has activated.

It was then that my head finally started to cool down.

After taking a few deep breaths, I was able to calm down.

"...Boy, what did you do?"

"Who knows. But I won't let you do the same thing twice."

My heart is my benefactor.

I won't forgive anyone for crushing her, even if I die.

"But well, you were careless, Saturn. Come to think of it, you had an overwhelming number of skills, didn't you?"

What I saw when I appraised him were automatic defense, automatic recovery, high-speed movement, status effect infliction, defense penetration skills, and so on. Not only as a high-ranking demon who could freely manipulate sand, but because of the skills he had stolen continuously, he had become almost invincible.

As expected of someone vying for demon supremacy.

He's not an opponent I can win against in a normal fight. I didn't intend to hold back, but I was made painfully aware that just fighting not to lose wouldn't be enough at all.

"Punisuke, please go into auto mode."

"Yes, nano!"

As the slime weapon disappeared from my hand, I took out a mithril dagger from my item box.

I assume the familiar short dagger stance.

"Changing your strategy now won't make any difference. 'Binding Threads'"

Once again, my whole body is bound.

I can't prevent this. But,

"'Flash--'"

"I won't let you, nano!"

"What!?"

However, it doesn't work on Punisuke. No matter how tightly he's bound, he can slip out.

What assaults the caught-off-guard Saturn is hundreds of bullets.

I only have two hands, so I'm limited to two shots at a time when I use it.

But Punisuke has no limit to his shape. In auto mode, Punisuke's number of attacks can increase infinitely as long as he can control them. Enlarging the armor like wings growing from my back, the bullets fired from there overwhelmed Saturn's automatic barrier, surpassing his defense.

"Guh!"

As expected of someone at the level cap. Though it didn't penetrate, he was blown away after being showered with bullets all over his body.

My bindings are also undone.

"Not done yet, nano~!"

Punisuke fires bullets again from his body spread like wings.

Unable to endure, Saturn activates "Sand Shell" and blocks all the bullets. As expected, when he concentrates on defense, bullets can't break through -- but.

"How about mithril then!"

The mithril dagger that can cut through steel scrapes away Saturn's sand.

I easily cracked the shell, but -- Saturn wasn't there.

The floor was broken.

Immediately after, sensing a presence, I jump sideways.

A sand spear grows from the ground, breaking through where I was just standing. He must be attacking from the floor below. Unable to pinpoint our location, spears thrust out randomly.

"Punisuke, spherical guard!"

"Yes, nano!"

Punisuke changes to envelop my feet. The spear hits but doesn't penetrate, instead bouncing us upwards.

We're launched up to the collapsed ceiling, successfully landing on a fallen roof beam.

I can see the vast desert, but this is no time to enjoy the scenery.

"Hmm. I underestimated you as a mere slime... It seems I need to reassess my perception."

Saturn slowly rises back up, riding a mass of sand.

Thanks to Punisuke, I was able to inflict some damage, but it's gradually healing. His automatic recovery skill is quite high-performance.

"But is this alright? Outside is my domain."

Saturn lightly raises his hand.

The surrounding desert rises all at once, becoming like mountains surrounding us. He could kill us just by pouring this sand over us.

Though if he was going to do that, he would have done it from the start, so it's probably just a threat and a last resort.

"Are you still playing around? You can be more forceful if you want."

"Don't you understand the difference between us yet? Even with a somewhat strong familiar, it's not enough to bridge the gap in our abilities."

"Don't underestimate me, nano!"

Punisuke rains down a shower of bullets.

But Saturn isn't one-dimensional either.

"'Sand Vortex'"

All the bullets that touch the sand of the automatic barrier are deflected away. Instead of blocking them head-on, he deflects them at an angle.

"If I see it enough times, I can come up with countermeasures."

"Muu~!"

"But well, it's true that you're troublesome for a slime. I'd like to play a bit more, but... it's about time you tell me where the lizard girl is."

"I told you, I have no intention of selling out my comrades, even if I die."

"You might not. But it's a different story if that one talks. -- 'Usurpation'"

Saturn activates his skill towards Punisuke.

At that moment, text appeared in my notification area.

> Released [Individual Name: Punisuke].

Punisuke peels off from my body and falls.

He drops onto the floor of the boss room with a plop. The connection I had with Punisuke, which was already weak due to the lower-rank familiar skill, was now completely gone.

I can't help but gasp.

"What... you undid the familiar state!?"

"Fu, fuhahaha! How about that, boy? I've stolen the bond between you and your familiar. It's a bit unsatisfying that it won't become mine, but if it's not a familiar anymore, it won't protect you, right? Now, slime. You're free now... This is your chance to take revenge on your former master who abused you!"

"Don't be ridiculous... nano."

"That's right, get angry! But before that, tell me, slime. Where is that dragon species that was your former comrade? If you don't answer, I'll make you disappear immediately. If you don't want to die--"

"Don't be ridiculous, nano-!"

"Wha-!?"

Punisuke spreads his wings and fires bullets.

The target is not me -- but Saturn.

Unable to defend against the sudden attack, Saturn is blown away after being showered with bullets all over his body.

While it didn't cause major damage, Saturn was still shaken.

"Wh-why did you attack me! It was that human boy who manipulated you as he pleased!"

"I'm not fond of my master because I'm a familiar! I became my master's familiar because I'm fond of him, nano!"

Punisuke shouted.

"And yet! I can't forgive you for acting like my connection with my master never existed! Absolutely... absolutely, I won't forgive you, nano!"

...Is this an illusion?

Punisuke's body began to glow.

From his semi-transparent body, it was as if a torrent of magical power was gushing out.

"I'm not just any slime, nano! My name is Punisuke! I'm my master's number one familiar, and I'll always be his partner, nano! I won't let you... I won't let you interfere with me and my master, nano-!"

Punisuke's body shone so brightly it was dazzling.

At that moment, the notification area updated.

> [Individual Name: Punisuke] has been familiarized.

> [Individual Name: Punisuke] has evolved from Slime to Mithril Slime.

> Due to [Individual Name: Punisuke]'s evolution, new skills have been acquired.

■　■　■　■　■

Saturn was shaken.

He was sure he had stolen ownership of the slime.

Saturn's "Usurpation" can steal targeted things with a fairly high probability when used against those with lower magic proficiency. Of course, what's stolen won't settle within himself unless it's from the same species, but it's possible to seal the opponent's skills and abilities.

It was the same with the slime; he had stolen ownership, but no familiar bond was formed. Commands didn't work, and it had become just like a wild slime. However, once stolen, it shouldn't return to its original state.

But that impossible thing had happened.

The slime had evolved... he could understand that much. But its body was inscribed with a subjugation mark. The subjugation mark is proof of becoming a familiar through an advanced or higher skill. Since Saturn had ownership, it shouldn't have been overwritten.

Yet Saturn's supposed ownership had disappeared, and no matter how you looked at it, the human he thought he had stolen from had become the master again.

Saturn had lived for over 1000 years. Saturn himself possessed advanced subjugation skills. All his subordinates and their associates were familiarized with oaths to prevent betrayal. If he judged them to have betrayed him, or if Saturn were to die, all familiars would automatically die within a few minutes.

Therefore, regardless of how they felt about Saturn, no one could betray him.

For 1000 years since becoming a high-ranking demon, he had never had a familiar stolen, and thought it impossible.

But...

"What happened...?"

Are there still mechanisms in this world unknown to Saturn?

Or did that slime change its master by its own will?

Such a thing couldn't possibly--

"Punisuke, let's go!"

"Yes, nano!"

He came back to his senses.

The human jumped down and once again donned the slime like armor.

This time it wasn't a semi-transparent armor. It had become like a blue, shining metal, almost like mithril steel. Even as just a slime, its defense was praiseworthy enough for Saturn. If it truly had the hardness of real mithril, it wouldn't be easy for even Saturn to break through its defense.

By the time he made this judgment, the human was already holding a gun.

A metallic large gun. Saturn didn't know that it looked more like a futuristic weapon in color and design rather than a modern military weapon.

But he was about to learn its power firsthand.

"Take this!"

An explosive sound rang out.

The fired bullet was incomparable to the previous ones.

With an ominous feeling, Saturn hastily formed "Sand Shell" and "Sand Vortex" at full power, but the bullet easily pierced through them as if they were paper. It effortlessly penetrated Saturn's shoulder, scattering blood.

He couldn't defend against it!?

Saturn's spine trembled. A feeling of fear he hadn't felt for hundreds... no, over a thousand years began to sprout. For Saturn, who had stolen all sorts of skills and lifespans to prolong his life, this level of power from a physical attack, not even magic, was unknown.

Suddenly, something from over a thousand years ago flashed in his mind.

It was the words of the teacher who had raised Saturn.

"Listen carefully. This world was originally ruled by natural laws. So when magic and natural laws collide at the same hardness, magic can't win."

All of Saturn's sand defenses and attacks are based on magical skills. To defend against a mithril-class physical impact, he would need to produce orichalcum-class hardness, which is impossible.

He shuddered.

Saturn, who sensed a life-threatening crisis from just one bullet.

There was no room for keeping up appearances.

"Desert, obey me -- 'Sand Dust Domain'!"

There's no holding back.

Saturn released his magical power to its full extent, bringing all the sand within reach under his control.

This was the strongest technique of a high-ranking demon who could manipulate the desert itself.

As Saturn, who would become invincible in this desert area, prepared his skill, for some reason, his former teacher's words came to mind.

Even after more than a thousand years, he could clearly remember her voice.

"If the time comes for you to use your 'Sand Dust Domain', be careful. That skill is certainly powerful, but conversely, it means you've been driven into a situation where you have to use that skill. Never let your guard down, don't be arrogant, and defeat your enemy quickly. It uses a terrifying amount of magical power, so it won't last long."

Saturn muttered softly as he gathered the sand.

...Teacher.

"I won't lose. Not until I kill you."