The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Court Magician.

This is a state-affiliated magician who has received the highest honor as a professional magician.

In the royal palace, they boast a position and influence equal to that of the Minister of Internal Affairs, and only His Majesty the King can give them orders.

In other words, they are the elite of the elite magicians.

"But still, there's not much difference in position between you, a ducal family son, and me, an honorary marchioness. You should relax more."

"But I've heard that a court magician is second only to His Majesty the King..."

"That's only within the royal palace. Outside, the only prestigious title I can boast is marchioness, and this isn't the royal palace, and you're an adventurer, so I'd like you to treat me just as a magician."

Court Magician is the final destination for professional magicians. Usually, they would act pompous.

But I can see that Cardel doesn't enjoy formal attitudes much.

I reluctantly relaxed my attitude.

Reluctantly, mind you.

"Then if you don't mind... There we go. Ah, can I eat those sweets over there?"

"...I heard from Verugana, but unlike your father, you've got guts."

"Is that so? My father always seems quite pompous though."

"Digray boy isn't pompous, he's great. But well, at heart he's still a spoiled brat. Besides, being naive even at an old age is both an advantage and a disadvantage for knights."

So she's acquainted with my father as well.

"By the way, what kind of relationship do you have with my father and Verugana?"

"Verugana and I were in the same party during our adventurer days. She was in the vanguard and I was in the rear. We climbed up to SS rank, but when we were considering retirement, we failed a mission to protect Digray's father... Verugana lost her eyes, and I lost an arm."

Saying this, Cardel tapped her left hand.

So it was a prosthetic. I couldn't tell because it was hidden by her robe.

And I unexpectedly learned the reason why Verugana became blind at an unexpected timing.

"After that, Verugana served the Muuteru ducal family, and I became a professional magician. Well, that aside, there was a change of generations in your family 10 years ago, right? For you, your grandfather... Ah, that's right, you don't have memories of your childhood. So you don't remember the previous duke either."

"That's right. Did something happen to my grandfather?"

"He was unusually small for the Muuteru family, just like you. I thought it was nostalgic because you somewhat resemble him."

I see.

So even in our Muuteru family, known as a family of knights, there was a small knight. He must have had a hard time.

I know it's impossible now, but I feel like I want to meet him a bit.

"Well, I didn't come here to talk about this."

"What did you need me for?"

"If it was just to see your face, I wouldn't have called you out like this. You're in a position where you need to hide your status, right?"

Saying this, Cardel lightly tapped her staff on the floor.

At that moment, a piece of paper appeared in her hand.

She activated it casually, but there's no mistake. It's one of the forbidden arts, "Storage".

It's a holy magic that could be called the prototype of an item box.

As expected of a court magician, she's not just for show.

"Hmph. Your 'Sheep of Destruction' should be able to do this much soon too."

"You know about Elenora too?"

"Of course. Recently, her name always comes up when talking with magicians from the 'Central Magic Association'. It's a hot topic that she's undoubtedly going to become a Demon King in the near future."

"...Perhaps she's being closely watched?"

"Of course. I've heard she's been consistently turning down invitations from the 'Central Magic Association' since last year."

When did such invitations happen?

I didn't notice at all.

"It's a breach of manners to thoroughly investigate other people's magic, but rumors reach my ears too. 'Explosion', 'Full Scan', 'Absolute Zero'... There's no one else who's such a dangerous person, mastering three forbidden arts at that age."

"Wow... So it was completely obvious."

"There's no point in hiding when you're using them so freely. You have transfer magic too, right? Well, there's no need to hide that either."

"Is that so?"

I thought all forbidden-level arts should be kept secret, and in fact, I've been hiding them from everyone except the elves and those I trust.

"It depends on your position. You're already S-rank, right? Even if it's exposed now, no one would think about anything uncouth."

"...Indeed, you're right."

We do get bothered because we're children, but we're rarely bothered because of our position.

Maybe I don't need to hide it anymore. Rather, hiding it is becoming troublesome.

As I nodded in agreement, Cardel smiled wryly and placed the paper on the table.

"We've digressed again, but let's get to the main point. To be frank, I have a request for you."

"A designated request? If that's the case, I'd like you to go through the guild..."

"No, no. I want to ask you personally since we've met at a good time."

The paper she handed over was an ordinary flyer.

What was written on it was--

"'Temporary Teacher Recruitment'? What's this?"

"It's exactly what it says. Besides being a court magician, I also have a position as the Chief Education Officer. I'm the principal of the 'Knight School' and 'Ladies' Academy' run by the state, and one of the directors of the 'Magic Academy'. In other words, I'm at the top of this country's educational institutions."

"You have a lot of power."

"Right? I'm amazing. Well, even for someone as great as me, there's one thing I'm troubled about. The teacher who was supposed to come next week has fallen ill and can't come. I want you to take that role for a year."

"Me? As a teacher?"

This is completely out of the blue.

I never thought I'd be recruited as a teacher at 14 years old, still a minor. Moreover, I've never attended school in this world. I know nothing about academics.

"It's more like supervising practical classes, not really teaching. It's not difficult... rather, you're perfect for it."

"What kind of practical class?"

"Dungeon exploration. Every year, there's an extracurricular class held jointly by the three schools. We take the students to the dungeon in the royal capital and teach them about the nature and characteristics of dungeons, how to fight monsters, and so on. I want you to take charge of that."

"...Aren't there other suitable people?"

I can't directly say it's troublesome.

So I'll try to refuse indirectly.

As I decided this, Cardel said straight out:

"I want to ask you."

"Can I ask for the reason?"

"If you have S-rank ability at such a young age, it will be persuasive, and you're the leading dungeon conqueror among active adventurers, right? With that title, the students will listen to you. Every year in the dungeon practical, overconfident fools get injured and it's difficult to keep them in check."

"Is that the situation? I can't take responsibility for the students' safety, you know?"

"That's fine. It's originally voluntary participation and at their own risk, and I'll back you up. Besides, although I can't say it openly, we can't easily place responsibility on a direct descendant of the ducal family."

Wow. That's a really devious talk.

"Besides, it's Verugana's recommendation. She said, 'If you meet him, please make sure to work that cocky brat hard.'"

What!?

That old hag, this is definitely harassment towards me!

"Also, it's irritating that an S-rank adventurer from the Kingdom of Mataisa is staying in Bargia all the time. Did you see the state of this town? The Schreine family's daughter has become a bigger topic than the saint or the popular dancer Nichika. For political reasons too, we want one of you to stay in the royal capital."

"...What a pain."

My true feelings slipped out.

As someone who wants to live freely, I hate these kinds of entanglements the most.

"Well, I won't force you. It's just a request, after all."

"Then if I refuse--"

"But in that case, I wonder what we'll do about the exemption from compulsory education for the Schreine family's daughter. I could decide either way at my discretion..."

"Wow, that's dirty! That's the thinking of an adult steeped in power!"

"You could call it cunning, you brat."

But it's extremely effective.

If this old woman in front of me shakes her head, there's nothing I can do about it.

"Besides, you should come to the royal capital at least once. Even for your sister's matter at the academy... Ah no, this might be too early."

"My sister? Did something happen to Lilith?"

Since Lilith can't send letters to me, I have no idea what's happening with her now.

I hope nothing has happened to my angel.

"If you're curious, go and see for yourself."

"Guh... I'm really curious, but this approach is like phishing fraud."

"Oh yes, the practical class teachers work in pairs, and the other one has already been decided. Your colleague, so to speak."

"...Can I at least ask what kind of person they are?"

"Well, in a word, a shrewd beauty."

"I guess I have no choice! I'll do it, I'll be a teacher!"

"Kakaka, that's great. It's decided then."

After careful consideration, I made my decision.

It's purely the result of careful and comprehensive consideration, okay? I'm not the kind of man who falls for phishing scams.

And so, it was decided that I would take charge of the dungeon extracurricular class in the royal capital of Mataisa.

The term is one year. I'm a temporary teacher.

The only problem now is that I need to visit the royal capital at least once before that.

"Is your transfer skill coordinate-based or fixed-point jump type?"

"What's a fixed-point jump?"

"It's a magic formula that directly jumps to places meeting certain conditions. It's not coordinate-based, so you can go to places you've never seen. However, it's difficult to narrow down the conditions, so there's a disadvantage that you can't move to common places."

"I didn't know there was such a transfer magic. I'm learning a lot."

There's still so much I don't know.

Well, anyway.

"My transfer is coordinate-based, so I need to set a point first."

"I see. Then I'll take you there."

"Can you do long-distance transfers too, Cardel-san?"

"No, mine is basically high-speed movement. Well, we can get to the royal capital quickly enough."

Quickly?

I've heard it takes a month on foot from here to the royal capital. Calculating, it should be about the distance from Tokyo to Fukuoka.

Even Elenora shouldn't be able to handle such high-speed movement magic.

"I am a court magician after all. I won't lose to you youngsters yet."

"I see. Then, while we'll ask for the move to the royal capital later, can I go tell my companions about what's been decided for now?"

"I'll go talk to Babel boy too, so hurry up. I'll be waiting in the backyard."

So I left the room and briefly explained the situation to my companions.

Even though I'll be teaching in the Mataisa dungeon, with transfer magic, I can commute from our mansion in Bargia, so it won't affect our daily life much.

With such a light feeling, I decided to become a temporary teacher.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting. It's unbecoming of a gentleman to make a lady wait."

"Kakkakka. What are you saying when you're the one being escorted?"

After greeting Viscount Schreine and sending my companions back to the mansion in Bargia, I returned.

Cardel was waiting at a table in the backyard, so I apologized first. Even though I hurried back, it still took some time as I had to explain to Elenora and Punisuke too.

Cardel laughed for a while, then immediately stood up and offered her prosthetic elbow in a suitable space.

"Here, hold on. We're going to fly."

"Excuse me then. I feel like a princess somehow."

When I said that while placing my hand, she laughed through her nose.

Cardel struck the ground with her staff in her other hand.

As expected, it's surprisingly refined magic power. Even right before activation, I can tell it's a quiet and efficient flow of power.

"My body, become a meteor -- 'Meteor'."

Just as our whole bodies were enveloped in magic power, we shot upwards.

It was like a rocket firework.

We rose to the sky in an instant, stopped abruptly, and then accelerated rapidly to the east.

The scenery flew by in no time. Faster than a bullet train.

Perhaps because we were protected by magic power, I didn't feel wind or gravity. Even though it felt like we were just standing still, we were flying over the Kingdom of Mataisa in an instant.

I couldn't understand the magic formula structure well, but I could confirm that she was releasing magic power ahead of the formula. It was as if she was laying a fuse of magic power in front, and we were moving along that line.

It doesn't seem very maneuverable, but it's a semi-automatic high-speed movement. A method that doesn't require worrying about gravity or balance.

It was a movement technique I'd never seen before.

I'll teach it to Elenora later.

After about an hour of Cardel concentrating on maintaining the magic and me enjoying the sky journey.

In what felt like no time at all, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Mataisa came into view.

The royal capital I was seeing for the first time was larger than I had imagined.

It was a city spreading out in an orderly manner around the white castle in the center.

If I remember correctly, the population was about 200,000. Apparently, the dungeon is on the south side of the royal capital.

From the air, I can't tell where the three schools are, but since it's my first time in the Mataisa royal capital, I should explore later. Might as well bring the party members too.

As I was thinking about this, Cardel changed course and we rapidly approached the royal castle.

Eh, no way, could it be.

"We're not going directly to the royal palace, are we!?"

That's exactly what we were doing.

Come to think of it, Cardel is a court magician. She's an important figure in the country and probably lives and works in the court. There's no need to land outside the castle first.

But still, this is different.

Cardel landed in the courtyard just before the court -- a grassy plaza surrounded by many soldiers.

"Welcome back, Lady Cardel. Thank you for your long journey."

One of the soldiers immediately rushed over. He bowed his head without giving me, who was accompanying her, a suspicious look.

Cardel nodded lightly and said,

"I'd like to report my return to His Majesty, is he in?"

"No, His Majesty is in the margrave's territory as usual. He's expected to return in a few days."

"Oh, that's a shame. I missed the chance to introduce you."

Cardel looked at me with a mischievous face.

No way. I have no intention of raising such a dangerous event flag as meeting His Majesty the King.

Seeing my face, Cardel pointed to the opposite side of the courtyard.

"I'm joking. You don't have permission to enter the royal palace in the first place. Besides, no one's making a fuss about seeing you, right? I've already informed them that I'd be bringing back a temporary teacher, so it seems they're ready to send you to the city."

"Inform... Could it be..."

"It's Luney Trading Company. You should understand with this, right?"

I see.

I remember they said they had dedicated some communication stones to the Mataisa royal palace. Cardel probably has one too.

"I'll see you off to the castle exit, then I'll leave the rest to you. You can sightsee or go back right away, my job is done. Check the documents for the rest of the details."

"Understood."

I nodded obediently.

Just as a soldier started to walk to guide us,

"Master~!"

A clear voice was heard from the palace side.

Waving her hand and running over was a beautiful girl with golden drill-like curls.

She seemed a bit older than me, with a face that still retained some childishness, like she had just come of age.

She was a bit tall for a girl her age, but what caught my eye most was her level of development.

Yes, her breasts were large.

They were overwhelmingly large among all the hills I've seen so far. Their presence, which could be called violent, lifted and shook her clothes every time the girl ran. Her golden drill-like curls bounced like springs. It gave an incredible sense of exercise.

...What do I mean by "sense of exercise"?

Anyway, she was like a young lady who had jumped out of a story.

"Master! You've returned. Welcome back!"

"Yeah."

"I've been waiting for your return. I have so much to report... Oh? Who is this gentleman?"

The golden-haired girl tilted her head and looked down at me.

As expected, she seems to be of high status, possibly even royalty, so I had been kneeling with my head bowed from the start.

Of course, I don't speak without permission.

"This boy is the teacher for this year's extracurricular class. Lady Margaria, you're planning to participate too, right? Go ahead and greet him."

"Oh my! Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Margaria, the Fifth Princess. I'm 16 years old, but due to circumstances, I've just transferred to the Knight School. What is your name?"

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Ruruk, an adventurer. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

When I raised my face and introduced myself, Margaria's eyes widened.

Her face turned bright red, and she seemed to want to say something, but when Cardel coughed, she suddenly came to her senses.

"...I-I know that name. I've heard rumors about an S-rank adventurer who's still a minor. Master, you know him?"

"He's a student of an old friend of mine. I guess he's my junior as an adventurer."

"I see. If you were bringing him along, you could have told me in advance."

"Kakkakka. I don't have a habit of spoiling my disciples."

Cardel and Margaria chatted lightly.

I mean, please stop with these encounter events with princesses. It's bad for my heart.

"But not only my sister, but even a famous adventurer like Run... Ruruk-sama as an escort teacher, Master, you're really enthusiastic this year, aren't you?"

"Kakkakka. We might be able to conquer up to the middle layers this year."

I thought I heard some ominous words.

However, it would be uncouth to interrupt a conversation between a princess and a court magician.

After exchanging a few more words, Margaria returned to the royal palace.

Phew. As a gentleman, it was difficult to know where to look.

"What do you think of Lady Margaria? She's quite a promising knight aspirant. She's at a level where we can expect her to perform well up to the middle layers of the dungeon."

"...Even though she's a princess?"

That's really unexpected.

I could confirm that her level was 38 from the simple status check, but female knights are rare enough, let alone royalty being one.

Cardel smiled wryly.

"She has such a strong sense of justice that she exposed and caught her fiancé who was lining his own pockets through illegal means. The engagement was called off, and after that, with His Majesty's permission, she decided to attend the Knight School again. She'll become a rare princess knight in this country."

"I see. Even royalty seems to have various troubles."

"You're talking like it's someone else's problem..."

"Huh? It is someone else's problem."

"Half of it is your... No, never mind. Let's go."

Cardel seemed to want to say something but shook her head and started walking.

I walked as guided and was led out through the main gate of the royal castle.

I never thought my first landing in the Mataisa royal capital would be from the castle itself.

"Well, time to sightsee."

But first, I should find a base of operations in the Mataisa royal capital.

Thinking this, I set out into the bustling city.