The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"A Japanese person...?"

I blurted out without thinking.

A beautiful girl with long black hair and delicate features.

Her face was clearly Asian.

The girl in question, hearing my muttering, only slightly furrowed her brow at me before quickly looking away.

Not Japanese... then?

She doesn't seem to recognize the term. I've heard that the continent where this country is located is quite vast, so there might be an Asian-like country somewhere.

"Unknown girl. Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees immediately. If you do so, you won't have to suffer."

"Oh? And what will you do then?"

When Lalahaine issued his warning, the girl smiled thinly and provoked him.

Realizing she had no intention of listening, Lalahaine immediately placed his hand on his sword. It was a stance ready to draw.

"This is your final warning. Will you comply?"

"Of course not."

"I see-- 'Lightning Cut'!"

So fast!

Lalahaine kicked off the ground and brought his sword down on the girl. It was a movement too quick for my eyes to follow completely.

However--

"What!?"

"Hmm. Not bad muscle you've got there."

Lalahaine's sword should have certainly bisected the girl. The girl had shown no signs of avoiding or even defending against it.

Nevertheless, the girl who should have been cut down was standing there as if nothing had happened. There wasn't a single scratch on her body or clothes. It was as if the sword had passed right through her.

"Was that a skill just now? Who on earth are you?"

"I have no intention of answering. It's my turn now, are you ready?"

The girl glanced around at the soldiers surrounding her and raised her hand slightly.

A tension ran through the soldiers. Lalahaine, too, was on maximum alert amidst his confusion.

Snap.

The girl simply snapped her fingers. Just that small movement. No one knew what it meant, and of course, I was also bracing myself for what might happen-- no, that's not it!

"Get down!"

Sensing a premonition, I shouted instinctively.

At that moment, a flash of light tore through.

A light that pierced through all the soldiers at once with the speed of lightning. The soldiers fell with a thud. Lalahaine, who was closest to the girl, took a direct hit as well.

The dozen or so men all collapsed to the ground.

I, who had ducked down just in time, felt cold sweat running down my back as I stood up.

"No way... that's cheating."

"You avoided it well, didn't you?"

"I could see it clearly... or rather, you let me see it, didn't you?"

Just before the flash of light burst, the spirit elements in this area made an ominous movement. They formed lines that branched out multiple times, creating pathways like a racing course.

It was a spirit element arrangement that seemed to say, "An attack is coming here now."

When I spoke honestly, the girl smiled.

"You're good. You pass."

"Pass what?"

"The test, of course."

What test, I want to ask.

I don't remember asking a madwoman who invaded the duke's mansion to be an exam proctor.

"...Then, can you leave as a celebration for passing?"

"Hahaha, don't people tell you that you have a bad personality?"

"No way. I'm often praised for having such a good personality."

"Hahahaha!"

"Stand back, Ruruk! 'Lightning Lance'!"

Lalahaine, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly unleashed a magic spell.

A lance of lightning pierced through the laughing girl's stomach.

Following that, the soldiers who had barely managed to stay conscious also tried to activate magic spells while still on the ground--

"Stop it!"

A sharp voice echoed.

Standing in front of the mansion's main entrance was Verugana. She let out a big sigh before slowly walking towards us.

"To think you'd all be taken down in one hit... you've really gotten soft. Besides, no matter how much magic you throw at her, it's not an opponent you can match. Lalahaine-sama, have you gotten lax from living in the royal capital? I'll have to beat some guts back into you later."

"Ve-Verugana... quickly, the intruder... Cough!"

"Sigh. You're really too serious. This person is an acquaintance of mine and Digray's, so it's fine. She has a bad habit of suddenly attacking to test people's abilities, but... well, she's basically a good person. I'll heal you later, so feel free to pass out now."

"That's right. As you can see, I'm a good person, okay?"

The girl joked with a calm face despite having been pierced by lightning.

While her appearance might be one thing, her actions are just those of a terrorist.

"It's been a while, Verugana. Is Digray here?"

"Yes. This way, please."

Verugana began to guide her politely.

Huh? This is the first time I've seen Verugana act like this.

She's always insolent even towards the lord who is her master, and if anything, it's usually my father who's always intimidated by her, so I thought she was definitely the secret boss of this ducal family, but she's using polite language...?

This person must really be something else.

I should quietly hide.

"Young master Ruruk, you're coming too."

Eh~.

"...Did you just make an incredibly reluctant face?"

"Can you see that?"

"Don't be silly. I've been taking care of you since you first poked your face out of the birth canal. Just shut up and follow along."

"...I understand."

Reluctantly, I followed the two back into the mansion.

□ □ □ □ □

The room Verugana guided us to was two doors past the regular guest reception room - a rarely used reception room for distinguished guests.

The walls and doors here are equipped with magical devices for soundproofing, heat resistance, and impact resistance. It's heavily guarded and even has two hidden underground escape routes.

This is an ultra-rare reception room that's not used unless it's for royal messengers or other dukes. It's usually locked, so this was my first time entering it too.

Verugana, who guided us there without hesitation, immediately knelt and bowed her head as soon as we entered the room and the girl sat on the sofa.

"It's been a long time, Master."

"It's been a while, Verugana. It seems you've been raising some fine children."

The girl said, gazing out the window.

So this person is Verugana's master. I remember hearing that she studied under her when she was young.

This beautiful girl who looks like nothing more than a high school student, without a doubt, must be at least 10 times more amazing than I imagined.

The one thing that's certainly impossible is that her age matches her appearance.

Anyway, I can't just stand here like this.

As a fellow mystic arts practitioner, I must show proper etiquette.

Behold the hospitality skills I've honed over these four years as a noble's son, despite being a shut-in, since reincarnating into this other world!

"It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I apologize for the late introduction. I am Ruruk Muuteru, son of Lord Digray and his first wife Rerena. I sincerely apologize for my rude words earlier. I humbly ask for your forgiveness for allowing such an inexperienced person as myself to be present at this reunion of old acquaintances."

"......"

Perhaps it was inappropriate to suddenly kneel beside Verugana and greet her, but the girl looked puzzled.

As there was no other response, I continued to bow my head. She immediately glanced at Verugana, who shook her head.

"Hmm. It seems you haven't heard about me from Verugana."

"Of course not. If I had heard even once about such a beautiful woman as yourself, I would never have forgotten."

"......"

She fell silent again.

Huh, did I say something wrong?

I was taught by my etiquette tutor that a noble should properly compliment a lady.

"Hey Verugana, is this child already a womanizer at this age?"

"Well, you see, Miss Lilith, his sister, has already fallen victim to his charms..."

"I am not!"

I reflexively retorted.

Then, for some reason finding it amusing, the girl burst out laughing, holding her stomach.

"Hahaha, what a find! Hey Verugana, is this child really Digray's son?"

"Without a doubt. However, he occasionally shows strangely seasoned reactions, making him quite a challenging student even for me."

"That's quite interesting... But Ruruk, I remember now. I'm Roze. Still, for a sheltered young master, you're..."

She stared at me intently.

Verugana's master, Roze. I'm grateful for the short name as it's easy to remember. Anyway, I'm getting tired of this bowing posture, so should I take advantage of my child's appearance and dive onto the sofa?

As I was pondering this, it happened.

Just as I heard the sound of hurried footsteps, the reception room door burst open.

Needless to say, it was my father.

"Wha-! Wh-wh-what...!"

Father started trembling as soon as he saw Roze, holding his breath.

Come to think of it, I've seen a toy like this before. The frog one.

Father was trembling so much that I was worried he might be having difficulty breathing.

Seeing this, Roze let out a bored sigh.

"You haven't changed, young Digray. But shouldn't you say something soon? Your son has shown much better manners than you."

"Huh? Ah... mmm"

It seemed he finally noticed that I was present.

Father, regaining his composure somewhat under his son's gaze, cleared his throat with a cough and sat down deeply on the sofa. At the same time, the elderly butler, who had entered the room at some point, began arranging cups of tea for everyone on the table.

I wanted to ask if I could leave my seat now, but the tea has already been served... and from the smell, it's the highest grade that rarely comes out.

Well, I guess I have no choice. If there's tea, I'll stay until I finish drinking it. It's just an unavoidable matter of courtesy... I wonder if I could ask for a refill?

After everyone sat on the sofa and took a sip of tea, father spoke first.

"It's been a very long time, Teacher Roze."

"I don't recall ever taking you as my disciple."

"I'm well aware of that. But I owe you countless debts of gratitude, so please forgive me."

"...Well, fine. Call me whatever you like."

Digray was gazing at Roze with an intense look.

It was the kind of look one might give to an object of worship or a first love. In contrast, Roze's reaction showed much less interest than when she was talking to Verugana.

While I'm curious about the relationship between these three, it's not an atmosphere where I can interject.

"So, Teacher. What brings you to our domain?"

"I have no business with the domain. Only with an individual."

"Is that... with me?"

"Yes and no. Digray, do you understand the reason? The pieces are already in place."

"...More of your jests."

"Come now. You've been working hard as a lord, haven't you? Try to get it right at least once before you die."

Roze smiled amusedly.

In contrast, Digray made a bitter face.

"...Is it about Verugana's eyes?"

"Oh, that's not for me to say. If you two have come to an understanding, I have no reason to interfere."

"Then what could it be?"

"Are you giving up already? You really have no patience. Do you know, Verugana?"

"It must be about Young Master Ruruk... no, Ruruk-sama."

Verugana answered without hesitation.

...Ah, I see.

The reason for bringing me, who should have no connection to Roze, was that Verugana had predicted from the start that Roze's objective was me.

"And why is that?"

"It's been four years since Ruruk-sama's first appraisal. He's been getting appraised once a year, and he's become familiar with the Sister in the appraisal room. While the Sister isn't the type to disclose Ruruk-sama's appraisal results... she is still a commoner. People's tongues loosen in front of friends and family. I thought perhaps the information had leaked somewhere and eventually reached your ears, Master."

"Hmm. And why would I come all this way to visit this child after hearing about that?"

"Would there need to be a reason for that?"

Verugana spoke in a gentle voice, as if reminiscing.

"You have always been searching. For someone worthy to pass on your teachings to, a disciple worthy of your instruction. So when I heard that Ruruk-sama possessed the skill 'Numerology', I knew that you, Master, would eventually appear. You, Master Roze - the Mystic King who possesses the same Numerology skill."

The Mystic King.

The one called by that title relaxed her expression. Her attitude indicated that Verugana's words were correct.

The mysterious immortal king who appears in many legends and stories, starting with the "Three Sages".

And now, she's right here in front of me.

I was desperately suppressing the urge to shout. My "Calm and Collected" skill was working overtime.

Indeed, four years ago, when I had my appraisal, Verugana spoke about the Mystic King as if she were a close acquaintance.

I had thought they might know each other, and after seeing her overwhelming mystic arts just now, I had somewhat suspected it might be her, so I was barely able to maintain my composure.

"R-Ruruk... as your disciple, Teacher?"

It was my father, Digray, who spoke with a trembling voice.

"But Ruruk is an unwanted child... he can't use magic. We don't even know how long he'll live with such a constitution. I don't doubt your discerning eye, Teacher, but just because he has one mystic arts skill doesn't mean he's a person talented enough to receive your teachings--"

"How foolish, Digray."

Roze looked at my father with cold eyes.

"It's true that I came here to confirm whether this child has the Numerology skill as rumored. But can you guess why I went to the trouble of causing a commotion among the soldiers to get close to this child? If I just wanted to confirm, I wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths."

"...Th-that's..."

"You know about my eyes, don't you?"

Saying this, Roze looked straight at me.

In those black eyes, a faint round white light appeared.

The pattern of light looked like a number--

"...Zero?"

"That's right. It's one of the Numerology skills I possess, 'Eyes of the Void'. With these eyes, I can know hidden information. Name, race, level, status, possessed skills... not just that, but also what's behind walls or hidden weapons, freely. So I understood not only your talent as a Numerology practitioner, but also how little your father - young Digray - knew about his own son."

What a convenient skill.

It's clearly a superior version of the holy magic "Appraisal", isn't it?

Well, as Roze said, Digray has only treated me as an unwanted child. He should have received a report about my appraisal four years ago, including all the details of the appraisal content.

The fact that he didn't change his treatment of me was probably because he couldn't deny his jealousy - that his failure of a son possessed a skill of the same type as the person he revered.

Digray had continued to look away.

From the efforts I had made to polish my mystic arts. From the trajectory of these past four years.

The one who saw through all of this and judged it as foolish was the very person Digray revered.

"You probably don't know, do you? Your son indeed can't use magic. But in exchange, when it comes to mystic arts, he has already acquired almost as many skills as I have. A number of skills comparable to this Mystic King who has lived for a thousand years, weak but diverse."

"Wha-what...!"

Digray looked at me, his words failing him.

Ignoring such a gaze, I kept staring at Roze.

She's the legendary Mystic King that appears in stories. If this wasn't such a solemn occasion, I'd be jumping up and down asking for her autograph, that's how excited I am inside.

Her power is immense, and her knowledge accumulated over eons must be vast. As a budding mystic arts practitioner myself, she's undoubtedly someone to be respected.

With a composed expression, she clearly stated:

"I have one request. Digray, I'll be taking your son. I'm going to make this child my disciple. Is that alright?"