The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"Ei!"

"'Ice Rock'"

"Fufufu~"

After dramatically breaking down the basement door, bandits came swarming out from all over the mansion.

My companions repeated a pattern of tearing them apart and throwing them, knocking them out one by one.

"Fuhahaha! Give me more! More!"

Needless to say, it was the pervert who was spreading his arms and taking all the bandits' attacks on himself.

Just like before, he doesn't have a single scratch, but his clothes are already in tatters.

"More! More passionately! Come at me!"

"Hey, you should be attacking too"

Even specialized shield users deflect attacks with their shields, you know?

"I am of the meat wall profession"

"Never heard of that"

"Why don't you try hitting me once, boy?"

"Absolutely not"

If I were to attack and he got ecstatic, it would be traumatizing.

Speaking of which, about half of these bandits look like they're going to be traumatized by this.

"What the hell is this!"

As we were engaged in this ridiculous battle, the wanted leader of the bandits appeared.

A level 48 axe user. He has a lion-like hairstyle and looks somewhat strong.

"You bastards! What kind of nonsense—"

"'Ice Bullet'"

"Pyoe!"

And that's that. I knew it would end like this.

Bandits lying around like corpses on a battlefield. I think we've taken care of all of them now.

Oh, there's one trying to sneak away through the back door.

"'Fist Transfer', and..."

Remote attack through x-ray vision, super convenient.

That was truly the last one.

"Alright Punisuke, please gather them up over there"

"Yes~"

Punisuke extended her tentacles to gather the fallen bandits in the lobby into one place.

I used teleportation to collect the ones in the basement and at the back door.

"Elen, if you please"

"Mm. 'Earth Jail'"

An earthen cage is formed.

To save trouble, I had all 51 of them locked up together. The troops were coming in three days, right?

"Are we taking them to town?"

"Nah, even I don't want to bother teleporting this many people. After having Pichen check, we'll just throw in some water and food and leave them for the troops to collect. I'll also set up the Ruluc system just in case."

I set up "Land Mine: Report" in case the cage is broken, and a multi-layered barrier that reacts to impacts from the inside.

This should be enough.

"Then I'll go call Pichen-san"

"Oh, thanks"

Saaya went to call Pichen by teleportation, so we'll wait for now.

"...Sheep-folk magician, I have a request"

"Hm?"

"That cage, for me too—"

"Nope, Elen don't listen—"

I quickly cover Elen's ears.

Really, what should I do with this pervert.

"Boy, don't be so unkind. I haven't done anything bad, have I?"

"It's bad for education"

"You could think of it as diversity. Rather, isn't it an opportunity to know the breadth of the world? In my homeland, we have an educational policy of utilizing individual characteristics."

"So in your homeland, it's okay to force perverted play on little girls?"

"...Well, this is a nice mansion. Especially the ceiling design is wonderful"

"Hey, don't change the subject"

Alright, I've decided. Next time he makes a perverted comment to our kids, I'll forcibly silence him.

As I was on guard against this troublesome opponent more than the bandits, Saaya quickly returned with Pichen.

"We're back~"

"T-Teleportation is really... amazing, my legs are shaking..."

"Sorry to bother you while you're surprised, but could you please check the number of bandits?"

"Y-Yes, right away!"

After counting the unconscious bandits, Pichen had a slightly worried look.

"They're all here indeed. ...But, is it okay not to tie them up? If they use magic, couldn't they easily break the cage...?"

"That's alright. This cage has the hardness of iron, and only those with higher proficiency than the caster can break down earth magic creations with earth magic."

And Elen's magic proficiency is almost at its limit.

Naturally, there's no such magician among the bandits.

"Moreover, I've made it into a barrier, so even if they could break through, it would have to be someone who could easily crush iron with their bare hands. Such people are very rare."

"I can do that"

"...Please pretend you didn't see this person"

"Um, by the way... who is that person?"

Pichen understandably looks suspicious at the half-naked muscular man.

I only know his name too, but he's just a passing pervert.

"I am called Belgand. I'm a mere politician serving as a senator in the Nogana Republic."

"...Eh, Lord Belgand!? Is it really you!?"

Pichen looked very surprised.

What, is this pervert actually a famous person?

As I tilted my head, Pichen looked at me with disbelieving eyes.

"Don't you know, Ruruk-san and others!? Lord Belgand is one of the top executives of the 'Central Magic Association'! He's one of the world's top magicians, called one of the 'Ten Magical Geniuses'!"

"Don't praise me so. I'm just a mere politician who happens to be somewhat good at magic."

"Eh, don't you mean just a pervert?"

My honest impression slipped out.

So he was an executive of the 'Central Magic Association'.

Well, even if a pervert is a super famous person, it doesn't really matter to us.

Perhaps because our reaction was less than expected, Pichen excitedly started explaining.

"Why don't you know in the first place! I've heard that even Elenora-san has received enthusiastic invitations from the 'Central Magic Association'!"

"Mm... don't care"

"Don't care!? It's the 'Central Magic Association'! All magicians aspire to it!"

"Fuhahaha, that's an exaggerated statement, lady. Our institution is just large, essentially a research institution, so it's not something to be praised so much. But still, the magician has been approached by our institution?"

"Lord Belgand, why don't you know either!? This child is Elenora-san, the 'One Step from Demon Lord' who's currently a hot topic among information brokers!"

Pichen was speaking passionately for some reason. She must really love gossip.

Also, that title is lame. Even I can tell that.

"Oh. So you are an all-attribute magician."

"Mm"

"Indeed, you are a talent our institution would desperately want."

"Not interested"

Elen says bluntly.

She must have been refusing invitations like this all along.

"...To flatly refuse Lord Belgand's invitation... Wait, am I witnessing an incredible scene right now... This will become an anecdote, maybe I should get an autograph while I can... Yeah, that might be good..."

"Magician, if you change your mind, feel free to visit my homeland anytime. This is my business card... Ah, I forgot, I haven't found my jacket yet."

"Ruruk~ I've thrown water and food into the cage~"

"Oh, that helps"

Saaya was as efficient as always.

Anyway, it doesn't matter who this pervert is. Our quest is completed for now.

"Then the bandits can be left alone until three days from now, right? If by any chance the cage is broken or they escape, we'll be notified immediately and I'll teleport back. Pichen-san, you can return to the village too. Please report to the guild as well."

"Ah, yes! But when the troops arrive, how should they break the cage...?"

"Please cut it from the outside with a sword. It should be able to cut through it."

Well, it might take a little time.

Pichen looked a bit uneasy, but he seemed to force herself to accept it, unable to doubt us.

"Then we'll say goodbye to Prennarec-san and return to the dragon capital. Good work everyone."

"I too shall head to the coffee plantation once I find my jacket. Boy, let's meet again later."

"No thanks. We're returning to the dragon capital right away."

"Hmm, how cold. Weren't we comrades in battle?"

"That's a dark history for me. Well then, see you— 'Relative Transfer'"

And so, after our unexpected encounter with a famous pervert, we hurriedly said our goodbyes and returned to the dragon capital.

"I heard, Ruruk. You caught the bandits and left them there? It's becoming a bit of a problem."

The next day at noon.

Today was our weekly day off, so I had been doing cooking research with Punisuke in the morning. Of course, this included trying out the pressure cooker we had acquired. It was quite user-friendly and I was in high spirits.

I was planning to visit Luney Trading Company with Nagi in the afternoon, so before that, I reported yesterday's incident to Camlock at the guild.

Kemuna was at the tavern, so I greeted her as well, and she said that with a wry smile.

"A problem? The bandits should still be properly captured, right?"

"The cage hasn't been broken, but... Apparently there were some pederasts among the bandits... Last night, a frantic message came from a Merchant Guild official. It seems there was a wild orgy."

"Ah... I hadn't considered that possibility."

Should I have at least tied their hands and feet?

Well, if it doesn't cause us any harm, it's fine to leave it be.

"Well, I guess they figured if they're going to be caught anyway, might as well enjoy themselves until then. Really, men are such fools."

"I agree with that. Ruruk is a fool."

"...I agree too. Big brother is an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot"

Kemuna and I retorted in unison.

"What's that, Lakirala, how am I an idiot?"

"That's right, Nagi. Tell me how I'm an idiot."

"...Mostly"

"Everything"

"...You're having a hard time too, huh"

"Not as much as Lakirala-san"

The women reacted with exasperation to each other.

There's a lot I want to say, but I haven't won an argument against Nagi recently, so it's best not to say anything unnecessary. Kemuna seemed unsatisfied too, but she seemed to realize that staying quiet was the best move.

"More importantly, Kemuna-san, has Hotaru changed a bit?"

"Oh, you can tell? She's gotten stronger."

Kemuna said happily.

Hotaru's level has exceeded 70, and her fur has a slight golden tinge to it. Can spirit foxes still evolve?

"Of course they can. She's probably close to evolving. Right, Hotaru?"

"That's right, desu. I'm trembling with joy at the thought of being of more use to my master."

"Let me know when she evolves."

"Of course. Then Hotaru will be S-rank too, so let her have a match with Punisuke."

"Sure. But we won't lose this time either."

Half a year ago, when she became a mithril slime, we had another familiar duel.

Although Hotaru had won easily before, she was no match for Punisuke who had evolved and gained a mithril body. She could no longer easily dodge bullets that were fired rapidly like before.

That must have been quite frustrating. Hotaru was also eager to fight.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kemuna... Oh, if it isn't Ruruk-dono. And Nagi-dono too."

"Hello, Ketsa-san, Besmond-san"

"Yo"

Ketsa, who seemed to have just accepted a quest, was holding a simple map. Behind her was the big man Besmond.

As always, she's a cat-eared older sister with nice abs... Ouch, Nagi stepped on my foot while I was admiring her abs. That hurts.

"Are you going on a quest now?"

Kemuna stood up, so I asked, and she replied,

"We're going on a bit of a long trip to the Nogana Republic."

"I see. What about Leelin-san?"

"She's out shopping. We're planning to be gone for a few months, so it'll be a while before we meet again. Don't worry, we'll bring back souvenirs."

"Thanks. ...Ah, then as an early celebration for Hotaru's evolution, I'll give you this."

I took out a necklace-type accessory and tossed it to Kemuna.

Of course, it's the item box I had been planning to give her for a while.

"...Hey, this! Are you serious, Ruruk!?"

"It'll be convenient to have it before you go on a long trip, right? It's a thank you for the Elixir from before."

"Even so, such an expensive thing... I mean, I'm really grateful."

"The storage capacity seems to be proportional to level, so please keep it, Kemuna-san."

"Yeah... Thanks a lot, Ruruk. This will make shopping a lot easier."

"We're even now. Take care and have a safe trip. Please give my regards to Leelin-san as well."

"Yeah. We're off then."

The [White Tiger] team left with a light wave.

But the Nogana Republic, huh. There's an academic city where various research institutions like the "Central Magic Association" and "Mystic Arts Research Society" are gathered, right?

"Academic city... that has a nice ring to it."

"It doesn't suit Ruruk"

"Yes, yes. Let's hurry up and go to Luney Trading Company."

"Mm. I've been swept along"

"Don't grab my side"

For now, I headed to Luney Trading Company just behind the guild with Nagi in tow.