The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

On the 80th floor, the boss "Sky Serpent" Quetzalcoatl.

On the 60th floor, the boss "Sky Lion" Griffin.

On the 40th floor, the boss Bloody Hedgehog.

In addition to these, we went around hunting large monsters within a half-day's reach from each floor's transfer device, but we still couldn't find the labyrinth core.

Verugana and the [Holy Night] team also seemed to hunt monsters efficiently, despite it being their first real battle in a long time.

"Dyna, weren't you a bit slow on the cover?"

"Sorry. I think my strength has decreased from doing only paperwork."

"You're one to talk, Verugana. Hasn't your evasion gotten sloppy?"

"Hah. I've just refined it to dodge at the last second. See, not a scratch on me."

"Your sleeve is cut."

"Clothes don't have nerves, you know."

The old folks... ahem, veteran adventurers returned to the transfer room, bickering.

They look like they're having a lot of fun.

"Good work, everyone~"

"Oh, you were faster than us after all, weren't you?"

"Did you find the labyrinth core?"

"Nah, it wasn't there."

I thought as much.

"It seems it wasn't brought into the dungeon at all."

"Looks that way."

So they went to the trouble of stealing it from the royal palace but have no intention of using it?

That's questionable enough, but how they're hiding it is also a mystery.

"...It's about time for the sun to set. Shall we return to the guild once and make a new plan over dinner?"

"Sounds good."

As Cardel and I said this, we all shuffled out of the transfer room.

Of course, the dungeon is still closed off, so there was no one in the square. It feels quite strange to see the area in front of the dungeon so deserted.

As we walked back to the guild, there seemed to be some commotion coming from the tavern.

"As I've been saying, if you want to dissect, we can arrange it with our partnered butcher..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I not dissect such a rare mutant specimen myself? Look here, see how beautifully developed these muscle fibers protecting the veins are!"

"At least! At least do it outside, Mamared-sama! The floor is covered in blood!"

Oh right, Princess Mamared became an adventurer.

I heard she started at C-rank because she was already high level when she registered. They say she's already earned the title "Mutant Hunter" for hunting countless mutant creatures at Tanya's recommendation.

This Mutant Hunter Mamared was, unbelievably, dissecting a muscular rabbit in a corner of the tavern.

Of course, the surrounding customers were backing away in disgust.

...The tavern girl is desperately trying to stop her, but it seems futile. Good luck.

"Ah, Mamared-sama is the same as always."

"Let's leave her be."

"Dyna, is this okay? The tavern's profits will drop like this."

"...However, she's not violating any rules."

I think it might be a good idea to make a rule prohibiting dissection in the tavern from now on?

But the smell of blood is wafting over here.

We're about to have dinner too, so I think we should do something about that pervert.

"Well then Ruruk, you're fellow teachers, right? Tell her."

"Eh, you're passing it to me? Cardel-san, aren't you a court magician?"

"We're outside the court, so it doesn't matter. I'm just an adventurer right now."

"Then the Guildmaster should... he's gone! Where did the Guildmaster go?"

"He was called by his secretary and went back to his room earlier."

Damn, he escaped!

...Sigh, I guess it can't be helped. The other party is indeed a princess. There are limited positions that can talk to her as an equal.

I reluctantly stood up.

"Um, Mamared-sama, good evening."

"Good evening, Ruruk-sama. What can I do for you?"

"Er... what kind of rabbit is that?"

"Are you interested!? You are, aren't you! This is a mutant specimen of a Mad Rabbit! It's an individual with abnormally developed muscles that could even lift huge boulders. Look at the size, it's about three times the normal body size, and its skin is hardened, making it quite resistant to attacks. Moreover, all the important parts like blood vessels and internal organs are developed with muscles entwining them, so unless you damage it in the direction of the muscle fibers, it repels weapons like iron. It also has the original characteristic of mud-diving, so it was quite hard to find and catch, but actually, Mad Rabbits can be caught like fishing, so I lured it out with a fishing rod and—"

The pervert won't stop! Someone help me!

When I turned around with a pleading look, everyone just averted their eyes.

...I want to cry.

"Um, Mamared-sama. I know I'm interrupting, but can I ask you something?"

"—and so... Yes, what is it?"

"Why are you dissecting here?"

"Insects and birds would swarm if it were outside."

"Well, doing it indoors is important, I guess. But why at the guild?"

"Because I'm an adventurer now."

"Um, but this is the tavern."

"Yes. That's why, because I'm an adventurer."

"...I see, super logic."

I can't follow her thought process.

Is this what a psychopath is like?

I turned around again, and everyone was cheering me on with a "Do your best!" kind of look.

I've definitely drawn the short straw here.

"By the way, Mamared-sama, we were planning to have dinner here. Would it be possible for you to move?"

"I'm sorry. There are seats available, so could you please use those over there?"

"I... see..."

"Was I causing you trouble? Ah, that's right, isn't it. I didn't consider the possibility that some people might dislike rabbit meat. It does dampen one's mood to eat while looking at something they dislike."

No, that's not it.

But somehow I feel like she's getting what I'm trying to say. Just a little more.

"Yes, as you can see, there are many elderly people here too. So moving would be—"

"I'm sorry."

Mamared bowed her head slightly.

By the way, her hands haven't stopped dissecting this whole time.

"If I stop now, the freshness of the materials will deteriorate."

"...I see."

I knew it! That much at least!

It's impossible to move this perverted princess with ordinary conversational skills. Come to think of it, where did Tanya go? We need your power now! Come out, skillful receptionist!

"If you'd like, Ruruk-sama, would you care to join me? Look at this jaw joint, can you see how its range of motion is narrower than a normal Mad Rabbit? This is because the abnormal muscle development has caused the muscles from the neck to the temporal region to—"

"Special move! Item Box!"

"Ah!?"

I am Ruruk. A man who gives up quickly and has no patience.

Unable to keep up, I forcibly stored it in a new item box.

"W-What are you doing, Ruruk-sama! I was in the middle of such an important—"

"Mamared-sama, I'll give you this item box. So please continue this at your own home."

"Eh"

You're asking if it's okay to give away such a valuable item box so easily?

What else can I do? The hungry stares of my companions are piercing my back.

I'd rather lose an item box than be scolded by my companions.

"...Is this really alright?"

"Yes. With an item box, there's no time passage, so you can take things in and out whenever you like and the freshness will remain the same. So please do the dissection at your home from now on."

"I will never forget this kindness!"

Mamared grabbed my hand, breathing heavily.

That's enough, that's enough, please go away soon, perverted princess.

"This is the most delightful gift I've ever received! And such an expensive item for the first time...!"

"I'm sure it is."

After all, you could easily buy a house with one of these.

Moreover, since Mamared's level is high, it can hold an incredible amount of monster materials.

She must have wanted one desperately. She looks that happy.

"Well, that being the case, we're going to eat now, so Mamared-sama, let's meet again at the next lesson. Until then, I pray for your good health. Goodbye."

"Wait, Ruruk-sama! What should I do now? I don't think I can give you anything in return worthy of such a wonderful gift. Probably even if I devoted my entire life, it would be impossible to repay this joy. ...No, that's right, perhaps my life itself would be fitting. While I can't compromise on matters related to monsters, I am still royalty, so I should have plenty of use value. Moreover, I'm still a maiden, so my body is untainted, and thanks to my mother, I believe my appearance isn't bad either. I'm not confident about anything other than my appearance, but if Ruruk-sama is willing, I could be your mistress or anything—"

"'Go home quietly'"

"Yes. Then goodbye, Ruruk-sama."

I ended up using "Word Soul" out of sheer terror.

Even as a joke, stop asking a royal to be a mistress. Mr. Stress is twisting my stomach.

"Ah~ ...I'm tired."

Watching Mamared obediently go home, I let out a sigh.

I don't want to go to the next lesson. I think her excitement will have calmed down, but... I'm anxious.

Anyway, I've done my job, so my companions should praise me now.

Thinking that, I turned around, and,

"You lured a woman with material things."

"Ruruk, you're the worst."

"Mm, bad man."

"Why!?"

This is too unreasonable.

Cardel patted my shoulder as I was being glared at with cold eyes.

"You're surprisingly generous."

"...Can we write this off as expenses?"

"Don't say such stupid things."

After that, we cleaned up the place where Mamared had been stationed and ordered food.

Other adventurers also started to relax in the tavern once the dissection site was gone. A few groups directly thanked me or looked at me with covetous eyes, but I brushed them off casually.

We need to discuss what to do next, but first, let's eat.

The food we ordered was brought out, and just as we were about to say "Let's eat"—

"Ruruk-san! Is Ruruk-san here!?"

A beautiful young boy rushed into the guild.

The moment I saw him, I immediately stood up and ran to him.

"Suimoku! Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Ruruk-san! I, I have a request! I'll pay any amount of money, so please!"

"Calm down. First, tell me what happened—"

"My sister has been kidnapped!"

Suimoku, his face pale, cried out.

"She was doing her usual performance in the central square. Many fans came, and it was a very lively performance. We finished before sunset, and my sister and I were on our way home. The magic academy's student dormitory is on the north side of town, so we were walking straight from the central district to the north district. That's when it happened. Suddenly a carriage came rushing by, and in an instant, my sister was snatched away..."

I gave the agitated Suimoku some water to drink and calmed him down before having him explain the situation.

It seems Nichika was kidnapped on their way back from a performance.

"What about the guards?"

"They started searching right away. There were many witnesses too... But the soldier said... that the chance of finding a kidnapped girl is less than half... That's why I thought I should ask Ruruk-san for help right away..."

Suimoku pressed a bag into my hands with trembling hands.

Inside were many silver and copper coins, probably today's earnings.

"I know full well that this isn't enough for an S-rank like Ruruk-san! I'll pay back the rest immediately! So please, my sister—"

"I don't need it."

I returned the bag to Suimoku as I stood up.

I understand the situation. If that's the case, there's only one thing to do.

"I'm not stupid enough to take money for helping a friend. More importantly, Suimoku, which way did the kidnappers go again?"

"To, to the west! They immediately sent out fast horses, and they've tightened the checkpoints, but..."

"West, huh. Elen."

"Mm. 'Full Survey'"

Elen cast her search magic while munching on meat.

She can search for people she's acquainted with within range. That's Elen's cheat-like search ability.

"Found her. Outside the west gate."

"Okay. I'm going then."

"Mm."

If they're outside the gate, they must have managed to get through the checkpoint somehow.

I patted Suimoku's shoulder as he looked anxious,

"Don't worry. I'll rescue Nichika-san."

"P-Please!"

Now then, which idiot made my friend cry?

 ■　■　■　■　■

The carriage races on.

To the west of the royal capital of the Mataisa Kingdom flows a huge river.

A long, large bridge spans this river, and due to its eight supporting arches, it's called the "God's Crotch".

The bridge is 700 meters long and 30 meters wide.

Even at this time when the sun has set, many carriages are crossing the bridge, trying to reach the royal capital.

However, there was only one carriage leaving the royal capital.

Even though the bridge is paved, the carriage bed is cheap. The cart, barely equipped with suspension, shakes violently the faster it goes.

In the shaking cargo area, a man laughs while holding onto the ceiling beam.

"Ha! Easy job!"

"Don't let your guard down. Until we cross the river, we don't know who might be watching from where."

The one who spoke quietly was a man in a hood sitting in the corner of the cargo area, looking like a warrior. He's keeping alert, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

"Geez, you otaku types are so uptight."

"You'd do well not to underestimate the job too much."

"Hey hey, who do you think you're talking to, otaku? I'm the employer here."

"...My apologies."

The warrior-like man closed his eyes and answered calmly to the frivolous man who spoke provocatively.

Perhaps unsatisfied with this reaction,

"Tch, what kind of education did you [Blood-Stained Forest] guys receive? Is it that? Because you're beasts, you didn't receive any education?"

"..."

The warrior-like man slightly tightened his grip on his sword.

However, he said nothing.

The man, annoyed at being ignored, kicked a cloth sack lying on the floor.

The sack moved slightly.

"But really, was it necessary to spend that much money just to let one woman escape? I think 20 gold coins for the lookout is overdoing it. Five coins should be the limit. For just one dancer... Hey, beast guy, have you heard anything? Is this woman worth so much that the boss wants her?"

"I don't know. I just do what I'm told."

"Tch! You trained dog!"

The man kicked the cloth sack out of frustration.

A groan could be heard from inside.

The warrior-like man raised an eyebrow.

"Don't damage the merchandise."

"Huh? Why do I have to take orders from you?"

"Because that's also part of my job."

The warrior-like man slowly stood up.

His frame was so large that he almost touched the ceiling of the cart.

"A-Alright, I get it! Don't try to intimidate me, you trained dog!"

"...As long as you understand."

The warrior-like man sat back down.

After that, both of them fell silent, quietly waiting for the carriage to finish crossing the bridge.

The moment the carriage moved from the paved stone bridge to the dirt road, the vehicle bounced greatly. The man, who had been waiting for this jolt, leaned out the window to call to the driver.

"Alright, stop here. We'll switch to the carriage hidden in the forest— Huh?"

The carriage didn't stop.

Because the driver—

"Wh-What the hell!?"

The man hurriedly returned to the cargo area.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? The driver, his head, his head is gone!"

"What do you mean?"

The warrior-like man also leaned out the window to check.

What he witnessed was exactly as described. The headless driver was sitting there, still gripping the reins. Yet there was no blood, and the carriage was driving steadily.

The man was about to panic slightly, but he understood that an abnormal situation was occurring.

He immediately picked up the cloth sack and drew his sword.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?"

"We're jumping off, of course. It's better to assume we're under attack by someone."

Ignoring the panicking man, the warrior-like man jumped off the cargo area.

There were no carriages around. It was a quiet night with only the sound of insects and the murmur of the river.

"W-Wait! Don't leave me behind!"

The frivolous man also jumped off.

The carriage continued down the road.

"—Who's there! Show yourself!"

The warrior-like man shouted while remaining on guard.

The response came from an unexpected place.

"That's my line, you know."

"Wha—!"

Right behind him.

He threw the cloth sack and swung his sword as he turned around.

"Eh"

"Wha—"

What was there was his companion.

The companion who should have been on the other side of the road just moments ago collapsed after taking the sword to his chest.

"W-What's going on—"

"Are you alright, Nichika-san?"

Hearing a voice right behind him again, he turned around instantly.

However, there was no one there.

Moreover, even the cloth sack he had thrown away was gone.

The man shuddered.

He had lived as a mercenary for many years. He was considered a veteran within the mercenary group, but in terms of actual ability, he was about average. The first unit was full of monsters, and he had faced many unreachable experts.

But there had never been an opponent he couldn't understand.

No matter how fast an opponent was, it only meant they were faster than he could react to.

Never so fast as to disappear from his entire field of vision.

Moreover, he could tell by smell that this wasn't some kind of illusion.

It was the first time he had encountered an opponent who could truly disappear not just from his dynamic vision, but from his entire field of view.

"W-Who... Where are you!"

"Ah, sorry. I was just evacuating her for a bit."

That person was right in front of him.

When did they appear!?

He suppressed his consciousness that was about to panic with reason.

An ordinary-looking young boy.

Dressed like a mere adventurer.

In appearance, he looked like just a human child you could find anywhere.

And yet—

"Y-You... Who are you?"

"Hm? Just an ordinary adventurer."

Impossible.

He wasn't activating any intimidation skills. He wasn't even directing hostility. Yet, he instinctively realized.

This boy was someone he could never hope to match—

The boy glanced at the fallen man and said,

"Hey, dog beastkin brother. Why did you kidnap Nichika-san?"

"...I-I don't know. I'm just a mercenary."

"I see. Does that person know?"

"...No, he shouldn't. He's just a low-level thug."

"I see. Then never mind."

And he himself was just a mercenary who had been roped into assisting with the kidnapping along with that thug.

Hearing this, the boy took out a potion from somewhere and sprinkled it on the bloodied man.

"...Boy, what are you doing?"

"Since he didn't die instantly, I thought it might be his fate not to die. You're lucky, dog beastkin brother, you didn't kill your colleague."

He swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat: "You're the one who made me try to kill him."

More importantly,

"Are you planning to let me go too?"

"The guards will be here soon. You'll give up if you're caught, right?"

"...Who knows. If we're ordered again, we'll just carry it out."

"Hmm. By the way, who's the mastermind? Where do they live?"

"Do you think I would know?"

"I see. Maybe I should ask someone who seems to know more."

"Huh? What are you—"

Just as he was about to say that, it happened.

The boy disappeared.

And in the next moment, a small man was lying in front of him.

"Damn it! What are you! What did you do to me!"

"I don't have a hobby of getting excited by being peeped at, you know."

He must have brought him from somewhere.

The small man was dressed entirely in black.

"Hmm, no matter how you look at it, he's a ninja."

"Wh-What! How did you know my codename!?"

"So you are a ninja after all. Then, are you from the Maguu Empire?"

"W-W-W-What are you talking about!?"

The ninja man was visibly flustered.

His reaction was as good as a confession.

"Why was a Maguu Empire spy watching the people who kidnapped Nichika-san?"

"You think I'd say such things! We ninja, no matter what torture we endure, would never leak information—"

"This is troublesome... Alright. 'Answer my questions honestly.'"

"Yes! I am a spy from the Maguu Empire! My mission was to observe the lower organization transporting the dancer Nichika from Mataisa Royal Capital to the town of Yaba in Akuninaru territory! I don't know what the purpose of this is!"

The warrior-like man felt cold sweat running down his back.

What is this guy?

He thought the boy had chanted some incomprehensible spell, and then the spy suddenly started talking. This shouldn't be possible. He's a spy with a presence concealment skill that even he, a dog beastkin, couldn't detect. He's a professional in his field. He should have been trained to resist torture... For such a spy to talk so freely without any resistance.

"So you're just a low-level operative too... Can't be helped. It's the town called Yaba in Akuninaru, right?"

"Yes! That's right!"

"Then, tell me the names of the superiors you know."

"There are 'Yama' and 'Kawa'! I don't know their faces because they're always hidden!"

"Then they're aliases. Where's the base?"

"It's not in Yaba... But I heard there's a separate base of operations in Mataisa!"

"Oh? Where is it?"

When the boy asked tiredly, the spy answered honestly.

"It's in Muuteran, the capital of the Muuteru territory!"