The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

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"W-What was that...?"

In the imperial capital of the Maguu Empire.

The emperor felt an intense dizziness and leaned against the wall, unsteady on his feet.

It happened while he was observing Remioron's battlefield using [Clairvoyance]. Along with an intense light, the monster army vanished in an instant.

He had no idea what had happened.

Was it a new theoretical weapon from Stoania? Or perhaps an unprecedented disaster?

What came to the emperor's mind was the history of defeat 900 years ago, considered a stain on the empire. It was the so-called "Katedra Mountain Range Incident" where tens of thousands of troops were annihilated in a single night.

"N-No, but that was determined to be the work of an SSS-rank monster, according to investigations from many generations ago..."

What just happened was clearly man-made.

Unable to find an answer, the emperor left the room with unsteady steps. Though his thoughts were in disarray, his feet naturally led him to the back of his private chambers -- to the "hidden palace."

"Eh... Ren-kun, what's wrong!?"

The hidden palace had a spacious living area.

It was originally a room used by successive emperors to house their mistresses, but he used it to shelter his acquaintances.

The one who noticed the emperor and rushed over was a young girl who had been reading in the living room.

"Ren-kun, are you okay? Hey, what's wrong?"

"What happened! Renya! What's wrong with ya?"

From a room further in, an elderly dwarf came out and peered worriedly at the emperor's face.

Hearing their shouts, six more figures emerged from even further inside, wondering what was happening.

"Ren, your face..."

"Hey, what happened?"

"Ren-chan, what's going on?"

"Quick, boil some water!"

"Let's get him to bed. Men, lend a hand!"

"Geez, what could've happened to make you look like this?"

They were a diverse group in terms of race, age, and gender. Humans, dwarves, beastkin... from young girls to the elderly, they were certainly an unusual group to be seen together in public.

But they had one thing in common: they were all genuinely worried about the pale and dazed emperor.

They laid the emperor on the bed in the largest room, their expressions serious.

"For Ren-kun to be like this... Hey, could it be poison or an attack?"

"From what I can see with my skills, there's no damage-type abnormality. At least, there doesn't seem to be any physical damage. I think it's mental. He was fine when I took food to his office earlier."

"Then maybe he saw something terrible with [Clairvoyance]?"

"That's possible. But what could make Ren-chan like this? He's been emperor for twenty years, right? It's not like he's only done nice things, and even this time..."

"That's... but it was all for our sake..."

"Tch. It's our fault. We relied on Ren too much. We thought he could do anything, and he hardly ever failed until now. We just kept pushing hard things on him..."

The atmosphere grew heavy at those words.

"I can't argue with that... Well, shall we let him rest for now?"

"Yeah. Nene, can you do it?"

"Mm. I beseech thee, gods, grant peaceful slumber to my friend -- [Sleep]"

The young girl held her hand over the emperor and chanted a healing spell.

As the emperor fell asleep, his erratic breathing calmed, and his cold sweat stopped. It was a peaceful sleep.

"...Let's leave Ren-kun to rest for a while."

"Yeah."

"That's right."

They left the room, leaving only the young girl behind.

The girl held the emperor's hand tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for always relying on you and pushing you too hard."

The emperor's hidden palace -- the existence of these eight people sheltered there had become a taboo that must not be mentioned even within the empire.

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"Karmarike. You are hereby banished from the Elf village."

"Eh?"

The day after annihilating the great horde of monsters.

When I came to return Karmarike, whom I had borrowed for two days, the Forest Elders told us this.

Karmarike froze like a stone, not having expected those words at all.

I also spoke with a trembling voice,

"U-Um, why is that? I'm the one who took her without permission. The responsibility is entirely mine, so surely banishment is..."

"It's not the fault of our benefactor... well, you may be the cause, but this is strictly a village matter. We cannot accept even our benefactor's plea in this case."

"Is it that serious? Just for being absent without leave for two days--"

"That's not the reason at all."

Ah, I see.

I thought the guardian unit had slave-like contracts like a black company, but apparently that's not the case.

"Our Elven treasure has recognized Karmarike as its master. That's the problem."

"...Where's the problem in that?"

"Listen, benefactor. That treasure was given to you, our benefactor, with our clan's gratitude for saving our village. If a member of our village is recognized as its master, it completely goes against our sense of duty. Keeping Karmarike in the village would be a shame to the Elf clan itself."

"I made Karmarike use it on my own, so that's my responsibility too..."

"That may be how you see it, benefactor. But for us, the forest's kin who value duty, this is far too dishonorable. If Karmarike insists on staying in the village, we would have to cut off both her arms and return the treasure."

"That's absolutely not okay!"

What started as a light-hearted kidnapping has turned into a serious situation.

We argued a bit more, but the Forest Elders' opinion didn't change. However, since the [Holy Bow: Tsuyu-gari] has already recognized Karmarike as its owner, changing that is impossible.

If there was someone with better arms and eyes than Karmarike, it might be possible to change... but now that she has acquired [Heavenly Eye], it's probably hopeless.

"I understand. I'm sorry, Karmarike... I'm truly sorry!"

"...I-It's not... Ruruk-sama's fault... *sniff*... uuuu..."

Karmarike began to sob uncontrollably.

Karmarike's parents, who were standing behind the Forest Elders, embraced her, crying. The three of them exchanged words of farewell while crying out loud.

...This is the most guilty I've ever felt.

Juman, the Forest Elder, took out two pouches from his pocket and handed them to me.

"These are for Karmarike's living expenses for the time being, and a token of gratitude for you, our benefactor. Mererosu is in the dragon capital of Bargia, right? Could you teach her about life outside for a while near her? Although we have to banish her from the village, we think of Karmarike as our own daughter."

"Yes. I'll cooperate as much as I can."

I'm not cold-hearted enough to refuse here.

When Karmarike finished saying goodbye to her parents, they all bowed their heads to me together.

"Benefactor, please take care of our daughter! She's foolish and incompetent, but her heart is in the right place, so please don't abandon her!"

"Benefactor! This child's growth has stopped and her physique is poor, but she's still pure. Please, please take good care of her!"

"R-Ruruk-sama... I'm inadequate, but please take care of me!"

...Wait a minute. Aren't those lines problematic?

If I say yes here, it'll be completely approved by her parents.

But her banishment is entirely my responsibility.

I don't have the courage to say no here! Damn it!

"I-I understand..."

"Thank you very much!"

"Please take good care of our daughter!"

"I-I'll do my best to serve you!"

And so, I ended up taking Karmarike back with me.

However, I can't do something as difficult as teaching Karmarike how to live outside the Elf village. At most, I can only assist her in establishing herself as a fellow adventurer.

Well, she's a top-level archer even by world standards. She's also excellent as a scout, so she'll probably be in high demand as an adventurer.

"Karmarike, stay healthy and don't catch a cold!"

"Don't push yourself too hard. If you get lonely, call us. Papa will come to see you right away!"

"Yes! Papa, Mama, take care too!"

After exchanging final goodbyes, I teleported back to the mansion with Karmarike.

Looking around the well-maintained courtyard, Karmarike's expression changed completely from earlier, and she smiled. She looked around the garden and said, "Wow, what a beautiful garden."

She's probably being considerate, trying not to make me feel bad. She really is a good kid...

"Is this Ruruk-sama's mansion? It looks quite spacious."

"Yeah, it's big. Make sure you remember the layout quickly so you don't get lost."

"Don't worry. I've never gotten lost before."

That's enviable. As expected of someone with outstanding spatial awareness.

Because it's so spacious, there are more than enough rooms. She'll probably be living here for a while.

"Sigh, I wonder what they'll say... They'll definitely be angry..."

Imagining a future where I'm scolded by my companions made my stomach hurt.

Sighing, I left the courtyard, greeted the maid dragon who welcomed us, and headed to the living room.

Seori, who was elegantly eating sweets on the sofa, turned around and was startled to see Karmarike.

"Welcome back, Master... Eh? Eh?"

"Sorry, Seori. It's Karmarike, she'll be living with us for a while."

When I explained, she made a slightly sulky expression.

"Master... you've increased your harem again..."

"Stop that, it's misleading."

It's not like I'm intentionally increasing it, you know?

This time, in particular, was an accident.

"Nice to meet you, Princess! Don't worry, I won't monopolize him!"

"...Really?"

"Yeah! Besides, I'm really looking forward to spending time with such a strong and cool princess!"

"Hmph, I like you! In recognition of your devout loyalty, I shall personally give you a tour of this mansion! Come, follow me as my shadow!"

She's been won over in no time.

The airhead dragon princess, in a good mood from being praised, left the living room with Karmarike.

Watching their backs as they left, I said,

"Well then, Seori, I'm going to Mataisa to stop the stampede, so please take care of things here for a while~"

"Understood!"

"Take care, Ruruk-sama~"

They lightly replied as they walked through the mansion, chatting excitedly.

For now, I'll leave Karmarike to Seori and go help with the next objective.

I activated my skill.

"[Eye of Mystery]"

Once again, I projected my vision and surveyed the dungeon in Mataisa. While x-raying, I viewed the whole thing roughly like a 3D map.

Most of the walls inside the dungeon had disappeared, making it possible to go directly from staircase to staircase. The monsters born from the stampede seem to appear twenty to thirty floors above where they would normally appear.

For example, Elen and the others are currently on the 40th floor, but the monsters spawning are mainly A-rank. These are monsters that should normally be around the 60th floor.

The state of the monsters is mostly [Berserk], and even monsters that are usually intelligent are just heading towards the surface. Even those like Marcosias who can usually speak are just groaning.

"I see. So this is how the stampede ejects monsters... But the pace is really incredible."

High-ranking monsters keep coming out.

However, for Elen and the others, these are opponents they can handle without much trouble. I've been checking on them occasionally since yesterday, and they keep progressing to lower floors while defeating monsters.

According to Saaya, it seems the original dungeon core has been stripped of its control, and whoever took it is likely at the bottom of the dungeon.

That's why Elen and the others are aiming straight for the lowest floor.

By the way, the monsters that spawn behind Elen and the group are heading for the surface. At the dungeon plaza, Luna and other S-rank adventurers are at the forefront, risking their lives to protect it.

However, since Elen and the others are annihilating the monsters inside, they seem to be handling it with relative ease. It doesn't look like I need to go support the surface.

"Now then, where might the mastermind be?"

This time, I examine the dungeon in detail.

First, I peek at the lowest floor and--

"...What are you doing?"

Having found a figure that looks like the mastermind, I immediately teleport.