The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"What should we do with this child?"

In the lowest level of the dungeon.

As a precaution to prevent suicide, we gag Savey and tie him up. Since he didn't seem to have any will to resist, we were able to restrain him quickly.

"It seems he's registered as a master even though it's a pseudo-core. Should we go consult with Cardel-san?"

"Yes. We need to stop the stampede first."

Even if Savey could control the stampede, it's only due to the power of the pseudo-core, so he can only give some instructions about the types of monsters and where to create them. If left alone, monsters would continue to spawn on the upper floors.

For the sake of the adventurers too, we wanted to stop it completely as soon as possible.

Also, I wanted to find and capture Duke Akuninaru who had fled.

Savey's Akuninaru family is related to Lilith. If they disappear without a trace, who knows what rumors might spread about Lilith.

For Lilith's honor, I'll be the man to do it.

Saaya yawns and says,

"Then let's go right away. I'm really sleepy after staying up all night."

"Yeah. Now, where would Cardel-san be..."

When I searched for the state of the royal castle with "Mystic Eye", I saw an unexpected scene.

"What's wrong?"

"...What is this?"

Fires were rising from various parts of the royal castle.

The outer perimeter, corridors, courtyard, and even the audience chamber... At a glance, more than a dozen places were burning. The royal family had probably evacuated when the stampede started, so there weren't many people in the castle, but still, this was an abnormal situation.

And mixed among those rushing to put out the fires were people who were clearly not from Mataisa. Probably imperial soldiers.

They seemed to be searching for something.

They were breaking into the treasury and residential areas. About thirty of them.

Knights and soldiers were engaging with the infiltrated imperial troops. His Majesty the King was in his office with his guards, but I couldn't see any other members of the royal family.

"Is this Maguu Empire's aim?"

Infiltration at this timing, robbery while diverting attention.

After using every method to reduce the forces and personnel from the royal castle, I'm surprised that what they ended up doing was ransacking the castle.

There must be something of great value in the royal castle for them to do this.

"Ruruk, what happened?"

"There are intruders in the royal castle. The knights are fighting back."

"Maple-sama... What about the royal family?"

"They evacuated through the underground route quite a while ago. Only His Majesty and the defense forces remain. Well, it seems they can manage with their current strength."

"That's good then."

Saaya was worried about Maple, who had become her friend.

It seems they're short-handed because the royal guard knights aren't there.

"Should we go too?"

"No, they should be fine. Saaya and the others, please take Savey to the guild first. The Guildmaster is... in a meeting right now, so I'd like you to tell them about the pseudo-core. I'll buy some information at Luney Trading Company and catch one more person."

"Understood. Then Elenora, please take us to the guild."

"Mm. 'Transfer Gate'"

Saaya and the others quickly disappear with Elen's magic.

I felt a bit sorry for Savey being dragged along by the group of little girls.

I also immediately headed to Luney Trading Company.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

The Emperor's private chamber - the hidden residential area "Hidden Palace" behind it.

No one was allowed to mention this place. Even the absolute monarch who had studied the art of ruling since childhood and possessed great power and capacity would not allow it.

Even if it was his legal wife or son.

The Emperor told the eight people living there:

"I'm going now. If anything happens to me, Nadi, you take everyone and escape."

"I understand."

"Ren-kun, are you really going? You don't have to go yourself..."

A young girl looks up at the Emperor worriedly, holding his hand.

He hugs her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Nene... but this is necessary."

"...Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

After sharing their warmth for a while, the Emperor and the girl reluctantly part. Despite the age difference between them being like that of a father and daughter, their eyes were filled with passion for each other.

He wanted to stay by her side forever, but that wasn't possible.

There was no time left.

"Well then, I'm off."

The Emperor's gentle expression suddenly changed to one full of vigor as he left the room.

More than half a day had passed since the disappearance of the monster army.

Originally, he wanted to keep the Mataisa army occupied in Stoania for about ten more days. The stampede caused by their collaborator, Duke Akuninaru, was going well, and due to the lack of manpower, monsters should have been overflowing in the city in ten days - but the monsters that invaded Stoania disappeared, and furthermore, the stampede was almost suppressed, interfered with by some Demon King candidate.

It was difficult to clear out more people from Mataisa Castle. Moreover, there was a report from a spy that there was a risk of the stampede being stopped completely.

There was no time to waste anymore.

He needed to obtain the "Book of Wisdom" by any means necessary.

Not as the Emperor advancing on the path of supremacy, but as Renya - Ioo Renya.

"...For their sake too."

For the sake of Watabe Neon, who had been his lover since his previous life, and for his classmates who were his friends, Renya couldn't stop.

No matter what methods he had to use, to regain what was important to him.

"That's why I became the Emperor, after all."

Renya arrived at the ritual room.

About ten imperial mages were waiting there.

They began their chant as Renya stood in the center of the magic circle.

After several minutes of ritual magic, the mages uttered a spell.

"'Exchange'"

For a moment, after a slight floating sensation, the scenery changed completely.

From the spacious ritual room, it became a musty underground chamber.

The moment he stepped out of the magic circle drawn all over the floor, the door opened and men dressed in black peeked in.

"Your Majesty, preparations are complete."

"Then proceed with the attack as planned. I'm counting on you for the diversion."

"What about the route? The situation remains unchanged."

"Then I'll take the waterway side. Secure three escape routes through the underground passages."

"What if we encounter Mataisa soldiers?"

"...Kill them if necessary."

"Understood!"

The men left, suppressing their presence.

There was a hidden door in the room next to this underground chamber, leading directly to the underground - a passage for the royal family's refuge.

Renya immediately followed after them, taking a different route towards the royal castle.

The spies were quick.

By the time Renya reached the royal castle, the diversion had already begun. Fires were rising from various places, and the knights were busy responding.

The spies who were obviously ransacking the treasury and royal private chambers were properly acting as decoys.

Renya was walking straight towards a different place - the underground library. Wearing saint-class equipment that made him invisible, he wouldn't be noticed by anyone.

The forbidden library wasn't very large. Unlike the general library, it was dimly lit, with half filled with historically valuable books and the other half with forbidden books that were hesitant to be made public.

Renya walked straight to the back of the forbidden library without looking sideways.

"Where is it... where is it?"

Two years ago, Renya had obtained information from a certain spy.

Apparently, there was something called the "Book of Wisdom" in this forbidden library that even the royal family was prohibited from removing. Only those recognized by the "Book of Wisdom" could take it out. However, according to the spy's information, it was such an incomprehensible book that no one could decipher it, and it had been sleeping in the forbidden library for hundreds of years.

That was exactly what Renya was looking for.

Renya scans the bookshelves with his eyes.

There are history books with truths too terrible to speak of, grimoires with ominous magic, science books recording forbidden experiments - all of high historical and book value, but Renya showed no interest in any of them.

"...Where is it, where is it!"

Unable to find the book he was looking for, he raised his voice in frustration.

It was then that he heard a response to his voice.

"What are you looking for?"

"W-Who's there!"

He turned around.

Standing on the other side of the library was a masked girl.

A brown-haired girl, not yet an adult, wrapped in a mysterious atmosphere.

There was no need to ask who she was.

As the king of the Maguu Empire, she was the person he had been most cautious of lately.

"You are Empress Monon... no, Lilith Muuteru!"

"Oh, you know me?"

Empress Monon removed her mask.

Indeed, she was a young girl not yet of age. Not much older than Nene is now. Probably five years younger than Renya's son.

No matter how many times he heard it, he couldn't believe that such a young girl was a craftsman capable of creating magical devices that even Renya could barely imitate the technology of.

"Why is the Emperor of the Maguu Empire in a place like this?"

"...Did you think I would answer?"

Not only was he invisible, but his face was also hidden by a mask.

But Lilith was looking straight at him as if there were no obstacles.

Trying not to act unnaturally, Renya put his hand on the sword at his waist and said,

"Empress Monon. What is your reason for deliberately appearing before me?"

"Because this is a library. It's an important place for me too, filled with valuable and precious books. It would be a loss if knights came rushing in and a battle broke out. I just asked my companions to clear the area."

"...A girl who's not even royalty, walking around in the secret parts of the royal castle as if she owns the place. Mataisa seems to be quite a peace-dulled country."

"How was your operation in this peace-dulled country? Did it go well?"

Lilith taunts with a bright smile.

A blue vein pops on Renya's temple.

"...You foolish one who keeps getting in my way."

"Your anger is understandable, but we're also troubled by unnecessary waves being stirred up. It's one thing within the empire, but to even use my fiancé..."

"You approached and used Akuninaru too, didn't you?"

"Oh my. You were aware of that?"

Lilith chuckles.

She's hard to read.

"But I don't understand. You're not the type to appear before me without considering the consequences. You've investigated my information too, haven't you?"

"Yes. Emperor Renya, a level-capped swordsman skilled in fire magic. A wonderful king who killed his own father - the previous emperor called the Foolish King - and has continued an exemplary reign for twenty years. For the empire, that is."

"If you've even investigated my level, then let's cut to the chase. Do you think you'll get away with this unscathed?"

"Well, who knows?"

Lilith is completely at ease.

Her behavior seems full of openings. Her level probably isn't that high either. While Luney Trading Company is overwhelmingly superior as a company, that's likely due to the skills of Vice President Gin - probably her classmate Tachibana Moe.

The girl called Empress standing before him is just a skilled craftsman. That was the Lilith Muuteru that Renya had investigated.

Let's test her.

Renya quickly drew the sword at his waist.

"'Flying Sword'!"

It's a simple skill that sends out a slash.

But that sword strike dispersed and disappeared right in front of Lilith.

"I see... A magical device's protection?"

"Yes. No matter how much you swing your sword, I won't let you damage the books."

"You're mocking me to no end!"

Protecting the books more than herself, huh?

Irritated by her words, Renya attacked directly.

The skill just sends out a sword strike. This time, the weapon's own effect will activate.

"Die, little girl!"

"It's useless."

"Guh!"

Renya's upper body recoils as he's repelled by an invisible wall.

Renya's beloved sword is a legendary weapon. Its effect should have been extraordinarily powerful.

However--

"I see, a sword with an instant death effect. It appears to be legendary class."

"You have appraisal, you!"

"Well, something similar."

The fact that she's not fazed even after seeing through this means she's confident that this weapon can't break through her defense.

At least legendary-level defense. As expected of the Empress.

"But don't think you can overcome this level difference with equipment quality!"

Renya moves instantly, getting behind Lilith.

He strikes from behind but is repelled. But this was expected. He immediately moves again, striking from multiple directions at a speed clearly exceeding Lilith's reaction speed.

No matter how high-performance the armor is, there's a limit to continuous skill activation. If he can break through even once, if he can inflict even a slight wound, he can cause instant death - that was Renya's weapon, the "Fatal Sword".

"...Please don't rampage too much. What if the vibrations make the books fall?"

"Still worried about the books! You, don't get too cocky--"

"'Stand at attention'"

"Gh!?"

Renya's body suddenly stiffened.

He drops his weapon and is forcibly made to stand at attention.

W-What is this?

Renya is wearing a legendary accessory that halves all status effects. Even petrification effects only slightly dull his reactions. It's impossible for his body to stiffen like this. Given the large level difference, he shouldn't even be affected by status effects in the first place--

"This isn't a status effect. This is a mystic art called 'Kotodama'."

Lilith, reading Renya's mind, smiled while slightly showing her bracelet.

"I can't use mystic arts as well as my brother. But I have the skill to create mystic devices... So, although it's presumptuous, if I just limit the effect, I can use thought laws like my brother. With the power of world memory, it can even easily overcome level differences, you know?"

"Kotodama...?"

"You don't know? That's strange. I thought you were the same... Didn't the spell I used sound familiar?"

"A spell, that--"

Renya starts to say, then realizes.

He had been listening to it so naturally. But thinking back on those words--

"It was... English?"

His breath caught.

English is, of course, not a language of this world.

The girl in front of him smiled and said.

In Renya's familiar mother tongue.

"'That's right. Mr. Renya from Japan?'"