The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

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Author Notes:

  [This is today's second post.

  It's 2/2.]

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"That's... yeah, bandits. They're quite bold to do this so close to town," Roze says leisurely.

The bandits were attacking a cargo wagon. Even from this distance, it's clear that the wagon is loaded with a considerable amount of goods, so it must belong to a merchant.

It seems that a few guard warriors are fighting back, but there appear to be more than twenty bandits. Overwhelmingly outnumbered, the guard warriors quickly found themselves on the defensive, their backs to the wagon.

"M-Master..."

I knew that this other world had poor public safety.

I understood that much, but witnessing people attacking other people right before my eyes still shakes me up. The only reason I didn't rush in impulsively was because of my experience facing kidnappers four years ago.

Reckless action directly leads to mortal danger.

I have no obligation to these unknown merchants or their guards.

But I didn't want to abandon them here.

However, I'm still only level 1.

I do have skills I can use in combat, but I was quite anxious about facing bandits. Against opponents with high levels and stats, I could suffer fatal damage from just one kick, like before.

Seeing me pathetically relying on her, Roze shrugged her shoulders.

"I know. We'll teleport."

It's still several hundred meters by my estimate. If we ran, everyone would probably be killed by the time we got there.

Roze quickly grasped my hand.

In an instant, the scenery changed.

We teleported right behind the bandits surrounding the wagon. The bandits were closing in, tightening their encirclement while laughing crudely.

Roze raised her palm as if to do something, but seemed to reconsider and looked down at me.

"That 'Word Soul' you mentioned earlier, can it be used in battle?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then give it a try."

Suddenly thrown into actual combat!

With Roze standing by, there probably won't be any real danger, but I still feel nervous when it comes to a life-or-death situation.

But well, "Word Soul" is a perfect skill for dealing with groups.

Since it's a skill used by a level 1 like me, I'm not sure how effective it will be, but—

I took a deep breath and infused my voice with ethereal energy.

"'Don't move'!"

The words I barked out pierced through the scene, accompanied by an ethereal impact.

Everything went silent.

Bandits, merchants, and guard warriors alike, everyone froze like ice sculptures.

Alright, alright, it worked.

I mentally strike a victory pose.

—I came up with this skill a year ago.

Until then, I hadn't been able to learn any skills that borrow the power of the World Tree—[Thought Method]. I had been grappling with the fundamental question of what exactly the World Tree is. I could imagine it in words and sense the ley lines... but I couldn't verify it because the World Tree wasn't nearby.

At that time, I reread "The Three Sages" story, which I had read many times before. There, I noticed the casual mention of "the collective consciousness and memory of the World Tree" by one of the sages, and that's when it hit me.

This "Word Soul" is a skill that calls forth collective consciousness from the World Tree and forces its meaning upon the target.

Words used by many people share their meaning among everyone. If that's stored in the World Tree as collective consciousness, couldn't it be utilized through mystic arts? There was also the concept of kotodama (word spirit) in Japan, so I wondered if I could recreate something similar in this world.

However, when I first tried it, I failed spectacularly.

The activation of the technique itself went well, but the impact on my practice partner was too small to fully demonstrate its effect.

After pondering the cause deeply, I came to the conclusion that it might be related to the strength of the collective consciousness stored in the World Tree.

Since it's collective, could it be related to the world's population itself?

And what if the information stored in the World Tree wasn't just from this world?

What if it was words from a world with an overwhelmingly larger population?

With that in mind, I experimented and eventually created this "Word Soul."

In other words, the words that just stopped everyone's movements—were in Japanese.

It probably sounds like an incantation since it's a language no one in this world can understand.

"...Heh, not bad."

It seems the skill didn't affect Roze, probably due to the huge level difference. She was looking around with a pleased expression.

However, the effect won't last forever.

While they're immobilized, I need to neutralize the bandits.

"'Drop your weapons.'"

Clang, clang, the bandits started dropping their swords and spears one after another.

...Oh? There's one bandit who's not letting go of his weapon, though his arm is trembling. Moreover, he's running towards us, dragging his heavy feet. He looks extremely angry.

"Level 19. Seems to be the bandits' leader," Roze whispered to me.

I guess the effect is weaker with an 18-level difference.

But I don't have any skills for direct combat... What should I do? Even with his movements slowed, one hit from a level 19's sword would be instantly fatal. Alright, wait, let's talk this out, Mr. Bandit! This was self-defense and there was no malice please don't come any closer I'm sorry for getting cocky!

"It's fine. I'll handle the rest."

The moment Roze snapped her fingers, something like a flash of light darted around in all directions.

It pierced through only the bandits one after another, knocking them unconscious. The power was significantly higher compared to when she did it at the mansion.

Wow, amazing.

She took down over 20 bandits in an instant.

I vowed in my heart never to defy this master.

"Thank you so much! You are our lifesaver!"

After the guard warriors tied up the bandits with ropes, the rescued merchant was practically prostrating himself before Roze.

According to the merchant, they were in the middle of transporting goods from a neighboring town called Lask to the town of Muuteran. Apparently, bandits are rarely seen on this road usually.

Even if there were any, it was only a few, and they wouldn't attack if there were guards.

For some reason, this time they encountered a group of bandits.

"We were just passing by," Roze said.

"Your mercy is greatly appreciated! Please allow us to offer a reward!"

"It's not necessary."

"We cannot let it be that way! Please, accept this!"

The merchant desperately bowed his head and held out a bag.

From the jingling sound, it seems the contents are likely gold.

They say merchants value trust. Not offering even a token of gratitude to someone who saved their lives would probably affect their reputation.

Honestly, I think we look suspicious enough as it is, traveling without even a single bag.

"Well then... could we have a little food? Preferably something we can eat right away," Roze said.

"Food? Certainly! Please wait a moment!"

Saying that, the merchant ran to the wagon.

Come to think of it, I haven't had lunch either. I became an adventurer for the first time and immediately set out on a journey, so I forgot about it in all the excitement.

Living in the duke's household, I never had to worry about meals, and relatively delicious food was always served. But from now on, I'll have to manage my own meals.

I can't imagine Roze taking care of that for me, and that's what being an adventurer is about, right?

While I was thinking about this, the merchant returned carrying a large burlap sack.

"Sorry for the wait! Here we have fresh vegetables, meat, salt, sugar, and black bread from our company. I've also included a small amount of pepper from my personal stock. There are also some portable rations for travel, so please use those if you want to eat right away. If this isn't enough, I can add more."

"This is fine," Roze replied.

That's quite a lot.

But are we going to carry all of this?

"Why are you staring, Ruruk? Are you that hungry?"

"Isn't it going to be difficult to carry all of this?"

"It's not a problem. I have an item box."

Saying that, Roze touched the ring on her right hand and then touched the burlap sack, causing it to disappear with a whoosh.

Oh, so this other world has item boxes. No wonder she wasn't carrying any luggage.

I wanted one too, but the item box is probably a magic artifact. There's no way I could use it, so I'll have to give up on that idea.

The merchant's eyes lit up as well.

"Not only are you strong, but you even have an item box! My, I've seen many rare things today!"

"Please take care of the bandits until you reach town. You can collect the reward there too. We're in a hurry to get to Lask."

"We are indebted to you once again!"

"Alright. We'll be on our way then."

We parted ways with the merchant and started down the road.

The merchant and guards waved big until we were out of sight. They were lucky; if Roze hadn't happened to pass by, they would have lost everything.

After walking for a while, Roze held out her hand again.

"We've used quite a bit of time, so we'll move quickly from here."

"Please do."

As I took her hand, the ethereal energy around Roze began to stir.

...Remembering that we haven't had lunch yet, I started to feel hungry.

I'm really hungry.

Thinking about that, we teleported away.