The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

About half a day after entering the Nogana Republic.

As we circled around the crescent-shaped mountain range, what came into our view was the capital of the Nogana Republic—commonly known as the "Academic City."

The general location of the Academic City becomes apparent as soon as you pass through the mountains and the ridgeline breaks. 

Although the city itself is still hidden by hills and forests, the structure that serves as the city's symbol is visible even from far away.

That structure is a tower that stretches up into the clouds—the highest dungeon on land, the "Tower of the Sky."

The Tower of the Sky was once called an impregnable dungeon, and along with Stoania's "Deepest Dungeon," it was renowned as one of the two most difficult dungeons.

The tower had no stairs, and it was necessary to climb the monster-infested outer walls to advance each floor, making it terrifyingly difficult to progress to the top floor, the 200th level.

However, 200 years ago, a mysterious adventurer who could manipulate the forbidden magic "Gravity Control" appeared and conquered the dungeon in no time. His female partner was also incredibly skilled in earth magic, and she created an elevator on the outside of the Tower of the Sky by employing giant golems.

And now, the Tower of the Sky has become the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild that supported them.

The symbol of the Academic City is the Tower of the Sky, which serves as the Adventurers' Guild headquarters. It's truly an awe-inspiring building that seems to pierce the heavens.

"It's incredibly tall... about 2,000 meters?"

"That's about right by my estimate. It's amazing that it doesn't break at that height with such thinness."

"It's because it's a dungeon, right? It's probably still alive."

"Ah, that's true."

The tower is black at the bottom and becomes whiter towards the top. It's quite visible today because the sky is clear. If there weren't mountains of similar height, it would be visible from even further away.

We can catch glimpses of it through the gaps in the trees as our carriage runs through the forest.

"Are we heading there?"

"Well... we'll have to go there eventually, that's for sure."

I let out a sigh.

One of the purposes of this journey is the "SSS Rank Recommendation Letter" issued by the Guild Masters.

Not only is my level high, but if Elen and Saaya were to awaken, we'd become an adventurer party with a Demon King and a Hero. On top of that, we have a True Ancestor Dragon.

It seems they judged that SS rank isn't enough just based on our positions. I didn't choose to recruit them, it was beyond my control.

Of course, to get the same rank as the supreme commander, we need the approval of the Grand Master. It seems we need to have a meeting for that procedure.

As for me, I don't care what rank I am as long as I can do what I want freely, so I don't care whether it's approved or rejected.

"Hmph... how foolish! No one can measure the greatness of my master!"

"That's right, my capacity is bigger than the sea."

"But your height is small."

"But with that logic, we couldn't even become B rank."

"A Demon King and Hero who are eternally C rank... that's too funny."

Indeed.

Being too great to pass any assessment is already a joke.

As we were laughing, Seori, who didn't understand, was fidgeting alone.

"S-Saaya... explain to me what this means..."

"You see, Seori, adventurers actually have assessments from B rank. If no one can measure you, it means you can't even become B rank in the first place..."

While Seori, who is unfamiliar with common sense, was being explained to, I asked Lilith a question.

"Changing the subject, but there's no Luney Trading Company in the Academic City, right?"

"That's correct. We haven't been able to secure enough land, and our commercial permit application hasn't been approved yet. Brother, I apologize for not being able to provide satisfactory support..."

"Don't worry about it. If it's not there, we'll just have to enjoy it in a different way."

It seems there's no detailed tourist map, but that's also part of the fun of traveling.

Now, what should we do first?

We could first visit the essential Adventurers' Guild, or go to the Central Magic Society. Personally, I'm also interested in the Mystic Arts Research Society, and there's probably a science research institute too.

It's called the Academic City after all. It must be a place that stimulates intellectual curiosity.

With excitement, we approached the Academic City.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"Milly-sama, we have a report."

On the 100th floor of the Adventurers' Guild headquarters.

This Tower of the Sky, which has ceased to function as a dungeon, originally had stairs up to the fifth floor. From there, one was only allowed to climb up along the outer walls, but now anyone can go up to the 100th floor using the elevator. Of course, it costs money and is operated by magical power.

Furthermore, access beyond the 100th floor requires permission from Milly, the personal maid of the supreme commander. All reports and messages must go through her first.

The timing of the reports happened to coincide, so two staff members simultaneously visited Milly's waiting room on the 100th floor.

The two staff members who spoke in unison were glaring at each other, sparks flying between them.

"Now, now... why don't you two get along for once?"

"...Understood."

"You don't sound convinced."

The one who shrugged with a sigh was the mistress of this room—the woman called Milly.

She was a beautiful lady with a voluptuous chest, fanning herself with an iron fan.

She gazed at the two who had come to report with exasperation in her droopy eyes.

These two were former receptionists who started working at the same time, and they had been rivals since they began working.

However, they were prone to causing minor problems, such as competing for excellent adventurers or taking on quests themselves when there was a shortage of hands. They weren't at all suited to be receptionists, but because they were enthusiastic, they were moved to back-office work.

That said, they were both so clumsy that they could only handle menial tasks.

"So, what's the report?"

"I'll go first— tch."

"Hey, don't fight. Alright then, you go ahead, Lefna."

"Yes! Here's the report. Regarding the matter of [Rozewill] that was applied for the other day, we've just received an official message from Camlock-dono. They left Bargia six days ago and are heading this way."

"Ah, I already know about that because they reported it in advance via copier. Process the official documents that arrived as usual."

"Understood!"

It's really troublesome that even for a single communication that's already known, an official seal is needed. It can't be helped for a large organization, but Milly, finding it bothersome, delegated it entirely to her subordinate.

"Now, Righna. What's your report?"

"Yes! Regarding [Rozewill] that the idiot Lefna just reported about, we've received a report from the gatekeepers that they've already arrived at the Academic City!"

"...Isn't that too fast, no matter how you look at it?"

"But that's what the report says!"

Righna declared energetically.

"Who are you calling an idiot, you fool Righna!"

"You, you idiot Lefna!"

"I told you not to fight."

Milly hit both their heads with her iron fan, and the fool and the idiot fell silent with tears in their eyes.

However, they've already arrived? It's only been six days since they left Bargia.

Even though it usually takes an average of one and a half months for a merchant... well, they're adventurers who can use teleportation. They're not the kind of people to whom normal travel speeds apply.

"Well, I've received your reports. Now, you two, go back without fighting."

After receiving the reports, Milly immediately headed to the supreme commander's room using the exclusive elevator.

□ □ □ □ □

Surprisingly, there was no passage tax for the Academic City.

Its size is about the same as the Mataisa royal capital. Since the country's size is about the same as Restamia, it's clear that the population is quite concentrated in the capital. Indeed, I don't remember seeing any other towns from the border to the Academic City. In terms of overall scale, it might be close to the Stoania Kingdom, which also has a high-difficulty dungeon.

The state of the city is quite chaotic.

When I checked from the air using "Mystic Eyes," unlike the grid-like layout of the Restamia royal capital, there were hardly any straight roads.

The roads are intricately intertwined like a maze, with stairs everywhere branching up and down. There are even some unbelievable structures that use the roofs of other people's houses as bridge supports.

I thought it would be an intellectually organized city layout since it's called the Academic City, but it seems to be the opposite. It's too chaotic.

I found about five huge buildings.

One is the Tower of the Sky, visible from everywhere. This goes without saying.

Near it was a huge dome-shaped building. Its diameter seemed to be about 500 meters. From what I've heard, that's probably the Central Magic Society.

There were also large facilities in the north, west, and east districts. If the Mystic Arts Research Society was in one of those, we wouldn't get lost... but no, it's probably a small-scale organization.

"What should we do? If we keep going like this, we'll definitely get lost."

Saaya said with a grim expression.

We've just entered the city, but the road splits into five.

Moreover, all the roads are about the same width, and they all twist and turn or become stairs, so you can't see ahead. This city doesn't seem to have the concept of a main street.

"Hmm... There must be a lot of staff-wielders since the Central Magic Society is here, and I don't want to use omnidirectional search because it might cause trouble..."

"Can't Ruruk's eyes see it from above?"

"It's so intricate vertically too that even looking from above, I can't comprehend it..."

"What about you, Lilith-san?"

"I'm sorry, it's the same for me."

If it were a flat maze, I could understand it immediately, but this time it's useless.

I wonder if there's anyone who can actually tour this city. It seems like it would take a day just to find an inn. If I had known this, I would have brought Karmarike who never gets lost in any forest.

As we were at a loss at the city entrance,

"Hey there, sir! You look like a capable adventurer!"

A small man, slightly older than us, approached.

He had a bundle of papers tied to his waist. Given that he approached us specifically, there's no need to ask who he is.

"Are you a map seller?"

"Oh, you're quick on the uptake, sir. How about one set?"

"What about the price and coverage?"

"One gold coin per district, north, south, east, and west. By the way, there's no map for the central district because map-making is prohibited there."

It's quite expensive compared to map sellers in other cities. Well, given the chaotic nature of this city, it might be understandable.

But he told us about the central district without hiding it. He's quite a conscientious map seller. If he were a fraudulent map seller, he would try to sell a set of five without saying anything. Then after buying, you'd find out that one of them is a map of the area outside the city instead of the central district. That's quite common in this world.

I remember the three from [Happoshu] falling for a similar trick in Stoania.

Thinking about it that way, this small map seller seems trustworthy. Now it's about the accuracy of the map.

"What's the scale?"

"Roughly 1:2000. All routes in the underground areas are perfectly mapped."

"Underground areas?"

"The roads one level below where we are now. By the way, in this Academic City, the color of the ground is different for each level. Here, the stone pavement is white, so it's the second floor. The third floor is brown, the fourth is black, and the underground is gray. You can tell at a glance which map to use by looking at the ground."

Saying this, the map seller waved a set of four maps.

I see, so that's how they made the roads. Indeed, looking closely, the color of the ground changes in the middle of the stairs. This is a system that's quite helpful in preventing people from getting lost.

Although the roads themselves are still complex.

By the way, isn't this map seller extremely conscientious? To be told all this even before buying.

For first-time visitors, just this information alone is worth about as much as a map.

"I understand. Then I'll buy all four areas."

"Thank you for your business! ...is what I'd like to say, but sir, would you be interested in hiring a guide as well?"

"A guide? Indeed, it would be reassuring to have one, but what about the fee and where is the guide?"

"I'll be your guide. If you buy maps for all four areas, I'll provide one day of service for free. How about one gold coin per day from the second day? Of course, if you don't need me, just the first day is fine."

That's a good deal.

We're not struggling for money, but I don't want to spend recklessly either.

I am Ruruk. A man who can't indulge in luxuries other than food, clothing, and shelter even with a lot of money...

For now, I turned to my companions and said,

"What do you think? It's our first day, and we're likely to get lost even with the maps, so I think it might be good to hire him."

"I agree."

"Mm."

"Yes, I think it's a good idea."

Alright, the majority agrees, so it's decided.

I paid the fee and received the maps from the map seller.

"Then, thank you in advance. My name is Ruruk."

"I'm Gatlin. Nice to meet you."

I shook hands with Gatlin.

A city where the entire urban area is like a disorderly maze.

Feeling the romance overflowing with otherworldly atmosphere, I became excited.