The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"...Well, I guess I'm lost?"

Ruruk Muuteru, 5 years old.

That's who I am now.

In appearance, a sickly body with messy brown hair.

Large, round red eyes and a straight nose bridge. Though a scrawny little boy to an unhealthy degree, his complexion is good now.

Ruruk was a fairly good-looking boy. At least, when he grows up, he'll probably be more handsome than I was before I died. Well, I don't know if the aesthetic sense in this world is the same as before.

The only thing he seems to have in common with his father is the brown hair color. He probably takes after his mother genetically, rather than the gorilla-like father who can jump three meters backwards while holding a girl.

Even if it's a neat face, I feel a slight melancholy at no longer having the plain Nanairo face I've been accustomed to for so long.

Oh, come to think of it, the mother didn't come even though her son came back to life.

There are many things I'm curious about, like the father's attitude towards his son and the family structure of this house.

At the very least, that gorilla-like father is quite wealthy. Not only are there maids, knights, and butlers in the house, but more than anything, this house is huge.

It's more of a mansion than a house.

As I started exploring at random, I found that this mansion had countless rooms.

The narrow room I woke up in was on the second floor, and the room that looked like an examination room where the doctor was, was on the first floor.

I started exploring from the first floor, but it was incredibly spacious.

A great hall that could fit a hundred people, a kitchen where ten people could cook simultaneously, and corridors as wide as those in a high school. I passed by more than 10 maids in the corridors, and all of them avoided eye contact with me in what felt like a psychological attack. What did you do before you died, Ruruk-kun...

Anyway, the house is huge.

The entrance hall on the first floor is spacious enough to fit my entire Nanairo-era house inside.

So, I think it's unavoidable to get lost.

Plus, I'm surprisingly struggling with the physical age of a 5-year-old. My stride is short, and all the doorknobs are above my head. The doors feel oddly heavy, and even just walking with this frail body leaves me a bit out of breath.

Well, I guess it can't be helped since he was sickly.

"This is... oh, a toilet?"

Anyway, I was exploring the mansion, disobeying my father's orders. By the way, since the windows are above my head, I still can't see the scenery outside. I can only see the constantly clear sky.

I randomly opened a door to find a room with a sink and toilet, and as I was about to close it, I noticed something.

"What's this? A magic circle?"

The toilet is Western-style.

On the back where you sit, there's only a backrest, no flush tank or lever.

However, there's a complex pattern like a magic circle drawn on that backrest. What caught my eye was this magic circle.

I don't feel the need for a purely decorative pattern in a place like this, so could this be a mechanism for flushing water?

"It's another world after all. I guess there might be magic."

Muttering that, I hold out my hand.

Come forth, water magic!

...

......

.........

Hmm, nothing happens.

Is it just decoration?

Maybe it's not a flush toilet? Surely it can't be a civilization without even plumbing...

No, that can't be right.

Look, there's a sink right next to it.

"Heave-ho!"

There was no footstool, so I opened the drawers in stages to create stairs and climbed up to the sink.

See, here's a faucet... huh?

"Another magic circle."

The same thing as on the toilet was drawn here.

The sink definitely has a drain, so it's clearly designed for water to flow. So, this magic circle is undoubtedly correct for water to come out.

But how?

Hmm... it's a mystery.

Well, I guess it's better that I at least know this world has magic-like technology.

I climb down from the sink and leave the toilet. I feel like I'm postponing the problem of what to do when I actually need to use the bathroom, but well, that's a problem for future me.

As I explored like this, I noticed magic circles drawn in various places.

There was a common magic circle on the wall at the entrance of each room. Probably for turning on lights.

There were different magic circles on the inside of some room doors. Looks like they might be for locking.

The magic circle from earlier was drawn on sinks without faucets, bathrooms, and toilets, and in bathrooms and kitchens, there were additional different magic circles lined up.

"A magical culture, perhaps..."

"It's sorcery, young master."

"Whoa!?"

As I was intently observing the magic circles in a bathroom so spacious it could belong to royalty, a voice called out from behind me without any presence.

Surprised, I turned around and lost my balance, falling on my bottom. Because the bathroom had just been washed, it was wet, so my bottom got soaked. And I had just changed clothes.

"Oh, did I startle you? Are you alright?"

"Uh, um..."

The one who reached out her hand was an old woman in a maid uniform.

There were terrible scars above both her eyes, and her eyelids were closed. However, despite being elderly, her back wasn't bent. Rather, she grabbed my arm with perfect posture and pulled me up strongly.

So strong!

I was lifted up as if floating. To lift a child's body so easily without even straining. What a muscular old lady.

"Th-Thank you very much..."

"Hm? Young master, that's not like you."

Oops, did I break character?

During the earlier encounter with my father and the others, I didn't need to speak. The knights had sheathed their swords concluding that Ruruk had come back to life, but if they thought someone else had possessed Ruruk, the situation might change again. That's why I had been silently role-playing as Ruruk, but now I'm in a situation where I have to speak.

Now, this old woman, while she looks like a maid, she doesn't use polite language with the master's son. My intuition tells me... this old maid is an important person.

She seems like the first hurdle after possessing Ruruk.

First, I need to figure out how to get past this, but...

"What's wrong, young master? You seem nervous?"

Wait a minute.

This old woman hasn't opened her eyes once, has she?

Given the scars on her eyelids, she must be blind. But despite being blind, she's accurately grasping not only my movements but even my reactions!?

"What are you surprised about? You look like you're seeing me for the first time... Ah, I see. Yes, I see, I see."

"Uh, um..."

This is bad.

This old woman, though wearing the same design of maid uniform, has a thought process leagues ahead of the girl who dumped water on me earlier.

Before I give away any fatal information, I need to retreat from here and come up with a strategy.

At worst, I might be treated as an undead and get cut down!

"Ah, I was just here to--"

"Wait. Don't worry, I won't eat you or anything."

I stop my foot that was about to move at the old woman's voice.

"Young master, I heard you've been resurrected? I've heard of revival from death before. There was a story about a hero who had a mutual kill with a strong enemy but miraculously revived. That hero lost his memory for a while, didn't he? Judging from your reaction, you don't remember me, do you?"

"About that hero story in deta-- Huh!?"

Oops, that was close.

I was about to get hooked on the hero's story. No, that's not it, not now.

I activated my self-control and suppressed my curiosity about the story.

I steadied my breath and went along with the convenient hero story.

"That's right... Actually, I only remember that I'm Ruruk."

"I see. So you don't remember me either?"

"No. If you could tell me, I'd appreciate it."

"I'm Verugana, young master. I have a long history with this house."

Verugana, the blind old maid.

Even for me, who's bad at remembering names, I've definitely remembered this one.

"So, Verugana-san, if you don't mind, there are many things I'd like to ask about."

"Just Verugana is fine. More importantly, let's not stand around talking here. Come to my room."

"Ah, but..."

Verugana laughed through her nose at my slight hesitation.

"Don't worry. As the head maid, I even have a change of clothes for you, young master."

"Th-Thanks."

It seems this blind old woman can even see through to the fact that water has seeped into my underwear.

□ □ □ □ □

Verugana's room was at the end of the second floor.

It seems the first floor is mainly used for guests. There was a large hall that could host parties, a general reception room, a special reception room for noble guests, entertainment rooms, living rooms, and guest bedrooms.

The servants also seem to live on the first floor, with only high-ranking servants having rooms on the second floor.

Near the stairs on the second floor, there's a family living room, a large hall, and a small bathroom, making it feel like a private space. Ruruk's small private room was at the western end, but Verugana's room, as the head maid, was at the eastern end.

The town was on the east side of the mansion, visible from Verugana's room.

The room size? It's about five times larger than Ruruk's room. A servant with a larger room than the son - it shows how poorly Ruruk-kun was treated.

"Now then, young master, what would you like to know first?"

Having changed into slightly oversized pants and underwear, I was sitting in a chair, drinking tea brought by a maid. Sitting across from me was, of course, the blind old woman.

Although Verugana looked elderly, she had a sharpness about her like a martial arts master. If I said something disrespectful, it felt like she could take the life of a frail 5-year-old in an instant.

"Well, first, about this house..."

It was sorcery, not magic, wasn't it?

While I was curious about the existence of magical technology and the difference in terminology, understanding my environment took priority.

"Hmm. The Muuteru family has been supporting the nation's military for generations as a ducal house. You could say it's a lineage of knights."

Oh, so they were nobility after all.

But a ducal house, no less. If my knowledge is correct, isn't that among the highest ranks of nobility in some countries?

"Um, so is father the lord?"

"That's right. He just inherited the territory after the previous generation passed away. To me, he's still green, but he's already the head of the kingdom's knights. This family has been protecting the royal family for generations like this."

The royal family and a ducal house.

So this is the home of a noble in some kingdom. And I'm the son.

"...Still, a family of knights, huh."

"That's right. Many are born with strong physical bodies and a strong aptitude for sorcery. A lineage that continues to produce strong knights, inheriting vast lands at the edge of the kingdom, with high loyalty to the royal family that doesn't even flinch at being mocked as 'countryside dukes' by other dukes. That's why this Muuteru family continues to be trusted as a ducal house."

"Strong physical bodies, you say."

"I understand what you're getting at. After all, you have mana deficiency syndrome."

Yes, that's it.

The incurable disease Ruruk was born with.

It's probably still a condition that persists even now that my soul has possessed him.

"Mana deficiency syndrome is, in a way, a lack of detoxification ability. When the body absorbs mana, it usually filters out mana toxins and renders them harmless during the process of converting them to magical power. But you can't convert mana to magical power. As a result, only the toxins continue to accumulate in the body, eventually leading to death. That's the kind of disease it is."

"So, me too?"

"That's right. The average life expectancy is six years. Since one can never live to adulthood, those with this disease are often scorned as cursed children... Or at least, that's how it should have been."

Verugana, though she shouldn't be able to see, faced me directly and tilted her head.

"You don't have any mana toxins."

"Eh, you can tell?"

"I have a good nose. I'm particularly sensitive to toxins and presences. That's how I know... The mana toxins have completely disappeared from your body."

The "perfectly healthy" that the doctor mentioned earlier probably included this.

Does that mean I don't have an incurable disease...?

Wait?

But is the disease cured?

When I voiced my doubts, Verugana also furrowed her brow.

"That's the tricky part. I can't smell any toxins from your body. But the fact that water and hot water sorcery devices don't react means you're in a state without magical power. In other words, the mana deficiency syndrome isn't cured."

"Then, what could be the reason?"

"What we can consider is that by escaping the fate of death once, you might have learned some kind of healing skill."

"...A skill?"

"Ah, you've forgotten about that too... Young master, can you still check your basic status?"

"What do you mean by basic status?"

"Try focusing on the corner of your vision while thinking about status. You should be able to check it that way. As long as you haven't become an undead."

So if I can't check it, I'm confirmed as undead!?

Status, like in a game? For now, I search my vision while thinking "I don't want to be undead, I don't want to be undead, I don't want to be undead..." as if praying to a hat. Though I'm not wearing a hat.

Ah, something appeared in the bottom left.

When I focused my consciousness there, semi-transparent text expanded largely in my vision.

-----------------

[Health] 90

[Magic Power] 0

[Strength] 78

[Endurance] 79

[Agility] 101

[Intelligence] 112

[Luck] 101

[Possessed Skills]

≪Automatic Type≫

"Calm and Collected"

-----------------

Wow!

Is this a game? It's amazing for visual technology, it expands just by focusing my consciousness on it, and becomes transparent when I think it's in the way.

But it's certainly not scientific technology. Is this because of the existence of mana? The reason isn't clear, but it's amazing anyway.

"How is it?"

"Yes! I can confirm the status!"

Oops, more importantly, I need to prevent being falsely accused of being undead.

Verugana explains matter-of-factly.

"You can only check your basic status and common skills by yourself. Benefits like leveling up and skills other than common skills can only be confirmed through holy sorcery appraisal."

"I have a skill called 'Calm and Collected'!"

"That's a mental-type common skill... So what's neutralizing the mana toxins must be a sorcery skill... But young master has no magic power, so maybe it's a skill from a different system...?"

Verugana started muttering to herself.

I don't really understand, but since she's not calling for the knight from earlier, it seems safe to assume that the suspicion of being undead has been cleared? Just in case, I tell her all my other stats too.

After grasping all of my stats, Verugana crossed her arms while letting out a low growl.

"I see. Young master, there's one thing I've understood."

"Yes! What is it?"

"For a member of the Muuteru family, your basic stats are too low. It might be unavoidable since you've been sickly and hardly left your room until now... But you're physically healthy now, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's right."

"In other words, since your body is in good shape, your basic stats can be trained. As you're a member of this family, we don't know what might happen in the future, so as your education supervisor, I must train you."

Well, I've gone from sickly to healthy.

You could say I'm in good shape, but...

With an ominous feeling, I ask Verugana for confirmation.

"By the way, how do you train basic stats?"

"That's obvious."

"Obvious, meaning...?"

"Weight training and running. We'll start training hard from tomorrow."

"Oh my God!"

Verugana's brief statement about physical training was enough to plunge me, a culture-oriented otaku, into despair.