The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

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Author Notes:

  [Today's two updates. 2/2]

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The Kingdom of Mataisa, proud of its rich climate.

At its northwestern edge lies the Teruzu Margrave territory, and the deep forest occupying half of that land is this Teruzu Forest.

Autumn fruits ripened on the trees, and animals like squirrels, deer, and wild boars actively searched for food to survive the winter, creating a rich ecosystem.

Of course, monsters that prey on such animals also lurked in the forest.

Survival of the fittest, the food chain is the law of nature.

Yes, the weak are eaten.

And the delicious are eaten too.

"Elenora! It went that way!"

"Mm, leave it to me."

We dashed through the trees in the forest.

The prey we had carefully herded burst out into the clearing where Elenora was waiting, just as planned.

"'Wind Cutter'"

With a light "span" sound, the head of the prey—a Great Boar—flew off.

The gigantic boar, about the size of a small house, swayed and fell to the ground.

"Not bad. Is Great Boar tasty?"

"If you remove the gamey smell properly, it should be delicious."

"Mm, looking forward to it."

A few days into the forest, we were conducting a gourmet tour (literally).

We make sure to drain the blood from the meat immediately after catching it.

While gathering firewood and starting a fire, I put water and salt in a pot. After hanging the meat upside down to drain some blood, I cut it into bite-sized pieces and wash it thoroughly in salt water. When the water becomes cloudy, I change the salt water several times until the cloudiness decreases.

Once the gamey taste is gone and the smell improves, I skewer the meat and roast it over the fire. If you sprinkle salt just before roasting, you'll have wild boar meat skewers in no time.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Mm, eat."

It's a bit tough, but the chewy texture and the umami of the meat spread throughout my mouth.

I devoured 3 wild boar skewers, while Elenora ate 7.

There was still plenty left, so we had Roze store it in her item box.

I'm envious of storage magic.

Apparently, item boxes are very expensive magical devices, but they're convenient, and since time doesn't pass inside the box, you can preserve meat fresh. I'm jealous.

"You've eaten. Now, let's get moving."

"Yes!"

After finishing our meal, we continued through the forest.

After a while, we encountered Devil Apes, monkey-like monsters that were picking large fruits resembling coconuts. Devil Apes are weak E-rank monsters individually, but they move in groups and show coordinated movements. Fighting them in a three-dimensional space like a forest would be troublesome, but they don't have any edible meat in the first place.

So instead...

"Hand over those fruits!"

I've seen those in a guidebook before. They're Wood Butter, a luxury fruit!

Perhaps startled by my sudden approach with a weird face and shouting, the Devil Apes screeched, dropped the fruits, and fled deeper into the forest.

Alright, the plan was a success.

One, two, three... we've got six Wood Butters!

"Mm... poor monkeys."

"Now, now, let's save that sentiment for after we taste these, my lady."

Cutting along the seams with a knife, the fruit splits beautifully into four parts.

Inside is an ochre-colored fruit resembling a melon and hard seeds.

After removing the seeds, we both bite into it.

"Mm~!"

"So good!"

As the juicy flesh spreads in my mouth, a rich sweetness similar to mango explodes.

There's also a slight melon-like aroma, making it taste like a cross between a melon and a mango.

This is delicious. No wonder it's a luxury fruit.

Despite having eaten a lot of wild boar skewers earlier, Elenora devoured three Wood Butters. I stopped at one. My stomach was already full.

Let's have the other two preserved.

"You really are in a growth spurt... It's about time we move on."

"Yes!"

We resumed our journey.

For a while, we didn't encounter anything edible, but we did face rock-like monsters and bone snakes, which we defeated without much trouble thanks to our respective skills.

As light filtered through the gaps in the trees, making me think it was approaching dusk, a sweet scent wafted from somewhere.

"Mm, Ruruk."

"Yes, yes. Which direction?"

"This way."

The food-loving sheep girl followed the scent.

As we climbed what seemed like a gentle hill, our view suddenly opened up.

Before us spread a field of short trees. It looked like an apple orchard, but the fruits on the trees were red and about the size of watermelons. The trees were probably originally tall and thin, but as the fruits grew heavy, the branches bent, bringing them close to the ground.

I've seen these in a guidebook too.

"Mm, Ruruk, can we eat them?"

"Yes, they should be delicious. However, the method of obtaining them is a bit special—"

As I was about to explain, Elenora had already started walking.

This is bad.

"Stop! Those are—"

"Mm-ah!"

The ground beneath Elenora's feet swelled up, and something like thin branches shot out.

The slimy-textured branches—almost like tentacles—grabbed Elenora's legs and suspended her in mid-air.

The sheep girl's skirt flipped up, revealing an indecent sight.

"Mm—!"

Elenora's face turned red as she was about to cast fire magic, but when the large red fruit entered her view, she stopped her incantation.

Probably because she heard from me that it was delicious, she refrained from burning it even by accident.

A little girl who prioritized her appetite over personal danger. She might become quite something in the future.

The monster that uses red fruits as bait to prey on enemies—the Apple Raune—has its main body hidden underground. Attacking the trunk or branches above ground doesn't do much damage, but if you solidify the soil with earth magic, it becomes immobilized and you can freely pick the fruits.

So, first we need to rescue her before attacking.

"'Blade Shift'!"

I approached close to right under Elenora and cut off the branch.

As I caught the falling Elenora, I tried to retreat immediately, but another branch flew out and wrapped around my arm. Moreover, it was the arm holding my dagger.

"Whoa!"

It had considerable strength, and I was easily lifted up, unable to resist with my physical strength.

Elenora, who had switched places with me, hurriedly tried to attack the branch with magic, but I shook my head and pointed at the ground.

"The main body is underground! Please solidify the soil!"

"'Earth Jail'"

Bish!

The magic Elenora cast towards the ground perfectly hardened the soil in the entire surrounding area.

As a result, the branches stopped moving, so I switched my dagger to my left hand and cut myself free.

After landing on the ground, I thanked Elenora and approached the fruit, making sure the Apple Raune didn't start moving again.

It's huge.

An apple about the size of my face.

It seemed this was a colony of Apple Raunes, with them spread out as far as the eye could see. However, Elenora's magic had an incredible range, and most of them were immobilized.

Since there's no one else here, it feels like we've come to an all-you-can-pick apple orchard.

However, it would be no laughing matter if the magic wore off while we were being greedy, so we only picked enough giant apples from nearby to fill our arms before returning to the top of the hill.

"You let your guard down, Elenora."

"Mm... regret."

Elenora looked a bit dejected after being scolded by Roze.

Well, Apple Raunes are tricky for first-timers, so it can't be helped. Roze seemed to understand this too and didn't scold her further.

Anyway, now that we've got food, let's cook here.

The air circulation is good here, and dinner while watching the sunset should be quite nice.

"Then Master, please provide the cooking utensils."

"...Is it just me, or am I being treated like a tool?"

"It's just your imagination."

I kept to myself that I thought she was like Dora〇mon.

When I cut into the giant apple, juice immediately overflowed from the cut.

A rich aroma wafted gently. I quickly used a cup to scoop up the juice.

It's not as viscous as honey, but the sugar content seems quite high.

Well, let's take a sip.

Gulp.

"...W-what is this!"

Concentrated apple juice spread explosively in my mouth.

It's thicker and more delicious than any juice I've ever drunk. In this world, fruit water, which is usually fruit juice diluted with water, is common. It's like a refreshing juice with 20% fruit juice content, like Val〇ry. Cheaper ones are even more diluted.

But this isn't just 100% reconstituted juice. It's like concentrated fruit juice that hasn't been reconstituted. I've never had anything like it, but I've tried Cal〇is concentrate, so I have a vague idea.

"Mm, Ruruk, me too."

"Ah, yes, yes. Here you go."

I pass some to Elenora.

As I was taking another sip and being amazed again, I suddenly felt a strange stimulation in my brain.

Before I could wonder about it,

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>"Calm and Collected" has activated.

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Hm?

Some mental skill activated on its own.

Moreover, the notification keeps repeating.

"Eh, what's this? What's happening?"

This is strange. According to the guidebook I read, the fruit of the Apple Raune is just delicious and doesn't contain any poison with abnormal effects. Yet "Calm and Collected" is automatically activating, immediately bringing my mind back to normal from whatever abnormal state it's trying to enter.

Thanks to the skill, I'm fine, but because of that, I don't know what's happening.

"Mm... mmm"

"Elenora, what's wrong?"

When I turned around, Elenora was fidgeting with a flushed face.

It seems there is indeed some effect causing an abnormal state.

Her usually pure white skin has turned slightly red.

Could it be a fever?

"Are you okay? Excuse me for a moment."

I place my hand on Elenora's forehead.

Hmm, it doesn't seem like she has a fever, but...

"Mhya!"

"Ah, sorry for touching you suddenly. It doesn't seem like you have a fever, can you tell if you feel unwell somewhere?"

"Mm... I'm fine... it's nothing..."

Elenora says this while lowering her face, but her breathing is clearly rough.

There's obviously something abnormal.

This might be a neurotoxin. "Calm and Collected" protects my mind and "Self-Adjustment" heals my body, so it doesn't affect me, but there might be effects on the body that I'm not noticing.

If that's the case, the situation is urgent.

"Master! Quickly give Elenora a healing potion—"

"Pfft! Ahahahahaha!"

When I turned to Roze, who had been watching until now, she burst out laughing as if she couldn't hold it in anymore.

From her reaction, I understood that at least it wasn't a serious situation.

"Um, Master?"

"Ah~ sorry, sorry, it was just too funny."

"What do you mean? Did you know what effect the Apple Raune fruit has?"

"Of course I know. It's not in the guidebooks for adult reasons, but it's famous in certain circles... But I wonder if I should tell you. I could, but I think Elenora would be embarrassed."

"Mm... no..."

Elenora hid behind Roze with a red face.

I don't understand what's going on.

I wanted to know for future reference, but Elenora seemed so against it that it's probably better not to force the issue.

"Then it's fine. Anyway, Elenora isn't in any danger, right?"

"She'll return to normal after some time passes. I'll tell you after Elenora recovers. Also, if you heat-treat the nectar, the abnormal effects won't appear, so make sure to cook it properly before using it."

I'm curious, but if that's the case, I won't say anything more.

Following Roze's instructions, I decided to boil all the nectar that had flowed out and turn it into a sauce.

Of course, the flesh of the fruit without the nectar is delicious to eat as is, so I cut it into easy-to-eat sizes.

Just to be safe, I thinly sliced the parts close to the nectar and simmered them in sugar water to make compote. I also thinly sliced some of the fruit and marinated it along with the Great Boar meat we caught earlier in the heat-treated and cooled nectar. After letting the marinated meat and fruit sit for a while, I'll fry them in a pan, using the juice that seeps out to add flavor to the steak.

Once the steak is cooked to a good degree, I turn off the heat, coat it lightly with a sweet and savory sauce, and plate it with bread.

I spread the compote on a plate and topped it with bite-sized pieces of Wood Butter.

Alright.

Today's gourmet tour full course is complete!

By that time, the sun had just sunk below the horizon, and our appetites were up.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Mm, eat."

Elenora seemed to be feeling better too, and we started eating together.

The steak had become tender thanks to the enzymes from the Apple Raune, and it was so soft it could be easily bitten through as soon as the umami seeped out. When you dip the bread in the sauce-coated juices and eat it, it's deliciously sweet and salty.

Eating the Wood Butter and apple compote together created a synergistic sweetness that made my tongue feel like it was melting.

"Mm~ More please."

Elenora held out her plate, so I cooked more meat for her.

As she watched the meat being cooked, Elenora's eyes sparkled, despite her usual sleepy look.

In the end, Elenora, who had seconds three more times, was lying on her back with her stomach slightly bulging. She was dozing off.

"Really, she's a child worth cooking for."

"Ruruk, come here for a moment."

As I was covering the sleeping senior apprentice with a blanket, Roze beckoned me from the other side of the campfire.

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you about what happened earlier."

Roze said with a mischievous smile.

"You see, unheated Apple Raune nectar has a strong aphrodisiac effect on the mind. Unheated nectar is even used as an ingredient in aphrodisiacs that nobles scramble to buy. Elenora was cute earlier, wasn't she? Hey, were you a bit excited? Huh? Huh?"

Roze nudged me with her elbow.

...Oh, so that's what it was.

If that's the case, "Calm and Collected" should activate.

With a strangely satisfied feeling, I put on my cloak and lay down.

"Thank you for telling me. Well then, good night, Master."

"Geez! What a boring apprentice!"

I'm fine with being boring. No matter how much of a brat I've been called growing up, I haven't fallen so low as to get excited over a little girl under the influence of an aphrodisiac. In the first place, using aphrodisiacs is cheating. I'll never rely on such things... I won't rely on them, but well, it might not hurt to remember. Yeah. Apple Raune nectar is worth checking out. Of course, it's because it's delicious, and there's absolutely no other intention. None at all, I tell you.

And so, the night deepened in Teruzu Forest.