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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After riding the horse urgently from the town of Freia for a little over two hours.

As we rushed along the single-lane road, a long bridge appeared ahead.

Even from here, it was a remarkably long bridge.

The ravine was larger than I had expected.

"Over there! There's a horse!"

Near the ravine, a horse was tied to a tree. There's nothing else around here, so why did they deliberately dismount? Since the horse is tied up to prevent it from escaping, they must have gotten off of their own will.

My bad feeling increased. Could they have descended into the ravine?

"Hey, hey, the area below is Gray Wolf territory, you know?"

Zamza was frowning too.

However, we had no choice but to pursue. We stopped the horse and immediately entered the forest.

The kidnapper's trail was easy to find. There was a clear animal path in the forest, which they seemed to have walked along.

That path was almost certainly created by the footprints of wolves like Gray Wolves.

It was so suspicious that I wondered if they intended to deliver Elenora to the monsters' den, as there was no other explanation that made sense.

"They've even gone to the trouble of cutting down branches to clear the way... This isn't their first or second time passing through here."

"You're right. There are multiple layers of footprints imprinted on the grass too."

As fellow adventurers, we were both well-versed in forest navigation and analysis techniques.

As we hurried forward while observing, we began to hear the sound of a flowing river.

At the same time, the scent of beasts started to waft through the air.

"Kid, watch your footsteps."

"Yes."

We lowered our voices and moved forward while concealing our presence.

I was clumsy at it since I didn't have any scout-type skills, but Zamza seemed to have a presence concealment skill as he expertly erased his presence.

When we reached a place where the trees thinned out and a riverbank spread before us, we heard that voice.

"No way! You said you'd save my wife if I brought this girl!"

"That's right, I said I'd save your mate. But I never said a word about saving you."

"T-That's...!"

"Kuhahaha! And if you die, our agreement naturally becomes void. Humans are delicious, you know. I wanted as many as possible."

"Y-You're too despicable!"

The man was confronting a monster with raised voice.

A huge black wolf with wings on its back.

That is—

"T-The 'Celestial Wolf' Marcosias..."

Zamza muttered with a trembling throat.

The A-rank monster Marcosias. A being worthy of an epithet.

At its feet lay Elenora. She seemed to be just unconscious, with no visible injuries. Beside her, the kidnapper was on his knees, wailing.

From what I heard of the conversation, it seemed Marcosias had instructed the kidnapper to abduct Elenora.

A beast that can speak human language.

An opponent with not just strength, but wisdom too.

And surrounding them was a large pack of Gray Wolves. Among them were a few wolves larger than the Gray Wolves—those must be the higher species, Garm Wolves.

Even a single Gray Wolf is a D-rank monster. Garm Wolves are C-rank. It's strange to be able to maintain sanity in the midst of such a group.

The kidnapper began to laugh hysterically while crying.

"Don't waste too much fluid, human. It makes the meat taste bad."

Saying that, Marcosias swallowed the kidnapper whole in one bite.

We were frozen in place by the suddenness of it all.

Not that we would have thought to help him in this situation anyway.

But we can't afford to dawdle.

I glance at Zamza, who has become intimidated by the overwhelming enemy forces.

I felt a gratitude towards him for bringing me this far that I could never fully repay. It's one thing if it were just Garm Wolves, but with Marcosias here too, I couldn't bring myself to ask him to risk his life.

As Zamza gripped the hilt of his sword, seemingly steeling his resolve, I made a suggestion.

"Zamza-san, could you prepare the horse so we can leave immediately?"

"...What are you going to do, kid?"

"I'll rescue Elenora and we'll escape quickly."

"Escape? You think you can intervene in this situation and get away?"

"It's okay. I have a skill that can stop the enemy's movements. It should work for a few minutes on Gray Wolves, and even a few dozen seconds on Garm Wolves. I might even be able to buy a few seconds against Marcosias. If I use it multiple times, we should be able to escape."

I am a mystical arts user.

For Zamza, who only knows about magic, it would be impossible to judge whether this is true or not. Moreover, the fact that I, a child, still seem composed should add credibility to my words.

Well, the reason I'm not visibly panicking is thanks to "Calm and Collected".

"I-I understand. But shouldn't I be the one to go get the little miss?"

"No, I can't control the horse. It will probably come down to a matter of seconds between life and death. That's why I want to entrust the preparation of the escape horse to you, Zamza-san. For all of us to return alive, please."

After struggling with the decision for a while, Zamza nodded.

He retreated along the path we came, maintaining his concealment.

I moved as close to the riverbank as I could while peeking at Marcosias's situation.

"Kuhahaha... Rejoice, my kin. Our efforts have paid off—goading that foolish giant to lure out that accursed woman, and using insects to devise our plan. We have now welcomed the 'supreme sacrifice' into our hands."

As Marcosias said this, the wolves began to howl. It seemed they were celebrating their pack leader.

After it died down, Marcosias continued speaking.

"Once I obtain the seed of the Demon King, I shall finally evolve and become the 'Wolf King'. Then you, my kin, will become even stronger. Even those arrogant dragon-kin who have constantly thwarted us will be within reach of our fangs."

Judging from the situation, the "seed of the Demon King" must refer to Elenora.

So Marcosias can evolve into Fenrir, an S-rank monster, by eating Elenora?

It seems he has a grudge against the dragon-kin, but I have no intention of letting my important senior apprentice be sacrificed to settle that grudge.

I unsheathed my short sword and took a deep breath.

"Tonight is a feast. First, let's annihilate one of those insect settlements that worship those foolish dragon-kin. The lives of insects are nothing before our army—Hm? Who goes there!?"

"'Don't move'!"

Marcosias noticed me, but in that instant, "Word Soul" had stopped the wolves' movements.

I was already running.

First, I need to secure Elenora. I reach out to Elenora who has collapsed on the riverbank.

"You insolent insect!"

Marcosias broke free of the Word Soul in just a moment and roared.

Just the roar alone nearly blew me away.

As I lowered my posture to endure it, Marcosias immediately opened his mouth to bite at me.

"'Blade Shift'!"

I swing my sword towards the inside of that mouth—aimed at the gums.

Even with such a robust body, the gums shouldn't be that strong.

That seemed to be correct, as I managed to make Marcosias flinch slightly.

In that opening, I pick up Elenora.

"Ruruk!"

"I'm glad! Let's escape!"

She must have been pretending to be unconscious in front of Marcosias, waiting for an opportunity.

Elenora nodded and started running with me.

As Marcosias was about to pounce on us without hesitation, I activated one of my trump card techniques.

"'Illusion—Gagarin'!"

"Wh-What is this!?"

"Illusion" is a mystical art that calls forth visual memories from the World Tree.

I can recall things I've seen quite clearly, and even for other things, the stronger the collective consciousness of the image, the more clearly it appears, so in times like these, I rely on famous images from Earth.

If it's a scene Marcosias has absolutely never seen before, it should confuse him.

It's the blue planet floating in the dark universe.

Yes, the Earth was blue—

"Now's our chance!"

Elenora was also stunned, so I quickly pulled her hand.

The effect range of "Illusion" is only a few meters from the activation point. Once outside of it, the illusion can no longer be seen.

If only Marcosias would stay stunned for a while longer.

"How annoying!"

Marcosias roared with tremendous volume.

In that instant, not only "Illusion" but even the "Word Soul" binding the Gray Wolves and Garm Wolves was nullified and scattered. The moment they realized they could move, the monsters began to stir.

"'Fire Wall'!"

Elenora quickly created a wall of flames.

This should secure our retreat—or so I thought, but Marcosias leaped to the forest entrance, blocking our escape route.

Marcosias in front. The subordinate monsters all around. The river behind us.

We were completely surrounded.

"Rage—'Fire Storm'!"

Elenora unleashed an intermediate-level magic with all her might.

"'Fire Storm'! 'Fire Storm'!"

The vortex of flames she released in succession rose in waves, becoming like a disaster striking at Marcosias.

However.

"Don't get cocky, you mere sacrifice!"

With just one flap of his wings, Marcosias extinguished the flames.

"Mm, no way..."

That was supposed to be Elenora's maximum firepower magic.

As Roze said, our current power is indeed too far below an A-rank monster's.

Having used up all her mana from casting magic repeatedly, Elenora collapsed as if crumbling.

"Hmph, you're just a sacrifice after all. No matter if you carry the seed of the Demon King, an immature being is still immature. It's fortunate I can harvest you before you grow."

"I... I'm not... done yet..."

"Don't bluster, underling. If that unreasonable woman hadn't come to your aid back then, you would already have become a part of me. It's merely been delayed a little."

Marcosias snorted.

...Back then?

At those words, I couldn't help but ask.

"Don't tell me, you were the one who destroyed Elenora's homeland?"

"What a foolish question. To begin with, the sheep-folk are merely food for us wolf-kind. Who do you think protected you weaklings from external threats for years while that powerless sheep-folk village grew? The reason I patiently refrained from laying hands on their village was because I was waiting for the seed of the Demon King to be born. On that day when I ordered my kin to harvest, that accursed woman interfered."

"What!"

That was truly unexpected.

The sheep-folk are a race that doesn't grow physically, is weak in strength, and only excels in magic.

But if they excel in magic, that's common among the human race too. Even among the sheep-folk, talents as special as Elenora must be rare. Otherwise, they wouldn't lose to a group of Gray Wolves.

So the reason the sheep-folk had been able to maintain their settlement until now was because the wolf-kind had been protecting them?

And that was to raise many of them to eat.

"Kuhahaha, but I will have the last laugh. It's fate that the seed of the Demon King is now in my grasp. Rejoice, sacrifice, I shall make you a part of us just like your family."

"Uu... uuuu..."

Elenora was crying.

At the fact that the root cause of her homeland's destruction was right before her eyes, at the fact that she was completely powerless against it.

She twisted her face with tears and glared at Marcosias.

"I'll... never forgive you!"

"Hmph, know your place, food. And you, insect, the same goes for you. Did you think such meager power could match me?"

In Marcosias's eyes, we were nothing more than livestock, mere food.

As his words suggested, the difference in ability was clear.

Roze, our only hope, is not here.

Elenora is out of mana.

Countless subordinates surround us.

An overwhelmingly strong foe stands before us.

Even so, I clenched my fist.

"Ruruk... run away..."

Marcosias began gathering power to release magic from his mouth.

If this enemy is Elenora's nemesis.

If there's even the slightest possibility of reaching those fangs.

"'Lore—"

I draw from the World Tree.

A last-ditch effort for a reversal.

If it exists, it's not in this world.

My trump card connects worlds.

"—Manifestation'!"

I'm counting on you.

The stories I've loved since childhood.