The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"Delicious! I haven't eaten such tasty food in 10 years! Ruruk, you're such a good cook too!"

Saaya exclaimed with her mouth full of food in the empty lot next to the half-destroyed Adventurers' Guild.

While the red-eyed demon had mostly attacked facilities, many private homes were also damaged in the aftermath. Some lost their belongings to fires. As soon as evacuation centers were set up in empty lots, the Adventurers' Guild began providing food support through soup kitchens.

As an adventurer, I donated relief money and provided monster meat that Elen had stored in abundance in her item box. Since I had promised Saaya, I decided to cook meals for the evacuees as well.

The soup kitchen menu consisted of chicken and vegetable soup provided by the guild, and a simple stir-fry of Great Boar meat, cabbage, and onions that I provided.

The stir-fry was seasoned with the traditional sweet and savory sauce from the Kingdom of Mataisa, but I added garlic and orc liver as secret ingredients for an extra punch. These two are also ingredients for energy boosters, so they should help with the overnight reconstruction work.

It was a simple, mass-produced flavor for a large number of people, but it seemed to be a hit with Saaya's empty stomach.

After handing over to the guild's cook at some point, I sat down next to Saaya with my own portion.

"Ten years is an exaggeration, isn't it? Saaya-san, weren't you not even born then?"

"That's how delicious it is! Besides, expensive meat like Great Boar is rarely eaten in the daily life of poor nobles like the Schreine family. Was it okay to use it for the soup kitchen?"

"Yes, we got plenty in the dungeon. I'm glad it suited your taste, Saaya-san."

"As expected of a B-rank adventurer. It's really delicious."

"Mm, Ruruk's cooking, the best."

Elen, sitting across from us, nodded in agreement.

The sun had already set and time had passed, but magical lights were placed all over the city, keeping the surroundings bright.

Some of the citizens whose stomachs were full from the soup kitchen were quickly cleaning up collapsed houses and other structures to reconstruct the city. Those who could use earth magic were especially busy.

We offered to help, but were firmly refused, being told that they couldn't let minors work at night.

Apparently, even in times of crisis like this, there are bad people around, and security is temporarily disrupted, so children were told to stay quiet with their guardians or adults.

"Sorry, Ruruk-kun, we're out of boar meat! Can we get some more?"

"Certainly. I'll add some right away."

When the cook called for help, I had Elen take out a chunk of meat and went to deliver it to the cook.

Just as I left my seat, Saaya finished eating and whispered "Thank you for the meal" with her hands together. Seeing this, Elen tilted her head in confusion.

Roze, who had been at the information broker's, joined us when the soup kitchen had settled down and the evacuation center had quieted.

As we were drinking diluted fruit water as a palate cleanser, Roze appeared without a sound and sat down next to Elen.

"Welcome back, Master. How was it?"

"The situation remains unchanged, and everywhere is still in chaos. The Ketaaru Earl family, who is in charge of managing the city, has announced their stance to prioritize reconstruction and support above all. It seems they intend to prioritize people's livelihoods over investigating the demons' objectives."

"Well, that's to be expected. They can't eliminate anxiety, but they need to restore a stable life first."

In the tent-covered evacuation center, you could see undisguisable shadows on the faces of resting people.

Even those whose houses were safe and hadn't evacuated were holed up with all their windows closed, holding their breath.

"If only I could have gotten the objective out of the demon."

"It's not your fault, Master. A skill that allows moving while hiding in shadows is like dealing with a formidable assassin. Without Elen's 'Full Scan', we'd be constantly looking over our shoulders too. As expected of Elen."

"Mm, leave it to me."

Even now, she was regularly using 'Full Scan' to watch out for demons.

While the city's future actions were a concern, we were also pondering our own next moves.

"The environment was too terrible, so I ended up bringing Saaya-san out... but taking her all the way to the inn would be a criminal act. We need to send her back home for now."

"No way! I don't want to go back to a house where that guy is!"

Saaya puffed her cheeks in anger.

I understand how she feels, but hmm, this is troublesome.

As I was groaning and pondering, Roze let out a big sigh.

"...Saaya, you want to become my disciple, right?"

"Of course! I'll do it even if I have to punch Papa!"

"I see. Then, it's a bit early, but let's share your status. Elenora, could you cast sound-blocking and light-bending camouflage magic around us? I'll handle the perception interference."

"Mm. 'Sound Curtain', 'Mirage'."

As Elen chanted, an impromptu barrier enveloped the area where Ruruk and the others were.

Blocking both sound and light meant she was planning to discuss something very important.

As we straightened our postures, Roze took out a sheet of paper.

"Saaya. I'm going to share your status, are you ready?"

"I don't mind! Please, Roze-san!"

"...And Ruruk. Don't make a fuss when you see Saaya's status. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Then—'Threshold Compilation'."

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[Name] Saaya = Schreine

[Race] Human

[Level] 4

[HP] 110 (+800)

[MP] 70 (+800)

[Strength] 40 (+800)

[Endurance] 60 (+800)

[Agility] 90 (+800)

[Intelligence] 140 (+800)

[Luck] 111

[Physical Arts Proficiency] 340 (+800)

[Magic Arts Proficiency] 240 (+800)

[Mystic Arts Proficiency] 270 (+800)

○ Possessed Skills

≪Automatic Type≫

"Fire Magic Aptitude"

"Water Magic Aptitude"

"Wind Magic Aptitude"

"Earth Magic Aptitude"

"Lightning Magic Aptitude"

"Ice Magic Aptitude"

"Light Magic Aptitude"

"Holy Magic Aptitude"

"Numerology 1: Indeterminate Existence"

"Universal Growth"

≪Active Type≫

"Duet"

"Holy Beast Summoning"

"Heaven-Breaking Slash"

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"...Huh?"

I froze when I saw the status displayed on the paper.

Level 4, with all status additions at 800!? Even when I was level 10, I only had about half of this. So this is what Roze was talking about earlier. Wait, even the proficiency has addition values. What is this? How is this possible?

...No, more importantly.

"Wow~. There are so many skills I don't remember having. I knew I could use all magic except dark magic, but I have no idea about the rest. How do I use them? And I don't understand this at all. What's numerology?"

"...Numerology."

I heard it again after a long time.

The most mysterious skill in the mystic arts system, whose great meaning I wasn't taught even during my four years of training, and about which Roze still closes her mouth when I ask.

My numerology has the number "7" attached to it, but Saaya's has "1". The skill name is also completely different from mine, "Indeterminate Existence".

This number must be related to the skill, but... *Glance*. *Glance, glance*.

"Regarding numerology, it's something you need to learn about on your own."

"I see~ Understood."

"I got it."

It seems she doesn't intend to tell us. Sigh... I thought this was a good opportunity.

Seeing my obvious disappointment, Roze fidgeted a bit and averted her gaze.

"...W-well, I suppose I could tell you a little bit."

"Really!?"

I leaned forward eagerly and grasped Roze's hands.

Roze, her cheeks slightly flushed, suddenly pulled her hands away, cleared her throat, and said,

"Listen, numerology is a skill that changes."

"A skill that changes?"

"Yes. In other words, your numerology skills are still in an intermediate stage. Among all the skills that exist in the world, numerology is unique in that it grows with its owner. Even with the same numerology skill, there are many final forms, so what kind of skill it becomes depends on the person."

"Oh, Roze-san. Is that why you told me yesterday that controlling emotions is the most important thing? Because of this numerology skill?"

Saaya clapped her hands together.

Roze then looked at Saaya with a gaze that seemed to contain hostility. Of course, she seemed to be hiding it so Saaya wouldn't notice.

"...That's right. Especially for your numerology."

"I understand. Emotional control... emotional control..."

Saaya put her hand on her chest and muttered to herself.

She seemed quite pleased to have said something disciple-like, and was smiling a bit.

"Don't I need to control my mind?"

"You have 'Calm and Collected', don't you? Besides, honestly, in your case, I don't think the result would change whether you worry about it or not. Focus on honing your other skills instead."

"I see. Understood."

So that's how it was. No wonder it wasn't included in my training regimen.

...However, a skill that grows, huh.

Sometimes skills with similar effects are integrated into higher-level skills.

The intermediate skills I learned four years ago, like "Solidification" and "Melting", were integrated into the advanced skill "Refinement" as state-change skills. By the way, I was happy because "Refinement" is an essential skill for "Alchemy".

Anyway, I had never heard of a skill evolving on its own.

Probably, the image is like a "skill tree" often seen in games.

Since it's not visualized like in games, you probably can't freely choose the evolution path, but numerology seems to have a different mechanism from others anyway.

A numerology skill that can even achieve immortality in its final form.

Should I say as expected, or indeed.

I wonder if my "Autonomous Adjustment" will evolve too.

...Well, I'm curious about that, but that's probably not what Roze wanted to emphasize.

"So, Master, what's the reason for sharing Saaya's status? If you're saying we don't need to worry about numerology right now, there must be other important skills, right?"

"Yes. It's this 'Universal Growth'."

Roze pointed to a skill with a name that sounded impressive.

Universal Growth. It seems obviously related to the uniform addition of 800 to all status values.

"As the name suggests, it's a unique skill that raises all values equally. Ruruk and Elenora should understand, but these additional status values at this level are abnormal. Moreover, as you can see, the incredible skill effect of 'Status increases by 200 with each level up' even includes skill proficiency."

"...I see. No wonder you were worried, Master."

Normally, skill proficiency doesn't increase just from leveling up.

If proficiency increases, you can master anything just by gaining knowledge. While there may be aptitudes and inaptitudes, technically, there will be nothing you can't do.

"...Hey Ruruk. Is this amazing?"

The 10-year-old, who still doesn't quite understand how to read status, tilted her head and asked.

I explained the basics of how status works, the average values, and the meaning of proficiency.

Including the fact that if Saaya just raises her level, she could become stronger than anyone, rivaling beings called kings like Roze and the others.

At first, Saaya's eyes were sparkling, but as she heard more about how extraordinary her skill was, her face became increasingly anxious.

"Ugh... it feels like a heavy burden. But if I need to raise my level, that means I have to fight, right? Do I have to engage in life-and-death battles with monsters too?"

"Of course, defeating monsters is the quickest way to raise your level, but... Saaya-san, you don't like fighting, right? Why is that?"

"Why? Isn't that normal? You could die just from one mistake, you know? Even if you don't die, it hurts when you get injured. I've trained a few times to defeat weakened monsters, but... I can't get used to killing."

Saaya says these obvious things as if they're a matter of course.

Come to think of it, she might be right.

I had no choice but to train in mystic arts because I couldn't use magic. The quickest way to train was to become Roze's disciple, and Roze could only teach by making us fight to hone our skills. So it became natural to engage in life-and-death situations. It aligned with my goal of making a name for myself as an adventurer, so I never thought it was unnatural, and this change in mindset was necessary for my own survival.

It's the same for Elen. In her homeland, she had to fight desperately or be killed. With no other option, she kept killing enemies until her magic ran out. The only thing Roze could do to give purpose to Elen, who had lost everything, was to make her master magic through battle. And now she's active as my partner who can't use magic.

Of course, Elen is also prepared to live a life of battle as an adventurer.

But Saaya is different.

A life as a noble daughter with no need to fight. Even if she wants to escape from that, it doesn't mean she wants to become an adventurer or warrior. There was no need for her to risk her life at all.

I understand that this isn't because Saaya is still young or anything like that. Her values are fundamentally different. Her place in life is different. Even if she wants to become Roze's disciple to learn mystic arts, it doesn't mean she wants to be taught how to fight.

Whether it's monsters or anything else, she has no reason to take the life of others. She has an aversion to killing living beings.

That's the fundamental difference between us and Saaya.

Of course, the intelligent Saaya probably has the resolve to engage in battle if worst comes to worst. But her honest feeling is that she wants to keep that as a last resort.

Understanding these feelings, I turned to Roze.

"...Master, can I be in charge of Saaya-san's leveling method?"

"I suppose it can't be helped. But Ruruk, you really are weak to little girls~"

"I told you to stop grinning like that."

Children are to be protected. That should include their hearts too.

More importantly, we still haven't addressed the main issue we need to consider.

"So, how are we going to persuade Saaya-san's father? And what about tonight?"

Still, our options are limited.

I looked down at the paper with the status written on it and made a suggestion.

"...Saaya-san, would you mind staying at the inn tonight?"

"Eh, but wouldn't that be a huge problem if we're found out?"

"Yes, it would. But in exchange, I'll go back to the Schreine house. I have an idea."

I give a mischievous smile.

"Ruruk, you've thought of something bad again. Your face looks evil."

"What do you mean my face looks evil? That's an insult."

"Mm... face looks evil."

"That's right. Your face looks evil."

"Oof, I have nothing but enemies."

As I slumped, the girls laughed cheerfully.

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Author Notes:

  [～Afterword Tips～

○Ruruk's current status

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[Name] Ruruk = Muuteru

[Race] Human

[Level] 51

[HP] 480 (+2020)

[MP] 0 (+0)

[Strength] 430 (+1980)

[Endurance] 340 (+1760)

[Agility] 560 (+2180)

[Intelligence] 470 (+2040)

[Luck] 101

[Physical Arts Proficiency] 680

[Magic Arts Proficiency] 0

[Mystic Arts Proficiency] 6350

[Possessed Skills]

≪Automatic Type≫

"Numerology 7: Autonomous Adjustment"

"Calm and Collected"

"Incapacitation Nullification"

"Adversity Breakthrough"

≪Active Type≫

"Spirit Summoning"

"Familiar Summoning"

"Equipment Summoning"

"Transcription"

"Color Change"

"Refinement"

"Blade Reversal"

"Rupture Bullet"

"Land Mine"

"Threshold Compilation"

"Relative Transfer"

"Illusion"

"Word Soul"

"Legend Manifestation"

--------------------]

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