The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

The backyard of Count Ketaaru's house had a training ground for soldiers.

It was about ten meters square, with archery targets and straw dummies hanging at the back, making it the perfect place for what we were about to do. It's a bit smaller than the training ground at the Muuteru family mansion, but it seems sufficient as they probably don't intend to use long-range magic here.

The count himself must use it daily. When we were guided there, men with intense faces and muscles as bulging as the count's, though slightly smaller in stature, were enthusiastically working out. What is this, some kind of macho dojo?

There, I was facing a muscular man who was no less impressive than the count.

The muscle man was holding a long spear in front of him, glaring at me.

"Vice-captain of the private army, Danbel. Here I come."

"I'm Ruruk. Pleased to meet you."

He's quite well-trained, so I can't let my guard down. Being the vice-captain, his level must be fairly high too.

The count was sitting at a distance, watching intently to assess my abilities. Next to him, Elen was gripping her staff and cheering me on, while Roze was yawning. What a laid-back master I have.

They didn't tell me what I need to do to be acknowledged, but I guess winning should be enough.

One of the private soldiers acted as the referee. He raised his arm and said:

"Now, the match will begin. Attacks to the groin are forbidden. There are no restrictions on attacks to other areas, but excessive attacks causing fatal injuries will be considered fouls. The match will end when one or both parties become incapacitated or declare defeat. Attacking after the end of the match will result in disqualification. Now then -- begin!"

With the signal, Danbel gripped his spear tightly and kicked off the ground.

Oh, he's faster than I thought. His agility must be around 1500.

As expected of a vice-captain, even for a noble's private army in a non-major city.

However, to me, who's over level 50, it felt quite slow.

Agility is one of my strong points, after all.

"Oops."

All I did was advance and punch him.

I dodged the thrust spear with a diagonal step, then one step forward, and as Danbel quickly lowered the spear shaft to protect himself, I took another step to the opposite side, crossing his field of vision.

Then I just landed one punch on his wide-open torso. A gut punch, you know.

"Uguh!"

My strength stat isn't as high as my agility, but it seems I was able to deal a fair amount of damage.

Danbel was blown back significantly, lost his balance, and fell to one knee.

He's grimacing in pain, but it doesn't look like he's incapacitated yet. Nice abs he's got.

"Guh... What incredible speed. To think you have such power even barehanded."

Danbel stood up again, holding his spear with a frustrated look.

This time, it seems he's not going to attack recklessly, but wait for an opening.

Well, that's a natural decision when you're outmatched in speed.

There's no point in dragging this out with small attacks, so let's end this quickly. I didn't come here for a drawn-out duel, after all.

I clenched my fist and thrust it straight towards Danbel, who was at a distance.

"'Fist Transfer'!"

It's the fist version of "Blade Transfer."

It's a technique like a "jet punch" that hits a distant opponent. Like "Blade Transfer," it's an application of transfer techniques, so if you can see ethereal elements, you'd know where it's coming from, but to someone who can't see them, it would look like a long-range martial arts technique.

By the way, I just came up with this and tried it out.

The fact that it succeeded means I've gained a new skill. Yay.

"Again with casually creating skills..."

Roze was smiling wryly, looking exasperated.

Naturally, Danbel, who can't use mystical arts, was sent flying without even having time to brace himself.

Even his muscular armor is meaningless when hit in the jaw from an unguarded angle.

Danbel staggered for a moment before falling down.

"Winner, Ruruk!"

The referee immediately raised his arm.

Well, I won without much trouble.

I heard applause - pachi pachi pachi pachi - and when I turned around, the count was standing up with his eyes gleaming.

"Splendid. That skill to defeat Danbel as easily as twisting a baby's arm, there's no doubt about it. I apologize for doubting you, Sir Ruruk."

"Your words are too kind, Count Ketaaru."

"You may call me Babel."

Count Babel showed an intimidating smile.

It seems he was quite pleased with the match just now.

"Now then, I have a request, Sir Ruruk."

"What is it, Count Babel?"

"Would you engage in a bout with me as well?"

"...With all due respect, isn't that dangerous?"

"I'm well aware of that. But my blood is boiling. To face a strong opponent is the greatest honor for our Ketaaru family."

Oh no! He's such a muscle brain!

As his appearance suggested, this person is quite a troublesome character.

But those eyes tell me he won't take no for an answer.

Hah, can't be helped.

"As you wish. Then, I shall do my best to meet your expectations."

"No need to hold back. Give it your all."

And so, for some reason, the second round with Babel Ketaaru began.

Of course, the result was my overwhelming victory.

I was told to give it my all, so I punched with all my might, and he ended up unconscious.

"Ha ha ha! Delightful! That was truly delightful!"

Count Babel, who had been unconscious and receiving treatment in the infirmary. He didn't wake up for a while, so when I applied a high potion, he immediately regained consciousness.

The count sat up and laughed heartily while slapping my back.

"Ruruk, won't you join my private army?"

"I'm flattered by your offer, but I must respectfully decline."

"Hmm, well, I suppose so. With your abilities, you'll likely become the top adventurer in this country someday. You're not the type to settle as someone's subordinate."

"You overestimate me."

It seems he's taken quite a liking to me.

I didn't expect it to go this far, but this should make negotiations easier. All's well that ends well.

When I subtly brought up the matter of negotiations, Count Babel immediately got up and put his hand on my shoulder. He walked me to the reception room as if we were old friends.

After drinking some freshly brewed tea - which had been upgraded to an even higher quality than before - to moisten his throat, Count Babel began to speak.

"So, Ruruk. What do you, who slew a demon, seek from this count?"

"Simply put, negotiation rights. And permission to pay taxes on behalf of someone else."

"Negotiation rights? With my Ketaaru family?"

"No, with the Schreine viscounty."

"Oh... that kind-hearted, devoted husband."

Oh?

It seems Count Babel knows the truth about Viscount Schreine, not the rumors about his preferences for men.

As the count who controls the nobles in this town, it might be natural, but the relationship there doesn't seem so simple. Well, it's not my place to interfere.

"That's right. Actually, we're considering welcoming a new member to our party."

"To your party? That's enviable. They must be quite talented, I assume?"

"Yes. It's Lady Saaya Schreine, who's been entrusted as the heir to the Schreine viscounty."

"Oh, I know of her. That hidden child they've been keeping secret. I haven't seen her for years since the marriage talks with the northern duchy fell through. I heard she's been devoting herself to bridal training or something."

"You know about her. That's the one. However, there's a problem--"

I explain the issues we've faced so far, being careful not to say anything too sensitive. That the Schreine viscounty has no male heir, that Saaya is the only successor, that Saaya's father is plotting to marry her off to royalty or upper nobility to inherit the family, and that he's keeping her under house arrest, depriving her of freedom.

"Hmm. But that's a common story among nobles. Ruruk, what do you intend to do? Even if you persuade Schreine with my help and make her your companion, Saaya will still be the heir to the viscounty, won't she? It's customary for noble daughters to be engaged before they come of age."

"The key is to secure the position of the viscounty, right? I'm confident that in three years, Saaya as an individual will be in a far more advantageous position than a viscount. Her talent far surpasses mine. Then, if Saaya chooses her own partner for engagement after three years, it shouldn't be a problem either as an individual or as a noble."

I assert this. It was quite a bluff, but they say the bigger the bluff, the better in these situations.

"Three years, huh. She'll only be 13... But it's interesting."

"Therefore, Count Babel, I'd like to request negotiation rights with the Schreine viscounty to welcome Saaya=Schreine as our companion."

"Hmm. Specifically?"

"On the condition of welcoming Saaya Schreine as our companion, I promise to pay the full amount of three years' worth of tribute to the town and country from the Schreine viscounty, as well as the reconstruction support money for this time. Additionally, I promise to provide 1000 gold coins as a special relief fund from myself personally to the town."

"What!? Are you serious, Ruruk!"

Count Babel stood up with enough force to kick over the sofa.

"Such an amount, you, a mere adventurer, will pay?"

"With all due respect, it's not a particularly painful expense for me."

"...Is that truly so?"

"Yes. If you have any concerns, here's this."

I present the back of my adventurer card.

Usually, this is personal information that shouldn't be shown to others.

However, in Stoania, it's well-known that Elen and I were the top dungeon conquerors, so it might spread here eventually. There's no harm in it being known.

"Clearing the 100th floor of Stoania's dungeon! You've even defeated S-rank monsters. Indeed, if you've reached that far, just selling monster materials would yield an income of tens of thousands of gold coins... I see. So you're a dungeon millionaire."

"That's why I'd like to ask for Count Babel's support in this matter."

"Of course, I couldn't possibly refuse such exceptional conditions. In fact, Ruruk, there's absolutely no downside for me or the town, can this even be called a negotiation?"

"...If I may say so, Count, wouldn't it be problematic in general society if it wasn't in the form of a negotiation?"

"Ha ha ha! You're absolutely right!"

Count Babel laughed happily at my sly expression.

And so, the matter was settled, and I received a letter with the Ketaaru family crest and a personal note from Count Babel.

With this, the encirclement of the Schreine viscounty was almost complete, but... there was still something left to do.

"Now then, Count. Would you like to see the demon's corpse?"

"Oh! That's right. Please show me."

We move to the backyard again, as it might dirty the expensive-looking carpet.

Roze takes out the white-armed demon's corpse from her item box and lays it on the ground.

I offered a silent prayer for its repose.

"Indeed. This is undoubtedly the demon from that time."

"I heard your wife was harmed?"

"Yes... But this one didn't hurt anyone. It could have easily killed even me if it wanted to."

"It seems so. In town too, it didn't try to involve uninvolved people."

"I suppose there are various types of demons. This one wasn't a killer, but a warrior."

"Yes."

We all offer a moment of silence. Even though it was an enemy, it's not very pleasant to expose a corpse to view unnecessarily, so Roze stored it back in her item box.

Count Babel also seemed to have mixed emotions, but he let out a big sigh and then:

"However, the red-eyed demon was a killer, wasn't it? It might attack this town again, and both the residents and I still feel uneasy..."

"About that, Count. The red-eyed demon will never appear in this town again."

"Ruruk, where is such a guarantee?"

"It won't appear."

"But,"

"It won't appear."

I assert this without making eye contact.

Babel thought about the meaning of this for a while.

"Ha ha ha! I see, I'll believe you, Ruruk! The red-eyed one has returned home, is that what you mean?"

"Well, who knows where it went."

I intentionally gazed into the distance.

Well, I didn't say it directly, so this much should be fine. It's called lip service.

I'll probably be indebted to Count Babel in the future too.

Ah, but that's right.

"However, Count. There's something I'd like to inform you about."

I told him about the third demon that was said to be hiding in the white-armed one's shadow.

An opponent that even Roze failed to capture, lurking in the shadows.

Count Babel's optimistic expression changed completely, his mouth tightening and his brow furrowing.

Since we don't know the demons' purpose, we also don't know how they might attack in the future. It would be fine if they don't come, but if they do, we don't know when they might return.

"Come to think of it, the white-armed one was asking something. I believe it was 'Where is the factor of destruction?' I might have misheard, but that's what it sounded like to me."

Count Babel said, as if remembering.

This was new information.

"Factor of destruction... Do you know anything about this, Master?"

"......"

When I quietly asked, Roze made a difficult face.

Either she's not certain, or it's something she can't explain in this situation.

Having finished all our business, I bid farewell to Count Babel to head to our next destination.