The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"Alright, let's go, Saaya."

"No! I want a sailor uniform too! I want to go shopping!"

"You just bought new clothes, didn't you? Besides, Ruruk said there was only one of those outfits."

"No way~! I want it~!"

Roze looked troubled as Saaya whined like a spoiled child.

It seemed like her emotional control had gone out the window, showing quite an unstable mood.

We had just received the formal invitation for tomorrow's appreciation party.

As promised by Count Babel, invitations were for three people: me, Elen, and Saaya. Saaya was invited as an adventurer, not as a noble, and the adventurer's outfit Roze had bought for her recently was still practically new. There was no reason to buy new clothes.

The 10-year-old continued her full-force "terrible twos" phase, but when Roze said "Hurry up" in an icy voice while activating her "Intimidation" skill, Saaya became quiet, probably out of fear.

Still, after breakfast, as Saaya left her seat at the restaurant, she glared at Elen resentfully and said:

"You went on a date and got such cute clothes... No sneaking ahead today, okay?"

"Hehe. Love-love."

"Eeek~! I feel like I could bite through a handkerchief right now!"

"Get going already. Do your best."

Elen, don't provoke her.

Now then, what should we do today?

"Master! Can I come with you today?"

"Sorry about yesterday, Punisuke. We couldn't bring a familiar into the shops, you know."

"It's okay! I practiced hard in the room!"

Punisuke had been doing self-training to improve his skills at the inn. To think he'd listen so seriously... what a good boy.

Hmm, I wonder if there's somewhere we could go that would be fun for Punisuke and profitable for us.

Is there anything like that?

"Ah, a quest."

"That's right. Why don't we go to the Adventurers' Guild?"

For now, having a goal would keep us from getting lost.

It would be great if there were some subjugation quests.

So, I, Elen, and Punisuke headed towards the Adventurers' Guild.

"Ruruk-san! Over here, over here!"

As we entered the Adventurers' Guild, the usual receptionist called out to me immediately.

As I approached the counter, she looked at Punisuke on top of my head and said:

"So you really did make a slime your familiar!"

"That's right. It's become quite attached to me."

"I'm Punisuke! Hello, miss!"

"Wah! H-hello... It's my first time seeing a talking slime. But it's so cute~"

The receptionist was quickly won over by Punisuke.

I agree that Punisuke is cute, but we didn't come here to show him off.

"Um, so did you need something from me?"

"Ah, that's right! There's an urgent named request for Ruruk-san. I was about to go look for you."

The receptionist took out a request form from under the counter.

A named request, huh? It's been a while.

Back when we were in Stoania, we got quite a few of these. At that time, we were making the most progress in dungeon conquests, even surpassing S-rank adventurers, so people who heard the rumors would send us requests. They were usually high-difficulty quests, but they paid well both in money and materials, so we actively accepted them.

"The client is Viscount Montarc. The request is to subjugate an Ophiotaurus, located in the plains northeast of here."

"Ophiotaurus, you mean the half-bull, half-snake?"

If I remember correctly, it's a B-rank monster with the upper body of a bull and the lower body of a snake.

I recall reading in the monster guide that it has a gentle temperament and doesn't attack humans, but becomes quite ferocious if attacked first.

I wonder why such a creature would be specified for a subjugation quest. Did something happen?

"Did it attack someone?"

"No, that's not the case, but..."

The receptionist looked a bit uncomfortable as she continued:

"Those plains are owned by Viscount Montarc, and the Ophiotaurus living there was mostly harmless, so they left it alone as a deterrent against bandits and other monsters. But it seems Viscount Montarc somehow got information that Ophiotaurus meat is quite delicious... So he wants Ruruk-san to subjugate it without causing too much damage."

"So it's for food?"

Ah, I see.

An urgent named request means they probably want to serve it at tomorrow night's dinner.

"Understood, I'll accept. How far is it?"

"It's about half a day's walk from here. Here's the map... it's in this location. I'm sure it'll be an easy day trip for Ruruk-san."

"That's right. We'll head out immediately."

Elen behind me also seemed quite motivated, knowing it was for the appreciation party's meat.

I don't think she'll use magic to blow it up, but I should keep an eye on her just in case.

After the receptionist completed the quest acceptance procedures for us, we set out immediately.

"I'll do my best too!"

"Yeah, I'm counting on you, Punisuke. But don't overdo it, okay?"

"Okay! I understand~!"

Punisuke bounced up and down on my head as he replied.

We left the town and walked a little in the direction we were told, then as soon as we were out of sight from the town, we started using teleportation repeatedly.

Since it was supposed to be half a day's walk, it didn't take us long to arrive at the plains that were our destination.

There were trees scattered here and there, with patches of grassland and swampy areas interspersed. It wasn't quite a wetland, but it looked like a place where various creatures might live.

We found the Ophiotaurus near a fairly large swamp.

It was slowly moving its bull-like upper body, eating grass. Apparently, it's herbivorous. As the guide said, its lower body was that of a large snake, mostly submerged in the swamp, so I couldn't tell its exact length.

However, it was certainly of a size that seemed like it should only exist in the depths of the Amazon.

"Master! There's a big monster!"

"That's right, Punisuke. We're going to defeat that monster now."

"I'll do my best!"

"Mm, me too."

Now then. The two of them are full of enthusiasm, but how should we approach this?

If we just needed to defeat it, it would be easy, but we need to minimize damage, and it seems like we could use this for Punisuke's leveling too.

First, let's stop its movements.

Using "Word Soul" would make it a breeze, but that wouldn't be very interesting.

This is practice too.

"Elen, have you learned any dark magic movement restriction spells?"

"Mm, one. I'll try it."

According to my master, dark magic has quite a strong quirk.

Most of it specializes in debuff effects, and there are many spells that inflict status ailments. Compared to other attributes, it requires more knowledge of theoretical magic, but it's said to be the least affected by level differences between the caster and the target.

Elen doesn't particularly like the dark attribute, so I rarely see her using it, but personally, I think "dark" sounds cool just by itself, so I wish she'd use it more.

"'Gravidi Rain'"

The magic Elen chanted in a low voice had the not-so-light effect of multiplying the gravity in the affected area.

Suddenly doubling your body weight is no joke. If caught off guard, you'd naturally buckle at the knees and fall over.

The Ophiotaurus fell to the ground and seemed confused.

"Alright Punisuke, extend your tentacles and try to stab the Ophiotaurus."

"Okay! I got it!"

I approach as close as possible while holding Punisuke.

Punisuke's hand, which was extending with a wiggling motion, had become as sharp as a stone spear. The results of yesterday's intensive self-training were showing.

Punisuke's tentacle spear slightly pierced the Ophiotaurus front leg. It seemed to hurt a little, as the Ophiotaurus twisted its front leg. The tentacle was immediately repelled.

"It's no good~ It's not working at all~"

"No, that's enough. 'Blade Turn'"

I unleash a slashing attack.

The skin was soft, and it easily cut through the Ophiotaurus neck. The Ophiotaurus, still fallen, rapidly lost its life force and died within a matter of minutes.

I'm sorry. Please forgive me, it's for food.

Praying for its peaceful rest, I had Elen store it in the item box.

Now that Punisuke has participated in battle, he should get experience points. Since he was level 1, he probably gained several levels at once.

"Punisuke, do you feel any changes in your body?"

"Hmm, I don't know~"

"I see. Well, let's keep going to the next one."

We've successfully subjugated the target Ophiotaurus, but since we're already here, we decided to do some more hunting.

I want to level up Punisuke as much as possible, so let's hunt even the small monsters we usually ignore. For now, let's enter the forest where there seem to be more monsters.

The first thing we found was a Bloody Rabbit.

It's a ferocious and agile rabbit, but it's no match for my agility. I circle around it and let Punisuke's attack deal some damage. Then Elen finishes it off with an ice spear, and we secure the meat. There isn't much edible part, but rabbit-type monster meat is one of Elen's favorites.

The next thing we encountered was Orthrus, a dog monster with two heads. Its meat is edible but tastes bad, so I was going to ignore it, but it challenged us, so we had no choice but to fight back.

I avoided all of Orthrus's attacks while Punisuke jabbed with the tip of his tentacle. There was no visible change, but maybe due to leveling up, Punisuke's tentacle was now penetrating deep. After repeatedly stabbing the body many times, Orthrus breathed its last. Punisuke was overjoyed at defeating an enemy with his own attack.

It seemed to be Orthrus territory, as there were no other monsters in the area.

Seeking experience poi-- ahem, monsters, we headed south through the forest and came out to a place that looked like a clearing.

"What's this place?"

In the center was a tree stump about waist-high. With a diameter of about 5 meters, it must have been quite a massive tree in the past. However, looking closely, the stump was hollow, with a hole continuing downwards.

Could it be a monster's nest? -- As I was thinking this, I heard a beast's growl from inside the hole.

Sensing that something was about to come out, we kept our distance.

The hand that popped out of the hole had sharp claws.

"Mm, a grizzly."

Elen muttered that it might be a D-rank bear monster.

However, what came out wasn't an ordinary grizzly, but one with a body three times larger.

It was a bear of giant-like proportions.

On its forehead was a star-shaped pattern.

"Whoa! It's a Star Grizzly!"

It was a B-rank monster, said to grow to A-rank, weighing around 1 ton.

By the way, its meat is quite a delicacy, and I've eaten it once at my family home. It was so delicious it felt like my tongue was melting.

I never expected to encounter one in a place like this.

"Woah, Elen, it's meat! This one's meat is delicious!"

"Mm! We'll definitely take it down."

"Meat~! I'll do my best too~!"

The Star Grizzly flinched and took a step back at the sight of the three of us (two people and one creature) suddenly becoming high-spirited with shining eyes. Its instincts must have sensed danger.

However, monsters of this size rarely encounter natural predators. A wild beast that has never met a stronger opponent doesn't doubt its own strength, and with a threatening growl, it charged at us.

"I'll draw its attention, Elen, you attack the hind legs, Punisuke, go for the front legs. We'll take it down without damaging the body."

"Mm."

"Yes, nano!"

After conveying the strategy, I start running diagonally forward with Punisuke.

The Star Grizzly, having locked onto its approaching prey, bares its huge fangs and tries to bite.

I dodge, passing by it to draw its attention. The surprisingly agile Star Grizzly immediately turns to chase me, and then--

"'Wind Cutter'"

"Hyah~ nano!"

Of course, Elen's magic slashes through its hind legs.

Punisuke's tentacle had pierced through its front legs.

Oh, I didn't expect it to penetrate even a Star Grizzly. Did it level up quite a bit from earlier? Or is the skill improvement speed just extraordinary... This needs investigation.

Anyway, it's a lucky miscalculation that Punisuke's shape-shifting attack works even on B-rank monsters. If we can just manage its mobility somehow, it could fight alongside us as a fairly decent combat force.

"Well then, I'll be taking the meat now-- 'Blade Turn'"

I simultaneously slashed its neck and the base of its legs.

It's common knowledge that giant creatures have high blood pressure, so the Star Grizzly bled out more quickly than expected and died in an instant.

There must be several hundred kilograms of edible parts, but we need to recover it all. Of course, a Star Grizzly is valuable as a material too, and since the meat is a delicacy, I don't want to waste it by butchering it myself.

When we get back to town, we should properly take it to a monster butcher.

"Mm, blood-draining?"

"No, just store it in the item box. We'll leave the butchering to professionals."

The guild should be able to introduce us to a skilled butcher.

Elen touched the Star Grizzly and stored it in the item box. She was a gluttonous little girl, staring intently at the item box necklace and drooling.

Grateful for this unexpected encounter, we returned to town.