The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

We returned to the warehouse after being informed that the butchering was complete.

A large sheet was spread out on the warehouse floor, with an unexpected amount of materials laid out in a cramped manner. There were more than 10 blocks of meat, each weighing about 20 kilograms, and mountains of skin and bones piled up. There were about 10 buckets brimming with clean blood, and a choking smell filled the warehouse.

I couldn't help but express my amazement.

"Wow. I didn't know an Ophiotaurus could yield this many materials."

"What's this, young adventurer? For a B-rank, is this your first time seeing one right after butchering?"

The man who seemed to be the leader of the butchers approached, carrying a large cleaver.

His large build, rough smile, and blood-stained cleaver combined to give him a distinctly American horror movie appearance. I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly attacked. I might wet myself, though.

"Well, as an adventurer, I've been cooped up in Stoania's dungeon for a long time. Even when we hunted monsters outside the dungeon occasionally, we had them butchered right at the guild-affiliated butcher shop, and they would buy any unnecessary materials on the spot. So I never got to see all the materials post-butchering."

"So you were in Stoania. Indeed, in dungeons, you just get a few materials automatically dropped when you defeat an enemy. It's a troublesome system for us butchers. Well, if that's the case, let me explain everything in detail, young man."

The middle-aged butcher, while grumbling, began to explain each material to everyone.

"First, there's a total of 350 kilos of edible parts. 210 kilos of that is beef, and the rest is snake meat. This is all for Viscount Montarc's request. Then there's 90 kilos of cow bones and teeth, and 20 kilos of snake bones. The cow hide is 20 kilos, and the snake skin is 60 kilos. There's a total of 320 liters of usable blood. The internal organs are set aside over there, but since they're neither usable as materials nor food, we didn't weigh them. Young adventurer, if there are any materials you don't need, let me know. We can buy them at the guild's standard price."

"That's helpful. Then, could you please buy everything except the hide?"

"Sure thing."

The butchers then brought in carts and started loading the materials.

Viscount Montarc's servants loaded the meat onto carts and took it to the main house.

The remaining hide could be used for various things if processed, so I had Elen store it in the item box.

"Young man, the butchering fee is covered by the viscount this time, so you don't need to worry about that. But for the material purchase, we don't have enough cash on hand here. Could you come to our shop tomorrow?"

"Sure. Which shop is it?"

"It's a shop called 'Butcher Jason' on the central street in the south district. I'm the owner, Jason. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ruruk, the adventurer."

The name was exactly as I imagined, which lifted my spirits a bit.

Ah, I should ask while I have the chance.

"Jason-san, by the way, when I visit tomorrow, would it be alright to request the butchering of another monster?"

"Of course. What kind of monster?"

"A Star Grizzly."

"...Huh?"

Jason's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that not possible?"

"...Ah, no, sorry. It's fine. It's just been a while since I've been asked to handle such high-grade materials. But how did you manage to find a Star Grizzly?"

"Yes. There was a nest in the forest to the east of here."

"Seriously? Well, there's no highway or settlement nearby... But still, a Star Grizzly. This'll be a real test of skill."

Jason seemed excited.

Branch Manager Tamerik, who was listening nearby, also seemed fidgety and wanting to ask something, but he seemed to be suppressing his curiosity since we were in front of the viscount.

"Well then, Viscount. We'll be heading back now."

"Y-yes, thank you very much for your hard work."

"Then Ruruk, don't forget to come to our shop tomorrow."

"Yes, I will."

We watched as Jason and his team of butchers left, dragging their carts.

We were satisfied with collecting the materials and seeing the butchering site, and since the sun was setting, it was about time for us to take our leave as well.

"Branch Manager Tamerik, we should be going too."

"Yes, indeed. Viscount, we have completed all confirmations including the delivery, so we'll be taking our leave now."

"Y-yes, understood... Ah, R-Ruruk-san!"

The viscount's voice cracked.

He was darting his gaze around even more than before.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I-I heard a rumor... Is it t-true that you defeated a demon?"

Ah, that rumor.

I remember hearing that a white-armed demon had come to Viscount Montarc's place too. They said there were no injuries, but he's probably curious about what happened to the demon that attacked him.

Hmm. I'm not sure whether to be honest here. Personally, I'd like to let him know, but it would be very troublesome if he started talking about thanking me for defeating it here.

After all, it was Roze who defeated the white-armed demon. I don't want to unnecessarily brag about someone else's achievements.

I'll try to dodge the question.

"That rumor seems to have spread quite a bit. I wonder why."

"...W-well, I only heard it from an acquaintance, so..."

Perhaps because I didn't confirm it, the viscount's shoulders slumped.

He looks more dejected than I expected.

He wasn't looking particularly cheerful to begin with, but now he looks even more pale.

I should try to follow up a bit.

"Viscount, I heard that the white-armed demon didn't end up hurting anyone. It seems someone else took care of the demon that attacked the town, so while caution is necessary, you don't need to be so afraid."

"I-is that... so..."

The viscount showed a brief expression of joy, but then hung his head with a dark expression again.

Maybe this is just his natural complexion?

Well, there's no need to say anything more.

"Then we'll be taking our leave. Our companions are waiting for us."

"A-ah, yes. I'll see you out."

We left the mansion, escorted by Viscount Montarc.

 □　□　□　□　□

When we were waiting at the restaurant in our usual inn, Roze and Saaya returned.

Saaya, with an exhausted face, slumped her body onto the table as soon as she sat down in the chair. She was completely worn out.

"Good work."

"Thanks, Ruruk. Today was tough too... I want to eat meat..."

While Saaya was staring intently at the menu, Roze sat down next to me with a cool expression.

"What did you do today?"

"Just relative teleportation training."

"...Just? Roze-san, is escaping from monsters using relative teleportation considered 'just' training? Hey, is this normal!?"

Saaya protested with a voice that sounded like a scream.

Wow~ Still as Spartan as ever.

I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her.

"Besides, isn't it too harsh to suddenly start with teleportation practice? Hey Ruruk, even you took time to learn teleportation, right? I object to being the only one treated so strictly! Let's start a protest chant!"

"Oh, Ruruk succeeded on his first try."

"...You're kidding, right?"

Saaya glared at me with narrowed eyes.

Well, since it's the truth, I can't say anything.

"So what? Because Ruruk succeeded on his first try, you thought I could do it too?"

"I didn't expect that much. I thought since Ruruk did it in one go, you could do it in a day."

"I did it! I certainly managed when I was desperate! But it was just a fluke, only once!"

Oh, she did it.

Congratulations, Saaya. As expected of a genius child.

"Hey! Don't applaud with that impassive face! I don't want praise right now, I want you to protest with me! No to Spartan training! No to overwork!"

"How unrefined. Did I break any promises?"

"Ugh... It's true that I'm not being forced into combat as Ruruk promised..."

"Then it's fine. If you don't want to level up, polish your skills."

"Uu~ but... monsters are scary~"

"Sigh, I guess it can't be helped. Then tomorrow will be a day off. You all have the appreciation party too."

Roze was a bit lenient with Saaya.

Having won a day off, Saaya immediately became cheerful and ordered a lot of meat dishes.

"So, what did you all do today?"

"Well, we..."

I reported about the named request, Punisuke's leveling and growth, the Star Grizzly subjugation, and various things at Viscount Montarc's house.

Roze glanced at Punisuke, who was silently eating a steak, and said,

"I see. His level has risen to 13. Thanks to consecutive battles with higher-ranked opponents, his growth rate is quite fast. Though his stats are still low, as expected of a slime."

"How about his skills? He had enough power to pierce a Star Grizzly's hide with his tentacle attack."

"His skills and proficiency haven't particularly increased, so it was probably just the effect of using the elasticity manipulation skill in combination. Still, it's an amazing rate of growth."

Hmm, I see.

So even for monsters, if there's a level difference, they gain a lot of experience. And just like us, their proficiency doesn't increase automatically with level.

"It looks like Punisuke can keep getting stronger."

"Nano? Can I get stronger~?"

"Of course. I'll make you the strongest slime in the world."

"Yay nano!"

Punisuke, who had been too focused on his steak to listen to the conversation, tilted his chef's hat and nuzzled against my hand.

I stroked Punisuke's soft body, feeling soothed.

As Saaya's food arrived, we paused the conversation to focus on eating.

It was when we were choosing desserts that I noticed the gazes of the other customers around us.

"...Master."

"Yes. We're being watched."

There were several furtive glances directed our way.

[TL notes: Furtive - attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive.]

At first, I thought Elen's identity had been discovered. The gazes weren't like those directed at ordinary humans, but rather curious looks without hostility, like those directed at sheep-folk.

However, it was clear that they were glancing at Roze.

This is... abnormal. Clearly strange.

Roze's handmade perception interference robe is, to put it simply, overwriting a double formula of "unable to understand what kind of person the target is" and "unable to understand that one is under perception interference."

In this case, those with appraisal skills or those sensitive to mystic arts might understand that they're under perception interference, but in the end, they shouldn't be able to correctly perceive Roze's appearance. This is related to the very mechanism of perception interference.

To begin with, the perception interference formula doesn't work if you know the person you're trying to perceive.

The reason I can recognize Roze and Elen at a glance is that I originally know they're using perception interference, and I accurately remember their appearance. Since perception interference doesn't change appearances like illusion magic, it only works if the brain misrecognizes.

The fact that Roze is attracting attention means that the surface-level perception interference isn't working. However, I don't think her true appearance has been seen through. Rather than being captivated by Roze's beauty, their gazes seem to be trying hard to see through her face and figure.

In other words, it's likely that she's attracting attention for reasons unrelated to her appearance.

Well, acting is more certain than thinking.

"Master, I'll go investigate a bit."

"I'm counting on you."

It might not be something to panic about, but we can't afford to be leisurely either.

I looked around the restaurant, searching for someone who seemed easy to talk to.

A couple on a date, a seemingly wealthy parent and child, a noble-looking family, a group of four men who looked like adventurers.

Alright, those adventurers will do.

I stood up, gripping a few gold coins, and approached the adventurers.

"Excuse me, could I have a word with you?"

"W-what... We weren't looking or anything?"

The man who seemed to be the leader was flustered.

I flashed the gold coins and smiled.

"No, that's fine. I'm Ruruk, a traveling B-rank adventurer. Are you adventurers from this town?"

"O-oh... We're a C-rank party called [Single Spear] based in this town. We know about you. You're the talk of the town among adventurers right now."

"Is that so. So, [Single Spear] members, why were you all glancing at our baggage carrier? Ah, I'm not blaming you. I'm just curious. I'd be glad if you could tell me."

"...W-well. Sorry, we didn't mean any harm."

After I handed him the gold coins, the man spoke frankly.

Apparently, when they returned to the Adventurers' Guild in the evening, they heard a strange rumor in the attached tavern.

The rumor was that the legendary Mystic King from various stories had come to this town. The Mystic King was said to be wearing a robe that conceals their appearance and blending in with a party of young adventurers.

Speaking of young adventurers, it probably refers to the B-rank adventurer whose name has been heard often recently. The same party is said to include a young girl mage and an adult baggage carrier, with information that a noble's daughter joined a few days ago.

So they guessed that the Mystic King might be disguising themselves as the baggage carrier. They heard that this group always hangs out at the restaurant of a high-class inn, so the [Single Spear] members, having earned a bit more from quest rewards than usual, decided to come have a meal at the restaurant and see for themselves.

"I see. Thank you for the information. Please enjoy your meal and go home today."

"No, we should be apologizing. We stared and then got treated."

"No, no. I'm glad you were here. I didn't want to bother families or couples."

"I see. ...By the way, is it true?"

"About the Mystic King? Of course not. She's just self-conscious about her face, so I'm using my magic to make her invisible to others."

I shrugged, thanked them again, and returned to Roze and the others.

I whispered in Roze's ear.

"Master, it seems to be a more troublesome situation than we thought."

"I heard. It looks like something bothersome is about to happen. I'll go to the information broker first thing tomorrow morning."

"I'll leave it to you. We should be on guard tonight just in case."

It seems like someone who knows Roze's true identity has intentionally spread this rumor.

The presence of a Mystic King in town would be incredibly big news for ordinary citizens. It will probably be the talk of the town by tomorrow.

It would be nice if this trouble was just curiosity flocking to the name of the Mystic King.

Even though I tried to remain optimistic like this, a tinge of unease wouldn't disappear.