The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Numbers are strange things.

As civilizations advance, the ways of counting numbers that were born in various cultures become unified. That was true on Earth, and it seems to be the same in this other world.

Whether it's the decimal system or other number systems. On Earth, as science advanced, and in this world, as sorcery evolved and information transmission became faster and more widespread, all civilizations unified to the decimal system. Of course, it's still used in programming and among some minority tribes, but those can be considered exceptions now.

Why did the decimal system become dominant?

It's said to be because we have ten fingers on our hands... apparently.

"So this is the money of this world... One silver coin is worth 1000 darks. If an apple costs 100 darks, then two silver coins would be equivalent to about 2000 yen."

I carefully tucked the two silver coins I was given into my pocket, making sure not to lose them.

While the world and language are different, the way of counting numbers is the same. Come to think of it, even in isekai novels, I've never seen differences in numbers even when the languages were different. Somehow, I found myself interested in this fact itself. I wonder why.

Well, whatever.

Anyway, I need to carefully keep these two silver coins I received. Holding my breath, hiding among the luggage in the cart.

Why am I doing this, you ask?

That goes back to about thirty minutes ago.

"Eh, Father did?"

"That's right. This morning, he set out for the neighboring territory for his patrol."

As I was heading to the study as usual, I ran into Verugana in her maid uniform and was making small talk. That's when I heard that my father had resumed his expedition. Come to think of it, the maids had been busily preparing for a journey lately.

Accompanying my father were the butler, three guard knights, and five maids. Apparently, they'll head west from here, then south, moving counterclockwise before returning to the royal capital. It seems they won't be back to our mansion for nearly a year.

"Does that mean I'm finally free--"

"Don't say foolish things. The maids and soldiers have been strictly instructed. They were told not to let Young Master Ruruk leave the premises."

"Of course~"

Even when we were in the same mansion, we rarely met face to face, so nothing would change now that he's not at home.

"Sigh. I wish I could at least get an appraisal... *glance*"

"I'm the head maid and in charge of the children's education. Don't look at me."

"I know, I know... I know... ugh, my eyes are sweating."

The ultimate "Poor Child Who Can't Be Given Freedom" beam!

"Save your fake tears for when you really need them. They become dull if you overuse them."

"Thanks for the genuine advice."

It seems Verugana won't fall for it after all.

"...Young Master Ruruk, you've changed."

"Have I? Have I gained some muscle already?"

My stats have been slowly increasing. I think I've gained as much stamina as a normal child, and I've certainly changed from a weak boy to an average one.

"That's not what I mean. Since you came back to life, you seem to have matured, yet at the same time, you've become more childlike."

"Well, anyone would change after dying once. Though I don't remember anything from before."

"I see... Let me ask you one thing, Young Master Ruruk. Have you thought about your future?"

"Aren't I supposed to become a knight? I thought that's why Verugana was training me."

When I answered honestly, Verugana lowered her voice.

"That's just for show. You can't become a knight when you can't even use sorcery to begin with. If you were to become an adopted son-in-law of some viscount family as Master Digray says, we'd cut back on the current training and drill you in territory management instead... But you don't want that, do you?"

"Can you tell? I'm the type who wants to fall in love before getting married."

"Hah, that's a naive thing for someone from a ducal family to say."

Well, political marriages are probably normal for nobles.

But I'm still only 5 years old. I'm allowed to speak of ideals at this age.

"By the way, Verugana, are you not married?"

"...My story doesn't matter. More importantly, what do you plan to do if you don't become an adopted son-in-law? Surely you don't intend to become a scholar or something?"

"Well, to be honest, that's why I want to get my hidden status appraised."

My basic stats are those of an ordinary boy.

And I only have one mental-type common skill.

I wasn't just reading books for entertainment. I know that in this world, people have hidden stats and skills in addition to the [Basic Stats] and [Common Skills] that their physical bodies naturally possess.

Apparently, you can't view them without using appraisal sorcery, but getting an appraisal is the quickest way to know your own aptitudes.

"So if you could take me to the church..."

"That's not possible."

There was no room for negotiation.

As I dejectedly dropped my shoulders, Verugana lowered her voice even more.

"...By the way, this afternoon, Lady Rina is planning to take Lady Lilith shopping at the Merchant Guild in the city center. The Merchant Guild is right next to the church, just a short walk away, and since they're going shopping, they plan to use a cart. The cart will be empty on the outward journey, with lots of empty boxes. And appraisals require a fee, but oops, my hand slipped. I must be getting old."

With that, Verugana pressed two silver coins into my hand.

Is this old woman some kind of god?

"Thank you very much!"

"Hmm, what are you talking about? The cart will be prepared while Lady Rina is having lunch, so no one will be watching it between then and departure. Well, I need to go back to my room to consider which maids to accompany them."

"Yes! Take your time!"

And so, after seeing Verugana off, I hurried back to my room and changed clothes.

Since I'm sneaking off to the church, normal clothes should be fine. But what does a normal boy wear? The image of children in the city is... mischievous kids. Alright, I'll dress similarly to Gavin.

After changing, I wolfed down the lunch that was brought to me at Mach speed and dashed out of the room.

Carefully tucking away the two silver coins, I left through the back garden, circled around the mansion, and hid in the shade of a tree near the main entrance. Trying not to be spotted by the patrolling soldiers.

After a while, two carriages arrived and stopped in front of the entrance. One was a lavishly decorated carriage, and the other was a cargo cart with just a cloth covering the vehicle part. The drivers of each got down and entered the mansion through the entrance.

An unmanned cargo cart. Now's my chance!

I tiptoe to the cargo area and climb up. There were several wooden boxes placed there.

Now, where should I hide?

I don't have much time to choose leisurely, so I'll just open this larger box at the back and...

"...What are you doing?"

"Shh! Isn't it obvious!"

Gavin was inside.

Well, it is obvious if I look. He's trying to sneak out just like me. No, that's not it, Gavin.

"I'm forbidden to go out, but you're not, right?"

"Yeah, but! There's a house rule that I can't go out with Lilith!"

I see, maybe it's because it would be troublesome for security if all the kids of the ducal family went out at the same time. So he's trying to secretly follow along and enjoy the feeling of going out together?

But you know, Gavin.

To put it mildly, isn't that stalking?

"I'll keep quiet about it, but you should stop. Especially if Lilith finds out, I feel like your likeability will become irreparable..."

"Shut up! If you're going too, there's no way you can stop me!"

Oh boy. He's the type of boy who'll destroy himself out of jealousy.

Well, Lilith's likeability towards him is probably already in hell, so it might not make much difference at this point.

For now, as long as he doesn't get in my way, it should be fine.

Just then, we heard voices from beyond the entrance door. The voices of Rina and a maid were approaching.

"(Weakling, hurry up and hide!)"

"(Alright, alright. See you later then.)"

Of course, I'm not enamored enough with Gavin to want to hide in the same box, so I slip into a medium-sized box a bit away. It's a bit smaller compared to Gavin's box, but there's plenty of room if I fold my knees. I'll leave a small gap for air instead of closing the lid completely, as it might be scary otherwise.

As I stayed still, I could tell that Rina and Lilith got into the front carriage while talking. The other voices must be the maids and guard soldiers? It sounds like there are about three guards.

Soon after, the carriage started moving. This is my first horse-drawn carriage experience in another world. The ride is... oh, it's less bumpy than I expected. Maybe it has proper suspension. It's more stable than the rickshaw I rode in Asakusa. As expected of a ducal family's cargo cart.

Well then, time for a Dona Dona mood for a while.

There's no calf, and the cart isn't particularly bumpy, but riding in it are a pitiful cursed child and a brat who wants to gain likeability. We can't complain even if we're sold off.

"Have a safe trip! Take care!"

The gate opens and we head into the city.

I saw from Verugana's room that the mansion is at the western edge of the city, right? There's a large park in front of the mansion, and if you go straight from there, you'll reach the city center.

Which means it might be okay to peek out now without being seen by anyone.

"Carefully..."

Ah, Gavin peeked out at the same timing. Don't copy me.

The slowly moving cart passes through the park and onto the main road. Maybe because it's the ducal family's cart, everyone makes way for us, so our speed doesn't change.

We pass through the residential area, and the bustling sounds increase.

"Come on in! Skewers are cheap!"

"Hey, miss, we've got fresh cabbage just in!"

"Young lady, interested in fortune-telling? You might find out about your destined partner!"

The calls to attract customers are becoming more lively.

This must be what they call the street market.

Oh, there are so many people.

This population density is unthinkable in the mansion. Everyone seems energetic and robust, and even the negotiations between merchants and customers can be heard carried on the wind. A savory smell of something being grilled wafts through the air. There's also a sweet scent...

"Lili wants to eat that! And that too!"

"Didn't you just have lunch? Be patient."

"Aww~"

Lilith makes a selfish request, and Rina admonishes her.

I can understand Lilith's feelings though. The sweets served in the mansion are mostly light and refreshing. Compared to that, the sweets at the street stalls look like a mass of deep-fried stuff that seems obviously bad for your health... wait, I feel like I've seen this somewhere before... it looks similar to an Okinawan specialty, doesn't it...?

"Hmm. A coincidence?"

I couldn't get a good look, so I'm not sure, but it's probably not worth worrying about. If you use the frying method, you'd probably come up with similar sweets.

I did some cooking when I was in high school and living mostly on my own, but I'm not exactly knowledgeable. I'd like to try it someday, but I'm more interested in that other otherworldly-looking thing over there.

It's meat that looks like octopus legs skewered on sticks.

"Just got in some Evil Hound tails! It's a delicacy!"

Evil Hound. I saw that in the monster encyclopedia in the study... it was a dog-like monster, right?

So it's monster meat... I wonder if it's delicious?

"*drool* Looks tasty."

"Eh, even though it's a monster?"

I'm surprised to see Gavin drooling.

"What are you saying, weakling? All meat is monster meat, isn't it?"

"Is that so?"

"You didn't know? Even the meat served at our house is all monster meat. In fact, you can't get any meat other than monster meat in this city."

So that's how it is...

No wonder I thought all the meat we were served was mysterious... They probably remove the gamey smell properly, but because the quality of beef and pork in Japan was so good, it bothered me.

"But why is there no meat other than monster meat?"

"That's because there's a dungeon to the east of this city. All the adventurers bring back monster meat, so Father said that monster meat is incredibly cheap in this city."

I see, so it's because of the balance between distribution and market prices.

That makes sense. Also, the reason why there were always several types of meat in our meals must be because of the dungeon.

Speaking of which, a dungeon, huh... I knew about the Adventurers' Guild from reading "The Three Sages" story, but I didn't know this world also had dungeons.

"Well, it's not relevant to me anyway."

For a 5-year-old with unremarkable stats, neither adventurers nor dungeons are relevant.

While we were talking, the cart passed through the street market and eventually arrived in front of an exceptionally large building.

Most buildings in the city are 2-story, but this one seems to be 5 stories tall. It's even taller than the Muuteru family mansion.

"Merchant Guild"

That's what the sign says, so this must be our destination.

I'm not sure about the definition of a guild, but it's probably something like a union. Since they can shop here, there must be stores inside. And they must be high-brand shops catering to nobility.

Not the kind of brand items that high school girls brag about in the classroom saying "Look~ My boyfriend gave it to me~", but the kind of things that genuine rich people would have. Yeah, I'm completely out of place here. I should quickly slip away and head to the church.

The cart stopped briefly at the gate, but soon started moving into the premises. There was a place near the main entrance where several carriages were parked.

We stopped in the largest section of that area, and Rina and Lilith got off, accompanied by the maids. While secretly watching them take a rest under a nearby roofed area, Gavin and I look for a chance to slip away.

"Hey, weakling."

"What is it?"

"...Do you think I can get inside?"

"Hmm, probably not."

Two sturdy guards stand at the main entrance, their eyes gleaming sharply. Rina and Lilith are beautifully dressed up, clearly identifiable as high-class customers.

Gavin, of course, is in his usual mischievous kid fashion. Even if I squint hard, he doesn't look much different from the children in the city.

If there's a dress code check, there's no doubt all the judges would unhesitatingly fail him.

"Why did I even come..."

Realizing the reality, Gavin curled up and sank into the box.

Seeing an indescribable melancholy floating over his back, kind-hearted me gently closed the lid for him. If I put my ear to the lid, I think I can hear sobbing from inside. Yeah, let's pretend I didn't hear that.

Speaking of which, I don't have time to deal with Gavin either. I wait for an opportunity and jump down, immediately hiding in the shade of a tree.

There are still too many eyes to move now. It's best to hide at least until the ducal family members are gone.

Thinking that, I stay still, when I hear Rina's panicked voice.

"Lilith! Where did you go, Lilith!?"

Listening carefully, it's not just Rina, but the guard soldiers and maids are also calling out for Lilith with raised voices.

Lilith, who was resting just a moment ago, is nowhere to be seen.

...Wait a minute.

Isn't this turning into a not-so-funny situation?