The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

Lilith is missing.

Her mother Rina noticed first, and now the soldiers and maids are desperately searching for her, but there's no sign of her in the vicinity.

Of course, she couldn't have entered the building on her own, so if she's not around the carriages, the only possibility is that she went back the way we came.

"Ah, Lilith, where are you!? Please come out!"

"My lady! You'll tear your dress!"

One of the maids stops Rina, who is frantically pushing through the surrounding shrubbery with a pale face. The soldiers immediately turn on their heels and head to the gatekeeper.

"You there, did you see a young lady pass by here?"

"Eh? I'm sorry, I was dealing with procedures and wasn't looking behind me..."

Of course. The gatekeeper dealing with carriages is always looking up. A small girl passing behind wouldn't have entered his field of vision.

If she's not within the Merchant Guild grounds, it's almost certain she went into the city...

The bustling city streets are too noisy to search for one little girl.

Well, this is no time for the church.

I apologized to Verugana in my heart and returned to the cargo cart. Without hesitation, I opened the lid of the wooden box and called out to my useless step-brother who was muttering to himself with his knees pulled up.

"Gavin, Lilith has disappeared."

"What did you say!"

The single-celled siscon immediately stands up.

"What do you mean, weakling!"

"It seems she disappeared when no one was looking. Let's end our secret outing plan."

"Of course! I'll go search for Lilith-- oof!"

I grab Gavin's side as he tries to run off aimlessly after taking out his training wooden sword from the box. His flab is really flabby, he should probably shape up a bit.

"What's the deal, weakling!"

"The soldiers are deciding on a response right now. You want to help too, right? There's a high chance she went to the city, and they'll need manpower, so it's more efficient if we all work together to search."

"O-Oh, right."

I lead Gavin confidently towards Rina and the others.

The soldiers, having concluded that Lilith isn't in the immediate area, are discussing how to divide up the search. The maids and Rina seem to be having a mild argument, but now is the time to respond calmly.

"We'll help search for Lilith too."

"Eh! Young Master Gavin and... Y-Young Master Ruruk!?"

I feel bad for surprising the soldier, who didn't expect the supposedly house-bound son to casually approach, but there's no time to question my presence. They can scold me all they want when we get back, but right now, Lilith is the priority.

Glancing at the map in the soldier's hand, I ask:

"What's the search area?"

"W-Well, currently we're thinking of prioritizing the eastern district with its poor security with one person, one to the central area, and one to the western district towards the mansion..."

"What about the maids?"

"If they encounter kidnappers, it could escalate the situation. We're thinking of having one of them as a liaison in the central plaza, and two staying here to look after the mistress."

"I-I'm going too!"

Rina raises her voice.

The soldier shakes his head with a troubled expression.

"No... forgive me, but you can't run in your current attire, my lady. Besides, if it becomes known that the duke's daughter is missing, it could cause unrest among the residents."

"Who cares about the ducal family! What if Lilith gets into danger for the sake of such appearances! I can just take off these heels!"

"My lady, please be reasonable! Do you want to tarnish the family name!?"

The maids try to restrain Rina as she attempts to struggle.

I understand her concern for her daughter, and it's the first time I've directly faced the constraints of noble society for someone other than myself, so I'm a bit taken aback... but yeah, this is no time for arguments.

"Then please do this. Gavin and I will take the western side towards the mansion. The soldiers can please handle the central and eastern districts. Rina-san, please wait here."

"Why are you deciding this!"

"Lady Rina! Young Master Ruruk is the child of the first wife!"

"What does succession order matter! What could a child like that understand!"

She's really upset.

Well, of course. She probably thinks I'm just an impudent child.

It's true that I've never had children, even in my previous life. But you know, Rina-san, I painfully understand how worried you are about Lilith.

You think I can't empathize because I'm not a parent? I don't care about such forced prejudices. That child is the only person in this world who looks at me without colored glasses, who purely stays by my side.

There's no hierarchy in worrying about her.

"Rina-san."

"What is it!"

"We'll take responsibility and search for Lilith. So please, wait here."

"You're telling me, her mother, to just stay put!? I'm that child's mother!"

"That's precisely why, as her mother."

How would you feel if a lost child came back crying and no one was there?

"Don't you have the most important role, Rina-san? Is there anything more reassuring for a child than a mother's 'welcome home'?"

"...! T-That's... true, but..."

"We can search for Lilith. But the place Lilith truly wants to return to is only you, Rina-san. So please. For Lilith's sake too, please wait here."

"...You're right. I understand. No, I understand, Young Master Ruruk. Please forgive my many rudeness."

Rina straightens her posture and bows her head. Her quick change after making up her mind is befitting of a duchess.

For now, I've removed one worry. I feel some heat in the gazes of the maids, but I ignore it for now and speak to the soldier.

"Then everyone, let's go. Ah, before that, please tell me if there are any precautions."

"Well then, Young Master Ruruk and Young Master Gavin, the western district is relatively safe, but please be cautious of kidnappers. In your current attire, I don't think you'll be targeted, but to prevent secondary harm, please avoid revealing that you're members of the ducal family at all costs. If you find Lady Lilith, please return to the mansion or go to the central plaza, whichever is closer."

"Understood. Let's go, Gavin."

"Yeah!"

Gavin and I, along with the soldiers, dash out of the gate and into the city.

It's my first time in another world's city, but there's no time to observe leisurely or indulge in emotions.

I'm an amateur at searching for people, of course, but there's one place I can think of. Let's start there.

"Lilith!"

"Liiiilis!"

Gavin and I call out as we walk through the western district.

Of course, it's to search for Lilith, but it's also to avoid being kicked by adults as we walk through the crowded streets. Being small really is inconvenient.

Our destination is the street market.

Lilith was whining about wanting to eat something during the carriage ride, after all. She's only 4 years old, but precisely because she's 4, she might have the initiative to remember the way and go shopping alone.

"What's wrong, boys? Are you lost?"

"Ah, yes. We're looking for our little sister who's lost. She has brown hair like us, and she slipped out from the Merchant Guild."

"Hmm~ I haven't seen her around here. If I do, I'll take her to the guild."

"Thank you very much."

A merchant-like man carrying a basket full of medicinal herbs on his back called out to us, so I respond appropriately.

Several other kind residents called out to us as well. We're dressed modestly, so we're not using our ducal family power. Even in another world's city where kidnappers seem commonplace, there are quite a few people of goodwill.

"What should we do, weakling? It seems no one around here has seen her."

"Hmm, our guess was off... Alright Gavin, track Lilith's scent!"

"Leave it to me! ...As if I could do that, idiot!"

Tch, what a useless stalker when it counts.

That's a disgrace to the name of siscon. Didn't you write "My dream for the future is to become a first-class siscon" on your elementary school graduation document? You probably didn't.

"--! I heard Lilith's voice!"

"Eh, really? Which way?"

"This way!"

Gavin suddenly grabs my hand and starts running.

I thought he might be hearing things, but with no other leads, I have no choice but to follow Gavin's delusion.

Gavin turns from the main street into a side road and enters an alley. While the main street was relatively clean, the residential roads were quite dirty. There's a smell of sewage and garbage scattered around... Well, if you've traveled abroad, you'd know that everywhere except tourist spots is like this. Japanese back alleys are just too clean.

Oops, this is no time to reminisce-- Ow!

Gavin suddenly stopped in front of me, and I bumped my nose into his back.

"What's with the sudden stop?"

"Shh!"

Gavin peeks around the corner into the alley. I peek from below him.

"No! Nooo!"

"Stop struggling! Hey, stuff a cloth in her mouth!"

"Y-Yes, boss!"

It's Lilith.

Lilith, with her hands and feet tied with rope, was being gagged with a dirty cloth by a man. They seem a bit flustered, probably having just kidnapped her.

...Kidnappers, huh.

There are three men. They all look shabby but have decent muscles.

We're just two children. It seems difficult to rescue Lilith by force, but can we make it in time if we go for help now? No, but...

"Phew... I can do it. I can do this..."

"Hey, Gavin!?"

"Y-You bastards! Let that child go!"

Gavin, who had psyched himself up as if talking to himself, leapt out from around the corner, gripping his wooden sword tightly.

I reluctantly show myself as well.

"Huh? What's with these brats?"

"Mmph!"

Gavin's brave appearance is praiseworthy, but... the men didn't flinch at all, merely raising an eyebrow.

Lilith, her mouth gagged, struggles with teary eyes upon seeing us.

"I said let her go!"

"...Sigh, hey kids, play knight somewhere else. We're busy and don't have time for children's games."

"Shut up! I'll beat you guys to a pulp!"

"With that toy?"

"I-It's not a toy! It's a real sword!"

The kidnappers snorted at Gavin's bluff.

"Is that so, is that so. You're a fine knight, kid... but you know what? If you pull out a weapon, that means you can't complain if we pull out weapons too, right?"

Saying that, the man pulled out a small knife.

Although small, it's not some cheap thing for cutting fruit. It's big and sharp enough to kill a small beast in one strike. It's the kind of knife a hunter would carry to butcher prey.

Gavin has been trained as a knight. He's only been taught about swords and spears, so he probably thought he had the advantage when he saw the men weren't carrying swords. But these aren't knights, they're criminals. Weapons are meant to be concealed.

"Eep!"

Gavin's resolve falters when shown the blade.

It was the same for me. Seeing the naked blade, I felt a fear like my innards were rising up. The poor public safety, the danger of back alleys - these were things I hadn't even considered just half a day ago.

Even though I was shunned and disliked as a cursed child, living under the protection of the ducal family, I was completely unaware of this reality. It suddenly appeared before me in the form of others' malice.

In Japan, it's a pure fear you rarely encounter. A crisis of life itself.

I couldn't laugh at Gavin. My legs were shaking uncontrollably. No matter how much we've trained, our stats are no match for adults.

We should really call for help--

"Mmph!"

At that moment, my eyes met Lilith's.

Lilith, struggling in the man's arms with tears streaming down her face. A knife is pressed to her throat as she's threatened to "Shut up, brat," her face turning to a color of fear as she holds her breath...

-----------------------------------

> "Calm and Collected" has been activated.

-----------------------------------

Such text appeared in my field of vision.

At the same time, my inefficiently spinning thoughts, the trembling in my legs, the cold sweat on my back - all of it faded away.

In its place arose a faint anger.

"...Hey, kidnappers."

It was an emotion filled with heat that I had never experienced before.

I snatch the wooden sword from Gavin's weakened hand. It's a bit bigger than the one I use, but not impossible to swing.

My sharpened mind analyzes the situation.

The men's height, build, dominant hand, the length of the knife blade, its thickness, shape... analyze and grasp it all. How can I defeat three adults with overwhelmingly superior stats and rescue Lilith?

That's right. Calling for help was a bad move. They'd just run away.

Don't rely on others. Figure it out yourself.

Something hot inside me tells me this.

...I'm a person who has died once.

Should I live safely because it's my second life? Should I just do what I want and live happily?

No, that's wrong.

Because it's my second life, I should be greedy.

Hey. You think so too, don't you, Ruruk?

A life where nothing could be done, a life where all you could do was wait to die. Can we let our sister experience such a shitty future?

The answer is no. We knew that from the start.

So I take my stance with the sword.

"I'm taking that child back."

Pinky promise... I made a promise, didn't I, Lilith?