Chapter 2 Seiryu Suzal

"Huh? Where am I? Most importantly, I need to remember what happened. If I were to guess... I was about to text her and... Shit! That bright light appeared suddenly, and I became unconscious. Now, I seem to be on a bus? Who could have taken me?" Soma was lost in his thoughts.

Boom!

Suddenly, he heard a few explosions, and without knowing the reason, he started crying. "Waah! Waah!"

As he wept, he wondered, 'How is this possible? There's no way I would cry over such a small attack. It definitely seems like I was kidnapped. Sigh! So, that Sensumo thing really caught me off guard. First, let's check the surroundings and assess the situation.'

After calming himself down, he tried to move but noticed he had difficulty doing so. As he started connecting the dots, he suddenly saw something astonishing. 'Is this really my hand? It seems way too small,' he wondered, wearing a curious expression.

"Curse you, you damn brat. Don't make such a curious face. Well, it's good since you stopped crying," said an average-looking, raven-haired guy who appeared to be a bit younger than the previous Soma.

"To think that I would have to take on this troublesome job of delivering you to that village. Sigh! But since it's their last wish, I must do it, no matter what," he said, wearing a grim expression, determined to complete his task.

'Huh? Why did he suddenly raise his hands?' Soma wondered again as he felt something peculiar happening. But if this was what he was thinking, he might have achieved one of his life goals, albeit at a great cost – Sakura.

"By the heavenly blaze, ignite my fireball, eternal flames, Fire Ball!" Then, a massive fiery ball-like entity emerged from his hands, almost like magic, forcing our pursuers to scatter. I couldn't help but make a surprised expression, which seemed to please him.

"Haha! Did you see that? Not many people can do what I just did. It's the power of a B-ranked Adventurer like me, and I haven't even used my full strength. But, of course, that's not the whole trick," he said with great pride. Very much so. I began to assume that he was a cool guy who would defeat our enemies while protecting me, but...

"Here you go, the child is safe and sound. Please take good care of him, okay? He's someone very precious to me. You see..." The so-called B-ranked Adventurer started discussing Soma with some important officials, as Soma assumed.

But what disappointed him was that this guy had used his unique clone technique to deceive the enemy while shielding us with earth magic to defend against their attacks. He didn't engage in combat but instead fled like a coward. In the end, Soma felt dissatisfied but didn't hate him because he knew dealing with multiple enemies alone wasn't wise. Even Soma understood that well.

"Alright, now listen, these folks will be your new parents from now on. Show them respect, and listen to their words. And Mayor-san, please take good care of him," said the adventurer who had saved Soma and then departed.

'And here I thought he was going to stay with me for a few days,' Soma thought as he arrived at his new, impressive home. He could tell it was a good one compared to others, and it appeared quite spacious, likely with many rooms. Most probably, he would be treated well, which was reassuring because this world might be...

Then, suddenly, a beautiful woman in her late twenties appeared, giving them a warm welcome, albeit in a different language that Soma could somehow understand. "Ah, hey, Lily. How are you? And look here, this will be our new son. Let's see... His name will be Suzal. Seiryu Suzal."

'Seiryu Suzal, huh? Not bad. But why do I get the feeling that something not so good is going to happen?' Suzal, the boy with the new name, thought, and he was correct. "Ah! Look, dear, it seems like he hasn't eaten for a while. I think it's a good idea to feed him," said Lily, Suzal's new mom, with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right, honey. I'll take my leave now," the mayor, Grafiel, said happily and left. 'Why is he leaving? Isn't the family supposed to eat together?' Suzal wondered, wearing a confused expression. But soon, he got his answer – his mother was about to breastfeed him. However, being a bit older, he managed to avoid it by savoring the milk from a bottle, resulting in a comical incident for someone like him.

(At the base of a mysterious organization)

"So, what's the news? I can only sense the severed heads of those two annoying adventurers, Daniel and Sofia," asked a certain individual who exuded a calm yet ominous aura in a joking tone. Meaning they are quite good acquaintances.

"My, my. You seem rather serious for once," remarked the leader of the unit tasked with ensuring Suzal's demise.

"Well, I heard that those two had a child, who should be an infant currently. What about that?" inquired the individual.

To which, the unit leader replied, "There are only three possibilities here. Either he was safely delivered to a village. Secondly, he is with a summoning spirit. Thirdly, he might have already been transported to a random kingdom."

"The last two options are unlikely. There's no summoning spirit's village nearby, and I assume he wasn't a teleportation user either. Otherwise, you wouldn't be chasing him; he might have already vanished," the individual stated.

"As always, your deduction is sharp. So, what's the plan? Shall we have some fun with the eight villages nearby?" the unit leader suggested.

"No, this time let's put in some effort. Let's orchestrate monster attacks on the village after a few years and instruct him to keep an eye on any infant leaving the village. Anyone entering there can use teleportation magic. For now, let's allow the child to have a happy life. After all, despite the deaths of an SS and an SSS-ranked Adventurer, there's still a dangerous foe nearby that shouldn't be provoked," the individual strategized.

(Time skip - 3 years)

"97, 98, 99, 100..." Suzal said as he completed his 100th squat. He had just finished a 10 km run, 100 pushups, and 100 sit-ups prior to this. He had started this training regimen a week ago, and at that time, he wasn't as proficient, but he had been improving day by day.

"I finally did it," Suzal said as he took a drink of water to alleviate the exhaustion from his training. 'Well, even though I'm just a three-year-old child now, I have physical strength and speed comparable to when I was 14 in my world,' Suzal thought, analyzing his newfound abilities. He deduced that with enough training, anyone could reach an athlete's level.

After all, Suzal was only three years old and already possessed the strength equivalent to a 10 A-tier. He could only wonder how much strength he could attain once he reached adulthood, possibly reaching 8 A or even 7 A-tier. Nobody could predict it. Yet, even after spending three years in this world, there were no signs of him discovering anything about the mysterious word, "Sensumo."

Suzal joined his friends, Oscar and Rachel, in the courtyard of their village. Oscar, the son of an influential figure named Oliver, oversaw the village's security. Rachel, on the other hand, was the daughter of a man named Alden.

"Ah, Suzal-kun, you're finally here! What are we learning today?" Rachel asked eagerly, her excitement palpable.

"Calm down, Rachel. We have plenty of time for that," Oscar replied, sighing at her impatience. He doubted she'd ever fully grasp the concepts.

Suzal explained, "Today, we'll start with equations and then move on to something new." He believed that one of his friends might make a great mayor for the village, while he pursued his dream of becoming an adventurer.

After practicing some simple equations, they eagerly anticipated the new topic Suzal had mentioned. "Alright, today we'll begin practicing fighting techniques, but first, we need to strengthen our foundation," Suzal instructed.

Rachel couldn't hide her disappointment. "Why not start with the fighting part? I know you're skilled, Suzal, and can do more work than we can."

Suzal replied, "Because a strong base provides stability and balance, allowing fighters to generate power and execute techniques effectively. Without a solid foundation, fighting techniques are less efficient, and fighters become more vulnerable to counterattacks."

Rachel and Oscar nodded in understanding.

Suzal then demonstrated the exercises they needed to do to build a strong foundation for what he was about to teach them. After their training session, he headed home for lunch, where he found his father waiting.

"Good afternoon, Father. I hope you had a good day," Suzal greeted his father.

His father responded with an intriguing question, "Good afternoon, son. I heard you've been up to some interesting things lately. Any comments on that?"

"I see. It's just that I have no intention of succeeding you as the mayor of this village," he replied with casual indifference. Such brief exchanges were customary between Suzal and his father, Grafiel, who recognized his son's genius and preferred concise conversations.

"I see. And may I ask why you don't want to succeed your father, Suzal?" inquired Lily, his mother, her curiosity tinged with a touch of concern, knowing what Grafiel might do next.

Suzal responded matter-of-factly, "Well, because I've decided. I want to become an Adventurer."

Grafiel contemplated the situation and proposed a challenge, "Very well then. I am an E-ranked level Adventurer. If you can defeat me, you are allowed to pursue your dream as an Adventurer. However, if you can't beat even the lowest-ranked adventurer, you shall succeed me as the mayor. Is that acceptable? Also, for a fair contest, no magic shall be allowed."

"I accept the terms and conditions, Father," Suzal replied, inwardly confident that victory was already within his grasp even before the match.