At the entrance of Axel.
Adventurers and villagers alike had gathered, working enthusiastically to build temporary barricades. Kazuma had already joined them, and Adam spotted their forr construction site foreman helping with the effort.
So people were setting traps and drawing magic circles—knowing they were useless—but persisted anyway.
The whole village was ready for battle.
"Adam, over here!" Aqua called out urgently when she saw him. "Hurry!"
She seed very anxious.
"Aqua?" Though Adam wanted to do another round of inspection, he had to abandon the idea and walk toward her. "What's wrong?"
"It's gumin, it's gumin."
Following her gesture, he saw gumin trembling while holding her staff, muttering under her breath.
He guessed she must be scared.
Being just a 14-year-old girl who had never faced such a large operation, with all this pressure placed on her shoulders, it was natural to be nervous. It must be overwhelming for her.
Wiz was gently consoling gumin nearby, but her efforts weren't having much effect.
Adam sighed and walked over.
"gumin, are you alright?"
"Y-yes! I'm f-fine... I'm f-fine!" She stamred, tripping over her words.
"Take it easy, just relax," he said softly, patting her back. "If you're scared, I can take over."
Adam didn't want to burden gumin with this pressure.
He knew 〘Explosion Magic〙 and could coordinate with Wiz. Though he was the General Commander, handling these tasks wouldn't be an issue—he had already completed his other duties.
However, gumin refused his offer.
"I-I can do it! I can! You said before that Explosion Magic can be cast to our heart's content, until we're satisfied—I can't turn that down!"
"Is that so? Well, if you insist..." Adam had made her that promise, and she wouldn't back down. He turned to Wiz, who stood nearby. "Wiz, how many Manatites do you have?"
She pulled the prepared Manatites from her apron pocket and counted them.
"Manatites? I have 5 here."
"Only 5..."
Seeing his frown, Wiz quickly explained: "These are high-quality Manatites, very expensive. Nobody in Axel would buy them. Including the previous ones, there are 10 in total. I had to skip als just to stock these."
Her pitiful appearance didn't move Adam.
This hapless shop owner would rather go hungry to stock unsellable items—no wonder her business was always in the red.
"Well, in that case, let's add these too. Five each should be enough."
He took out the 5 Manatites he had bought earlier and distributed them between the two.
"gumin, are you telling that a re Mobile Fortress Destroyer frightens you? If you're going to back down now, perhaps you shouldn't call yourself the strongest Arch Wizard of the Crimson Demon Clan."
"What—?! Say that again if you dare! My Explosion Magic is the strongest magic, and anything that dares stand in its way shall be reduced to ashes!"
The provocation worked perfectly.
gumin instantly transford from her depressed state into a passionate, aggressive force, waving her staff eagerly.
"Oh! Then I'll leave it to you, 'Strongest Arch Wizard'!"
"Leave it to !" gumin patted her flat chest, then focused on adjusting the magic power in the 5 Manatites to maximize her 〘Explosion Magic〙.
Seeing her determination, Adam nodded with satisfaction.
Though her chunibyo tendencies rivaled Kyōya's, with the right motivation, she could be remarkably reliable in crucial monts. He'd just have to wait and see how she perford.
"Wiz, as a veteran adventurer, you know what to do. Please coordinate with gumin and match her rhythm."
"Yes, I'll coordinate properly." Wiz nodded confidently.
Before becoming a Lich, she had been one of the strongest adventurers—she didn't need detailed instructions, everything could be left to her.
"But... Wiz, why is smoke rising from your head?" Adam had noticed the white wisps since arriving.
"Ahaha, well, I am a Lich after all," Wiz explained wearily. "The sunny weather today—being exposed to it for so long has this effect."
"Oh... I'm sorry. You should rest in the shade until the Mobile Fortress Destroyer arrives." Hearing her explanation, he quickly directed her to rest.
Then he turned to Aqua, who stood nearby.
"Aqua, when I give the signal, use your [Dispel] skill with everything you've got."
"Mm, don't worry, Adam! I'll destroy that magic barrier beautifully!" Aqua proclaid, patting her chest confidently.
He didn't give any Manatites to Aqua since she was a goddess—〘Dispel〙 relied on Divine Power, not Magic Power. She just needed to do her best, and if she couldn't break the barrier, he could support her.
"By the way, where's Darkness?" Adam looked around, finding it strange that their stalwart crusader was nowhere in sight.
"Darkness, she... she's over there." Aqua pointed to the lone figure standing at the village entrance.
"That idiot!" Adam muttered angrily.
Though he understood Darkness was trying to set an example, he couldn't help but worry about her.
Still, he wouldn't stop her. This was her duty and pride as a noble—he had no right to interfere, regardless of circumstances.
Instead, he decided to stand with her.
"Aqua, I'll give you a magic signal later. Then it's all yours."
"Leave it to !"
After giving her instructions, Adam steadied his breathing and hurried to the village entrance.
He reached there in three minutes.
"Hey, Darkness." He stepped beside her.
She turned to him, surprised. "Adam, why are you here? Aren't you the General Commander?"
"Because I was worried about you."
"Eh?"
His serious tone made her blush, her heart quickening.
He remained by her side, making it clear he wouldn't leave.
"Adam, don't you want to ask anything?"
"If I ask, would you tell ?"
"Well, probably not."
"Then I won't ask."
Darkness fell silent at his words.
"Darkness."
"Mm?"
"Are you nervous?"
"Not nervous... that would be a lie. To be honest, I'm very nervous right now. But even so, I must stand here."
He understood noble pride — how privileges ca with responsibilities. Yet seeing Darkness's resigned expression, as if she had no choice, irritated him.
He was tired of this. Tired of hesitating to take the step he knew he should take, even after everything that had happened.
If this devoted knight could force herself to fulfill her responsibilities, why should he, a grown and virile man, shy away from his?
'I am a real man, damn it! Stop hesitating!' The thought consud him, amplified by the pressure of the coming hours, and his gaze hardened with determination.
Sothing shifted in his heart, and his eyes took on a sharp gleam — the sa sword-like piercing gaze he had described in his Adventurer Card.
In one fluid motion, he drew Darkness close, his movents gentle yet decisive. Their eyes t for a fleeting mont.
With tender determination, he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that spoke volus of unspoken feelings.
"Adam?! Mmph... mmph... mm... mm..." Darkness's surprised whisper lted into soft murmurs as he pulled her near.
Before she could speak, his kiss silenced her words.
Ti seed to slow as their lips t in a tender dance. His kiss was both gentle and passionate, like a whisper of promise carried on a spring breeze. Darkness lted into his embrace, her heart thundering in her chest as his warmth enveloped her.
The world around them faded until there was nothing but the soft pressure of his lips against hers, the slight trembling of their shared breaths, and the delicate way his fingers traced along her jaw.
The kiss deepened naturally, their tongues eting as her fingers curled into the fabric of his underarmor. She anchored herself to this perfect mont as their souls seed to dance together in an intimate waltz of unspoken emotions.
Fortunately, her shield was tall enough to hide them from view — or Aqua, with her excellent eyesight, would have surely noticed.
When they finally parted, a gossar thread stretched between them. The now-resolute man claid one more brief kiss before smiling at her.
Darkness's face blood with an alluring blush as she touched her lips, gazing at Adam with tender eyes.
"Well, Darkness? Has that cleared your mind of any doubts?"
"Yes..."
"After this mission is over, I'll give you an even more outrageous reward than this one, okay?"
"Yes..."
Their hands clasped tightly together as they faced the approaching danger.
✧✧✧
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