Chapter 179 ⤞ Realizing Things Aren't So Simple

He quickly dealt with the foolish Aqua.

Then, looking around, he noticed their party's masochistic muscle Crusader wasn't in the hall.

Darkness wasn't with them.

Curiously, he asked, "Kazuma-kun, where's Darkness? Haven't seen her return yet?"

"That's right, Adam-senpai." Kazuma nodded with visible concern, "It's been two months, and Darkness still hasn't returned."

"I'm worried about her."

"Yes, we fear she might be in trouble."

Megumin and Aqua echoed these concerns.

Adam frowned, sensing something wasn't right.

Two months — she should have returned long ago under normal circumstances.

Even with Iris, the "Princess of the Six Flowers", having a month-long social debut, Darkness should have been back in Axel by now, properly seated in the mansion awaiting his return with a heartfelt "welcome back".

But that wasn't the case. What could be wrong?

Perhaps Lord Dustiness, her father, had ordered her to stay home and forbidden her from venturing out?

No, impossible! Darkness left home because she had no companions, which is why her father allowed her to train abroad. Such a doting father would never do anything to hurt his daughter.

The "Princess's Social Debut" itself was troublesome. While supposedly about fostering relationships among the younger generation, it was really about lords and nobles finding "suitable" partners for their children.

"Suitable" partners indeed — these nobles cared nothing for their children's wishes, only their families' interests and benefits.

An arranged marriage? No, that's even more impossible!

This thought crossed Adam's mind and was immediately dismissed.

After all, his Duke's apprentice, Anthony, wasn't just for show! Before Darkness's departure, he'd instructed Anthony to ward off any nobles who might harass her.

As the Duke's third son, Anthony held a status few nobles dared to challenge. Offending him meant risking the Duke's wrath — no sensible noble would dare.

As for why use the boy as a shield... Given Darkness's status, appearance, and family background, she was an excellent marriage prospect that any noble would covet.

Of course, they didn't know she was a pervert.

Though "Darkness" was a pervert, what did that have to do with "Lalatina"?... Right?

Not good!

Looking at it this way, he couldn't dismiss the possibility that Darkness hadn't returned because she was being kept home for arranged marriages with the kingdom's talented young nobles.

Adam sensed impending disaster!

"We need to pay Lord Dustiness a visit..." He muttered.

His statement left the three others completely bewildered.

"Adam, weren't we talking about Darkness not returning? How did you suddenly bring up Lord Dustiness?"

"Yes, Adam-senpai. Though it's been two months since we paid respects to Lord Dustiness, shouldn't we focus on finding Darkness right now?"

"Exactly, exactly."

The three criticized him in succession, as if he didn't care about their missing companion at all.

Adam suddenly remembered that the three of them still didn't know Darkness was actually a young noblewoman.

If things had followed their original course, they would have discovered Darkness was a lord's daughter during their attempt to stop her arranged marriage with Alderp.

But now wasn't the time for secrets or surprises. He had to tell them the truth — that Darkness was a young lady from a noble family.

"—What?! Adam, what did you say?!" x3

As expected, all three were stunned.

Their shock was understandable. Who would have guessed that their muscle-bound Crusader with masochistic tendencies was actually a noble and elegant young lady?

The revelation left them reeling.

"Hahaha, Adam-senpai must be joking. How could Darkness possibly be a noblewoman?" Kazuma said with a laugh, "If that muscle knight were a young lady, wouldn't that tarnish the very title?"

"Well... actually..."

"Hmph, stupid Kazuma is the real problem!" Aqua jumped in to defend Darkness before Adam could explain, "Aren't you the one known as the 'perverted sadistic man' in our Hero Party?"

Ouch... That was harsh.

'Perverted sadistic man' was the nickname Kazuma despised most. Clearly, Aqua was getting back at him for mocking her un-goddess-like behavior earlier.

"What did you say...?! You stupid goddess, you claim to be the goddess of water and wisdom, but where's your divine behavior?! You're just the goddess of parties!" Kazuma snapped back.

Being the type who couldn't let an insult slide, he immediately launched into a counter-attack.

Just as Kazuma hated being called a "perverted sadistic man", Aqua couldn't stand being called the "goddess of parties".

Strangely enough, she seemed more offended by "goddess of parties" than being called stupid, foolish, or dim-witted.

Trust Aqua to have such peculiar priorities!

"You perverted sadistic man!"

"You party goddess!"

"You filthy Kazuma!"

"You idiot goddess!"

The two began arguing again, their voices growing increasingly heated. Without intervention, they would likely continue indefinitely.

Though they lived in the suburbs without neighbors, their constant bickering was particularly grating — especially since Adam was worried about Darkness and already in a foul mood.

"Alright, alright, stop it!" He grabbed Aqua, pulling the two apart. Turning to Kazuma, he said, "Kazuma, Darkness is our companion. Despite her quirks, that's no reason to mock a teammate behind her back! You of all people should understand how that feels, right?"

With that, he gave Kazuma a firm smack on the back of his head.

Wasn't Kazuma doing exactly what those adventurers did when they spread rumors and gave him cruel nicknames without knowing the truth?

It was even worse coming from a teammate — someone whose life he could trust with his own. Such behavior was particularly vicious, and Adam couldn't tolerate it.

Most importantly! Even if what Kazuma said was true, how could Adam let him get away with saying it right in front of him?

Darkness was his woman — only he could comment on her nature!

He also gave Aqua a light flick on the forehead as punishment.

The disparity in punishment might seem unfair, but Kazuma had started the argument. While Aqua shared some blame for engaging, she deserved only a minor reprimand.

Megumin, who had remained quiet until now, spoke up softly, "So... what do we do now? Go meet Darkness, or fight?!"

Her voice rose steadily, her red eyes blazing crimson.

She looked like a brave villager ready to rescue a confined noble lady from a tyrant, brimming with passion and impulsiveness. She clearly relished such dramatic scenarios.

Or rather, that's how she wanted things to unfold. At Adam's command, she would unhesitatingly blast Lord Dustiness's home with her 〘Explosion Magic〙, heedless of consequences.

But her fervor was quickly dampened by his response.

"No, we need to wait before going."

"W-why, Adam! Our companion, our noble young lady is waiting for us to rescue her!" Megumin exclaimed, even more worked up than Kazuma and Aqua had been.

Adam realized that among the three problem children, Megumin was truly the most troublesome.

At this point, he had to explain clearly to prevent any rash actions. He needed to calm her dramatic tendencies.

Gathering his thoughts, he explained calmly, "First, we don't know if the kingdom has concluded the princess's social activities. Second, Darkness might be en route here — if we leave now, we could miss her. Most importantly, my weapon is broken."

"Your weapon... is broken?"

The group finally noticed that the sword at his waist wasn't his usual Nichirin Longsword, but rather an ordinary knight's blade.

As the saying goes: A suitable weapon accounts for most of a powerful adventurer's strength.

This principle resonated especially with Megumin as a "Grand Archmage". So despite her eagerness, she resigned herself to waiting for his weapon to be reforged.

Indeed, Megumin cared little whether Darkness was still attending social events or traveling home. All she wanted was to unleash an Explosion spell on the lord's mansion.

Megumin sighed, "Hmm... my Darkness."

'Hey, she's my Darkness!' Adam wanted to protest, but knowing such words would cause chaos, he kept quiet.

"So what do we do now?"

The three asked their leader, clearly at a loss.

"I'll write a letter to my apprentice." Adam said with a gentle chuckle.

Writing to Anthony was the most sensible approach.

He could inquire about everything they needed to know: Had the social activities concluded? Was Lord Dustiness back in his territory? Had any unexpected situations arisen?

This information would help Adam decide whether to arrive armed with a blade or bearing generous gifts.

Plus, this gave time for Bill to complete his new weapon.

A perfect solution — two problems solved at once.

✧✧✧

T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing