Chapter 357 ⤞ Carrying Darkness and Then…
"Adam—! Waaah—!!! Aaaaaaah—!!! Adam—!!!"
"..."
"I... I'm a Goddess... I'm really a Goddess... why... why am I in this situation... Waaaah—!!!"
"There, there, stop crying, stop crying."
Sitting in the luxurious carriage on the way back to Axel, cries loud enough to disturb passersby echoed from inside.
Aqua lay in Adam's arms, crying miserably. She had even pushed Beatrice aside to claim her spot.
They say women are made of water, and as the Goddess of Water, Aqua's tear production was truly terrifying. If Beatrice hadn't quickly used a small space transfer magic, these tears would have flooded the entire carriage, turning it into an impromptu holy water hot spring.
"Come on, Aqua. Even though your own followers don't believe in you and mock you behind your back, we've once again spread news of defeating a Devil King's General throughout the entire kingdom." Kazuma spread his hands and asked the still teary-eyed Aqua, "What more do you want?"
"I'm unsatisfied with everything!" Aqua stopped crying and shouted back, "I'm a Goddess! I should be worshipped naturally. Why am I being driven out of town?!"
"Isn't it because you, you idiot, accidentally purified the hot spring behind the church?!!!"
They had thought only a little of Hans's remains were left, and Aqua would use just enough divine power to purify it.
But she couldn't forgive what Hans had done to the hot spring city, and one super-powerful purification spell sent the slime-man straight to the afterlife — along with purifying the hot springs behind the mountain.
If Adam hadn't stopped her in time, the entire Water City might have been purified. Though they knew purification would improve the waters, even turning them into holy water, the townspeople didn't understand that and might demand compensation.
Besides, they needed the bounty for defeating Hans to buy ingredients and rebuild the town. After thinking it through, Adam forcibly restrained Aqua when she wanted to use more power.
But in the end, she was still driven out of town.
"Adam—!!!"
"Sigh!"
Although holding Aqua let him enjoy her pure scent, having tear-soaked clothes sticking to his chest wasn't comfortable. It would be better to stop her crying.
More importantly, her sky-piercing wails had drawn concerned glances from others in the merchant caravan.
They were returning with a merchant caravan — or rather, the caravan had waited specifically to travel back with them.
Despite encountering numerous dangers on their journey, they had returned safely to Axel thanks to Adam's ability to transform peril into security. It had cost them only a small sum of money. A shrewd merchant always knows where to place their priorities.
"Aqua, just rest for a while." Adam gently stroked her cheek, looking at her swollen blue eyes with genuine sympathy, "Your followers may not know you're the real Goddess, but they truly worship you. Having such devout followers should make you proud."
"Adam... mm, you're right! Even if they don't recognize me now, sooner or later they'll know I'm the true Goddess of Water!" Aqua's determination hadn't wavered.
"Yes, we'll try again when we have the chance."
"Mm!"
Under his comforting words, Aqua finally calmed down.
Or perhaps she was simply exhausted from crying. Lying in Adam's arms, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"Huff…huff… Adam..."
Her breath tickled his neck, carrying a pure, sweet fragrance.
"Sigh—"
Everyone in the carriage exhaled with relief.
This foolish Aqua, using her status as a Goddess to cause a scene, completely disregarding everyone else's feelings.
Especially Wiz. If Adam hadn't been constantly supplying her with physical strength, magical power, and vital energy, the poor Lich would have been purified by Aqua long ago.
Among them, one person watched with envious eyes: Darkness.
Watching Aqua lying defenseless in Adam's arms, Darkness couldn't hide her envious gaze. Seated at the innermost part of the carriage on his right side, her unusual state remained concealed from the others.
"Darkness..." Adam felt a bit awkward.
He'd just had close contact with her, but now he was holding another beautiful girl in his arms — something most would find unacceptable.
But Darkness was different. She was blushing with longing, her body slightly squirming.
She was excited. Adam was certain of it.
Having spent so much time with her, plus having just slept with her, he knew she was enjoying the intense stimulation of witnessing this scene unfold right before her eyes.
Glancing around, he noticed everyone else had fallen into deep sleep. Aqua's commotion had not only drained her own energy but also exhausted the others.
Now that she was finally quiet, everyone else was taking the opportunity to rest.
Only Adam and Darkness remained awake in the carriage.
After a moment's pause, he extended his right hand. Under Darkness's yearning gaze, it slowly slipped inside her clothes.
He gently caressed her soft waist and abdomen, feeling her warmth and admiring her expression. Adam felt immense satisfaction.
With deft movements that would make professional thieves blush, his fingers spiraled upward across her skin, undoing the hooks restraining her before pressing his warm palm against her body.
"Mmm..."
"Shh, don't make a sound."
Half whispering, half commanding, Adam silenced her.
Not satisfied with caressing her chest, he ventured lower. Feeling the wetness there, his finger made intimate contact with her.
Before she could cry out, he covered her mouth with his left hand, preventing her from making noise that might wake the others.
Everything happened in perfect silence.
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The carriage swayed with each bump in the road. After two hours, they finally glimpsed the outline of Axel in the distance.
After such a long ordeal, Darkness's legs were too weak for her to stand.
"Um... I have some matters at my shop, so I'll leave first... Thank you all for inviting me to the hot springs."
"Not at all, we'll go together again when we have the chance."
"Adam, I also want to visit Wiz's shop with her."
"Sure, that's fine."
They bid a brief farewell to Wiz, watching as she and Beatrice disappeared down the street.
Kazuma suddenly raised his hand, "Adam-senpai, I want to go have some fun!"
"...Is it really okay to say that so openly? Well, come back soon." Adam quipped, but didn't try to stop him.
"I want to go outside the town with Yunyun!" As if planned in advance, Megumin jumped in, "I haven't done my Daily Explosion today. I feel like something's missing, so I want to go with Yunyun!"
"Um, um..."
"Well, I'll trouble you, Yunyun."
Looking at the girl who seemed so anxious she was about to cry, Adam considerately asked her to accompany Megumin. Seeing her sigh with relief, he nodded with a smile.
Finally, only Adam, Darkness, and Aqua — who was on Adam's back — remained. The three headed home together.
Upon reaching their mansion in the suburbs, they brought Aqua to her room and gently laid her on her bed before quietly stepping out.
"Phew, she's quite the burden." Adam remarked.
Though his physical stamina was excellent, having Aqua's weight hanging on him all day had been mentally draining rather than physically taxing.
With Aqua finally settled in her bed, he felt instantly relieved.
"Thank you for your hard work, Adam." Darkness tenderly wiped his forehead, continuing the meticulous motion despite the absence of sweat, "I should have carried her myself."
"If you had done that, I wouldn't have been able to misbehave, would I?" Adam replied with a mischievous tone.
"M-misbehave? What do you mean?" Darkness stammered, her voice tinged with anticipation.
"Like this!"
In one swift motion, Adam swept Darkness into his arms and rushed toward her bedroom.
And then...
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