NOVEL WEB Chapter 368 ⤞ Attraction
"Hmm, that should do it."
In his study, Adam finished reading the letters from the royal capital and wrote replies to both Lord Dustiness and Duke Davenport.
The correspondence with Lord Dustiness was nothing unusual — whether it concerned Darkness, special ingredients, or the reconstruction of Axel, these were all perfectly normal matters.
Duke Davenport, however, was different.
This corrupt nobleman, who desperately clung to any potential benefit, had been exchanging numerous letters with Adam after seeing the 『Hero』 make another kingdom-shaking achievement. Adam was, after all, his son's convenient master.
He approached Adam as "the father of his disciple".
His purpose was clear: Flattery... no, recruitment.
As a Hero of the kingdom, Adam was worth recruiting. Because he was also the Duke's son's master, the Duke had even positioned his previously neglected third son as an heir.
Of course, he had ulterior motives.
Adam had long seen through these schemes, so despite the ongoing correspondence, he never left any openings. His replies avoided expressing any stance or closeness, always skirting important matters while focusing on trivial family affairs.
Just playing along. As a man who had experienced society (despite being only 20 years old), he knew how to handle such situations.
First, he went to the Adventurers' Guild to send the letters, then went to see Vanir.
Although yesterday's "Dungeon Amusement Park" had some unexpected issues, this was acceptable during the testing phase, especially since Vanir was quite dedicated to dungeon modifications.
After some thought, Adam decided to entrust the Sage's Dungeon to him for renovation.
By the way, he had previously asked Lord Dustiness if the Sage's Dungeon could be incorporated into Axel's territory.
Lord Dustiness didn't refuse and approved the request with a wave of his hand. However, it was processed through his request to the king and then through the kingdom's official documents.
"Now I can finally take a break."
Recently, Adam had been constantly on the move.
Not only had he defeated Hans, one of the Eight Generals of the Devil King's army, but as lord, he also had to handle numerous matters in Axel.
Everything was complicated, and he was still inexperienced as a lord. With little help from his party members, he had taken many detours and was nearly exhausted.
Fortunately, after complaining about this in his letters to Lord Dustiness, he received help. Some less important matters were delegated to others, giving him some relief.
Adam had hoped for some peaceful days at home, but unexpected events always seemed to disrupt his plans.
His skill〚World Traveling〛suddenly activated. He had discovered an anchor point to a new world!
No, that wasn't quite right. It would be more accurate to say that a new world had discovered him!
It felt as if something from that world was pulling at him with powerful attraction, eagerly seeking him out!
And the feeling was mutual — Adam's heart yearned for this world too. It was as if both sides were generating magnetic fields, drawing each other closer.
"What is this...?" Adam sensed something unusual.
He had never felt anything like this before!
Upon reflection, though he had always initiated world traversals himself, he had never experienced this kind of mutual yearning.
Concerned by this anomaly, he turned to Aqua for answers.
"...No, I know nothing about Adam's skills." Aqua scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed expression, her foolish demeanor immediately frustrating.
Seeing that she couldn't help Adam, Kazuma erupted in anger.
After enduring her incompetence for so long, he shouted furiously, "Hey—! Aren't you a Goddess?! Make yourself useful!"
"Huh—?! Say that again if you dare, you useless Kazuma!"
Aqua always took such criticisms personally. She clung to her divine identity and never accepted that she might be useless, even when she clearly was.
"I mean, as a Goddess, I have to receive countless people going to other worlds every day, and the skills I give out are all kinds of strange. How could I possibly remember the effects of every single skill?!" She declared with absolute conviction.
But wasn't it her job as the Goddess in charge of sending heroes to other worlds to know what skills these heroes had?
"Sigh…" Adam let out a sigh. He was a fool for placing his hopes on her.
Come to think of it, it made sense. She had completely forgotten about Kyōya Mitsurugi and didn't even know the abilities of the Cursed Sword Gram that she herself had given out. How could he expect her to remember his skills?
If she hadn't descended to the lower world just a few hours ago, she probably would have forgotten him entirely within a day.
"Adam-senpai, what should we do? This idiot Aqua has forgotten everything!"
"Indeed..." Kazuma's words prompted Adam to weigh the pros and cons.
To go or not to go?
"Haha, is this even something to consider?"
It was both a rhetorical question and self-mockery. Since obtaining this ability, he had never been able to resist the opportunity to visit other worlds.
And this feeling of mutual attraction was entirely new.
What if... What if it was the world where he had lived?
He might be able to see his parents and sister again. There was no reason to refuse, right?
The answer was obvious.
"I'll go! I want to go!"
"Really, Adam-senpai?!" Kazuma shouted anxiously, "Didn't you say this feeling is happening for the first time? And we don't know what dangers that world might have. Are you really going?"
But he was just instinctively expressing his concern for Adam.
As the leader of the party and a mature thinker, Adam had carefully weighed all factors before making his decision.
"Yes, I'm going." Adam nodded firmly, "This is the first time this has happened — I need to see what it means."
"...Fine, if Adam-senpai is so determined." Kazuma stopped his attempts at persuasion.
"Well, this is where I come in!"
Embarrassed about not knowing the skill's effects, Aqua broke her silence, desperately seeking a way to reassert her importance.
She was clearly trying to compensate for her failure as a Goddess.
On the surface, though, she merely wanted to show devotion to her follower by blessing his skills.
Blessing! Blessing! Blessing!
Attribute! Luck! Art!
Blá! Blá! Blá!
{T/N: Now I've realized that this Art thing must be Aqua's Versatile Entertainer buff.}
Aqua cast her standard three-piece set of buffs on Adam.
But unlike previous times, he sensed these Supporting Buffs might actually bring danger. His enhanced perception warned him with an ominous premonition.
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