You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395
No matter how you looked at it, with those Level-Up Potions in hand, Fang Li would be able to reach Level 50 before the end of the day and complete Main Quest One.
Main Quest Two and Main Quest Three had also already been completed. The Side Quest to help Kazuma and Aqua increase their ranks was finished as well. All that remained were acquiring one Artifact and 10,000 Exchange Points, and then all of Fang Li's Main Quests would be complete.
"Might as well use this momentum to knock out Main Quest Four too."
With that thought, Fang Li accepted the Level-Up Potions while also starting to think about where he could get his hands on an Artifact.
But Fang Li hadn't expected this.
The opportunity… came so suddenly.
Just as Claire was urging Iris to hurry up and return to work, and Iris refused, instead hiding behind Fang Li, a guard suddenly entered from outside the grand audience chamber and reported to everyone:
"Princess Iris, Lord Alderp requests an audience."
This report from the guard caused the group to fall silent and cease their bickering, each reacting differently.
"Lord Alderp?" Claire and Rain both furrowed their brows tightly.
"Ugh…"
Darkness's expression stiffened. A flicker of unease and disgust even appeared in her eyes.
"Lord Alderp wants to see us?" Even Iris showed hesitation on her face.
Seeing this group of girls react that way, Kazuma, Aqua, and Megumin grew curious.
"What's going on?" Kazuma asked directly. "Who is this Alderp guy? Why do you all look like you just heard the name of a cockroach?"
"Hmm…" Megumin furrowed her brows and mumbled to herself, "Alderp… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before…"
"Is he perhaps a follower of Eris?" Aqua still intended to use her divine IQ to enlighten the world, adding, "If that's the case, then I can understand why you're all making faces like you saw a bug."
On the other hand, Fang Li slightly raised his eyebrows.
Because that name, Fang Li had heard it before. Rather, anyone from Axel would have heard of it.
"I mean, is your memory just that bad, or is the guy's presence that forgettable?" Fang Li said calmly.
"That man is the Lord of the Axel territory. We used to live on his land, so the least we could do is remember his name, right?"
The moment Fang Li said this, realization hit everyone.
"I remember now!" Megumin exclaimed with sudden clarity. "Isn't that the lord with the horrible reputation?"
Exactly.
A lord with a horrible reputation.
The one in charge of Axel's territory, Lord Alderp, was a noble with a universally acknowledged, notoriously bad reputation.
"I think I've heard of him too," Aqua said, as if her brain had just rebooted. "Miss Luna once told me that a perverted old man looks at all women with creepy, lustful eyes. He's apparently a massive perv."
"I've heard stuff too," said Kazuma, the one with the widest social network among them. In his free time, he often mingled with other adventurers and picked up all sorts of rumors. "People say the guy is incredibly greedy and stupid. He's done a bunch of shady and criminal things, but no one's been able to find proof to charge him with anything."
And that was the kind of man he was.
But unfortunately, that wasn't all…
"Within the Royal Family, there's actually a blacklist," Iris explained to everyone. "It records many nobles who have turned toward evil forces. Lord Alderp is one of them."
"Only," she continued, "just like Kazuma-san said, although Lord Alderp has a terrible reputation, so bad that it alone got him placed on the Royal Family's blacklist, there's still no evidence of any crimes. So he continues to live freely, beyond the law."
"Someone like that doesn't deserve to hold noble status," Claire said with unconcealed disgust. "That man even looks at Princess Iris with those filthy eyes. If I had a good enough reason, I'd chop him down myself."
Judging by the look in Claire's eyes, she meant every word.
Even the usually proper and serious Rain turned to Darkness and said:
"Come to think of it, Lord Alderp seems to be quite fixated on Lady Dustiness. If I'm not wrong, hasn't he visited multiple times to propose marriage to your father?"
An astonishing revelation, laid bare by Rain just like that.
"Uh…" Darkness shrank her neck slightly and mumbled awkwardly, "Y-Yes, it's true. Lord Alderp has been obsessed with me for quite a while. He's come many times with marriage proposals… but of course, my father rejected them all."
As expected.
"Isn't that perverted lord the same age as your father?" Megumin asked in stunned disbelief. "So even in this day and age, old cows are still trying to eat young grass, huh?"
"But… is Darkness really considered young grass?" Aqua asked innocently. "Isn't she the oldest among us?"
"Besides," Kazuma said to Darkness, smirking, "isn't this kind of situation right up your alley? If it were you, wouldn't you start yelling something like, 'You may defile my body, but you'll never have my heart!' while secretly enjoying it?"
"T-That… that would never happen!" Darkness shouted in response, but… whether she imagined the scenario or not, her charming face turned red as she added, fidgeting: "T-There's no way that would happen…"
Everyone fell simultaneously silent.
Zero credibility.
As for Fang Li, he searched his memories of the original series and found that he didn't have much of an impression of this noble named Alderp.
No, maybe there was a faint memory.
So Fang Li looked at Iris and asked: "You're not planning to meet him?"
"Let's see him," Iris replied kindly. "Maybe it's something important."
And so, at Iris's command, the guard was sent to bring him in.
"Ugh…"
The moment Alderp stepped inside, both Aqua and Megumin let out low, disgusted groans.
That reaction was understandable.
Because the man who walked through the door was a fat, greasy-faced, burly middle-aged man, covered in excessive body hair.
That was Lord Alderp.
As soon as he entered, he paused in mild surprise at seeing so many people gathered.
But shortly after, this lecherous fat man laid eyes on Aqua and Megumin, and his eyes lit up, his gaze growing thick and sticky, as if he was ready to lick them clean with his eyes, utterly shameless.
Then, when his eyes fell on Darkness, his expression changed again.
This time it was a mix of delight and raw desire.
Without hesitation, he walked straight up to her and smiled broadly.
"What a pleasant surprise! To meet Lady Dustiness here, what great fortune!"
His voice was crude and disrespectful.
(End Of This Chapter)