"Waaah—! Aaaah—!! Waaaaaaah—!!!"
Aqua was crying bitterly.
Since returning from the Adventurer's Guild, she had been crying non-stop. She lay in Darkness's arms seeking comfort.
"There, there, stop crying, Aqua."
"But... but...! I'm a Goddess... I'm supposed to be worshipped! Why, why does nobody in this town recognize me?!"
If we exclude the fact that she brought this upon herself, she really has had it rough.
As a Goddess who descended to the mortal realm, she harbored hopes of being praised and worshipped. Contrary to her expectations, not only did no one in this town believe her, she nearly became someone everyone wanted to drive away.
She really had it tough.
Darkness, not knowing what had happened, could only turn her questioning gaze toward Adam, clearly wanting an explanation without saying a word.
Adam sighed, then told her what had happened, relaying Aqua's grievances to Darkness.
"...So in the end, it's because she doesn't have proper identification that she couldn't get help?"
"THAT'S your takeaway?!" Aqua's crying stopped abruptly as she raised her head to look at Darkness with an expression of disbelief.
"Well, however you look at it, it's because of a lack of credibility, right?"
"It's me we're talking about! I'm the one who was misunderstood! I was even mistaken for the second most popular girl at a brothel! Wait, why second?!"
This idiot always left people perplexed. Was she hung up on her identity as a Goddess, or was she dissatisfied with being ranked second?
Darkness thought for a moment, then pulled out a necklace from her chest. The necklace was delicate, with a small, crystal-clear emblem attached to it.
It was the House of Dustiness lordship emblem.
"Here, this should be of some use." Darkness handed the necklace to Adam.
"This is..." Adam knew the meaning of this necklace.
It was proof representing a family, and also Darkness's credential when traveling outside. However, she had always been unwilling to abuse the power of a high-ranking noble, which is why she used the alias "Darkness" and concealed her true identity.
He never expected that she would give this emblem to him.
"Take it. It's not doing much good with me, and if it can help you, that would be putting it to use."
"Darkness..." Looking at her gentle expression, Adam gripped the necklace tightly, "I'll use it properly."
"Mm."
Stare… ×4
Everyone's gazes were strange and peculiar.
"W-what...?"
"I knew it, something's weird!" Aqua, as if sniffing something out, looked at the two of them with suspicion.
"What, what are you talking about..." Adam's voice trembled slightly.
Aqua looked at Darkness, then at Adam.
"Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'?"
Could it be... she figured it out?
With a nervous, uneasy feeling, he looked directly at Aqua.
"Why didn't Darkness give the emblem to me?"
"...Huh?"
"I mean, Darkness, why did you give the emblem to Adam instead of me?"
"..."
Silence, but also relief. This idiot's focus was always remarkably peculiar, making Adam's anxious heart relax once again.
To prevent her from noticing anything else strange, he quickly stuffed the necklace into her hands.
"Here, here, here, if you want it then take it... this necklace is meant to be worn by women anyway, so it would be more suspicious if I had it." Adam specifically explained to Darkness to prevent any misunderstanding.
Having just given her family emblem to her man, only for him to immediately give it away. Anyone would be angry... right?
However, Darkness was far from an ordinary person!
She looked at Adam and Aqua, her face flushing noticeably. Her body began to twist uncontrollably as faint moans escaped her lips... She had fallen into some kind of indescribable fantasy again.
Hey! Stop it, you perverted knight!
Watch out, I'll discipline you! I'll make sure you can't get out of bed!
Meanwhile, Aqua took the necklace but didn't keep it. She examined it carefully before handing it back to Adam.
"Hm? What, you don't want it, Aqua? You were just asking for it — why are you giving it back to me?"
"Ah, I'm planning to make a replica with clay." Aqua's face wore an evil smile that suggested she was planning mischief, "This emblem belongs to the House of Dustiness lordship, right? It must be very useful in this country."
"Hey, don't do that!" Adam patted her head.
This Aqua, actually planning to impersonate the Dustiness lord.
Like this, she didn't resemble a Goddess at all.
Just as they were playing around during this short break, someone began frantically knocking on the door.
Bang Bang Bang!
Bang Bang Bang!
Everyone exchanged glances, noticing the confusion in each other's eyes.
"Yes—! Coming, coming—, who is it?" Kazuma, being closest to the door, responded to the knocking first, then got up to open it.
Appearing before everyone was the ditzy receptionist from the Adventurer's Guild who had accepted their request earlier. She was out of breath, likely having run here at full speed.
Seeing her like this, everyone had a bad feeling.
"Here, have some water first."
"...Ah... ah, thank you."
"So, what happened?"
"Right!" The ditzy receptionist suddenly remembered why she had rushed here.
She waved her arms frantically, the portrait in her hand slicing randomly through the air.
"This is terrible!" She anxiously exclaimed, "The hot springs...! The town's hot springs are all spouting contaminated water!"
"What?!"
"So quickly?!"
"Is it too late... no, this must be the final assault."
The party members discussed in hushed voices.
Only Aqua reacted differently. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, then raised her face with fury blazing in her eyes.
"No! I have to stop him!"
With that, she leaped up from the sofa and dashed toward the door.
But Adam caught her, holding her back.
"Wait! Don't rush!"
"Let me go, Adam!" Aqua's limbs flailed wildly in the air, but she couldn't move another step forward, "My town, my cult, and all my adorable followers, they...!"
"Do you even know where the criminal is?" Adam gently reprimanded the impulsive Goddess before turning to the ditzy receptionist, "Since you came all the way here, you must know where he is, right?"
"Yes! He should be at the Axis Cathedral! ...To be precise, the mountain behind it!" She adjusted her glasses and said with certainty, "That mountain is this town's lifeline — the source of the hot springs!"
✧✧✧
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