Darkness and Kazuma broke into relieved smiles upon seeing the person who suddenly appeared.
Their much-anticipated team leader had arrived — the unshakeable pillar of their group.
Despite their limited time together, Adam's commanding presence and unwavering strength had already left an indelible mark on each team member, inspiring unwavering confidence in his leadership.
"You're back, Carter-senpai!" Kazuma's anxious heart finally settled.
This batch of teammates was truly too difficult to manage!
"I'm back." Adam said, his smile radiating assurance, "It's heartening to see everyone's spirits so high despite the challenges."
Out of nowhere, a blue blur came hurtling towards him like a human cannonball.
"Adam, I missed you so much!" Aqua yelled, zooming into his chest at breakneck speed. She almost sent him flying!
Taking a few steps back to steady himself, Adam patted her head, "Aqua, didn't we just greet each other?"
"Eh... you just greeted each other?" His words made Kazuma suspicious, and he looked doubtfully at the two.
"Hmph~ I was the first one to discover Adam!" Aqua proudly explained, "He has my blessing. I noticed him when he was following behind us."
Hearing her explanation, Kazuma finally understood, "Oh, I see! No wonder you were acting so sneaky earlier..."
He now understood her earlier suspicious behavior.
Adam also realized that the〔Advanced Water Element Affinity〕in his skill list must have been Aqua's blessing.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't come to your rescue immediately. I truly apologize for putting you in danger." Scratching his head embarrassedly, he turned to Megumin, "I'm sorry, Megumin."
"It's... it's okay..." Megumin stood behind him, clutching his clothes tightly. The usually lively girl now had a pale face and a dejected expression.
She had clearly received quite a shock. Her weak appearance made Adam feel even more guilty.
Earlier at the Adventurers' Guild, he had seen the team members gathered but didn't approach them. Instead, he followed far behind.
From the newbie village to the monster forest, he trailed them the entire way. His intention was to observe how the team would handle unexpected dangers and challenging monsters without him.
However, the team's poor coordination nearly led to an irreversible mistake.
Adam wasn't worried about Megumin dying — Aqua could resurrect her infinitely. Rather, he feared the little girl might become too scared to face danger again, potentially quitting adventuring altogether.
Fortunately, he had rescued them in time, averting disaster.
"Megumin, are you okay?" Aqua approached and cast a blessing spell, soothing her wounded spirit.
"I'm... I'm fine, I'm okay!" Megumin shouted, trying to act tough, "I'm an Arch Wizard — how could such a small incident scare me? You're underestimating me!"
Her words were full of confidence. If only her legs would stop shaking, it would've been even more convincing.
"Carter-senpai, I'm surprised to see your equipment has changed. Is it a 'Special Product'?" The observant Kazuma noticed Adam's completely new gear from head to toe, immediately guessing these items were from another world.
Adam now wore a Demon Slayer Corps uniform and held a Black Nichirin Katana — a stark contrast to his previous appearance.
"Ah, indeed it is." He confirmed with a meaningful wink. Then he asked, "By the way, are you continuing your mission?"
Kazuma fell silent at this question.
Their 「Arch-Wizard」 was in poor mental state; perhaps abandoning the mission was best. For a moment, he considered retreating.
After a pause, he spoke slowly, "Let's give up for now and return in a few days."
"Why?!!!" Aqua exploded.
She'd been running around all day, and now this guy's talking about calling it quits? No way! Miss Lazy-Pants herself, who'd rather nap than lift a finger! And now that she already lifted, might as well go all the way!
"I don't want to give up so easily either, but look at Megumin's condition. How can we possibly continue?" Kazuma replied irritably.
Aqua's outburst annoyed him, but he knew he had to explain clearly or she wouldn't leave.
"But we still have Adam, don't we?" She argued, "And Darkness isn't injured. The four of us can easily complete this mission!"
"That's right, I'm here too!" Darkness chimed in, reminding everyone of her presence.
"Listen, Aqua!" Kazuma shouted, "For this mission, we can't rely on Carter-senpai. Don't you understand?!"
"Eh, why?" Aqua stood stunned.
"That's right, Aqua." Adam added, "If you continue the mission, I won't intervene. After all, this is the mission you accepted."
"How could this be..." Aqua couldn't believe it.
Adam was a team member, yet he wouldn't help with a difficult mission. This refusal came from someone she had always trusted deeply. For a moment, she couldn't accept it.
"W-why, Adam?" She asked in panic.
Abandoned! This was her first thought, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Kazuma said softly, "A trial and test... no, it's more like training, right?"
Despite being a useless pervert, Kazuma was remarkably clever and quick-witted. Piecing together the earlier conversation, he immediately grasped why Adam hadn't appeared.
"Bingo, correct! This is indeed training for you all." Adam applauded, confirming his insight, "What if I'm not around? I can't always swoop in to save you from crises, so you absolutely can't harbor any wishful thinking."
He gently wiped away Aqua's tears.
"So, are you giving up?"
This was the team's first mission without him. Adam didn't have high expectations — after all, their coordination and compatibility were still far from ideal. It wouldn't matter even if they gave up.
They could always try again later.
"No way!" Megumin shouted, interrupting Kazuma, "I can't let the team's first mission fail because of me!"
"Um… wasn't the team's first mission to defeat the toads?" Darkness softly corrected, but her voice was too quiet for anyone to hear.
"My name is Megumin! I control the strongest magic — Explosion Magic! How could I possibly retreat here? You're underestimating me!" Megumin forced herself through her discomfort, swung her cape, and her eyes glowed red with excitement, "Comrades, let's go!"
With that, she turned and led the way.
"What should we do?" Aqua, who had been ready to give up, now looked to Kazuma and Darkness for guidance.
"What else can we do? Follow her!"
"That's right — a knight would never let a teammate adventure alone!"
"Megumin, wait for us!"
The three hurriedly chased after her.
An hour later, in the southern part of the Monster Forest...
With a super-powerful〘Explosion Magic〙, Megumin blasted the lush green forest into a vast brown crater, reshaping the terrain. The five gathered Dire Wolves were instantly reduced to ashes.
Seeing her handiwork, she finally flashed a satisfied smile before promptly fainting.
{Subjugate Five Forest Dire Wolves} Completed!
Adam swiftly approached, gently cradling her in his arms. He let out a soft sigh.
"She really is a stubborn little girl who never gives up."
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