After parting ways with Kazuma, Adam headed to the Adventurers' Guild instead of returning directly to the mansion.
The guild buzzed with activity. Adventurers clustered in small groups throughout the hall, regaling each other with tales of heroic feats, discussing lucrative ventures, or quietly trading gossip about scandalous affairs.
Despite the commotion, a lively and cheerful atmosphere prevailed. An adventurer's life — simple, yet far from dull.
"Welcome—! Ah, Carter-kun, you're here."
"Hey, Luna. Good evening."
While the Adventurers' Guild operated late into the night, only a skeleton crew remained on duty. Usually, just one or two receptionists manned the counter each evening. Tonight, it was Luna's turn.
Luna, the guild's resident flower, could best be described as "a mature young woman yearning for marital bliss". Her renowned beauty — particularly her ample bosom — drew admiring glances from most male adventurers.
Curiously, despite her top-tier looks, no one had yet courted this blooming rose.
"Yes, I am. Carter-kun, would you like to order something?"
"Not tonight, thanks."
Her beaming smile faltered as Adam politely declined her offer to seat him.
"I'm here to collect a quest reward." He explained, "I completed the 'Exorcise Mansion's Evil Spirits' quest last night."
"Oh, I see! I didn't expect it would be Carter-kun's party that completed this quest. That's impressive!" Luna's surprise turned to admiration as she led him to the counter, "Please, follow me."
At the counter, she began processing the paperwork, her professional efficiency allowing her to calculate the reward quickly.
"Here's ξ1,500,000, the full quest reward."
"Oh, thanks." Adam pocketed the money and asked, "By the way, what's the story behind this quest? Why were so many Spirits gathered in that mansion? Do you know the reason?"
"Well..." Luna tapped her delicate finger on her chin, pondering for a moment, "There's a public cemetery near that mansion, isn't there? Someone played a prank by setting up a large barrier in the cemetery. The Spirits, having lost their resting place, simply moved into that empty mansion."
As expected... It was you after all, Aqua! Typical!
When he first saw this quest, Adam had already suspected it was her doing — lazily setting up a large barrier to complete the quest, without considering the consequences of her actions.
'Tch, this makes it look like I deliberately schemed for the mansion. An upright young man would never do such a tasteless thing! I'll give up this money and return it to that noble gentleman. I'll consider it an extra expense for buying the house.'
At that moment, an adventurer called out loudly, wanting to place an order.
"Luna—! Over here, over here—!"
"Coming—! Please wait a moment!" She responded before turning back to Adam, "Carter-kun, do you have any other questions?"
"No, that's all. Thank you."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
As Luna went to attend to the customer, Adam, snapping back to reality, left the Adventurers' Guild and headed back to the mansion on the outskirts.
"Welcome back, Adam!" Aqua greeted him lazily from her half-reclined position on the sofa. Noticing he was alone, she asked, "Huh? Where's Kazuma? Didn't he come back with you?"
She found Kazuma's absence peculiar.
"Satou-kun won't be returning tonight." Adam lied to the intellectually challenged goddess, "He has some important business to attend to."
He emphasized his tone slightly, giving it a serious edge.
"Business? What business?" Aqua's puzzlement grew, "That Kazuma is just a shut-in NEET. What important business could he possibly have?"
"Something concerning his future." Adam hinted vaguely, "Let's not discuss it further."
To divert her curiosity, he brought up the issue of the mansion Spirits.
"By the way, Aqua, do you know where the Spirits in this mansion came from?"
"The public cemetery next to the mansion."
"!!!" Aqua stiffened immediately, seeming to grasp the situation.
"I see you've figured it out." Adam said pointedly, "That's right, it's from the 'Purify Cemetery' quest I asked you to do earlier."
"...Because of the large barrier I set up, those Spirits couldn't return home, so they..." Her expression turned comically bewildered.
She had assumed the Spirits would dissipate automatically. Instead, they had moved into this mansion, causing significant trouble for others.
This was typical of her — one thoughtless action after another, leaving others to clean up her messes.
"I-I'm sorry, I was wrong! I'm sorry, really sorry—!!!" Before he could finish, she leapt up and hugged his head tightly, refusing to let go.
"Hey, let go! Let go quickly!"
Adam understood her true motive. She simply wanted to prevent him from deducting her pocket money, ensuring she'd have spare cash for bubble wine next month.
However, their current posture was highly inappropriate. His head was pressed against her chest.
"Look, Aqua, I'm not trying to blame you." Adam said, gently extricating himself, "It's just that combining the quest with buying the mansion makes me feel like I'm deceiving someone."
"Oh... I'm sorry." Aqua mumbled, her voice low.
"It's alright. To ease my conscience, I've decided to return the quest reward. Is that okay?"
After all, it was to make amends for her mistake — what else could she say?
"That settles it. Now, please let go."
Aqua released him, and Adam gratefully inhaled.
"Where are Darkness and Megumin?" He asked, glancing around.
"Darkness has been in her room since we got back. Megumin bathed and is already asleep."
"Why aren't you resting too?"
"Me? I was waiting for you!" Aqua looked up with a bright smile, grinning at him, her breathtakingly beautiful face right before his eyes.
Oh no. This feeling...
He shook his head, dispelling his fanciful thoughts.
"I'm exhausted." Adam said abruptly, "I'm going to bathe and sleep. You should rest too, Aqua."
"Mm-hmm, sleep well!" She chirped, bouncing away.
Adam steadied himself and headed for the bathroom.
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