Before Adam was ready to depart, Aqua gave him her blessing.
Looking at Beatrice, who had been sitting silently in his arms from the beginning, Adam lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
"Beatrice, why aren't you saying anything?"
"What should I say?" Beatrice replied in a sweet, gentle voice, "Anyway, whatever choice Adam makes, I'll support you unconditionally as your Great Spirit."
"...Well, thank you for that, my Only One. Here, I'll reward you with a passionate cheek kiss!"
"Adam~"
Adam planted a kiss on her collagen-filled fair cheek, making the usually cold and tsundere Yin Spirit blush crimson as she protested against her contractor's sudden boldness.
Even though she was happy inside, she still pretended to resist on the surface.
After some playful banter, Beatrice dropped her cold tsundere façade and said with concern, "Well, Betty is your Great Spirit, so... no matter what, if you're in danger, you must summon me, understand?"
It was both an instruction and a promise. For a Great Spirit who valued contracts, Adam's answer was what she cared about most.
"Yes, I promise! If there's any danger, I'll summon you immediately!"
His answer satisfied her.
"Hmm, then there's no problem." Beatrice couldn't help but smile.
But when she saw the disbelieving expressions on Kazuma and Aqua's faces, she quickly became serious again and let out a light snort, saying, "Hmph, Adam really is hopeless, he can't do anything without me."
"Hey, no matter how tsundere you act now, it's useless." Kazuma couldn't help but comment.
"Yeah, I've never seen her like this before. She always has such a cold expression even toward me, a Goddess." Aqua was also surprised.
This was Beatrice's self-protection mechanism developed over 400 years, and it wouldn't change in a short time.
But it was precisely this flip-flopping between arrogance and bashfulness that made Adam love her even more.
After some more playful interaction, he put Beatrice down from his lap and said to the three, "Well then, I'll leave covering for me with Darkness, Megumin, and Yunyun to you all."
"Oh! No problem!"
"Leave it to me!"
"Mm."
The three nodded in unison, assuring him everything would be taken care of.
Adam turned to Beatrice and spoke softly, "Beatrice, I'm heading to another world now. Don't worry — if I face any danger, I'll summon you right away, so be ready, okay?"
"Mm." Beatrice nodded with determination.
Adam had prepared well: Aqua's buffs, three bottles of Holy Water, a Recognition Obstruction Cloak, and his weapon, Immortal's Edge.
He also brought the Chains of Fate crafted by the Sage. Though the rope had accepted Adam as its master, it still occasionally lashed out at Aqua. Taking it with him would give her some peace.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Safe travels!" they called in chorus.
With everyone's farewells surrounding him, Adam closed his eyes and connected to his skill's anchor point.
In an instant, he vanished from their sight.
"He disappeared..." Beatrice whispered.
This was her first time witnessing him cross between worlds.
She had expected something more dramatic, but the reality was surprisingly ordinary. A tinge of disappointment washed over her.
Aqua and Kazuma, however, didn't react at all — they were already accustomed to the sight.
Of course, they had once shared Beatrice's bewildered expression.
"Oh, Beatrice, is this your first time seeing Adam-senpai cross over? Don't worry, this is perfectly normal."
"That's right, that's right, completely normal." Kazuma joined Aqua in reassuring Beatrice. Puffing out her chest proudly, Aqua added, "Beatrice, just relax. This skill was bestowed by me, a Goddess, so there can't possibly be any problems!"
Kazuma, irritated by her smug attitude, snapped, "Haaaa—?! Don't joke around, you idiot! You don't even understand the effects of your own skill. How about resigning as a Goddess already?!"
"What did you say, you stupidzuma!"
The two started arguing again.
Beatrice didn't intervene, watching with concern as Kazuma verbally sparred with Aqua.
"Adam... make sure to summon me." She murmured, picking up Adam's cup and drinking the still-warm red tea.
The tea had lost its usual sweetness; with her mind elsewhere, she couldn't taste anything.
Only worry remained.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
After crossing over, Adam immediately sensed something was wrong.
The surrounding scenery was strange — like a cave, yet also resembling an arched bridge forming a passage. It appeared to be made of mist, or perhaps clouds.
Most importantly, Adam was flying rapidly through it!
This was completely different from before!
"Where am I?!" Adam's anxiety mounted.
Previously, he would close his eyes and open them to find himself standing on solid ground under the sky of another world.
But what was this tunnel of clouds? And why was he flying through it?
A pulling force drew him forward rapidly. Not knowing what was happening, Adam restrained himself from acting rashly — one wrong move could be dangerous.
As he continued flying, the scenery remained unchanged — just the same gray passage of clouds or mist stretching endlessly before him.
Gradually, Adam lost track of time, though his mind remained alert.
Yet despite his best efforts, he couldn't devise an escape plan. He was completely helpless.
And just as this realization sank in...
Suddenly! Someone appeared, flying from the opposite direction!
It was a woman!
"Hey—who are you? Where is this?!" Adam tried to call out, but no sound escaped his lips despite his mouth opening wide.
He didn't panic; he had somehow anticipated this limitation.
As the distance between them closed, he finally saw her clearly.
She was dressed like a nun!
She wore a white habit, just as Adam would expect, with black hair and dark brown skin. A lotus-like ornament adorned her chest, and a moon-shaped accessory sat on her forehead.
Facing him directly, Adam could see her clearly — and noticed that this woman approaching him had her eyes tightly closed!
Damn it! They were getting closer and closer!
They were about to collide!
Adam quickly adjusted his posture, but the nun suddenly accelerated, making it impossible for him to dodge. They crashed into each other!
Adam felt something soft press against his face, and his brain froze for a moment.
Fa-fa-face boing?!
✧✧✧
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