"How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"
Adam roared into the endless whiteness around him. This vast, empty space was driving him insane.
Mental torture like this was sometimes worse than physical pain.
"That's right!"
An idea flashed in his mind.
It wasn't exactly a good idea… but it was an idea.
He thought back to the Dragon Ball universe next door. When Majin Buu was trapped in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber by Piccolo, he forced his way out by creating a space tunnel through raw power.
Gotenks did the same using Super Saiyan 3 and escaped without a scratch.
"It should work!"
The more Adam thought about it, the more fired up he got. He jumped to his feet, and his grimoire flared with golden light. Magic exploded out of him like a storm, shaking the space itself.
"Angry Fire Dragon, grant me the power to destroy everything!"
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam roared, unleashing a devastating blast that made the entire space tremble.
It worked.
A crack formed in front of him. His eyes lit up with excitement, and he poured out even more magic like a raging dragon on its last rampage.
No—like a dragon roaring to the heavens.
The cracks widened, and the entire white space groaned as if it were about to collapse.
"Rush!"
Adam didn't hesitate. He dove straight into the darkness with a grin tugging at his lips.
"Oh my god! I better not mess this up—Ahhh!"
Darkness surrounded him. Then, suddenly, light appeared beneath his feet.
He was falling.
"Why am I in the sky?! I can't fly anymore!"
Adam spun desperately mid-air to soften the fall. He should have known better than to aim for the sky.
"Electric Eyes—Intimidation!"
Bang!
He squeezed out the last of his magic, using the explosion's airflow to slow his descent.
"It hurts—hiss!"
He landed hard, rolling across the ground several times, bruised and battered.
But he survived.
"The danger's over?"
Adam stared at the blue sky above him and almost teared up. He'd never thought the sky could look so beautiful.
The feeling of surviving a disaster was incredible.
"Time to find Charmy!"
He staggered toward the banquet hall ruins.
When the banquet started earlier, Charmy had somehow gotten under their table. Adam didn't know what trick he used, but as a foodie, that guy was definitely still nearby.
He felt something brush against his leg.
Looking down, he nearly jumped. Charmy was on the ground, drooling.
Of course.
When Adam thought of Charmy, he thought of food. And the moment he thought of food, his stomach growled.
"Gululu!"
Meanwhile, at a Eye of the Midnight Sun stronghold, the group had used space magic to teleport Asta away in full view of everyone.
"Why capture him?" asked a pale, green-haired man.
"Anti-magic. A perfect research subject," replied a bespectacled woman with a crazed grin.
They gathered at the entrance of the underground Dungeon, waiting to meet the "master."
"Hello," came a calm voice.
"Wizard King!"
Needless to say, Julius Novachrono captured the entire squad with ease. But, as always, Licht saved their leader and left only a few grunts behind.
If Adam were here, he'd definitely curl his lip and say:
"What about the 'great' Monkey Wizard King? I crippled the white-striped guy and you let him run? Impressive."
Licht had indeed been seriously injured—but only physically.
Back in the banquet hall, Charmy was snuggled in unconscious Yuno's arms, eating cake with a blissful expression.
"Charmy, my royal chef, what are you doing?"
Adam pushed the door open and froze at the sight.
His personal chef was nestled in the arms of his childhood friend, looking like a lovestruck fool.
"Ah! Adam!"
Startled, Charmy dropped the cake in his hand.
Adam caught it mid-air and took a big bite.
"Adam! That's my cake!"
"It's mine now."
Bullying little Charmy was one of Adam's daily joys.
Charmy's cute, round cheeks flushed. If Adam ever saw what this little glutton would grow into… well, that was another story entirely.
"Charmy, you betrayed me!"
Charmy panicked at his words, trying to push Yuno's arm off—but couldn't bear to do it.
"Adam, I—I—I…"
She racked his little brain but couldn't think of a single thing he'd done to offend Adam.
"Charmy, you're my personal royal chef, and yet you covet my brother's body. From now on, I'll eat your cake forever."
Adam's grin turned downright perverted.
He finally caught this little foodie—time to eat to his heart's content.
"You—you—you…" Charmy stammered, red-faced. How could Adam be this shameless?
"It was just a coincidence!" She blurted, then yanked Yuno's arm away and rushed over nervously to snatch the cake.
"Adam! His Highness Yuno is unconscious. I just happened to be trapped underneath him! Don't let your disgusting imagination run wild."
Then she snapped, "And since when am I your royal chef, you cruel demon!"
"A cruel demon?" Adam chuckled. He pressed Charmy's head with one hand and stuffed cake into his own mouth with the other, making the little foodie nearly cry with frustration.
"I'm not just a cruel demon. I'm a cake-stealing glutton!"
Charmy scrambled off the cotton bed, desperate to get the cake back. But that was just wishful thinking.
"I'm done."
Adam licked the last crumbs off the plate, completely oblivious to the danger behind him.
"Adam, you bastard! Cotton Magic: Chef Cotton's Attack!"
A massive cotton sheep figure appeared behind Charmy, casting a shadow over Adam.
"W-Wait, what are you—"
Adam froze, trying to appease him. "Senior Charmy, I swear I'll keep this a secret—ahhh!"
BAM!
Chef Sheep Cotton's punch knocked Adam out cold.
He survived Licht, but was KO'd by Charmy.
The price of showing off was brutal.
The Wizard King returned, and Asta was rescued.
The Royal Capital Incident had ended.
Adam, however, gained absolutely nothing. Asta was promoted to a third-class Junior Magic Knight, while Charmy—thanks to catching the witch—became a first-class Junior Magic Knight.
If not for Adam, Charmy would've been the biggest winner of the whole ordeal.
Nozel didn't bother Adam over Fuegoleon's injury. The guy didn't even stick around for the Wizard King's debriefing and stormed off in anger.
If Adam had been there, Nozel would've definitely used him as a punching bag.
The captured Eye of the Midnight Sun grunts never revealed anything before their deaths.
Typical. In hot-blooded stories like this, secrets don't come easy. Only blood and sacrifice tilt the balance toward victory.
As evening fell, Adam walked along the wilderness, dripping with sweat.
After being knocked out by Charmy, he'd been dumped outside the city by the Wizard King's Royal Guard and missed the whole reward ceremony.
If the Golden Dawn or Silver Eagle had seen that, he wouldn't have just been tossed out—he'd have been launched.
"It's so damn hard not being able to fly."
He didn't need to guess. Charmy had left him behind on purpose.
Today was a dark day for Adam.