Cold sweat broke out on Mrs. Shizuka's back.
Kazuha's gaze was still fixed on her face.
Mrs. Shizuka's mind raced, but she couldn't come up with a good excuse at the moment. She couldn't just tell Kazuha, "Because I slept with Makoto in an alley last night," could she?
Just as Mrs. Shizuka's CPU was about to smoke and burn out, Makoto's group walked out of the mansion.
Hana was about to rush over. She had just taken a step when a big black rat next to her was faster.
Yunyun ran up to Makoto, her eyes red. "Makoto... I didn't mean it..."
Makoto waved his hand. "It's fine."
Yunyun cried harder and harder, her shoulders heaving. "I really didn't mean it..."
Makoto wrapped his left arm around her slender waist, pulled her close, and placed his right hand on her hair.
"The one responsible has been dealt with. Don't cry anymore. I'm not that petty. Aren't we friends? Shouldn't we trust each other?"
Yunyun sniffled, buried her face in his chest, and let out a muffled 'mm-hmm'.
After a few seconds, she realized how long she had been leaning against him.
Her face began to redden from the base of her neck, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
Hana stood a few steps away, watching this scene like an angry pufferfish, her cheeks puffed out.
"Beaten to the punch."
Yanagi's voice floated from the side.
Hana, exasperated, slapped her sister's butt hard.
Yanagi cried out, covered her rear, and jumped away. "What are you so angry about, Sis? I wasn't wrong."
Hana's face reddened, and she glared at her fiercely.
Yanagi stood nearby. Her thick bangs covered her eyes, so no one noticed that her gaze had shifted from her own sister to Makoto.
Megumin waved her staff angrily. The magic crystal at its head flashed red, reflecting on her small face, twisted with rage.
"Damn Alderp! Using that method to control me, the greatest Explosion Magic user of the Crimson Demon Clan! I'll make him pay! Explo—"
"Stop."
Makoto punched her on her little head, just hard enough to interrupt the spellcasting.
Megumin's 'sion' was cut off before it could leave her mouth. She lurched forward, crouched on the ground holding her head, still muttering, "My Explosion Magic..."
"That fat pig has already been taken away." Makoto said.
Everyone was stunned, not immediately understanding what Makoto meant.
The group entered the mansion and sat down.
Tsuki, who was virtuous, found ready-made snacks and tea in the kitchen.
Makoto quickly recounted the unfortunate story of Alderp and Maxwell.
After hearing it, everyone had a look of disbelief on their faces.
"Pfft pfft pfft... there's actually a Devil this stupid!"
Aqua covered her mouth, tears nearly forming at the corners of her eyes.
Kazuma glanced at her and thought to himself, 'You're not one to talk about stupidity.'
Makoto then claimed that Maxwell's ability was indeed troublesome, but fortunately, it couldn't control those whose strength was equal to or greater than his own.
Everyone then looked at the few who hadn't been controlled... Makoto, Yu, Beam, and the Teddy Devil.
It was normal that the first two hadn't been controlled. Beam was barely understandable.
But the fact that the Teddy Devil also hadn't been affected was truly unbelievable.
The Gorilla Devil looked at him suspiciously. "Are you really that strong?"
The Teddy Devil immediately felt insulted and roared, "Are you doubting me, your boss?"
The Teddy Devil had always considered himself the leader of the Four Gay Bros.
Makoto glanced at Aqua. "Probably because this guy was closer to Aqua at the time, so Maxwell's curse was weakened to some extent."
Shiho was stunned.
She looked at Aqua, that blue-haired woman who was currently grinning foolishly while hugging her bulging money pouch, drool nearly dripping from her mouth.
Makoto was never stingy with those who helped him. After entering the mansion, he had taken Aqua to Alderp's treasury and told her to take as much as she could carry.
'This useless teammate had actually been useful?'
Shiho thought for a moment and said, "Well, how about we sell her to you? We'll give you a discount. Ten thousand gold coins."
"What do you mean by that, Shiho—" Aqua screamed, threw herself onto Shiho, grabbed her collar, and shook her back and forth, crying and making a scene.
This scene was exactly like Aqua and Kazuma going at each other in the original work.
Akemi quickly stepped in to mediate, peeling Aqua off her sister and scolding her sister for going too far this time.
Makoto smiled and refused. "You'd better keep this teammate for yourself. When my team needs a healer, I'll borrow her from you."
He felt that someone like Aqua was like a husky... most fun when owned by someone else.
Luna, after figuring out what had happened, gave Makoto a slight bow and said, "I will tell everyone at the Adventurer's Guild that you have defeated the evil lord Alderp. The residents of Axel will be very happy."
No matter what, Luna was still pleased.
As the guild's receptionist, she had often been harassed by him.
Alderp had been terrorizing this city for so long that many people had come to believe he would go on like this forever. Finally, someone had taken action.
But the smile hadn't stayed on her face for long before she remembered something. Her brow furrowed, and the curve at the corner of her mouth disappeared.
"Regardless, Alderp was formally appointed as lord by the kingdom. If you attacked him without the royal family's approval, you will probably be wanted."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Luna paused.
'Wait a minute, these people were already wanted, weren't they?'
"Commander, look at this."
Hana finally found an opportunity to talk to Makoto.
She pulled the wanted poster from her pocket and handed it over.
Wanted posters were, of course, nothing new to Makoto's group.
They had seen them every day for decades in the One Piece World.
Except that back then, the World Government was so terrified of him that even though he had turned the world upside down, they didn't dare to put a bounty on his head.
They never expected that coming to another world, they would finally get the experience of being wanted.
Makoto glanced at Darkness. "It seems the king you serve won't let me off either."
Darkness lowered her head without speaking. She certainly knew what he meant.
A wanted criminal had killed a lord appointed by the king. If this matter wasn't handled properly, the royal family's dignity would be completely ruined.
"What to do, what to do, what to do..."
Darkness paced around anxiously.
She still remembered what had happened when she was controlled. The horrifying power of Makoto's group was completely beyond her imagination.
If the Belzerg royal family attacked them, even if they barely managed to fight them off, they would absolutely pay a heavy price.
Then the neighboring countries would never miss that opportunity. They would take advantage of the situation and start a war.
The Belzerg Kingdom would still face a catastrophic disaster.
Thinking of this, Darkness jumped up from her seat.
"I-I will go see His Majesty!"
She had barely taken two steps when she was pulled back.
Makoto, at some point, had the leash attached to her collar in his hand and pulled her toward him.
Darkness fell backward, staggered two steps, and her butt hit the floor.
"Untie the collar for me..."
Darkness's voice was both urgent and embarrassed.
Makoto smiled and said, "Why untie it? Isn't this what you like?"
Darkness's face turned even redder. "This is not the time for that!"
The others looked on with strange expressions.
'This perverted masochist knight could actually be serious sometimes?'