I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 44: Harem King - The Name Is Haruya Arden!

Chapter 44: Harem King – The Name Is Haruya Arden!

We’d arrived at an old, crumbling castle.

It wasn’t too far from the trade city of Granule—just a day or two by road—but time had turned it into a full-blown dungeon.

According to the guild, dangerous monsters might have made it their home, so we were tasked with investigating the place. Inside, the ruined halls twisted into a maze-like labyrinth—exactly the kind of setup you’d expect for trouble.

At the heart of it all—the throne room.
Even with the ceiling half-collapsed and no one left to rule it, the air still felt regal, as if the castle itself was waiting for its king to return.
But that heavy atmosphere wasn’t from nostalgia or grandeur. No, it came from something else entirely.

The guild’s warning had been spot-on.

There was a dragon.

“GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAARRR!!”

A crimson-scaled beast, standing on all fours, lowered its head and glared straight at us.

About ten meters long—definitely the real deal.
It couldn’t speak, so it was probably a lower-class dragon. Still, a dragon was a dragon.
Those claws could slice through steel, and its fire could melt stone walls into goo.
Only a skilled party could even think about taking this thing down.

Alright, alright, think this through.
If it’s a dragon, we can buy time with my signature plan:
Step 1—pretend to feel a little “under the weather.”
Step 2—fight just enough to look serious.
Step 3—pull back strategically to “call for reinforcements.”
Perfect!
And if anyone brought up the time I defeated Amhaya, I’d just say, That was a dragon god—totally different species!

Yep, that was the plan.
Just take it slow. Stay low-key. No hero antics this time.

…At least, that was the plan.

“—Chiave Cinque: Spider Thread!”

Filio flicked her wrist with graceful precision, and glowing magic threads shot out, wrapping around the dragon’s massive body like a web.

The threads pulsed faintly—she was draining its energy. The dragon thrashed, roaring in pain, but with that kind of vitality, it’d break free any second.

Or so I thought.

“Clap, clap, and dance away! Secret Art—Peony!”

Kokono spun lightly on her toes, her iron fan snapping open with a sharp clink!
From the ground beneath her, blue-flamed skulls burst out, howling as they flew toward the dragon and latched onto its body.

She’d been practicing her necromancy lately—it wasn’t perfect yet, but it packed a punch.
Apparently, the summoned spirits sapped vitality and left the target dazed.

Between Filio’s Spider Thread and Kokono’s Peony, the dragon was getting hit with heavy debuffs one after another.
Even so, it still wasn’t enough to bring down something that big.
Normally, that combo would just buy us time—not end the fight.

But then—

“Sacred Mark—Cell Overdrive! (Heal Blast!)”

Lily raised her sacred staff high, and glowing rings of light materialized around the dragon’s torso.

Her signature holy spell—it hyper-accelerated cell regeneration until the target literally burst apart from within.
Of course, it rarely worked on monsters with ridiculous vitality like dragons.
So logically, the spell should’ve failed.

…But logic was about to take a vacation.

“GUAAAHHHH—!?”

With a thunderous crash, the dragon let out a final roar, blood spewing from its mouth before its massive body slammed into the floor.
It didn’t move again—completely still, dead as a rock.

…Well. That ended faster than expected.
Feeling kind of left out, I swung my sword a few times for form’s sake—slicing the air, slicing the wind, slicing… absolutely nothing.
Even if no one noticed, I at least had to look like I’d gone full Hero Mode.

I swung it sideways one last time, a faint shiiing of holy energy ringing out.

“Evil dragon, begone—!”

“Lord Haruya, it’s already over~”

“Yeah, I noticed. Just… wrapping up the performance.”

I sheathed my sword, dropping out of my overly dramatic “hero stance.”

Lily lowered her staff, and the girls gathered around her, congratulating each other on a clean victory.
Once we confirmed the area was safe, we moved deeper into the ruins.

As I walked down the dim corridor with my arms folded, a single thought popped into my head.

…Aren’t they way too strong?

Even a low-class dragon usually needed an entire subjugation squad to take down, yet they’d handled it in minutes.
They hadn’t even hit their former Hero Party peak yet, and still—their coordination was sharper, and each of them had grown way more capable on their own.

Honestly, as a team… we weren’t that far off from what we used to be.

They’d even expanded their range of tactics lately.

Up in the clear blue sky, Filio’s hawk circled gracefully—flying alongside none other than Lord Amhaya himself.
Apparently, the two had hit it off; now Amhaya translated the hawk’s cries for us, giving our scouting missions a massive upgrade.

Even Lily had loosened up. She’d finally dropped that “holy, righteous hero party” mindset and started suggesting ambushes and surprise attacks.

Wait a sec… are we actually really strong now?

We’d already handled the whole Gosse Town mess and the Kamunkotan case under church jurisdiction, but if we kept racking up results like this, our name would be spreading across the continent in no time!

Groaning, I clutched my head dramatically.
This was bad. Fame was the one thing I absolutely didn’t want.

Lily, noticing my inner panic, gave me a sly, teasing smile.

“What’s wrong? Were you secretly hoping to become famous after all?”

“O-Of course not! I’m perfectly happy doing as little as possible!”

“Is that so?”

“That is so.”

“…Then, when that time comes, I’ll be counting on you, Leader.”

She flashed me a gentle, trusting smile and walked ahead.

Ah, geez… getting looked at with that much faith—it made it impossible not to try a little harder.

…Wait.

“Hold up. Did she just casually call me Leader?”

I stopped in my tracks, deep in thought.

Wait a minute…
Was Lily trying to set me up as the official leader of the party?

Oh, I see your game now, Lily! Clever move!

The leader of an adventurer party is its face—the one everyone remembers.
In the guild, on the streets, in the stories that get passed around later, people might forget the party’s name, but they’ll never forget the leader’s.
So that was her plan—to drag me back into the spotlight and “rebrand” me as some shining beacon of heroism!

Fuhaha! Don’t underestimate me!
I’m the man chasing the dream of a glorious, irresponsible sex life!
You may trust me now, but that trust will crumble the moment I’m done!

Seriously though… lately, haven’t they been treating me way too lightly?
It’s like everyone’s thinking, “Eh, Haruya’ll melt if we just poke him a little.”
Excuse you! I’m the future Harem King! Show some respect!

Grrr… fine. Maybe it’s time for a proper counterattack.
Yeah… let’s hit them with a certified pervy power move!

“Ghehehe… I’ll do it… I’ll totally do it…”

…Except Lily would definitely nuke me with holy retribution.
Kokono? Forget it. If she started crying, my soul would disintegrate on the spot.

So that leaves only one option…
Someone who’d probably just get flustered—maybe even enjoy it a little.
A hopelessly lewd girl with a secret thirst for chaos—

“Haruya, thinking about something?”

Speak of the devil—the conveniently perfect target, Filio, turned to me with a smile.

“…Where are Lily and Kokono?”

“They confirmed the castle’s safe, so they went deeper in to check what caused the dungeonization. They think some kind of magic tool might be behind it.”

“Ah, makes sense—it was a royal castle. So basically, that means…”

I smirked. “It’s just you and me now, huh?”

“That’s right…? Why?”

Heh. Perfectly defenseless.

“Ghehehe! Two people alone… sounds like the perfect time for a Lewd Carnival!”

“…Are you having another moral crisis or something?”

“W-What do you mean another!? I’m pure lust incarnate, woman! There’s no crisis here!”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Anyway, I’ll be waiting ahead, okay?”

Filio brushed off my villain laugh like it was background noise and started walking away, hips swaying ever so casually.

Damn it! I’m not just some random perv! I’m a selective perv!

I crept up behind her, step by stealthy step.
Alright… this time, I’d go for it—boldly, recklessly, like a true Harem King!

“I am Haruya Arden—the King of Harems! Pardon my intrusion from behind!”

“Eh—kyah!”

I reached out and grabbed her from behind, my hands cupping her massive breasts and lifting them slightly.

S-Soft! But heavy—so satisfyingly heavy!
Yes! At last! I had ascended to the rank of man who could fondle his companions’ boobs!

And as long as I didn’t activate her Drain magic through direct hand contact, I was perfectly safe!

“How’s that, Filio!? Don’t underestimate me! I’m gonna grope you all I want!”

“…Are we starting… succubus training now? ♥”

Filio turned her head slightly, glancing back at me with a teasing, almost inviting smile—like she’d been waiting for this exact moment.

I swallowed hard.
And yeah, one very specific part of me immediately went into full combat readiness.

“You’re not… going to keep touching them…? ♥”

“I-I will! I mean, I am! G-Ghehehe!”

I pressed my fingers in deeper from behind, savoring the heavy, soft, unbelievably bouncy feel in my palms.

“H-How’s that? Ghehehe…”

“Mmm… ♥ Harder… you’re not done yet, are you? ♥”

“Eh!? Uh—y-yeah, ghehehe…?”

I cautiously kneaded her again, and Filio let out a breathy little sigh before whispering, her voice dripping with heat,

“More… rougher… you can squeeze me harder… like you’re teasing and tormenting me, okay? ♥”

Her pupils had turned into literal hearts.

…Pervert. An unbelievable, god-tier pervert!!

Now that I thought about it, she’d shown the same masochistic streak during her solo “sessions,” too.
Even as I kneaded her huge, soft breasts, she didn’t resist—just looked up at me with eyes that begged for more, her expression hovering somewhere between bliss and submission.

Seriously, was she okay!?
She was so perfectly built for a guy’s fantasies it was starting to feel downright dangerous!

Still, I squeezed again—like milking a cow, except, y’know… way softer, warmer, and about a thousand times more sinful.

“Mmmmmm—♥♥♥”

Filio bit down on her finger, trying to stifle the moan bubbling up from her throat.
Her massive chest bounced with every breath—and though her breasts were stealing the spotlight, her hips were just as lethal.
She pushed that perfectly round ass back against my crotch, rubbing and grinding against the hardest part of me.

“O-Oooooooohhhh!?!?”

“Haaah… ♥ Haaah… ♥ I’m turning up the intensity… of the training… okay? ♥”

“Y-Yeah, sure, whatever you say—”

She kept calling it training, but her eyes were saying something completely different.
Those teasing, hazy eyes were practically screaming, Keep groping me!

And I, future Harem King Haruya Arden, would never back down from a challenge!
So I squeezed. And groped. And massaged like my life depended on it—until, somewhere along the way, I realized something absolutely horrifying.

Wait… hold on.
I wasn’t the one groping anymore.
I was being made to grope!

“A-Ah… it’s so hot… it’s about to go wild… ♥”

A gust of ominous wind whipped around us, and Filio’s succubus traits burst forth—tail, wings, and horns unfurling in full glory.
The air shimmered with scorching magical heat.

Apparently, her Drain ability was active through those parts, because even the slightest brush of contact sent a wave of weakness crashing through me.

So this was the true nature of Filio Val Eedelshade—a gorgeous, dangerously lewd succubus whose entire body was a living weapon.

“SUCCUBUUUUUUUUUS!?!?”

Her way-too-convenient personality was a trap all along!
This girl wasn’t just flirty—she was a purebred demon of lust!

Oh crap, oh crap, I could feel my strength draining away—my knees wobbling, my vision going fuzzy!

N-No! I can’t lose here!!
If I give in again, Fate’s gonna be up there laughing, like, ‘Harem King? Oh, you mean that pervy, weak-willed wannabe hero?’

Grrr—no way I’m letting that happen!!

I tried to dodge every one of her succubus parts—tail, wings, horns, anything—while psyching myself up for a heroic counterattack…

But then—her tail coiled around me, wrapping tight.

“Mmm… ♥ Haruya… more… ♥ More, more, more… ♥”

A-And just like that—
I lost. Instantly.

Too bad! My grand adventure nearly ended right then and there…

…But not quite yet!