S-Rank Adventurer Betrayed by His Fiancée in the Hero’s Party Sets Off on a Journey to Heal His Broken Heart ~The Strongest Betrayed Adventurer Ends Up Forming a Harem Party~ - Chapter 02: The Depths of Despair

Chapter 02: The Depths of Despair

Millia fell silent, her voice, which carried an unsettling emptiness, sent chills down my own spine.

I no longer wanted to be here.

I pushed off the ground.

The moment I stepped outside the church, my hand instinctively reached for the sword on my left hip.

“—Breathslate, 《Wind Drift Step (Varia Step)》”

The emerald-green curved sword, Piercing Wind Sword Breathslate, was a magic sword that controlled the wind.

As magic flowed through Breathslate, the wind stirred, and I jumped.

The wind gathered under my feet, acting as a platform, gently lifting my body into the air. It carried me, gliding through the sky, accelerating as it moved me higher.

I thought I heard something, but by then, I was already far away from the church.

“Huff… huff—”

As I ran across the rooftops, my thoughts spiraled in my head.

—I thought I had always been there to support her.

From when I was weak until now, after becoming so much stronger, I had done everything I could to help.

Whenever they needed anything, I sent it right away through the Adventurers’ Guild or through the kingdom.

I never missed sending personal gifts to Millia either.

At first, we exchanged letters. When the replies stopped coming, I assumed she was just busy.

But still, I continued to send her short messages and flowers every month without fail.

But… did the letters stop because she was cheating on me?

“Haa… Haa…!”

The scene from earlier flashed in my mind—Millia and the Hero, their flushed faces.

Before she left on the journey with the Hero’s party, we had always been together. I thought we were walking through life side by side.

“Uwaaaaah!!!”

I screamed as I ran.

I felt like I was about to lose my mind.

Without looking where I was going, I kept shouting, kicking off the rooftops, pushing against the wind, leaping over the city walls, and finally exiting the royal capital.

I just ran.

Through the dark plains, wrapped in the blackness of night, I veered off the main road and kept running.

There was no one around. Only mountains, trees, and some monsters in sight.

I drew two magic swords from my waist.

“Damn… damn it, damn it all!!!”

“”Gyaa…!?””

A group of goblins stood ahead. I charged at them at full speed, launching a fierce attack.

With my left hand, I swung Breathslate, the Piercing Wind Sword, decapitating a goblin.

“Uraaaa!!!”

I repeated it five times in an instant, wiping out the enemies.

Next, I turned on an orc nearby.

I pulled out Heedrise, the Blazing Flame Sword, a red and gold sword from my right side. I swung it down, slicing through the orc’s stomach, and fire consumed the wound, burning it to ashes.

I kept attacking.

“Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!”

I ran.

I swung my swords.

I just wanted to let these feelings out.

I shattered rocks.

I ran.

I slashed through monsters.

I burned down trees.

I froze the river.

I swung my swords.

—But my heart didn’t feel any better.

・・・・・

As the sky started to lighten.

Standing at eight meters tall, with hands as large as a human torso that could rip several people apart with a single swing, the ruler of this forest, the A-rank magical beast Titan Grizzly, was now drenched in blood.

Facing it, I held my sword, ready.

“Gruu… Gruu… Ooo!”

The giant bear, covered in wounds and barely breathing, made a desperate attempt to strike.

I dodged the downward blow by stepping in, using my weight to drive the magic sword into the center of its body.

The blade was thin, slightly curved, and single-edged. However, the tip was forged with double edges, making it an unusual sword. In some island nations, they call it a katana. This magic sword pierced through the thick fur, directly striking the heart.

“Gwoo… gah!”

After a few spasms, the massive body slowly collapsed backward with a loud thud, shaking the ground as it died.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

Exhausted from moving all night, I left the sword embedded in the Titan Grizzly and sat on its lifeless body.

The other magic swords weren’t in my hands.

Breathslate was deeply lodged in a nearby tree, and Heedrise was lying somewhere, probably still setting the area on fire.

The blue magic sword was stuck in a rock.

I didn’t bother staying alert anymore—there was no need.

There were no more magical beasts left in this mountain.

“I’m exhausted… but maybe I’m feeling a bit calmer now.”

Everything had gone dark, my heart and emotions all tangled up. 

But after moving my body recklessly and saying things out loud, it felt like my mind was starting to settle.

I was beginning to understand the reality of it all.

“I got cheated on, didn’t I…?”

Saying the words out loud finally made it feel real.

“Ugh… aah…”

I held my head in my hands, and my voice kept spilling out.

Even as an adult, I was crying—it was pathetic…

It was the same way back then. Millia had surpassed me, and no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t catch up to her. 

Whether it was when we were together or when she left on her journey, I cried so much out of frustration, knowing I couldn’t help her.

All I could do was cry—and that made me feel helpless.

In the end, I hadn’t changed at all since three years ago.

“Where did I go wrong…?”

I sent her money, gifts, and everything she needed. 

Once I became stronger, I worked hard from afar, and even helped when I was nearby.

“What was I supposed to do differently? Should I have gone to see her?”

I didn’t go because I thought I wouldn’t be able to leave her if I saw her. It was more efficient to work separately.

Besides, we promised to meet again after the Demon King was defeated, and that we’d be together then.

Maybe if I had visited her whenever I had the chance, things would have turned out differently.

“Was it because I didn’t help enough…? But I really… gave it everything I had—”

But my choices won’t change. Not now.

I was simply betrayed and abandoned. 

They mocked me from afar, treating me like a fool.

It was pathetic.

“They didn’t have to say things like that…! Was it the gifts? Were the gifts the problem…?”

Every month, I sent her a rare and expensive flower called the Ixys Flower, a special bloom that stayed alive through magic. It was also known as the “everlasting flower.” The flower’s meaning was “eternal love.”

“Maybe she thought it was creepy…? But what was I supposed to do? We’d been together for so long! …I didn’t know what else to send to Millia after she left…!”

Some of the women I knew made awkward faces when they heard about me sending Ixys Flowers every month.

Even I could only send those flowers because they were so rare—I had to request them from S-rank or A-rank parties. They were that valuable.

The blue and yellow petals were beautiful, and even when cut, their beauty never faded.

They only grew in magical lands, rich in mana, and were incredibly hard to find. Only a few people could even gather them.

I found them while out on requests and sent them to her. I could’ve probably made a fortune from those alone.

“She said he was better in bed than me…? She was never that forward with me, though…!”

I couldn’t control my words, and bitter, hateful thoughts just poured out of my mouth.

We had been childhood friends for so long that we were slow to take things to the next level.

Our first time was a disaster, and just when I thought we’d work on it, she left.

An older adventurer once invited me, saying, “Every adventurer goes to a brothel at least once,” but I always refused.

I only had feelings for one person, and no experience with anyone else. So what if I was bad the first time?

“Damn it…! Damn it all…!!!”

I pulled out the black magic sword—Chronovale—from the beast I had stabbed, swinging it with all my might.

At that moment, all the animals in the mountain fled.

But I didn’t stop there. I slashed the dead Titan Grizzly over and over again.

It was such a pathetic thing to do, but I couldn’t stop myself.

I was overwhelmed by emotions I couldn’t control.

Eventually, the tears stopped coming.

I threw myself onto the ground, staring up at the sky.

I cried, raged, and let it all out.

And finally, a thought crossed my mind.

“Maybe… I never really mattered to her at all.”

I always thought we were in love with each other since our days in the village.

Our parents were supportive of us being together in the future, and we had promised to get married.

Even when Millia’s talent for magic was discovered and she got accepted into the royal capital’s magic academy, I followed her as an adventurer.

Since she lived in the dorms, we didn’t live together, but during her breaks, we formed a party and went on adventures.

We were always together in those days… and yet, this is how it all turned out.

Now that I think about it, maybe Millia had already started losing interest back then.

After she finished her courses, Millia spent about a year working seriously as an adventurer… and she quickly surpassed me.

She became A-rank, while I was stuck at C-rank.

I let my arms drop to my sides and looked up at the sky.

The only thought that came to mind was one of resignation.

“What should I do now…? I don’t even care anymore.”

After the Demon King was defeated, all I ever thought about was being with Millia. Everything I did was for that, and I used that determination to keep pushing forward.

And yet, that fire suddenly burned out.

It didn’t feel like I had completely lost interest, though.

I could still remember the passion I once had. But now, I didn’t know where it had gone.

I had no idea what to do anymore.

“I got cheated on, didn’t I? …So maybe there’s no point in being strong anymore.”

I glanced around at the magic swords scattered around me.

I had gone through a lot to get each one. But if I couldn’t be with Millia, what was the point?

There was no meaning… but still.

“Yeah… a lot of people helped me get these… and this is the result. How pathetic.”

Along the way, I caused a lot of trouble for others. I asked for too much.

So many people helped me, and yet this is how it all turned out. I can’t even face them now.

Maybe these swords would be better off returned to the people who helped me get them, instead of staying with someone like me who no longer has any purpose.

I also wanted to apologize for ending up like this.

“I’ll return them.”

The words came out of nowhere.

It might be the perfect thing for someone like me, who’s lost everything.

I’ll give up this strength, thank everyone, apologize for how things turned out, and after that… well, whatever happens, happens.

“I don’t have anything else to do… so yeah. I’ll return all the magic swords.”

Once I made the decision, I started moving. Even if it was forced energy, I needed it.

I couldn’t fill the emptiness in my heart.

So I tried to look away from it, searching for the motivation and energy to keep going.

With that decision made, I didn’t bother wiping away the tears as I let myself pass out.

The sky was still so dark.