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 04: Overturned Waters [Sage's Side]

Chapter 04: Overturned Waters [Sage’s Side]

“…Wha…?”

“Huh…?”

“He told me not to say anything because he was too shy about letting his lover know. I figured it would be better to inform you about meeting the S-rank adventurer in advance.”

“What… did you say…?”

“…Millia?”

Millia’s expression froze.

The Hero looked at her, confused… while the Holy Knight stared at her in shock.

He had only known about the Hero’s engagement to the princess. He had no idea Millia had a lover, which explained his reaction.

Even her friend, Saint Ciel, was now glaring coldly at Millia.

Only the King, lost in his excitement, seemed unaware of the tension in the room.

Thus, he continued speaking.

“The adventurer who wields four magic swords, capable of fighting entire armies alone… Abel the Four Swords. Abel Sixam. He told me he is your fiancé, Lady Millia.”

“…Huh…? What…?”

“Achieving the incredible feat of rising from C-rank to S-rank in just three years. He did it all for you. He loves you deeply. —Hmm? What’s wrong? You all seem… surprised.”

“Millia? Is something wrong? You look really pale.”

“Wait, you…! You had a fiancé? None of us knew anything about that!”

“Wha… what…? Abel…? Abel is… an S-rank…? And he’s been helping us… all this time…?”

By the time the King realized what was happening, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Millia.

Soon after, the Hero and Sage’s misdeeds came to light.

・　・　・　・　・

In this world, polygamy and polyandry are considered normal.

The culture evolved this way due to the severe population decline caused by the 200-year-long war with the Demon King.

However, even in a society where multiple marriages are common, cheating still exists.

So, what’s considered cheating in such a world? It’s when someone engages in a relationship without informing their other partners.

Though it’s acceptable to have multiple partners, any actions taken without consent are strongly condemned.

Society has little tolerance for breaking this basic rule.

And if the fiancée involved happens to be a princess, the consequences can be dire.

“Hero Yuto! You dare commit such infidelity while engaged to my daughter!? And of all people… with the fiancée of an S-rank adventurer!?”

“I am so sorry, Your Majesty…! I deeply apologize…!”

“W-What the hell, King!? This is how you treat a Hero—guh!”

The atmosphere in the salon had transformed into a nightmare.

King Randed grabbed Hero Yuto by the collar, furiously interrogating him, while Knight Commander Ed repeatedly apologized.

Meanwhile, from a distance, Ciel was questioning the trembling Millia.

“Millia… why did you cheat? What you did is… the worst thing you could have done.”

“B-But… after we left on the journey, the letters stopped coming, and I felt so lonely… I thought he had forgotten about me!”

Millia claimed that the letters had stopped, but in reality, it was she who had stopped replying.

Abel, thinking she was just busy, decided to send shorter messages and small gifts instead, so as not to disturb her during the journey.

“Abel didn’t send me anything! We were apart for so long, and he didn’t tell me anything! It’s cruel!!!”

“Haa… haa… Lady Millia, I can’t accept that excuse.”

King Randed continued, visibly exhausted as he tossed Yuto aside and turned toward Millia.

“In the supplies sent to the Hero’s Party, there were gifts and letters from him, specifically for you. It was one of the conditions he set.”

“Yes, I remember receiving personal items. And Millia, you received things too, didn’t you? …Wasn’t one of those for you?”

“I-I don’t know anything about that…!”

“…Millia, there should have been flowers in one of the packages sent to you. That was probably it.”

Still kneeling, Ed recalled the details and spoke softly, his head bowed.

“Flowers? You mean those single ones that came every month? How was I supposed to know it was special when it was just one flower!”

Millia recalled the blue and yellow flowers—beautiful, yes, but they were always sent in such small quantities.

Only one flower at a time.

Over time, she grew tired of receiving just a single flower with a small message card and eventually stopped caring, even tossing them away on the road.

—But…

“Those flowers… they’re a rare species that only bloom in places dense with magic. They continue to thrive by absorbing magic and don’t wither, even after being cut. Even nobles struggle to obtain them. They’re considered the finest—an ultimate gift for a lover.”

Ed, whose wife adored flowers, recognized their significance.

The flower, known as Ixys, symbolized eternal love. Its unique nature and the meaning behind it created a powerful symbol of undying affection.

“Even high-ranking adventurers find it hard to acquire them due to their rarity. I don’t know if he gathered them himself, but sending multiple flowers like that… their value is unimaginable.”

In addition, the gifts always included small accessories, which Millia found dull and ended up selling during her travels, using the money for herself and Yuto.

“I always thought some wealthy admirer was sending them to Millia… Now I can’t help but despise how shallow my thinking was.”

“Ah… ahhh…”

Only now did Millia finally understand everything.

She had trampled all over Abel’s feelings in the worst possible way.

“…The worst part is that he already knows about all of this. You can forget about offering a peaceful apology.”

King Randed said, covering his weary face with one hand.

What was on his mind now was the fate of the kingdom.

“Our nation owes him a great deal. And now we’ve betrayed him… if this continues—”

“—So what? Who cares?”

A voice interrupted.

Everyone turned to look at the Hero, who was sitting on the floor with a defiant expression.

“I’m the Hero who saved the world, right? So what if I cheated or took someone’s girl? Who cares what people think? It’s no big deal!”

“Are you serious right now!?”

“Guh! What the hell, man!? Ed…!”

Before Yuto could finish his rant, he was slammed against the wall by Ed’s furious shout.

Ed Heims, his face twisted in rage, yelled at Yuto.

“Our journey was always on the edge. We survived because of the people who gave us money and supplies! If that man hadn’t helped us, we would’ve been missing a third of our resources… We might not have made it back alive!”

Without money, the journey would have been impossible.

Without supplies—such as powerful gear or potions—they wouldn’t have been able to fight.

The reality for the Hero’s party, which had pushed forward so recklessly, was always precarious.

In fact, if their funds or supplies had been reduced, there was no way they could have defeated the Demon King as quickly as they did.

The journey would have dragged on, wearing down the party members. In the worst-case scenario, some might have even died.

They may not have been able to defeat the Demon King at all.

“He’s more than just an adventurer—he’s the one who saved our lives! Doesn’t your world see infidelity as a sin? Is this how you repay someone who saved your life? It’s not right!”

Ed’s shout came from the heart of someone who had been saved, a man who was grateful to have returned safely to his family.

“In your world, you were still a child, weren’t you? You were suddenly brought to a strange new world, and I’m sure you felt lost and scared… That’s why I decided to act as your protector!”

These words were spoken as an expression of Ed’s sincere devotion to the boy who had been chosen by fate.

Hearing these words of protection for the first time, even Yuto’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Even when your engagement to the princess was arranged… even knowing it was improper! Until the official announcement, I turned a blind eye to your ‘distractions’—including your affair with Millia…! But the truth is, your behavior shouldn’t be excused just because ‘you’re a child’!”

Ed’s grip tightened around Yuto’s collar as he spoke.

“If you’ve truly fallen so far as to believe in such foolishness, I won’t forgive you—not as your protector, but as someone who holds you accountable!”

“Ugh… what the… Let me… go!”

Yuto managed to force out the words as he struggled, and Ed finally released him from his grip.

Ed then knelt before the King once more.

“Your Majesty, I turned a blind eye to all of the Hero’s misdeeds! The responsibility is mine. If you command me to offer my head to Wielder of Four Swords Abel, then I will. Do with me as you see fit!”

He offered his head in submission to the king whom he had served and now betrayed.

But—

“It wasn’t just money and supplies. He also gave you something even more valuable—time.”

“Your Majesty…?”

The King’s words were not a rebuke or a sentence—they were a correction.

“He acted behind the scenes. Whenever you encountered magical beasts or obstacles that only the Hero’s party could handle, he resolved them single-handedly. Don’t you recall? The enemies you found suddenly vanished, or orders were canceled—”

“Like when we were about to set off for a mission far away, only to have it abruptly called off?”

Saint Ciel added, reflecting that, in hindsight, several strange things had indeed occurred.

Each time, they brushed it off as coincidence or a miracle, but in hindsight, it was too frequent to be chance.

“Could it really be… that he did all of that?”

“Exactly.”

Abel had provided them with money, supplies, and even time. In truth, he was the true hero behind the defeat of the Demon King.

“Ed, your punishment will come later. For now, mobilize the Knights and search for Abel! Deploy everyone! Find him as quickly as possible, and offer an explanation—no, an apology.”

“…Understood.”

“We’ve angered an S-rank adventurer. This is now a matter of national survival.”

An S-rank adventurer was powerful enough to surpass an entire nation’s military force on their own.

If they became hostile, it meant the kingdom could be destroyed at any time.

“Abel… an S-rank? Why didn’t he tell me…! If I had known…!”

“…”

As the men rushed to act, Millia could only hang her head in despair, while her friend, Saint Ciel, quietly watched her.

Millia still believed she could somehow fix things.

But it was too late. The waters she had ignored for the past three years had already spilled beyond her reach.

・　・　・　・　・

After that, the Kingdom of Sildiel spared no effort in searching for Wielder of Four Swords Abel Sixam.

There were reports of sightings and claims from people who said they had spoken with him, but there was no trace of Abel himself—he had vanished without a trace.

By midday the next day, a large mountain to the west of the royal capital stood as a testament to his power.

The trees were burned, the river frozen solid, the rocks sliced apart, and all magical beasts in the area had been wiped out.

A massive slash ran from the peak of the mountain down to its base, as if the entire mountain had been cut in half.

It was a clear and overwhelming display of the power of an S-rank adventurer.