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 13: Power is Simple Violence

Chapter 13: Power is Simple Violence

“Geha… cough—gahh…!”

The guy I punched was clutching his stomach, writhing in pain. 

Pathetic. It only took one punch, and I even gave him a warning.

“Come on, get up. You said you could take me on if I fought barehanded, right?”

I sneered coldly at the man crawling on the ground. 

His insult towards S-rank adventurers had clicked into place like a cog in a machine, fitting perfectly into what had been missing inside me. 

I wasn’t sure what that missing piece was at first, but when he insulted Elmie and the others, it all became clear.

—Ah, this anger. I don’t get mad very often, and I’d been too messed up over Millia to remember, but this… this is pure anger at someone else.

This guy underestimated me, and the warning that comes with being S-rank.

I hadn’t felt this furious in a long time. It’s incredibly irritating.

“Did you pick a fight with me because I’m a new S-rank? Because I look young? Or maybe because you know the embarrassing stuff about my past? …I don’t care what you think about me, but when you bring others into it, that’s different.”

I’m the newest member of the S-rank adventurers, but after a year, I’ve developed a sense of pride.

I carry the honor that comes with being S-rank. 

And when someone tries to hurt the people I care about, I’m not going to just stay silent.

“If that’s how you want to play, then let’s settle this like adventurers. Yeah, like real adventurers… I’ll show you what ‘violence’ looks like.”

As I spoke, Gerand was slowly recovering. 

From the punch earlier, I’d say he’s around a low A-rank. His personality must be what’s holding him back from moving up.

He had pretty solid abs, and his armor wasn’t bad either. 

Not that it helped him—both were completely busted through.

If he can’t even cast Enhancement Magic in an instant, there’s no point in talking.

“Gah… ack… damn it…!”

“Oh yeah, you said I rely too much on cursed swords, right? If all it took was a cursed sword to become S-rank, no one would struggle to get there… right?”

Just as he finally started moving again, I kicked his body upward like I was scooping him off the ground.

His massive two-meter frame easily flew through the air, slamming into the ceiling of the first-floor atrium, before crashing down to the lower floor.

Ah, there he is, lying flat on the ground.

I kicked him to send him flying, so it probably didn’t hurt as much as it looked.

Still, it’s clear that there’s a big gap between B and A ranks. Elmie and the others are stronger than him for sure.

Speaking of Elmie and the others, they were now huddled together, whispering about something.

(Now that I think about it, Abel is…)

(He’s usually so kind, but when he gets angry…)

(He’s so terrifying, the kind—)

(He’s definitely someone you shouldn’t mess with!!!) x3

The trio of Oathsworn Radiant Swords behind me was whispering among themselves, but right now, my priority was Gerand, who had fallen. 

I jumped down from the second floor and landed lightly beside him.

“What’s wrong? Down for the count already? That huge body of yours is just for show, huh?”

Gerand glared at me with eyes full of rage, but it seemed my punch to his gut had done some serious damage. He was still curled up on the ground.

“Y-You bastard…! Don’t get cocky just because you caught me off guard…! I’m stronger than you…”

“For someone so strong, you sure are taking your time getting up. Need a hand?”

I grabbed his face with my right hand and—guh—lifted him up. I wasn’t sure how many kilos this giant weighed, but with Body Enhancement magic, he felt light as a feather. I easily hoisted him up without any effort.　

“Arghhh, it hurtss!”

“That’s what happens when you don’t get up fast enough.”

His body was unusually hard, probably because he had cast Defense Enhancement magic on himself. He tried to grab my hand to shake me off, but I didn’t let go. 

I slowly tightened my grip on his face. 

He must’ve been hearing faint cracking sounds in his ears by now.

“Die! You bastard!!!”

Even with his face held in my grip, Gerand swung his free right arm down at my head. His arm was thick like a tree trunk, but I effortlessly stopped it with my left hand.

“Ugh… damn it!”

Seeing that I had stopped his right hand, he let go of my arm and swung a powerful left hook at the side of my face. 

I see, since I’m grabbing his face, he figured I couldn’t block.

His fist, about the size of my head, smashed into my temple with a loud thud.

But I didn’t move an inch.

“What…!? Argh, damn it…!”

“I’m using the same Diamond Body as you. As you can see, you can’t even scratch me.”

Diamond Body is a magic that hardens the entire body. A novice might only manage to make themselves a bit tougher, but his punch was as hard as iron. 

However, my Diamond Body was at a level where even if something that hard hit me, it was the person who threw the punch that would feel the pain. Combined with my Body Enhancement, I didn’t even flinch.

Even though we were using the same magic, my enhancement was clearly stronger.

Simply put—

“This is the difference between you, a second-rate fighter, and us S-rank monsters.”

“!!!”

His eyes widened in shock as I held him, speechless. 

He was starting to understand the fear of being overpowered by the strength he once prided himself on.

He’s probably done this kind of thing to others before. 

But if I don’t teach him the difference now, he’ll keep underestimating me. 

Some fools need to be shown the harsh reality of what it means to face an S-rank.

“Damn it, damn it! How can I, with a Strong Warrior job, lose in strength to a Swordsman like you? You must be cheating! Did one of those women buff you—?”

The guy started yelling, refusing to accept the truth. 

Even after being completely overpowered, he still wouldn’t admit defeat. 

It’s honestly pathetic. I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Think whatever you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you lost to me, does it? …Get it now, B-rank, beaten by a kid?”

“Guh…!?”

I sneered at him, then easily tossed his massive body aside.

There was nowhere for Gerand to escape in mid-air, and for a moment, his face twisted in despair.

“If you can’t understand the difference in strength… then take a few days to reflect in a clinic bed!”

I put all my strength into a roundhouse kick, slamming it into his exposed torso. 

Before he even had a chance to scream, his body was sent flying like a ragdoll.

Gerand crashed through the guild wall and disappeared into the distance.

“Phew… well, that takes care of that.”

“Hey! Abel, what are you doing!? That was way too much!”

“Oh, Elmie. Nah, I don’t think so. That guy’s probably scum to the core… and I doubt he’s dead.”

From the way he talked, it seemed like he had a habit of attacking female adventurers.

That’s why I kicked him so hard, but he’s probably just got a few broken bones. He did say he was a Strong Warrior, and those warrior jobs tend to have tough bodies.

“Forget that muscle-head! You can’t just go around breaking the guild!”

Looking over, I saw that the guild’s wall had a huge hole in it. …It’s like a new, well-ventilated entrance.

“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think it’s fine at all…”

“Hey, shouldn’t we get out of here before we get in trouble?”

“We rely on the guild to help us, and now we’ve gone and damaged the building—”

“What is going on here!?”

A voice suddenly called down to us from above. A woman was looking down through the atrium. 

She seemed to be in her thirties, with long blue hair flowing as she descended the stairs.

The three of them let out a small yelp, so she must be someone important.

“You must be the guild master here.”

“Yes, I’m Alvia Nate, the guild master of this Cahel branch. You’re the cause of this commotion, aren’t you? You must be—”

As she glared at me, her eyes widened the moment she saw the swords at my waist.

“—S-Rank, Abel of the Four Swords… right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I was told by the staff that there was a brawl… Did you start it?”

“The one who started it is the guy on the other side of that hole in the wall—Gerand, a B-rank.”

Hearing that, the young guild master, Alvia, pressed a hand to her head, probably feeling a headache coming on.

“He picked a fight with an S-Rank like you… No, I suppose it’s not something I should dwell on. Could you come upstairs so we can talk? The fact is, you did damage the guild, and I have a few things I’d like to ask you.”

“Ehh, no thanks.”

I answered immediately.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Alvia Nate

The guild master of the Cahel branch of the Adventurers’ Guild.

A former A-rank solo adventurer in her early thirties.

She quickly rose through the ranks by proving her abilities and, after completing her training, was just recently appointed as a new guild master.

Now that the Demon King has been defeated, she was enthusiastic about her role as a young guild master, eager to make a difference. 

But then, some idiot caused trouble, and now he showed up.