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 22: Stampede

Chapter 22: Stampede

[Side: Purehearted Sword Saint]

The next morning, or rather, a little past it…

“Aaaahhhh!!! Why did I do something like that!? I showed him—he saw me—I showed everything!!”

In the dining area of The Earth’s Rest Inn, I sat with my head in my hands, practically burying myself in shame over a late breakfast.

“Is it really worth agonizing over that much? You worked so hard to perfect your body, didn’t you? With your figure, you should be proud!”

“Pride doesn’t mean I’m not embarrassed!!!”

I barked back at Frey’s encouragement.

Of course, I have confidence in myself!

It’s a body I worked hard to build while daydreaming about maybe someday catching Abel’s attention!

A trim waist, firm yet soft muscles that flow like steel, blending the strength of a swordsman with the femininity of a woman.

It’s probably as close to my ideal as I can get.

…Although, I wouldn’t mind a little more, you know, volume. There.

I sneak a glance.

––Boing! Sway! Jiggle!

It’s like I can practically hear the sound effects from the two violent forces of nature sitting at the table with me.

“You’re such a shy one. I wouldn’t mind showing off anytime.”

“Stick to the agreement!”

“And the slogan?”

“Yeah, yeah, ‘We’ll go together, no sneaky moves.’ I know.”

“Good. That’s the spirit. …But honestly, if it helped Abel feel even a little better, wasn’t it worth it?”

Yeah, it really was a relief.

We never expected Abel to be so weighed down that he’d almost take his own life. But that look of relief we saw on his face last night…
And his peaceful, adorable sleeping face we just watched this morning…
It made me want to believe that things would be okay now.

“Still, Abel’s sleeping face… wasn’t it the cutest thing ever?”

“Absolutely. And this morning was such a dream, wasn’t it? Waking up with all three of us half-naked and snuggled up to him…”

“It was just like a harem scene, wasn’t it?”

The three of us squirmed at the memory, our faces flushed.

When we woke up this morning, we were all basically clinging to Abel, almost completely bare.

It was inevitable—our sleepwear was light to begin with, and taking off just the top had made things even more… well, intimate.

It felt like one of those idyllic harem mornings we’d all secretly daydreamed about. We couldn’t help but grin.

We spent ages watching Abel’s peaceful sleeping face, even as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

For someone who’d grown so strong and manly, his sleeping face was incredibly soft and adorable. That gap—it was irresistible.

Of course, even though Abel’s strong, he’s still human. It’ll take him a while to fully recover, but once he does…”We’ve gotta be even more proactive!”

“But to really make a harem work, we have to get his bond with Millia annulled.”

“Yeah…! Even if it takes time, we’ll persuade him. It’ll be hard, but I’ll make sure we gather the proof we need!”

“Right… about that, there’s something I want to tell Abel when he wakes up.”

As we fired ourselves up about breaking the soul-bond, Maria suddenly spoke up, her expression thoughtful. 

Frey turned toward her, seeming to pick up on her mood.

“Is this what you two were worried about?”

“Yes, it’s about the evidence of Millia’s… infidelity.”

“Actually, we—”

Just as Frey was about to say more—

Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

A deafening noise erupted across the entire town.

“Is that…!?”

From the direction of the Adventurers’ Guild came the shrill sound of a magical siren. From the Souther Sky Faith church, the relentless tolling of a bell.

The sheer volume, designed to be heard across the whole town, signaled one thing—a calamity that was universally recognized across the continent.

“…A stampede…!”

That noise was the ominous echo of disaster.

・　・　・　・　・

Stampede.

A massive, uncontrollable migration of monsters, devastating everything in their path.

Monsters, by nature, follow their own ecosystems. But during a stampede, they abandon all such behaviors, swarming together in a violent march that destroys everything in its wake.

The causes may vary, but one thing remains constant—a stampede is always a catastrophe.

“Guildmaster! Are you here?!”

Fully armed, we sprinted down the brick-paved streets toward the Guild, urgency in every step. We’d barely arrived before we began calling out for Alvia.

“Miss Elmie! Thank goodness you’re here!”

Alvia, looking frazzled, rushed over from the lobby where she’d been running around, seemingly managing the chaos.

“That alarm—it’s a stampede, right?! What’s the situation?!”

“Scouts with specialized jobs confirmed a massive horde of monsters heading toward Cahel. They’ll reach the town in less than two hours…!”

“Two hours!? There’s no way we can evacuate in time! How many? What’s the scale!?”

“The monster count is… over five thousand. And it’s still growing.”

Five thousand? That’s way beyond what I expected. A stampede of this size, happening out of nowhere… how!?

“And what about fighters? Adventurers, soldiers—anyone who can fight?”

“We’re doing a headcount now, but it looks like only about a thousand. Worse, the scouts have reported that among the horde, there are over 500 A-class monsters. And here in Cahel, we only have a few dozen A-rank adventurers at best.”

Damn it… Cahel might be a major town, but it’s far from the Demon King’s domain, so high-level adventurers don’t usually base themselves here!

A-class monsters are on a completely different level of danger. Monsters like the Moldrake or wyverns—those require experienced and powerful adventurers to even scratch them.

“If we could count on Sir Abel’s power, we might stand a chance…”

“Even if it’s Abel, those numbers are just…”

“We’ve seen him fight, but still… that’s too much, even for him! Besides—”

“Abel… he’s not in any condition to fight right now.”

“Wha—what?! Why? If he can’t fight… then…!”

Alvia’s voice was panicked, her face showing clear desperation.

“He collapsed from exhaustion and hasn’t woken up yet. It’s hard to say when he’ll be able to get up…”

“T-This can’t be…”

When someone who’s been sleep-deprived finally falls asleep, it’s more like passing out. It’s unlikely he’ll wake up anytime soon.

And no matter how miraculous holy magic might be, it can’t heal fatigue. If we force him awake in this condition, he won’t be anywhere near his usual self.

In other words, Abel can’t be relied on for now.

The look of despair on Alvia’s face made it clear she knew just how much hope an S-rank adventurer like Abel could’ve brought.

“He collapsed? Yeah right! He’s probably just a coward running away like the fraud he is—a so-called ‘S-rank’ my ass!”

As we clenched our fists in frustration, an obnoxious voice interrupted.

“You…!”

“Hah, fancy meeting you again, ‘sword saint.’ That brat wouldn’t make a difference even if he were here! Sure, he’s a little strong, but at the end of the day, he’s just a swordsman. Numbers will overwhelm him like anyone else!”

It was Gerand—the scumbag who’d been beaten to a pulp by Abel just days ago.

“You bastard…!”

“Elmie, this isn’t the time to focus on him.” 

Frey grabbed my shoulder as I glared daggers at him.

“Damn it… I’m not dying in a dump like this! I’ll crush those damn monsters myself!”

Muttering to himself, Gerand stalked off somewhere.

As much as I wanted to cut him down on the spot, now wasn’t the time. Even a scum like him might be useful in a fight.

“We’ve sent requests for reinforcements in all directions… But we’re on the borderlands, so it’s hard to say how soon—or if—they’ll arrive…”

The guild had sent out news broadcasts, calling for aid from adventurers across the region and the nation itself.

Our job was clear—hold the line until reinforcements arrived.

“Beyond adventurers, the local military will cooperate with us. Additionally, Souther Sky Faith has sent about 150 holy and dark magic users. They’ll handle healing and support through weakening the enemy.”

“That’s reassuring, but…”

The healing capabilities of Souther Sky Faith were indeed extraordinary. However, the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming. It felt like we were grasping at straws, relying entirely on reinforcements to make it through.

“The real issue is the number of A-class monsters. There are very few people here capable of defeating them…”

With no option to flee, our only choice was to hold our ground.

Under the leadership of the new Guild Master Alvia, the adventurers’ guild took charge of organizing the city’s defense.

And so, the city of Cahel faced disaster—a stampede of monsters—without its S-rank adventurer.

―Two hours later.

The Oathsworn Radiant Swords stood atop the high walls encircling Cahel.

Cahel, being a border town, had fortified defenses—tall and thick walls built not just for human conflicts, but in preparation for potential incursions from the Demon King’s forces over the centuries.

On top of these walls, every available fighter had gathered.

In the distance, a massive dust cloud signaled the approaching monster horde.

Stretching as far as the eye could see, the stampede covered the land in an unending wave of monsters.

But something was off. Unlike the usual tight formations of a stampede, this one was scattered and chaotic, an unnatural sight for such an event.

“We’ve faced stampedes before over the years, but this one’s definitely the scariest. Something about it feels… off.”

“You don’t seem tense at all for someone saying that, big sis.”

“Of course not. I finally have a chance to get closer to Abel. Like hell I’m dying here.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Frey. We can’t lose now.”

I nodded in agreement.

Abel was still unconscious. We tried waking him, but there was barely any response. The doctor insisted he needed days of rest to recover fully. This time, it was our turn to protect him.

“Alright, let’s do this. We’re going to protect Abel—and ourselves.”

I drew my sword, a long crimson blade made entirely of mithril, named Agua Gada.

It’s the partner I trust the most.

Frey readied her halberd, and Maria unsheathed her segmented sword.

With determination to survive, we prepared our weapons.

As the monsters entered range, arrows and spells rained down from the wall, signaling the start of the battle. Without hesitation, we charged into the chaos below.

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I’ll publish an afterword and update my progress note around 8 PM. Stay tuned!