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 36: Because of Love

Volume 02

Chapter 36: Because of Love

—It was a bitterly cold night.

“I only meant it as a way to kill time, but to think I’d run into someone like you.”

Snow still clung to the ground, yet the sky was clear, bathed in moonlight. With that pale glow at his back, the man spoke in good spirits, his tone laced with quiet curiosity.

“Why help those people? You poured everything into honing that strength, didn’t you? And yet, you step into battles where your life could end in a single blow?”

His long, crimson hair fluttered in the wind as he questioned further.

“They’re lacking. In strength, in resolve. Without someone strong like you, they can’t even hope to defeat the Demon King. So then why—”

“Because of love.”

The young man wiped the blood from his face and drew a deep breath. The frigid air stabbed at his lungs.

“I’ve got someone I love. I pushed myself until it felt like I was shaving away my life. Even if it meant coughing up blood, I kept going to save them. And now, I’m going to get you out of the way so they don’t waste the strength they’ve earned. It’s because of love. That’s all.”

He gave his answer—words he’d once heard somewhere before.

And then—

The young man who would one day be known as one of the “Four Swords” raised his blade.

・　・　・　・　・

The breeze carried a faint scent of the sea.

The heat had crept up on us as we walked—enough to make me sweat.

Well, it made sense. We were heading south.

Along the road stretching from the north to the southern lands, we were the only ones in sight—just the four of us.

“The carriage from the last stop being canceled… talk about bad luck~”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like we’re in a hurry. We can just take it slow and enjoy the trip.”

While I was picking up the scent of the sea in the air, two purple-haired girls with strikingly similar beauty chatted beside me.

The older sister, Frey, spoke in her usual laid-back tone.

Her younger sister, Maria, smiled gently as if to calm her down.

Both of them were known for their glamorous figures—the Estumué sisters.

“Well, we can think of it as extra training! Besides, it’s fun! …Right, Abel?”

“Yeah.”

And walking beside us was Elmie—the leader of the A-Rank party Oathsworn Radiant Swords, which I, Abel Sixam, had officially joined.

As she walked with a bright smile, her long blonde hair swayed behind her like a tail.

“Fufu, true. If I’m with you, I’d be happy walking anywhere~”

“Though if we do end up somewhere really dangerous, I’d appreciate you protecting us, okay?”

“We’re not going to any place like that. But if we do, I’ll make sure to protect you.”

It had been about a week since we left Cahel.

Our journey’s main purpose was to return my magic swords.

But it wasn’t something we needed to rush.

We took our time, filling in the gaps of the three years we had been apart, sharing stories and laughs along the way.

So far, everything on this journey had gone smoothly—

At least, the journey part had.

“I’m just glad nothing dangerous has happened so far.”

“…Yeah. Me too.”

I glanced away for a moment at Frey’s words.

Dangerous things… yeah, there was something.

Something serious—

Even as an S-Rank adventurer, I still hadn’t found a way to deal with it.

And that was—

Ever since I joined the party, the girls had been way too physically affectionate!

It might not sound like a big deal to others, but for me, it was a real problem.

From the day we left Cahel, I had been exposed—again and again—to intense, sanity-draining…

To put it simply, way too suggestive skinship.

Take Maria, for example—

“Wow, Abel, you’re giving me a shoulder massage? I’m so happy~ Big Sis and I always get stiff shoulders for some reason. Wonder why that is?”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense… Hmm. Is this pressure okay?”

“Mmm~ could you go a little harder?”

“Alright.”

“Harder, please.”

“Still more… ngh…”

“Haa… aahn… more…!”

“…”

“Agh… mm, fuuh…! —Ah! Ngh, hah… hah…!”

“…………”

—Why!?

Why is she making sounds like that!?

I was pressing pretty hard—it should’ve hurt!

So why the moaning…?

Why the trembling…!?

And then there was Frey—

“Abel~ Can you help me out for a bit~?”

“Sure. What do you need help with?”

“Getting dressed~♪”

“What!?”

“My chest gets in the way when I put on my armor, so I want you to hold them up~ I usually ask Maria, but thanks to someone, she’s all melted right now… You get what I mean?”

“…What about Elmie? Can’t you ask her?”

“She went out for a run. Won’t be back for a while. So… will you help me?”

“Ugh… f-fine…”

“Yeah, just like that—wrap your hands from behind… and lift from underneath—nn, ahn!”

“~~~!?!?”

“Fufufu~ Why are you so far away? You can press in a little more, you know…?”

—Forget seductive. This was just plain indecent.

She had me help her directly. With my bare hands.

Even though I somehow managed to make it through, my hands still remembered the feeling.

The weight, the softness… it still lingered…!

And as if that wasn’t enough, even Elmie—

“It’s been a while since we just sat around a campfire like this.”

“Yeah… Lately, even when we did meet up, we’d only talk for a bit before I had to head off again. But things really have changed, huh?”

“Definitely. We couldn’t afford magic tools for keeping watch back in the day. Things are way easier now.”

“Yeah… I mean, that’s true, but, uh… I was actually wondering… why are you sitting so close to me…?”

“Ahaha! Well, I was kinda thinking maybe it’s about time I started doing things like this… or maybe if I don’t, I might be too late…! And, um, maybe it’s just getting warmer since we’re heading south… hehe… But, is it okay if I stay like this… just a little longer?”

“…Yeah.”

—She’s too cute.

Compared to the other two, Elmie wasn’t overly suggestive.

But seeing her—always full of energy—now blushing and looking up at me with those eyes…

That gap hit hard.

…I mean, I’m still a healthy guy.

I had stayed loyal to Millia, sure—but in the end, I had just been holding back.

She cheated. Betrayed me in the worst way.

But unlike someone else, I didn’t shut down over it.

If anything, after three years of staying chaste, everything had just kept piling up inside.

In short—

My magic sword is already at its limit!!!

It was rough. Too rough.

The three of them had been my friends for years—people I owed a lot to.

But more than that, they were just… way too attractive.

For someone like me, already overflowing with pent-up energy, their very existence felt like a deadly poison.

And their affection—if you could even call it that—only kept getting more intense with time.

These days felt like some kind of twisted paradise.

And yet, I couldn’t do anything about it—not in a camp, not in a cheap inn.

My heart—my self-control—was on the verge of collapse…

“Haa…”

—Why are they doing this?

I thought I had a pretty good idea of how they felt about me.

After all, if they didn’t at least like me, there’s no way they’d act like that.

I’d had a girlfriend before, so I wasn’t completely clueless when it came to reading a woman’s mood.

Back then, I had only ever looked at Millia.

So I never noticed it…

But now that I think about it, they had been showing signs, hadn’t they?

Even three years ago, they were all making moves on me…

And I just completely ignored it like a fool.

Still… acting on that the moment I realized their feelings—it didn’t sit right with me.

That would’ve made me no better than that Hero.

And even if the chances were low—really low—

What if… they changed, like Millia did?

That thought alone was enough to hold me back.

If I made the wrong move, if I misunderstood something, I might ruin everything between us.

That fear kept me from taking a single step forward.

“Abel~, honestly… what are you thinking about?”

As I sat there, lost in frustrating thoughts and aimless worries, a voice called out—followed by a sudden impact.

I turned and saw Frey clinging tightly to my right arm.

So tightly, in fact, that I could practically hear my bones creaking under the pressure.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

[Afterword]

Hi there! This is your ever-frustrated author, Sora Akatsuki.

Thanks for waiting—Volume 2 officially begins!

What kind of volume is it going to be?

Well, something like this:

The love-blind, loyal-to-a-fault, helpless second-cherry protagonist

VS

The bold, seductive, inexperience-powered sister trio!

FIGHT!