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 39: The Progenitor Raidlake

Chapter 39: The Progenitor Raidlake

There are many races in this world.

Elves, Dwarves, Beastfolk—each with traits that set them apart from regular humans.

More specifically, from us Humans or “plainfolk,” as we’re classified.

And among all of them, the most unusual would be the Vampires.

They thrive on drinking blood.

They’re incredibly vulnerable to sunlight—so much so that direct exposure could kill them.

But in exchange, they have terrifying abilities.

They can transform their bodies into animals or objects, multiply their kind through special skills, and wield blood-based magic and techniques.

“Honestly… I noticed you right away, and yet you needed a demonstration just to recognize me? I’m hurt, truly.”

“Who the hell expects a vampire to be lounging on a beach under the blazing sun!?”

The man laughing in front of me—

He was no ordinary vampire.

He was one of the oldest and most powerful among them.

A being known as a True Ancestor, and even more than that—

He was the very origin of their kind, a vampire who had lived for thousands of years.

The Immortal Progenitor—Raidlake.

“Wait, Abel? Did he just say ‘Progenitor’? A vampire!? But he’s literally wearing an aloha shirt and chilling on the beach! What is going on!?”

Elmie drew her sword and shouted, completely confused.

Yeah, sorry. I’m just as lost.

My only connection with Raidlake was that one night a year ago.

Back then, he was the one stalling the Hero’s Party up north.

I launched a surprise attack and forced him to retreat.

We both ended up barely standing—

It was more like a mutual knockout than a clear win.

“Why are you here? Is this payback for that night!?”

I activated my ring-shaped magic tool, White Phantom’s Vault, and instantly summoned my gear—magic swords and belt included.

Granchario in my left hand. Breathslate in my right.

I was fully battle-ready.

“W-Wait, Abel—you’re saying this guy is really that ‘Progenitor’!?”

“Now that I think about it, didn’t you mention fighting one before…!?”

The twin sisters pulled out their weapons too, though they clearly weren’t sure what to do.

Even Elmie looked hesitant.

Vampires were known to attack other races and suck their blood.

And when it came to the Progenitor, his name was legendary—especially among adventurers.

He was known as a monster who could fight evenly with S-Rank adventurers… and win.

“If you’re here for revenge, that’s fine. I’ll cut you down for real this time—”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down. I didn’t come here to fight you.”

Raidlake chuckled as he raised his hands casually, waving them as if to show he meant no harm.

From the look of it…

He really didn’t seem hostile.

“…You’ve got some nerve saying that after launching a blood spear at me out of nowhere.”

“That’s only because you didn’t recognize me. I was a little hurt, you know. Besides, I made sure to miss, didn’t I?”

Raidlake pouted slightly as he muttered how rude—but only for a second.

In the next breath, he spread his arms with a cheerful smile.

“Look, see? I’ve got no intention of fighting. I was just so excited to see you again, I got a little carried away! My bad!”

With both hands still raised, he strolled over with the friendly vibe of someone greeting an old pal.

“That’s what makes it creepy…!”

All we did was try to kill each other for one night.

Why was he acting like we were lifelong friends?

Seeing him walk up so cheerfully, like I could slice his neck or stab his gut and he wouldn’t mind…

That kind of attitude was way more terrifying than any blood magic.

“…Sigh. Fine.”

I finally lowered my swords.

It didn’t feel right to keep my weapons drawn against someone clearly showing no hostility.

Plus, I did spend a whole night fighting this guy, so I had a vague sense of his personality.

And judging from the please don’t fight him energy radiating from behind me, I wasn’t the only one.

“But seriously… What the hell is a vampire doing in the tropics? And why does that aloha shirt suit you so damn well?”

The bright shirt showed off his lean, muscular build, leaving little to the imagination.

He had been lounging on a beach chair trying to tan, and yet his skin was perfectly pale.

His body was refined and compact, with the elegance of a nobleman.

“I’m flattered by the compliments. But don’t worry—walking under sunlight feels like sunbathing to me!”

“Of course it does! Not like I was worried or anything!”

“Direct sunlight feels great! So warm and invigorating!”

“This has to be some kind of insult to all vampires…”

Apparently, the stronger a vampire gets, the more resistant they become to sunlight.

But for their Progenitor to completely ignore one of their biggest weaknesses?

Yeah… being a vampire must be rough.

“Hmm. By the way—who are those women with you? I thought you were in love with that Sage, Millia. There were rumors of betrayal not too long ago, but I dismissed them. You cared for her so deeply—I assumed you were still with her.”

“Ughweh.”

The sound that escaped me was… not dignified.

Caught off guard, I couldn’t hide the damage his words dealt.

I’d already come to terms with it—

But that didn’t mean I’d forgotten.

Seeing me freeze up, Elmie stepped forward and answered in my place.

“Um, I’m Elmie, leader of the A-Rank adventurer party Oathsworn Radiant Swords. About Millia… well, a lot has happened…”

“Oh…? Sounds like there’s a story there—”

Raidlake glanced between me, sweating and awkward, and Elmie, nervous but standing her ground.

He seemed to put two and two together.

“Well, standing around out here isn’t very elegant. Since I finally ran into you, Abel—Shall we move somewhere else?”

With a flourish of his aloha shirt, he turned and started walking toward the city.

“Come with me! I’ve been staying here for about two weeks now—I’ve got the whole tourist scene covered! I’ll take you to my favorite place. It’s on me—everyone eats for free! Hahaha!”

“He’s living his best life out here… like it’s one big vacation.”

“What should we do? Is it really okay to go with him…?”

“As long as Abel’s with us, I guess it’s fine…”

The girls put their weapons away, though they still looked uneasy.

Raidlake wasn’t showing any hostility, but the gap in power between them was so overwhelming, it made sense they’d feel nervous.

“…Let’s go. He might be ridiculously strong, but he’s not the type to attack without reason. Compared to other S-Ranks, he’s way more… rational.”

At the very least, I knew he wouldn’t suddenly snap and start tearing through the city.

Even that earlier attack was controlled—he’d pierced the Shuna tree, but made sure not to bring it down.

“Okay… got it. —But Abel, is this really what all S-Ranks are like…?”

“Don’t say it…”

All I could do was look away at Elmie’s exasperated voice.

・　・　・　・　・

The place he brought us to was a seaside restaurant.

It had a classy atmosphere, but it wasn’t so high-end that regular people would feel out of place.

It gave off a comfortable, welcoming vibe.

There was a wide terrace facing the ocean, sectioned into semi-private booths, perfect for relaxing while enjoying a good meal.

It felt like the kind of place meant for upper-tier adventurers.

That much became obvious as soon as the food arrived.

“Wow, this is delicious!”

“It tastes amazing and the portions are huge… This place is incredible!”

Dishes bursting with color, mostly seafood-based, were brought out in waves.

It was clearly a menu tailored for big-eating, high-ranking adventurers.

The prices were definitely high, but for anyone A-Rank or above, it was still affordable.

“Hahaha! See? You can eat here without worrying about manners or appearances. And it’s private too—safe even for someone as famous as you, Abel!”

“…Thanks. I appreciate the thought.”

“Um, thank you very much. We didn’t expect to be treated too…”

“Don’t be silly! Anyone who’s with Abel is more than welcome!”

Even though Raidlake was laughing and chatting nonstop, my eyes were glued to the food in front of me.

Sashimi, grilled fish, soups, stews…

And some fancy-looking stuff I didn’t even know the names of.

Not that it mattered—everything tasted great.

The girls were enjoying the food just as much.

Frey especially couldn’t stop eating.

“Oh, that carpaccio’s a good one. The fish is freshly caught—brought in early this morning.”

“Mmm~! You don’t get to eat raw fish very often, but this is so good!”

“You’re way too used to this… You’re basically a full-on tourist at this point.”

“Now, now. I did have a reason for being here. Sightseeing just happens to be part of it.”

Raidlake was munching on a tomato-based seafood pasta, and honestly, he looked like any ordinary human tourist.

While we ate, we took turns introducing ourselves and explaining the situation up to now.

“I don’t know why, but I feel like I could really get along with you, Mr. Raidlake.”

“Frey… Don’t tell me you’re falling for him just because he bought us lunch.”

“H-Hey! That’s not it! I meant his personality, okay?”

“I don’t know… I’m kind of feeling the same vibe too.”

“Hahaha! Excellent! I feel it too—you two and I, we’re definitely on the same wavelength!”

And just like that, the twin sisters and the ancient Progenitor vampire were getting along and even sharing drinks.

“…So it was true after all.”

Once introductions settled down, I explained the situation with Millia.

“…I was honestly thinking of going to kill that woman myself, but if you’re already in the middle of your own revenge, I suppose I’ll step back for now.”

“Why are you so fired up about this…?”

“Just hearing about that bitch pisses me off. And knowing what you went through makes it even worse.”

I had accidentally mentioned my reason for traveling to Raidlake during our fight…

Did he find out about me and Millia the Sage being a couple from that article?

“And now you’re already surrounded by three girls, huh… I thought I could skip the whole process of helping you get over her… No, maybe the difficulty actually dropped instead…?”

He started muttering to himself in a low voice.

But I had something that had been bugging me, so I finally asked him directly.

“More importantly—what are you doing here, anyway? Don’t tell me you just came to enjoy the beach.”

“Hmm? I’ve been saying it from the start. I came here looking for you.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve been searching for you ever since the Hero’s Party defeated the Demon King, you know?”

According to Raidlake, it went like this:

First, he spent three weeks searching the northern regions—

The most likely place I would’ve been.

But he found nothing.

So then he figured maybe I had returned to the central continent, to the Sildiel Kingdom, ahead of the Hero’s Party.

He spent another two weeks searching there.

“And still, I couldn’t find you anywhere. At that point, I had no more leads. So I figured, if I was going to search the southern lands next… I might as well enjoy a little vacation while I’m at it.”

So that’s how it all happened.

A complete case of missed timing.

I’d spent about a month recovering after the Demon King battle, then only stayed in the royal capital for two days before heading off to Cahel.

Since I was traveling alone, it would’ve been pretty hard for anyone to track me down.

By the way, in situations like this, there’s actually a service.

If you pay a fee, the Guild can deliver messages to high-ranking adventurers.

Apparently, Raidlake didn’t know that.

Even if he had left a message, though, I never visited any guilds after arriving in Cahel…

So it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

“So it really was just a coincidence that we met here… But why were you even looking for me in the first place? Still upset about how our last fight ended?”

“No. That outcome was fine. Both of us risked our lives and still ended in a draw—That’s the best kind of finish.”

Our last battle ended in a tie. We were both on the brink of death. It was the textbook definition of a draw.

I thought maybe he wanted to settle it properly this time…

But that wasn’t it.

“The reason I wanted to find you is simple—I wanted to see the one I love. You understand that feeling, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I mean… wait. Wait, what?”

What did this guy just say?

Everyone except Raidlake froze in place. You could practically hear the snap in the air.

“Hey… what did you just say? Who loves who?”

“Honestly now. Don’t make me repeat myself. That’s minus points, you know. But fine—I’ll say it again, as many times as it takes.”

Raidlake let out a dramatic sigh, shook his head, then looked me straight in the eye with a gentle smile and said—

“I love you—Abel. From that night on, I’ve been completely in love with you.”

“HIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!”

I may have just poked a very dangerous hornet’s nest.