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 49: The Azure Dragon Benefactor

Chapter 49: The Azure Dragon Benefactor

“It’s been a while, Granny Crim.”

“Been a few months, hasn’t it? Good timing though. You’ve been caught up with the Demon Lord mess, right? Must be tough babysitting those rookie Hero kids.”

It had been about a year and a half since I got the magic sword from her—nine months after I first set out on my journey.

Back then, I used to drop by whenever I was nearby, but lately I’d been stuck handling matters in the northern region.

“I saw that article in the guild newsletter. The one about your girlfriend cheating on you. Judging by the fact she’s not with you… I guess it wasn’t completely made up, huh?”

“Yeah. I’ve decided to break things off with Millia. I’m sorry… After all the help you gave me, this is how it turned out.”

I bowed my head to Granny Crim.

She narrowed her eyes kindly, as if trying to comfort me, and spoke.

“Abel, boy… even in a short human life, a lot can happen. Sure, it was a heavy blow—but maybe it’s better you went through it sooner rather than later.”

“…Can’t argue with the wisdom of an Elder Dragon.”

“Don’t go underestimating an old lady. I’ve swallowed more sweet and bitter than the whole ocean could hold.”

They say the lines on a turtle’s shell show its years—but even that couldn’t match the weight of scales aged over millennia.

A dragon who had lived for thousands of years—her words carried a kind of depth you couldn’t fake.

“It’s fine. I’ll make sure he doesn’t regret it.”

“Thanks, Elmie… Oh, right—let me introduce everyone. These are the folks I’m traveling with now. That’s Elmie, our leader. And these two are sisters—Frey, the older one, and Maria, the younger. They’re the mentors I told you about.”

“P-Pleased to meet you.”

“U-Um, Abel… is she really a dragon?”

“I mean, yeah, the magical pressure she gives off is insane, but… I’m still having a hard time believing it…”

As I introduced the three of them to Granny Crim, they started asking questions—still visibly tense.

Well, I couldn’t really blame them. Crim might’ve looked like a frail old woman with wispy, translucent hair… but the overwhelming magical pressure radiating from her made it clear she was anything but ordinary.

“She’s the real deal—Granny Crim is 100% a dragon. Apparently, dragons have a special kind of magic that lets them transform into human form.”

“It’s called Dragon Magic. You can do all sorts of things with it. I used to live by the sea, you know? But once I realized how much more convenient it is being near human settlements, I decided to retire out here.”

“Dragon Magic…!”

The moment Maria heard those words, her eyes lit up in excitement.

Granny Crim used to live in a dragon nest located in the southern seas—the same place known for Estena’s famous “Dragon Ice.”

Actually, she was the original source of that phenomenon.

Apparently, her relatives had taken over the nest now, while she enjoyed a quiet life away from it all.

Seeing how relaxed Granny Crim was, the others quickly straightened their posture and addressed her respectfully.

“Lady Crim, thank you so much for saving Abel! We’ve been so worried about him this whole time…”

“We were honestly scared he might actually die back there…”

“Abel’s still alive because of you, Miss Crim. We’re really grateful!”

“Hehehe, don’t worry about it. He begged me like his life depended on it, so I gave him a little help, that’s all. Still… it’s not every day you see girls this devoted to a guy. You’re all good girls, you know that? Abel, you better not let them slip away.”

“S-Stop.”

I looked away with a grunt.

Granny Crim had smiled kindly at the three girls as they bowed to her,

But when her gaze shifted to Raynare—absently twirling a strand of her crimson hair around her finger—her expression turned a little more guarded.

“Hmm… That red one over there… You look familiar. Who were you again?”

“Hmph. Old age messing with your memory already, Blue Lizard?”

“Ahh? That tone… Oh, I see now. Big Bat, huh. Didn’t recognize you—you’re a woman now.”

Blue Lizard. Big Bat.

The two traded barbs with matching grimaces—dragon and vampire, casually flinging insults like it was just another day.

“…Wait, you two know each other?”

“Well, live long enough and paths are bound to cross. This one tried to suck my blood ages ago—came outta nowhere and attacked me. We ended up clashing more than a few times. She was relentless… just like a cave-dwelling bat that never lets go.”

“I was just really into rare blood back then! …But I’ve changed, okay!? I don’t go biting people anymore!”

“Maybe that’s why people are so freaked out by vampires.”

“Hold on… were we in danger too!?”

“That was just a wild phase, alright!?”

Apparently, Raynare had her own monstrous reputation back in the day—like the kind you still hear whispered in adventurer taverns.

Though honestly, the idea that she once picked fights with dragons was hard to believe.

Looking at her now—getting teased by Frey and Maria—it just didn’t add up.

There might’ve been some old grudges between her and Crim,

But there wasn’t any bitterness in the air—no hatred. Just history.

“You’ve mellowed out a lot… Still, what’s a Progenitor doing tagging along with Abel? Well, whatever. No sense standing out here forever—come on in, I’ll host you all!”

With a soft sway, Granny Crim rose from her rocking chair and started walking toward the house.

“Abel boy, you’ve brought something good again today, haven’t you? How about I dust off my cooking skills for the first time in a while?”

“Haha, thanks. You’re in for a treat—I scored a massive haul today.”

“Oh? You mean that giant squid—the Kraken? Leave it to me! I’ve gotten sick of just gnawing on raw squid, so I’ve been brushing up on my recipes lately!”

“A dragon that cooks, huh…”

As we followed Granny Crim toward her house, I heard Elmie mutter that in disbelief.

She always cooked whatever souvenirs I brought her—and to be honest, her cooking was impressive.

Better than you’d expect from a dragon who once lived in a seaside cave.

“Hmph. Might as well take her up on the offer.”

“You know… this might be one of the rarest experiences we ever have.”

“A bit late to realize that, Big Sis…”

Raynare followed behind, arms folded beneath her chest.

What used to be Frey’s eager curiosity now came out more like quiet awe, neatly wrapped up by Maria’s dry reply.

・　・　・　・　・

“I need your help. Please… lend me your strength.”

It had been a dark and stormy day.

The sea raged. Waves crashed against the shore.

Wind howled through trees and shook the houses nearby.

And there I was—kneeling, forehead pressed to the ground.

Why?

Because I was bowing before a dragon.

She sat there, calm and motionless in her rocking chair, watching me.

“You’re an Elder Dragon… some even call you the Dragon God. If I could get one of your claws or fangs… I might be able to forge a new magic sword.”

But—

The way Crimshario looked down at me that day was ice cold.

“You show up out of nowhere and ask for a favor? Bold, aren’t you? I’ve got nothing for some fool who only shows up when he wants power. And besides, don’t you already have a magic sword?”

She gave the green blade at my hip a bored glance, then went right back to her newspaper like I wasn’t even there.

“There’ve been others like you, you know—idiots who came after my body… or more precisely, my parts. So far, they’ve all ended up the same way. Are you just another one of them? Humans really are greedy creatures.”

“I want to save the woman I love.”

“……Hmm.”

Her gaze slowly drifted back to me.

Looks like I finally said something that caught her attention.

“The one I love… she’s stronger than me. I couldn’t even keep up with her. But if I want to save her… I still don’t have what it takes. I’m willing to do anything to protect her.”

“Even if that means challenging me?”

It felt like the sky was falling.

A crushing pressure slammed into me from all sides—

But I held firm. I didn’t let it break me.

“Because I love her. That’s why I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Even under that suffocating weight,

I lifted my head,

And stared straight into the long, narrow eyes of the dragon before me.

“That whole passionate speech of yours actually got to this old lady a little. So I gave you a few things—some claws I’d shed, a couple of old scales… Oh, right! Around that time, one of my fangs had broken off thanks to that damned Zundabar. Figured I’d throw that in too!”

After Granny Crim welcomed us into her hand-built log cabin,

We handed over the Kraken and whale meat we’d brought along.

While she bustled around the kitchen, the stories started flowing—

Mostly about how the two of us first met.

“Gaaaah…! Staaaph already…!”

We weren’t even together anymore, so why did it feel like every embarrassing memory was coming back to life just to torment me!?

All I could do was clutch my head and roll around on the floor in despair.

Meanwhile, Elmie and the others were lounging around the room, half-relaxing as they listened in on the whole thing.

“Wait, wait—someone actually broke an Elder Dragon’s fang!? So those rumors were true?!”

“I’ve had my eye on that sword. One day, I bet it’ll turn into a proper Dragon Slayer.”

“Not like she didn’t grow a new fang right after…”

Yeah, I remember—it had already grown back by the time she handed me the sword.

She probably hadn’t been channeling any magic through it, and it was all worn down from age.

Still, dragon parts only unleash their true potential when infused with magic.

Even so…

Was that ice really food? Because that’s ridiculous.

“I took that fang and claw—along with a small portion of my power—and shaped it into what became one of your magic swords, Abel boy.”

“Wait, a part of your power? Like… a skill or something!? So it wasn’t just the materials? No wonder Granchario’s so strong!”

“I told him he could name it whatever he liked… and he goes and slaps on something painfully grand.”

“You really admired her, didn’t you, Abel~?”

“Can we not bring that up right now!?”

I mean, seriously! The name had a nice ring to it!

What’s the big deal!?

“Tch. I didn’t need to hear about your lovesick puppy phase with that two-faced girl.”

Raynare, standing off to the side with arms crossed, clearly wasn’t amused.

“Ah, right—Raynare probably hasn’t heard much about it, huh? Abel’s romantic escapades.”

“Back then, it was constant. If he wasn’t hovering over Millia, they were being nauseatingly affectionate.”

“And Millia? Oh, she made sure to brag about it too. I almost died from jealousy.”

…Was I really like that?

I just wanted to take care of her.

I tried to keep her smiling. That was it…

And Millia had been bragging about it?

I had no idea.

It never felt like there was any real tension between her and the others…

“I’m honestly glad I wasn’t around back then. If I’d seen all that lovey-dovey stuff… jealousy might’ve made me do something reckless.”

“Oh? So the Big Bat’s got a thing for Abel, huh? For a granny around my age, you’ve got guts falling for my boy.”

“I do appreciate you giving him a magic sword—but call me a granny again, and I will kill you. Got it?”

“Now, now—you’re ageless, right? No need to go full murder over it…”

I stepped in quickly before things could escalate.

There was a definite glint of bloodlust in Raynare’s eyes.

“…I just… don’t want the person I like to see me that way, you know?”

“Eh? Ah—uh… yeah. I get it.”

Raynare turned her head away, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

That was all I could say.

“A maiden… We’ve got an actual maiden in the room…!”

“Ray’s got this sneaky cute side to her. It’s totally unfair~”

“So adorable!”

“Ugh… F-Focus! That’s not the point! Abel! Didn’t you come here with something important to say!?”

Elmie and the twins pounced with teasing comments, driving Raynare to blush even deeper as she jabbed her finger toward me in desperation—anything to change the subject.

“Ah… right. Granny Crim.”

I bent my knees and sat on the floor.

Seeing that, Granny Crim paused her work in the kitchen and turned toward me.

“What’s on your mind? You’re being awfully formal.”

“I asked for that magic sword because I wanted the strength to save Millia. But in the end… this is how things turned out. There’s no point in me holding onto a sword that was meant for her.”

I took Granchario from my left hip and laid it gently on the floor.

Then I bowed deeply.

“I want to return this sword. Thank you—for everything. For lending me your strength.”