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 51: The Dragon God's Granddaughter

Chapter 51: The Dragon God’s Granddaughter

It’s been way too long since the last chapter, so here’s a quick refresher on the characters and the story!

Abel “The Four Swords”

Our protagonist.

An S-Rank adventurer—one of the strongest out there—but recently got cheated on.
White-haired, with a lean and muscular build.
He’s come to return the azure magic sword once gifted to him by his benefactor, the dragon Crimshario.

Elmie “The Pure-Hearted Sword Saint”

A top-tier A-Rank adventurer with blonde hair tied up in a lively ponytail.

A speed-based swordswoman with the job class Sword Saint.

Also Abel’s mentor.

Refers to herself as boku and has a fairly impressive bust.

Frey “Big Sister of the Siscon Twins (The Dominant One)”

An A-Rank adventurer with long, wavy purple hair.

Her job is Enchanter, and she fights using a halberd while layering on buffs.

A seductive older-sister type, with… well, her chest armor’s definitely maxed out.

Maria “Little Sister of the Siscon Twins (The Submissive One)”

An A-Rank adventurer and Frey’s identical twin—same long purple hair.

A versatile magic warrior who combines weapon skills with spellcasting.

A cheerful, magic-loving big-sis type.

Also a proud member of the “explosive bust” club.

Raynare “The Progenitor”

The first of the human-type vampire species.

Long, crimson hair.

Used to be a man—but after falling for Abel, she used a transformation skill to become a woman and charged right into his life.

Bold, flirty, and constantly making moves.

Fights using blood as her weapon.

She’s also the honorary president of a merchant company and filthy rich.

And yes—stacked. Seriously.

Granny Crim (Crimshario)

One of the most powerful dragons alive—an Elder Dragon.

A member of the Clear Blue Dragon race, which controls water and ice.

Her life is nearing its end, so instead of reclaiming the sword, she wishes to pass her power on to Abel.

>>Story So Far

Abel and the gang made their way to the tropical resort city of Estena in southern Shunarte—

Their mission? To return the blue magic sword, Granchario.

Along the way, a few surprises cropped up—like bumping into Raynare, the original vampire.

Still, they managed to take down some legendary monsters to bring back as souvenirs—like a Kraken and a Fortress Whale.

Eventually, they reached the home of Abel’s old dragon benefactor—Crimshario.

While reminiscing and catching up over old times, Abel tried to hand the sword back.

But Granny Crim wasn’t having it.

Instead, she dropped a huge bombshell:

Her time was almost up.

And now, like a grandmother passing something precious to her grandchild, she wanted Abel to inherit her power.

But Abel wasn’t ready to accept it just like that.

What followed was the loudest grandma-versus-grandkid argument in history.

Meanwhile, the four girls—Elmie, Frey, Maria, and Raynare—just stood off to the side, letting out long, exhausted sighs as they watched it all go down.

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“I haven’t even paid you back yet—so I can’t just accept it!”

“You already have, you blockhead! That’s how much I care about you, y’know!?”

The shouting match between me and Granny Crim didn’t look like it was ending anytime soon.

The others just stood nearby, watching with weary, deadpan expressions.

“This is getting out of hand…”

“Abel’s really stubborn. He’s got this whole ‘repay every debt’ thing, so he just won’t back down.”

“Yeah, totally. Though he’s being extra thick-headed this time…”

“That stubborn side of his is kinda cute, though.”

We were still going back and forth in our totally pointless argument when—

“—!?”

“——!!?”

Suddenly, we all froze.

A massive surge of magical energy was rushing toward us from the distance.

The girls tensed up immediately, while Raynare and I turned our attention toward the sea.

“…This presence.”

“Well now… that’s quite the magic output.”

If your senses are sharp enough, strong magic gives off a vibe you can pick up on.

Adventurers, for example, usually get a read on their opponents just by feeling their mana.

By the way, the pressure depends on how much magic someone’s letting out.

So honestly, maybe the reason I keep getting underestimated is ‘cause I don’t usually leak out much in the first place.

“Wh-What is that…!?”

“Ugh… ngh…!”

“—?!”

But to feel magic this powerful from that far away…

It was like me, Raynare—and even Granny Crim—had completely stopped holding back, letting our magic flood out unchecked.

Elmie and the others couldn’t even speak.

They were frozen on the spot, their instincts screaming at them to stay on guard.

The pressure must’ve felt like a boulder pressing down on them.

Especially Maria, with her naturally high affinity for magic—

Her face had gone pale, and she looked like she was about to pass out.

“This mana… Good grief. She’s still got a long way to go.”

“Wait—Granny Crim, you know who that is?”

“More or less. Let’s go say hi. I’ll head out first.”

With a casual tug, she slipped off her apron and strolled outside like it was nothing.

And then—

Something descended from the sky.

A deep, icy blue shimmered like crystal.

Her pale skin sparkled like frost, and her presence…

It felt familiar.

It reminded me of the dragon who once saved my life.

In other words—

“Grandmaaaaa!!”

“So it’s you. Been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been forever! I missed you!”

Turns out, the overwhelming magical force we felt—

Was another dragon. One of Crim’s kin.

Just as we stepped outside, a burst of light exploded across the sky.

And landing gently in front of Granny Crim was a girl.

She had soft, clear-blue curls just like Crim,

And wore a snow-white dress that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale.

“Grandma, huh…? So that’s her granddaughter?”

“Didn’t know the old lady had a grandkid like that. Girl’s clearly crazy attached, too.”

Just like Raynare said, the girl greeted Granny Crim with a radiant smile.

And despite herself, Crim let out a small, wry grin as they clasped hands.

She looked like the picture of a noble’s refined daughter—those glossy, spiraled twin tails practically screamed “rich girl.”

Slender, well-proportioned, and undeniably beautiful.

Honestly, I could kind of picture Granny Crim looking just like that back in her younger days.

“Have you been doing well, Carina?”

“Yes! I’m so happy we finally got to meet again, Grandma!”

The girl—Carina, apparently—gently wrapped her arms around Crim in a soft embrace.

Crim returned it with a warm smile, resting her hand gently on Carina’s back.

“U-Um… for all that pressure we felt earlier, she seems… kinda normal? Right, Abel? Should we go say hi or something…?”

Elmie tugged lightly on my coat, her voice uncertain.

Sure, Carina looked harmless now… but I had a different feeling.

And just as I was about to answer, Crim’s granddaughter opened her mouth.

“In order to catch up to you, Grandma, I absorbed the magic of every weakling and monster I could find! I’ve gotten so strong!”

“Good grief… You really are my granddaughter, huh? Could you try listening to me for once? Still… I can sense your mana really has grown.”

Carina beamed with pride, eyes sparkling like a kitten showing off to its favorite person.

Behind us, Elmie clamped her mouth shut without a word.

“High-level monsters might have intelligence, but they still look down on anything weaker. And dragons especially… they’re basically the kings of smug.”

“Wow… I’m learning so much right now…”

“Elmie, Maria~ Let’s keep our mouths zipped for now, okay?”

“…Agreed…”

Raynare’s little explanation left the other three totally creeped out.

But honestly?

Every dragon I’ve met so far was exactly like that.

Sure, they could hold a conversation—but deep down, they all looked down on everyone else.

Granny Crim, who actually embraced human culture?

Yeah, she was a serious outlier.

“By the way… why are there humans here? How dare mere humans be allowed inside Grandma’s home…!”

—And there it was.

The look Crim’s granddaughter gave us was sharp.

Cold enough to sting.

“You’re still the same old species snob, huh? These kids are my guests. My guests. Anyway, this is Carinashario—my granddaughter.”

Granny Crim let out a tired little sigh and shook her head as she introduced her.

—Though the dragon in question clearly couldn’t care less that we were standing right there.

“G-Guests!? Even I hardly ever get invited to Grandma’s home…!”

“You’re a sweet girl, sure—but you have destroyed my house before. Try acting a little more ladylike, won’t you?”

“That only happened because you started imitating humans, Grandma! What kind of dragon lives in a tiny little burrow like this!? You deserve way more than that!”

Carina raised her voice with full conviction, completely ignoring us awkward humans standing around with no idea how to respond.

There was something in her tone…

This wasn’t just admiration.

It felt like she was projecting her own idea of what Crim should be.

Like—worship-level obsession.

She clearly adored her grandmother.

But honestly? It was veering into the fanatical.

“You know… she kinda reminds me of Ciel a little.”

“Ahh, now that you say it… Yeah, the Saintess does give off a similar vibe.”

“Wait, what vibe!?”

Ciel—yeah, that slightly two-faced Saintess with the whole secret schemer thing going on.

So seriously, where was the resemblance…?

“I actually kinda like her, y’know. Carina’s really into being a dragon.”

“Of course I am! We are the glorious and mighty dragons! We have pride! And you live like a human—how utterly disgraceful!”

“She’s always been a little overzealous like that. That’s why I never invited her over. So when you came to visit, it really meant a lot to me.”

Their little “conversation”—well, more like Carina going on a dramatic solo rant—just kept going.

Apparently, she couldn’t understand why anyone, especially a proud dragon, would choose to live like this.

So she just… never showed up.

“Grrrrghhh…!! To think a human could manipulate Grandma like this! This is exactly why I can’t stand your kind!”

“I mean, I didn’t manipulate anyone…”

The way she talked to Granny Crim versus the way she talked to us?

Total night and day.

With Granny Crim, she was sweet and affectionate.

With us? All holier-than-thou attitude.

“Hmph! Humans are like gnats. Whether you’re here or not means nothing to me… Grandma!”

“Okay, now that’s just plain rude…”

My gnat-level opinion was completely ignored.

Carina just took Granny Crim’s hand again—like I wasn’t even standing there.

“I came here today for an important reason! I’ve sensed your recent decline in health! And I believe… the time of your death may be drawing near!”

I nearly choked.

Did she seriously just say that out loud?

But what came next was even more unthinkable.

“It pains me to imagine a world without you, Grandma… But when that time comes, I shall inherit your magical power—And become a dragon as great as you!”

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Thanks so much for waiting!

I’ll be posting an update on my status journal, too.