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 52: When Fallout Strikes Outta Nowhere

Chapter 52: When Fallout Strikes Outta Nowhere

Carina, the dragon granddaughter, had absolutely zero filter.

What she said was basically one step away from, “Hurry up and die already,” and we all just stood there, speechless.

And yet, the person being talked about—Granny Crim—didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“It’ll be sad to say goodbye, but I promise I’ll master your magic, Grandma!”

“I’m glad you came to visit, really. But I’ve got no plans to hand over my magic.”

“Wha—Why not!? You used to dote on me so much when I was little!”

Anyone overhearing this conversation would probably be holding their breath in sheer panic.

Then again, this is the same woman who once casually mentioned freezing her daughters…

Maybe dragons just aren’t big on family sentiment?

Still, her admiration didn’t seem fake.

Carina’s eyes were starting to tear up as she looked up at Crim.

“For us dragons, growth means the growth of our ‘Dragon Core.’ You get that, right?”

“Of course! Obviously!”

“Exactly. And that’s the problem. If you take on too much magic too fast, it’s like giving a pile of money to a cat—it’s not gonna end well.”

Granny Crim gave Carina a gentle pat on the head, looking a little exasperated…

But it was clear she still loved her granddaughter.

By the way, “giving money to a cat” is basically dragon-speak for “don’t hand over dangerous power to someone who doesn’t know what to do with it.”

I mean, yeah—give a cat a wad of cash, and what’s it gonna do? Bat it under the fridge?

“Cat…? Money…? Please stop saying weird things that make no sense!”

Carina stomped the ground like a frustrated child and shouted.

I mean, she clearly looked down on us humans—so of course she wouldn’t know anything about our sayings or money.

“Dragon… core…?”

“Ahh, guess you lot didn’t know, huh? Well, Abel’s seen it before. That gem on my forehead when I’m in my true form? That’s it.”

Granny Crim responded to Maria’s puzzled question.

She must’ve gotten curious after hearing the “Dragon Core” thing earlier.

I remembered it too—

The massive dragon form Granny Crim showed me when she gave me her fang and claw to make the magic sword.

“Ohh, that thing!”

Her whole body had shimmered in a clear, icy blue glow…

But the gem on her forehead? That thing sparkled like a freakin’ star.

“Every dragon’s got one. Just one. That’s what we call a Dragon Core—proof that you’re the real deal.”

“I remember reading somewhere… dragons drop gems when defeated. Is that… the same thing?”

Elmie’s comment made me nod.

I’d seen something like that myself—after taking down a dragon, we found this shiny crystal that looked almost identical.

Didn’t need it, so I sold it off… and yeah, it went for a lot.

“This world’s packed with magical energy. And the Dragon Core? It slowly absorbs that energy over time—growing bigger and bigger, with no limit.”

“Huh. That’s a pretty unique dragon trait. But… so what?”

“Well, the magic it stores? That becomes our magic.”

“Wait—no way…”

“The strength of us dragons comes from that core. It powers our magic, fuels our ridiculously tough bodies, and lets us unleash overwhelming force. Basically, the Dragon Core is the source of all that power.”

Magical beasts need mana to survive.

For them, it’s like air is for us.

The stronger the beast, the more mana they need—

And they usually get it by devouring other monsters, absorbing both the nutrients and the mana.

But absorbing mana directly from the world around them just to boost their own reserves?

Yeah… that’s something else.

I’d never heard of anything like that.

That’s a privilege reserved for dragons.

One of the big reasons they sit comfortably at the top of the food chain.

“Hmph! Getting killed by a human? That’s an utter disgrace for a dragon!”

Carina huffed in frustration, then marched right up to Granny Crim, fists clenched tight.

“More importantly, Grandma! What do you mean you won’t give me your magic!?”

“That’s just not how we dragons do things. You’re still young, so maybe it’s hard to understand—but you don’t need my power to become strong. You’ll get there in time, on your own.”

“But I want to become like you now, Grandma!”

It was exactly like watching an overeager granddaughter being led around by her stubborn grandma.

It honestly looked kind of sweet from the outside—

But we couldn’t forget what sparked this whole conversation in the first place.

Granny Crim’s time was running out.

I wanted to help somehow…

But Carina wasn’t even acknowledging the rest of us, and I wasn’t sure how to butt in.

That’s when Raynare finally let out a sigh and cut through the tension like a knife.

“You dragons really are a pain… All arrogant and clueless—barely reproduce, and when you do, you suck at raising the next generation.”

“Like you have any right to talk! Says the queen of hands-off parenting!”

Granny Crim shot back with a wry look, clearly feeling just a little attacked.

But Raynare only crossed her arms under her very prominent chest and fired right back without missing a beat.

“I don’t really care. I’ve never been all that close with my ‘kids,’ anyway.”

“Kids,” huh…

Judging by the way she said it, she probably meant the other vampires.

Makes sense—she is the original, after all. So the rest of her kind are like her descendants.

“Besides, unlike some dragons, I don’t hold back when I’m talking to someone I actually like!”

Granny Crim let out a tiny, guilty groan.

Yeah… she’d been kind of dodging everything Raynare was saying.

To be fair, Raynare wasn’t exactly subtle with her feelings…

I glanced away at the exact same time Crim did.

And that’s when—

“You’ve been mocking Grandma this whole time, haven’t you!? Just because some reclusive bat finally crawled out of her cave, you think you can run your mouth!? I’ll crush you where you stand!”

The air trembled from the sheer force of Carina’s magic, clearly fed up with Raynare’s attitude.

It looked like she was seconds away from firing off a spell—

But Granny Crim stepped in with a firm voice.

“Stop it, Carina. That so-called ‘bat’ used to go toe-to-toe with me, you know. She’s the Progenitor of vampires.”

“W-What!? This woman!?”

“And that’s not all. See that guy standing next to her? He’s dangerous too. That’s Abel—the one I gave a piece of my power to. If you don’t wanna end up in a world of hurt, maybe rein it in a little.”

And for the first time, Carina really looked at me.

Those long, slit-pupil eyes locked onto mine—scanning me from head to toe with the kind of focus that felt like x-ray vision.

“Grandma gave this human… her power?”

“—Yo. Nice of you to finally notice me.”

I tried to keep it light.

Tried.

But yeah…

A little venom slipped into my voice.

Guess I’m not all that great at hiding it after all.

“I’m Abel of the Four Swords—an S-Rank adventurer. That’s a pretty big deal among humans.”

Honestly, I just couldn’t figure this girl out.

I mean, it’s obvious she loves Granny Crim. That much is clear.

But then why…

Why the hell is she acting so cheerful?

Granny Crim just told us she’s dying.

Isn’t losing someone like that supposed to hurt?

Aren’t you supposed to grieve when someone that important to you is slipping away?

“I don’t care about S-Ranks or whatever! But you’re the one who tricked Grandma, aren’t you!? She’s giving her power to you, and not even I got that chance!”

“She was like this long before I came along. None of this is my doing. But seriously… that’s what you’re upset about?”

The quiet frustration I’d been trying to hold back started to slip through—

And the others noticed.

Elmie, Frey, and Maria’s mana all rippled with tension.

Raynare, of course, was still completely unfazed.

Even if this turned into a fight, she wouldn’t lose.

But the fact that she was hanging back, letting me take the lead…

Yeah. I really appreciated that.

They all had my back. No matter what.

“You care more about power than your own grandmother’s health?”

“Excuse me? We dragons are power. That’s what defines us. If we’re not strong, we’re not dragons.”

So it’s not that she’s refusing to accept Crim’s condition…

No—

She just couldn’t let go of the image of her grandmother as the strongest.

“Grandma was the mightiest. And as the granddaughter of the most powerful Dragon God… I have to become the strongest too!”

The Dragon God.

That was another name for Elder Dragons—beings said to have lived for countless ages.

Granny Crim might come off like a sweet old lady now,

But once upon a time, she was a living legend who ruled the southern seas.

They say she once sealed the ever-summer tropics in snow and ice—

Those frozen waves of “dragon ice” still washing ashore to this day? That’s her doing.

They say her wrath alone created tsunamis that wiped out entire coastal regions.

They say when a kingdom was dying from drought, she blanketed the land in rain and saved the people.

She wielded power like a god—

Feared, revered, and respected in equal measure.

And Carina?

She was completely obsessed with that version of Crim.

“—So that’s why you won’t listen to her now, huh? Too busy chasing a legend to hear what the real Crim has to say. Funny—she actually listens to me pretty well.”

“…Excuse me?”

And just like that—

A massive surge of mana burst out from Carina.

I reacted on instinct—jumping hard to the right.

And right where I’d been standing, a giant spike of ice exploded from the ground.

“…Tch. You’re faster than you look.”

“Well, I am a gnat, remember?”

Her mana output was insane.

If the others hadn’t dodged in time too, they’d all be icicles right about now.

“What the hell is your problem!?”

“Elmie, don’t—Don’t draw your sword.”

Elmie’s hand was already on her hilt, but Raynare held her back.

“My problem? You’re in my way. So I figured I’d just squash the bug.”

Carina said it like it was nothing.

That last spell of hers?

Not a shred of hesitation—

Just swatted at me like I was some annoying little bug.

Which meant…

That’s exactly how little we mattered to her.

“Well, my bad—But it looks like you’re the one who’s not great at dodging.”

Because what she didn’t realize was—

Even among bugs, there are the freaky mutant types.

“…Hah?”

Her voice went cold—absolute zero kind of cold.

A far cry from the sweet, chirpy tone she used with Granny Crim.

And then—

Thud.

One of her precious, spiraled twin-drills hit the ground.

“You were moving so slow, I kinda just… snipped it off. No hard feelings, right? Drill Girl?”

“Y-You… filthy human…!”

My style’s simple—

You give me respect, I return it.

You throw shade, I return that too—with interest.

I tapped her shoulder with Breathslate, the Piercing Wind Sword I’d drawn just a second ago.

“You can take pride in being a dragon all you want. But maybe try treating your grandma with a little more kindness?”

“As if you understand anything, lowborn! If you’re so eager to die, then I’ll—!”

“What do you think you’re doing, Carina!? I told you—they’re my guests!”

WHAM!!

The entire clearing rang out from the impact.

Granny Crim had stepped in—and dropped a devastating fist straight onto Carina’s skull.

Right on the head. No mercy.

“Eeep—G-Grandma!? B-But it was that human—!”

“No buts! I told you to stop, didn’t I!?”

“G-Grandma…?”

Still clutching her head where the punch landed, Carina stood frozen in shock.

But Granny Crim’s voice cut through the air like a whip—full-on lecture mode activated.

“You know what dragons really die from? Sure, some die fighting each other—but do you know what gets a lot of us killed? Going wild and picking fights with humans—then getting hunted down by adventurers!”

That… was true.

Real dragons are terrifyingly powerful.

But even so, plenty have been slain in the past.

Their massive bodies reduced to loot, their parts scattered across the world.

And who usually pulls that off?

Yeah. People like me.

“Carina… You’ve got a lot of power for your age, I’ll give you that. Your mana’s nothing to scoff at. But right now, you’re still—”

“Why… Why are you siding with a human over me…?”

“…Carina?”

She looked down, shoulders trembling.

Her voice had turned ice-cold.

“Why won’t you give me your magic…? Why him…? Why are you giving your power to that human?”

“I already explained, didn’t I? You’re not—”

“Wait… Don’t tell me. You’re actually planning to give all your power to him, aren’t you, Grandma?”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Dragon strength is like stuffing a hyper-charged engine into a race car, with zero concern for fuel efficiency.

Slap on a jumbo-size fuel tank and just let it rip.

That’s how dragons roll.

Thanks for your patience! Also, last chapter’s title has been fixed!