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 58: The Azure Lifeline Carries Pride - Part 1

Chapter 58: The Azure Lifeline Carries Pride – Part 1

[Side: Betrayed Adventurer]

It was a perfectly clear day.

The waves were calm, and under normal circumstances, the beach would have been packed with swimmers.

But today, instead of beachgoers, the shore was crowded with people who looked downright dangerous.

“Whoa… that’s a crazy number of adventurers.”

“The Guild issued a special commission just for this. The reward is massive, you know?”

“We’re dealing with sea monsters—and worst case, a stampede. No surprise the Guild loosened the purse strings.”

Elmie, Frey, and Maria were here too.

Lately, I hadn’t seen them much—between me visiting Granny Crim and the three of them heading off for training—but they all looked well. That was a relief.

As for Raynare, I’d been seeing her regularly… mostly at night, with her drinking my blood and all.

“To think so many would gather for my funeral—what a sight. I couldn’t be happier.”

“Want me to give the opening speech? I could go on and on about all the chaos you caused.”

“No need for a cheeky bat. I’ve already got Abel-boy as my grandchild representative. Just leave the condolence money and go home.”

Even today, Raynare wore her skin-tight aloha shirt, drawing stares from adventurers left and right—while she herself didn’t care in the slightest.

She was busy trading barbs with Granny Crim, enjoying their usual back-and-forth despite the ominous topic.

It had been one week since we visited Granny Crim.

The Guild, the local lord, and all of us had spent that time preparing for today.

Just like she said back then… yes. Today was supposedly Granny Crim’s final day.

And yet—

Watching her stand there on her own two feet, laughing without a care in the world…

It was hard to believe that at all.

“Granny Crim… so today really is the day?”

“That’s right. The day I keel over from old age. Getting to go out healthy to the very end—that’s one of a dragon’s perks.”

Granny Crim’s translucent aqua hair swayed in the sea breeze as she smiled, looking no different from usual.

Too normal. Almost unbelievable.

“…Granny Crim. Thank you. Really. I’m glad we got to talk so much this past week.”

“Same here. Getting to meet you in my final years—and watch over you—was one of the greatest bits of luck in my long life.”

I poured out all the gratitude I’d been holding onto.

Granny Crim answered with a gentle smile, her expression soft and warm.

“And yet, to think that obnoxious blue lizard who blasted away half my body is finally croaking today—what a refreshing thought.”

As we were talking, Raynare cut in, arms crossed.

“Hah! You’re the one who picked that fight—and you seriously injured me too! Don’t get all smug just because I’m dying, got it? If you make Abel-boy cry, I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt you!”

“Keep talking, you old hag. Like I’d ever abandon Abel. Don’t lump me in with some cheating woman.”

“You’ve got some nerve saying that when you’re older than me.”

“Wanna see if I can kill you before you kick the bucket!?”

The heavy, sentimental mood from earlier vanished without a trace.

The red vampire and the blue dragon glared at each other, trading sharp words.

If you only listened to the insults, it sounded awful—but it was obvious this was their way of bantering, born from long familiarity.

This time, though, Raynare was the one who backed off, turning her gaze away.

“…Well, losing an old acquaintance like this… things are gonna feel a bit quieter.”

“Maybe for you it’s just a short while, but it’s a new bond. Treasure it.”

“Didn’t need you to tell me that.”

Raynare turned her face away.

For someone who lived as long as she did, there probably weren’t many friends who could keep pace with her time.

And maybe that was exactly why she couldn’t be honest about it.

She looked a little embarrassed, so I shifted the topic back to Granny Crim myself.

“So? What’s the plan now? …She’s coming, right? That wild granddaughter of yours.”

By the lord’s orders, the townsfolk and tourists had already been evacuated.

Drawn by the sudden surge of mana, monsters would soon close in, so adventurers had flooded the shoreline in preparation.

Even so, the only ones who could actually face Carina Shario… were us.

“Most likely. But if she goes on a rampage here, the city’ll be reduced to rubble. I won’t allow that, so—can’t be helped. I’ll prepare the stage.”

“The stage?”

“I’ll create a battlefield with magic. …Besides, I need to burn off some mana. If I were to suddenly drop dead, the whole area might go flying.”

“Hey! Don’t say stuff that scary!”

What kind of nonsense was a top-tier Elder Dragon spouting!?

It wasn’t something I could just laugh off as impossible—and that made it all the more terrifying.

“Heh-heh-heh! Well then, I suppose I ought to build my own funeral hall!”

“Who does that normally!?”

“It’s proper dragon etiquette. I just decided it. Now step back—this is gonna be flashy.”

“Oh crap—hey! Everyone on the beach! Adventurers! Fall back, now!!”

“Whoa, Abel!?”

I grabbed Elmie and the others, and Raynare and I quickly pulled away from Granny Crim.

Following our lead, the adventurers began retreating as well… and then—it started.

The old dragon standing at the shoreline began to glow.

To anyone who didn’t know better, it might have looked like nothing special.

But to those who understood—

“…Huh? W-Wait… Abel, isn’t this bad—!?”

Thanks to a week of intense training, Maria had grown far more sensitive to mana. She turned and shouted—

But her voice was swallowed whole by the overwhelming surge of mana erupting from Granny Crim’s body.

“Here we go… this is a dragon’s magic—its miracle…!”

Within the blinding light, power beyond all reason detonated.

—Dragon Magic.

A miracle reserved solely for dragons—each one unique, shaped by the individual and their race.

Magic honed over a dragon’s entire lifespan.

And when that magic was wielded by the one who ruled over ice and cold—Crimshario, the Clear Blue Dragon—what followed was inevitable.

“No way…”

“The sea… froze?”

When we finally opened our eyes against the glare, a silver world stretched out before us.

As far as the eye could see, the ocean had been sealed beneath solid ice.

Magic born of mana was one of the world’s great mysteries.

But when that magic crossed into the realm of the impossible—

People called it something else entirely.

“—A miracle…!”

Maria stood frozen in place, whispering in awe, her face lit with excitement.

That was when—

『Hey. You lot are the ones who’re supposed to go up front, right? Don’t just stand there gawking—get moving』

“Eh?”

A long, serpent-like body.

Limbs sprouted partway down—hands that looked strong enough to grip people, legs that seemed capable of tearing the ground apart.

Yet her entire form was covered in beautiful, glass-like blue scales that reflected the light, and on her back spread wings worthy of being called majestic.

Most striking of all was her head—where dignity and beauty coexisted perfectly—and the massive crystal embedded in her forehead.

The most beautiful dragon of all—

The Clear Blue Dragon—hovered before the frozen sea.

“B-Beautiful…”

“So this is what true beauty looks like…”

“Whoa… she’s like a living sculpture…”

『If you’re that mesmerized, I can give you a bit more time. Heh-heh-heh—looks like even this old lady’s still got it』

Granny Crim looked genuinely pleased, her dragon face wearing a smile so clear it was impossible to miss.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・

Far away—far beyond the edge of the sea.

“Oh, Grandma… incredible. Even in old age, you’re still the one I admire most—”

Standing atop floating ice, aqua-blue hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

Carina placed a hand against her flushed cheek, entranced by the magic unleashed in the distance, and let out a soft breath.

“And today… we say goodbye. I’ll go offer my farewell in person.”

And so—

The grand funeral began.