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 67 & 68

Chapter 67: The Azure Lifeline Carries Pride – Part 6

—Magic tools are convenient things. As long as you have mana, anyone can use them.

They draw mana from wherever you touch and activate a fixed function.

But that function never exceeds what the tool was designed to do.

In other words, they can’t go beyond their limits.

The magic swords I carry are powerful.

The amount of mana they can draw, their output, their attack power—all of it is top-class.

But no matter how strong they are—there’s still a ceiling they can’t break.

During my journey, I ran into that wall.

No matter how much mana I poured in…

No matter how efficiently I controlled it…

No matter how much I refined my swordsmanship… with just one magic sword, I couldn’t surpass that limit.

Yeah, with just one.

“With two colors entwined, I sharpen my blade—”

In this world, there’s something called composite magic.

You combine two spells to create a stronger one.

A simple example would be a fire tornado.

Whether it’s a single fire spell like 《Firestorm》—or a combination of fire and wind magic—the result might look similar.

But in terms of power the latter is stronger.

“With two colors opposed, I refine my magic—”

So then… couldn’t the same thing be done with magic swords?

That was the idea.

I honed my magic—pushed it to understand the synergy and opposition between attributes.

I sharpened my swordsmanship—swinging again and again, turning a hundred into a thousand.

Polishing.

Refining.

Combining.

And after all that…

I finally reached it.

My own ultimate technique.

『You… weren’t you frozen!?』

“I melted it. More importantly—defend with everything you’ve got.”

My body had already been thawed using the black blade and the blazing sword.

And now—

I held different magic swords in my hands.

The Piercing Wind Sword, and the Azure Ice Sword.

Breathslate in my left hand, angled at my waist, aimed at the enemy.

Granchario in my right, its base pressed against the green blade—like I was grinding them together.

It looked like a draw-cut stance but instead of pulling from a sheath, I ran the curved blade along it.

“This will kill you. That’s all this technique is for.”

There was no holding back with this.

To cut down anything that stood in the way of reuniting with her—of reaching the one I love—whether it was a legend, a dragon, or even the Demon King—this was the technique I created.

『—!?』

Mana surged into both blades—pushed right to the limit of what the magic swords could handle.

As I poured everything into them…

I lowered my gaze and muttered:

“…So that’s what you meant by ‘it’s fine now,’ huh. Damn… that’s pathetic.”

Those words from Granny Crim were meant for me.

—”Don’t hold back anymore… don’t worry about killing my granddaughter.”

That’s what she meant.

If I were stronger—strong enough to overwhelm Carina—then she wouldn’t have had to give up on her own granddaughter like this…

“This regret… it never really goes away…!”

If only I’d been stronger.

A thought I’d repeated over and over, for more than three years.

And every time…

It came too late.

If I left Carina like this—everything around us would be destroyed.

The town.

The people.

Even Granny Crim’s home.

So,

I cut her down.

『As if I’d let you—!』

Carina gathered her mana again and unleashed another silver-white breath.

But it was pointless.

That blinding light filled my vision as it rushed toward me.

I slid the Azure Ice Sword along the Piercing Wind Sword—

And swung.

The culmination of the strongest slash I could create.

『AAAAAAAHHHHH――!!!』

 “《Verdant Azure Overlord Blade》―《Sea Sever》.”

—That single strike—

Split the silver light in two,

Cut through even the ice dragon,

And cleaved apart the distant sea—

Even slicing through the dark clouds in the sky.

・　・　・　・　・

Sunlight poured through the parted clouds, shining down.

I let out a quiet breath and sheathed both magic swords.

“…Phew.”

The ultimate technique of the “Four Swords”—《Verdant Azure Overlord Blade》.

A technique I reached after hitting the limits of what magic swords could do, seeking even greater power.

By striking while the two blades are in contact, mixing their attributes, it multiplies the power dozens of times beyond normal.

One of them, the green and azure blades—《Sea Sever》 was simple in concept.

In essence, it was an evolved form of 《Lake Cleaver》.

A blade of water, launched farther and faster with the power of wind.

Fired at extreme speed, combined with my swing, it reached absurd levels of acceleration.

And its power—

“…Eh… what is this…?”

“Oh—Elmie, everyone. You made it. Good to see you’re safe.”

When I turned back, a short distance away—

Elmie, Frey, and Maria stood there, stunned.

They didn’t look injured, which was good…

But none of them could even respond, completely speechless.

Well, behind me, in their line of sight—the sea had been split clean all the way to the horizon, and the clouds above had been cut in half too.

“…The sea… got cut…?”
“No, not just the sea—even the sky… split in two… ahaha…”
“You saw it, didn’t you? This—this is S-rank.”

“Oh, Raynare. You made it. Nice work.”

As the sound of waves filled the air, the sea slowly returning to normal—

Raynare appeared as usual, looking over the scene as she spoke to the three of them.

“I’m pretty strong myself, but the one thing I absolutely can’t match them in is destructive power. S-ranks… they have the power to reshape the terrain itself.”

That lined up with what happened with Raidlake—how our fight had ended in a draw.

With 《Transformation》 and healing, she couldn’t be easily injured…

But no matter how much she healed—if everything, including her entire body, was erased in a single strike—

She’d die.

She realized that,  and that’s why she chose to pull back instead of fighting to the end that night.

“To change the landscape… means having the power to wipe out a city with ease. That’s the bare minimum for an S-rank adventurer.”

“““…!”””

『Ghh… ghh……』

At that moment…

A faint, barely audible groan echoed out.

I turned, just as I had when facing Elmie and the others, back toward its source.

“…So you barely survived, huh. Though you’re basically on your last breath now… right, Carinashario?”

『Y-You…!』

There she was—

Carina, with those sharp, bird-of-prey-like features—the white ice dragon, still alive.

“Wha…!? She survived that!?”
“No. She can’t even stand anymore.”

She had barely clung to life.

But her trembling body couldn’t even lift itself.

She had no strength left.

『Hah… hhh… no… no…! I… I have to… become like Grandma—』

『That’s not happening, Carina… not the way you are now.』

As Carina struggled to keep going—

Granny Crim stepped forward, having watched the battle to its end.

Her massive dragon form floated in the air as she looked down at the fallen Carina.

『G-Grandma… I… I…』

『You were immature. I wanted you to see a wider world. To understand how much you still had to grow… and that there are humans out there even we dragons can’t fully measure.』

There were things worth enjoying.

Things worth learning.

Even how to use mana better…

Granny Crim spoke her thoughts to her granddaughter.

But cruelly—

Before she could finish saying everything…

Time ran out.

『I wanted to teach you so many more things. But… this is goodbye.』

“…Granny Crim!?”
『Grandma…!?』

Suddenly—

Granny Crim’s dragon body began to glow.

Faintly—no, more than that—her very presence began to fade.

“Hey! That means—”
『It’s just my time to go. No need to panic… you already accepted that, didn’t you?』

Hearing her calm voice—

I clenched my fists.

We’d talked about it. I was prepared.

But when it actually came to this moment…!

『Now then, your reward for the request. Abel, lend me your magic sword.』

“But—! I didn’t complete the request perfectly—!”
『Don’t be stupid. You did everything you could. Now, hand it over.』

“Hey…!”

I still had more to say—

But before I could, the sheathed Azure Ice Sword was pulled from my side and flew straight toward Granny Crim.

『Now then… I’ll pour everything I have into it. Inherit my magic… and take me with you on your journey.』

“…Granny, Crim…”

The azure blade floating before her, was filled with the power of an Elder Dragon.

No. It was more than mana.

It was her very magic itself.

A brilliant light poured into the sword, so bright it dimmed everything around it, and at the same time, Granny Crim turned her gaze toward Carina.

『—Carina, don’t rush things. Go out and learn about everything. And master your mana. If you do that… you’ll definitely become strong…!』

『Grandma…』

『The fastest way might be to understand humans. The things I came to love… go see them for yourself. And—Abel, dear!』

The dragon, now completely turned into pure blue light, faced me.

At the very moment the last of her remaining power scattered into the world—

Her final words—

Truly her last—

Were spoken with a smile.

『—Be happy.』

That was the final message, from my benefactor… someone like a grandmother to me.

The light that was Granny Crim burst apart.

Her mana spread out, raining down across the entire area, and when it faded—her massive dragon form was gone.

Only a few scales remained—

And a single magic sword stood embedded in the ice.

“…She’s gone.”
“Crim…”
“…May she rest in peace.”

Raynare, Maria, and Frey silently watched the faint light rise into the sky.

“Lady Crim… Abel, are you okay?”
“—Yeah. I’m fine.”

Answering Elmie’s worried voice, I slowly walked forward, pulled the magic sword from the ice, and raised it toward the sky.

Its shape had changed slightly, the curve of the blade now softer than before.

But more than that…

Its color had transformed into a deep, radiant indigo.

And at its base—

“‘Ice Sword—Crim.’”

A new name.

One that carried the name of a great dragon—

Was engraved into the blade.

“…Thank you, Grandma.”

And just like that, beneath a clear sky with the clouds cut away—

The legendary Elder Dragon passed everything on to the world… and to us, and then fulfilled her natural lifespan as she passed on.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

《Verdant Azure Overlord Blade: Sea Sever》
One of six ultimate techniques created from combining the four swords.
A sharp blade of water is accelerated by wind and fired forward—combined with the speed of the swing, it cuts everything in its path.
Its speed, range, and cutting power are so extreme—it can even slice through the sea, hence the name “Sea Sever.”

The stance involves thrusting the wind sword forward from the left hip, while the ice sword slides along it in a draw-cut motion.

In practice, it’s basically a massive high-powered water cutter—like those that can even slice through diamonds, just scaled up to an insane level.

Also—yeah.

Abel can spam this move.

Chapter 68: A Vampire Can’t Hold Back

The flashy “funeral” for the dragon god—well, the battle—was finally over.

That night, after returning to the hotel, I sat on the bed and finally let myself relax.

After everything that happened, the gathered monsters scattered and fled.

Looks like my 《Sea Sever》 scared the hell out of them—their little migration frenzy came to an abrupt end.

“Thanks to that, cleanup was pretty easy. The buildings didn’t take much damage, and no one died… that’s a relief.”

That was all thanks to the adventurers who held the line at the coast.

The guild managed to save face too.

And the higher-ups—especially that old man Kamul—probably avoided getting an ulcer.

“…Though Raynare probably stressed him out enough already. Speaking of which, she went back to her room pretty quickly.”

There was a victory celebration going on in town, but she headed back to the hotel early.

Come to think of it, Elmie and the others had disappeared at some point too.

I left after eating as well—though “just eating” turned into enough food for ten people, so I ended up leaving pretty late.

Recovery magic doesn’t just use mana, it also burns through your body’s energy.

So yeah, I had to stock up.

Especially after losing that much blood.

“…Even after coming back, she didn’t come out of her room. Maybe she’s just exhausted.”

Maybe she’d already gone to sleep.

It was a brutal fight today.

And just like that—

I was finally alone.

“—Be happy, huh…”

I let myself fall back onto the bed.

In the now quiet room, Granny Crim’s final words echoed in my mind.

I knew they were meant for me—the one who had been betrayed.

And I understood what that “happiness” actually meant, too.

“Elmie, Frey, Maria… and Raynare, huh… though…”

The magic light on the ceiling was too bright, so I covered my eyes with the back of my hand.

I understood how those three felt.

Raynare too.

…But I just couldn’t bring myself to take that step.

—“I can’t be with you… but I still love you.”

“…!”

Millia’s words from back then resurfaced.

A chill ran through my entire body, making me tremble.

“…Haa…”

I had regrets.

If I had made sure my feelings truly reached her—maybe she wouldn’t have cheated.

Even though I could have gone to see her, I was scared she might’ve changed.

So I used our promise as an excuse… and kept putting it off.

Maybe that’s what led to all this—that kind of regret kept lingering.

“…I don’t even know when her feelings started drifting away.”

Ever since we parted ways, I’d been stuck like this.

Someone who poured everything into love once—and failed.

Someone who gave his all, only to be betrayed.

…Was I really allowed to fall in love again?

—Or would I just be betrayed all over again?

“…I know they’re different.”

Covering my eyes, I sank into self-loathing.

There was no way Elmie and the others, who had gone so far as to bare themselves just to show me the meaning of my life back in Cahel, would ever do something like that.

Raynare too, there was no lie in the way she spoke to me so directly.

Her feelings were real.

Just like that night, when she showed me her true self.

…I understood all of that.

And yet, I still couldn’t take that step.

That’s what I hated about myself.

“…Haa… screw it, I’ll just sleep.”

I felt awful.

Maybe it was the aftereffects of using Chronovale earlier.

Times like this, the best thing to do is take a bath and pass out.

Deciding that, I pushed myself up—

“…What’s that?”

As I stood, something on the cabinet by the wall caught my eye.

A slightly long… box-shaped crystal?

The side facing me bulged out like a cylinder—kind of a strange shape.

…Was that always there?

“I’ve kept the staff from coming in… so did someone put that there?”

I hadn’t used any room service or cleaning.

It didn’t make sense for a stranger to get in.

So who…?

Just as I stepped closer to take a better look—

—Click.

The door opened.

“Coming in, Abel.”
“Hey—Raynare…!”

Raynare’s voice rang out as she walked in without even knocking.

And right after—

I heard Elmie’s voice, like she was scolding her for barging in so casually.

“Oh, you two? You got back early, but what—why—”

I turned around, and the moment I saw them, my words got stuck.

Because of what they were wearing—

“Wha…!?”

“Uuu…”
“We had… some preparations to do… like these nightgowns…”

It was so shocking I almost stopped breathing.

They were dressed in proper nightwear.

Elmie in pure white, and Raynare in black that stood out against her red hair.

Both were so sheer it was almost see-through—barely covering what needed to be covered.

It hid the important parts, sure—but it was like draping a thin veil over bodies that were already far too tempting…

No. It only made everything even more alluring.

“W-Wait, what is that outfit—”

“《Wire Blood》.”

Just as I panicked and tried to avert my eyes—

Raynare flicked her arm.

In an instant, threads wrapped around my entire body, binding me.

“Blood threads!? And these are—!”

She was even using her job skill—these weren’t something I could easily cut, even with a magic sword…!

“What are you—gh!?”

Before I could resist, I was pulled down onto the bed, completely restrained—and without a word—the two of them climbed on top of me.

Pinning me down so I couldn’t move, holding my shoulders, their legs tangling with mine.

Raynare’s soft, heavy presence pressed firmly against me.

And Elmie, face bright red with embarrassment, still pressed herself tightly against me too.

“W-What… what is this? Even you, Elmie…?”

Raynare acting this bold wasn’t new.

But I never imagined Elmie would go along with something like this.

As I lay there, unable to resist, Raynare spoke.

“I couldn’t hold back anymore.”

“H-Hold back…?”

The red-haired beauty looked down at me, her eyes wet, filled with a dangerous kind of allure.

Close enough that our lips could touch—she whispered.

“Vampires hate thirst… —I can’t stand your thirst anymore.”

“—My… thirst…?”

“You’ve been lonely. For a long time.”

Those words made it feel like my body temperature dropped.

“N-No, that’s not—”

“It is. Otherwise, your blood wouldn’t taste like that.”

“…Taste?”

“The taste of your blood. Your blood… should be delicious. Rich with mana, sweet enough to melt— …and yet, it gives me a hunger I can’t satisfy.”

Blood.

She had said before that, for vampires, blood was something like a luxury.

So… did it have different “flavors” to her?

Was that why she acted so strange the first time she drank mine?

“It’s the blood of someone I care about. There’s no way it should taste bad… and yet—when I drink it, it feels like I’ve been starving for days. I feel like something’s missing… like I’m in pain… like I’m lonely.”

“I’m not—thinking that kind of—”

“That woman dumped you. And you felt nothing?”

Those words made me fall silent.

There was no way I was fine.

For three years, I gave her everything.

But that was because I believed she loved me.

So when that suddenly disappeared—

It felt like my entire life collapsed, like everything I had was taken away.

Thanks to Elmie and the others, I managed to stand back up.

But what I lost… still hadn’t been filled.

“—I heard about it too… from Raynare. That you’ve been feeling lonely, Abel…”

As I stayed quiet, unable to say anything—

Elmie, who had been looking down, finally spoke, her eyes on the verge of tears.

“I didn’t realize it was still hurting you this much… compared to before, you seemed so much better…”

“I nearly snapped at the three of you for leaving him like this. Though… it seems he’s already improved a lot. I suppose I should be grateful.”

…Sounds like the four of them almost ended up arguing.

But there was no way I could blame them.

They had already done more than enough to save me.

…And yet—

“I want to help you. If it’s for you, I’ll do anything…!”

“So let us fill that emptiness in your heart.”

Even so—

Elmie, Raynare—

They were trying to save me even more.

No…

“It’s because… I love you that much…!”

“I want you enough that I’d give you everything I have.”

They loved me.

“…I…”

Hearing that—

I—

“…I’m scared.”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Wanting to help… yet being scared too.
That’s what love does to you.

A supporter-only short story, “Millia’s Diary,” is now available.
If you haven’t read it yet, it might make things even more interesting—since you’ll get a glimpse into how she ended up cheating.