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 71 & 72

Chapter 71: Director Raynare, Editor-in-Chief

[Side: Dual-Wielding Progenitor]

Early afternoon.

“—Did Abel head out?”

“Yeah. He left the hotel.”

At her sister’s question, Maria answered while looking out the window.

The four of us had gathered in the guest room they were using.

“…Phew, finally. Now we can actually get started. Still… ugh…”

“Ray, is your waist okay now? You were shaking earlier…”

“Yeah, I’m much better now. Though… that was the first time I got pushed that far. Good thing I can heal myself.”

Frey looked at me with concern as I sat on the edge of the bed.

I had been acting normal just a while ago, but honestly, after last night’s intense… activity, I was pretty worn out.

Still, thanks to my skills and experience, I had recovered enough to move around.

But Elmie, on the other hand—

“…You okay?”

“Ehe… fuhehee…”

“…I think we should be more worried about her head~”

“She can’t even stand straight, and yet she looks way too happy…”

She was sprawled across the bed with a completely melted expression, like she might start drooling at any moment…!

“Well, after getting that kind of care from Abel, it’s no surprise~”

“Right? She finally had her dream first time, and then got completely pampered right after. Of course she’d end up like that—body and mind both melted.”

“Exactly.”

Abel spent the entire morning taking care of us after our legs gave out.

He was already the type to dote on others, but maybe because he felt responsible for what happened to us… he went way overboard.

Feeding us the whole time with “here, say ahh~,” giving us drinks without even being asked, massaging our entire bodies to loosen us up—and leaning in close to whisper “thank you” and other sweet words of love into our ears over and over again…

“Just watching the two of you was enough to drive me crazy with jealousy…!”

“I wonder if Millia got treated like that when she was sick or something. If so, no wonder she got carried away…”

“That was pure bliss. Honestly, I’d do anything just to experience that again.”

…Oops, that slipped out.

Probably shouldn’t be saying that in front of the two who got left out.

—Honestly, part of me wanted to stay like that longer and enjoy the afterglow. …Ahem.

“Still, it was a bit of a problem. He wouldn’t leave our side so easily. It was great while it lasted, but sending him off took some effort.”

“Well, yeah… we couldn’t exactly let Abel find out about the hidden recording…!”

As she said that, Frey pulled something out from her clothes.

The crystal ornament that had been left in Abel’s room last night.

A crystal—

In other words, a magic item that records video and sound: a recording crystal.

And what it contained was, of course—

Everything that happened that night, from start to finish.

“The recording crystal we set up before Abel came back…! We could only listen in yesterday, so I’ve been dying to see it!”

“Yeah! Just hearing it was already insane! I wanna watch it already~!”

The sisters were completely fired up.

Since they had only been able to eavesdrop on the sounds yesterday, they were now totally absorbed in the crystal.

“Uuugh… it was already embarrassing just knowing you could hear it… did we really have to record it too…!?”

Turning toward that agonized voice—

Elmie had somehow crawled back from that bottomless pool of bliss… and was now hiding under the sheets.

She had been the only one who resisted when we first suggested secretly setting up the crystal.

“Elmie, this is our first time too, you know? Let us do a little studying, at least.”

“Yeah, and we’re all going to be together eventually anyway. We’re the only ones watching it, so it’s basically the same thing.”

“Exactly. Besides, some people who build harems even record things like this as keepsakes.”

“S-Seriously…? Letting people hear things like that… those sounds… I-I’ll die from embarrassment…!”

And just like that, we talked her into it.

So easy, Elmie… way too easy.

Honestly, the real reason was just that I wanted to keep a record of Abel’s first time.

Though, in the end, we were the ones being thoroughly doted on.

And no, we didn’t ask Abel for permission.

He’d forgive it anyway—and later, it would give us the perfect excuse to have him take the lead and record it himself.

“But well… there are other ways to use it besides just keeping it among ourselves.”

“Eh…? It’s already embarrassing enough having our friends see it… you’re planning to show it to other people too!?”

Elmie looked at me in disbelief.

But honestly… this is something all of us want, right?

“That bitch who betrayed Abel. We’re sending it to her.”

“““…!”””

The moment I said that, all three of them reacted.

“I have zero intention of forgiving that woman. I want to tell her straight up—‘The man you had? We took him. Serves you right.’”

She trampled on the heart of the man I fell for.

Abel loved her so much—gave everything he had, even wore himself down for her—and she cheated?

Ever since I found out, it’s been eating me alive.

“You all had it thrown in your faces too, didn’t you? Then we just return the favor. …Call it revenge for betraying Abel.”

The man himself didn’t seem to care that much…

But I did.

I was furious.

The person I care about got hurt—of course I’d be angry… right?

“I even asked Abel about it earlier, indirectly. Luckily, he didn’t show any signs of stopping us.”

While he was busy doting on us earlier, I brought up the idea of getting back at that cheating woman…

“Eh…? I’m not really planning on getting revenge or anything, but if Raynare wants to, I won’t stop you… just don’t kill her or drive her to suicide, okay? We were childhood friends, after all.”

“Though, she’s already cursed by the Southern Sky Faith, so maybe that’s punishment enough…?”

“Oh, and… I’d rather not see her face much.”

—That was how he said it, sounding completely uninterested.

It wasn’t lingering attachment.

More like, “I’m over it, but if my girlfriend wants to do something, I’ll let her.”

Not being able to be completely cold toward someone he once had ties with… that was just like Abel.

Still—he gave the green light.

Then we might as well go through with it.

“That’s actually perfect! It kind of gives me chills, in a good way…!”

“H-Hey, wait, that’s—”

“I agree with sis. I’ve been wanting to give Millia a proper lesson for a while now.”

Elmie looked conflicted, but Frey and Maria were already on board.

And Elmie… didn’t seem completely against it either.

“Elmie, don’t you think so too? Or now that you’re with Abel… have you forgiven Millia?”

“No way! I still can’t forgive her for betraying Abel!”

Even with her strength drained, Elmie slammed her fist down on the bed with everything she had.

“He spent three whole years doing his best for her… and she betrayed him without even knowing any of that! There’s no way I can forgive something like that!”

It barely made any sound… but the anger she held inside was clearly intense.

After all, she had loved Abel far longer than I had.

But—

“B-But still… if we send that to the current Millia… like, o-our… those kinds of… e-embarrassing images…! We don’t know what she might do…!”

“Hmm… yeah, Millia might…”

“Snap and try to humiliate us back or something?”

“I mean, just showing it to Millia might be fine… but if she spreads it to people we don’t even know…!”

That was the concern—what if she leaked the footage?

And honestly, when someone loses control, they don’t exactly think things through.

—But!

“Don’t worry! I’ve already learned magic that can edit the recordings inside a crystal!”

“Wha—really!?”

“Then you can stop it from spreading too?”

“Of course! I can make it so it can only be viewed once—or even enhance it to make it more dramatic!”

There was a time when I got really into video editing… that kind of thing.

No skill goes to waste once you learn it!

The twins were visibly fired up, and I was more than ready to personally crush that woman’s spirit.

Finally, I turned my gaze to the last participant—

“O-Okay… it’s embarrassing, but… I get it… Showing Millia that Abel belongs to us now… I want to do that too…”

Even while blushing, she clearly showed her intent to take revenge on that Sage. 

—That’s our leader for you.

So our first group effort as a harem… is getting back at a cheating woman, huh.

…Not bad at all.

“—T-Then… since we’re sending it to Millia, we should at least watch it ourselves first… right!?”

“Finally… the grand reveal~!”

“I-It’s so embarrassing…!”

“Honestly, you bunch of closet perverts… Are you sure you can handle watching this?”

・　・　・　・　・

Abel Sixam possessed a body that had been trained and honed to perfection.

Even I, as the Progenitor, couldn’t beat him in raw physical strength… and on top of that, no matter how much he exhausted himself, he just kept recovering with healing magic like a bottomless pit.

What Elmie and I experienced last night—was something brutal… something that felt like heaven—and hell at the same time.

“W-Whoa… that’s… seriously…!”

“T-Those shameless sounds…! It’s like a beast roaring… and his body is moving like—!?”

That overwhelming, powerful intensity that fully made use of his steel-like body—

No… honestly, once you experience something like that, nothing else would ever feel enough.

“It doesn’t stop at all…! Abel’s stamina is insane…!”

“—H-Hey… going up against something like this… n-no, wait, if I take the lead from above, maybe—”

And just when it seemed like it had finally reached a huge climax—he would instantly recover with healing magic and start all over again.

“Ah—Elmie’s voice just cut off…? D-Don’t tell me she passed out…? He pushed her until she lost consciousness…? That’s way too much…! And now Raynare’s voice is getting more and more intense—”

“Even Ray, who’s strong and experienced, getting overpowered and completely dominated like that… hiii! There’s no way I could take the lead against that—”

Faced with that overwhelming scene—

The usually more passive younger sister stared at it, completely frozen, while the older sister, who normally took the lead, shrank back in fear, her legs giving out.

“Ah—wait, you can see—”

“Abel’s—”

““—THAT—!?””

Their final, wordless scream echoed throughout the room.

“Honestly… you naïve girls.”

“Uuu…—wait, come to think of it, Abel’s that amazing… so why did Millia even cheat…? He said his first time didn’t go well, but…”

“…Yeah… about that—”

Watching them from the side, Elmie, still bright red, quietly voiced her question.

It was just a guess, based on what I’d heard from him during pillow talk—but…

“—His is just too big. It probably hurt, and she ended up crying and freaking out. Honestly, for a first time with no experience, being able to handle something like that would be the rare case.”

“Ahh… yeah, that makes sense. She wasn’t exactly the patient type. Even for me, being trained and all, yesterday was still pretty intense…”

“So Abel probably misunderstood and thought he was bad at it. Can’t really blame him. If you try to force something that size without proper preparation…”

“—I-It’s a bit late to say this, but… thank you for going along with me…!”

Watching Elmie say that with a bright red face, I found it a little endearing—while recalling the non-attribute magic used to edit the crystal’s recording.

This was revenge against a woman I truly despised.

Of course I was fired up for it.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

For the gentlemen, I’ve posted “[Night Status – Abel Edition]” in the recent updates.

If you’re curious, give it a read—and if you’re honest, leave your thoughts.

For registered supporters, heroine status sheets are also available in the supporter-only updates.

If that kind of content isn’t your thing, feel free to skip it… and as always, I hope you continue enjoying the story.

Chapter 72: Two Who Still Won’t Give Up

[Side: Fallen Sage]

The Kingdom of Sildiel, which held vast territory in the center of the continent.

In its royal capital, Sildent, stood an enormous Adventurers’ Guild.

It was only natural for the capital of a major nation—but at one of its reception counters, two figures stood side by side.

“Yes. The reward for completing this request comes to a total of 100,000 el between the two of you—Miss Millia, Mr. Yuto.”

A woman with chestnut hair, dressed like a proper mage—《Sage》 Millia Xelei.

And beside her, a black-haired young man from another world, clad in shining armor—《Hero》 Yuto Amano.

The two who betrayed Abel were now making a living as adventurers.

Thanks to rewards from the kingdom, they weren’t struggling to survive.

But they weren’t allowed to use that money as atonement for Abel.

So instead, Millia earned money through adventuring—the job she was most used to…

But—

“Haah… this isn’t even close to enough… don’t you have any higher-paying jobs?”

“If we could take on B-rank monsters, we’d make decent money… but with only D-rank ones, no matter how many we hunt, this is all we get…”

It was still a large sum.

But compared to what they had access to during their time in the Hero’s party, it felt far too little.

And more importantly—

It was nowhere near their target.

Because to lift the curse placed on them—the “punishment” imposed by the Souther Sky Faith—they had to repay Abel a massive sum of five hundred million el.

“I can’t even buy decent clothes unless the curse is lifted, and… I can’t even feel satisfied…”

“And me? You’ve got no idea how backed up I am… this is seriously rough.”

The curses placed on Millia—‘Unfulfillment’ and ‘Diminishment’—and the ones placed on Yuto—‘Impotence’ and ‘Female Rejection’—bound their desires, along with the basic urges that come with being alive.

All it did was pile up stress for both of them.

But there were no high-paying jobs near the capital, and with Yuto being strictly monitored by the kingdom, he couldn’t just leave whenever he wanted.

So they weren’t earning nearly as much as they needed.

“Man… everything here kinda sucks. Hey, miss, don’t you have anything that pays better?”

“My apologies. There are no powerful magical beasts in this area. If you’re looking for higher rewards, I would recommend traveling to another city.”

Even after putting on his usual charming hero smile, Yuto clicked his tongue at the receptionist, who was basically telling him to “go somewhere else” without sugarcoating it.

Millia quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the counter.

The guild staff watched them go—their gazes cold.

“You didn’t have to act like that. I was the one talking to her, you know?”

Yuto said that—but it was because he was the Hero that they treated him so coldly.

The guild didn’t want to risk upsetting an S-rank adventurer any further.

And getting involved with the two who caused that incident brought nothing but trouble.

That understanding had spread even among the regular staff, so they were treated like something unpleasant no one wanted to deal with.

Guild employees, other adventurers—even the people of the capital who knew about Abel and Millia—all looked at them with cold eyes.

For someone once called a hero, there was no greater humiliation.

…And yet, even so, they were steadily earning money and sending it to the “Four Swords.”

Regardless of their attitude, the reward they just received had already been transferred directly to Abel’s guild account.

Just like how Abel had spent the past three years devotedly doing the same.

It looked like they were reflecting, sincerely dedicating themselves to atonement—

At least, on the surface.

“Haah… this is such a pain. Even if we keep scraping together money like this, there’s no way we can pay off five hundred million. That’s basically a scam.”

“Seriously! Because of these curses, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind from the stress! There’s nothing to enjoy anymore!”

“Same here. You know how long it’s been since I’ve had a woman…? I’m this worked up and I can’t even react—what kind of joke is that? I’m gonna go insane…!”

Unfortunately—

Regret, remorse…

There wasn’t even a trace of it in either of their hearts.

“Hey, Millia. That ex of yours is in Cahel, right? Wouldn’t it be faster if we just went there already?”

“We’re being monitored by the kingdom, so that’s not possible. And things still haven’t cooled down yet. Even if we tried to talk him into it, he’s definitely still angry.”

“Tch… so it’s going to take a while, huh…”

“For now, it’s better to lie low and wait for the surveillance to ease up, even just a little.”

Once that happened, they could use some excuse like “traveling as adventurers to atone while taking on requests across different regions” to leave Sildent.

After that, they just needed to meet Abel somehow, offer him some money as a show of sincerity, and apologize enough—

That should be enough to smooth things over.

“If we just throw out a half-assed apology, he’ll probably fold, right? He’s that easy, isn’t he?”

“Probably. He’s still a virgin, after all… if I just let him have me once, that should do the trick!”

That was how lightly Millia and Yuto were taking it.

“Though honestly, that still pisses me off… oh, I know. Maybe I’ll just take that hot girl who was with him. She was my type anyway. I’d love to make her scream…!”

“Hey, cut it out! Don’t say stuff like that about someone we know, it’s too much, Yuto! …But actually, that might work. She could get in the way of winning Abel over.”

“If you wrap him around your finger, Millia, everything will go exactly how we want. Let’s do our best—for our future.”

“Of course. Once that happens, we can spend Abel’s money however we want. No matter what it takes, I’m not letting him get away.”

They were taking their own sins far too lightly—making plans that could only be described as downright vile.

And they had already started putting those plans into motion.

“So, who exactly did you ask to look into that guy’s movements?”

In their current situation, there was no way they could use any official channels to investigate Abel.

If they even tried to request something like that through the guild, it would immediately be reported to the country and the higher-ups.

And especially within the guild’s upper ranks, there were people like Kamul—sharp and capable enough to see through everything.

So if they couldn’t use proper means—they’d have to rely on the opposite.

“Adventurers. Well… more like criminals, really.”

Going around sniffing after an S-rank adventurer was something no normal adventurer would ever want to do.

But there were always idiots out there.

Even among adventurers, there were those who had no problem committing crimes.

And those types usually believed, “I’ll be fine.”

That’s exactly why they were useful.

“As long as you pay them, they’ll do anything. I’ve got them looking into where he is and what he’s doing. They should be reaching Cahel about now.”

Using the guild’s banking system for transactions would leave a trail.

So instead, Millia handed over money directly, taking precautions—while using these borderline criminals to track Abel down.

“Sorry… for leaving that kind of thing to you.”

“It’s fine. If you tried anything, Yuto, the kingdom would get suspicious right away… but for me, talking to adventurers wouldn’t seem strange.”

What they had asked for was simple—to track Abel’s movements, and most importantly, pinpoint his current location.

The continent was vast.

If they could use the guild, finding Abel wouldn’t be hard—but since that wasn’t an option, this was the only way.

Sending people to follow him and gather information.

“As long as we know where he is, the moment we’re free to move, we can go straight to him.”

“We’ve got the magic vehicle, after all. With that, we can catch up to anyone.”

The “magic vehicle” was a magic item created using knowledge from Yuto’s original world.

It could travel long distances at over three times the speed of a carriage, making it an incredibly useful means of transport.

With that, catching up to Abel would be easy.

If Elmie and the others were traveling with him, they wouldn’t be able to move faster than a carriage anyway.

So once things settled down, they would leave the capital—and go “talk” Abel into it.

That was all they were thinking.

(Though… I actually asked for more than just that.)

Millia smirked to herself.

(Elmie and the others, trying to steal what’s mine… my Abel…! They should’ve just stayed like before—watching from the sidelines, jealous but quiet…!)

She couldn’t forgive the final words from Abel’s recorded message.

(They used to just look on with envy. If they had stayed like that, everything would’ve gone exactly how I wanted…! I bet they’re the ones who filled Abel’s head with nonsense too!)

Holding onto that anger, Millia had even gone as far as asking those shady adventurers to mess with Elmie’s party.

The three of them were A-rank, so it probably wouldn’t turn into anything too dangerous—but even just harassing them would be satisfying enough.

“Well then, Yuto… I’ll let you know if I find anything new.”

“Yeah. I can’t do much with the king watching me this closely… I’m counting on you, Millia. See you tomorrow.”

Yuto, who was staying at the royal castle.

Millia, who had been given a place to live in the capital.

At the point where their paths split, they smiled and parted like ordinary friends.

And once they were out of sight of each other, they quietly let their true thoughts slip out.

“I’m not giving up… no matter what! Yuto’s just a placeholder—I’m going to marry Abel and live the good life…!”

“This is all because of him…! Once the curse is gone, and once he’s out of the way, the women and the glory—everything will be mine…!”

Holding those true intentions deep inside, the two of them began moving—toward Abel.