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 75 & 76

Volume 03

Chapter 75: A Girls’ Gathering of Four

—S-rank adventurers are monsters.

Not just a nickname people throw around, but an official title granted by the Adventurers’ Guild.

In a world filled with vicious magical beasts—and even Demon Kings who rule over them—being called the strongest in the world…

I finally understood just how absurd that really was.

“Hey there. You’re the one who just got chosen as S-rank, right? A swordsman, huh… it’s been about three hundred years since someone truly mastered the sword. You’re not quite at that level yet, though.”

A woman with short silver hair suddenly appeared, speaking in a tone that almost sounded like she was singing.

There was nostalgia in her voice. Excitement. Expectation.

And… judgment.

With all those emotions mixed into her gaze, she eventually reached out a graceful hand toward me.

“Abel, huh… yeah, you seem fine. I’ll welcome you—as a new friend.”

The one called the strongest in the world—

Accepted me with a refreshing smile.

[Side: Pure-Hearted Sword Saint]

The tropical sky was a clear, brilliant blue, with white clouds standing out vividly.

The only time this weather had broken was about five days ago—when the blue dragon and the world’s strongest swordsman clashed.

On such a bright, refreshing day, I—Elmie, an A-rank adventurer—

“Y-You okay, Elmie? Raynare?”

“…………Nope.”

—was completely drained.

We finally managed to get all four of us—me, Frey, Maria, and Raynare—together for a girls’ outing at a seaside café…

…But honestly, I was far too exhausted to enjoy it…

“…Do I look… okay to you…?”

When I glanced to the side, a red-haired beauty was slumped over the table just like me.

Her chest was the biggest I’d ever seen, yet her waist was tightly toned—an absolutely perfect figure.

And she maintained that body naturally.

She was one of the first of the vampire race—《The Progenitor》 Raynare.

To me… she was like a sister who loved the same person.

“Haaah… must be nice…”

“Yeah, seriously. Even being that worn out looks kinda enviable~”

The identical twin sisters with matching purple hair watched us with sticky, teasing gazes.

Resting her chin on both hands, grinning as she stared at us, was the younger twin—Maria, her long hair straight.

Sipping her drink slowly while staring just as intently was the older sister—Frey, her long hair in soft waves.

Both of them had been part of the A-rank party 《Oathsworn Radiant Swords》 since my early days.

And then, as if finally letting it all out, Frey burst out—

“Because that exhaustion comes from getting all tangled up with Abel over and over, right!? Just you two!”

““Ugh…!””

“Ugh—seriously!?”

As Frey kept going, neither Raynare nor I could say anything back.

Because… it was true.

Yeah.

The reason we were this drained was because of the man we all loved—

Abel Sixam.

And… well… we got together with him.

And then… we kind of overdid it.

“You’ve just been leaving us out and doing it every single day…! The three of you have been living such a shameless life! You’ve been devouring each other’s bodies that much, haven’t you!? Enjoying Abel’s body that much!?”

“T-That’s true, but—!”

Compared to the other three, my chest wasn’t as big, but my body was still well-trained as an adventurer—firm, yet soft.

I was happy that Abel got so into me…

…But my stamina just couldn’t keep up…!

“That’s true, but don’t shout it out loud…!”

Raynare shot back lazily.

Good thing this café had plenty of space… and Maria had even set up a soundproof barrier with magic.

It was kind of rare to see Frey—who usually acted so composed—blushing this much.

“Um… so… is it really that amazing…? With Abel…”

This time, Maria asked quietly, covering her mouth.

I immediately turned red, but Raynare, on the other hand, started talking without hesitation.

“Fufufu… oh, absolutely. He’s incredible. At that level, honestly… he’s downright overwhelming for women.”

““O-Overwhelming…!?””

Hearing that from the oldest among us, both of them froze.

“Elmie’s an A-rank adventurer, you know? She’s got stamina—and even with the two of us against him, we still got overwhelmed…! And damn it—I have more experience, but he brushed all of that aside with nothing but raw talent and youth!”

Raynare groaned in frustration.

“He’s got power behind him, sure—but his technique is insane too…! The moment I tried to show even a bit of skill, he picked it up instantly and threw it right back at me!”

After that, she kept going passionately—

“Like a greatsword…” and “yet his technique is still…” and so on.

“…But the most ridiculous part is his stamina. Even with two of us, we couldn’t keep up—we got completely overwhelmed, and then he still had the energy to keep going—”

It was honestly embarrassing…

But I couldn’t help nodding along to everything Raynare was saying.

I mean—I… no, we lost.

No excuses.

We got completely taken down on that “battlefield”…

A total, one-sided defeat.

“Well, anyway… at this point, we might as well call him the Demon King. Yeah… the Demon King of the night.”

“T-The Demon King!? T-Then I can’t even call myself naughty anymore!!”

“No, but it’s not entirely our fault, right? If anything, most of the blame is on him for not letting us go…”

“That’s so unfair—!!”

Frey kicked her legs in protest, throwing a full-on tantrum like a child.

But honestly, this wasn’t really our fault either.

“…Isn’t this just because you’re chickening out?”

“Ggh!? T-That’s…!”

“She’s right!”

At Raynare’s words, Frey—who had been making all that noise—suddenly quieted down. Maria slammed her hand on the table.

Yeah… over the past few days, Frey hadn’t even been able to properly talk to Abel.

And the reason was—

“It’s just because the first time you saw a guy doing it, it was way too intense! You got completely scared, sis!”

“B-But I didn’t know it would be that intense…!”

In short, what she saw at the start was just too much, and it overwhelmed her.

I kind of understood how she felt, though.

Apparently, the twins had decided they’d do it together—so because of that, neither of them had taken that step with Abel yet.

Which was why Maria, clearly running out of patience, snapped at her sister.

“I’m holding myself back too, you know!? That kind of thing is definitely amazing! I want to be messed with already!”

“I-I know, I feel bad about that… b-but still…!”

“Ugh, seriously! Just make up your mind already, sis! I’m waiting for you, you know!”

“Uuu…!”

Maria’s masochistic side was the same as ever…

But seeing Frey—who usually took the lead—shrinking back like this was unexpected.

Frey, who normally played the seductive older-sister role, was now blushing bright red, while I watched with an awkward smile.

It almost felt like their roles had completely flipped…

…Haha.

“Ugh…! I can’t believe my own junior—someone I’ve looked after for years—got ahead of me like this, and now she’s looking at me like that…! This is a disgrace to me as an older sister!”

“If you’re already running away from Abel, that title doesn’t mean much… and besides, it’s your fault for getting scared, isn’t it? I want Abel to mess with me already too!”

“Uuu… b-but…!”

“—Speaking of which, you two have known Abel for a long time, right?”

Raynare asked that while Maria was still complaining and Frey had ended up clinging to her little sister.

“Yeah… since Abel was around twelve, I think? So about seven years now.”

“We used to take on requests together, and hang out late at night with Millia too~”

“We weren’t in the same party after he teamed up with Millia, but we got along well. Back then, at least.”

“…I see. Then has Abel always been like this? You know—kind of secretive?”

As we were reminiscing, Raynare brought that up.

I blinked in surprise, and she tilted her head slightly.

“What? You didn’t think so?”

“Abel’s actually pretty secretive. He doesn’t seem aware of it himself, though.”

“…Ahh… yeah, now that you mention it, he kind of is like that.”

Now that I thought about it, there were things that made sense.

He talked normally during casual chats, sure—but he rarely showed his hand or opened up about important things.

Like that fight five days ago… he never told us he’d end up that beaten.

Come to think of it, he never really taught us his techniques either.

“Eh, was he really like that…?”

“Well, you are kind of insensitive sometimes, sis.”

“What was that supposed to mean!?”

Frey wasn’t the type to hide anything, after all.

Which meant Maria often had to deal with the fallout.

But comparing Abel now to how he was back then…

“Hmm… maybe he wasn’t like that before? Or rather, I feel like we mostly saw him being led around by Millia.”

“I see… so either he didn’t express his own opinions much from the start, or he just spent too much time alone…”

Raynare rested her finger on her chin, thinking.

If it was the first, Millia’s influence probably played a role.

But the second felt more likely.

When people don’t have anyone to talk to, they tend to shut themselves off more and more…

“—Well, it doesn’t really matter. From now on, we’ll be by his side. We’ll just help him open up naturally.”

“…Yeah. You’re right!”

“Let’s strip him down layer by layer and get to know everything about him.”

“I’ll try my best to understand Abel better too…”

“You should probably start by actually getting with him first, though.”

“Geez! I’ll do my best, okay!?”

Seeing Frey protest with her face bright red, the rest of us burst out laughing.

[Side: Betrayed Adventurer]

“Man… it feels like it’s been ages since I got to relax in a bath like that…”

After the girls headed out,

I—Abel Sixam—was enjoying a post-bath drink.

I had just soaked by myself in the rooftop open-air bath, taking my time to unwind, and then came back to my room.

Honestly, it felt like forever since I last returned to the guest room assigned to me.

It had been five days since we sent off Granny Crim.

A lot had happened…

No, seriously—a lot had happened.

I got together with Elmie and Raynare…

And well… I’d been all over them the whole time…

Since Frey kept avoiding me, I didn’t really get to talk much with Maria either…

“Yeah… that’s kind of on me these past few days…”

Except for the first day, I’d basically been staying in Raynare’s main bedroom the whole time…

Living a completely indulgent life.

I did step out occasionally, but only for short periods.

Other than when the two of them were completely worn out, it was nonstop—room or bath, day or night.

Yeah…

…It was amazing.

“…I’m saying some pretty dangerous stuff. I might actually ruin myself like this…”

I was glad I could meet their expectations.

But at the same time… I never wanted to go through something that painful again.

Just imagining it made me uneasy.

That’s why I wanted to show them how much I loved them.

…Well, it’s also true I’ve had three years’ worth of pent-up desire overflowing—

—Wait, huh?

“What’s that… a letter? Feels like I’ve seen something like this before…”

As soon as I entered the room, I noticed a single sheet of paper on the desk.

Something unfamiliar showing up out of nowhere… yeah, that had happened before.

Back then, it was that weird object—some kind of decoration…?

Could it be the same person again?

“The last time it was a crystal, right? It disappeared at some point… and now it’s a letter…?”

Maybe it was Frey or Maria?

Well… I’d find out if I opened it.

And after reading what was inside—

I practically flipped over in shock, scrambled to my feet, and rushed out to find the four of them.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

[Afterword]

Hello again, it’s Sora Akatsuki.

Thank you for waiting! Volume 03 of The Betrayed Adventurer has officially begun.

If you’re wondering why it took so long, please check the afterword of the previous chapter…

But anyway, I hope you enjoy this new arc!

And I have some big news for all readers!

Thanks to your continued support, this series is finally getting a light novel release!

A LIGHT NOVEL RELEASE!

WE DID IT!!! (super loud cheering)

It will be published by KADOKAWA under Enterbrain.

The story will be easier to read and even more fun than the web version—and most importantly, Elmie and the others will finally have illustrations!

It’s expected to release around spring, so I’d really appreciate it if you check it out!

I never imagined that my second work would get a publication deal this quickly.

It’s all thanks to everyone who has been reading and supporting this story. Truly, thank you so much.

I hope you’ll continue to support The Betrayed Adventurer going forward!

Chapter 76: A Cute Big Sister and a Letter

[Side: Betrayed Adventurer]

“W-We should go to the guild.”

Less than an hour after I rushed out of the hotel—

I managed to find Elmie, Frey, Maria, and Raynare, and ended up saying that as we stepped back into the café they had just left.

Honestly, it was lucky I found them so quickly.

Running around without even knowing where they were was pretty reckless…

“Yeah… that’s fine, but what’s wrong? You suddenly showed up out of nowhere.”

“There’s a lot to explain. Mostly… it’s about work as an adventurer. And, um—I also want to properly talk with Frey. …Is that okay?”

“Hya!?”

At my words, Frey—who had been shrinking into herself—jerked in surprise.

She’d been avoiding me lately, but here, she had nowhere to run…!

I wanted to use this chance to clear up the awkwardness between us—

But…

“Sorry… I haven’t really talked to you lately. I wanted to, but… um…”

I’d never even thought about something like a harem before…

So in a situation like this, I had no idea what I was supposed to say.

There was no way I could just say, “Sorry I was too focused on Elmie and the others,” or “Sorry you felt left out,” so I got stuck.

“It’s not like I forgot about you, Frey…! I mean—of course I didn’t forget Maria either, I care about both of you, but… these past few days, it’s just been…”

“—Um… um, you know, Abel…”

It was right when I was trying to say everything at once—and couldn’t get my thoughts together.

Frey fidgeted, shrinking in on herself, lightly pressing her fingertips together as she looked up at me and spoke.

“It’s not like I started disliking you, Abel… It’s just… you’ve gotten really cool, you know? Like… I realized all over again how strong you’ve become, and it kind of surprised me…”

“…Yeah.”

“So… if you could wait just a little longer, your big sister would really appreciate it… ahh…”

Frey, who had been trying so hard to put her feelings into words, ended up hugging herself with one arm while covering her mouth with the other, her face turning bright red.

“I… see.”

“About the work too—we’re in the same party, after all. I’ll do it properly. I’ll try my best…!”

“…Alright. And, uh… thanks. For saying I’m cool.”

“…!”

Even though she was the one who said it, she got too embarrassed and covered her face.

Seeing Frey act so shy and cute—so unlike her usual self—sent a strange thrill through me, but… she said she needed time, so I had to hold back…!

“Wow, you really did a number on my sister, Abel~. Once she’s ready, I’d love it if you took good care of both of us together, okay~?”

“…Yeah. I’ll do my best.”

“Nice!”

I agreed when Maria said that.

Man… having a harem really is complicated.

Of course, I love all of them.

Elmie was smiling too, so… this should be fine, right?

“Alright, now that the wimpy confession is over, let’s get back to the main topic. Abel, what did you want to talk about?”

At Raynare’s sharp shift in tone, Frey looked like she wanted to snap back with “W-Who are you calling wimpy!?”—

But yeah, we needed to move on.

“Right. After you all went out earlier, I went back to my guest room… and found this letter sitting there.”

I placed a single sheet of paper on the table.

“Abel’s guest room—ah… y-yeah, we haven’t gone in there for a while…”

“A letter…? It’s not from us…”

“Yeah, it’s not me.”

“…No one should’ve been able to enter that room. Don’t tell me—an intruder?”

Raynare immediately picked up on it, her gaze sharpening.

That was because we had made sure the hotel staff wouldn’t enter the room.

Even things like linens, we handled ourselves.

…Well, that was partly because of how we’d been living lately.

Elmie had been with me the whole time, and if even the twins didn’t recognize it, then—

It had to be someone else who entered the room.

“…Anyway, just read it.”

I quietly slid the letter toward Raynare.

At this point, there wasn’t really a way to explain it myself…

Looking slightly suspicious, she opened the letter with a soft rustle.

“Let’s see… ‘Hey Abel, long time no see. I’ve got something I need from you, but you never show up at the guild. So I took the liberty of leaving you a letter. That said… living such a shameless life for nearly three days straight, even I can only say—you’ve got quite the stamina—’”

“W-W-Wait, hold on a second!?!?”

Elmie suddenly screamed, cutting Raynare off mid-reading.

“H-How does this person know that!? Were we being watched!? That got seen!?”

It was no wonder she was panicking…

Our recent, completely indulgent lifestyle had been seen through perfectly by whoever sent this letter.

“I don’t know how much they saw exactly. Well, at least it’s a woman, so it’s not that bad… but yeah, judging from this, we definitely kept her waiting for a while.”

From the tone, it sounded like we’d made her wait for days—and this was the result.

Or maybe… this whole message was just her way of getting back at us for making her wait.

“…This way of talking—yeah, figures it’s her.”

“You finished reading it? And you know who it is?”

“…Yeah.”

Raynare looked at the name written at the end of the letter and made a complicated face.

“I’ve lived long enough to have met her once or twice. Though I doubt she remembers me.”

“Ahh… yeah, that sounds like her.”

“Wait, wait, wait—why are you two so calm about this!? Someone knows things they absolutely shouldn’t know!?”

Raynare’s words made sense, and I ended up with a similar expression—but Maria, still confused, spoke up.

Sure, when you think about it, it is kind of creepy…

But—

“…I don’t know, it doesn’t feel that strange. I mean—that person is the strongest.”

“Huh? Wait… then who exactly sent this letter…?”

“Hmm… how do I put it…? Kind of like the one who oversees all the S-ranks.”

“““……Huh?”””

At my answer, both Frey and Maria—and even Elmie, who had been bright red this whole time—snapped their attention back to me.

“The ‘strongest adventurer’… and also the ‘first S-rank.’”

“She’s basically the most senior among all of us S-ranks.”

“““—Whaaaaat!?!?”””

The three of them, who had been frozen for a moment, burst out in shock.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・

The letter had started off pretty shocking, but to sum it up—

『Hey Abel, I’ve got something to talk about, but you’ve been too busy living your shameless life for days, so I couldn’t meet you~☆ When you read this, just come to the guild, okay~♪』

So, we headed to the Adventurers’ Guild—Estena Branch.

After being shown into a reception room, we waited for the person in charge.

Though that was probably unrelated to the letter itself…

“H-Hey… are we really okay? Being called in by the strongest person and all…”

“It’s fine. No matter how famous she is, she’s still my senior. No need to get nervous.”

Sitting on the sofa, Elmie fidgeted nervously, so I leaned closer and spoke softly to calm her down.

If it was her, things wouldn’t turn dangerous just from getting involved.

I’d already explained that much.

“…Still, the fact that she’s Abel’s senior now is kind of scary…” 

…What does that even mean? Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?

“Come on, it’ll be fine. And no matter what happens, I’ll protect all of you.”

“A-Abel…!”

As Elmie shyly tapped my leg over and over—

knock knock

“—Apologies for the wait. The Guild Master is currently unavailable due to other duties. In their place, I, the vice-master, will be speaking with you.”

A woman in a suit entered the room.

Introducing herself as the vice guild master, she gave a polite bow and sat down on the sofa across from us.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Abel of the ‘Four Swords’. The others are my party members.”

“It’s a pleasure. I’ve heard much about you… It’s an honor to have someone as renowned as the Four Swords visit us.”

“Well, I’m still an adventurer. I owe a lot to the guild. …So? There must be a reason you brought us to a reception room, right?”

After a quick handshake, I got straight to the point.

Normally, this kind of thing would be handled at the counter.

If they went out of their way to bring us to a private room, it usually meant one thing—

A request… or a problem.

“Yes, that’s correct. Actually, something was decided among the guild’s upper management these past few days… and we’ve been instructed to deliver this to all S-rank adventurers.”

The vice-master took out a round crystal.

No—

To be exact, it was a magic item I was very familiar with.