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 79 & 80

Chapter 79: Sylvia’s Request

“No way~! Abel, that stiff guy actually said he’d do anything you ask!?”

After somehow dodging the barrage of questioning from the girls, I managed to escape by shifting the conversation into small talk with Sylvia.

Senior, take the hit for me and act as a shield.

“Yeah, he did. When the guild news used me as a story, he said he’d do anything as an apology.”

“I see~. Getting a hard-headed executive to say ‘I’ll do anything’? Not bad, Abel!”

“Yeah, guess throwing a full-on rage fit paid off.”

“Hahaha—!”

Sylvia and I laughed together, joking about a mutual acquaintance.

Sorry to that poor guild executive being used as a topic, but exaggerating stories about people you know is just fun.

I’ll probably end up as her next joke too… forgive me, old man Kamul…!

“(…That ‘Beautiful Heaven’ person… she’s the S-rank famous for being insanely beautiful, right?)”

“(She just joined recently, so I haven’t met her yet… but well, as long as it’s just adding more, it’s fine.)”

“(The real problem is if she’s against harems… I’d rather not end up fighting an S-rank…)”

“(Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But if she tries to keep him all to herself—then we fight back properly—)”

…Meanwhile, the girls I had just escaped from had gathered a little distance away, whispering among themselves.

I could hear some seriously dangerous things being said.

Hey… everything okay over there?

I’m not breaking up with any of you, so relax… seriously.

“—By the way, that news… you got cheated on, right? Bit late to bring it up, but that was rough. After everything you did, getting dumped by your girlfriend like that…”

While I was still unsettled from overhearing my lovers’ whispers, Sylvia brought it up, probably reminded by that same news.

“I wasn’t sure how to bring it up… but I’m glad you look okay. Guess that’s thanks to your current girlfriends?”

“…Yeah. Thanks to everyone, I was really saved. —But… I’m sorry. Even after all the help you gave me back then, it ended up like this.”

Calling it “like this” might be rude to Elmie and the others, but I still had to say it.

I pushed things my own way for the sake of my goal—and still didn’t achieve it.

“It’s fine. I did it for a friend. As long as you’re happy now, then it was worth helping.”

She said that with a smile.

I really couldn’t hold my head up around her.

She had helped behind the scenes—like acting as a go-between to get support from other S-ranks.

Even if it wasn’t direct, she did a lot.

You could even say the Hero’s party defeating the Demon King was partly thanks to her.

“Well, I’ve never actually been in love with anyone myself. But still… your ex really crossed a line—cheating isn’t something you just brush off…”

The senior, who should have lived a long life, let out a faint, hollow sigh as she shook her head.

Holding her teacup, she stared off into the distance for a moment…

“—Back then, there was this one guy I made a promise with… like, ‘When we get back from this battle, let’s get married!’ Stuff like that. Makes it all sound stupid now, doesn’t it?”

“Isn’t that like… the one line you’re not supposed to say? Total death flag.”

“For the record, the guy who said it came back without even a scratch.”

“That’s such a letdown after saying something so cool… pfft…!”

That punchline was so ridiculous I couldn’t help but laugh.

All that resolve, completely wasted.

No wonder Sylvia felt a bit empty about it…!

“Though, I guess I shouldn’t be telling you this, Abel… but after that, the two of them got married and lived happily ever after.”

“That’s a full-on flag! At that point, at least make it work properly, you stupid jinx!”

There was no way I could feel jealous over a story that dumb.

While I was laughing at her usual kind of story, Raynare—who seemed to have finished her talk—looked at us with exasperation.

“What’s with you two, laughing like idiots?”

“Ah, it’s nothing… oh, right. Just so we’re clear, there’s nothing going on with that ‘Beautiful Heaven’ girl. Seriously.”

“We’ll talk about that properly later… but just make sure you don’t make us cry anywhere other than the bed, alright?”

“R-Raynare…!”

At her teasing grin and the way she said that so casually, I quickly looked away…

Elmie, just as embarrassed, smacked Raynare’s shoulder, making the huge chest under her aloha shirt sway.

“Alright, jokes aside. Hey, Sylvia Estate. Didn’t you come here for something? Hurry up and get to the point.”

“Oh! Right, I totally forgot! I had something I wanted to ask Abel!”

Raynare suddenly switched to a serious tone, snapping Sylvia back to her original purpose.

“A request…? Isn’t it about the guild crystal?”

“That’s a separate matter~… you know, it’s about that.”

Senior raised her index finger as she said it.

“Mel’s stockpile is probably about to run out.”

“…Ah—yeah… yeah, I see…! So it’s about that time, huh…!”

At the mention of “Mel,” I remembered that senior—another S-rank—and instinctively looked up.

All I saw was the ceiling, so I just held my head.

The last time I saw her was during the war with the Demon King’s army.

It had been a little over two months since then.

Yeah… I definitely had an idea what this was about.

“Mel…? Since both of you know her, she’s another S-rank, right?”

“Yep. —She’s called ‘Melvi of the Magic Tower.’ She’s a really nice girl! Just a little shy, that’s all.”

A little? And that’s it?

A huge question mark popped into my head.

“‘Melvi of the Magic Tower’… you mean the one with the story that ‘when she fought on a plain, she turned the entire area into scorched earth’… that one?”

“Yep, that’s her.”

I nodded at Maria’s words.

Sylvia said she was a good girl, sure—but she was still someone with a pretty terrifying legend attached to her.

“I think she became S-rank about a hundred years ago, right? I’ve never met her though—what kind of person is she?”

When I looked over at Raynare, Elmie and the others were staring at me with curious, almost excited eyes.

Well, yeah… an S-rank wrapped in mystery would make anyone curious.

But…

“Yeah… if I had to sum her up in one word… a shut-in.”

“…A shut-in.”

“And on top of that, like Ms. Sylvia said, she’s super shy. Also… a total booze addict.”

“…A booze addict…”

Frey—and Maria too—just blankly repeated what I said.

They probably didn’t expect a famous S-rank to be described like that…

But unfortunately, it was the truth.

“She’s always holed up inside, so she regularly runs out of food.”

“She’s shy, so she’s not great at shopping either. That’s why I sometimes go with her to buy supplies.”

“And yet she dumps all her money into alcohol, so she can only stock about two months’ worth of food at a time.”

Good alcohol was seriously expensive…

And she’d buy it in bulk like it was nothing.

“She’s one of my closer friends too~! Our names are kind of similar, so I feel a bit of a connection.”

“Because of the shy part… no, never mind.”

I almost threw in a sharp comment, but stopped myself at the last second.

“…So you’re going to go help her out, Ms. Sylvia?”

“I’d like to, but I’ve got something else to take care of right now.”

I mean… if it’s just delivering food, it should be over quickly—

…Was what I thought, right before a bad feeling hit me.

“While you’re at it, I want you to help Mel with her work too, Abel.”

“…………”

Yeah. Called it.

The one job I least wanted right now—

An S-rank request.

“Mel spends all her money, so once she locks herself in, she ends up with nothing, right? And since she’s shy, I want you to go with her on her requests.”

“So basically, you’ve got something else to do, so you want me to handle it instead…? But honestly, I don’t want to take on S-rank requests for a while. Putting Raynare aside, I haven’t finished training Elmie and the others yet.”

Requests given to S-rank adventurers weren’t just “difficult.”

They were things only S-ranks could handle.

Subjugating powerful monsters, hunting Demonkin, even “destroying” natural disasters—everything about them was beyond normal.

“Maybe it’s just me not being strong enough… but if I bring them along, they’ll either get seriously injured or die right away. I’m sorry, Elmie…”

“Abel…”

Elmie quietly said my name, sounding hurt.

But what couldn’t be done, couldn’t be done.

So I tried to gently refuse—

But in front of the strongest person in the world, that kind of resistance didn’t mean much.

“It’ll be fine. This incident is happening near a town. Your girlfriends can either stay there, or have Mel protect them—either way, it’ll work out.”

“There’s an S-rank case near a town? That’s dangerous as hell…! And of course you already know where Ms. Melvi is… did you see that with 《Future Sight》?”

“…Fufu, I’ve got other things to take care of. So, can I count on you?”

So she did know—and still dumped it on me, huh.

At that point, I couldn’t exactly expect a superhuman like her to handle everything herself.

With Future Sight from time magic and Clairvoyance from spatial magic, she probably already knew everything—and sometimes she’d just pass things off like this.

Still, she called me a friend and trusted me with handling something big.

At the very least, I wanted to live up to that expectation…

…As long as it didn’t put Elmie and the others in danger, maybe I could accept it.

“Abel, I think we should take it. We might not be much help, but if you’re needed, then I’m okay with it.”

“At the very least, we won’t hold you back. Honestly… it’s a little frustrating, though.”

“I don’t want to just stay behind somewhere far away, okay? I don’t need to go right next to the danger, but at least take us along… please?”

“I might be able to fight depending on the opponent… but yeah, I’ll make sure I don’t get in the way.”

“…I see.”

“Well… if it’s that person, introducing you to her shouldn’t be too hard… and if things go well, she might even protect you…”

Since everyone was saying this too, and luckily that “Magic Tower” wasn’t actually dangerous if you were careful—

If certain conditions were met, she was the perfect person to introduce them to.

“And you know, if you help me, I’ll give you a proper reward.”

“A reward?”

“I mean payment. Adventurers should always think about what they’re getting out of a job, right?”

That was true.

Adventurers worked for returns, after all.

“Abel, with your current girlfriends around, you can’t use your usual way of traveling, right? Your travel speed must’ve dropped a lot.”

“Ah, yeah… I guess I can’t use it now…”

My fastest method—Human Yacht (temporary name)—used wind and water to move at over five times the speed of a carriage.

But it only worked for solo long-distance travel.

With Elmie and the others, or Raynare with me, I couldn’t use it—so my travel speed had dropped significantly.

“That said, this journey isn’t something we need to rush. There are plenty of ways to get around, you know?”

Shared carriages, walking, renting horses—that was more than enough for an adventurer’s journey.

“But when something does happen… when you need to move fast, or need to escape… having a proper means of transport wouldn’t hurt, right?”

“Well, yeah, it’d be convenient… but situations like that even happen?”

Me? Running away?

Unless it was something on the level of an S-rank case—like the one I was just asked to handle—there wasn’t much that could force that.

“And one more thing. Your ex has been searching everywhere for you, and her investigation has already reached Cahel.”

“I’ll take it. I’m taking the job. Give me the vehicle.”

The moment I heard that, my answer was decided.

The Hero’s party had transportation faster than a carriage.

If they found out where I was, they’d catch up in no time.

I seriously do not want to run into Millia right now…!!!

Chapter 80: Bath Time After the Storm

By the time the sun had started to set, Sylvia was getting ready to leave the hotel the same way she came—in through the balcony.

The discussion was settled, and we decided to go help Melvi of the Magic Tower two days later at noon.

Tomorrow would be for preparations.

“Alright then, see you the day after tomorrow! I’ll be waiting on the outskirts of town!”

“Got it. We’ll be ready. See you then.”

She waved lightly as she spoke—then suddenly turned back, like she had just remembered something.

“Oh, right… You still don’t want to meet your ex, do you? Must be rough.”

“Huh? Yeah… well… but I’ve got everyone with me now. So it’s not as bad as I thought.”

“I see… well, whatever. See you then!”

This time, she turned away for good—smiling in satisfaction as she vanished into thin air.

“…Phew. She’s gone. Good work, everyone.”

“Ahh… that was exhausting…!”

“She was… something else, huh. Like a storm blowing through…”

“I can’t believe we got to see magic like that… it felt like a dream…!”

As Sylvia disappeared, Elmie and Frey immediately relaxed, all that tension leaving their bodies at once.

Only Maria looked different—still floating in a daze after witnessing that incredible magic.

“Been a while since I last saw her, but she’s still the same as ever.” 

“Haha… yeah. Thanks—and good work, Raynare.” 

“It’s nothing. She’s a colleague of my lover—I wouldn’t stir up trouble.” 

Raynare shrugged lightly, turning her palms upward.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at that.

“We’re heading out the day after tomorrow, huh. That means we won’t have many chances left to use the rooftop bath. So, Abel—want to go in together?”

“Are you serious? We should really start holding back a bit…!”

“Relax, relax. We won’t do anything. Just a little skinship♪ That’s fine, right?”

“Ugh… f-fine… I guess…”

“Oh, if it’s okay… then I’ll join too…!”

“Even Elmie, who’s usually so shy, is being this bold…! Then, I suppose I-I should join as well…?”

“Now sis is the shy one, huh~. Um, I-I wanna join too…!”

“Frey and Maria too!? Then I—”

“You’re not going to leave just the two of us out, right?”

With Raynare’s words sealing my escape route, I got dragged along before I could resist—straight up to the rooftop open-air bath.

Damn it… these wild beasts!

・ ・ ・ ・ ・

“What would happen if you and Sylvia fought?”

While soaking up to my shoulders and relaxing as I watched the sunset, that question came up.

“Yeah. Ms. Sylvia said she’s the strongest, but if it’s another S-rank like you, what would happen?”

Elmie asked from a bit of distance away.

Even though she was the one who came along, she must’ve gotten embarrassed—because the three of them were sitting off to the side, away from me.

Frey and Maria looked just as curious too, but… yeah.

“Well, I’d lose. No way I’d win. We’re both S-rank, but she’s on a completely different level.”

“Really?”

“With the others, it depends on compatibility… but not with her. She’d just keep her distance with teleportation and pick me off. And her total magic power is more than double mine.”

My strength was close combat, after all…

If she just kept teleporting away, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

And on top of that, the difference in magic reserves was overwhelming.

When it comes to “magic power,” the more you use it, the more it grows over time.

“I’ve got a lot because I was born with a high amount and kept using recovery and enhancement magic nonstop… but even then, I can’t match Ms. Sylvia. Honestly, even compared to Raynare, I’m nowhere near her level.”

“Yeah… Ray’s magic really is on another level…”

Unlike before, she was covering herself now—though not very effectively, given how big they were—

Frey stared off into the distance.

She probably realized it firsthand after being put through training by Raynare.

Mana increases the more you use it.

So naturally, those who live longer have an advantage.

Raynare’s reserves were enormous—probably even more than Sylvia’s.

The vampire lounging beside me puffed out her chest proudly.

“Heh. That’s the advantage of age. …Though that little girl’s magic is impressive too. And yours as well, Abel.”

Raynare glanced at me, her expression both sharp and alluring.

“Well, as far as natural talent goes, yours is on another level.”

That look made my heart skip a beat, and I quickly looked away after saying that.

—Wait, though… Sylvia’s been active since before we were even born, and Raynare calls her a “little girl”… just how long has Raynare been alive?

There are rumors about a thousand years, but… yeah, better not ask.

“Anyway, Sylvia is constantly ‘stopping her own aging,’ right…? She’s using magic all the time, so of course her magic reserves keep growing.”

I’ve said before that constantly using magic helps increase it—

She’s basically the perfect example of that.

And more than that—

“I already can’t beat her in raw magic power, but when she fights, she apparently freezes her own state. How am I supposed to win against something like that?”

“Abel… what does that even mean?”

Maria asked hesitantly, so I gave her a small smile.

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking. Her ‘state.’ No injuries, no illness—she locks herself into that condition, so she can’t even be hurt. Basically, she’s invincible.”

“Seriously… that’s just completely unfair…”

“And on top of that, she messes with time too—something about reversing it, so her magic power keeps returning to full regularly. She never runs out.”

“That’s even more unfair!!!”

Well, if you’re not that broken, you don’t become the top S-rank adventurer.

“Well, the only way I could win is… if it starts from within three meters, with a ‘ready, go,’ while she hasn’t activated any magic yet.”

“That situation would never happen… wait, then how would you win just from that?”

“I’d just cut her down before she activates her magic.”

No matter how far you push magic, there’s still a limit to human reaction speed.

If it’s within three meters, even if she tries to stop time or whatever—

I can cut her before the spell even activates.

“…What a brute-force answer. My partner really is something else.”

“Elmie, could you do that?”

“No way. I don’t even understand what you’re talking about. I wouldn’t make it in time.”

“Outpacing a Sword Saint in speed… ahh, so this is what S-rank is like.”

“Or maybe… no, never mind.”

For a moment, the black blade flashed through my mind.

If it were Chronovale, it might even cut through time-stopping magic itself…

But there’s no point thinking about that.

“…Anyway, sorry, everyone. Looks like I’m dragging you into something crazy with this S-rank job.”

I pushed aside those thoughts and apologized—

But…

“What are you talking about? Being an adventurer means danger is part of the job! It’s nothing new.”

“Exactly. And when we decided to stay with you, we already knew we might end up dealing with S-ranks.”

“It’s just that we’re not strong enough yet. Just wait—we’ll definitely get strong enough so we won’t hold you back!”

Back when I was just following Millia around, I never imagined I’d hear something like this from others…

It felt… kind of overwhelming.

Happy—but also a bit embarrassing.

“I… see. Thanks.”

“That’s how it is. If it’s for the sake of staying by the side of the man they love, a woman can make any kind of resolve, you know?”

“…You used to be a man.”

“Hahaha! Understanding a woman’s heart is part of being a good man, you know? You should start learning too. Or… want to start learning right now?”

“I’m not! Not doing that! Don’t come any closer!”

As Raynare slowly closed in on me, lifting her chest as if to show it off, I splashed hot water at her to hold her back.

Hey—Elmie, you guys! Stop laughing over there and help me!

Her body alone was already way too stimulating.

This was just playful now, but if things escalated, what was I supposed to do?

“By the way… Sylvia turned out to be a really nice person. That was kind of unexpected.”

While I was struggling to hold back Raynare—who kept coming at me without restraint—Elmie said that.

At her words, I instinctively glanced at the naked beauty I was grappling with.

“Yeah. I thought all S-ranks would be way more eccentric. I mean, look at you, Abel.”

“But Abel is kind too, so maybe they’re not as extreme as the rumors make them sound.”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘look at me’? …Though, yeah, you’ve got a point.”

“Well, from what we saw today, that does seem to be the case.”

Frey and Maria spoke positively, but Raynare and I had more complicated reactions.

Maybe she lost interest, because she let go of my hands and leaned back against the edge of the bath, looking annoyed.

“…? What’s wrong with you two?”

“Well, yeah… Ms. Sylvia is a nice person, but how do I put it…”

“You don’t need to sugarcoat it.”

As I hesitated, Raynare crossed her legs and relaxed into the bath.

Her movements were elegant, but her expression wasn’t.

“She—Sylvia Estate—has no real interest in anyone who isn’t S-rank. She protects humanity, sure, but even if many people died… even if she killed them herself, she wouldn’t care.”

“Wha—!? But she didn’t seem like that at all!”

Maria, still captivated by Sylvia’s magic, spoke in disbelief.

Raynare looked straight at the three of them and asked—

“—Do you remember? Today… she only called you ‘Abel’s current girlfriends.’ Nothing else.”

“…!”

“T-That’s… maybe she just couldn’t remember? She said she’s bad with names and faces…”

“Even though you just introduced yourselves? You were right in front of her. If she forgot or was unsure, she could’ve just asked.”

“…Yeah… that’s true.”

“When someone says they’re ‘bad at remembering people,’ sometimes it really just means exactly that.”

The reason Raynare had been in a bad mood ever since seeing Sylvia’s letter was simple.

“In short, she only remembers us as ‘a friend’s lovers.’ Even for me, she doesn’t remember my name—just that I’m ‘a somewhat strong vampire, The Progenitor.’”

—Because to her, we’re people who aren’t worth remembering in detail.

The three of them flinched slightly.

Even in the hot water, it was like a chill ran down their spines.

Maria turned to me and spoke.

“…Is that really true, Abel?”

“Yeah… something like that. Just my impression, but I think she sees anyone who isn’t S-rank as nothing more than something to protect.”

“Is that so? I’d think she sees them as no more than pebbles on the roadside.”

“No, she does see them as living beings. And probably thinks they should be protected… but that’s about it.”

At worst, it was like how someone viewed a pet.

And not even a special one—just one among countless others, nothing that really stood out.

More importantly, it meant she didn’t see them as equals.

Even though she called S-ranks her “friends,” anyone below that level was naturally seen as beneath her.

I might be treated well because I was one of those she called a friend.

But for everyone else, there was barely any difference.

Even for Elmie and the others.

“Well, at least she’ll remember you all as my girlfriends. And Raynare too—probably in a slightly better way than before. —But yeah… most S-ranks are like this… so be careful.”

At my words, Elmie, Frey, and Maria all swallowed nervously, their expressions stiffening.

That same night, far to the north of Estena, in the southernmost city of Sildiel—

The trading city, Cahel…

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

[Afterword]

Hello, this is Sora Akatsuki, whose tastes are painfully obvious.

Raynare… Raynare just keeps going wild on her own and won’t stop…!!

S-ranks are all like this (according to someone who’s gone insane from love for their partner)

I’ve been wanting to write the next part for a long time…!

It shouldn’t be too long a wait. Look forward to it.