The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: The Boy Who Was Expelled from His Party Awakens to His True Power [Weapon Master] and Eventually Becomes the World’s Strongest

Thank You

Descending the sacred Mount Gagazia, they arrived at its entrance.

Presea pulled a large sack from her item box and handed it to Haise.

“This is your reward.”

“I don’t need it.”

“…No, you must take it. You’re an adventurer. Payment for completing a request is only right.”

“……”

“And besides—”

“There they are!!”

“…Ah, geez.”

At the base of Mount Gagazia, a group of elven soldiers had gathered.

When Haise muttered, “There?” Presea’s face soured with guilt.

Parting through the soldiers, an elven man approached them.

“Finally, I’ve found you, Presea.”

“…Adra.”

“Honestly, you gave me quite the trouble. Leaving only a letter behind and disappearing like that?”

“It was for my sister.”

“I understand. Althera-sama’s illness can only be cured by the sacred Elixir.

Since we couldn’t enter Mount Gagazia, you left to search in other lands. So, did you find it?”

“……”

“As I thought. Even Mount Gagazia didn’t have it.

And with an SS+ class beast guarding the area, harvesting would have been impossible.

Presea… you have no choice but to give up.”

“You’re telling me to abandon my sister!?”

“No. If she can be saved, it’s fate. If not, it’s also fate. We must abide by the laws of nature.”

“That’s…”

“You did your best to defy those laws. But this is the result… this is Althera-sama’s destiny.”

“…Brother Gremio…”

“He tried too. But now he has chosen to spend her final moments by her side.”

“…!”

Haise stood on the sidelines, left out of the conversation.

Unable to intervene, he quietly observed and pieced things together.

“Presea, let’s go home… There’s also our marriage to discuss. We need to have a proper conversation about that.”

“…………”

Finally, Adra turned his gaze toward Haise.

“You must be the S-class adventurer, Haise. I received a report. You brought Presea to Mount Gagazia, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“…She is the sister of Queen Althera, wife to King Gremio of the forest kingdom of Yggdra. She is also my fiancée. Even if you were unaware, she’s not someone to be treated casually. We’ll overlook this incident. Leave at once.”

“Understood.”

“Ah—…Haise.”

“……”

Haise looked at Presea.

Then, ever so slightly—he smiled.

“Well, it was fun in its own way. See you around.”

“……”

With a casual wave, Haise walked away.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Back at the royal castle of Yggdra, Presea was tended to by the maids.

They dressed her in a gown, applied makeup, and transformed her into the image of a royal,

the sister of the queen and a member of Yggdra’s ruling family.

Adra looked on in satisfaction and offered his hand to Presea, now adorned in finery.

“Stunning. Come, Presea.”

“…………”

Taking his hand, she walked through the castle.

Servants bowed their heads, showing Presea the utmost respect.

She had always felt uncomfortable with such treatment.

Finally, they reached the queen’s chamber.

The door opened to reveal the bedridden queen, Althera—Presea’s sister.

Beside her stood King Gremio of Yggdra.

“…Presea?”

“Sister…!”

Seeing her emaciated sister, Presea could no longer hold back her tears.

Shaking free of Adra’s hand, she rushed to Althera’s side and clasped her frail hand.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I couldn’t find it. The Everglow Moonlight Grass… I couldn’t find it…”

“……I see.”

Althera gently stroked her sobbing sister’s head.

“It’s alright. This is simply my fate…”

“Sister…”

“Gremio, please take care of her.”

“I will…”

King Gremio grieved deeply for Althera.

At that moment, he was not a king, but a man in love with a woman.

Althera smiled faintly and said:

“Presea, could you tell me? About your journey through the West and the Central lands.”

“Yes, I’ll tell you everything! Oh, and I brought souvenirs.”

Presea reached into her item box.

But as she searched its interdimensional space—

“───…What?”

What she pulled out was… a small flowerpot.

Inside it, glowing faintly, was the Everglow Moonlight Grass.

“Wh-why is this…?”

“Is… is this… the Everglow Moonlight Grass!? Presea, you found it!?”

“But… how…?”

Gremio took the plant from Presea, shouting to a nearby attendant:

“Prepare this for the Elixir immediately!”

“Yes, sire!”

Gremio embraced Presea tightly.

“Thank you… Thank you! Presea, you’ve saved my wife!”

“Unbelievable, Presea… Haha, what is this? You actually found it? You had me completely fooled… I’m amazed.”

“Ah… I… I’m going to live, aren’t I? Presea…”

“……”

As Gremio, Adra, and Althera rejoiced, Presea silently wept.

“Well, it was fun in its own way. See you around.”

Haise’s fleeting smile lingered in her mind.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Returning to the kingdom of Heiberk, Haise filed his report to the royal family.

Several days later, he visited the Adventurer’s Guild.

“So, you failed the request, huh?”

“……”

“The SS+ rated Green Elephant Dragon, huh? The dragon’s blood contaminated the land where the Everglow Moonlight Grass grows, making it impossible to harvest. That’s your story?”

“Well, yeah.”

“…I see.”

In the guildmaster’s office, Haise recounted the events to Geist.

Geist heaved a heavy sigh.

“Fortunately, the request was more of a formality from the royal family. Your failure won’t affect your rank. But still… it would have been ideal to succeed. Especially since you refused the princess’s escort.”

“Ugh…”

Haise hid his face behind a teacup to avoid further reproach.

Just then, a rookie receptionist barged in without knocking.

“Haise! The Green Elephant Dragon materials have been appraised and converted!”

“Alright.”

“The eyes were pristine—700 gold coins. The bodily fluids were also in excellent condition—600 gold coins. A total of 1,300 gold coins!”

“Got it. Put it on my card.”

“Understood!”

The rookie tapped Haise’s card to a magical device and saluted as she left.

“Your request failed, but Sasha succeeded. She even defeated a demon.”

“A demon? Haven’t demons stayed out of the human world for years?”

“Who knows? But she encountered one, fought, and won. Her fame will only grow. She’s already receiving numerous clan invitations.”

“Clans, huh…”

“She’s busy preparing. As a reward for her success, she’s been granted a Clan Home.”

“Huh.”

Uninterested, Haise stifled a yawn.

“What about you? What’s next?”

“I’ll stick to what I’ve been doing: taking high-difficulty hunting requests and tackling dungeons.”

“Heh, as I expected. I have an A-rank dungeon request ready for you.”

“Nice, it’s been a while since I’ve done an A-rank.”

“It’s a newly discovered dungeon that appeared while you were in Yggdra. Investigate it.”

“Understood.”

Haise took the request slip and left the room.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Leaving the guild, he was greeted by an unexpected figure.

“Haise.”

“…Why are you here?”

Presea stood waiting in front of the guild.

“Just a quick word. My sister has recovered. She drank the Elixir made from the Everglow Moonlight Grass you gave me. Now she’s back to her duties and happy with Brother Gremio.”

“……”

“I owe you a great debt.”

“So? What do you want?”

“I received a reward from the king of Yggdra.”

“Answer the question… What do you want?”

“My reward was being removed from the royal family. Now, I’m just Presea, a B-rank elven adventurer. Oh, and don’t worry about my sister and Gremio—they’re still family. I also broke off my engagement with Adra.”

“……”

“I’ll repay my debt. Not as your comrade, but as someone you can occasionally talk to, share meals with, or… keep you company on lonely nights. Of course, for as long as you need.”

“……”

“Not a comrade, but someone you can talk to. That should suffice, right?”

“……No thanks.”

Haise shrugged and walked past her.

But Presea stepped alongside him, matching his pace.

“Hey, how about some food? There’s a nice café nearby. My treat.”

“……”

Not comrades, but occasional companions.

Haise sighed and walked toward the café, a somewhat pleased Presea by his side.