Chapter 45: Dungeon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: Dungeon
After my meeting with the Empress, I was about to head straight for the dungeon when I remembered something I'd forgotten.
‘That receptionist who ripped me off for 9,000 gold...’
I had warned her, clearly and repeatedly.
That if she sent me another group of weirdos, I couldn't guarantee her husband's fidelity.
And the adventurers she introduced me to stabbed me in the back.
This was as good as her indirectly saying that money was more important than her husband's chastity.
Instead of going to the stables where the three of them were waiting, I headed for the street lined with brothels.
Maybe because it was daytime, the brothel street didn't look much different from any other.
Except for the fact that some rather pretty women were washing their faces at a well.
I asked the women I came across where the most popular brothel on the street was.
“The most popular brothel? Why are you looking for a place like that? Hey handsome, I can take care of you.”
“Feeling a little restless down there already? Big sis can help you with that.”
Like the pro sexers they were, they ignored my question and showed more interest in my dick.
Hey! Hands off!
After fending off their demonic clutches for a good while, I finally managed to find the most popular brothel.
‘So this is the most popular brothel? The building itself doesn't look much different from the others.’
For the imperial capital, is this really the best the entertainment district has to offer?
Tsk, this might throw a wrench in my plans.
Slightly worried, I stepped inside the brothel.
“Oh? We have a customer? I'm sorry, the girls aren't ready yet. Could you come back in a little while?”
As I was looking around, a woman who appeared to be the madam approached me.
Long, curly orange hair and a voluptuous figure.
As befitting the title of a brothel madam, she oozed sex appeal.
Pass.
“The girls will absolutely love you, you're so handsome. So if you could just come back in a bit...”
I took out a heavy coin purse.
“...I'll have the girls ready in a moment.”
“I'm not here to see the other prostitutes. It's you I need, Madam.”
The madam wore a troubled expression.
“Hmm... Even so, I'm already retired... You're very handsome, sir, but... still...”
I took out another coin purse.
“...Would you like to wash up first? Or shall I wash you myself?”
As expected, money was the ultimate truth, no matter where you went.
“Ah... so you're saying you don't want to sleep with me... you want to buy my life?”
“That sounds a bit too dramatic. Let's just say I'm giving you a chance to live a new life.”
“By seducing a married man.”
“Exactly.”
After hearing my story, the madam... Yuriel, looked displeased.
“Sir. I don't know what you take me for, but I'm not some cheap woman who'd sell her life for a few coins. Especially not if it means ruining someone else's life...”
I nudged the coin purse, knocking it over.
Clink-clank.
Gold coins spilled from the overturned pouch.
A thousand of them.
Yuriel's eyes widened.
“Ah..?”
Her expression was one of disbelief.
“Why so surprised? Did you really think I was trying to buy you for a paltry sum like a few thousand gold? I'd be disappointed if you did. For the madam of such a popular brothel, you think too small, don't you?”
“No... it's just... Then how much is this...”
I leaned in close to the flustered Yuriel and whispered in her ear.
“One hundred thousand gold.”
“One hundred thousand..!”
Startled, Yuriel quickly covered her mouth, afraid someone might have overheard.
I smiled.
“So? Isn't this enough to buy the woman who was once the best in the business?”
“...How did you know I was the ace of this brothel...”
“It's only natural for the ace to become the madam...”
I stood up and moved behind Yuriel. Stroking her cheek, I whispered in her ear once more.
“If a woman as beautiful as you wasn't the ace, then who could be?”
“Ah...”
Yuriel's face flushed red.
She seemed halfway convinced. Time to seal the deal.
“Besides, aren't you tired of working as a madam? This is a brothel, so you must get more than your fair share of unruly customers, right? And some of them are probably nobles, so you can't even be firm with them. It must have been hard. Am I wrong?”
“...Yes.”
“And on top of that, the prostitutes don't listen to a word you say. Instead of thanking you for managing the brothel so diligently, they just complain.”
“...”
“After all that hard work, what do you have to show for it? Nothing but the paltry wage the owner gives you, right? And even that... do you think you'll still get it when you're old and haggard?”
“...”
“When you walk down the street, you must see them. Those housewives, holding their husbands' and children's hands, smiling happily. Doesn't it feel unfair? What do they have that you don't? You're far more beautiful, and you understand a man's heart better than any of them. Even your skills at pleasing a man... you're vastly superior, aren't you?”
“...You're right.”
Yuriel nodded, her expression hardening.
I placed my hand over hers, guiding it to rest on the coin purse.
“Then take this chance. As long as you follow my conditions, I won't interfere with anything else. Use the money I give you to buy land and become a farmer, or open a shop—do whatever you want. Build a happy family. So what if you have to take it from someone else? As long as you're happy, that's all that matters, right? Just imagine it. Growing old gracefully with your husband, watching your children grow up.”
Gulp.
Yuriel swallowed dryly.
She spoke in a trembling voice.
“B-But I can't leave this brothel. If I tried, he wouldn't let me go. He'd kill me in some horrible way.”
By 'he,' she must have meant the brothel's owner. I stroked her cheek a little more gently to reassure her.
“You think I came here without considering that? That's not your concern. All you have to do is decide. Will you accept my offer, or not? Will you live as the madam of this brothel until you're old and thrown away, or will you grow old as the mother of a family?”
Yuriel trembled. Then, as if she'd made up her mind, she gripped the coin purse tightly.
I patted her on the head.
“Good choice.”
Afterward, I informed the brothel owner that I was taking Yuriel. As expected, he flew into a rage, drew his sword, and threatened to kill me.
I showed him the Ferdiac family's VIP pass.
The moment the owner recognized the pass, he slammed his head on the floor. Thanks to that, I was able to leave while receiving his deepest bows.
“Cloud..? Who's that woman?”
Neria asked, her voice full of questions as she looked at the suddenly-appeared Yuriel.
Telling her the truth—that she was a prostitute—would have hurt Yuriel's pride, so I just vaguely explained that she was a woman heading in the same direction.
“I see...”
Neria seemed to accept it and didn't ask any more questions.
But strangely, she never took her eyes off Yuriel the entire way to the dungeon.
When I asked her why, she wouldn't answer.
“Thank you for the safe escort. I'll be on my way now.”
“Alright. Make sure you do what I told you.”
My demands for Yuriel were as follows:
-Completely captivate Elisa's husband. To the point where he has no lingering feelings for Elisa whatsoever.
-Once you've captured the husband, you must also win the child's heart. You are to treat that child as your own.
The reason for the second demand was simple.
Whatever Elisa did, the child was innocent, wasn't it?
I didn't want a young child to suffer because of family discord.
So, I came up with the idea of a smooth mother-replacement.
The happy family remains intact; only the mother is stealthily swapped out.
And she'll be replaced with a kinder mother who has plenty of money and time to play with the child.
Wouldn't the child be happier that way?
The completion of a world where no one gets hurt—except for Elisa.
“Don't you worry. Honestly, I'm confident I won't fail at something like this. You, on the other hand, Hero, had better keep your promise. The one about giving me an additional 50,000 gold if I succeed in creating a happy family.”
“As long as the child and the father are happy, I'll give you what you're owed. Now, get going.”
“Yes, sir!”
Yuriel waved and disappeared down the street with a bright look on her face.
‘She said two months would be enough, right?’
While Elisa was looking for an S-rank adventurer, I spent that week investigating her family.
I needed some insurance, after all.
And when I told her the information I'd gathered, Yuriel boasted that two months would be more than enough.
She was overflowing with confidence, but honestly, I'm skeptical.
Even though Elisa took my money and did a shit job, she was, in her own way, a woman devoted to her family.
Infiltrating a family like that couldn't be easy.
‘Well... I guess I'll check on her progress after I get back from the dungeon.’
If she succeeds, I'll give her the promised money.
If she's still working on it, I'll cheer her on.
If she fails, I'll take the money back.
And if she takes the money and runs, I'll just hire an assassin.
I decided not to worry about Elisa anymore.
From now on, I had to focus completely on the dungeon.
I went to the warehouse keeper and retrieved the equipment I'd stored before. It seemed showing him the Hero's Badge had paid off, as my gear had been kept safe.
Let's see...
“Neria, take these.”
I handed Neria the Lightning Sword, a Shield of Storms, a suit of Kobold Leather Armor, and the Earring of Strength.
Neria's eyes went wide.
“Cloud, what's all this?”
“Your gear is terrible. It's obvious your last party didn't distribute the loot properly. You can't go into a dungeon looking like that.”
Next, I gave Eri a Blunt Staff and a Lightning Earring.
To Ophelia, I gave the Ring of Wind and Cloud and a Blunt Mace.
The three of them just stared blankly at the equipment they'd received.
I said to them, “Grab your things and follow me. You can put them on as we go.”
The Peach Tree Forest, where the dungeon was hidden.
While Cloud entered the pond to open the dungeon, Eri fiddled with the staff and earring he had given her.
“Eri, if you keep touching your earring, you'll hurt your ear,” Ophelia cautioned her.
“I-I know. It's just... it's been a long time since I've had something like this...”
In Lorian's party, she had been treated poorly.
She had to be grateful just to share experience points, let alone get any loot.
Receiving equipment from Cloud like this made her realize it all over again.
I'm back to how things used to be...
Looking over, she saw Neria also stroking the Lightning Sword she'd received from Cloud with a wistful expression.
“I'm glad to see everyone looks so happy. But... why did he give me a mace?”
“For self-defense, maybe? No matter how well Cloud and Neria protect you, one or two monsters might slip through. It's probably for those moments.”
“You think so...?”
Ophelia was feeling a vague sense of unease for some reason.
Swoosh—
The water of the lake parted, revealing a staircase.
While the three women stared in amazement, Cloud emerged from the water. He cut his palm with a dagger and pressed it against the stone gate.
-O qualified one. Entry is permitted.
Since the four of them were in a party, they were all considered qualified.
The dungeon opened, and Cloud stepped inside.
The three women hurriedly followed him into the dungeon.
“So this is a dungeon... It's amazing...” Eri said in awe as she looked around. The other women reacted similarly.
Just then, Cloud spoke.
“This dungeon has 30 underground floors. You clear it by killing the boss on the 30th floor.”
“Thirty floors?! This dungeon is huge!”
“Indeed. This will take longer than I thought.”
“I don't know if our rations will last that long.”
The three women were exchanging their thoughts.
Cloud just chuckled and shook his head.
“Don't worry. It won't take that long.”
“It won't take long? How?”
“For starters, we're clearing floors 1 through 15 today.”
The three women thought Cloud was joking. They were about to laugh and tell him to stop, but then they saw the serious look in his eyes.
This man... is serious..!
Eri nudged Neria's side with her elbow.
“Y-You have to talk him out of it..!”
“Me..?”
“You're the one with the best chance among us... If you say something, he might not obey you unconditionally like he used to, but he might at least consider it.”
“You think so..? O-Okay.”
Neria approached Cloud, unable to hide her nervousness. Her tense face held a hint of hopeful expectation.
“Cloud, would you reconsider? Going from the 1st to the 15th floor in a single day is...”
“Sorry, Neria, but my mind is made up. There's no changing it.”
“B-But...”
“Neria. I'm the leader of this party, right? Not you?”
“Huh? Y-Yes, that's right...”
“Then you should follow the leader's orders. Oh, of course, if you have a better idea than what I've proposed, you can suggest it. I always welcome suggestions. But I make the final decision. Got it?”
As Cloud met her gaze, Neria nodded in a daze.
When Cloud asked if she had anything else to say, Neria said no and returned to her spot.
Back in her spot, Neria looked like she was on the verge of tears.
‘...I shouldn't have asked her to do that.’
Eri felt a pang of guilt and looked away.
‘Right, Cloud must have just said that to show us how determined we need to be. There's no way he'd actually try to force our way through fifteen floors in one day.’
But contrary to Eri's hopes, Cloud was dead serious, and that day, Cloud's party had to perform the astonishing feat of clearing floors 1 through 15.