Chapter 52: Elisa
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: Elisa
“Hero, since you didn't take the Essence of Ruin Crasio, the dungeon won't be sealed. The human originally destined to clear this dungeon will eventually find their way here.”
That was the angel’s answer to my question.
I was worried that by taking the Giant Root Herb, I had erased the future where Mars clears the dungeon, but thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.
Come to think of it, even in the original game, if you tried to choose the Giant Root Herb, your party members would get serious and tell you to stop messing around.
It seemed like there was a choice, but in the end, you were always meant to pick the essence.
The Giant Root Herb was just a gag MacGuffin, after all.
“Well then, we'll be on our way. Thank you for your trouble, Lady Rahmiel.”
“Ah... um...”
“Yes?”
“...It’s nothing.”
Rahmiel started to say something but then closed her mouth.
How anticlimactic.
It probably wasn't anything important anyway, so I led my companions away from the 30th floor.
On the way up, I had them stop on the 9th floor and headed to the trap room that emitted the aphrodisiac scent.
The situation inside the room was just as I had expected.
After knocking out the mother and son who were in the middle of enjoying their happy time, I slung them over my shoulders and walked out.
“...Cloud, who are those people? And why do they smell so awful?”
Eri pinched her nose and frowned. The other two had similar reactions.
I did try to wash them off...
But it seemed a simple rinse wasn't enough to get rid of a stench that had seeped into them over several long weeks.
“...It's better if you don't know.”
I didn't answer, figuring they'd be genuinely shocked if they knew the truth.
After traveling for a few more hours from the 9th floor, we were finally able to exit the dungeon.
“Haaah... sunlight... I can't remember the last time I saw it...”
“I know. It’s only been a little over a month, but it feels like I haven't seen it in years.”
Eri and Ophelia beamed as they basked in the sunlight. Neria, on the other hand, still looked gloomy.
“Neria.”
“Huh? What is... uh, hey, Cloud? What are you doing right now?”
I was about to ask why she was so down, but she ended up questioning me instead.
What am I doing?
Can't you tell by looking?
“Hngh!? W-what?! Why am I here... Gak!”
I chopped the back of Chris’s neck as he came to, knocking him out again.
“You said they smelled awful, right? So I'm getting the smell out.”
“...By dunking them in a lake?”
“It would be easier if the smell came out just by leaving them submerged, but then they couldn't breathe. So, even though it's a pain, this is how it has to be done.”
“Uuungh...? Where am I...”
“Ah, she's awake again. Is it because the lake water is so cold?”
“Huh? Chris!? Wait, what is this—! Ugh!”
I knocked out the awakened mother with another chop to the neck.
I repeatedly dunked the mother and son in the lake for a while, and the three women just stared at me as if I were some strange creature.
I wasn't happy with those looks.
Hey, you're the ones who said they smelled.
After getting most of the foul stench off the mother and son, we descended the mountain. When we arrived in the city, I handed the pair I'd been carrying on my shoulders to Neria.
Neria, who had been looking downcast, gave me a questioning look.
“Cloud, why are you giving these people to me?”
“Just take them to a decent inn. There's somewhere I need to be for a bit.”
“If that's the case, I'll go with you...”
“Neria.”
Ophelia cut in, looked at Neria, and shook her head.
At that, Neria’s shoulders slumped slightly, and she obediently hoisted the mother and son onto her own shoulders.
“Alright. Be careful.”
“Uh... yeah.”
What was that?
Did the two of them just exchange some secret signal I don't know about?
That's not fair.
It feels like I'm being left out.
Still, since she took them without any more fuss, I didn't press the issue.
After watching them head toward an inn, I made my way to the receptionist Elisa's house.
Yuriel said she'd succeed within two months... I wonder how it turned out.
I planned to check on her progress.
But...
What the hell?
From the entrance, Elisa's house was not the one I remembered.
The vegetables planted in the small garden were all withered and dead, and cobwebs clung to the corners of the house.
What's going on?
The last time I saw it, the house was so well-maintained.
Wondering what had happened, I stopped a passing citizen to ask. It wasn't until I had stopped and questioned a little over ten people that I finally heard the truth from a middle-aged woman.
“That house? The husband had an affair and left with the child. It's been like that ever since. I think she went to find them a few times... but it seems that didn't go well either. Tsk, tsk...”
“Do you happen to know where the husband and child are living now?”
“What's a young man like you want to know for?”
“I know the owner of this house... Please, I'd appreciate it.”
I slipped the woman 100 gold, and she stopped asking questions.
After getting the address where the husband and child were living, I headed there.
And I witnessed an unbelievable sight.
“Mommy! Push me higher!”
“Won't you be scared?”
“I'm not scared at all!”
“Oh yeah? Here we go!”
“Wheeeee!”
Yuriel was pushing Elisa's son on a swing, and from their bright smiles, it was clear they were very close.
I stood there for a long time, just staring blankly at the scene.
I kept watching until Yuriel, still pushing the swing, noticed me and waved.
She approached me, not bothering to hide her delight.
“You're here already?”
“It just sort of happened... What is all this?”
“I told you, didn't I? Two months is all I need. I'll explain the details inside, so please come in. Jerry? A guest is here, so Mommy's going inside. You keep having fun, okay!”
Yuriel took my arm and led me into the house.
-When I first heard your story, Mr. Cloud, I thought their marriage might be festering a little. I figured that was the weak point I could exploit.
-So I put my plan into action right away... and it turned out their relationship was much worse than I thought.
-Elisa never respected her husband's authority in the household. Whatever he tried to do, she would doubt him and refuse to trust him. As a cripple, her husband couldn't start anything without his wife's help, except for lying in bed. As a result, he was filled with a sense of powerlessness and inferiority.
-As for the child, Elisa failed to form a bond with him. She rarely played with him, of course, and hardly even spent time with him. It was unavoidable since she was busy with work, but the child wasn't mature enough to take that into consideration.
-With the family situation being what it was, there were plenty of openings for me to slip through. I orchestrated a series of "coincidental" meetings and filled the voids in their lives.
Just as Cloud had requested, Yuriel had created a happy family.
First, she donated 3,000 gold to the church to have the husband's crippled leg healed.
With his leg back to normal, the husband became motivated and is now planning to open a shop with Yuriel.
Even so, Yuriel didn't neglect the child. She played with him joyfully, giving him all the attention he wanted. At the same time, she meticulously planned for his future.
-Once he's old enough, I'm thinking of sending him to the Academy in the Empire. He won't be able to rise high as a commoner, but he should be able to get a job at a reasonably large merchant guild, don't you think?
After hearing the whole story, Cloud gave her 50,000 gold.
After all, the family she had created was one where the word "happy" was not wasted. Upon receiving the money, Yuriel smiled brightly, saying she wouldn't have to worry about the child's education fees now.
...I didn't expect them to be this happy.
Yuriel, the husband, and the child.
She wasn't a good mother, was she.
The rumors painted her as a wife devoted to her family, but the truth was completely different. I guess you never know what's inside until you open the lid.
Knock, knock—
Cloud knocked on the front door of Elisa's house. His plan was just to see how she was doing and then wash his hands of it.
-…
There was no response to the knock, and he was about to knock again.
Creeeak—
The door opened, revealing Elisa.
Her hair was a tangled mess, and dark circles hung heavy under her eyes.
She looked utterly haggard.
Elisa saw Cloud and tilted her head.
“Mr. Cloud? What are you doing here...?”
Instead of answering, Cloud showed her the bottle of wine he had brought. Elisa looked at the wine, hesitated for a moment, then opened the door for him.
She led Cloud to a chair at the table.
“Could you please sit here and wait for a moment? I'm going to go wash up.”
Why would Cloud come to see me?
She was puzzled for a moment, but it didn't take long to find the answer.
It must be because of the adventurers I introduced him to before.
The S-rank adventurers she had introduced him to never came back.
That could only mean one thing.
He failed again.
So he must have gone to the guild to confront her, asking why she'd introduced him to such people, only to hear about her situation and come here instead.
Elisa walked into the living room, drying her damp hair with a towel.
Cloud was sitting in the chair at the table.
The cork on the wine bottle he'd brought was still in place; it seemed he'd been waiting for her.
At that small gesture of consideration, Elisa smiled and sat down next to him.
“Were you waiting? You didn't have to.”
“I wouldn't have bought it if I planned on drinking alone.”
“This looks like expensive wine... Well, thank you. I'll gladly have some.”
Elisa downed the glass Cloud poured for her in one gulp.
The strong but not unpleasant scent of alcohol stung her nose.
She set the glass down and spoke.
“You've heard all the rumors about me, haven't you?”
Cloud swirled the wine in his glass and nodded.
Just as I thought.
“The rumors are true. My husband left me for another woman. My son followed him, saying he likes his new stepmother, whom he's barely even met.”
She poured another glass of wine and tossed it back.
Then she let out a small laugh.
“You know, Mr. Cloud? I really thought I had lived a diligent life. That I had sacrificed for my family. But it seems my family didn't feel that way.”
Elisa closed her mouth, which she had just opened.
Should I tell him this story?
The one I've kept bottled up inside for so long?
After some hesitation, Elisa decided to just let it all out. She was already so exhausted that she wanted even a small bit of comfort from him.
“I was in debt. About thirty thousand gold.”
As she began, Cloud's hand, which had been swirling his glass, stopped.
“That's an insane amount, isn't it?”
“How did you end up with that much debt...? Was this house that expensive?”
“I inherited this house from my parents. It's a little awkward to say, but I was the only daughter of a fairly well-off family. Thanks to that, we started our marriage without any debt.”
“Then where did all that debt come from?”
“My husband racked it up gambling behind my back.”
“Thirty thousand gold?”
“It was originally three thousand. But my husband tried to handle it on his own and hid it from me. As time went on, it ballooned to ten times the original amount.”
“Ten times the principal? What kind of insane interest rate is that? Why didn't you just report them?”
“I wanted to... but then my husband would be arrested for gambling.”
“Isn't that better than paying back ten times the principal?”
Elisa gave a bitter smile at Cloud's words.
“What about Jerry? I couldn't let my son see his father being dragged away as a criminal.”
“...”
“Still, at first, I argued with them, saying the interest rate was ridiculous and that I would only pay back the principal. Do you know what they did? They bent my husband's leg the wrong way. Said they'd waive a month's interest for it.”
“Uh... so your husband...?”
Elisa let out a short, sharp laugh.
“That's right. That's how he ended up a cripple on crutches. He couldn't work anymore because of it. And do you know what those bastards said after they did that to him? They said my son's leg would be next. That's when I realized it. Ah, if I carelessly report this, my whole family will die.”
“...You said you know a lot of adventurers, right? If reporting them wasn't an option, why didn't you ask those adventurers to take care of it?”
“Ask adventurers? Pfft...”
Elisa laughed as if she'd heard something hilarious.
“I wonder, would the adventurers really have helped me properly? I'd be lucky if they didn't use my gambling debt as a weakness to control me.”
Elisa downed another glass of wine.
Even without any food to accompany it, the alcohol went down as smoothly as water.
“Anyway, I had to pay off the debt. First, I sold all the jewelry my parents left me. I also emptied out all the money I'd saved to send my son to the Imperial Academy. But even after all that, I still had 10,000 gold left to pay.”
“That's when I met you, Mr. Cloud,” Elisa murmured.
“When I saw you slip me 2,000 gold and ask me to introduce you to some decent adventurers, I realized. Ah, this guy's a sucker.”
“Hey.”
“Hehe, don't glare at me like that. I was desperate back then. I had no other source of income, but I still had a 10,000 gold debt hanging over me.”
“So you introduced me to some weirdos, then ripped me off for another 7,000 gold by introducing me to the S-ranks?”
“Bingo! Thanks to you, I was able to pay off all my debt! Thank you, Mr. Cloud!”
“Felt good, did it? Paying off your debt by scamming someone else?”
“It felt great. I felt like I'd been freed from the heavy shackles that bound me. I thought all that was left was to go back to being a happy family, but...”
Her cheerful voice was suddenly tinged with melancholy.
“I guess I was the only one who thought that, seeing how easily they left me.”
“...”
“Maybe this is my punishment for scamming you, Mr. Cloud?”
Elisa let out a small laugh, as if making a light joke.
But her attempt to act composed didn't last long.
Drip.
A tear rolled down her cheek. Her face, though only slightly, contorted with sorrow.
“Honestly, I resented my husband a lot. I mean, 30,000 gold? It's an amount that makes your vision go dark. I tried not to show it, but I'm sure he felt my resentment. He must have been hurt, too.”
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but she didn't stop talking.
Like a child explaining why they were crying.
“I became very strict with my son, too. I was on edge because of the debt. I don't remember it clearly, but I probably wasn't a good mother. So, once the debt was paid off, I was going to go back... back to being a good mother, but...”
The older one gets, the less likely they are to vent the sorrow pent up inside.
There are many reasons for this, but in Elisa's case, it was because she was the head of the household.
The head of the household is the pillar that supports the family.
If the pillar wavers, the house wavers with it.
That's why she had never once shown a moment of weakness until now.
But she no longer had a family to support.
With no reason to hold back, the tears that burst forth wouldn't stop.
Elisa looked at Cloud, her face a mess of tears.
“Mr. Cloud, the job you had with the adventurers I introduced you to... it didn't go well, did it?”
“...No, it didn't.”
“I'm sorry.”
Just as she had always done to provide for her family, Elisa bowed her head.
“I won't make excuses about doing my best. I received a large sum of 7,000 gold from you, Mr. Cloud, but I failed to deliver the results you deserved. I don't have the money to pay you back right now... but if you wish, you can take out your frustration on me as much as you want.”
“...It's fine. I was partly responsible for things going wrong in the first place. Besides, I heard you got fired from the guild for it, right? For losing three S-rank adventurers. So lift your head.”
“You forgive me?”
Cloud offered her more wine.
“Thank you. You're a very generous person, Mr. Cloud.”
Elisa smiled through her tear-filled eyes.
A silent drinking session followed, during which Cloud...
Sheesh... I'm so fucked.
...was feeling a strange emotion.
It was true that Elisa had scammed him. She had admitted it herself.
But his conscience was killing him.
To describe the feeling, imagine you're playing a game against a really cocky opponent. You utterly crush them, even teabagging them afterward, and you're feeling pretty good about it. But then you find out that opponent was actually your friend, and you have to listen to them complain in person about how they quit the game because of what you did.
...Should I introduce her to a man or something?
Just as Cloud was wondering if he should find a famous brothel,
“Mmm...”
Elisa's head began to nod as she started to doze off.
...I'll put Elisa to bed first and think about it later.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed and was about to leave.
Elisa grabbed his arm.
“Um... Mr. Cloud. I know this is a shameless thing to ask... but just once... could you comfort me...? It's been so hard lately...”
Beyond her disheveled clothes, her ample cleavage was prominent.