Chapter 17: Brown-haired Ellie(3)
Chapter 17: Brown-haired Ellie(3)
To put it simply, we won. But it was no time for celebration.
Lina had cornered Nassen and sliced him in two.
The lower half of Nassen’s bisected body lay before her.
But Lina’s voice was grim.
“We let them get away.”
As absurd as it sounded, she said Nassen was likely still alive, even as half a man.
“Those fiends use all sorts of wicked arts. Unless you cut off their head and burn the body, there’s always a chance they’ll survive.”
They were terrifying bastards. There was a reason Furuku had grabbed Nassen’s upper half and fled.
“Why aren’t we giving chase, Lina?”
“If we pursue them unprepared, we could fall into one of Nassen’s traps. If only we had the old woman, the shaman, with us… I should have pressured Nassen so he couldn’t cast any spells… It was my failure that allowed him to escape.”
It wasn’t a total loss, however. A search of the pockets on Nassen’s severed lower half yielded a useful piece of information.
[Assassination - Victoria]
It appeared to be an order they had received from their superiors. We had lost them, but we now knew their next target.
For Kerry, it was a simple thought of, I guess we’ll be seeing them again, but Lina’s expression was grave.
Her hand, holding the paper with the order, trembled. What was going on?
Seeing her, Kerry had a faint inkling.
Don’t tell me… Victoria was one of Lina’s companions from her past life, too?
I had no idea what history Lina shared with those fiends, but her reaction now felt strangely similar to how she’d been with Natasha.
Lina clenched her fists.
Victoria’s assassination is happening sooner than in my past life. Why? Is it because I’m slowly changing the past?
The only variable that had changed was her, the regressor. She could think of no other possibility.
Just as Kerry suspected, Victoria had been Lina’s companion in her past life. Of course, even in that timeline, Victoria doesn’t die in this assassination attempt.
However, the rest of her family is annihilated. To be precise, they are offered up as human sacrifices.
Lina clenched her fists tightly.
I have to save Victoria.
The days she had spent laughing with Victoria were still vivid in her mind. No matter what, Lina had to save her.
*
After the commotion at the farmhouse, the villagers came rushing over, armed with weapons.
They were wary of Lina’s group of outsiders, but when Kerry stepped forward to proactively explain, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.
After all, Kerry was the hero who had saved the village with holy water. Even if he did get paid for it.
Lina, however, looked unwell, as if she felt guilty for the villagers who had died.
Kerry noticed her state of mind.
[Emotion - Depression. Self-blame. Anger.]
Well, to be precise, I didn’t so much notice as I saw it.
“It’s not your fault, Lina.”
At my words, Lina gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Kerry. How did you know to prepare all of that?”
She seemed to be talking about the firebombs Kerry had made.
Without Kerry’s help back there, the situation would have been dire.
Of course, being a regressor, she might have had a few tricks up her sleeve.
“As I was investigating the village, I saw many people who weren’t in good condition. I’ve seen people afflicted by voodoo before, and their reactions were very similar. That’s how I was able to guess what those fiends were planning.”
Of course, it was all a story I’d made up on the spot. Not that Lina seemed to doubt it in the slightest. Being too nice is a problem in itself.
“I’m not very strong, you see. I have to find other ways to be useful.”
“Don’t say that. You are more than helpful to the party, Kerry. This time, too, we would have been in danger if not for your quick thinking.”
That’s one for me, right, Lina? You’d better take good care of me from now on.
Growing closer to the regressor was an absolute delight.
“Natasha, by the way, where’s your grandmother?”
“It seemed too dangerous for her to come, so I told her to wait in the village for a bit.”
Considering the outcome, it hadn’t been a bad decision.
We really need a main tank. The party balance is off without someone to protect the rear.
Well, Lina would probably handle recruiting new party members just fine. It wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
“My husband saved me again. Hehe.”
“The same could be said for you, Natasha.”
Natasha seemed completely smitten. Gently prying the clinging Natasha off me, I headed for the diner.
After working so hard, the food was heavenly. Just then, I saw a group of young men approaching from the village entrance.
“Oh! Sir Adventurer! You’re having a meal.”
“The hero of our village! Thanks to the holy water you gave us, our village has been saved. The voodoo curse has been lifted from every single person.”
“Thank you so much, Sir Adventurer!”
I began to explain to my companions, who were staring at me as if demanding an explanation.
I told them I had given holy water to the villagers who were turning into ghouls under the voodoo curse.
Lina spoke with admiration.
“You’ve accomplished so much in such a short time.”
“It was nothing. And this is the reward I received from the villagers for the holy water. As promised, let’s split it three ways.”
When the thick money pouch landed on the table, everyone looked surprised.
I never intended to hog it all for myself. Getting too greedy always leads to trouble.
Of course, I already set aside half for myself.
Just as Natasha was about to pounce on me, exclaiming how cool I was, the village youths spoke up with mischievous grins.
“Wow, Sir Adventurer. Now that you’ve got a small fortune… you can finally do ‘that’.”
“‘That’?”
As I looked at them, clueless, the young men spoke again.
“The pride of the village, of course!”
The pride of the village… that’s Brown-haired Ellie!
“Ah! The pride of the village? I couldn’t possibly miss out on that.”
The young men burst into roaring laughter. Lina and the others could only look on in confusion.
Let’s stop with the risky jokes here.
I gave the youths a look to tell them to get going, and they moved to a corner of the shop, cheering me on playfully.
Lina will probably want to leave first thing in the morning… so tonight is my last chance to see Brown-haired Ellie.
It was time for the hero who saved the village to check out the pride of the village.
*
As expected, Lina announced that we would set out for our destination in the morning. It was the place where Victoria, her companion from her past life, lived.
Lina had to save Victoria.
“I’ve heard the name Victoria before. She is the daughter of a lord in a territory quite far from here. Shall we depart for there tomorrow? It would be only right to warn this Victoria of the danger… and we should be able to meet those fiends if we wait for them there.”
And so, tonight was my last chance to see the pride of the village, Brown-haired Ellie.
We had to leave this village come morning.
“The dawn air is chilly.”
It was a bright, full-moon morning. So bright that it was easy to see without any other light.
The place where Ellie worked was called the red-light district.
It was apparently a rather large street of brothels, and Ellie was said to have the highest standards of them all.
In the distance, I could see a street lit with red lights. Just as the village youths had described.
Kerry put on a mask.
With the regressor and the rest of the party being women, my reputation would plummet if I were caught frequenting a place like this.
But I can’t just leave without seeing the pride of the village!
I asked around and found the largest brothel in the red-light district. A large guard standing in front of the establishment asked politely.
“Do you have a reservation?”
I hadn’t even considered a reservation. Could it be that you could only meet Ellie by appointment?
“I’m here to see Ellie.”
“Ellie is taking the day off due to the unfortunate incident in the village today.”
She’s off today. And tonight is my last chance. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a way to at least get a glimpse of her.
“I’m not here on business, exactly. But… I have something I must tell Miss Ellie.”
“May I ask what it is you have to say?”
“I’ve come to deliver her father’s last words.”
It was a lie, but it was certainly effective. One of the large bouncers went inside, and it wasn’t long before a demure-looking woman began to guide me.
Drinking parties everywhere I looked. Amidst the noise of the boisterous festivities, I could occasionally hear laughter.
It wasn’t just a place for prostitution; they served alcohol as well, and the luxurious atmosphere made it clear this was an expensive establishment.
I had the money from selling the holy water, but I worried if it would be enough.
The woman guiding me stopped in front of a door. Then, she bowed her head respectfully and stepped aside.
So, Brown-haired Ellie is beyond this door.
Since it was a woman’s room, I knocked before opening the door. It was a large room, big enough for at least a dozen people.
In the center of the room, a woman sat kneeling gracefully.
Brown hair and fine skin. A woman so beautiful she made even the moonlight seem pale.
She had an innocent air, unbecoming of a prostitute, yet she possessed a strange sensuality. Though her clothes concealed her figure, I had a feeling something incredible was hidden underneath.
I could see why the young men sang Ellie’s praises.
“Welcome, adventurer. I’ve heard a lot about you. You saved our village, did you not?”
Ellie’s eyes were still moist with tears, likely because of her father who had passed away today. Damn, she’s pretty even when she cries.
“I only did what any person ought to do.”
“To be so humble as well, you truly are wonderful. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for saving our village. It is a small gesture, but I will be the one to attend to the adventurer who saved our village today.”
For free? Free is good, but it didn’t seem like sex was on the table.
It seemed she wanted to show her courtesy to the hero who saved the village and hear her father’s last words.
Ellie gracefully moved to my side and offered me a drink.
The atmosphere was completely different from the lewd sounds I’d heard on my way here.
Well, her father did die today… would she even have the energy for that?
But Ellie’s beautiful appearance kept stirring a carnal desire in me.
After exchanging a few cups and some formal conversation, Kerry got to the main point, the thing Ellie would be most curious about.
“About your father.”
“Yes, adventurer.”
“He was dying because of those wicked men who were running rampant in the village.”
“Yes…”
Ellie’s face began to darken rapidly. What would she feel, hearing about her father’s death?
Kerry used the Goddess’s Eye to observe her emotions.
[Emotion - Regret. Sadness. Longing. Anger.]
Seeing her emotional state, I could piece together the picture. What father would welcome a daughter working in a brothel?
When she started working here, Ellie’s relationship with her father had most likely soured. It was only natural.
They might have even fought, shouting that they would disown each other.
But the bond between a parent and child isn’t so easily broken. Ellie must have missed her father even while working here.
My conscience pricked at me a little, but for now, the best I could do was to give her the answer she most wanted to hear and ease her heart.
“Miss Ellie, your father’s mind was fading due to the fiends’ wicked spell. Normally, he wouldn’t have even been able to speak human words… but perhaps his love for his daughter was that strong. He spoke to me clearly. He said he had a daughter… a beloved daughter.”
When I glanced over, Ellie was already listening intently, her face a mess of tears. It seemed the general gist of my story wasn’t far off.
“And then he asked me to pass on a message to his beloved daughter. He said to tell you that he was sorry. That he missed you. That he was sorry he couldn’t tell you he loved you.”
It was a father’s last words that would fit just about any situation.
Ellie finally broke down, bursting into tears. Overcome with emotion, she threw herself into the arms of Kerry, a man she had just met today.
“…Sob! Father… Father…”
Kerry patted Ellie’s back. My conscience was killing me.
But I had no regrets about seeing Ellie today. She was truly a peerless beauty.
‘…There’s nothing to be done for the dead, but at least Ellie got to reconcile with her father. Maybe this was for the best.’
After crying for some time, Ellie calmed down and sat up. Then, in a voice thick with grief, she spoke.
“My father… was always a stoic man. He was a man of few words.”
Most fathers are.
“After my mother died from an illness… my father spoke less and less. He didn’t say much to me, his daughter, either, but I always knew that he loved me.”
“I see.”
“It was a time when my father and I were barely scraping by as farmers. One day, a terrible famine struck. And to make matters worse… my father fell ill. It was the same illness that had killed my mother.”
I was beginning to understand why Ellie was here.
“I couldn’t lose my father, too. But we didn’t even have enough money to get through the winter, let alone pay for his treatment. I resented this world where you couldn’t even get treatment without money.”
“But the only things I knew were farming and menial chores, so there wasn’t much I could do. The one silver lining was… thanks to my decent looks, I was able to get a job here and send my father money for his treatment and living expenses for the winter.”
“So that’s what happened.”
Seeing my own eyes moisten, Ellie threw herself into my arms again.
“But my father… my father… he was a conservative and stubborn man… sob… he shouted at me, saying I should have just let him die.”
From Ellie’s choked sobs, I could easily imagine the rest of the story.
It must have been hard for her father to see his daughter, who had become a prostitute for his sake.
“I haven’t been able to have a proper conversation with my father since I started working here… but he still loved me after all. Until the very end… sob… Adventurer. Thank you. Thank you for telling me my father’s last words. Thank you so, so much.”
The last words were a lie, but it had ended successfully. With a touching ending like this, even Ellie’s father in heaven would be nodding in approval.
It’s touching, but I desperately want to have sex with her! Though it really doesn’t seem like the right atmosphere for it…
It was then. A brilliant idea of how he could have sex with Ellie flashed into Kerry’s mind.