Chapter 22: Back Home After A Long Day
-----
Using his storage ring, Riven stored away the Tyrant’s corpse along with that of the cultist-turned-werewolf. He planned to eat the latter as well once he had the chance.
As for the rest of the cultists’ remains, he left them exactly as they were. Whenever someone came to check, they would simply find that the men had been eaten by monsters, a rather common cause of death inside the Gates.
He did take the time to loot the cultists of their belongings so he could learn a little more about their organization and its inner workings.
As for the baby tyrants...
"Can’t we... um... no, never mind," Daniela sighed as she realized the little ones were already following them with determined little steps.
"Hm... we can’t bring them outside like this. It would cause a massive commotion," Riven lamented. "I can’t store living beings inside my storage ring either... We have to leave them be."
"But they’re just babies..." Daniela said, her voice full of pity.
"Babies that ate several humans like it was nothing, you know?" Riven sighed and gave her a slightly cynical smile. "They’ll be fine... I could hunt them down right now... maybe it would save lives later... but... Let’s just go."
"..."
Daniela looked back at the little baby dinosaurs and waved her hand gently one final time.
"Bye. Take care..."
"Gryar...!"
They chased after the pair like lost ducklings, crying out as they ran. Once Riven carried Daniela up into the higher elevations of the cave, the babies were unable to follow any farther and were left crying alone in the darkness.
Once they finally exited the Gate, Riven panicked. Night had already fallen outside, and the cool evening air hit them both at once.
"Elisa...!" he gasped. "Daniela, should I bring you back home?"
"Huh? You have a car?!" she asked in surprise.
"You must be worried about your brother, right? I am worried about my wife," Riven said. "I’ll drop you off at home and then I’ll return. About payment, give me your number. We can discuss everything tomorrow morning. What do you think? Here, you can keep this as an advance payment."
Riven handed her a bag filled with SS Rank weapons, leaving her completely speechless for several long seconds.
"W-Wait! I’m going to get robbed if I walk around with this on the street! Please keep it!" she insisted. "We can sell it later... I’ll trust you, Riven!"
"Thanks," Riven nodded.
It did not take long for him to drop her off at a small building near the outskirts of the city, not far from where he lived. She ran back to her house while carrying some money that Riven had forced her to accept so she could buy herself new clothes and food for her and her brother.
After that he hurried home and entered the house in a rush. He found Elisa sleeping on the couch with the television still playing quietly in the background, the soft light flickering across her face.
"Elisa..." he muttered as he stepped inside.
"Huh?" She slowly opened her eyes. "R-Riven! Where have you been?! You took way too long!" she said angrily while tears formed in her eyes. "It was so lonely here... Aren’t you my husband...? You’re... you’re supposed to keep me company..."
"...Sorry. I’m sorry," he said as he pulled her into a tight hug, his own eyes growing wet with relief and residual exhaustion.
"..." Elisa pouted for a moment but then made a disgusted face. "Ew! You smell!"
"A-Ah... Let’s take a bath..." he laughed nervously, still holding her close.
"Yeah! Just where were you?!" she demanded, her voice softer now.
"It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in the bathroom," he replied with a soft laugh as he gently led her toward the bathroom, the weight of the day’s events finally beginning to lift from his shoulders.
-----