Chapter 24: You’re Not A Burden
-----
Riven allowed himself to smile smugly as he watched Elisa’s reaction after she saw all the items he had stored inside his storage ring.
"I’ve told you over and over again, dear, I awakened some really amazing abilities. Plus there’s a Pierrot companion I found who increased the loot drop rate by a lot."
"Pierrot?! The Clown Class? Wow, so you made a friend? Who is he? What’s his name? You should have invited them for dinner. How rude of you, Riven!"
"S-Sorry... Um, well."
Riven knew from the future he had lived that Elisa was the jealous type. If he told her that the companion was actually Daniela, even if he carefully explained that she was only a little girl and that he saw her more like a younger sister or a daughter, she would still likely become jealous.
However, he did not want to lie to her. He had already given her a small half-truth regarding the Tyrant’s death simply because she could not fully believe what he had done.
Any more deception than that would slowly damage their relationship over time.
"Her name is Daniela," he said honestly. "She was being bullied by her previous party and even physically abused. So I beat them up and helped her. She joined me afterward and turned out to be very helpful with her skills."
"..." Elisa’s eyes widened slightly as she glared at him. "D-Daniela, you say? A girl?"
"She’s fourteen," Riven clarified quickly. "Just a little child. I see her as a daughter if anything. I felt sorry for her situation... She told me she has a seven-year-old brother she takes care of. Her mother died last year from overwork, and her father disappeared years ago."
"..."
To his surprise, Elisa did not grow more jealous after her initial reaction. Hearing everything explained clearly helped her understand that Riven had simply done something good for someone in need.
"Well... that’s nice of you," she said after a moment. "Did you at least get her number? Or are you just going to look for someone else afterward?"
"I did," Riven replied. "We will discuss payments and everything later. I want her to join me in the guild I plan to create."
"G-Guild?!" she asked in clear disbelief. "Riven, you plan to make a guild?! B-But you just awakened! Where is all this confidence coming from?"
"Hahah, I think I can do it. You give me the confidence I need," Riven said with a warm smile.
"..." Elisa averted her gaze from his and looked out the window in silence for a while. "Well, good for you I guess. It’s interesting... You’re really living a great life now... and... and I am here just being a bother, a burden to you."
Riven immediately felt the sorrow in her voice. He shook his head and gently caressed her hand.
"You’re not a burden to me, Elisa."
Elisa blushed and looked back into his eyes. "E-Eh?"
"You’re my reason to live. You’re the reason why I do all of this... why I put myself in danger, why I keep growing stronger..." he muttered quietly. "Don’t ever say you’re a burden to me again... I... I am so happy you’re here with me. A burden? Since the day I married you, I have been living a dream. One I never want to wake up from..."
Elisa’s pale face quickly turned as red as a tomato. With nowhere to escape, she was left staring at him in complete silence.
"A-Ah... W-Wha...! What are you talking about?!" she said angrily, unable to keep herself calm. She turned her face away and pouted. "Talking nonsense like that...! Hmph!"
"It’s not nonsense..." Riven sighed softly. "But maybe I overstepped my boundaries. I’m sorry."
"..."
Knowing she wanted a moment alone after she fell silent, Riven slowly stood up and decided to go outside.
However, just as he was about to leave, he heard her quiet voice again.
"Do you really think that...?"
"...?"
Riven stopped with his hand on the door and walked back toward her.
"I do..."
Elisa remained silent for a few more seconds before looking back at him.
"W-Well... I’m also grateful... for your help... Riven."
Riven found her incredibly cute when she struggled to speak from the heart like this. He could not help but smile.
"Hahah, you don’t have to force yourself to say that."
"Just accept the compliment!"
Riven nodded.
"I’m just doing what I should do as your husband, that’s all... If you need anything, just call for me. I will be able to hear you from anywhere."
"Okay... Goodnight... um, you’re not staying with me tonight?"
"I’ll return shortly after I finish sorting some things."
"Fine..."
Elisa closed her eyes and decided to sleep. Meanwhile, Riven walked downstairs and stepped into the backyard. There, he took a careful look at his inventory.
"It’s time."
He unpacked the beheaded corpse of the werewolf cultist along with the much larger corpse of the boss monster, from which he had only cut a small piece earlier.
"I cannot be bothered to cook everything I eat right now, so for the time being I’ll just eat it all raw."
He sat down cross-legged on the ground and summoned his Aura for a moment.
It emerged with a deep dark-red color. Several jaws made of ethereal, semi-transparent red and black energy opened and closed hungrily around him.
"So this is the Aura of Endless Hunger I unlocked after reaching Level 20... The Skill description said something about being able to devour things more easily with it. Is it actually real?"
As he felt his energy fluctuate, the jaws suddenly began smelling the air. Then, without warning, they shot toward the giant corpse of the roaming boss.
"Woah! Wait!"
He tried to restrain it, but his Hunger could no longer hold back.
Giant ethereal bites began tearing the monster apart instantly. Scales, crystal horns, muscle, bone — everything disappeared into a gory and rapid feast.
"I am eating it...?!"
The sensation felt completely surreal, yet Riven was indeed consuming the entire creature using only his Aura.
-----