Chapter 118: What A Mage Leaves Behind When They Die (3)

It’s unfair.

When you’re farming, you might end up digging into a heart, and if something good comes out, you might laugh, and if you’re thankful, you might say so.

But why do I have to be suspected of being a crazy zealot?

“What did I do to deserve this!?”

“Do you really not know why?”

As I jumped up and down in place and demanded, Hippolyte shook her head as if it was unbelievable.

“Little Jonah. I recommend you take a look at what you’re wearing right now.”

“What do you mean… Let’s see.”

Following Hippolyte’s words, I looked at myself.

Blood-soaked hands, a widely stretched smile. And even though I was fully dressed, my outfit was strangely lewd.

“Aha?”

“Finally realized it. People usually can’t see themselves…”

“I do have a bit of a blasphemously attractive charm.”

“……”

“Ha! Just a little blood, and I’ve got this decadent beauty going on. Even I’m in awe of myself!”

“……”

Hippolyte silently stared at Lydia. Feeling her gaze, Lydia looked between me and Hippolyte before nodding her head.

“Jonah has always been like that.”

“What?”

“It was similar when we first met. He killed the kidnapper who took him hostage by himself, covered in blood, and then laughed while asking for help.”

“…I see. So, he’s not a cultist or mentally unstable from trauma, but rather, he’s just been unhinged from the start.”

Hippolyte nodded as if she understood. To think I’d be labeled a natural-born psycho in an instant.

Pouting, I put the ring I had just pulled out from the heart into the pocket of the robe I had just looted.

Hmph. Anyway, it’s my victory since I got a +1 life ring. It’s not really a competition or anything, but still.

While grumbling to myself and claiming mental victory, I suddenly noticed the blood on my hand.

Is this really bothering me? Or is it the part where I dug into the heart?

To be honest, I don’t quite get it. Isn’t killing someone worse than rummaging through a corpse’s innards?

“They’re not a person once they’re dead…”

I let out a long sigh and shook the blood off my hand once. Then I tried to use Morgana’s outer garment as a towel.

“Huh?”

In the process, a drop of blood splattered on my lips, and a brilliant idea suddenly came to me, so I sneakily approached Benny and asked.

“Benny Benny.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Benny, glaring at Shadow with wide eyes, as if determined to face her past head-on before seeing it as shackles to escape from.

She responded indifferently, her gaze fixed on Shadow.

“Too much. So, the connection with Shadow is restored, and you’re back to your usual self?”

With a heart full of ‘Will you not react and endure this?’, I cautiously placed my hand around Benny’s waist.

Rustle.

“Hii?!”

Benny’s bare skin felt through a thin layer of clothing. It’s different in elasticity from Morgana’s skin, which I had to touch forcibly while farming.

As she nodded in satisfaction, Benny finally turned toward me with creaking movements.

“Wh-what is it?”

A face trying hard to suppress, whether it’s ticklishness, a pounding heart, or something else.

But I pretended not to notice and brought my lips close to Benny’s ear.

“Benny, I suddenly got curious about something.”

“Hmm? Tell me.”

“Mages store mana in their hearts, right? Whether it’s just kept there or refined into a circle.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, if you eat a mage’s heart, will it have an elixir-like effect?”

“……”

Benny’s mouth dropped open in shock. It was as if she had discovered a platypus hiding among humans, pretending to be one of them…

But for me, this is really important.

Gluttonous Stomach.

It’s a 3-star Power, allowing me to fully absorb whatever I eat.

Usually, I use it to consume the Magic Herbs that from the dud draws…but its potential is limitless.

If even a little of the magic contained in Morgana’s heart could be absorbed, it would result in tremendous growth.

With a pounding heart, I asked, and she shook her head while gripping my hand tightly.

“Don’t do it.”

“Huh?”

“First of all, the mana contained in the heart quickly dissipates when one’s life ends. Not to mention cases where the heart is shattered, like Morgana’s.”

“Ah…”

“Even if the heart is intact, you shouldn’t do such things. After all, it’s a good vessel, right? If the magic from a painfully dead mage’s heart escapes, what do you think will be contained in it?”

“Uh…dead blood?”

“That too, but what I meant is a curse.”

Benny pointed at Shadow as she said that. Come to think of it, Shadow was also a being condensed from the malice left over by the dead and the madness contained in the bodies of monsters.

Even if the details differ, the basic principle is probably similar.

“So, don’t even think about using such shortcuts. Got it?”

“Uh, um. Got it… But what if I could completely digest that curse or grudge…?”

“Digestion means to melt it down and make it your own. That would be more dangerous. If you make a mistake, you might get eroded like me.”

“Okay. I’ll give up.”

“Good. Whatever it is, you made the right choice.”

I released Benny, who sighed in relief.

Then, as I turned around, there were Hippolyte and Lydia whispering quietly.

“Is he really Ellie’s fiancé? This is totally…”

“Shh. From what I see, Senior Ellie seems to have that kind of taste. She hasn’t met a man for so long that her values got twisted.”

“…Oh dear. How unfortunate.”

Rumors, not quite slanderous, could be heard, but I decided to just let it slide instead of refuting them.

I was starting to get tired of this suffocating Labyrinth.

Retrieving the thoroughly frightened guide and ascending to the surface was smooth sailing.

The Magic Tower, already in an uproar, was eagerly awaiting the return of Lydia and Hippolyte with eyes ablaze.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, the truth wasn’t divulged. Lydia, knowing well that it was too early for me to be in the spotlight, adapted the story appropriately.

While Benny desperately held out, Lydia and Hippolyte destroyed the barrier and tore Morgana’s heart apart.

And I was cheerfully cheering them on from the back, munching on popcorn…or so the story goes.

Instead, the items farmed from Morgana were split between Benny and me, while Lydia and Hippolyte took the rewards and fees for their contributions, making it a win-win situation.

“Ta-da! And that’s how I managed to return to Ellie’s side~”

“What in the world….”

Hearing what had happened today, Ellie dropped the glass she was wiping with a stunned expression.

“Oops.”

Of course, I caught it before it could shatter.

Finally regaining her senses, Ellie began to feel my body here and there.

“You’re okay, right? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Nope. Even if I was, everything got healed when the Sanctuary was deployed at the end.”

“Well, that’s a relief…ha.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Ellie pulled at my cheeks with a weary voice.

“No matter how unpredictable the Labyrinth can be, Jonah, you’re too much. Are you really a saint? What is the Goddess doing? Isn’t your luck just too bad?”

“Hey. If the Goddess could control everything, why would there be a Labyrinth or a Guild? Everything would be solved with a miracle; yup!”

The Goddess of Love monopolizes all faith as the last remaining deity in this world…but she also pours most of her power into the Labyrinth.

In other words, despite being a god, there are surprisingly few things she can do at will.

Ellie, recalling this well-known fact, released my cheek with a wry smile.

“I suppose… Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“That’s right. But it’s also true that this time it was genuinely dangerous.”

“Huh? No way… Are you finally thinking of quitting as an adventurer and living a normal life…!”

“So, I want to give my virginity to Ellie today so I won’t have any regrets when I die. Is that okay?”

“…!”

Ellie froze stiff as if she had been stunned. But as soon as I started to fondle her soft ears, Ellie quickly regained her senses and shook her head with a voice full of regret.

“N…no. Forget it. I’m not so desperate that I’d lay hands on a minor.”

“What? You don’t have the guts to risk your life for me?! Ellie, you coward!”

“I don’t want to risk my life like that! And more importantly, it’s crucial that you have lingering feelings for me, Jonah!”

“Huh? Why? Is this some kind of teasing game?”

“…No, it’s not that. From what I’ve seen, Jonah, you seem to be an excessively free-spirited type. The fact that you’re tied down to me like this is astonishing in itself.”

“That’s obviously because I like Ellie. And also because Ellie is a good person.”

“But what if it actually happens? If Jonah loses interest in me? Wouldn’t you leave me then? What if, during a dangerous moment in the Labyrinth, you say you have no regrets and give up? Those thoughts make me anxious.”

“Wow…”

I didn’t know Ellie was thinking that way.

After pondering for a while on how to respond, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Ellie is really a troublesome woman!”

“Shut up! I know that too?!”

“But I like even that troublesome Ellie.”

“…Ugh!”

Ellie’s face turned red, and after stammering for a moment, she barely managed to change the subject.

“So, what about tomorrow? You’re not planning to head straight to the Labyrinth, are you? If you don’t have any plans, how about we…”

“Of course not. After what happened, I need to rest a bit too. Besides, I need to estimate how much loot I got this time and sell off what I can. I’m planning to visit Eve’s shop.”

“…Oh, okay.”

Ellie became sullen when I mentioned I might be busy with another woman.

I gently tugged on her drooping tail and whispered.

“So, make sure to leave plenty of your scent on me so everyone knows I’m yours.”

“……”

Ellie, who had been downcast, suddenly widened her eyes.

She carefully reached out her hand towards me. And then…

I was thoroughly petted.

I was hoping for some grooming, so I was a bit disappointed.