It’s unfair.
While farming a bit, I could dig out a heart, and if something good comes out, I might laugh a bit, right? And if I’m grateful, I can say thank you.
But why do I have to be suspected of being a zealot or just plain crazy?
“I’m innocent!”
“Really clueless, aren’t you?”
Bouncing around and arguing like this, Hippolyte shook her head in disbelief.
“Little Jonah, I’d recommend you take a long look at what you’re wearing right now.”
“What do you mean by what I’m wearing… Hmmm.”
Following Hippolyte’s words, I took a look at myself.
Blood-soaked hands, a wide grin pulling at my lips. And despite wearing both top and bottom, my outfit somehow looked oddly alluring.
“Ah-ha?”
“Finally figured it out, huh? People usually can’t see themselves…”
“I’m just a bit sacrilegious and attractive, right?”
“……”
Hippolyte silently glanced at Lydia. Feeling her gaze, Lydia briefly looked between me and Hippolyte before nodding.
“Jonah was always like this.”
“What?!”
“It was similar when we first met. You killed a kidnapper who had taken you hostage, covered in blood, laughing all the while.”
“…I see. You’re not just a zealot or mentally unstable; you’re just the type who has been off from the start.”
Hippolyte nodded as if she understood. I never expected to be treated as a natural-born psycho.
Pouting my lips, I placed the ring I just pulled from the heart into my newly looted robe pocket.
Hmph. Anyway, gaining a life worth one coin is a victory for me. Not that it was a competition, but still, it counts.
As I was inwardly grumbling and savoring my mental victory, my gaze suddenly landed on the blood on my hands.
Is this really bothering me? Or is it the fact that I dug into a heart?
Honestly, I don’t quite get it. Isn’t killing a person worse than tearing apart a corpse’s insides?
“If they’re dead, they’re not human…”
With a heavy sigh, I flicked the blood off my hands. I tried to wipe it with Morgana’s outer garment as a makeshift towel.
“Huh?”
While doing so, a brilliant idea struck me when I noticed a drop of blood splattered on my mouth, so I slowly approached Benny and asked.
“Benny, Benny.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
Before trying to face her past as a chain, Benny glared at Shadow, seemingly resolute.
She answered nonchalantly, still fixated on Shadow.
How unfair! So Shadow’s connection has been restored, and she’s back to her usual self, huh?
You really think you can just ignore me and hold on? I cautiously placed my hand on Benny’s waist.
Rustle.
“Huh?!”
I felt the bare skin of Benny through her thin clothing. The elasticity was on a different level from Morgana’s skin, which I had to forcibly touch while farming.
As I nodded in satisfaction, Benny finally turned to look at me with a creaky motion.
“W-What?”
Her face seemed to struggle to conceal whether she was feeling ticklish, flustered, or something else entirely.
But intentionally ignoring her, I leaned in close to Benny’s ear.
“Benny. I just suddenly got curious?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Mages store mana in their hearts, right? Whether they just hoard it or refine it into a circular form.”
“That’s right.”
“Then if I were to eat a mage’s heart, would it have the effect of an elixir?”
“……”
Benny’s face went pale, mouth agape in shock. She looked like someone who had just discovered a platypus hiding among humans…
But this is really important to me.
Gluttonous Stomach.
It’s a whopping three-star ability that lets me wholly absorb anything edible.
I typically use it to munch on worthless Mana Herbs but… its potential is limitless.
If I could absorb even a little of the mana stored in Morgana’s heart, I’d undergo tremendous growth.
When I asked with a pounding heart, she firmly grabbed my hand and shook her head.
“Don’t do it.”
“Huh?”
“First of all, the mana in a heart disperses quickly when life ends. Not to mention, when a heart is damaged like Morgana’s, it’s even more so.”
“Ah…”
“Even if the heart were intact, you still shouldn’t do it. After all, it’s a good vessel, right? If a mage dies painfully and the mana escapes from their heart, what do you think that means?”
“Uh… dead blood?”
“That too, but what I was getting at was a curse.”
She pointed at Shadow while saying this. If you think about it, Shadow concentrated the malice left by the dead and the madness from the bodies of monsters.
The detailed parts might differ, but the fundamental principle is probably similar.
“So don’t even think about such shortcuts. Got it?”
“U-Um. I understand… But what if I managed to completely digest that curse or resentment…?”
“Digestion means melting and making it your own. It’ll be riskier. If you mess up, you might get eaten like me.”
“Okay. I give up.”
“Good. Whatever it is, you thought well.”
I released Benny, who let out a sigh of relief.
Then, looking back, I saw Hippolyte and Lydia whispering quietly to each other.
“Is this really Ellie’s fiancé? This is just…”
“Shh. I think Ellie has that kind of taste. She’s probably just twisted her values since she hasn’t met a man for so long.”
“…How pitiful.”
I heard some underhanded gossip but decided to let it slide instead of contradicting them.
I was starting to get tired of this frustrating labyrinth anyway.
*
Retrieving the trembling guide and ascending back to the surface was a breeze.
The Mage Tower, which had already been turned upside down, waited with its lights burning, eager for Lydia and Hippolyte to return.
But I didn’t tell the whole truth. Lydia, knowing it was still too early for me to be the center of attention, embellished the report.
While Benny desperately held on, Lydia and Hippolyte broke the barrier and tore into Morgana’s heart.
And I cheered from the back, munching on popcorn… something like that.
Instead, Benny and I shared the loot from Morgana, while Lydia and Hippolyte took their portions and rewards, so in the end, it was a win-win.
“Tada! That’s how I was able to return to Ellie’s side!”
“No way, what is this…?”
After hearing about the day’s events, Ellie dropped the cup she was wiping, her face aghast.
“Oof.”
Of course, I caught it before it shattered.
Finally recovering her composure, Ellie started feeling around my body.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. Even if I were, I would have healed completely when I deployed the sanctuary at the end, right?”
“That’s a relief, but… haah.”
With a deep sigh, Ellie pinched my cheek, her voice dripping with exhaustion.
“As much as the labyrinth is unpredictable, you’ve gone too far, Jonah. Are you really a saint? What is the Goddess doing? Isn’t that just terrible luck?”
“Eh. If everything would go as the Goddess wanted, then why do we even have labyrinths and guilds? Everything would just be solved with a miracle, zippity zap!”
The Goddess of Love, as the last remaining deity, monopolizes all worship, but… most of the power she gained goes into the labyrinth.
So, ironically, her ability to act freely is quite limited.
Recalling this well-known fact, Ellie gave a wry smile and let go of my cheek.
“That’s true… Huh. Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Of course. But it’s also true that it was genuinely dangerous this time.”
“Huh? Could it be… you’re finally thinking of quitting being an adventurer and living a normal life…?”
“So I want to give Ellie compassion before I die at any moment. Is that okay?”
“….!”
Ellie stiffened as if stunned. But as I toyed with her cute ears, she quickly regained her senses and shook her head, her voice dripping with longing.
“Ah… no. I’m not that starving that I’d touch a minor!”
“Eh?! You don’t have the courage to risk your life for me?! You cowardly Ellie!”
“I don’t want to risk my life like that! And more than anything, it’s important that Jonah has any lingering feelings for me!”
“Huh? Why’s that? Is this one of those playing hard to get scenarios?”
“…That’s not it. From what I’ve seen, Jonah has been annoyingly free-spirited. It’s surprising that you’re tied to me like this.”
“That’s obviously because Ellie likes me. You’re a good person, after all.”
“But what if you really did it? What if Jonah loses interest in me? What if at the moment we face danger in the labyrinth, he gives up, saying he has no attachment anymore? I’m anxious thinking about that.”
“Wow…”
I never expected Ellie had such thoughts.
Choosing my words carefully after pondering what to say, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“You’re such a bothersome girl, Ellie!”
“Shut up! I know, alright?!”
“But I like that bothersome Ellie too.”
“…Eep!”
After blushing, Ellie stammered for a second before finally changing the subject.
“So, what about tomorrow? You’re not planning to head back to the labyrinth right away, are you? If you don’t have plans, how about…”
“Of course not. After experiencing all that, I need to rest a bit. More than anything, I need to estimate how much loot I’ll get from this haul, and I need to sell off the stuff I don’t need. I was thinking of visiting Eve’s store.”
“……Ah, okay.”
When I said I was busy with another woman, Ellie looked gloomy.
As I gently tugged on her drooping tail and whispered,
“So, please make sure everyone knows I’m Ellie’s.”
“……”
Ellie’s eyes widened as if she had never been melancholy.
She cautiously reached out to me. And…
After that, I ended up being petted excessively.
I was hoping for some grooming, which was a bit disappointing.
