The tiger leaves its skin behind when it dies, and a person leaves their name.
So, what does a mage leave behind when they die?
“Well, I guess I’ll find out now.”
Without hiding the tune that escaped my lips, I started rummaging through Morgana’s corpse.
The first thing to grab was the staff, which I had stealthily pocketed during the battle with my Subspace Ring.
As for other items of value… perhaps the divine artifact that I stole from the Mage Tower?
I don’t know what it’s typically used for, but the death energy that trapped us and halted Benny’s magic was surely powerful.
I was disappointed to have to hand over the beast god’s artifact I got from defeating One Who Devours the Twilight as evidence for the Temple, but this time, I would definitely use it for my own gain.
As I spun my mental gears in delight, I meticulously inspected Morgana’s corpse.
First, there were two rings and a bracelet on her hands. I didn’t know what they were, but they all looked like magical devices.
Might as well take them. Benny and Eve can identify them later.
I didn’t feel any magical power from the necklace around her neck, but I took that too.
After all, Morgana was a mage whose abilities far surpassed my meager skills.
It could be a hidden magical device, and even if not, it looked expensive, so it was a no-brainer to take.
“Hmm.”
This is about all that stands out to me for now. Time to really start stripping down.
“This robe… is useless.”
It had a quality and intricate enchantment that rivaled or even matched the staff, but now it was in a broken state with a hole pierced through its heart.
Of course, while it had lost its enchantment, the high-quality material used definitely retained some value, especially since it contained advanced spatial magic knowledge. Let’s take this, too.
I peeled off the robe from Morgana’s body and rolled it up.
I searched the pockets, and for good measure, I felt around the lining, wondering if there might be any hidden compartments.
“Oh?”
As expected, there was a sense of something off with the lining, but when I slipped my hand into the pocket, my arm went straight in up to the elbow.
I hadn’t suddenly gained superhuman strength to rip her clothes. It was indeed a piece of Subspace magic attached to the pocket.
The weight I felt earlier while undressing her was roughly that of a slightly heavy winter outfit. So, this means it’s an artifact with both Subspace magic and lightweight properties that I’ve long desired…!
“Indeed, people should live kindly.”
And that’s how you get rewards like this, right?
With a giggle, I emptied out the contents. Fortunately, although the protection magic had broken with Morgana’s heart pierced, there was no sign of instability in the other magic.
From the emptied Subspace pocket came several bottles of blue liquid potions, a heavy wallet, and two thick books.
I wasn’t sure about the potions, so I stuck them back, and since the wallet seemed to be full of money, I decided to quietly count that later…
The books were something between a research journal or diary and a magic book about spatial magic upon a quick glance.
…Why do villains always leave behind diaries or something of the sort?
I do tend to include such settings when I write stories, but that’s purely for convenience.
But Morgana has no readers to convince, so why…?
I tilted my head but set aside the research journal. I planned to burn that instead of selling it.
“Intense flames.”
The incantation that rolled off my tongue burned the research journal without hesitation, and the moment I stepped back, Hippolyte’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Uh? Isn’t that the most precious-looking thing? Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Knowledge exists for people. Attempts to overcome death and magnificent magic for that purpose are all well and good, but if it comes at the cost of innocent lives, then no matter how great the knowledge, it’s worth less than a scrap of paper.”
Perhaps because I intentionally used a strong Tier 2 spell, the journal turned to ash in an instant, scattering debris everywhere.
As I blew away the ashes, I suddenly caught eyes with Hippolyte.
“Kid. Didn’t you say your name was Dona?”
“It’s Jonah.”
“Yeah, Jonah. I kind of like you.”
“Ugh! What, what’s this? Are you hitting on me? Sorry, while I have a soft spot for your looks and fashion, that confidence you’re exuding is just too off-putting for me!”
“…I never thought that. Why did it feel like I got rejected just now?”
Hippolyte, scratching her head through the lion skin headpiece, turned to Lydia who was observing Benny a short distance away.
“Hey Lydia. Is this kid always like this?”
“Huh? I didn’t see what happened, but Jonah’s always been odd.”
Lydia nodded, and so did Benny a beat later as though agreeing.
The only one maintaining a steady interest in me was Shadow.
– Kiiing… Hek!
But I wish it would stop multiplying eyes between those sharp teeth. Even I find that too disgusting.
Shaking my head, I resumed rummaging through Morgana.
The clothes inside her robe were luxurious yet ordinary with no significant features, so I passed.
I continued to check her body here and there, but nothing else seemed like it would amount to money.
“Ugh. Haah.”
Where on earth is the divine artifact? I sighed deeply and stripped off the outer clothes as well out of mere desperation.
Her body, once beautiful, was now aged and wrinkled, with only memories left behind.
“Ugh!”
I felt like I made a grave mistake just by looking.
Swallowing my curses inwardly, I turned away. There, Benny was kneeling with his hands raised in front of Lydia…
Naturally, he was in a position that left his young and fresh body exposed, just like me without a scrap of clothing.
…Alright. My energy to resume farming is back.
With a firm resolve, I flipped Morgana’s corpse over and inspected it again.
But, the divine artifact remained nowhere to be found.
Surely a divine artifact would radiate the aura of its respective god, right? Just like the full-to-life statue always emits faint divine power.
An artifact that bestows death even on abstract concepts like space or results can’t be an ordinary object, surely.
I should be sensing its aura somewhere!
As I pondered, I caught myself getting drawn to one place due to the surrounding looks of ‘What’s this person doing stripping a corpse while deep in thought?’
The wound on her chest. More specifically, the location where I had stabbed her heart with the Unicorn Dagger.
It was the same spot where the thick defensive magic was easily pierced by the Sanctuary force.
Driven like a moth to a flame, I dug into Morgana’s wound and peered inside.
“Oh.”
And there it was.
I found a glimmering silver object amidst the shredded heart flesh and the cold, clotted blood.
As befits a divine artifact of the God of Death, it was emitting a sinister life-death aura — but I had initially overlooked it since it was found within a corpse.
“Bingo.”
I couldn’t help but let out a smile as I reached inside to pull out the divine relic from the remnants of life.
It was a ring in the shape of a gray snake biting its own tail.
Made of a peculiar material that looked like either metal or glass, its eye glowed a menacing red.
I can’t fathom why she embedded this into her heart. I don’t even know what abilities this divine artifact possesses.
But figuring that out shouldn’t be too hard.
A relic imbued with powers is just that — a relic. Users naturally learn how to wield its powers without any teaching.
Of course, the relic would reveal its true capabilities as one becomes accustomed to it.
Chuckling, I slipped the ring onto my index finger. Was it some sort of trigger?
In an instant, knowledge that wasn’t mine invaded my mind. It felt like the knowledge infusion I’d grown accustomed to through Gacha.
“Ugh.”
The brief pain felt significant, but I couldn’t just ignore it.
“What is this…?”
This serpent tail ring surprisingly possessed the power to exclude death.
What that means is, even if death energy wafts around and others die…
The original intended use of this power is to bounce the user’s own death far away using the absorbed energy!
Morgana was just distorting the power of the artifact with her magic, while in truth, it was an item meant to extend the wearer’s life.
Had I simply passed over Morgana’s body, she would have surely been able to move again at some point.
Whether that revival looked like what Morgana actually desired, who knows? But it was very befitting of a mage who obsessed over immortality.
“Of course. That’s why she stuck it in her heart.”
If one were to casually wear it on their finger, someone would have claimed it, and naturally, Morgana’s miracle in preparation would have gone astray.
Hence, she had chosen the vicinity of her heart, protected by all manners of spatial magic, as the safest place to keep it.
Little did she know she would be pierced through the heart and die so futilely!
With a sly grin, I draped Morgana’s outer clothing modestly over her corpse.
Then, I nodded toward Hippolyte, who had so kindly jogged my memory and willingly shared the profit.
“Thank you, Hippolyte! Thanks to you, I was able to grab what I wanted!”
“Uh? Ah, yeah.”
After hesitating for a moment, Hippolyte finally warily asked,
“Just checking, kid Jonah. You don’t happen to have any voices telling you to dedicate everything to some goddess or anything when you enter a labyrinth, right?”
“…….”
What the?
Am I being suspected of being One Who Devours the Twilight, or a madman?
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