Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World-Chapter 116: What A Mage Leaves Behind When They Die

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Finally, the bell signaling the end of this hellish ordeal rang out.

“Gasp! Hic! No, no! It’s not like that! Calm down, Lydia…!”

“Make your excuses to the guards.”

Or maybe it was the sound of Benny’s reputation going down the drain.

A cold, frozen expression. And contrary to that, Lydia’s aura was blazing hot as she swung her greatsword relentlessly.

Clang! Clang! Crack!

The sword, filled with a tyrannical energy that seemed ready to smash anything in its path, clashed against the sturdy iron bars that Benny, with her questionable tastes, had created.

The iron bars withstood Lydia’s strikes several times. Perhaps because the magic was cast when Benny was not in peak form.

Cracks started to appear, and the bars began to creak.

“Hey! Jonah! Say something! Lydia looks like she’s seriously going to kill me too!”

“What? What are you talking about? It’s true that Benny took off her underwear and then took mine off, right?”

“What…?”

“On top of that, you even rubbed your face against my thigh… Oh dear. Just accept it.”

“That was all because you, Jonah, told me to do it!”

“Yes, yes. I know. ‘I’m not at fault, you tempted me!’ Is that what you’re saying? Save that for the courtroom.”

“You- You! Youuu!”

Unable to contain her anger, Benny grinds her teeth and stamps her feet. Alright. I’ve teased her enough, maybe it’s time to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Well, just kidding.”

Kaang!

“…Huh?”

Lydia, who had been swinging her greatsword, paused mid-swing. Smiling brightly at her, I uttered the excuse I had just made up.

“Actually, we almost got sliced into pieces by Morgana’s magic. Thanks to Benny, we were able to resist…but our clothes were shredded off like shedding skin.”

“Really…?”

“Really, really.”

I pushed the claim that it wasn’t a stripping game but the aftermath of a bizarre magic battle.

In short, Benny cleverly countered the magic that would have cut us whole if we couldn’t dodge, making it cut our clothes instead of our bodies.

In the end, we decided it was better to go without underwear than to walk around in just underwear, so we got rid of the underwear first. I added that just now, as the magic collapsed, Benny tried to protect me as a priority, not knowing what might happen.

Lydia, who had been contemplating my testimony interspersed with 40% truth and 60% lies, slowly lowered her greatsword.

“…Sorry. I must have been mistaken.”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. It’s understandable.”

Nodding in confusion, Benny continued to glare at me. Her gaze was much sharper than before.

It felt like something fundamental had solidified, rather than just being upset over a simple prank….

“Ah.”

The sound of Morgana’s magic collapsing and Lydia entering meant she forcibly broke the spell to come in.

I don’t know the exact principle, but it might be due to the destructive aura I saw from Lydia a while ago.

However, that isn’t the thing that’s bothering me.

“Sha…”

“Shadow!”

As soon as I opened my mouth, Benny interrupted me. She must have sensed the strangeness a beat faster than me.

“Lydia! What did you do with Shadow?! It should have been outside….”

Benny looked around. Inside, she had talked about separating from Shadow, but thinking there might be trouble made her uneasy.

Lydia flinched at Benny’s fierce demeanor, but soon silently pointed to one side.

And over thefe…

“Hey. The talk is over now, right? Can I let go now?!”

-Grrr!

A woman dressed like a barbarian, whom they had never seen before, was overpowering Shadow with sheer strength.

“Wow. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this intense. Little Benny, you were holding back your strength all this time?”

“Uh, ah, yeah? Right?”

Although Benny should have regained her usual confidence with her bond to Shadow strengthened, all she could do was nod awkwardly with a weary expression.

It was because Hippolyte’s body was too intact considering she had faced off against Shadow.

Of course, she wasn’t entirely unscathed. Her skin was slightly reddened, with faint bruises and deep bite marks visible here and there.

These were all the injuries on her body. Although they were healing up quickly.

Perhaps the acidic fluids, tentacles, horns, teeth, and the waves of madness blasted from its eyes had no effect on her.

Of course, it made sense that she won against Shadow since she teamed up with Lydia, and was also a high-ranking adventurer.

But to subdue it without shedding a single drop of blood was surprising. Even more so, according to Lydia, as Shadow was in a berserk state.

I wondered what she must have eaten to grow up like that, so I carefully examined her.

Long and rough black hair. On top of it, she wore a lion skin cloak that doubled as a hood, and only the important parts were obscured with thick leather.

The naturally revealed body was on the slender side, but the fierce aura emanating from her entire body and the thick club tied to her waist dispelled any impression of weakness.

It was like mixing half Barbarian and half Amazon, then dropping in a spoonful of Hercules.

There was something peculiar about her appearance, so I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Um, by any chance, are you Hippolyte?”

“Huh? Oh, are you the candidate for Ellie’s husband and also a candidate for Lydia and Benny’s party member? If I remember correctly, your name is…”

“It’s Jonah.”

“Right. Nice to meet you, Jonah. Since you know my name, you must know who I am?”

“Roughly.”

The reason I know about Hippolyte is simple. First of all, she is one of the most famous adventurers of this era.

Just living in Pangrave, you often hear the name of the barbarian who conquers Labyrinths alone.

But in fact, I knew her even before I fell onto the Pan Continent.

That’s because Hippolyte is also a character I created. …Although she is an extra who is already dead at the start of the original story.

Hippolyte is the complete opposite of Ellie.

She has insanely good luck, surrounded by all kinds of powers, and received exactly what she needed for growth in the Labyrinth, and even possessed genius-level talent.

She was born with all the conditions to become strong and, true to her barbarian origins, was braver than anyone else.

Hippolyte quickly rose to the position of a high-ranking adventurer, admired by everyone.

…Overconfident in one’s abilities and luck, one loses their life in the Labyrinth in vain.

Even those who seem to be favored by the Gods die mercilessly if they let their guard down in the Labyrinth.

An extra which was mentioned in a single line to convey this. That was Hippolyte.

I had planned to write an episode where the protagonist inherits the power left behind by her, something along the lines of Hippolyte’s legacy.

But now, there’s no protagonist!

Shaking my head, I tried to recall as much information about Hippolyte as possible.

Anyway, she’s lucky, anyway, she’s capable, anyway, she’s a barbarian warrior.

That was all the background for Hippolyte…

However, the Hippolyte before my eyes had filled in all the blanks I couldn’t complete, as a living person. First, I should thank her.

“Thank you. Hippolyte, you came to save us too, right?”

“Well, it turned out that way… By the way, what happened to Morgana?”

“She’s dead?”

“Huh? What’s this? Lydia was making such a fuss, I thought Benny was in danger, but it seems that wasn’t the case at all.”

“Oh, Benny was indeed about to die. It’s just that we were a bit luckier.”

Hippolyte didn’t seem like a bad person, but I couldn’t talk about the fully upgraded Goddess statue and the mini Sanctuary, my trump cards.

For that reason, I also glossed over the details of the battle.

I said something like I distracted Morgana with my awesome stealth skills, and Benny took the opportunity to finish her off.

Finally, Hippolyte, who confirmed Morgana’s corpse, looked at me with a subtle expression.

And then, with a look that seemed to say she understood everything, she continued.

“So, the little one finished off Morgana while the kid distracted her?”

“Yes!”

“Alright. Let’s go with that. Now, what’s left is the distribution…”

“Huh? Distribution? What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden? Benny and I were the ones who risked our lives to bring her down in the end.”

“I’m not denying the merits of you kids. But we also took on this task at the Guild’s request, so we have to hand over the body.”

Hippolyte smirked, raising the corners of his mouth as she spoke arrogantly.

“Let me tell you something good as a senior adventurer, kid.”

“…What is it?”

“As you continue to work as an adventurer, you’ll find yourself not just exploring but also receiving requests from others.”

“Right? The rewards and support are great too.”

“Here’s a tip. Even if you barely achieved your goal, don’t just give it back.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you need to milk it for all it’s worth before you submit it.”

Hippolyte said this while nodding towards Morgana’s corpse.

“If there’s any loot, grab it now. We only need to take the body.”

“Gasp.”

It was truly advice that would become blood and flesh.

Until now, I was so focused on Benny’s unstable condition that I had neglected the ‘cleanup’.

Being a high-ranking mage, she must have carried many valuable items. Considering the sacred relics she had stolen while causing trouble…

“Thank you, Hippolyte!”

“You’re welcome.”

Hippolyte shrugged and stepped back. At the same time, I squatted in front of the corpse.

Morgana, oh Morgana.

How many consecutive rolls are you???