Gardenia’s Heart

The torrential rain showed no sign of letting up over the vast forest, but unfazed by the downpour, a girl gasped with excitement as the hot, dark liquid touched her lips. 

“It’s bitter, but it has an unforgettable taste!”

(It really is! Besides, it seems to have a high energy content!) Since Nia could share Lily’s senses, she was experiencing the taste right alongside her.

Making sure to blow on the cup before taking another sip of the coffee in her hands, Lily couldn’t help but wish she had some bread to enjoy with it at this moment.

After freeing the two women and promising to help them, Lily explored the tent and discovered that the bandits had stocked enough provisions to remain in the forest for a few weeks. Among the items, a small wooden container holding coffee beans quickly caught her attention.

“This only grows where there’s plenty of sunlight. I remember my father drinking it when I was a child.”

Sitting on the branch of one of the large trees around the tent, Lily joyfully kicked her legs as she sipped her coffee, which she’d managed to brew with some effort. 

“Are you sure it’s really okay to help those women, Nia?”

Although she always received positive feedback whenever she made a decision, Lily still found herself wondering if she had made the right choice. And so, she constantly sought her reliable wife’s opinion.

(Based on the woman’s story, I ran simulations of potential consequences. For now, we’re not at any risk, but if that changes, I’ll let you know right away.)

Feeling lucky to have such a dependable wife, Lily smiled again without even realizing it. Lily didn’t have a specific reason to help the woman find her daughter. Even though there was a chance the woman was lying, Lily decided to extend her help anyway.

Finishing her coffee, she leaned against the tree, savoring the sound of the rain, which Nia’s shield kept at bay. Even though she had destroyed the flowers that repelled monsters from the tent, they still kept their distance due to Nia’s presence, allowing Lily to relax.

(It seems the knight has woken up.)

Opening her eyes just as she was about to doze off, Lily jumped from the tree, landing softly on the ground. Since Nia had been monitoring the tent’s interior for any suspicious behavior, she knew right away when the woman woke up.

Entering the tent, Lily observed the knight sitting up on the makeshift mattress, her back supported by the noblewoman. As she opened her tear-filled eyes, stunning amber irises came into view, and quickly took in her surroundings.

“Before you try to attack me, I suggest you speak with your lady first.” 

Taking a seat at the table and sipping more coffee, Lily gazed indifferently at the knight, who had instantly classified her as a threat and started gathering mana.

Finally noticing the dark-haired woman beside her, holding her hand tightly, the knight calmed down before being urged to lie back down again.

Several minutes passed as the noblewoman explained the situation to her dark-skinned knight. Lily paid close attention to their conversation, hoping to gather new information or detect any inconsistency in the woman’s story. However, the women didn’t say anything beyond what had already been shared, and soon they came to an understanding.

Turning to Lily, the knight, now with her wounds tended to, inclined her head before speaking.

“I’d like to thank you for protecting my lady when I couldn’t. As a knight, I swear never to forget this debt.” 

The woman’s voice was deep and commanding, to the point that Lily might easily mistake her for a man.

“No thanks are needed right now.” Waving her hand dismissively, Lily turned to the dark-haired woman. “We agreed that you’d explain your daughter’s disappearance after she woke up.”

After offering a bit of water to the knight, the dark-haired woman gracefully knelt, placing one hand on her modest chest. 

“First, let me introduce us. For now, please allow me to go by the name Abelia. My companion here is Cleomel, and as you might assume, she’s my escort.” At the mention of her name, the knight inclined her head in a slight bow. “Before we proceed, may we be so bold as to ask your name?”

Taking an indifferent sip of her coffee, Lily crossed her legs as she adjusted her dark dress. 

“My name is Lily. As you might expect, I don’t have a surname.” 

Lily’s gaze traced Abelia’s posture. No longer pretending she wasn’t a noble, Abelia sat with elegance on the ground. She brushed her black braid over her left shoulder before clasping her hands over her lap.

“Very well then, Lady Lily, is it? Although we’re in no position to question you, may we ask—did you truly take care of all the bandits on your own?”

Being addressed with an honorific was new for Lily, and she considered asking Abelia to stop. But Abelia’s resolute expression suggested that mentioning it would likely prolong the conversation further. 

“Yes, all seven.” Lily shrugged. “If you doubt my words, you can check the bodies outside—assuming they haven’t been eaten by monsters by now.”

Lily knew that, technically, both she and Nia had defeated the group. However, they had long agreed that revealing Nia’s existence posed too much risk, so they had decided to keep it simple: Lily handled the tasks alone. Although Lily thought it would be nice for Nia to receive some credit for her hard work, Nia was more than content with praise solely from Lily rather than from strangers.

Unaware of Lily’s thoughts as she continued sipping her coffee, both women’s expressions tightened slightly. 

“Apologies if my question implied any doubt of your words, Lady Lily.” Turning briefly to Cleomel, she continued. “It’s just that, as you might imagine, my knight here is one of the strongest people I know, yet even she struggles against a numerical advantage.” 

Neither Lily nor Nia missed how Cleomel’s fist clenched and her gaze shifted away. Judging by her condition, it was likely they shouldn’t only consider her physical wounds but also her mental scars.

“I won’t say I was lucky, but they underestimated me because I was alone. Perhaps their confidence over catching another victim on the same day made them lower their guard.” 

While Cleomel’s psychological state wasn’t Lily’s responsibility, she refrained from aggrandizing her feats, framing the situation as one where she had an advantage. It was never in Lily’s nature to boast, and she truly didn’t care what others thought of her; any opinion that wasn’t Nia’s was swiftly discarded as irrelevant.

Realizing her coffee was already gone, Lily decided not to dwell on the topic any longer and resumed the conversation. 

“Alright, getting back to the previous topic, tell me everything from the beginning. I’ll understand if you need to omit something, but keep in mind that it will affect how much help I’m willing to offer.”

Emphasizing the end of her statement, Lily didn’t miss how she swallowed hard, despite hiding it well. Abelia then adjusted her posture again before speaking. 

“About two months ago, I traveled here to Caligo with my two children, Cleomel, and a few others. My son went to the Star Dust Spring with the others, while the rest of us stayed in an inn on the city outskirts.” 

“May I ask the reason for your trip?” 

Though she hadn’t intended to interrupt, Lily sensed that too much would be left out if Abelia led the conversation.

“My son had business to attend to at the Star Dust Spring, and I had matters to address in Caligo. My daughter was to stay with me, with Cleomel escorting the two of us within the city.” 

Leaning forward, Abelia lowered her forehead to the cold floor before her, speaking with even more intensity than before. 

“Though I can’t reveal our reasons, I swear on my life that we mean no harm to Lady Lily.” 

“Lady Abelia!” The knight knelt quickly beside her lady, placing both hands on her shoulders, attempting to help her up.

Seeing the noblewoman bowing on the floor before her left Lily with mixed emotions, momentarily freezing her. 

(She doesn’t seem to be lying, though it’s clear she’s withholding some of the truth.) 

As always, Nia’s gentle voice was like a balm in her mind whenever she felt lost. Clearing her throat with a small cough, Lily spoke again. 

“Get off the cold floor. There are other chairs here.” She pointed to a chair across from her, doing her best not to show her nerves as Abelia took a seat, visibly unsettled.

Cleomel attempted to join her but was halted by a simple wave from her lady, forcing her to lie back down. 

Once Abelia had settled comfortably on the cheap wooden chair, Lily rested her arms on the table and spoke. 

“I wouldn’t say I fully trust either of you, but I’ll help, assuming you’re decent people.” 

Hearing Lily’s words, Abelia’s brows raised slightly in surprise, and she finally mustered the courage to look Lily in the eyes. Azure met Onyx as they exchanged glances. Despite her remaining apprehension, Abelia waited for Lily’s next words.

“From what you’ve said, I can assume seeking support from your family is impossible, correct?” 

“Yes, it’s not an option, even if it costs us our lives.” 

Hearing her theory confirmed made Lily’s expression sour. Somehow, conversing with this woman made it impossible for her to maintain her usual impassive face. Lily had suspected this since Abelia went to such lengths to hide her noble family’s name, but hearing her declare they’d receive no support even in death went far beyond what she’d expected.

”Alright, I won’t press any further on that.” Lily sighed heavily, closing her eyes as she spoke. ”Can you tell me now about your daughter’s disappearance?”

Abelia took a few seconds to compose herself and focus. She knew she needed to be strong—breaking down again while recounting the events wouldn’t help anyone. 

“It was two days ago, in the afternoon. We visited an acquaintance’s residence for a few hours, and after returning to the central district, we headed to an inn for the night. My daughter, Alice, asked to stay outside a little longer before coming in; she wasn’t yet used to the thin air inside the fog so she wanted to stay in an open space for a little while longer. When I noticed she was taking too long, I went to check, but she had vanished.”

”Any indication that she might have wandered off on her own?”

“Alice is curious and was thrilled to explore a new city with so many things different from outside the fog. But she knew it was dangerous to walk around alone, she would certainly have told me if she planned to go anywhere.”

The idea that people would traverse the fog as if it were a casual family outing nearly made Lily chuckle if not for the tragic circumstances. 

”Was there any sign of a struggle? Anything suggesting an attack?”

This time, it was not Abelia who replied but her knight instead. 

”Although she’s the same age as my lady’s son, being twins, Lady Alice doesn’t share his skills with magic or weapons. However, she does know the basics of mana control, so she wouldn’t have been easily subdued by ordinary people. We’re certain she was taken by professionals.”

Cleomel spoke while still lying down, her orange eyes fixed intensely on Lily, her fists clenched as if the words tasted bitter. 

Lily closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the events from her two villages. Kidnappings along roads and nameless villages were one thing, but knowing that this was happening even in the most secure city within the fog’s territory seemed unfathomable. 

Of course, a first thought might be that someone discovered they were nobles and decided to abduct the girl, but if that were the case, they would have already made contact to demand ransom. 

”Could the acquaintance you visited be connected in any way?”

”Though I can’t completely rule it out, the chances are low. I’ve known this person since childhood, and there’s no conceivable benefit in them doing this now.”

If the acquaintance wasn’t an option, and Abelia and her group were from outside the fog territory, it was hard to imagine anyone harboring a personal grudge against her family to the extent of kidnapping Alice just for revenge. 

Lily felt that something didn’t add up, but for now, she didn’t have enough information to pinpoint what it was. At this moment, she wished she had left one of the bandits alive to gather information, but it was too late to regret that now.

Sighing in frustration at her inability to reach a conclusion, Lily stood up. Her gaze fell on Cleomel, who was still lying down, her external wounds already in much better condition than before. 

”We can’t afford to wait for you to fully recover—we’re in a race against time. In the best case, Alice is still alive and somewhere in Caligo; if they leave the city, finding her will be nearly impossible.”

Hearing Lily’s words, Abelia quickly stood up and positioned herself in front of the silver-haired girl, a look of panic on her face.

“Wait, please! I know Alice’s situation is critical, and I’m terrified of what could happen, but leaving Cleomel here would be far too dangerous!”

Lily turned her gaze toward the noblewoman before her, whose face was marked with an expression of desperation as if she were ready to plead as much as necessary. Rolling her eyes at the misunderstanding, Lily reached her hand out toward Cleomel and Abelia.

”And when did I say we’d be leaving her behind?”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she saw the women’s expressions of doubt morph into panic when four tentacles emerged from her back. A pair of them wrapped around each woman, lifting them off the ground.

“L-Lady Lily, what is this!?” 

“What’s going on?!”

Ignoring their startled cries, Lily placed a hand over her heart as the familiar voice of her beloved reached her mind.

(They’re light; we’ll have no trouble carrying them this way.)

With a soft laugh at her reliable wife’s reassurance, Lily dashed out of the tent and began to run.