Gardenia’s Heart

The darkness of the cave posed no challenge for the married couple.

Since Lily no longer needed to breathe, she could traverse unventilated areas without worrying about the lack of oxygen. Cold or even heat rarely caused her discomfort. However, the same couldn’t be said for the two women accompanying them.

“Watch your step, my lady.” Cleomel walked slowly, one arm wrapped protectively around Abelia’s waist, her eyes fixed cautiously on the uneven ground.

Conjuring another floating ice crystal to serve as an improvised light source for the women, Lily placed a hand on the tunnel walls.

“This doesn’t seem artificial. The walls have no tool marks, so they couldn’t have dug all this out.”

After descending the hidden staircase beneath the bandits’ hideout, the group entered a vast network of caves. The walls, wide for two people to walk side by side, were rough and jagged, enough to scrape skin if touched. The ceiling was low, just ample for Cleomel’s spear to barely avoid hitting it in some spots.

“Caligo was built on top of a large vein of minerals with high mana conductivity,” Abelia explained, sweat glistening on her face as she navigated the uneven ground. “That’s how the family governing the city managed to secure so much investment from the capital to maintain such a large settlement.”

“So, the bandits are using the mining tunnels as a hideout?”

Lily murmured, following Nia’s instructions on which path to take at the next fork. Although Nia couldn’t extend her mana far enough to map the vast tunnel network, she focused on detecting where faint air currents converged.

“Caligo is very close to the lake. Any illegal excavation would increase the risk of flooding. I can’t believe the city’s army or even the miners wouldn’t notice something like this. It’s their lives at stake, right?”

Cleomel’s tense words resonated with the doubts beginning to form in Lily’s mind.

(Lily, what are you thinking?) Nia asked, sensing Lily’s growing unease. Lily neither confirmed nor denied Cleomel’s statement.

“The communicators, the beacon maps, the lack of investigation into the missing people—this can’t all be just coincidence,” Lily murmured, her waist squeezed slightly tighter by her anxious wife.

After walking through another dozen dark tunnels, the group finally noticed faint bluish lights in the cavern’s horizon.

As they approached, Lily dispelled the ice crystals she had conjured. The previously dark environment was now illuminated by a glowing wall.

“Luminite?” Lily’s confused voice preceded her fingers tracing the small silver flecks embedded in the walls, radiating a soft blue glow.

“Yes, I’m impressed that Lady Lily knows the name,” Cleomel said, her orange eyes studying the glowing walls. “It’s one of the minerals extracted in Caligo. It doesn’t conduct mana as well as the steel in your sword or my spear, but it can be used to power streetlights when crafted into artifacts.”

Despite Cleomel’s explanation, the look of confusion on Lily’s face remained. It wasn’t because she found the presence of the mineral strange but because she knew it was there.

How did she know it was luminite? She had never seen this rock before.

“This area is different from before—it shows tool marks,” Abelia observed, pointing out the sharp, fresh cracks in the rock. “This section was recently excavated.”

When Abelia spoke, the echoes of a noise reached the group. The sound was distant, muffled, and faint, but it was clear it wasn’t something natural.

Exchanging glances, the three women moved slowly and silently toward the source of the sound. As they got closer, the sharp, irregular clanging of metal against rock grew louder.

(Lily… I’m not feeling well.)

With every step deeper into the caverns, Nia grew increasingly uneasy. What had initially been a mild discomfort she tried to ignore was now becoming an overwhelming sensation.

Lily stopped in her tracks the moment she heard Nia’s trembling voice in her mind. Even subtly, she could feel the tentacles wrapped around her waist trembling. Just as panic began to rise and she was about to call out to her wife, her eyes landed on something she couldn’t believe was there.

“Ivory herb!?”

Growing along the walls, interspersed with small fragments of Luminite, were several glowing flowers rooted into the rock and soil. Among them, a few small white blossoms emitted a faint greenish light.

Ignoring the two women around her, who nearly jumped in alarm at her sudden reaction, Lily summoned ice crystals with her mana and destroyed every mana herb along the wall without exception.

“Nia, are you feeling better?” Her voice, a soft murmur amidst the cracking ice, carried genuine panic.

The closed space had accumulated the herb’s essence in the air. Lily should have noticed it—she knew she should have—but while walking and trying to block out the pain in her head, she had failed to detect the scent lingering around them.

(A-A little... but there are more of those herbs here, so many more.)

“Lady Lily, what’s wrong?”

While checking on Nia’s condition, Lily heard Abelia’s voice from behind her. She turned abruptly, holding back the urge to yell.

“Damn it, why are ivory herbs growing underground!?”

Lily’s panicked frustration caused both women to take a step back. They didn’t understand what had angered her so much, but Abelia stepped forward, speaking in a calm tone.

“The monster repellent? Mana herbs grow in areas with high mana concentrations. They’re not restricted to the surface. The soil in Caligo’s mines is so rich in mana that these flowers naturally grow even underground.”

Hearing those words, Lily felt her knowledge betray her.

How had she not thought of that?

Her father had taught her about mana herbs. She should have known this—it was her area of expertise.

“Nia, do you want to turn back?”

Once again, Lily spoke in a panicked tone, no longer caring to hide her words from the other women.

(If it doesn’t take too long, I think I can endure it. We can keep going.)

If they pressed forward, they could rescue those people, but it would place a heavy burden on Nia. Lily knew her wife would follow whatever decision she made.

She should retreat—she could feel it—but her restless mind told her they needed to move forward. The situation was too strange, and the deeper they went, the more intense her headache grew. If they missed this chance, it might all be for nothing.

”Let me know if you can’t take it anymore, Nia. We’ll leave immediately.” Although she didn’t need to breathe, Lily inhaled deeply and released the air in a sigh. Turning to Abelia and Cleomel, who was watching her with genuine confusion, she pointed toward the corridor and said, “Let’s go.”

Though they didn’t understand what had just happened, both Lady and Knight followed Lily. As they advanced toward the source of the sound, Lily destroyed every mana herb in their path.

The girl could feel Nia’s tentacles trembling more and more. Her wife, focusing on protecting them, began using a significant amount of her dark mana to envelop them in a protective shroud.

Clutching the hilts of the swords at her waist, Lily moved forward cautiously. When the group spotted a large source of light at the end of the tunnel, they knew they had arrived.

However, as they reached it, the entire group froze in place. Below the tunnel’s exit, a vast ravine stretched out at least thirty meters deep into the horizon.

The bluish glow emanating from wall-mounted lanterns reflected off the rocky surfaces. Iron tracks carried carts filled with soil and broken stones, moving in all directions as more and more holes were dug into the walls.

The air was heavy, laden with a metallic scent mingling with the aroma of herbs blooming along the walls. There were many people there—at least a hundred. Among all those working, one individual caught the attention of a group member.

“Alic—!?”

Before Abelia’s voice could ring out, Cleomel grabbed her lady and covered her mouth. She then pulled her back into the passage and sat on the ground, holding Abelia between her legs with one arm around her waist, desperately trying to calm her.

Lily did the same, moving away from the edge and kneeling beside the two women. Placing a hand on Abelia’s shoulder, she waited. After a few moments, Abelia finally nodded, signaling she had regained her composure.

“Your daughter is down there?” Lily spoke in a low tone.

When Cleomel removed her hand from her mouth, Abelia closed her eyes and exhaled shakily.

“Yes.” Abelia, now composed, explained with a calm voice. “The one with dark blue hair and black eyes.”

With Abelia’s description, Lily peered into the ravine. Among the hundreds of workers, at one of the less illuminated edges, a girl who appeared to be around sixteen was chipping luminite nuggets from the wall with a pickaxe.

“This isn’t some isolated section of the mine, is it?” Lily spoke with biting sarcasm, her wife’s unease and her pounding headache making it nearly impossible to temper her words.

At strategic points in the gallery, what could only be guards stood equipped in simple armor with swords at their sides. Occasionally, one of them would move to inspect a worker more closely before resuming their watch without much interaction.

“These aren’t common bandits. They move like a trained garrison. It’s the same type of armor as the soldiers we saw on the streets. Caligo is using slave labor for mining operations.” Cleomel’s words followed as she removed the lance from her back, gripping it tightly, her restless fingers clutching the weapon as if performing a ritual to steady herself.

The situation Lily didn’t want to believe was unfolding right before her eyes.

Her exhausted mind couldn’t process everything at that moment. The sweat dripping down her face was a clear sign that Nia wasn’t doing well either, though she was still fighting to maintain Lily’s bodily functions as best she could.

Forcing herself to keep her voice low this time, Lily whispered to her wife, “Nia, can you get Alice out of there with the portals?”

Since they were still accompanied by Cleomel and Abelia, Lily thought they shouldn’t use teleportation portals unless absolutely necessary. But the situation was demanding it.

(I—I can’t concentrate enough to determine the coordinates for a portal from here. If I try, I’m not sure I could keep her safe.) Nia’s strained voice made it evident how badly she was struggling. The ivory herbs growing along the dungeon walls were making her entire body contract and her mind grow foggy.

Understanding what needed to be done, Lily turned to the two women.

“We just need to get Alice out of here. We’ll move silently and stick together. If we split up, we’ll only be putting ourselves at greater risk.”

Facing a gang of criminals, Lily wished she could handle this on her own, but it was too risky given the circumstances. As long as they got close to the girl, Nia would be able to get them all out of there. Cleomel considered leaving Abelia behind to guard against anyone coming through the tunnels, but if she were taken hostage, there would be nothing they could do.

Though jumping down to the ground would have been quicker, the group began descending the stairs silently, taking every precaution. As they crept behind rocks, crates, and wooden beams forming walkways between the holes, they noticed the number of guards was small compared to the workers.

Lily surmised that the guards, being more experienced in combat, didn’t need to be numerous to suppress a rebellion. However, the lack of chains or restraints on the workers didn’t make sense to her.

The laborers, wearing tattered, dust-covered clothes, moved in silence with pickaxes and shovels. There was no conversation, just the repetitive, grating sound of pickaxes glowing faintly blue striking the stone. Some carried scissors and baskets to harvest mana herbs growing along the walls. Their movements were mechanical, almost perfectly synchronized, as if guided by an unseen melody.

It wasn’t sadness or anger etched into their faces. Their expressions were calm, even as sweat and blood mingled on their wounded skin.

Slowly, the women closed in on their target. Now in the shadow of a platform, Lily exchanged a glance with Cleomel. Understanding her intent, Cleomel carefully studied the guards to ensure she wasn’t seen and picked up a small rock.

Peeking out from their precarious hiding spot, the dark-skinned knight observed the guards’ positions and armor before hurling the stone. Though smaller than a fist, it struck the wall with enough force to draw the attention of one of the guards, who went to investigate.

Using the moment of distraction, the group moved quickly to Alice. The girl, still in the same position, was placing minerals into a mining cart. As she was about to push it to unload, two gentle arms wrapped around her tightly.

“Alice, my little one, it’s all right now. Mommy’s here!”

Abelia wept fervently, overwhelmed by the joy of finally holding her daughter again. Although she struggled to control her voice, her muffled sobs echoed softly as she used every ounce of strength she had to keep her daughter in her arms.

Watching her lady finally reunite with her child, Cleomel couldn’t help but let out a relieved smile, despite the tense situation. Studying the girl’s condition, she noted that, aside from significant weight loss, Alice did not seem to bear as many injuries as the others who had been forced to work.

Loosening her embrace slightly, Abelia looked directly into her daughter’s face. However, while Abelia was overwhelmed with emotion at their reunion, the same could not be said for the young girl.

“Alice...?”

Even as she called out to the girl with dark blue hair, there was no reaction. Alice’s obsidian eyes blinked, and she was breathing, but any attempts to speak to her were met with silence.

“Is something wrong, Lady Alice?” Cleomel asked, concern evident in her voice.

At first, she thought the girl might be in shock from the ordeal. However, the moment Alice began writhing in her mother’s arms, desperately trying to break free, Cleomel realized something more sinister was at play.

The two women now struggled to restrain Alice. The girl, who constantly reinforced her body with a thin layer of mana, fought like a trapped animal seeking freedom.

Lily, who had been keeping watch on the guards’ positions, observed the scene with growing unease. She didn’t understand what was happening, but they didn’t have time to figure it out. Approaching the three women, she said firmly:

“I don’t know what’s going on, but we can sort it out once we’re out of here.”

Just as Lily was about to ask Nia if she could transport them to safety, a loud screeching of metal reached her ears.

Without saying a word, Lily turned away from the others and moved toward the sound. Climbing onto a small rock for a better view, her eyes locked onto a massive steel door that was slowly grinding open.

On either side of the entrance, the guards had assembled, forming a pathway. One by one, a line of people began entering the mine through the newly opened passage. Their frightened faces darted around the space, chains binding their hands and connecting their bodies and fates.

(Those are the demi-humans… the ones we saw at the gates yesterday when we entered the city.) Nia’s heavy voice echoed in Lily’s mind, triggering the memory of the group of children who had stood beside them in line to pass through the gates.

Among the newcomers, Lily spotted children with canine and raccoon-like ears, green-skinned men with tails, and other individuals with distinctive features.

Trailing at the back of the line were three figures who drew everyone’s attention.

The two at the front, walking with a space between them, carried black weapons that Nia immediately identified as crafted from stardust. Their attire was luxurious, resembling combat suits tailored for the elite.

However, it was the final figure who exuded an aura that made the air feel heavy.

The man had long, dark hair, lightly streaked with gray at the tips and an almost otherworldly charisma that seemed to pull the room’s attention toward him. His face was partially obscured by a black mask, hiding his emotions, but his piercing green eyes shone with an intensity that left no room for doubt about his authority.

Unlike all the others, his attire exuded refinement and power. The wide-brimmed hat, with its dramatically curved edges, added an air of theatricality, while his long, flowing cape seemed to dance with each step. Beneath it, he wore a flawlessly tailored coat and waistcoat in dark tones. The moment he stepped through the doorway, anyone present could feel the authority radiating from him. His presence didn’t just demand attention—it instilled a sense that he had absolute control over everything around him.

It was him.

“This group is reserved. Send the others to the clients,” the man said, his velvety voice carrying effortlessly through the room, powerful without needing to rise in volume.

It was him.

With a simple, indifferent gesture toward the chained humans, a guard promptly divided the group in two and forcibly led one half to another area.

It was him.

Removing his dark gloves, the man’s hands began to glow with a faint, obscured blue light. His leather boots echoed against the ground as he approached one of the demi-humans, his open palm extending toward the trembling figure.

It was him.

Like a dissonant melody playing repeatedly in her head.

It was him.

The moment his fingers touched the man’s face.

It was him.

A blade, pulsating with a reddish-purple glow, came hurtling toward his neck.

“!?” A startled gasp was the only sound that escaped his lips.

Leaping back with a single, fluid motion, the man turned to face the woman now standing beside him. Piercing blue eyes locked onto him as shards of black and blue ice materialized around her.

(Lily!?)

Even the shapeshifter couldn’t comprehend what the girl had just done. Her voice, once filled with pain, now carried confusion and concern.

“It was him, Nia!”

Never before in her life—despite everything she had endured—had the silver-haired girl spoken a phrase with such hatred.

“This is the man who killed my father!!”