Gardenia’s Heart

Leaning back on the cushioned sofa, Abelia let out a long, deep sigh of relief.

“So Oliver is alive...” Reaching for the freshly brewed cup of tea on the small table before her, Abelia ran her trembling fingers along the rim. “When Lady Lily said she obtained the crest through a trade, I feared something terrible might have happened to him...”

Closing her eyes to push away the dark thoughts, Abelia extended her other hand toward Cleomel, who sat beside her.

“Though it’s unfortunate that one of his companions died, thanks to Lady Lily’s help, the others were saved.” Cleomel, doing her best to keep her emotions in check despite holding Abelia’s hand, spoke softly to the girl sitting across from them.

“I-I only sold some healing potions I had... It wasn’t much. I can’t call it help if it was just a business deal.” Seated in the armchair opposite the pair, Lily tried to sip her tea while struggling to process the unfolding situation.

While the Stardust Spring Labyrinth wasn’t often visited by mages due to its location in the misty territory, several people had been exploring it during Lily’s time in the city. Even knowing Abelia’s son was attempting to conquer the labyrinth, she hadn’t imagined he could be the same mage she had negotiated with.

Given the circumstances back then, Lily didn’t believe she was wrong to charge for her aid. Unlike when she rescued the two women captured by bandits, mages had to be prepared to risk their lives. If their preparations for the labyrinth had been insufficient, it wasn’t Lily’s duty to help them out of kindness. However, after learning about Abelia’s situation, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the women might now see her as someone trying to take advantage of them—just like everyone else had.

“Yes, you’re right, Cleomel. Lady Lily not only protected the two of us but also helped my son. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay such kindness, but please know that you have my eternal gratitude.”

With heartfelt sincerity, both Abelia and Cleomel bowed deeply toward the silver-haired girl.

“I-It’s fine! You two don’t need to worry about it!” Flustered, Lily downed the rest of her tea in one gulp. With her face burning red, she quickly stood from the armchair. “I’ll go check on Selene.”

Dashing out of the luxurious sitting room, Lily swiftly shut the double doors behind her.

Even though she didn’t need oxygen, her breathing was erratic, and her face still flushed with embarrassment.

(Lily is such a hero, hihi~) One of Nia’s purple tentacles emerged from Lily’s back and brushed affectionately against her cheek. Her cheerful voice echoed in Lily’s mind, clearly amused by her wife’s reaction.

“I feel like you’re the only one who truly understands me, Nia.” Pressing a gentle kiss to the tentacle, Lily exhaled softly.

(Of course! I’m your wife, after all!) With a confident giggle, Nia felt her mind melt with bliss as Lily continued planting tender kisses along the tentacle in her hands. (I love you.)

“I love you too~” Releasing the tentacle that continued to rub happily against her body, trying to avoid losing control and diving into another intimate session, Lily took a moment to once again observe the mansion they were in.

Located just a few streets away from the Mage Academy, Selene’s house was undoubtedly the largest Lily had ever entered. Seven bedrooms with private bathrooms, a grand hall, a kitchen, an office, as well as two tea rooms and a dining room. The corridors and structures were so vast that, if not for Nia guiding her, even with her talent for navigating forests, Lily was certain she would easily get lost.

(Turn right at the next door.) Nia’s gentle voice echoed in her mind, while a tentacle beside her pointed towards the correct path.

The overall decor reminded Lily of the academy, but the presence of red carpets and textile wall coverings with ornamental patterns made someone used to stone walls and simple wood feel quite out of place. Lily wasn’t even sure if the black dress she wore was suitable for such a refined environment.

According to what Selene had mentioned when she brought them to the mansion, houses within the mist territory were dozens of times cheaper than those of the same size in the lands where sunlight reached. Thanks to that, she had managed to obtain this mansion at a good price.

Moving carefully to avoid the risk of breaking anything, Lily walked through the silent hallways illuminated by glowing blue stones. Apparently, Selene managed all the cleaning herself in an attempt to save money by not hiring maids.

”Nia, it might be a bit late to ask this, but is there any sign that Selene might be under the influence of the stigma?”

Though she didn’t want to doubt Abelia’s sister, dealing with someone as powerful as Selene made Lily cautious about the possibility of betrayal.

(Don’t worry, I checked the first time we met in the classroom—Selene isn’t being influenced by a stigma.)

Hearing Nia’s reassuring voice in her mind, Lily placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief.

(Thanks to manalocation, I can compare a mage’s mana levels even if they try to hide it. If we’re talking purely about reserves, Selene Leontar has more mana in her body than Velmont Sunshard. I can’t say with certainty, but I don’t think he could implant a stigma on her because of this.)

Lily thought that reasoning made sense. If Velmont could control people stronger than himself without limitations, he might have already dominated far more than the cities within the mist territory by now.

(That’s also why I agree with Cleomel’s opinion that it’s strange how he can control so many people with his magic.)

Raising a hand to her chin, Lily paused in her steps, reflecting on the metamorph’s words.

”Just for comparison, how much mana does Selene have compared to your dark mana, Nia?”

(Hmm... I believe Selene’s total mana is slightly more than what I had before absorbing the second Book of Truth,) Nia explained after a few seconds of thought.

Whistling softly in surprise, Lily lowered her hand from her chin before speaking again.

”And compared to me?”

This time, Nia took much longer before answering.

(Well... Lily has more mana than Abelia...)

Chuckling at her wife’s obvious struggle to find the right words, Lily hugged the tentacle beside her.

”Relax, you don’t need to think so hard, Nia. Remember what you told me once? I don’t have to worry about that because I can always depend on you.” Smiling brightly, Lily ignored her earlier restraint and covered the purple tentacle in a series of affectionate kisses.

(Nhmm... Y-Yes! You don’t need to worry about that because I’ll always be here to protect you, Lily!) Trying to respond with determination rather than moaning from Lily’s warm kisses, Nia tightened all her tentacles slightly before resuming her guidance.

After walking through the corridors for a few more minutes, the girls finally reached the room they had been searching for. As they approached, the once silent hallway was suddenly filled with a violent stream of incomprehensible shouting.

Tiptoeing closer, Lily peeked through the slightly ajar door and saw Selene seated in the chair of her study.

“You arsehole bastard! I’m going to grab you by the neck, shove my arm down your throat, rip out your intestines, and feed them to a wild animal!” The rage in her voice burned like fire as if an explosive storm was running through every one of her veins.

Rising from her chair so abruptly it toppled over, Selene slammed both hands onto the desk, genuine fury burning in her pink eyes.

”This is really serious—damn it, Velmont, what the hell are you doing?!” She spread out the documents listing the sale of kidnapped victims across the desk, her fists clenching so tightly that small cracks began forming on the wooden surface. ”And as if that wasn’t enough, most of them are children. You bastard, are you using my school as bait to capture those who failed the entrance exams?”

Though observing through the crack in the door, Lily, thanks to her enhanced vision from Nia’s dark mana, could clearly see the small trail of blood running from Selene’s lips where her sharp teeth had pressed too hard.

Just as Lily decided she should wait a bit longer before interrupting and took a cautious step back, she noticed Selene’s rabbit ears twitch, turning in her direction.

Before she could retreat further, Selene swiftly rounded the desk and flung the door open, a forced smile on her face as she wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand.

”Lily—I mean, Rival. I didn’t see you there. Please, come in.” Gesturing for Lily to enter, Selene led her guest to a chair in the office. ”I’m not very good at making tea... Would you accept some water instead?”

Before Lily could even respond, Selene had already placed a small glass of water in her hands and returned the fallen chair to its upright position, sitting down with a serious expression.

”Uh... Is something wrong?” Uncomfortable with the long silence, Lily glanced awkwardly at the rabbit-eared girl.

Shifting her gaze away a few times, cold sweat beaded on Selene’s forehead before she suddenly bowed her head with great determination.

”Please don’t tell Sis I was swearing!” She pressed her palms together, practically begging for Lily’s understanding.

With the third person that evening bowing to her, Lily covered her face with both hands while the metamorph laughed with amusement in her mind.

”I won’t say anything to anyone. You were angry with that bastard. Honestly, I support you on that.” Ignoring the thought that this might be some kind of family trait, Lily responded in a muffled voice.

Peeking between her fingers, Lily watched Selene adjust her posture, scratching her cheek in embarrassment before finally sighing in relief.

”Thanks... I just lost my temper for a moment. I can’t believe he’s been doing this for so long, right under my nose.” Selene leaned back heavily into her chair, exhaling a long, weary breath.

Her back slid down the chair’s surface until she was almost lying flat, gaze lost on the ceiling as though the weight of the information she’d just processed was too overwhelming to maintain proper posture.

”What exactly was your relationship with that bastard?” Lily asked, noting how Selene no longer seemed concerned with keeping up her authoritative director persona in front of her.

”About twelve or thirteen years ago, when I refined my ink magic enough for those old bastards at the tower to acknowledge me as a two-star mage, I joined an exploration party to try earning merits for a third star.” Grumbling with dissatisfaction, Selene toyed absentmindedly with her ears.

”Cleomel told me a bit about that. You had to conquer a labyrinth or master an ancient magic, right?” Lily said, crossing her legs and resting her hand on her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face.

”Since you already know the basics, it’ll be easier to explain. Yes, those are the two most common options, but since most known labyrinths have already been explored and their relics confiscated, reaching the final floor doesn’t offer much merit anymore. On top of that, ancient spells are selectively handed out for study. Those racists wouldn’t even let me catch a whiff of a scroll containing one.” Still staring at the ceiling, Selene raised her right hand, holding up three fingers. ”So, that leaves the third option: demon hunting.”

The sudden mention of demons made Lily’s silver eyes widen in shock.

”D-Demons?” Lily leaned forward as if to make sure she had heard correctly.

”Yes. The alliance of races may have slain the Demon King, but that doesn’t mean all his soldiers were defeated. Most of the demons retreated into the depths of the continent of Finis to survive. Since we can’t risk another Demon King rising, the capital still encourages exploration teams to hunt them down.”

Selene let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh, sinking further into her chair.

”Wait... why only small groups? The armies already invaded once. Why not just do it again? Is it really that difficult to hunt them?” Lily tilted her head in confusion.

”Apart from the monsters swarming those lands, you should know that the mist grows denser the closer you get to Finis. Mages at Cleomel’s level can barely survive a single day breathing that air and ordinary people like Sis wouldn’t last more than an hour. Sending regular soldiers isn’t an option—only elite teams stand a chance,” Selene explained, trying to adjust her posture but eventually giving up.

”So... was it during one of these expeditions that you met that man?” Lily asked cautiously.

”It was during my very first expedition. We had intel that a demon had been spotted near the border, so we traveled there. Besides me, the group consisted of about ten one-star mages and only two two-star mages, Velmont being one of them.” Selene let out a frustrated sigh, her fists clenching slightly. ”We didn’t talk much, but he seemed like a decent person. The others respected him as the group’s leader, so I had no reason to question him.”

Her speech slowed, each word becoming heavier as she continued.

”When we finally entered Finis, everything was so quiet that I thought it would be an easy mission. But... the world didn’t take long to prove me wrong.”

Finally gathering the strength to sit upright, Selene met Lily’s gaze and took a deep breath.

”It was a massacre. There’s no other way to describe it. We don’t even find the demons. Countless monsters appeared before us, and when we tried to retreat, more closed in from behind. Even after years of study, I had never seen creatures act so intelligently. It was almost as if they had lured us deeper into their territory just to make it harder for us to escape.”

Selene scratched the back of her neck, her twin tails swaying gently as if echoing her discomfort.

”In that thick fog, I watched the group fall, one by one. Even though I was one of the strongest there, I was the rookie, tasked with guarding the supplies in the rear. But honestly... even if I had been at the front, I wouldn’t have made a difference.” Her voice turned bitter, her words heavy with guilt. ”I’m not proud of it, but... I ran. I fled, just to survive.”

Listening in silence, Lily understood the weight of Selene’s choices that day—the helplessness of believing you could handle a situation, only to be completely overpowered by a greater force and left with no option but to flee.

”Breaking through the siege to escape wasn’t easy, but I managed to get out of Finis and return to the border of the dragon lands. I thought I was the only survivor of the group, but while I was still recovering, hiding in one of the safe points marked on our travel map, Velmont found me a few days later.” Selene let out another sigh before continuing. ”He said he had also been forced to retreat to survive and barely made it out alive. After we returned to the tower, he told me he was giving up his pursuit of a three-star mage promotion to focus on caring for his territory. Since I was also considering settling down somewhere, he invited me to join him, and that’s how I founded the Mage Academy.”

As if she couldn’t bear to dwell on the subject any longer, Selene suddenly stood up, clapping her hands several times in an attempt to lift her spirits.

”It’s far too late for regrets! I’ll just deal with it from now on!” she declared confidently, placing both hands on her hips, her pink eyes sparkling with energy.

”The way you shift your mood so fast is what scares me the most,” Lily muttered, rising to her feet as well. She glanced at the bunny-eared girl, who was busy smoothing out the wrinkles on her red dress. ”Thank you for sharing all this with me, even though it’s such a painful memory.”

More than anyone, Lily knew how difficult it was to talk about things you wished you could forget, so she truly appreciated Selene’s openness.

”Don’t worry about it, my rival! I wish I could offer more helpful information, but even though we lived in the same city for over a decade, I barely crossed paths with him due to my teaching schedule.”

Lily nodded in understanding before, for the first time, letting her gaze wander around the room. Selene’s small office was rectangular, with a single window. A wooden desk and two chairs sat neatly in the center, while one wall was lined with shelves filled with books and documents. On the opposite wall hung a large framed painting.

Curious, Lily approached for a closer look. The artwork depicted a beautiful woman with long black hair and obsidian eyes, dressed in an elegant blue gown. A jeweled crown rested atop her head, and she held a majestic black sword with both hands.

”Do you like it? It’s a painting I made of Sis myself!” Selene announced proudly, twirling a stardust brush in her fingers and puffing out her small chest.

(Maybe I should have her paint some portraits of Lily too...) Nia’s voice, silent until now, suddenly echoed in Lily’s mind. But before she could ask more about that, a gentle knock came from the office door.

”Lady Lily? Selene? Are you two all right? You were taking a while, so we came to check on you.”

As the door opened, Cleomel stepped aside to let Abelia enter. The blonde scanned the room, stopping as her eyes landed on the painting. Her face turned scarlet.

”Selene!” she cried, rushing forward and grabbing her sister’s shoulders. ”You promised you’d stop painting portraits of me!” Abelia protested, shaking Selene back and forth, her entire face aflame with embarrassment.

”B-But I have to show the world how amazing Sis is! I’m going to display this—and the rest of my collection—at the next school festival!” Selene stammered, her mind struggling to understand why her logic was being questioned.

”Then all I need to do is go to the bank, and I can get the money, right?” Lily spoke after coughing a few times to draw the girls’ attention back to her.

The silver-haired girl knew it was good for Abelia to have a moment to talk and have fun with her sister, especially after the difficulties of the past few days. However, aware that there was something urgent she needed to do, she tried to steer the conversation back to the important matters.

”With the crest and the code, you would have permission to withdraw funds from my royal family account,” Abelia replied, letting go of Selene’s shoulders and turning to Lily, her face showing slight traces of concern.

”Before we left the capital, we secretly transferred our savings to the private account Oliver uses for his mercenary activities. This was a protective measure to avoid leaving traces in the royal accounts in case we needed to withdraw more funds while within the mist territory. Even if Lady Lily goes to the bank, I don’t think we have enough gold there to pay you fully.”

”Wait... Then he tricked me?!” Lily’s expression froze, and a faint blue aura of mana flickered around her body.

All the mixed feelings of doubt and guilt that had taken root in her chest from the deal she made with Oliver now seemed to mock her.

”Please calm down, Lady Lily! Young Master Oliver likely assumed that he and his group would reach Caligo before you and could deposit the funds back into the royal account in time to avoid any inconvenience!” Cleomel spoke hastily, her eyes sharp as she sensed Lily’s mana pulse through the air.

”Wouldn’t that leave the exact trail you just said you were trying to avoid?” Lily replied in a cold, even voice without turning to Cleomel.

”If Oliver gave you the crest, it means he already considered our journey a failure. Whether your siblings find out we’ve been here or not would no longer matter. I’m sure he never intended to deceive you.” Realizing the gravity of the situation and the danger growing in the air, Abelia did her best to explain her son’s reasoning.

Without trying to suppress the mana surging around her, Lily’s mind raced, processing every piece of information. After a few heartbeats, she turned slowly to Selene, her gaze locking onto her pink eyes.

”Which route did he take? You know, don’t you?” Lily asked, her voice low and controlled.

”Even though I didn’t support my nephew’s reckless decision to explore a labyrinth, I still gave him one of my best beacon maps,” Selene replied, oblivious to the tension thickening in the room. She skipped lightly over to her desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a small map. ”Let’s see... If he’s already left the Stardust Spring, then by following this route, he should reach Caligo in a few days.”

Before Selene could finish analyzing the map, a swift hand snatched it from her grip. At the same moment, a portal resembling a starry sky flared open, enveloping the silver-haired girl. Her final words echoed in the room as the magic consumed her figure.

”I’ll go after him myself.”