Gardenia’s Heart

As the moon dipped below the horizon, the dense fog that had cloaked the forest began to thin, allowing the first faint rays of sunlight to cast a grayish hue over the landscape.

”I’m feeling better now.” Placing both hands on her hips, Lily let out a satisfied sigh.

(I didn’t have much to compare back then, but Abelia’s son’s mana level is at least equivalent to that of a one-star mage.) Nia commented, one of her tentancles brushing against Lily’s cheek as if to congratulate her.

Feeling her wife’s affectionate touch, Lily turned her back to the confused swordsman face-planted on the ground, shifting her attention to his companions instead.

”Hey, you two still alive?” she asked, her enhanced eyes, infused with dark mana, struggling to detect any movement from the two men frozen in front of her.

The group they had just defeated seemed to consist of five members. Though she hadn’t seen the full battle unfold, Lily couldn’t rule out the possibility of poison being used, so she needed to check for any serious injuries.

As if her voice had broken a spell, the two men finally stirred. A single hesitant step was followed by a burst of frantic ones as both rushed past Lily, hurrying to check on the swordsman.

”Oliver!”

”My lord!”

The man holding the spiked club reached him first, his trembling hands gripping Oliver’s shoulders with evident concern. At his side, the shield-bearer, clad in dented armor, swiftly stepped forward, positioning himself protectively between them and Lily.

Even wounded, they were ready to defend their companion. Even with shaking hands and unsteady legs, they refused to let him fall before they did.

”Davi, Kasa, stop.”

But as they braced themselves, Oliver’s voice rang out, calm yet firm.

Sitting up and wiping the dirt from his face with his forearm, he cast a steady gaze at the silver-haired girl before him.

”Forgive me. It was never my intention to deceive Lady Lily. Since you continued exploring the labyrinth while we had secured a map with a safe route, I believed we would reach Caligo first to handle the situation.”

Despite the pain in his body, Oliver slowly rose to his feet, carefully bowing his head in apology. His two companions exchanged anxious glances, still struggling to grasp the weight of the conversation unfolding before them.

”So long as it doesn’t happen again.” Lily waved her hand dismissively; the kick she had given him earlier feeling like sufficient punishment.

”However—”

Lifting his head, Oliver’s expression shifted, his obsidian eyes hardening with the same sharpness they had shown when confronting the bandit earlier. His voice remained calm, yet it carried a piercing intensity.

”The name you mentioned... I cannot overlook it. I do not seek conflict or confrontation. I only ask—please—tell me how you know it.”

Lily didn’t need to think long to understand his concerns. Oliver and his family had come to the fog-covered territory in secrecy. Aside from his current companions and Selene, there should have been no one else in these lands who could recognize their identity. Without any knowledge of her past interactions with Abelia, he had no choice but to assume the worst.

The second prince of Anthus knew he couldn’t defeat the woman before him, but with his family in danger, he wouldn’t hesitate, even if it meant risking his life. Oliver’s hand slid toward the hilt of his sword. Though no mana was gathering, even Lily could tell he was ready to act if necessary.

(Do you want me to hit him this time, Lily?) Nia asked, her tentacle brushing against Lily’s cheek, prepared to strike at her command.

”Calm down.” Lily spoke gently, her fingers caressing the tentacle on her cheek and the one wrapped around her waist as she tried to decide where to begin. ”This isn’t exactly the best place to explain everything, but I met your mother, Abelia, and her knight, Cleomel, in Caligo. They were involved in a delicate situation concerning Alice, and to deal with it, they asked for my help. Now, both are at your mother’s sister’s house—Selene. I came looking for you to bring you back to them.”

Lily kept her explanation concise, focusing on the most important points to clarify that she posed no threat to the prince’s family.

Her words were met with silence from the three men in front of her. At first, their faces showed nothing but confusion. Oliver’s two companions exchanged uncertain glances between Lily and their leader, clearly unsure whether to trust her, awaiting his command.

Oliver, however, stared at Lily for a long moment, his obsidian eyes narrowing slightly before closing briefly, despite knowing he shouldn’t lower his guard. After a deep sigh, he finally removed his hand from his sword.

”No one sent by my brothers would ever refer to Aunt Selene as my mother’s sister.”

With two firm taps on his companions’ shoulders, he signaled for them to stand down before stepping closer to Lily himself.

”It seems my family has accumulated many debts with you, Lady Lily.”

Extending his right hand for a handshake, Oliver curved his lips into a subtle smile for the first time, his sharp features making the gesture surprisingly charming.

”If you ask me out like she did, my next kick won’t be to your back.” Lily replied, accepting the handshake with a cold smile that never quite reached her eyes.

Oliver burst into genuine laughter, the tension melting from his bloodstained face as he relaxed for the first time in a while.

”Hahaha! That definitely sounds like something Aunt Selene would say.” Releasing her hand, he turned to his companions. ”Davi, Kasa, please check once again to make sure the civilians are unharmed.”

Though still hesitant, the men trusted their leader’s judgment. Rushing over to the rescued family, they began carefully inspecting them for any injuries, ignoring their own wounds.

”Who are they? Abelia told me you were attempting to conquer the labyrinth by merit, relying only on your own companions.” Lily questioned, resting her hand on her waist as she observed the four civilians receiving aid.

”If you know even that, I suppose there’s no point in hiding anything.”

Oliver began wiping the dirt and blood from his face with a water flask, seemingly unbothered by the cold mist around them.

”When we left the Stardust Spring, we came across this family being driven out of the city. The village where they lived was struggling to produce enough food, and the residents were being forced to leave. Since the cost of staying in the Stardust Spring was too high, they couldn’t afford to remain with their limited savings and were expelled.”

Lily listened in silence. She knew such incidents were not uncommon. With so little light and the difficulty of raising livestock, cases of malnutrition and even people starving with nothing to eat occurred frequently.

”I couldn’t leave them outside the city walls, so I decided to bring them with us to Caligo. Since the feudal city is much larger, I thought it would be easier for them to stabilize there by finding work.”

Finishing cleaning the blood from his face, Oliver’s gaze swept the area. Scattered among the ruined vegetation lay the corpses of numerous bandits.

”We set up camp here for the night, but suddenly this group attacked us. Luckily, I was on watch and managed to react quickly enough.”

Lily couldn’t help but feel impressed. With her beloved wife constantly monitoring the surroundings, an ambush was almost impossible. Knowing Oliver had handled the situation without any warning showed remarkable skill.

Slowly, Lily approached the partially frozen bandit. His body was still immobilized by black ice, both legs lost from the knees down. The only reason he hadn’t bled to death was the frost sealing his wounds.

With a snap of her fingers, Lily removed the black ice covering the man’s mouth. She didn’t want his screams to frighten the nearby child further, so she silenced him before he could even process what was happening.

As his purple tongue finally thawed, the man coughed violently, droplets of blood escaping with each desperate struggle for breath.

”P-Please... let me go,” he stammered between ragged coughs, wide, terrified eyes seeking mercy from the woman before him.

”I know your boss is Velmont Sunshard. Tell me what he’s planning, and I’ll make the pain stop.”

Ignoring his pleas for mercy, Lily intensified the ice spreading over his already broken body.

”Aaaargh...!”

Not even the adrenaline flooding his brain could suppress the agony. The freezing magic slowed his heartbeat, preventing him from slipping into unconsciousness to escape the pain.

”I’m sure you understand what will happen if you refuse to talk. Tell me why Velmont Sunshard is kidnapping all those people.”

Her voice echoed with chilling calm as her fingers traced the elegant black ice formed from Nia’s dark mana.

”V-Velmont...? No... the boss... Velmont... The boss’s name is... huh? No… Stop... Boss... What’s the boss’s name...?”

His words turned to incoherent mumbling, his breathing quickening. Mana began swirling around him despite the ice binding his body. His head jerked violently from side to side, scraping against the frozen surface, leaving deep cuts as he struggled to recall something he should have known.

Before Lily could assess the situation further, her vision was swallowed by darkness.

In a single instant, before she could even process what was happening, a sphere of blackness engulfed the space, shielding her from the spray of blood that followed.

(So that’s what happens when there’s no resistance to mental attacks...) Nia whispered, her voice uneasy.

All of her tentacles coiled tightly around Lily, holding her so protectively that Lily couldn’t even understand what had just occurred.

When the black sphere vanished, Lily could see what had once been the bandit’s head, now completely destroyed. The sight was unpleasant, but without looking away, she tried to study what had occurred.

(He even placed stigmas on his own men. If they were interrogated and his identity compromised, they would be silenced to prevent them from speaking further.) Nia explained, forming more ice to stop the blood from spreading across the ground.

”So that’s why his identity was never exposed, even in such large operations,” Lily murmured, starting to walk back toward the others.

Still standing in place, now with clear confusion on his face, Oliver glanced between the silver-haired girl and the frozen grave of the now headless man.

”Lady Lily... What was that?” Oliver asked, his voice subtly wavering at the grim scene before him.

”One of the problems we have to deal with,” Lily replied with a shrug.

”Is this related to the matter involving my sister?”

”You can ask Abelia for the details later. Honestly, she’ll explain it better than I could.”

Though still visibly uneasy, the young man kept his composure, shifting his gaze to his companions, who nodded in silent agreement.

”Very well, Lady Lily. We should leave before monsters gather here. We’re three beacons away from Caligo—we can make it by nightfall if we hurry.” Adjusting his breathing and preparing to assist the civilians, Oliver gave Lily a questioning look as she responded with an expression that clearly said such an idea was inconvenient.

”Walking would take too long. We’re returning now.”

Ignoring Oliver’s confusion, Lily approached the family.

As the group saw her coming, both parents instinctively shielded their children. Though they knew she had saved their daughter, the memory of her freezing the bandit and shattering his limbs was still seared into their minds.

However, oblivious to her parents’ fear, the young girl wriggled free from their protective embrace, her tiny feet carrying her toward Lily.

”Miss!” The delicate voice rang out as she stretched both arms toward Lily, who caught her effortlessly.

”You shouldn’t run like that—your parents will worry if you fall.” Gently ruffling the child’s hair, Lily offered a rare soft smile as the little girl gazed up at her with wide, sparkling eyes. ”Your name is Colette, right? You’ve been very brave.”

When the girl’s small hands clung to hers, Lily saw how the fear once lingering in her eyes had been replaced by a bright, joyful smile.

”Miss! Miss! Thank you for helping me!” Colette’s voice was radiant, her happiness at being safe with her family clear in every word.

”You’re welcome, little one. I’m so glad you’re safe. Now, can you do me a favor?”

”A favor?” Colette tilted her head, a finger resting thoughtfully on her lips.

”I’m going to perform a special kind of magic to take us somewhere safe. But you must promise never to tell anyone about it. Can you do that for me?”

The girl nodded eagerly. Once Lily set her down, she ran back to her parents, who had been silently watching the entire exchange.

Extending her hand to the side, Lily conjured a massive portal with the appearance of a starlit sky. Gasps echoed from those around her, their eyes widening in shock.

”Alright, everyone, don’t be afraid. Just walk through the light, okay?”

Guiding the family carefully through the portal, Lily then turned toward Oliver’s companions.

”Is that... teleportation magic?” The shield-bearer, called Kasa by Oliver, stood frozen in complete disbelief as the family vanished beyond the shimmering gateway.

”If you say a single word of what you’ve seen here to anyone, be certain your punishment won’t be as mild as the one I gave Oliver.”

Lily’s tone shifted drastically from the gentle one she had used with the young girl, her gaze sharp as she stared down the two men. They remained silent, hurriedly gathering their things before stepping into the portal. The small handcart they carried held their ruined camping gear and the body of their fallen companion, now resting in a makeshift wooden coffin.

”I knew you were strong... but this? I never imagined you could do something like that.”

The last to remain behind, Oliver, spoke with disbelief, momentarily forgetting his formal manners. His onyx eyes were fixated on the majestic portal shimmering before him.

As he prepared to step through like the others, Oliver suddenly felt his body being lifted off the ground.  A purple tentacle had wrapped tightly around his waist. The silver-haired girl stood before him, arms crossed, her expression stern.

”Where do you think you’re going? You still have a debt to pay.”

Leaving the matters of the injured and the civilians for Selene to handle, Lily had her own business to settle. Dissolving the portal and creating a new one, she stepped through with Oliver still restrained.

The view on the other side revealed the rooftop of a tall building in Caligo, the sprawling city lights visible below.

”You know where the bank is, don’t you? Point me in the right direction,” Lily demanded, watching Oliver dangle midair.

”L-Lady Lily, please! I’m not planning to run! Just put me down!”

Not even his training had prepared him for this sudden displacement. The sensation of being teleported from the forest floor to high above the city had his stomach twisting with nausea.

Rolling her eyes, Lily finally obliged, setting him down on the curved rooftop. Oliver took several moments to steady his breathing, his gaze drifting toward the city below in awe.

”We... really traveled that entire distance in an instant...” Rising carefully, he stared wide-eyed at the vast cityscape.

”If you’re done gawking, let’s go.” Lily placed her hands on her hips, the purple tentacle lingering, ready to restrain him again if he resisted.

Faced with the looming threat, Oliver quickly scanned his surroundings and traced the fastest path toward the bank. The two began moving swiftly across the rooftops.

After a few minutes of rapid leaps, a massive, fortified building came into view at the heart of the city. The streets below were bustling with ordinary townsfolk alongside heavily armed guards and mercenaries, some chatting and drinking near the building’s entrance.

”To ensure maximum security, the bank of Caligo is integrated within the Mercenary Guild headquarters. Once I identify myself, I’ll be able to withdraw the funds without transferring them to the royal family’s account,” Oliver explained, his eyes scanning the armored guild members lingering nearby.

”Anything else?” Lily questioned, noticing his hesitation.

”I’ll need a visitor’s hourglass to access the building. The formal procedures can’t be skipped, not even for guild members. Since we didn’t enter through the gates, I don’t have one on me.”

Hearing this, Lily tapped her chin in thought before a purple tentacle extended from her waist, delicately placing a small hourglass filled with crimson powder into Oliver’s hands.

”Anything else?” she repeated.

Shaking his head, Oliver leapt down from the rooftop, vanishing into the crowded building.

Sitting atop the rooftop, Lily waited patiently, idly playing with Nia’s tentacles. The smooth, cool sensation of them brushing against her finger and chest was oddly calming. Minutes passed before Oliver returned, vaulting back onto the roof with a leather pouch in hand.

”Here, Lady Lily. Fifty gold coins.”

He handed her the pouch with both hands, carefully watching her expression, hoping he’d done everything correctly.

”It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

Opening the pouch and sifting through the shimmering gold coins, Lily let out a satisfied sigh. Before Oliver could say another word, a purple tentacle wrapped around his waist once again.

“!?” Without ceremony, Nia’s tentacles tossed him through another swirling portal, sending him back to Selene’s mansion before he had a chance to react.

(Where to next, Lily?) Nia’s voice echoed softly in her mind as a tentacle affectionately brushed against Lily’s flushed cheek.

”We’re visiting an old acquaintance.”

Leaning in, Lily pressed a gentle kiss against the tentacle before stepping through the newly conjured portal.

The world shifted, and she found herself standing before a place she knew all too well. The familiar scent of metal and oil filled her nose as she opened the door, the gleam of swords, shields, and polished armor reflecting off the walls catching her gaze.

”Oh, look who it is. Welcome back.”

Behind the counter stood a petite woman, barely reaching a meter and a half. Her unruly orange hair was messily tied back in a firm bun, and her emerald eyes sparkled with amusement as they met Lily’s.

”Just as I promised, I’ve returned to buy a weapon, Miss Agatha.”