Gardenia’s Heart

Even though she was already on her feet and feeling fine, the silver-haired girl couldn’t help but laugh as her entire body was squeezed tightly between her wife’s slender arms and a half-dozen tentacles.

“Lily, are you okay? Does anything still hurt?” Firmly secured in her embrace to the point there was no risk of her falling despite Lily’s many movements, Nia repeatedly asked while nuzzling against her.

“I’m fine. You healed me perfectly.” Planting a gentle kiss on Nia’s cheek, Lily conjured another wall of ice to stop the water from continuing to flood the mines.

Now that the ivory herbs were no longer restricting Nia’s movements, it was only a matter of time before the two girls eliminated all the enemies in the mines together.

“Even though you’re fine, I’ll make extra sure you’re really okay!” Taking advantage of the moment Lily had just sealed the last passage, Nia moved in front of her wife and captured her lips.

Although caught off guard by the sudden act, Lily didn’t resist the kiss from her playful wife. Lifting Nia in her arms, she took her time rewarding her for her hard work. Wet sounds echoed through the damp cavern as Lily let the metamorph savor her tongue however she pleased until she was satisfied.

“So, am I okay?” Lily asked softly when their lips finally parted.

“Nhmm… Yes… Lily is perfectly okay~” Nia replied, her face flushed as she rested her chin on Lily’s shoulder, relishing the sweet sensation of her wife’s arms holding her close. Her desire to linger was only interrupted by the realization that there was still work to be done.

Noticing that Nia had no intention of returning to her body anytime soon, Lily resumed walking through the mines while carrying her.

All the carts and rails for transporting minerals had been destroyed, and although Nia’s portals had drained some of the water, enough remained to reach their knees in the lowest sections.

“Nia, did you manage to find where Alice is?” Lily asked, curious, as Nia continued rubbing her cheek against hers, her pleasant scent making Lily feel warmer with each passing second.

“I did. She’s in one of the cells on the lowest level. Her mana is unstable and she is still trying to attack her surroundings. At least there’s no risk to her health,” Nia confidently declared, puffing out her modest chest forward—and was promptly rewarded with several kisses.

With the guards and bandits under control, the girls immobilized the workers as painlessly as possible and headed toward Alice’s location. Although Lily wanted to free everyone immediately, given the time constraints, it was better to deal with everything after the situation was resolved.

“He truly is a twisted man.” A noticeable expression of disgust crossed Lily’s face as she observed Alice inside the cell, still struggling to attack her.

The silver-haired girl recognized that cell; it was the same one where she had spent years imprisoned in Caligo.

“Is something wrong, Lily?” Noticing her wife’s expression, Nia asked while wrapping her arms around Lily’s neck.

“Just a bad memory,” Lily murmured, but before she realized it, Nia had leaned in even closer, pressing Lily’s head against her modest chest.

The girl, caught off guard, took a few steps back to avoid losing her balance, her vision completely filled with Nia’s warm, soft chest.

“N-Nia!? What are you doing?” Lily stammered, lifting her face to meet Nia’s crimson eyes staring back at her, struggling against the overwhelming sensations she was feeling.

“I’m going to replace all your bad memories with good ones.” Nia declared with determination, hugging Lily tightly until the girl finally let out a light laugh.

“With such a beautiful and adorable wife supporting me like this, how could I stay upset over a bad memory?” Carefully lifting Nia back into her arms, Lily gave her another deep kiss. Nia’s logic was so endearing that it was impossible to resist kissing her.

“Hehe~” Seeing Lily’s mood return to normal, Nia felt her efforts had succeeded.

With care, Lily opened the door to the partially flooded cell, and several tentacles immediately immobilized the dark blue-haired girl inside.

Placing her hand gently on the girl’s forehead, Nia closed her eyes for a few seconds, focusing intently.

“Shatter.”

The moment Nia murmured the word, Alice’s body went limp, though she didn’t collapse to the ground thanks to the tentacles holding her in place.

Carefully, a few stamina potions were poured gently into the unconscious girl’s mouth, and after a few minutes, her eyes began to flutter open.

Not wanting to get involved in the conversation, Nia quickly returned to Lily’s body, her tentacles releasing Alice and wrapping even more firmly around Lily instead.

“W-Where… What…” As Alice’s tear-filled obsidian eyes began to focus, she murmured disconnected words.

Realizing it was time to explain the situation, Lily took a deep breath to prepare herself.

“Hm… Hi, Alice! I’m Lily… Well… Your mom, the queen… almost queen… Anyway, Abelia asked me to rescue you, so you’re safe now!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Nia’s laughter echoed in her mind, and Lily couldn’t stop her face from flushing subtly.

Though Lily had spoken to far more people in recent days, her experiences didn’t include explaining such a complex situation to a girl who had been through something so traumatic.

“W-What...!?” Alice’s face was filled with doubt, her dulled senses struggling to process what the beautiful woman in front of her was explaining.

The girl raised her hand to her head, feeling an intense ache. Her arms and legs throbbed with pain, marked by countless wounds from overuse of physical tools. Her entire body was sore from exertions she only had hazy memories of performing.

“In short, everything’s fine now. Your mother asked me to come save you.”

Unable to suppress her empathy for the girl, Lily gently touched Alice’s dark blue hair, trying to convey that she was safe now.

“My... mother?” The first human warmth Alice had felt in what seemed like an eternity was like an oasis in the desert. The sensation helped regulate her breathing as she glanced around, attempting to make sense of what had happened.

The rocky walls of the cell were anything but inviting, and the lack of light—most of the illumination system had been destroyed by Lily—made it even harder to discern anything beyond the cell door. However, none of this frightened Alice more than the liquid on the ground where she had been lying.

“The water! No, the water!”

All at once, Alice began thrashing with all her might, trying to stand and move away from the water.

“A-Alice!? What’s wrong? What happened?” Lifting the girl off the ground with Nia’s tentacles, Lily examined her closely, trying to understand what was wrong.

Alice’s expression was one of genuine panic, and even her exhausted body was now surrounded by as much mana as she could muster. Despite being held high above the water by Nia, Alice continued trying to escape it. Seeing no other choice, Lily froze the entire floor of the room.

Once the water was gone, Alice finally stopped struggling. Her trembling body was gently placed back on the ground, but before Lily could ask what had happened, both her arms were grabbed desperately.

“That night, I stepped out of the inn for some fresh air. It wasn’t going to be long—I was planning to go back inside right away,” Alice began frantically, pulling even harder on Lily’s arms. “There was a man, a shopkeeper at a clothing store. I could never see inside, but I always felt uneasy whenever we passed it, like someone was watching us with nothing but ill intentions.”

Alice’s fingers tightened as she bit her lip.

“I thought it was nothing, just me overthinking, so I didn’t tell anyone. But that night, I saw him and a tall woman with a spear carrying a large, tightly sealed bag into the alleyways, so I followed them. I know I should have told Cleomel or my mother, but since it was just a suspicion, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it until I was sure.”

Her eyes widened as if the memory of that night was burned into her soul.

“I hid behind them, following as they talked about how the capture had gone wrong because they’d used too much force. They said it was annoying, but they needed to get rid of the evidence before their boss found out about the mistake.”

Lily didn’t interrupt, her mind focused on every detail.

“Even though it was supposed to be locked and access restricted, they managed to pass through the gate leading to the bridge after saying something to the guards. It was difficult, but I managed to sneak out of the wall and follow them,” Alice said, shaking her head before letting go of Lily and curling into herself, wrapping her arms tightly around her body. “They didn’t cross the bridge. Instead, they went down the hill until they were level with the water and threw the bag in.”

Alice’s fingers clenched even tighter, her breathing growing rapid.

“The lake is infested with a type of monster called oyster sharks. Their nest is so deep underwater that instead of trying to destroy it, the capital ordered their numbers controlled so they could act as guard dogs for the bridge, restricting access to it exclusively. I knew that. If they were trying to get rid of something, this would be a good option.”

Since arriving in Caligo, Lily had often wondered why no one tried to secretly cross the lake by swimming or using boats. Alice’s explanation answered her question, but the girl’s terrified expression made it clear she had experienced something far more horrifying than that.

“The sack floated at first, but when it reached the middle of the lake... I saw it... Even at night, with the fog covering everything, it was so massive I could see it!” Alice started shouting. “I screamed so much when I saw that thing that they found me, and I don’t remember anything else. That wasn’t a oyster sharks! T-That! I’ve never seen anything so monstrous! That creature—something like that shouldn’t exist here!”

As if the world itself wanted to confirm her words, the entire mine began to tremble. Lily didn’t need to ask further to understand that something was about to happen outside.

“You stay here, Alice,” Lily said gently, placing her hands on the girl’s head again, trying to assure her that everything would be alright.

Taking Alice with her would be dangerous, and teleporting her somewhere far away, where she could lose sight of her, wasn’t safe either. With that in mind, Lily decided that, for a little longer, the girl would have to hold on and wait here.

Creating a portal resembling a starry sky, Lily leaped through to the other side, the cold mist greeting her once more.

From atop one of the rooftops, Lily looked out at the city of Caligo, her eyes widening. The screams of the panicked crowd desperately seeking safety were drowned out by the sound of countless people with lifeless expressions attacking indiscriminately.

“He cast the spell over the entire city? How insane does this man have to be!?” Lily said, her mind struggling to believe what she was witnessing.

But before she could question whether she was dreaming, another tremor shook the ground.

Her eyes enhanced with dark mana fixed on the far edge of the city, where the massive bridge separated the fog-covered territory from the rest of the country.

The waters of the colossal lake began to bubble as if boiling, and the already gray sky grew darker, filled with heavy, dense clouds crackling with lightning. Then, with a deep, guttural roar that reverberated not only through the city but across the entire forest, the lake’s surface exploded into violet cascades, revealing the monstrosity that had slumbered in the depths.

Its white scales gleamed like ice, reflecting a cold, pale light from the small lightning bolts dancing around it. The creature was colossal, with fangs so long and sharp they resembled blades. It had no claws or limbs, making it as sleek as an enormous sea serpent.

With the crash of thunder, wings as delicate as storm veils formed on its back, rising high and lifting it into the sky.

As its head lifted, droplets of water from both the lake and the rain streaming down cascaded off its curved horns. Its eyes, deep and red as the abyss itself, burned with a malevolence so intense it seemed to freeze the very air around it, as though everything in its presence belonged to it. With each movement of its long tail, dense layers of mist shifted, and the entire lake below trembled under the weight of its sheer presence.

When its mouth opened, it wasn’t just a roar. It unleashed a primal, earth-shaking scream, so powerful that every monster in the forest could hear it.

“Th-that... is that a dragon?” Frozen in place, Lily watched the enormous creature circle the sky above the bridge of connection. The memory of her conversation with Selene and the others about dragons echoed in her mind.

The presence of the colossal beast—far more overwhelming than any monster she had ever encountered—instinctively pushed her into a battle stance, even though she stood miles away from it.

(So the mist covering the lake was this dense. No wonder I could never sense it.) However, unaware of Lily’s surprise, Nia analyzed the situation with her usual cold perspective.

Hearing Nia’s voice in her mind helped Lily regain control of her trembling body.

(Where should we go, Lily?) Nia asked, her tone calm despite the chaos, her only desire to fulfill her wife’s wishes.

When Nia’s question reached her, Lily’s gaze began darting around the city. The destruction across every district made it obvious where Velmont was.

“To the castle. We need to kill that bastard—!”

Dozens of monstrous screams interrupted Lily mid-sentence. Looking beyond the walls, toward the bridge, her two-toned eyes took in the hordes of monsters emerging from the forest and advancing across the plains toward the colossal beast circling the skies.

(I can sense Cleomel’s mana signature in that direction, so Abelia must be there too.)

“Damn it,” Lily cursed under her breath.

If she wanted to stop Velmont and carry out her vengeance, she would have to head for the castle. But if she did, Abelia and Cleomel’s lives would be in undeniable danger.

She knew Nia would follow whatever choice she made. Whether it meant attacking Velmont and abandoning Abelia and Cleomel or protecting them and renouncing the chance to confront him, which could allow him to escape, her wife would support her without question or judgment.

As the heavy rain poured over the city, the silver-haired girl felt her chest tighten under the weight of the decision she had to make. Yet, before she could be trapped in a spiral of indecision, Nia’s sweet, steady voice touched her mind once more.

(I have an idea, but this time, more than ever, I want you to make the choice, Lily.)