Gardenia’s Heart

After witnessing something of such magnitude, even though they were exhausted, the girls couldn’t just sit still.

(Go down the hallway, turn right, then left. After that, head outside and cross the bridge.)

Now that Nia had control of the labyrinth’s barrier and unrestricted access to her mana-location, it wasn’t difficult at all for her to locate the other girls. Having already returned to her wife’s body, Nia guided Lily through the enormous mansion that was now their home.

“Got it.” Lily responded, her black cape fluttering behind her as she ran through the corridors.

Just as she had observed from the outside, the massive mansion built by the guardian consisted of various wings, connected by the massive branches of the tree—each with its own unique function.

With just a quick glance, Lily had already realized that the wing she had chosen as their room was part of a residential sector, complete with bathrooms and a kitchen. It seemed there were several others like it on different branches, along with massive storage areas and even suspended gazebos meant for tea.

Though she longed to explore each of them carefully, she knew that now was not the time for that.

With remarkable agility, she crossed several bridges and soon reached a southern wing. The structure resembled a modest rectangular building, its dark wooden triangular roof blending beautifully with the rest of the architecture.

Stopping in front of a set of double wooden doors, Lily stepped slightly to the side. With a heavy thud, a black wolf leapt beside her, its dark tail dripping shadows like ink, swaying softly behind it.

(At least now I can track where that is.) Nia murmured, reassured that each of her tentacles remained carefully wrapped around her wife.

Since Akasha was a fairy, Nia couldn’t sense them through her mana-location. But now, with control over the labyrinth’s barrier, if she focused, she could pinpoint them.

“You’re amazing for being able to stay focused on so many things at once, Nia,” Lily said softly, her fingers stroking the tentacles gently.

Thanks to the contract, Lily and Akasha not only knew each other’s exact location but also shared glimpses of emotions and conscious thoughts. To Lily, it was already overwhelming having the constant updates of her familiar’s positioning in her mind—so she found it incredible how her wife could handle so many layers of information while maintaining wide-area magical surveillance.

Without even needing to turn, Lily could already feel the curious gaze of the wolf-like fairy, wondering whether it had done a good job guarding the area.

“Yes, yes, good job.” With a sigh and a few strokes through the black fur that made the wolf’s tail wag with joy, Lily pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The strong scent of herbs and the gleam of various silver instruments greeted her immediately. The entire place resembled Elarielle’s laboratory they had once visited in the royal castle—though with far fewer tools, and far less mess.

“Lady Lily… you felt the tremors too?”

Given the simple layout of the room, it didn’t take Lily more than a second to spot the source of the voice. On top of a treatment table lay Thelira, both wrists secured with mana-suppressing cuffs. Floating beside her was her fairy—an orange sphere of light.

“Yes…”

Lily’s response was brief—but not because she was concerned for the sick girl. Her attention was fixed instead on the bee-woman, who now held Thelira in her lap.

”My king, forgive me for the delay in offering my greetings.”

Rhei lowered her head slightly, her arms tightening around Thelira’s waist to pull the girl even closer against her ample chest.

The thick strand of saliva still connecting their lips proved they’d been kissing moments ago. And though part of her wanted to protest ‘now’s not the time,’ the load of her wife’s fresh cum pooling in her stomach betrayed any right she had to object.

”No... don’t worry about that... Where’s Elarielle?”

Lily asked, but before anyone could answer, a loud thud exploded from the back of the building.

”Damn it! Damn it all!”

Bursting through the rear veranda door, Elarielle stormed in, having just smashed it open with a single punch, and shouted a stream of curses at the top of her lungs.

”I knew Thelira’s vision was true, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon!”

She marched toward a nearby table, crumpling a stack of papers covered in her notes. The scattered ingredients made it clear she’d been interrupted mid-preparation of the remedy. A thick vein pulsed visibly on her forehead.

”The World Tree’s barrier has stood since the forest’s creation—how the hell could anyone break it like this!?”

Though clearly agitated, Elarielle had the composure to analyze the situation before letting emotion dictate her actions. Observing that, Lily couldn’t help but let out a small whistle of admiration.

”To put it simply,” Rhei spoke in her usual monotone, still holding Thelira tightly against her chest, ”the World Tree’s barrier works like a distraction effect on the brain. People look at countless things at once, but they don’t pay attention to everything. The barrier alters the perception of things we’re not fully focused on, which in turn disrupts our awareness of the things we are paying attention to. The more you try to anchor yourself to specific reference points, the stronger the barrier’s effects on you become.”

Her explanation made Lily pause in thought. When they had first arrived in the forest, they had tested different ways of navigating. Walking with her eyes fixed entirely on Nia made her ignore details like the placement of her own feet—causing her to take a much longer route just to reach her.

”And what does it mean that it’s been destroyed now?” Thelira asked from where her head rested on Rhei’s soft chest.

”By not imposing any direct damage on intruders,” Rhei continued, her finger lazily brushing Thelira’s cheek, ”the spell maximizes its disorienting potential. But that also means the caster has no direct way to defend against attacks.”

She gestured toward the shattered veranda and pointed at the rising pillars of smoke across the horizon.

”The barrier was built by the World Tree. If they strategically attack specific points of the forest where the roots extend, they can inflict enough damage to force the World Tree to bring the barrier down.”

As Rhei finished her explanation, Lily crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in thought.

”They waited for the exact moment when Elarielle would be away from the city to strike. That’s no coincidence.”

An assault of this scale couldn’t possibly be a random act—it was far too calculated. Whoever was behind it had planned it with precision, knowing the elf hero would be absent.

”So this was the work of an infiltrator...” Elarielle growled through clenched teeth, her vision darkening with rage as she imagined who might have betrayed the elven kingdom—only to suddenly snap her head toward the veranda.

”...No.”

She didn’t need to explain why. Everyone in the room felt the same thing—an involuntary chill raced down their spines as something entered the forest, their bodies shifting into battle stance purely by instinct.

(That presence... there’s no doubt. A demon is approaching Lampides at high speed.)

Nia’s voice echoed softly within Lily’s mind, her tentacles instinctively wrapping protectively around her beloved.

”A demon?” Lily murmured, noticing that even Akasha was already in front of her, its tail curled protectively around her body—despite the enemy still being far away.

(It’s the same feeling I had when I faced Orlaith. Malice. Pure and simple.)

What Lily felt now was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Unlike Akasha, whose desire was to destroy, or the Leviathan, who killed indiscriminately, the aura flooding the forest now existed for a single, unmistakable purpose: evil. Without reason. Without mercy.

”This feeling... there’s no doubt. It’s a Twilight,” Elarielle said, her voice low and tense as she instinctively gripped her axe and moved to shield her sister. A cold sweat ran down her face.

Seeing how tense Elarielle had become—and how alert her own wife was—Lily couldn’t help but ask, ”But we never really understood this... What exactly are the Twilights?”

Hearing the question, Elarielle forced her stiff body to ease slightly. As much as she wanted to act quickly, she knew more than ever that they needed clarity.

”They’re the most powerful spellcasters among all demons. Unique in their magic and specializations, they were handpicked by the Demon King to serve as generals during the war.”

She walked toward the group, her gaze darkening with pain and rage.

”In the beginning, there were ten. But during the war, the alliance between both continents managed to eliminate half of them. The remaining five Twilights retreated deep into Finis—so far into the mist that pursuing them became far too dangerous.”

”How dangerous is each one individually?” Lily asked, her voice sharpening with seriousness.

”You said you encountered one before, didn’t you?” Elarielle raised an eyebrow, her fists clenched.

The question was fair. Even if Orlaith wasn’t the one directly attacking villages or kidnapping people, it wasn’t wrong to say much of Lily’s suffering had been a result of that demon’s influence.

According to what Nia had explained, they had only won the battle in Caligo because Orlaith hadn’t come expecting a direct confrontation. She could control monsters like the Leviathan with ease—had she brought more Calamity-class monsters, they would’ve been overwhelmed by sheer numbers and likely defeated.

”But if a Twilight is in Finis, then they wouldn’t be invading just to destroy things, would they? Do you think there’s an objective behind this attack?”

Taking Orlaith’s caution as an example—spending decades to methodically execute her plan—Lily couldn’t believe an assault of this scale would happen without a purpose. If the target were Elarielle, the Twilight would be heading toward the labyrinth. But instead, it was going toward the city.

”I-I don’t know... There are a lot of things they could be after...!” Elarielle’s voice grew more frantic—until she suddenly froze.

”...Sister.” Thelira, now equally pale with worry, called out gently.

The two elves exchanged a silent, tense glance while the rest of the group looked on, puzzled but saying nothing to rush them.

After another brief moment, Elarielle swallowed hard and finally met Lily’s eyes.

”While we were heading to the labyrinth, we told you about how the dark mana beneath the city forms corruption zones where purple miasma gathers. Do you remember that?”

Lily nodded, arms crossed, her gaze falling briefly to the black wolf coiled by her side.

”Yes—and that same concentrated dark mana was what a fairy seed absorbed, transforming into a monster-fairy that became the origin of the Torment. But you also told me the elves developed a way to prevent that from ever happening again.”

Removing the golden crown from her head, Elarielle ran her fingers across the gem-encrusted artifact.

”With the help of the dwarven hero, the greatest craftsman in the world, our mother developed a powerful seal within the World Tree that prevents the dark mana from leaking out of the underground.”

The moment she finished speaking, the sound of two high-heeled black shoes echoed softly against the wooden floor.

“Wait… are you saying there’s something powerful enough to contain the entire concentration of dark mana beneath this forest? That’s impossible,” Nia said in disbelief, having just emerged from within Lily. She directed her words straight at the hero.

While in Caligo, Nia had witnessed Orlaith’s Chaos Seed firsthand — a weapon forged from an extremely complex composition of Stardust and other rare minerals, capable of holding back the mana of nearly the entire city’s population. An impressive feat, considering even her own stardust blade had shattered under the force of [Cosmos Rupture] at full power.

And yet, she was certain: not even Orlaith’s mass destruction device could contain the dark mana buried under this forest — especially not after centuries of accumulation.

“It’s not impossible,” Elarielle replied coldly, her gaze locking onto the metamorph. “The elven kingdom suffered the most losses during the war. Because of that, when it came time to divide the spoils, we were granted the right to claim what had belonged to the Demon King itself.”

She stepped closer, placing the crown back on her head, her expression growing even more serious.

“Among everything we obtained, the World-End Blade, Ragnarok, was sealed within the World Tree. It serves as the core of the seal that keeps the dark mana beneath the earth from running wild.”

“World-End Blade?” Nia repeated, stunned.

Elarielle nodded.

“We don’t know who forged it, or even what it’s made of,” she said, glancing down at the axe in her hand and gripping it more tightly. “While it may not amplify mana like Stardust or the wood of the World Tree, the material this blade is made of is indestructible.”

“Wait, indestructible? What do you mean by that?” Even Lily couldn’t stay silent after hearing such a claim. Stepping closer and pulling Nia against her body, she stared at the elf.

“I don’t mean it as a metaphor. I’m being literal. The weapon is indestructible. Not even after the entire war, or when facing us, the five heroes, directly, did it suffer a single scratch. It is so resilient that it is said to remain intact even if the entire world is destroyed.”

Elarielle then turned toward the balcony, her eyes focusing on the forest.

“With its incredible durability, we were able to use it to contain all the dark mana underground, making the blade bear the burden of holding it back.”

As she finished her explanation, even Nia had to pause to process everything. It was difficult to believe, but if what the elf said was true, then all of the strange phenomena they’d witnessed in the forest since their arrival finally started to make sense.

Lily, meanwhile, held Nia more tightly against her chest. While the blade’s backstory intrigued her, that wasn’t what caused the unease rising in her heart. There was something else — something so obvious she didn’t even need to ask to understand why the elves were so afraid.

“If they manage to retrieve the blade and force the dark mana beneath the forest to rise...” Elarielle began.

“...Another Torment will be born,” Lily finished.

The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the room darkened. If the demons succeeded and caused another fairy to absorb that dark mana, a new creature as powerful as Torment would be born.

“That’s not the only problem,” Rhei commented, resting her cheek on one hand as her eyes drifted toward the edge of the labyrinth’s barrier, where a thick gray mist had begun to form. “Without the World Tree’s barrier to stop it, it won’t be long before the Demon King’s fog spreads across the entire forest.”

Thanks to the guardian’s barrier, now maintained by Nia, the mist invading the forest couldn’t penetrate the labyrinth’s boundaries. But everything outside was already becoming difficult to see.

“Is it really that bad, even now?” Lily asked.

“The mist in Phaea is much denser than what you’re used to in Anthus. It may not be a problem for mages, but ordinary civilians without training won’t survive long enough to escape the forest,” Elarielle said with concern, her brows tightening and eyes shutting.

Slipping out of Rhei’s lap, Thelira walked over and wrapped her arms tightly around her sister.

Lily understood what was weighing so heavily on the hero. Just like the people she hadn’t been able to save when the Demon King’s mist first appeared during the war, Elarielle was now about to witness her entire people being consumed by the same fate once again.

“What do you intend to do?” Lily asked.

“I’m going to the city to face the Twilight,” Elarielle replied, her eyes opening and locking onto Lily’s with fierce determination.

“And the barrier?”

“If I can stop they from causing further damage to the World Tree, it should be able to recover enough to raise the barrier again within a few days.”

Lily knew what that meant.

Lowering her gaze, she looked at Elarielle’s clenched fists. Her fingers, tainted purple from miasma corruption, were so tightly squeezed that thin red lines of blood dripped down.

The hero was already prepared for the possibility that, in the end, she wouldn’t be able to save everyone.

With no choice but to fight, that girl was once again heading into a battle that—win or lose—would still leave her bearing the weight of thousands of deaths.

Letting out a long sigh, Lily placed one hand on her hip and stared the hero in the eyes.

“Is there a way to make the World Tree raise its barrier faster?”

Though the question made Elarielle raise a brow, she took a moment to consider it.

“If they brought down the barrier by wounding the World Tree... then maybe I can heal those wounds with my magic.”

Roots or not, the tree was still a living being. She was confident she could heal it if she tried.

But a new problem arose.

Elarielle was the only one capable of performing such a spell. Healing the World Tree now would mean leaving the city unprotected. On the other hand, if she went straight to the city, the barrier wouldn’t be restored, and even if they won the battle, the citizens would still die.

“It’s fine. We’ll buy you the time you need.” Declaring with conviction, Lily pulled the girl in her arms closer. “Nia, would you lend me your help?”

“Of course~” Nia replied with a radiant smile, reveling in the warmth of her wife.

Even the black wolf let out a low growl, as if to show it was ready to fight. The sight left even Elarielle unable to hide her shock.

“You… you’d really do that for us?” the queen asked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

“Nia and I decided to live in this house, so the least we can do is help our neighbors and protect our home.” With a simple shrug, Lily proudly placed both hands on her hips, Nia doing the same beside her.

“Lily wants to help you, so this time, I’ll give you a hand too, Miss Hero.”

Both sisters stared at the group in surprise.

The entire journey to the labyrinth had been nothing more than a temporary alliance based on mutual goals. Now that they had obtained the volume of the book they sought, and with Nia’s teleportation magic, they could have left at any moment—before the Twilight even noticed this place.

There was no reason for any of them to risk their lives for the elves.

“Thank you… truly.”

“Thank you very much, Lady Lily, Lady Gardenia.”

There was no need for lengthy speeches. With a deep and sincere bow, the sisters grasped each other’s hands more tightly.

Watching the two elves regain a glimmer of hope, Lily couldn’t help but smile softly.

“Charging in without a strategy would be foolish. This time, I think we’re going to need reinforcements...” Raising a hand to her chin, she pondered for a moment. “The World Tree’s barrier isn’t limiting Nia’s portals anymore, right?”

“No, my king. Your wife is now free to use them as she pleases,” Rhei replied promptly, already kneeling on the floor, as she could no longer keep holding Thelira in her arms under the current circumstances.

“Nia, could you call someone for me?” Tilting her head as she addressed her wife, Lily was immediately answered with a bright smile.

“Of course!”

Not even a second later, a portal resembling a starry sky opened in the room. Instantly, a tentacle shot through it at high speed, dragging a girl along with it.

“What!? Why? Where!?”

A new voice erupted in the room, as the newly arrived girl—hanging upside down by a tentacle—finally seemed to wake from her slumber.

A vibrant red dress hugged her slender figure, emphasizing her modest bust. A flaring red skirt contrasted with black tights and high-heeled boots. Two white rabbit ears twitched amid her golden twin-tailed hair.

“What is going on!?”

Her pink eyes blinking rapidly, the three-star mage swung her stardust brush around in every direction.

“To be dressed like that at this hour... you slept in your office, didn’t you, Selene?”

Lily sighed, placing a hand on her face and shaking her head repeatedly at the sight of the Mage Academy’s headmistress looking utterly confused and half-asleep, ready to blast anything in sight.

“Rival!?” Selene shouted as her upside-down world, held by the tentacle wrapped around her waist, finally began to make sense.

“Hello, Selene. Glad to see you’re well.”

With a dull thud, Nia simply dropped the bunny girl mid-air. Selene hit the ground hard, the pain in her head making it very clear that none of this was a dream.

And the moment her senses adjusted, it was impossible for a mage of her level not to feel the aura spreading through the forest.

“No, no, no!”

Even without understanding the full context, Selene darted toward the shattered balcony, her eyes locking onto the dark mist engulfing everything outside.

“We’re in Finis!? I thought you went to the Elven Forest! And this aura—this is a demon, isn’t it!? Why did you bring me to demon territory!?”

Firing off questions in a panic, the three-star mage struggled to make sense of what was happening, her bunny ears flopping frantically.

“Calm down. We’re still in Phaea. The demons are attacking, and the World Tree’s barrier has collapsed, which allowed the mist to enter. We need your help.”

“...”

For a moment, Selene felt like her brain had short-circuited.

Like one plus one equaling two and night always following day, she tried to connect Lily’s explanation to the request being made.

Several seconds passed in complete silence, then, staring at the married couple with a deadpan expression, Selene finally came to her conclusion.

“I’m not getting involved in a fight with a demon! Please take me back!”

Desperately rushing forward, Selene leapt toward Lily, hoping for mercy. However, the impact she expected never came. Instead, her body passed through empty space and rolled several times along the floor.

“What was that!?” she gasped, stunned. Looking around, she spotted Lily—still holding Nia in her arms—now several meters away from where she’d just been.

“Heh... I guess I used it without thinking,” Lily muttered, her eyes slightly narrowed.

It hadn’t been intentional. It was like her reflexes had instinctively chosen the most efficient response.

“My king, your temporal magic activates with astounding speed,” Rhei said with her hands clasped and fingers interlaced, speaking in an energetic tone that didn’t match her expressionless face. “The duration you can maintain the spell may be short, but your activation speed surpasses even my master’s.”

Hearing Rhei praise her wife so passionately, Nia—now lifted off the ground in Lily’s arms—puffed out her modest chest proudly.

“Yes, Lily is amazing.”

“Indeed, my queen. The king is truly impressive.”

“‘Impressive’ isn’t enough to describe how formidable Lily truly is.”

“Heavens, my deepest apologies, my queen. I see I still have much to learn. I shall improve my pitiful vocabulary at once.”

Watching her wife and her newly appointed subordinate converse like that made Lily’s cheeks flush with embarrassment. Doing her best to keep a straight face, she left the two to their conversation and turned her attention to her self-proclaimed rival.

”Selene, we believe that not only common demons but also a Twilight is involved in this attack. However, you don’t need to fight the Twilight—just help us contain the damage. We can only count on you; the situation is really serious.”

Still sitting on the floor, Selene narrowed her eyes, clearly trying to make sense of things, then let out a long sigh.

“This isn’t exactly the same as being invited for morning tea, you know? But… if I don’t do anything when someone needs me, I’ll just be left with a bitter taste in my mouth.” Rising to her feet and brushing the dust off her crimson dress, Selene sighed again before twirling her stardust brush between her fingers. “I’ll help you. You can count on me.”

“Selene…”

Seeing her friend so willing to help made Lily crack a faint smile she couldn’t hold back.

Reaching out a hand to greet the girl as she approached, Lily waited for Selene to return the gesture. However, as if Lily had suddenly become invisible, the bunny girl walked right past her and marched straight toward Elarielle.

“You’re my rival’s friend? It’s such a pleasure to meet you!”

Selene grabbed both of the elf’s hands before she could react, shaking them enthusiastically. Her pink eyes sparkled like enchanted gems, locked onto Elarielle’s green ones.

“Y-Yes…?” Elarielle stammered, doing her best to mask her confusion.

“How wonderful! My rival always makes friends with the most amazing people.”

Taking another step forward, Selene entered Elarielle’s personal space without hesitation. With surprising ease, she forced the elf to back up until her back hit the wall.

“Miss, are you married? Or in a relationship?” Her voice dropped into a sweet, silky tone as she asked, her fingers gently squeezing Elarielle’s wrists, her smile growing sharper.

“What? No?”

Unable to process the situation, Elarielle remained frozen as Selene continued to barrage her with questions.

“Lady Lily, should I tell her she’s talking to the Queen of the Elves?” Thelira, now standing beside Lily, tiptoed and whispered into her ear.

Still holding out her hand, which Selene had completely ignored, Lily forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“No.”