Gardenia’s Heart

After their light morning activity and discussing their plans for pregnancy, Lily knew it was time to get up. 

Stretching with a tired yawn, she noticed how Nia had returned to her body, making the bed disappear. 

“Nia, could you handle this?” 

(Of course!) 

Lily realized that even when they fought or traveled long distances, not a single drop of sweat would appear on her face. But after they made love, Nia made sure their bodies remained sweaty. 

In an instant, every drop of sweat and any trace of dirt on Lily’s body vanished. In the next second, her black dress and cape reappeared. 

"Now that I think about it, I'm really hungry." 

Lily placed her hand on her stomach. Even though she had consumed some of Nia's "love nectar," it wasn’t exactly nourishing, so she craved something more substantial. 

(Hmm... how about some warm bread?) 

“I’d love that.” 

In front of Lily, a small purple portal that resembled a starry sky appeared, and she eagerly stepped through it. 

On the other side, a dark alley between a few houses came into view. 

“Since we didn’t pay to enter the city, let’s get the bread and leave quickly,” Lily whispered to Nia as she moved toward the bakery she had visited the other day, located across the street. 

Upon entering the cozy shop, a wide variety of warm, freshly baked bread greeted her. Just like before, she placed a few into a basket and took them to the counter to pay. 

After exiting the store and glancing around, she dashed back to the alley. 

(If you keep acting like this, you’ll really look like a criminal.) Nia’s laughter echoed in Lily's mind. 

“Well, technically, we are here illegally.” 

Once again, the starry purple portal appeared, and Lily stepped through it, returning to the cave. 

This time, a small table and chair materialized. The texture resembled wood, but the seat was as soft as the bed from before. 

Sitting down and placing the bread on the table, Lily felt a light pressure on her lap as Nia reappeared, sitting atop her. Nia, being shorter and more slender, was able to fit snugly within Lily's warm embrace. 

This time, the girl with purple hair wasn’t naked but wore her black nightgown and cardigan. 

“Nia, if you keep being this sensual, we’ll have to relieve ourselves again, you know?” 

Noticing what Lily was implying, Nia placed her hand on the girl’s groin, and the small bulge that had been there disappeared. 

“Oh?” 

"I'll keep it excited for when we’re in bed again~" 

Feeling her newly formed penis vanish was a slightly strange sensation, but Lily felt the need to clarify something. 

Wrapping her left arm around Nia’s waist, Lily used her right hand to gently trace her beloved’s cheek, sending shivers down her spine. 

“Even without a cock, do you think it will lessen my desire for you, my sweet Nia?” 

Laughing softly at how flustered Nia was, Lily decided to hold back. She then picked up a piece of bread and brought it closer to Nia’s mouth. 

“Here, try this.” 

Nia’s small fingers delicately held the bread glazed with sugar and honey. She took a small bite, her eyes widening in surprise at the taste, which made Lily chuckle softly at her reaction.

"What's wrong?" With her cheeks puffed out, the girl protested. 

"Sorry, it's just that you're so cute~" 

Stroking Nia's head, Lily began eating as well. After they finished all the bread, the girls started studying the map. 

“The marking that outlines the edge of the mist is three beacons away from us. Once we pass two more, we’ll reach another city. We’re almost there.” 

Analyzing the map, Lily realized that they had managed to cross what would normally take seven to ten days in just one day. The fact that monsters avoided them, combined with her body rarely tiring even at high speeds, made the journey much easier than it would have otherwise been. 

“What’s this marking?” Nia’s gaze drifted to a particular passage that was colored differently from the others. 

“I believe that’s the Connection Bridge.” 

Lily found it adorable how Nia tilted her head in curiosity at the unfamiliar term. Stroking her beloved's purple hair once again, she continued. 

“It’s a suspension bridge over a lake, crossing through a mountain gorge. That’s where immigration between the two parts of the country takes place.” 

Lily's fingers traced the mountainous terrain that formed the gorge. The markings included details about the denser vegetation and danger zones. 

“It seems they used mages to alter the terrain and block other known passages. Additionally, patrols have been intensified to prevent illegal crossings elsewhere.” 

“Is there a reason for so much concern?” Nia pondered aloud. 

“The royalty seeks to control overcrowding in the territories outside the mist. If everyone fled there, the population would swell uncontrollably. So, unless you have a certain level of political influence or can pay the exorbitant entry fee, it's nearly impossible to cross the bridge.” 

For a small portion of people to live in the light, some were forced to remain in the darkness. 

Thinking about this, Nia placed her hand on her chin, reflecting for a few moments before turning to Lily in shock. 

“Wait, so we’re going to enter illegally!?” 

Even though they had gathered gold coins in the labyrinth, they had already spent most of it. With so little money left, the only solution available was to cross through other means. 

“Maybe if I could prove I was born outside the mist, we could get through. But all my documents and personal belongings were lost when I was kidnapped.” Pointing to one of the mountains in the gorge, Lily frowned. “I believe this is where the other women and I crossed when we were brought here. My memories from that time are pretty hazy, so I’m not sure.” 

Noticing a slight tremor in Lily’s voice, the purple-haired girl quickly acted. 

“Sorry for making you remember something painful.” Hugging Lily with both arms, Nia ran her hands over Lily’s back, trying to share her warmth. 

“Thank you, but it’s okay. Now that we’re together, I’m not afraid anymore.” With a smile, Lily returned the embrace. “The city we’re heading to now is the only feudal territory within the mist.” 

“Feudal territory?” Nia asked.

"Instead of being a small, leaderless village like mine or managed by a city hall like the Stardust Spring, the city of Caligo is ruled by a noble. I don't know all the details, but because their noble family is in charge of everything, the city received a lot more investment and became the most advanced one within the mist. I’ve heard it’s also home to the only academy for training mages within the mist." 

If Lily wasn’t mistaken, she could vaguely recall the guards from her village complaining about not being able to enter that mage academy. 

Lily noticed how incredibly relaxing it was to run her hands across Nia’s warm skin, so she slowly slipped her fingers under the girl's nightgown, playfully teasing her stomach. 

“Nnhh... So, are we crossing through the gorge?” Nia couldn’t help but moan as her stomach was caressed, her entire body still sensitive, trembling lightly with each touch. Biting her lips softly, she began considering their options. 

“Since I crossed through the forest back then, I never actually saw the bridge. I suppose we’ll figure out what to do when we get there.” 

Before her gentle touches could turn into hours of a wet mess, Lily stopped, standing up with Nia in her arms and heading toward the frozen entrance of the cave. 

With a gentle wave of her hand, all the ice turned into shimmering dust before vanishing. 

“I think it’s time to go now.” 

After a light kiss on Lily’s cheek, the purple-haired girl in her arms returned into her body. Adjusting the coordinates for the next signaler, the girls set off toward it with a smile. 

--- 

Though this journey would have normally taken at least two weeks, they managed to complete it in under two days. 

“With this, we only have one more signaler before we reach the city.” 

Looking at the beacon positioned inside the hollow of a large tree, Lily began setting the next coordinates on the Mana Compass while observing the dense vegetation. 

Surrounding the tree were various twisted flowers in shades of blue and pink. Additionally, as they neared their destination, as indicated on the map, twisted vines and massive trees over twenty meters tall became more common. 

(Are all these mana herbs?) 

Noticing Lily's interest in the colorful plants, Nia asked. 

“Not exactly,” Lily replied. Kneeling, she pulled two plants from the ground. “The bluish one is an Oceanite Lily, and the pink one is a Prismatic Rose. The first one grew due to the high concentration of mana in the soil, while the second one developed when bees and birds spread their seeds and pollen around the environment.” 

Suggesting Nia absorb both, the flowers dissolved in her hand. In an instant, the metamorph noticed the difference. 

(The Oceanite has a high concentration of mana, while the Prismatic only has a fraction of it.) 

“Exactly. That difference in both quantity and quality is what makes mana herbs so important in potion production. On the other hand, since their growth and cultivation can't be controlled, herbs like the Prismatic Rose, which can be planted, are used in large-scale medicine production.” 

(You know a lot about this, Lily.) 

Nia watched joyfully as the silver-haired girl collected various colorful plants from the ground.

"Remember my garden back in the village? It took me a long time to explore the forest to gather those species. They were used to make ointments for minor cuts and burns. Although it’ll take some time, we can start collecting seedlings to rebuild it." 

After selecting several different herbs, Lily carefully stored them inside her cloak. 

"Mana herb subspecies don’t depend on sunlight and can survive by receiving water directly on their stems without needing to be planted in soil. The way I collected them, these seedlings should last for a few months." 

With a smile on her face, having collected all the herbs she wanted, Lily followed the compass toward the next signaler. 

(I’ll keep an eye out for any new herbs I spot. I’ll make sure you have the most beautiful garden in the world!) 

Placing her hand over her heart, Lily blushed slightly. 

"Thank you, my beloved Gardenia." 

After walking some distance, Lily noticed that the terrain was becoming increasingly difficult to traverse. Some signalers were along slightly sloped dirt roads, but in other areas, they had to push through branches with force. 

(The fact that our map shows such a winding path makes me wonder how special the merchants' maps must be.) 

The girls knew that merchants had to transport their goods via carts or animals, making it unlikely they were using the same rough path. 

(Something feels off...) 

Using her tentacles to push some poisonous plants aside, Nia remarked with unease. 

"Did something happen?" 

The silver-haired girl paused, waiting for Nia to gather her thoughts. 

(I’ve been monitoring the location of monsters in the area, but since the last beacon, their numbers have decreased.) 

Lily felt a faint fluctuation of dark mana in the environment as Nia extended her search further ahead. 

(That’s it...) 

Lily tilted her head, still not fully understanding what was going on. 

"Did you figure out what happened?" 

(About two kilometers ahead, there’s a group of roughly nine people. Eight of them have developed mana signatures, enough to be classified as mages.) 

"Is it that blonde bastard?" 

Hearing Nia's response, Lily placed her hand on the two swords at her waist. Memories of their previous fight with the group of mages from the capital flooded her mind. 

While they were still in the city, Nia had tried to locate Agni's mana signature, but with no success. By the time they had fought the guardian and recovered, he had already left the city in a hurry. 

(Unfortunately, no. Since we didn’t find him even moving as quickly as we did, he must have taken a different route.) 

Sighing in disappointment, Lily let go of the sword hilt. The girls had sworn to kill that man one day, so even if he kept running, they were certain they would find him eventually. 

"Do these people pose a threat to us?" 

(If we follow the route on the map, the chances of running into them are almost guaranteed. If you prefer, we can avoid them with my teleportation.) 

Aside from places she had already visited, as long as she could map the area with her mana-location and get the coordinates of the exit portal, Nia could teleport them wherever she wanted. However, due to the mist's properties, which seemed to block the spread of mana, the range of her mana-location was very limited unless she expended a large amount of dark mana to force passage within the mist.

If the girls could use the portals freely during the journey, they would have shortened the entire trip to less than a day. However, since doing so would exhaust Nia, walking combined with occasional returns to the Star Dust Spring for food, now available as a teleportation point, proved to be the more comfortable option.

"Those people who hunted the monsters in this area, right? If they’re mages, they might be heading toward Caligo," Lily said, resting her chin on her hand as she considered the best course of action.

"Well, since we’re not in a hurry, let’s keep following the route. My beloved hinted we could confront them if I wanted to, so I assume we can handle them if needed, right?"

(Their mana levels are comparable to the golems on the third floor of the labyrinth. As I am now, these small fries aren’t nearly strong enough to stop me from taking my beloved wife wherever she desires.)

Lily chuckled lightly at Nia’s bold declaration, a smile on her face. She pulled her hood over her head and continued walking calmly. After a few minutes of cutting through increasingly dense vegetation, Lily asked in a quiet voice, "How close are they?"

(They’re less than a hundred meters away. They seem to be professionals—they’ve already noticed us.)

Glancing around the cold mist, the silver-haired girl tried to spot any signs of movement in the surroundings. But, unable to sense mana like Nia could, her search was fruitless.

"I don’t like talking to strangers if I can avoid it, but should I try greeting them?" Lily mused, wondering if the other group was just as wary of an ambush as she was, and whether she should communicate to show she wasn’t a bandit.

(Out of the nine mana signatures, seven have moved and are slowly surrounding us.)

Despite Nia's warning, Lily couldn't see the experienced trackers hiding in the forest with just her eyes. In an instant, an arrow whizzed through the air from the vegetation, flying toward her.

"Enemies, then?" Lily sighed in exasperation, her hand resting against her face as she watched the arrow disintegrate upon impact with a black shield that materialized around her. "Just to be clear, that wasn’t a warning shot, was it?"

(No, the arrow was definitely aimed at your chest. There’s some kind of liquid on it—I’m almost certain it’s poison.)

Suppressing another sigh, Lily didn’t even draw the sword from her waist. She simply raised her hand toward the sky, summoning dozens of black ice spears.

"Would you mind aiming for me, Nia?" she asked, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes spreading across her face. The silver-haired girl was ready to begin the fight.