Gardenia’s Heart

As they walked through the Elven Forest, the girls gradually began to understand some of its peculiarities.

Whether it was flowers, trees, mushrooms, vines, or creepers, each type of vegetation changed almost entirely as they moved deeper into the forest. Apart from the fact that everything was unnaturally large, each section of this vast land felt like a completely new place waiting to be explored.

"My father once told me about flowers that bloom on water, but I never imagined I’d find one here," Lily said as she leaped between two giant water lilies floating on the river, her steps so light they didn’t even disturb the fish beneath the surface.

Even in such a challenging situation, she couldn’t contain the small thrill bubbling up inside her. For a plant lover, the Elven Forest felt like a place where every plant in the world had been gathered in one vast expanse.

"Nia, how long have we been walking?" she asked, still hopping across the floating plants, her tone brimming with excitement.

The terrain of the forest wasn’t entirely flat, allowing small clusters of raised land—almost like tiny hills—to form. Between these elevations, after some searching, the girls had stumbled upon what could be called a small river.

(Five hours and fifteen minutes.) Nia responded, forming black wings on Lily’s back once again, helping her cross the river without getting wet.

Even beneath the water, various trees grew in this strange place, their submerged roots leaving only their moss-green trunks and broad leaves exposed above the surface.

Landing on the other side of the crystal-clear lake, Lily pressed a soft kiss against one of the tentacles surrounding her as a token of gratitude. Placing a hand on her hip, she took a moment to survey the surroundings.

"Walking without knowing exactly where to go is really slowing us down," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. She increased the amount of dark mana in her vision to sharpen her gaze, but aside from more trees and plants, nothing particularly stood out.

As much as she wanted to spend hours exploring every flower and vine with her wife, she knew that wasn’t why they were here.

Back when they were still in the mist, thanks to the beacons and the mana compass, they could cut travel time in half, using their speed and high endurance to their advantage. However, even though they could still move quickly—especially with their unrestricted use of portals and wings—none of that mattered because of the sensory barrier.

"Nia, I’m sorry, I only just realized—since we’re out of the mist, there’s less dark mana around, right? Is that dangerous for you?"

As she reflected on the drastic difference in their travel speed, a thought finally struck Lily, and she turned to her wife with a worried expression.

(Hmm… Specifically, the amount of dark mana is the same. The mist concentrates it in certain areas rather than increasing its presence throughout the environment. This only means it might take me slightly longer to recover my reserves depending on the situation, but it won’t affect my health.)

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Lily placed both hands over her heart, taking a long moment to calm herself. The fear that her beloved’s health could be at risk faded as she listened to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.

The sun had already passed its highest point, and now the sky carried soft orange hues, signaling the approach of evening.

(The distortion is getting stronger in this direction, so I believe we’re on the right path.) Nia reassured her, using her tentacles to gently caress Lily’s cheeks before continuing to lead the way.

In most situations, someone lost in the wilderness would naturally follow the river’s current. However, Nia could feel that the path most interfering with her mana-location lay deeper within the trees.

Trusting her wife completely, Lily followed her lead, stepping once more into the heart of the forest.

As she weaved her way past branches and roots, Lily found herself growing increasingly pensive. No matter how far they walked, they had yet to come across any trails or markings left by elves to guide their way. This made her wonder—how did the elves navigate such a vast and ever-changing land so effortlessly?

The rustling of small creatures nearby pulled Lily from her thoughts. Looking around, her heterochromatic eyes caught sight of a few squirrels burrowing into the trunk of a tree.

“The barrier doesn’t seem to affect the animals in the forest,” Lily murmured, turning her gaze back to the river. “The fish, birds, and even the insects all seem completely normal.”

(Perhaps it’s possible to restrict the effect to beings with intelligence,) Nia responded, intrigued by this particular trait of the barrier.

Despite walking for hours, the distance they had covered wasn’t as significant as it seemed. Every few hundred meters, Nia had to pause to ensure they were still heading in the right direction.

Deciding to explore for just a few more hours before finding a place to rest for the night, the girls pressed on—until, once again, their surroundings changed.

The grassy ground and river had vanished, replaced by dark cyan soil and dry, moss-covered branches. The scattered stones around them seemed to form natural pathways, sculpted by time, while the barren trees arched overhead, creating eerie, majestic tunnels.

The last remnants of sunlight filtering through the gaps in the canopy had faded, making way for the moon’s glow, which cast white and violet beams over the landscape.

With each step forward, the sweet floral scent that had accompanied them earlier grew fainter and fainter.

“This place makes me feel… uneasy…” Stopping in her tracks, Lily placed both hands on the black blades strapped to her waist.

Hearing her words, Nia’s tentacles snapped into high alert, and Lily immediately heard her voice echo in her mind.

(Lily, are you alright? Are you in pain?)

Even though Nia had been limiting the reach of her mana-tracking to focus solely on detecting the "distortion," she hadn’t sensed any monsters nearby. So, hearing Lily say she felt uncomfortable sent a wave of unease through her.

Realizing she had startled Nia, Lily quickly reassured her.

“I’m fine.” She chuckled softly, caressing one of Nia’s tentacles to soothe her. “I’m not in pain—it’s just a feeling. This place feels… wrong.”

(Do you want me to find another route?) Nia asked, still scanning their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.

“We can keep going. It’s not serious enough for us to change course.”

If they turned back now, finding another path could cost them an entire day just to reach this point again.

Letting go of the tentacle with a gentle kiss, the silver-haired girl studied her surroundings and resumed walking cautiously.

What Lily felt wasn’t fear. She had experienced this sensation before—a deep, instinctual warning. The sense that something in this place was tainted, malicious. It was the same feeling she had when she returned to the mines.

(Lily, I sense something up ahead.)

Nia, now scanning the area with heightened vigilance, had detected something unusual along their path.

Following Nia’s lead, Lily soon realized why her unease had taken shape.

Covering large portions of the ground, she noticed intricate trails of thin, purple lines carving through the mossy earth. Each path led to a small hole in the soil, from which a faint, glowing purple mist seeped into the air.

(It’s similar to the Demon King’s mist, but I can’t determine its exact composition,) Nia murmured in Lily’s mind.

Even though it didn’t seem to have any corrosive effects, the shapeshifter avoided touching the smoke directly, opting instead to study it through her mana-tracking.

(It’s spreading deep underground. There’s a limit to how far I can perceive, but the smoke extends at least thirty meters below the surface.)

Nia’s words prompted Lily to examine the area around the glowing trails. Whether it was the lifeless trees or the colorless soil, everything surrounding the smoke seemed to be drained of vitality.

“It’s like an infection…” Lily could only describe it that way.

The realization finally settled in her mind. The barren landscape around them wasn’t a natural feature of this part of the forest—it was what remained of it.

What could have caused this? That question lingered in both their minds as they cautiously moved through the affected area.

The withered zone stretched irregularly, as if only certain patches had been afflicted. It wasn’t spreading at a noticeable pace; in fact, it seemed so static that they could assume it wouldn’t continue expanding.

They tried discussing possible causes but reached no conclusions. The miasma-like smoke wasn’t among the things Nia had knowledge of, and Lily had never heard of a disease or soil infection caused by something like this.

After another hour of walking, they finally left the dead trails behind, once again surrounded by lush greenery. Though they wished to learn more about the miasma, they agreed that they might find answers upon reaching the elven city.

As the moonlight grew stronger above the canopy, long white threads began linking the towering trees around them.

(Lily, I think we’ve finally found one of them.)

Nia’s quiet remark wasn’t referring to elves or any travelers.

“Looks like I’ll get to serve you a delicious meal sooner than I thought, Nia~” Lily hummed, already encircled protectively by her beloved’s tentacles.

Without the Demon King’s mist, fewer of them appeared, but they still emerged nonetheless.

A high-pitched chittering echoed through the forest, traveling far into the distance. In response, over a dozen white threads began accumulating between the branches above them.

Looking up, even in the dim light, Lily had a perfect view of the enemy approaching.

Its eight spindly, angular legs trembled like razor-sharp claws, crushing the branches beneath its weight. Multiple eyes gleamed with a spectral, almost sickly green light, reflecting off the glistening white webs that surrounded it.

The creature—undoubtedly a colossal spider over five meters tall—had a crystalline green body reminiscent of an emerald. Its almost ornamental carapace blended seamlessly with the foliage, providing it with natural camouflage. From its vantage point, it fixated on the girls, preparing to strike.

“We walked straight into its nest,” Lily muttered coldly, as the putrid stench of decay assaulted her senses.

At the highest point of the webbed expanse, a massive nest stretched between four trees, filled with silk-wrapped cocoons. Lily concluded that those were the unfortunate animals that had wandered too close.

Covering Lily’s mouth and nose with a black mask made from her own material, Nia reformed her dark wings at the same moment a downpour of white threads rained upon them.

“For its size, it’s surprisingly fast,” Lily remarked as she swiftly maneuvered between the trees, gaining distance.

Using its webs, the spider spun intricate pathways that allowed it to move rapidly through the forest, relentlessly pursuing the girl who weaved between the branches with agile flight.

Lily didn’t believe the creature had the strength to break through Nia’s black shield, but getting caught in its webs would be troublesome. Trusting her wife to guide their path, she picked up speed, ensuring they wouldn’t lose their way.

(Interestingly, it's using its webs both to create platforms and to generate impulses.)

As Lily dodged the strands of web fired to ensnare her, Nia began analyzing how the monster was moving.@@novelbin@@

"Good thing we trained a bit on the way to the forest." Gritting her teeth, Lily twisted her entire body as she shot through the gap between two trees, folding her black wings at the last moment.

Her wings eliminated the need for running, allowing her to gain momentum by using the trees as footholds. With teleportation limited, they couldn't rely on a powerful close-range attack to finish the spider instantly—they needed another method.

The night breeze swept through her hair as she descended, skimming just inches above the ground. She spun around one of the trees and, with a powerful burst of speed, propelled herself directly toward her opponent.

Caught off guard by its prey suddenly charging instead of fleeing, the spider hastily wove a dense wall of web to block her advance.

Just as Lily was about to conjure an ice spell to shatter the web before she got trapped, Nia’s voice echoed in her mind.

(Use my sword.)

Still surging forward, Lily drew the stardust sword from her waist.

The blade, infused with Nia’s mana signature, began to emit a violet glow, and within a single second, a dense layer of black fire enveloped it.

With one swift slash of the blazing sword, Lily cleaved through the web, reducing it to ashes.

"Nia, this is amazing!" Eyes wide with excitement, Lily continued swinging her sword, effortlessly cutting through every attempt the spider made to attack from a distance.

(Fire spells are harder to control in large quantities, but with the stardust swords, we can shape them more easily.)

Nia’s words reminded Lily of how most fire mages she had encountered never unleashed flames recklessly; they always concentrated them around their fists or weapons for precise attacks.

The heat radiating from the blade in her grip was intense—even if it wasn’t as powerful as when Nia had used it in the Mage Academy’s arena, it burned even hotter than it had back then.

"I always say this, Nia—you’re amazing!"

Accelerating even more, Lily finally struck one of the monster’s legs with her sword.

The impact felt like striking solid rock, but the flaming blade didn’t falter. Instead, it forced the spider backward, and tiny cracks began forming along its emerald-like limb.

A sharp, agonized screech rang through the forest as the spider felt the scorching blade cut closer to its core.

It realized that using its webs was futile. Lily wasn’t even stepping on the branches or the webbing to reach it—immobilizing her wasn’t an option. If it wanted to survive, it needed to fight back with brute force.

Two massive legs swung down at Lily, but before she even needed to react, four tendrils wrapped around her protectively.

(Don’t think I’ll just sit back and watch while you hurt my wife!) Nia’s voice rang out as her tendrils coiled tightly around the spider’s limbs.

The monster struggled, but its legs couldn’t move to defend itself—the crushing force applied by Nia’s tendrils was overwhelming. Pain flooded its body as its trapped limbs began to crack, oozing green liquid from the deep wounds.

"Thanks~" Lily murmured playfully, not even needing to turn her head to know that her beloved was protecting her.

Her midnight veil-like wings beat stronger, pushing her forward with even greater force.

The spider’s remaining five legs desperately flailed, but it was already too late.

A surge of black fire streaked through the forest.

With one final, decisive swing, the stardust blade cleaved through the spider’s body—splitting it clean in half.

Amidst the flickering flames, the white strands that formed the web began to unravel, causing the lifeless body of the five-meter-tall spider monster to collapse onto the ground.

"That one really put up a fight until the very end." Landing softly with a gentle flap of her wings, Lily observed the fallen creature.

Its emerald-like body was still being consumed by the black flames, while the grassy ground beneath it was slightly scorched and damaged from the impact of its fall.

(Lily, do you want me to leave any part of it?) Nia asked, her gaze lingering on the almost ornamental corpse of the monster despite the scorching fire.

"Don't worry about it—you can eat it all~" With a bright smile, Lily reassured her beloved that it was fine to consume everything.

(Thanks for the meal.) Unable to hold back her excitement, the shapeshifter spoke in a sultry tone as several tendrils extended toward the spider, beginning to absorb its remains.

As she watched her wife happily devouring the defeated monster, Lily tilted her head, lost in thought for a moment.

"Do you think the spider was the source of the infection?"

Although their battle had spread across multiple areas of the forest, the spider was the only monster that had appeared. Since they were relatively close to where they had first encountered the infection, Lily wondered if there was a connection.

(I don’t think so. Nothing about the spider’s behavior suggested it could have created that. Besides, even its nest was built in a way that avoided that area.)

Nia’s reasoning made sense. If the infection had originated from the spider, it should have shown some sign of it during the fight.

Deciding to wait for her beloved to finish her meal before continuing their exploration, Lily turned her attention to the forest around them.

Her curious eyes wandered over the flowers and plants, taking in the unfamiliar flora. But as she glanced further into the trees, she caught sight of small, colorful orbs of light in the shape of spheres—only for them to dart away the moment they realized they had been seen.