Gardenia’s Heart

After their morning couple activity and breakfast, Lily passed through a portal resembling a starry sky and made her way to the Mage Academy’s arena under Nia’s instructions.

”Selene was really kind to set aside time to give us this lesson,” Lily commented with a smile that revealed her excitement, while playing with two purple tentacles orbiting around her as she walked.

Despite having faced numerous battles and confrontations, neither of the two girls had ever received formal education throughout their lives. The first lesson Lily ever experienced was when Nia controlled her body during Selene’s Monsterology class. This time, with Lily herself in control, she felt as if she had the chance to be a student for a day, even though she was already an adult.

(When I asked her this morning, she seemed excited about it, Nia noted, pleased to see her wife so cheerful.)

Smiling once again at seeing her wife taking the initiative to look for something, Lily stroked the tentacles around her even more vigorously. As they approached a busier part of the school, the tentacles quickly hid under her dress.

”Even the academy couldn’t escape the battle…” Lily muttered with a subtly shaken expression as she observed her surroundings.

All the Mage Academy buildings were partially damaged. Shards of glass were scattered across the grass, and the walls had large holes from being struck by spells.

Abelia and Cleomel had explained to Lily that after she and Nia went after Alice in the mines, Velmont had used the stigmas in the visitors’ hourglasses to force them to attack Selene, triggering chaos across the city.

Neither Lily nor Nia had imagined that something of such scale was possible, putting Abelia’s family’s lives in danger the moment they left. However, even when Lily tried to apologize, the girls insisted it wasn’t her fault.

Furthermore, they mentioned that thanks to Selene’s quick decision, not only were the girls saved, but everyone at the school managed to survive without any casualties among the faculty or students.

As a result, even though it wasn’t required, many students were now helping in the school’s reconstruction efforts.

”I hope selling half of the leviathan and the monsters we killed will be enough to cover the cost of all this reconstruction,” Lily murmured as her swift steps carried her to the arena entrance, which was cordoned off.

When she reached the dirt floor, her heterochromatic eyes scanned the entire training field, which, ironically, was the least damaged section of the school.

Sitting at the center of the field was a girl with dark blue hair. Her palms rested open on her knees as she meditated deeply.

Alice was so focused that she didn’t even notice the girls entering the arena. Not wanting to startle her, Lily instructed Nia to reduce the layer of dark mana on her feet that silenced her steps, making her approach more noticeable.

”Oliver, I already told you: I’ve rested enough, so I’m going to continue training no matter what you say.”

Opening a single eye, expecting to find her brother beside her, Alice gave a startled jump when she saw the silver-haired girl staring back at her.

”L-Lady Lily!? Sorry!”

Covering her flushed face after mistaking Lily for her brother and speaking rudely, Alice frantically tried to apologize.

”Good morning, Alice.” Lily let out a soft laugh as she moved closer to the center of the arena.

”G-Good morning! Is there a reason for Lady Lily to be here? Wait, of course, you’re here to use the arena. Sorry, I didn’t know you’d come so early—I’ll leave right away!”

Still covering her face with her hands, Alice attempted to run away, but before she could gain any distance, she felt something wrap around her waist.

”W-What!?” she exclaimed in surprise as she saw a purple tentacle firmly coiling around her stomach and lifting her off the ground.

Turning her head, the dark blue-haired girl spotted Lily pointing a single finger in her direction. The moment Lily bent that finger, the tentacle, moving as if it had a will of its own, brought Alice back toward her.

”It’s okay—you don’t need to leave, alright? Selene is going to give me a small lesson on mana. It’d be nice if you joined us too, wouldn’t it?”

Lily smiled, amused at how stunned Alice was by the tentacle holding her aloft. Too shocked to argue, Alice merely nodded.

Without further complaint, Alice bent her knees and sat back down on the arena floor beside the silver-haired girl, who had also taken a seat. When Nia saw that Alice wouldn’t try to run again, the tentacle unwound itself from her waist. Out of the corner of her eye, Alice watched as it didn’t dissolve but instead slithered back beneath Lily’s black dress. Deciding it was wiser not to ask questions, Alice waited silently for her aunt to arrive.

A few minutes later, a girl with golden hair tied in twin tails entered the arena.

Selene approached the group, dressed in a formal outfit—a tailored blazer and fitted skirt complemented by high boots and sheer tights, lending her the composed elegance of a refined woman. Her upright bunny ears exuded confidence, though they bent slightly, as if she didn’t seek to command unnecessary attention.

”Good morning, Lady Lily. I see Alice will be joining us for this modest lesson as well. Shall we begin?”

Sliding a lock of her golden hair behind one ear with one hand, Selene held a small bag containing several scrolls and potions in the other.

However, instead of the positive response she expected, both girls in front of her had their jaws dropped and eyes wide with disbelief.

”I never thought I’d say this, but hearing you talk to me like that is... weird. Did something happen?” Lily struggled not to stammer, her gaze darting between Selene and Alice, seeking confirmation that she wasn’t imagining things.

”What?” Selene took a step back, dropping all the materials she had brought.

”Auntie… Did you hear some student badmouthing your dresses again? They’re beautiful! Sewing them by hand isn’t easy—don’t mind those nasty comments.”

Before Selene could say a word, she was bombarded with looks of pity and concern. Both girls stood up and approached her, their hands checking for a fever or any head injuries.

”We can have the lesson another time if you’d like. Alice, check if the wound on her abdomen reopened.”

”On it!”

As Lily immobilized Selene’s shoulders and Alice began unbuttoning her blazer, Selene started flailing desperately.

”N-No, nothing happened! Why are you acting like this!?” she protested, using all her strength to escape, taking several leaps backward.

Adjusting her shirt to cover her exposed stomach, Selene pointed an accusatory finger at the two girls.

”Is it that strange for me to dress up?” Her face burned bright red with embarrassment, and the composed tone she had displayed earlier was completely gone.

”It’s not about how you dress; it’s just weird seeing you act this way,” Lily said, placing a hand on her waist and staring at the bunny-eared girl with such intensity that Selene shrank back.

”Tell us what’s going on, Auntie Selene. We’re family—we can figure out a solution together.” Alice stepped forward, assuring Selene of their support.

Faced with their earnest expressions, Selene had no choice but to rub her index fingers together and purse her lips.

”It’s just that… since Lily helped us save the city, I didn’t think it was right to keep treating her as rudely as I used to,” Selene admitted, practically avoiding eye contact.

She wasn’t lying; she was merely omitting the fact that she was so terrified of Gardenia that she concluded it was better to treat Lily as appropriately as possible to avoid provoking that existence’s fury.

”That was it? Don’t scare us like that.” Upon hearing the agitated woman’s words, Lily had no choice but to let out a soft sigh as her face relaxed. ”You don’t need to worry about being rude or changing the way you act. Not just me, but all of us feel more comfortable talking to the presumptuous Selene than the polite one.”

Beside Lily, Alice nodded, her arms crossed, showing that she agreed with the girl.

”Besides, you’re my friend. I’d never get mad at you for something as trivial as being a little rude,” Lily concluded with a small, gentle laugh.

”Friend...” Selene repeated the word in a murmur.

Except for that small group of people who considered her family despite having no blood relation, no one had ever called her that throughout her life.

”I’ll be right back!” After giving herself a few light taps on the face, Selene sprinted out of the arena at high speed.

Even though she wished to avoid further risks, Selene knew she couldn’t change who she was. Since Lily herself had said it wasn’t a problem, she decided not to worry about it anymore. A few minutes later, she returned to the arena, now wearing a majestic red dress that reached her ankles.

”The short skirt, even with tights, left my legs freezing. It feels great to have my dress back.” Smiling and speaking in a near-sing-song tone, Selene walked to the center of the arena where the two girls stood, placing her hands on her hips. ”Speaking of which, I didn’t know being a three-star mage came with so many perks, Rival.”

Wearing a smug grin, Selene lifted the back of her left hand to her mouth to hide a proud laugh.

”Although it’s taking some time, I’m managing to recover the people from your village who were taken. So please, tell Sis how amazing I am. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

Selene’s declaration left the silver-haired girl with a mix of different emotions, but she maintained a smile on her face nonetheless.

Thanks to the information Selene had obtained after interrogating Velmont over the past few days, several buyers—both within and outside the mist—were exposed for purchasing kidnapped people.

Those within the mist, mostly village leaders and merchants, were simple for Selene to handle and recover the captives.

”He always avoided the capital’s nobles, perhaps because of the risks of attracting attention and preferring those with morals and character more susceptible to corruption.”

As for people outside the mist, although noble families were unaware they had made purchases from Velmont, they tried to deny any involvement since there was no concrete evidence against them.

Since Selene couldn’t reveal that Velmont was alive and was the source of her information to avoid a mage tower incursion, she had to resort to her latest privilege: the influence of a three-star mage.

Although she couldn’t accuse them of slavery, she could announce that she would send mages to conduct routine inspections in their territories. Even if they managed to kill the slaves as evidence, there would be no way to hide the numerous other irregularities in their lands.

As a result, several cases of ”miraculous encounters” with missing people were reported in the past week by various small noble families, along with generous financial offers to help the rescued rebuild their lives.

”Even though I want to punish them for what they did, we don’t have enough influence in Anthus yet,” Selene said with a sigh, but her expression quickly turned determined. ”Since I see Sis won’t give up on the fight for the throne, I also see I have no choice but to give it my all so we can win and bring justice to those bastards!”

After hearing the rabbit-eared woman’s explanation, both girls wore shocked expressions. Not only had Selene managed to accomplish all that in just one week, but she had also already prepared plans for the future.

”Alright, even though I’d love to keep talking about all the amazing things I’ve done, we should get started on why we’re here.”

Clapping her hands, Selene instructed Lily and Alice to sit down again. Then, she walked to the front, her demeanor turning more serious.

“First, let’s go over the basic concept. Both mana and dark mana are resources that have always existed on our planet. Even though they take different forms, both are present in living beings and in the atmosphere.”

Pacing back and forth, Selene explained the topic in simple terms, thinking the girls had probably heard this countless times before.

“For us three, mana’s primary function is to act as an energy source for our spells and as protection for our bodies. In its most common state, mana isn’t normally visible. But if we concentrate mana in our eyes, we can see the thin layer that naturally protects our bodies.”

Extending her right hand forward, a faint bluish layer no larger than a grain of rice naturally coated Selene’s skin. Likewise, Lily and Alice had this same invisible mana layer protecting them without even being conscious of it.

“The amount of mana a person is born with is random. While races like elves, dragons, and demons naturally possess much more mana than humans and demi-humans, there’s still a range that varies between individuals. If we mages intensify the mana that orbits our bodies, even non-mages will be able to see it.”

In one swift motion, a massive bluish glow expanded outward from Selene’s body. Her mana, calm and serene, radiated so strongly that it reached several meters away.

“Doing this undeniably protects your body, but maintaining it requires so much concentration that it becomes nearly impossible during extended battles or situations requiring rapid movement. Even taking a few steps like this is difficult for a mage like me. Focusing mana on specific parts of the body is the most viable option.”

As Selene spoke, Nia observed in fascination as her wife used a small notebook she had bought to take notes. Although Lily had little experience holding a pencil and didn’t know how to write many words, she persevered, jotting down notes even if her handwriting was shaky.

“What I just demonstrated didn’t consume my mana because I didn’t suffer an attack or exert any effort requiring its use. So, unless you’re in a situation where you must protect yourself at any cost, don’t do this—it’ll only make you an easy target after that.”

Retracting her mana back into her body, Selene let out a soft sigh and wiped the small layer of sweat trickling down her forehead.

“Dividing your total mana reserve, spreading it throughout your body, and using it to fortify your muscles is a form of magic, even if some people don’t treat it as such. Even the strongest spell is useless if a mage with a fortified body slices your neck with a sword before you can finish casting. So, not learning this is the height of foolishness. Any questions so far?”

When Selene asked, Lily was the first to raise her hand, her exposed eye gleaming with excitement.

“How do mages increase their mana?”

Lily had encountered many mages before but had never seen them undergoing training to increase their mana, even though she knew it was possible. Initially, she thought they were simply incompetent and didn’t care about training, but over time, she realized that wasn’t entirely the reason.

Walking over to the small bag she had dropped earlier, Selene pulled out several blue potions contained in luxurious glass bottles.

“When we expend mana, our bodies naturally absorb it from the atmosphere at a steady rate. The amount that can be absorbed is commonly referred to as a ‘mana reservoir.’ This reservoir size varies from person to person.”

Approaching Lily and Alice, Selene placed a blue potion in each of their hands.

“A mana potion...?” Lily asked curiously.

“Mana is like an imaginary muscle. When we use it, we manipulate the world to cast a spell, and this muscle gets tired until it recharges. However, unlike physical muscles that grow stronger through use, imaginary muscles don’t increase in size no matter how much you use them. The only way to expand them is by forcing a large amount of mana into them.”

Holding one of the potions herself, Selene uncorked it and poured the bluish liquid into her mouth.

“Mana potions serve to enhance the body’s absorption of atmospheric mana while at rest, but if used correctly, they have another purpose.”

Lily had heard of these potions before. Ever since she killed the guards in her village and set out into the world with Nia, she had kept intermediate potions they acquired along the way. However, after discovering they did not affect Nia’s dark mana, she stopped using them as no situation demanded their use.

Sitting on the ground and focusing just as Alice had when Lily first arrived, Selene calmly caused the thin layer of mana surrounding her body to grow denser.

Neither of the girls spoke, waiting for Selene to finish whatever she was doing.

Cold sweat dripped from Selene’s face as her arms trembled with slight spasms. Her teeth clenched as though she was enduring intense pain, but she remained steadfast, holding her position in complete silence for exactly ten minutes.

When her trembling eyes finally opened, Selene extended her brush to the side. In an instant, a large quantity of red ink burst forth, forming several lions.

“Aah... ah...”

Selene gasped with irregular breaths, releasing a long sigh of relief before collapsing onto the floor and stretching out her body. The lions disintegrated immediately.

“Just like we can stretch our stomachs by eating a lot at once, if we force our bodies to absorb far more mana than they should handle, our reservoirs will expand.”

Breathing heavily and too drained to sit up, Selene continued explaining.

“Depending on the potion’s quality, a larger amount of mana can be absorbed within a short period. Beginner mages can increase a small reservoir by up to five percent with inferior potions alone. However, once it reaches a certain size, only intermediate or advanced potions will make any significant difference. Without money, it’s nearly impossible to increase your reservoir further.”

Selene’s explanation helped Lily understand why there weren’t many powerful mages among commoners.

“On average, a noble with what we call mana affinity can increase their reservoir by twenty to thirty percent with a superior potion taking it every few days for a year. Common people, like my sister, only manage to increase theirs by one or two percent, even with superior potions and years of attempts, so they often give up on becoming mages.”

(So that’s why my reservoir increases...) Nia murmured, her tentacles tightening around her wife.

Lily understood what Nia meant. When the metamorph absorbed a chapter from the Book of Truth, a vast amount of dark mana was forced into her body at once, abruptly increasing her reservoir.

“That reminds me of the time Sis and I stole a superior potion for my training. I was desperate and drank the entire potion in one go. I ended up passing out just two minutes later. Wow... I really thought I was going to die back then. I was unconscious for several days. Sis held my trembling body the entire time, and when I woke up, my reservoir had increased by fifty percent!”

Even while lying down, Selene placed both hands on her waist and declared this with pride. Struggling to sit up, she noticed the two girls looking at her semi-pitiful state with concerned expressions.

“However, everyone has their limit for how much they can increase. The more we expand our reservoirs, the greater the pain when doing so. If we irresponsibly try to force past that limit... well, I can guarantee it won’t be pretty. In my case, even advanced potions now only increase my reservoir by one or two percent, even if I drink them all at once. But it hurts so much that I can’t do it more than once or twice a year. Eventually, the time will come when I can’t continue without risking my life, so recognizing your limit is something I always try to teach my students.”

With a smile on her face, Selene instructed both girls to uncap their potions.

“I don’t know how much mana you have, but let’s take it slow at the beginning. From what I understand, you’ve never done this before, right, Rival? And what about you, Alice?”

Unlike Nia, who could use her mana-location to estimate a person’s mana levels, even Selene could only gauge someone’s mana based on how much they used.

“Yes… I’ve never done this before,” Lily admitted reluctantly, her eyes fixed on the bluish liquid of the superior potion.

“Cleomel taught me how to do this once, but only with inferior potions,” Alice answered, her gaze filled with hesitation as she held the expensive potion in her hands.

Nodding in understanding, the rabbit-eared girl instructed them to take only a small sip at first, calm themselves, and take a deep breath.

Within just a few seconds, both girls began showing slight signs of change. Their hands trembled subtly, and although there was no visible pain on their faces, they grimaced despite trying to remain quiet.

“Since neither of you used magic today, your bodies are still full of mana. The extra mana flowing into you is forcing your reserves to expand. As beginners, there won’t be any pain because you’re still within a safe limit. What you’re feeling is simply the sensation of something that always happens, but the potion is making you aware of it. That small sip should be enough to increase your mana absorption for an hour, but given the high amount of mana, you’ll probably last only a few minutes. If it becomes too much, just open your eyes and cast a spell to release the excess.”

Listening to the rabbit-eared girl’s instructions, Lily tried to remain focused. Just as she had said, there was no pain—only discomfort similar to the feeling of eating too much—but in this case, it was spread throughout her entire body. It didn’t make her want to scream, but it did trigger fear due to the unfamiliar sensation.

She felt small, as though everything around her was trying to crush her. Her body reacted as if something was wrong, even though her mind told her she was fine. Her chest tightened, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She wanted to give up. She couldn’t go on. She didn’t have the strength to keep going alone.

(It’s okay, Lily. I’m taking care of you. Calm down and just focus on my voice.)

Before her trembling could reach its peak, Nia’s sweet voice began to echo within her body.

(You’re not alone, Lily. You’re okay. I’m here.)

Gradually, the trembling was quelled by the warmth that spread through her body. It was true—she wasn’t alone.

After that, Nia didn’t stop reassuring Lily, constantly reminding her that she was safe and that everything would be fine. Lily’s mind had no time to dwell on her body’s warnings, allowing her to focus solely on that soothing voice.

She felt refreshed, as though she had taken a long bath and felt the fresh breeze of the wind. By the time the sensation finally ended, Lily hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed.

Opening her eyes slightly, she realized that no tremor ran through her body.

“Why are you looking at me like that? How much time has passed?” Lily asked, tilting her head.

Before the shocked girls beside her could say anything, her attention was drawn to the tentacles hugging her even tighter. Moments later, Nia’s wildly joyful voice filled the air.

(Congratulations, Lily! I just confirmed it. In fifty-five minutes, your reserves increased by one hundred and twenty percent!)