Gardenia’s Heart

The young man had long golden hair. The top was slicked back, revealing his defined forehead, partially obscuring his red eyes. He was dressed in an elegant white combat suit with golden details on the shoulders and wrists.

At his waist, a slender black staff with a bluish aura rested. The item, apparently made of stardust, had finely ornate details, with a blue stone at the tip radiating an indigo aura. Standing over six feet tall, he towered above most in the hall. Yet, he still made a point to lift his chin, looking down at the girl.

Lily noticed how the man’s gaze wandered over her silver hair hidden beneath her hood and then down to her chest. He analyzed her entire body with an arrogant look as if appraising her with his eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Agni Belrura. I’m a one-star mage and leader of my group, [Golden Advance]."

The presence of a last name was exclusive to people from influential houses within the country. The young man wore a pretentious expression as he approached the girl.

Lily and Nia noticed that, of all the people in the hall, this man exuded the largest amount of mana from his body.

“I couldn’t help but notice the look on your beautiful face when you entered the hall a moment ago. For you to assess the mages so quickly, you must be skilled despite your low mana,” he said, placing his right hand on his chest and bowing slightly in greeting.“I see you don’t have a group. Are you planning to enter the labyrinth alone? If so, would you like to join ours?” As Agni spoke, three more people approached, all women.

The first had short pink hair and matching eyes. She wore a white dress with a miniskirt, revealing a significant portion of her modest chest. Her outfit left her back uncovered, where a large wooden and iron crossbow rested.

The second woman had long green hair tied into twin tails and yellow eyes. She carried a large shield, bigger than herself, on her right arm. In addition, her white clothing followed a military pattern, with pants and a large hoodie covering her ample chest.

The last girl had black hair cascading in curls over her shoulders. Her outfit resembled the first one’s design. But what caught Lily’s attention most was something else. Black feline ears perched atop her head, matching the large fluffy tail extending from her back.

(Are these the demi-humans you mentioned, Lily?) Nia commented, completely ignoring the man’s words as she focused on observing the last girl.

This was also Lily's first time seeing one in person. She didn’t know the exact ratio of demi-humans to humans in her country, but she knew they were rare enough to be hard to come by.

As the three girls approached, the pink-haired one wrapped her right arm around Agni’s, pressing her chest against his forearm.

"Hey, Master Agni~ Do we really need her?"

The girl puffed her cheeks as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Agni chuckled lightly before tracing the girl’s face with his fingers.

“Apologies for that, miss. Since it was my decision, I didn’t discuss it with my companions beforehand.” His smile widened as his free hand slid down the exposed back of the pink-haired girl towards her waist. “May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Lily observed the noble with a cold gaze, clearly noting that he was trying to recruit her based solely on her appearance. Without bothering to greet him back or reveal her name, she finally spoke, her voice icy.

“I have no intention of joining a group to explore the labyrinth.”

Turning without a second glance, she made her way towards the door.

“Exploring the labyrinth alone is very dangerous for a woman. Join us. As I mentioned before, I’m a star mage recognized by the Mage Tower in the capital. I assure you, I will protect you.”

To prevent the silver-haired girl from leaving, he reached out to try and grab her shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, Lily drew her sword from her waist and blocked the approaching hand.

“I don’t think I was clear enough. I don’t care who the hell you are or who recognizes you.”

Her blade stopped mere centimeters from Agni’s hand. Lily made sure to project her disgust clearly.

“How dare you speak to Agni that way?” The pink-haired girl shouted in anger, her voice echoing throughout the hall. “You fog-scented wench, do you know the importance of the Belrura family in the capital?”

“Why don’t you show me?”

Lily’s sky-blue gaze met the pink-haired girl’s furious eyes, with the other two companions of the noble already surrounding her. Without even considering retreating, Lily provoked the group further. After gaining strength from Nia, Lily vowed never again to be treated with the same disdain she had in her village. She refused to be the entertainment of a man who saw himself as important just to satisfy his ego.

“Let’s all calm down now.” Clapping his hands, the golden-haired youth prevented the situation from escalating further. “I’m disappointed that you refused, but I won’t press the matter any further. Fights are prohibited in the city, and none of us would benefit from being expelled, right?”

Noting the city guards who were about to intervene, the young man calmed things down and left with his companions. After watching the four of them exit through the door, Lily sheathed her sword and proceeded to the entrance of the labyrinth.

When the guard opened the door, a large, well-lit staircase was revealed, and the girl began to descend.

(If we could show Lily’s great aura, I’m sure no idiot would dare approach again.)

Lily began to chuckle softly at how her beloved was learning to throw insults. As she carefully navigated the steps, she replied.

“It would be a waste of energy. It’s much safer to conserve our mana for when we really need it. Besides, since we use dark mana that only monsters can manipulate instead of common mana if we spread it around too much in front of others, we could end up in danger.”

(You’re right, but it still annoys me.)

Lily’s cheeks puffed up in response to her feelings, with Nia using them to display the expression she would have on her face now, which made the girl laugh again.

(Thinking about it, what did that man mean by star mage?)

“Hm, I believe it’s a ranking system implemented by the Mage Tower in the capital, the largest research center in our country. As far as I know, it operates on a scale from one to five stars, based on the mage’s skill and power. The higher the number of stars, the more powerful and important the mage is.” Lily placed her hand on her soft chin as she tried to recall something. “Oh, I remember now—so far, the only five-star mages have been the heroes who defeated the Demon King.”

Nia whistled in response to Lily’s words.

After a few minutes, they finally reached the bottom of the stairs. The glow from the luminous stones on the walls gradually faded, and they found themselves facing a large gray stone corridor that split into three directions. Each wall was illuminated by torches with an intense bluish flame.

Taking the paper the receptionist had given her, Lily tried to read what was written. It seemed to be designed for those who had little access to education, using very simple words. This relieved Lily.

“Let’s see, it appears this labyrinth is under the effect of terrain-altering magic. So even if we try to chart a route on a map, it will end up changing every few hours.”

(How curious, how much mana must be needed to move all of this?)

“Apparently, they’ve confirmed the existence of at least four floors to date, and we can access them by finding a staircase. The total number of floors is unknown.” She studied the almost childish drawings on the paper, her mind working to decipher each one’s meaning. “The monsters get stronger as we go deeper, and they’ve never found the boss’s chamber.”

(Boss?)

“From the description, it seems to be the strongest and most dangerous monster in the labyrinth. It’s noted that it guards the deepest chamber filled with the labyrinth’s relics.”

(Strong and dangerous...)

“Are you scared, Nia~?” she teased.

(With you by my side, Lily? I’m excited!)

Eager for the adventure, they chose the path straight ahead and plunged into the labyrinth.