“No, this fell inside that.”

Jade inadvertently mumbled an excuse.

Most people who entered the Athanase Forest were often tired of something from the outside, so traces reminiscent of the past might be unpleasant. Jade regretted bringing it up, thinking she shouldn’t have.

“I don’t know where it separated from…”

“Let go.”

As she quickly loosened her grip on the bird’s wing, the object was trapped in Axel’s hand.

But he didn’t even look at it and threw it back into the box.

“The clothes. Did you take out all the usable ones?”

Unlike his icy gaze, as cold as a winter’s gale, his voice was calm. As if claiming that object had no effect on him at all.

“Wasn’t there anything like a muffler?”

“Huh? Oh… there’s one, but you should use it.”

“You use it. I don’t need it. We’ve found enough clothes, so the goal is achieved.”

Axel closed the box and fastened the hinges tightly. Then he picked up the items Jade had selected and walked outside. Jade obediently followed him.

Even after entering the warm house, he didn’t say anything about that object. He moved silently, as if busy organizing the items they had brought.

Jade also flipped through the books Axel had brought, page by page.

Most were close to history books, but the topics were diverse. From explorations of gods to the origins of the El Sion Kingdom, and even the musings of an art dealer.

Jade’s eyes were on the pages, but she couldn’t concentrate on a single one. The letters separated and flew around her.

Who was Axel? Where on earth did he come from?

That was all that remained in her mind. Not knowing why this curiosity captivated her so.

Time flowed again.

Before they knew it, the season when cold winds rattled the shutters had arrived. When seeing each other’s faces every morning became natural, and Jade could skillfully crack eggs.

As winter came, the sun rose late and the roosters crowed later, allowing for a bit more sleep.

There were even days when Jade would wake up before Axel and feel proud. Of course, this was very, very rare.

The days of nightmares gradually decreased. For a week now, Jade had been able to sleep a pitch-black sleep without any disturbances.

On the rare occasions when anxious feelings returned, she would open the door and go out to the front yard. Sitting inside the fence and looking at the forest, her worries would disappear in an instant.

Whatever her feelings, time flowed equally, and the large tree had already dropped all its red leaves and was shaking its bare branches.

So it’s okay. Everything outside will be peaceful without any incidents. After all, Felix Broen doesn’t have the ability to progress things as much as his greed.

A meaningless comfort, no different from deceiving herself. But it worked.

Jade felt herself becoming weaker. Apart from becoming more self-sufficient, she was forgetting the intensity of the outside world too quickly in the tranquility of the forest.

No, she was avoiding it. Even though it was related to her survival.

But Jade just closed her eyes. She slowly exhaled, feeling the cold but cleanest wind. She could breathe well.

“What are you doing? You’re not sleeping out here, are you?”

At Axel’s dubious voice, Jade replied with her eyes still closed.

“I’m enjoying nature. Don’t ruin my mood.”

“Look at it from inside. What are you doing without gloves?”

“The sun is nice today, so it’s not that cold. I want to watch you work.”

As the weather got colder, Axel reduced his hunting time and significantly increased the time he spent at home. Instead, he repaired the house and fixed weakened parts in preparation for future snowfall.

“Does it snow that much in this forest?”

“Not as much as in villages located completely in the north, but it does snow.”

Axel answered nonchalantly and went back to hammering.

“In winter, monsters come closer to inhabited areas more often. They also wander around looking for food to maintain body heat in winter. It’s better to be careful.”

Come to think of it, there was a time when she was chased by monsters.

But even that encounter with monsters felt like a distant past now. Axel’s house was sturdy, its owner was powerful, and there was no problem if she came in before sunset.

Jade grinned and pulled out a dagger from her bosom.

“Don’t worry. Look at this!”

As she swung the dagger in reverse grip, Axel, watching her actions, muttered indifferently.

“That’s why I’m more worried…”

“What? Are you underestimating me? Where are you going!”

Thanks to Axel’s efforts and Jade’s very small assistance – she diligently dug up mushrooms – the food storage was abundant and firewood was overflowing. It was a warm-hearted winter with less to worry about.

As the days grew shorter and the time they couldn’t go out lengthened, Axel and Jade spent more time sitting together in front of the fireplace with its gentle crimson flames.

Amusingly, they even played games in front of it.

“Correct! The wizard Loropi.”

“Wrong.”

“What? Why! It’s correct! Loropi made the reagent that makes paint dry faster, didn’t he?”

“Why don’t you listen to the question properly. I asked who commercialized that potion.”

Jade exclaimed, panting.

“Are you a scammer? You said ‘activated,’ not ‘commercialized’!”

The handsome scammer proudly mocked her.

“It can be interpreted in two ways. The loser should keep quiet. Anyway, it’s my turn now.”

Most of the books they found while rummaging through the warehouse had incredibly long titles, which were good for quizzes. This was because the books covered a wide and shallow range of history in various fields, making it easy to choose topics that neither of them would likely know well.

“Why do you have these kinds of books? You should have had books on wizardry instead.”

“How would I know? But really, why are these books in the warehouse? I’m not interested in art history at all.”

Jade quickly looked for an opportunity to dig into his past.

“Right. I wonder who gave you these books.”

Axel snorted and asked the next question.

They competed to answer one or two questions out of ten correctly, getting heated up. The loser had to go to Ollie and exchange items, which was bothersome and difficult on cold winter days.

Sometimes when no one got the correct answer, that day became a day to go together.

“Oh my, you came together again today.”

At Ollie’s greeting, Jade and Axel would exchange sideways glances at each other. As if they were little children about to tattle to an elder.

“Here’s the meat. Any damaged parts in the house?”

“Why do you come every day to check? There’s no problem yet, as it hasn’t even snowed.”

“Axel is so gentle and kind, isn’t he? Enough to fill this water bucket before leaving.”

Jade gave a compliment filled with intention. Of course, Axel didn’t back down either.

“You’re the same, Jade. Kind enough to fill this feed box.”

“My, my… I hope you’d fight often. The more you do, the more prosperous my house seems to become.”

Jade and Axel glared at each other once again and took care of small tasks so that Ollie, whose waist and legs hurt, wouldn’t have to struggle.

Then Ollie would watch them contentedly and load their arms with eggs and a few food items.

On the way back, they continued to bicker, breaking the silence of the forest.

In fact, if you think about it, no matter how uninterested in art she was, Jade was the heir to the Broen family and a magician who had received higher education.

The fact that the two of them scored similarly in quizzes already hinted at Axel’s past.

His sword, excellent horse, items in the warehouse, small behaviors, habits, and knowledge – all of it was a clue.

But Axel no longer particularly hid the fact that his background was quite decent. His attitude was as if he didn’t care since it all seemed to have been revealed anyway.

“So.”

“What?”

“So, which region did you live in? This is nothing. Look at the size of the El Sion Kingdom. What could I possibly know just by hearing which region you lived in? Isn’t this too much? Our relationship has already been two months.”

“Do I have to tell you if it’s been two months?”

No, you don’t have to tell me…

Jade was about to nod in agreement but then felt infuriated.

Come to think of it, it was always Jade who was curious. She always wanted to hear about Axel’s past.

Because she wanted to know not only Axel of the Athanase Forest but also Axel from the outside. Because she wanted to become closer to him.

But Axel wasn’t curious about her. He’s not a fool, so he probably knows well enough that there are lies mixed in with the personal information Jade has told him. Still, he didn’t ask.

As if he had no desire to understand her more deeply.

One can’t be upset about this. It’s foolish to get angry because the interest doesn’t return as much as expected. After all, hearts don’t mathematically calculate and exchange numbers.

But Jade decided to be a foolish person.

Why? Because the gap between her heart and his was irritating!

Jade, grinding her teeth with anger, set out to find moon flowers with all her might.

Jade had heard from a magician in the past that there are always moon flowers in forests that have existed since ancient times.

Moon flowers didn’t have any particular effects. They were said to emit an amazingly beautiful light under the moon and were considered god’s lanterns by people in the past, but that was all.

However, the reason it has been passed down for so long through people’s mouths is because there were many sayings that if you soak the flower in alcohol and drink it, you’ll feel like you don’t envy even a king.

The Athanase Forest has existed since ancient times, so there must be moon flowers. Ollie said there were several bottles of distilled liquor at home covered in dust, so she’ll get those and make moon flower liquor.

He seemed a bit interested in the talk of alcohol, so she’ll give him alcohol and extract stories of the past. No, if she makes him drink a lot, he might spill everything easily when drunk!

Somehow it felt like the goal had been set strangely, but in the small house in the forest, they didn’t know it was wrong. Because as winter approached, there were fewer things to do and more time to spare.

That day too, Jade was carefully plotting her sinister plan inside her mind.

Axel, who had come back after working for a while, was resting in front of the fire, listening to the sound of Jade’s pen scratching on paper.

He seemed to be gradually falling into a drowsy mood. Noticing this, Jade tried her best not to make the sound of scratching the paper.

But suddenly Axel rose silently.

His movement wasn’t loosened by rest, but somehow had a smooth yet sharp aspect to it, like a predator before an attack.