Sparks crackled, decorating a moment of silence.

She thought Axel would agree. Even if he didn’t praise it as a good idea, she expected him to show a reluctant face after a brief contemplation.

Otherwise, there was no easy way to lure out the monster. In fact, Jade had already been chased by a monster, so she had already shown herself to be good bait.

“What do you think?”

Jade asked, raising her head after reviving the fireplace flames. Then her eyes widened.

Axel’s lips were severely twisted.

Why is he like that?

“Hey.”

“What? Is it because you’ll have to wait for a long time, so it’s annoying…?”

“No.”

“Then why…”

“Are you crazy?”

The chilling words fell on Jade’s head. Jade frowned. This was clearly different from what she expected.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Or maybe you caught a fever from the child. Otherwise, you wouldn’t say such things so easily.”

“I don’t understand why you’re angry. Look, there’s no other way.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to suggest putting Pavel on watch? He has the most overflowing motivation to risk danger to save that child.”

Jade retorted with a dumbfounded face.

“Putting someone who’s taking care of a sick child on watch, what are you saying? He’ll be in a hurry to care for the child, we can’t leave him in that cold because of a monster that might come at any time.”

“Really?”

Axel was completely expressionless.

“Then why is it okay for you to do it?”

“Huh?”

“What’s the reason you can stand in the cold and be in danger?”

She tried to open her lips to argue, but all that circled in her mind were reasons that weren’t logical at all.

Because I’m used to monster subjugation, because I’ve experienced danger many times, because I just think I’ll be fine.

But those were all stories that applied to Jade Broen the magician, not to Jade of the Athanase Forest.

She currently had no power and no means of defense to protect herself from monsters. Except for a shabby dagger.

So what did I believe in when I said such things?

In the end, unable to give an answer, Axel, who had been staring at her tightly closed lips, said coldly.

“If you’re going to have such thoughts, just stay still and do nothing. I’ll take care of it.”

He walked out with large strides and slammed the door shut. Jade glared at the large afterimage that seemed to remain in front of her, even though he had already disappeared.

I want to help, but this is all I can do, what am I supposed to do?

But the person to snap at had already disappeared, and she was left alone in front of the fireplace. Even though the fire was gently rising, it felt strangely cold.

Jade hugged her legs up.

Certainly, until Pavel arrived, it had been a fairly peaceful and warm evening. After that, she had been desperate to find something she could do, even a little, to help the child.

How did it end up like this?

Jade eventually returned to her room and lay down, but that night was a sleepless one. Even when she fell asleep, she would suddenly wake up with too many thoughts, unable to fall into a deep sleep.

Turning over, telling herself it was because the bed was uncomfortable, her mind would once again spin with messy thoughts.

But the thoughts eventually pointed in one direction.

Why on earth was Axel angry? And what did I believe in when I volunteered to be bait?

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Before she knew it, it was time for Ollie’s rooster to crow, solving problems that didn’t even give answers.

Jade got up as usual, but her body felt several times heavier.

“I’m tired…”

She blinked blankly for a while before coming to her senses at a thin beam of light leaking through the shutter gap. It was now truly a time that could be called morning.

Jade pondered what expression she should wear when greeting Axel if she encountered him.

Should I put on an indifferent expression? Or should I show a gloomy face while making it obvious that I couldn’t sleep?

After playing out the situation in her mind until the rooster crowed eight more times, Jade finally opened the door and went out.

Okay, let’s greet him with an indifferent expression!

“Good mor-ning…?”

But all her worries had been for nothing. When she came out, the house was already empty.

In the living room fireplace, almost completely burned logs barely held a faint flame, and on the table were some baked bread and a few dried fruits. When she touched the plate, the bread had already lost its warmth, having been baked in the early dawn.

Enduring the cold, she went outside to where the black horse should have been, but the horse was gone. Axel had clearly ridden it out.

“Axel, you…”

Jerk…

Dejected, Jade returned inside and sat in the chair in front of the fireplace. Seeing the empty chair beside her, she felt somewhat lonely and hugged her legs up.

By now, it would normally be time to have breakfast and read books with letters sporadically eaten by bugs, asking each other questions.

Looking out the window, bare branches were swaying in the wind.

“The sun rises late, so it must be cold…”

Jade let out a deep sigh and threw a couple of logs to revive the fireplace flames. Even with just that, warm heat spread as the crimson flames came back to life.

Her mood improved a little. The flames always gave her strength.

Jade stood up abruptly.

By tomorrow, Axel’s mood should improve a bit. Then I’ll naturally start a conversation and say that I think I spoke a bit thoughtlessly yesterday.

For now, let’s do today’s work and look for more necessary herbs nearby!

After cleaning the house thoroughly, Jade dressed warmly and quickly ran out. The winter sun was short, and there were various things to do in the meantime.

But as always, things rarely go as expected.

For the next three days, Jade barely even caught a glimpse of Axel.

The day after Axel got angry, that is, on the first day of the cold war, she barely managed to see his back.

“Ax-”

Slam!

“…el.”

Returning late at night, he went straight into his room with a tired face. There wasn’t even time to greet him. Jade awkwardly lowered her raised hand.

Hmm, he must have been too busy to see me.

Making excuses for him that didn’t make sense, Jade also went to bed early. She had been busy all day trying to find and refine things that might help the girl while the sun was up. Of course, she also cleaned the house diligently.

The second day of the cold war was similar. Axel left the house at dawn, doing who knows what, and returned late at night. And he ignored Jade, who was nodding off at the table waiting for him.

And on the morning of the third day.

Seeing the empty house once again, Jade finally exploded.

“What did I do wrong! Is it a sin to want to help a child? Is it a sin, I ask you!”

Jade threw a tantrum while washing the dirty cloth in cold water at Ollie’s house.

“Did I, huh? Did I do something so wrong to deserve being so blatantly ignored for days!”

“You should gently knead the fabric or it’ll get damaged. No, why are you tearing at it like that!”

“What’s he so busy doing that he’s running around so diligently! Do you know how cold it is in the morning? Do you know?”

Ollie looked at Jade with an incredulous expression, but she was too angry to notice it.

“Axel, you know, he hates the cold more than you’d think, so he’s always sprawled in front of the fireplace in the mornings. But look at him these past few days, going out at dawn every single day. He’s going out because he can’t stand the sight of me, that’s what this is!”

“Did that guy hate the cold?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Despite not looking like it, he likes warm things.”

Ollie chuckled while watching Jade, who was puffing with a reddened nose tip.

“You know something I didn’t even know. Anyway, it seems that guy is quite upset too.”

“Why is he upset! He could just say he doesn’t want to do it, why go this far over such a trivial thing! Even if it’s dangerous, I’m the one in danger, so why!”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s fine to get angry, but don’t stop working with your hands. Anyway, why don’t you properly explain what happened?”

Jade poured out everything that had happened over the past few days without taking a proper breath.

The incident of Pavel’s visit, the girl being injured by a monster. And the incident where part of the girl’s finger was eaten by the monster.

“Right, that man came to me asking for something to treat her, so I told him Axel’s house and said to go find you. It’s a monster that has already tasted human. It’s tricky.”

Ollie’s face held a slight sympathy, but was fundamentally calm. Jade, whose eyes had been rolling with anger towards Axel, felt her vision returning to normal for a moment.

Both Axel and Ollie. A feeling brushed past her that they were clearly not ordinary people outside.

This old woman knew very well about monster physiology and maintained an analytical attitude rather than sympathy.

“Ollie.”

“What?”

“…Um, it’s nothing.”

But this was the Athanase Forest, a forest that held secrets. Jade decided to maintain politeness towards the old woman.

“As you said, that monster will keep watching the girl.”

“That’s right. They’re clever but stupid, unable to let go of their greed for food.”

“That child is still young and too small. She should have many more days to grow taller and run around. I wanted to help her. But Axel said monsters don’t often come near him.”

“If I were a monster, I wouldn’t go near Axel either. Who’d be crazy enough to approach that bulk?”

At the old woman’s nonchalant agreement, Jade burst into laughter without realizing it and cleared her throat, “Ahem, ahem.”

“Th-that’s right. Axel is really too big, and he looks too strong, too strong indeed.”

“He actually is. In the past…”

Jade perked up her ears, thinking a story from the past might slip out, but Ollie firmly closed her mouth after that.

After kneading the laundry in silence for a while, Jade finally decided to continue her own story.

“Anyway, so I said I’d stand in the forest as bait. There’s even research saying monsters prefer magicians as food, you know. Then he got furiously angry. And then he doesn’t even acknowledge me for three days!”

Even before she finished speaking, Ollie started laughing merrily. The surprisingly loud laughter sounded so joyful that Jade had to think if she had perhaps told a joke.