Jade’s spells were always simple and short, sometimes criticized as disrespectful. Spells were like prayers, and their brevity was seen as lacking sincerity, almost blasphemous to the gods.

But that was ridiculous. On the battlefield, a single syllable could mean the difference between life and death.

Look how easy this is? She could cast a spell before he even changed the trajectory of his sword.

As the tip of the sword came down in a beautiful arc, blue flames erupted around it. The temperature was so intense that it seemed to lose its color.

The three monsters rushing towards him were engulfed in the heat, burning up, and the flames rose like a wall on the blade, stopping the giant beast.

Axel felt Jade behind him. No, he couldn’t help but feel her presence.

He turned his head as he crushed the bones of the remaining one approaching. The small, pale face of the magician on horseback was filled with joy.

“Wow, it actually works!”

“Hey, is that what you should be saying! I told you to go back−”

“Ha! This is fun!”

There was no time for more words. A monster was creeping up behind Jade.

“Hey!”

“Hahaha! I’m! A genius!”

His sword, always imbued with white energy, was now filled with explosive power. The force was so great that he felt his fingertips tingling uncontrollably.

The spell she had carelessly uttered was clearly only a few syllables long.

While the length of a spell wasn’t entirely proportional to its power, shorter spells tended to be more unstable, making this truly remarkable. Especially for an offensive spell that required a lot of mana.

Yes, with skills like this, she was bound to have nightmares. There would be no shortage of those who coveted her power.

Axel swung down forcefully as if tearing through the air. With that movement, the monster targeting Jade was instantly slaughtered.

The woman was surprised for a brief moment−What’s this!− but quickly regained her excitement. Before long, roaring flames engulfed his sword again. At a temperature that no reasonable amount of water could hope to challenge.

These flames were the kind that grew by consuming wind, devouring the earth, and annihilating water.

However, they didn’t harm him. As intended by his partner.

Axel gripped his sword properly.

She was too excited to listen to him anyway. She generally moved contrary to his thoughts.

No, from their first meeting, nothing had gone according to his expectations.

Even now.

In the Athanase Forest, who would have thought she’d enchant his sword with magic.

The corner of his mouth twisted into something between irritation and a smile.

I haven’t known peace since I met you. I don’t even expect it anymore.

He always did his job properly.

The tip of the sword tilted ever so slightly. That was the signal.

Unfortunately, it was very bad news for the monsters in the vicinity.

Jade, elated by the magic she had realized after so long, was hugging the neck of the black horse, her face growing increasingly bewildered.

She wasn’t good at wind attribute magic, so it was difficult for her to provide proper defense, but there was no need to.

In short, Axel fought like a demon. His movements before she used magic seemed like child’s play in comparison.

“Mimi… do you think that’s because of my help…?”

The horse, anxiously stomping its hooves on the ground, seemed to answer ‘No.’

All she had done was add destructive power or make it affect a wider area, but the blood-crazed monsters rushing at him were dying before they could even get close.

“Is that sword… much sharper than those of the knights I knew…?”

The horse again clacked its hooves. It seemed to mean ‘No’ again.

Then how are the monsters dying so easily with just one movement?

In her experience, the knights she had worked with had to struggle at least two or three times as much to barely take the lives of monsters.

Astonished, Jade shook her head to clear her thoughts and focused again on his movements. They hadn’t secured victory yet, so she couldn’t afford to be distracted.

The small creatures summoned by the largest monster were merely shields. Or meant to cling to Axel persistently to create an opening.

But from the moment Jade enchanted his sword with magic, they lost that value. The sword, engulfed in flames and heated, began to pierce through the tough hides as easily as half-melted butter. Because of this, they couldn’t even cause a moment’s hesitation.

Corpses of monsters were already lined up around them….

No matter how thoroughly knights trained their bodies physically, they were still human and had preferences. Most were stronger on one arm and not adept at using both hands simultaneously.

But Axel’s arms moved as if they had two heads, two command systems.

He would swing the longsword with his right hand, and if a monster tried to dodge and showed a weakness on the left, he would draw the middle sword from his waist with his left hand and deeply stab it into the monster’s hide.

All of this happened simultaneously. Jade had to focus on his movements without blinking an eye for her magic.

Finally, the large beast howled. It was a strange gurgle as if it couldn’t use its vocal cords properly, but it was filled with anger and very threatening. Enough to make ordinary people step back in surprise.

But Axel didn’t retreat, instead diving in deeper.

It was his habit. Giving the opponent as much distance as he took, aiming for the most vulnerable part. It was a dangerous move but also the most efficient.

The sword aimed for the part where there were traces of previous healing. And as if sensing Axel’s intention, magic once again enveloped his sword. But this time, it refrained from threatening flames and only gifted terrible heat.

Kieeeeek.

As Jade and Axel had aimed for, the wound inflicted by both magic and sword could no longer heal properly. Blood poured from the long gash.

In the moment the monster staggered from the terrible pain, Axel slashed horizontally at its massive head. The monster’s eyes were deeply cut, limiting its vision.

With its self-healing ability blocked now, the advantage had completely shifted to him.

Finally, the monster tried to flee, flailing its hind legs and revealing its tail that had been hidden in the water. Something on that tail was glowing, shimmering even in the darkness.

So that’s what it was.

What simultaneously came to Jade and Axel’s minds was something that had been glittering near the water’s edge. The thing that had lured the girl.

That part strangely caught Jade’s attention. It wasn’t just because of the light.

But before she could dwell on the sense of déjà vu, the monster seized the momentary gap and plunged into the water.

As its massive body crashed into the surface, a water bomb erupted nearby. Axel had no choice but to take the full brunt of it.

“Argh, why does the magic only work on the sword!”

Ignoring Jade’s scream from behind, Axel tried to rush into the water. He couldn’t let it escape.

“No! Just swing it! My flames will−”

Devour even the water.

Axel followed her words. His legs firmly stomped the ground for power, and the sword plunged into the blurry shadow visible beneath the water. Finally, the flames created an enormous amount of steam, shrouding the surroundings.

Jade removed her arms from around the horse’s neck and took a few steps forward. With the darkness and the steam filling the area, she couldn’t see the situation clearly.

She counted to ten in her mind. Of course, being anxious, she probably counted a bit faster.

Even so, he should have come out by now, annoyed. Could he have been dragged away?

Just as she was about to rush to the water’s edge, Jade’s arm was firmly grabbed by something.

“I told you to be scared.”

Emerging through the steam was Axel, dragging the monster’s tail.

He grabbed Jade’s arm and pulled her back with large strides. Only after moving far from the water’s edge did he release her arm, then dropped what he had been holding in his other hand at his feet.

The ground shook violently with a thud.

Glancing down, it truly was a massive creature. How many lost people had it devoured!

Of course, Axel’s strength in dragging it here was also extraordinary.

He shook his soaking wet bangs with his hand. Jade asked in bewilderment.

“You grabbed and dragged that…?”

“We need to show it to everyone so they can feel at ease. Anyway.”

Though she didn’t understand the principle, the monster’s tail was still glowing. Thanks to this, Axel’s fierce face was clearly visible.

Axel, covered in steaming blood and water, was glaring at her. Even so, the blood mark she had drawn on his cheek had dried and was still there.

Jade naturally looked sheepish. She had helped in the end, but to feel guilty after helping, what a world this was.

“Hey.”

“Yes…?”

“Didn’t we make a promise?”

At his harsh and fierce voice, Jade replied timidly.

“Well, I never actually answered…”

What flashed through Axel’s mind then was the woman who had stubbornly refused to answer when he asked her to promise.

He looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.

“You… really…”

Jade knew well what to do in this situation. First, the one with the louder voice wins!

This was a rule that applied everywhere, be it in the royal castle, her own castle, or inside the subjugation team’s tent. In her experience, it was especially true when the boundaries of fault were ambiguous.

She widened her eyes.

“But honestly, it helped, didn’t it! Even without magic, you would have managed well on your own, but you might have gotten hurt. Remember when four of them rushed at you at once, don’t you!”

Axel crossed his arms as if daring her to continue.

The muscle definition visible through his torn clothes and the fact that he was much taller made her feel a bit intimidated, but Jade stubbornly continued her argument.

“In the end, neither of us got hurt much, and it all worked out well, right? Huh? I may have many other conditions, but anyway, I also learned that I can use magic in the Athanase Forest! Where else can you find such benefits!”

But her wrist was quickly grabbed and waved in front of her face. Seeing the scab still clearly visible on her wound, Jade promptly shut her mouth again.

“Why don’t you understand how dangerous this is? You’re showing blood? Do you have any idea how delicious that must have smelled?”

“That’s the role of bait, what else could I do! Did you think such a cautious creature would just jump out? And if you know so well, why did you smear my blood on your cheek? It’s already dangerous enough, and you’re making it more dangerous! What if it tries to attack your head!”

The two glared at each other.

Of course, they must have been thinking the same thing in their minds. Why is this person so stubborn.