Jade opened her eyes wide.

“What’s this, where are you going? Why are you so busy from the morning?”

Axel put down the packed luggage on the table and said,

“I couldn’t tell you because you were completely out of it.”

“Ah, damn. That moonflower liquor must have been really strong. Somehow, I heard it was just sweet, but there was a slight bitterness at the end…. I should ask Ollie what kind of alcohol it was. Anyway, sorry. Was it troublesome to bring me inside?”

Although she apologized smoothly, pretending not to know, she felt cold sweat running down her back, not knowing what she might have said.

She hoped he wouldn’t mention the hand-rubbing. Please! If he did, it felt like even the composure she had built up would completely shatter.

Jade threw two more logs into the fireplace. The fire grew a little stronger.

Fortunately, there was only a slight clattering sound behind her, and Axel’s seemingly sarcastic voice wasn’t heard.

It seems he didn’t say much unexpectedly!

Jade was relieved. She crouched down, thinking she wanted to wash her face with warm water soon. The surroundings were warm.

“I’ll be away from home for a few days.”

But at those words that fell like lightning, she had to stand up abruptly.

“What?”

He was organizing things he might need in his leather bag without even looking at her. Come to think of it, there were winter gear and simple provisions on the table.

As if he was really going to leave home and go somewhere.

Jade mumbled blankly with a shocked face.

“Did I talk nonsense while drunk?”

Only then did Axel turn his gaze towards her. It was a very calm look.

“What are you talking about?”

“Did I do something strange yesterday while I was out of my mind? So—”

“You just dozed off alone. It’s not like that, so don’t worry about it.”

“Then why are you leaving home! Even if you came back late, you never completely left!”

Axel chuckled at Jade’s words, which sounded like a scream as she grabbed her own cheeks. His eyebrows were clearly visible due to his slightly shortened hair, though it wasn’t clear when he had cut it.

“With your eyes all puffy. Am I going through some twisted puberty? I’m leaving because I have something to do.”

“What’s that something!”

Axel took out two daggers and carefully checked the blades. The straight cross-section, without any curves, emitted a sharp light.

“I told you I went to the hunter yesterday, didn’t I? He’s not particularly strong or anything. He’s just someone who knows how to distinguish between what can be caught and what can’t, and knows the methods well.”

“But!”

“A bear appeared near the house, and it’s a violent one, so he requested help.”

Jade’s mouth fell open.

“A bear? Did you just say a bear?”

“Yes. It even came up to the house door and struck with its front paws.”

“A bear…? Really…?”

Although Jade stupidly repeated the same words, Axel patiently gave the same answer.

“Yes, a bear.”

“As if monsters weren’t enough, there are bears in the forest too…? The bear I know…? But you don’t need to take the risk….”

As her voice trembled and grew smaller at the end, Axel glanced at her. Her light-colored hair, disheveled at will, was swaying in the air like dandelion seeds.

“I’ve received a lot of help. It feels better to repay it.”

“You’re not going because they said they’d give you Lazulite if you help, right?”

She looked ready to return it immediately if that was the case. He shook his head with a faint smile.

“Of course not. Anyway, I made a good deal, and I’m going because there’s something in it for me too.”

“Then I want to go with you. It’s okay, right? I might be able to help you a bit with magic….”

Jade moved closer, but he took a step back instead and shook his head.

“There’s no need for that.”

“What?”

“It’s not a monster, just a bear. It’s not as difficult as you think. I want to go alone, so don’t worry about it.”

Wanting to go alone. Despite the mild tone, it was a direct rejection that was almost hurtful.

“That….”

She tried to say something, but her throat choked up.

It wasn’t even a bad tone. It just meant he really wanted to go alone.

Well, it’s not a monster, so there’s no need for additional magical destructive power. Besides, there were limitations to the magic she could do. It only applied to him.

Even thinking like that, she couldn’t properly hide her disappointment. The corners of her eyes and mouth slightly drooped.

Axel noticed that part too.

“Jade.”

Jade didn’t raise her head and just kicked at the floor with her toes. She was too proud to show her disappointed face. Because it made her seem too dependent on him.

What business did she have with him going to help someone he knew?

Then Axel strode over.

“I have some things to think about, so… Anyway, take this.”

His hand enveloped hers and flipped it over so her palm faced the ceiling.

It felt a bit cool compared to her body temperature, but being enveloped by its large size gave a sense of stability. Before she could properly feel that, something jingled and fell onto her hand.

A shimmering silver color. It was a key.

“I’m entrusting it to you. Take good care of it.”

He added playfully. Don’t break anything.

The silver shimmer in her palm was surprising at first, but then it made her realize how much time had passed. Everything he had cultivated in the Athanase Forest was here, and he was entrusting that key to her.

Axel trusted her. He knew Jade would take good care of his house, and that she could live alone here for a while.

Realizing this, her disappointment partially melted away, though not completely.

Jade mumbled, overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.

“I won’t… break anything.”

“I know. Animals don’t come near here, so don’t worry too much, and come home early, don’t be late. If you’re scared, go to Ollie’s house. I’ll be back within a week.”

Axel finally put the daggers in their sheaths and attached them to the harness crossing his back. When he put on a dark robe over it, it was a very fierce outfit.

“What if you don’t come back within a week?”

When Jade mumbled, Axel said while pulling his hood down low,

“Then you can really do as you please. You can come looking for me if you want. The hunter’s house is to the west, in a place even a fool could find if they keep running. But that won’t happen.”

Finally, he secured even the longsword he had leaned against the wall to his waist. Now he looked fully prepared to leave.

The large man would have undoubtedly looked more splendid than any knight outside if he had only had a brilliantly shining plate. Of course, even now he looked like a knight who had deliberately removed heavy items to run through the forest.

No matter where you put it, the essence couldn’t be hidden.

Jade handed over the gloves she had placed on the windowsill, barely parting her lips that didn’t want to separate.

“Have a safe trip. Don’t get hurt.”

He took the gloves. Unfortunately, due to the hood, only his high bridge of the nose and tightly closed lips were slightly visible.

Greetings should be made while looking into the eyes. That’s polite.

She wanted to grumble like that, but today everything felt difficult.

It was the first time she would be separated from him in this forest. A long time had made it not easy to separate Athanase Forest and Axel.

But suddenly, she was left alone here without him.

Receiving the Lazulite from him, laughing and joking around felt like it happened months ago. Even though it was just yesterday.

Axel stood still for a long time. With his eyes hidden by the hood, it was hard to know what he was thinking.

Finally, his lips parted slowly.

“…Right.”

He left without looking back. The door closed with a thud.

Jade watched him disappear through the shutters. He summoned his horse and mounted it in one breath, quickly becoming a small dot.

Only when the bare trees finally swallowed even his back view did Jade step back.

She sighed and looked around the empty house. It was warm thanks to the fireplace, but it felt somehow empty and lonely.

Even during the days we fought because of the monster, I saw this scene every morning… It’s definitely a different feeling. This is worse. There’s no hope.

Then the coldness in her hand awakened her. When she opened it, the surface of the key reflected the sunlight and sparkled.

Maximum 6 days.

Jade, who had been quietly looking at it, began to prepare to walk out with big strides.

He trusted her and left everything to her, so she had to do her job.

From that day on, Jade moved much more diligently than usual. In fact, there was no need for it at all.

Was it because she felt empty without the time spent together and wanted to immerse herself in something?

No, in fact, she might have wanted to show Axel who left her behind.

That she’s not completely dependent on him. That she can manage well on her own even if left behind. Or maybe she wanted to show that she really was a trustworthy person.

Or well, maybe all those feelings were mixed together.

When she woke up in the morning, she first checked the fireplace.

She put her head in to check if the fire hadn’t gone out, if anything was blocked, and then cleaned up the scattered ashes around. Then she checked the pot hanging above it.

The magic potion pot hanging on the fireplace was always boiling. Now, the various magic potions she had made could adequately treat the very miscellaneous diseases that inevitably occur as people live.

These days, she was making a potion that was good for patients who were lacking blood.

The ingredients were simple, but the method of making it was tricky, so she had to run over every couple of hours to adjust the intensity of the fire. It would be quite useful for the forest people who often get injured.

After checking the pot like this, it was time to cook.

Jade did her best to show that ‘you might have had a hard time, but I, whom you abandoned, ate well and lived comfortably’ when Axel returned.

Strangely, it was difficult to control the portions, so it often ended up being enough for several people.

If there was time left, she did what she wanted to do as usual. Collecting plants that only appear in winter and carefully marking them on the crude map she had drawn herself. It was to be hung on the wall like a territory mark.

These days, one more thing was added to this, which was experimenting with various things using the Lazulite.

The Lazulite with its sparkling blue dots inevitably reminded her of Axel, so Jade sometimes felt dejected while experimenting.

On the third day of living like that, doing her best alone even though no one asked her to.

As soon as Jade woke up, she drew another line on the small wooden piece on the table. Now, if she drew just four more, she was planning to go to the hunter’s house on her own.

Jade, resting her chin on her hand and enjoying a moment of blankness, slowly made plans in her head.

Today, I should sweep the snow piled up on the way to Ollie’s house and pick the tree fruits I saw last time. Last night was extremely cold, so they must have frozen completely and become much sweeter.

Then an unexpected sound was heard. The sound of someone knocking on the door.

Jade, surprised enough to lose her breath, stood up abruptly. Her heart pounded.