Jade blinked her eyes.

“I received help from people living in the forest. Since it was a place where magic didn’t work, I tried hard not to get kicked out by fetching water and picking fruits diligently…”

As the pleasant stories were only her precious memories, Jade shared the depression she felt every time she used firewood.

The story of the fire mage who could raise a barrier of fire with a single cheerful spell, now crouching down cautiously to use firewood. The initial hardships seemed endless.

Finally, the king burst into hearty laughter.

“My goodness, you must have had a hard time.”

“Not at all. In fact, I learned more.”

“Haha. Is that so? I’m glad it wasn’t a meaningless time. By the way, who was it that helped you?”

What kind of answer does he want? Jade thought she couldn’t understand the king’s intention at all. Would he even know if I told him who?

So she scratched her cheek and gave an answer.

“A handsome man with a good body.”

There was no better way to describe Axel.

She thought he would just laugh or tilt his head, but the king unexpectedly brightened his eyes. His blue eyes shone so brightly that Jade almost stepped back in surprise.

But just as he leaned forward on the throne and opened his mouth, a servant standing outside rushed in and whispered something in the king’s ear. The whispering continued for a long time.

Jade stood with proper posture, trying her best not to listen to their conversation.

“Ah, Summer Mage. It’s really a shame, but I have to let you go. Let’s continue this story next time. It seems like it will be very interesting. Especially about that handsome man with a good body.”

Seeing him sigh and express regret, it seemed the king really liked her story. Jade quickly fled after leaving only a greeting.

“Why ask about such things.”

Does the king also like handsome men with good bodies?

Well, of course he would. Who wouldn’t like such people?

Having come to her own conclusion, Jade walked down the corridor, thinking thoughts that would make the king burst into laughter if he heard them. She tried to focus solely on walking down the corridor without distractions. If she let her mind wander this time, she felt she might really run off to the Athanase Forest.

She wondered if homesickness was always this severe. In fact, since the Athanase Forest wasn’t even her hometown, it was ridiculous to ask anyone about it.

Still, she decided to endure, thinking it would get better with time. That was the only solution she could think of as someone who belonged to the outside.

Ollie looked at the sky once and herded the chickens into the pen. But a small hen tried to escape between her legs.

“These rascals. It looks like it’s going to rain, so hurry up and get inside.”

The old woman was originally the type to talk a lot to animals, so it wasn’t a strange sight. However, it felt a little lonely without someone who would always respond at this time of day.

If that little mage had been here, she would have immediately chased after that hen’s rear end, making the forest noisy.

People are really amazing. How can they get used to things so easily?

Even though they hadn’t been together all the time, if Ollie felt this way, Axel must feel even more empty, she thought.

“Well, that’s why…”

That’s why he keeps going out. Ollie clicked her tongue.

Despite there not being much to do in the weather that hadn’t fully cleared yet, these days Axel was hardly ever at home.

When Ollie occasionally worried about him not coming around at all and went to visit with a few warm eggs, trotting along, Axel’s house was tightly shut up to the shutters.

The other day, she caught a glimpse of his back as he rode away on a horse, and it looked for all the world like he was going hunting. Though she had no idea what he was trying to catch.

Could he have left the house again today? If this is another wasted trip, it’ll be the fifth time already. This young rascal is really giving this old woman a hard time.

Ollie draped a thick shawl over her shoulders, put a little warm stew on a plate, and slowly walked along the path. Fortunately, the snow had completely melted now, so there were no slippery spots.

Ollie smiled a little, remembering Jade who had worried about the old woman’s back and knees while clearing the snow piled on the path.

It didn’t take long to reach the house, and thankfully there were signs of life. Ollie knocked on the door and then rudely flung it open without waiting for a response.

And she encountered a horrific sight.

“Oh my goodness!”

“What is it.”

“What is it? That’s my line! You, you, have I seen a madman!”

As she burst out yelling, Axel folded a cloth with a tired face. That cloth was soaked with blood that had startled Ollie, and blood was still flowing from his waist, revealed by his discarded upper garment.

“What on earth have you been doing out there! Let me see.”

“It’s fine. The surface wound is small.”

“Then that means it’s quite deep! Can’t you stop saying stupid things?”

Ollie glared at Axel, who looked utterly pathetic, and rummaged through the cupboard.

Although she had to use a chair to reach the high places, fortunately the disinfectant and wound treatment medicine that Jade had made were still there.

“If you just leave it−”

“What. You don’t want to use it because it reminds you of the mage girl? If that thought is correct, I’ll rank you as the most pathetic guy in my life.”

At that, Axel snatched the medicine bottles from Ollie’s hands and poured them mercilessly over his wound. Despite the bubbling foam that must have caused severe pain, no particular emotion appeared on his face.

The old woman, like a typical mage of the past, had no expertise in magical potions, but she knew that the healing medicine made by Jade was effective and reliable.

Relieved of her worry, Ollie finally looked around the house and let out a truly long sigh.

No wonder it felt cold.

“How long… have you left the house empty? How can you keep the fire out all this time? The walls will be ruined in no time if it gets damp.”

“Ah… I was going to mention that.”

Axel rubbed his cheek with a listless attitude and handed Ollie a key.

“If it’s alright, could you check on it occasionally?”

“With this old body? Have you finally gone mad? You should be answering that you’ll take good care of it yourself, you fool!”

Looking at the rejected key, Axel sighed. He cradled the key in his hand again and rubbed near his eyebrow with the back of his hand.

“Are you hunting monsters or something? Was it a really big one?”

“Not really. It was on the small side.”

“And you got hurt? How could you get hurt by such creatures with your skills? You’ve really lost your mind completely.”

After putting a cloth on the wound and putting his clothes back on, he nodded obediently.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Because of what?”

It was a question with intent.

Ollie had known Axel for a very long time, so she didn’t want him to rot away here. His abilities were of a very precious kind, a power that would be welcomed anywhere.

Nevertheless, Axel chose to bury himself here. He didn’t want to create any noise for the sake of his younger sibling.

Having seen Axel, who was sick of the overall situation and people at that time, Ollie understood, but she still thought it was a waste.

It wasn’t just about his abilities. His life itself was regrettable.

He was burying the time when he should be most vibrant, striving for something, in darkness.

Since someone like Axel was the type of person who would shine brightly even if born at the bottom, she even thought it might have been better if he hadn’t been of noble blood.

While continuing her research on the Athanase Forest, Ollie recommended several times.

‘I’ll speak to the outside for you. Don’t stay here.’

‘Why? This place has its own charm.’

‘What are you saying with those eyes that scream boredom? If you like this place, come back when you’re over fifty!’

However, Axel would only silently shake his head.

But one day, a mage who fell from the sky began to break through his tranquility.

At first, it was awkward, but the mage was clearly a mage. Even in the Athanase Forest where spells couldn’t be used, the essence didn’t change, so that mage seemed to have the ability to change something.

Ollie could tell. At some point, Axel’s crooked smile in front of Jade was no longer just about enduring and tolerating, but had become genuine.

The fact that even the old woman’s eyes, which weren’t as clear as before due to age, could see this was incredibly encouraging.

Especially that Axel, who used to act like a severe germaphobe when it came to emotions between the sexes, was smiling like that at a woman!

If those feelings had reached the point of wanting to possess, he couldn’t possibly want to stay in a place like this. Such a person should be called a saint rather than a knight, and Axel was definitely not close to being a saint.

So now, she had a small hope. Had that foolish man realized why he was staggering?

“Well. I guess it’s because there’s nothing to do in winter.”

As expected, he didn’t take the bait. Did he know his own feelings or not?

Ollie tightened her lips with a displeased face. As a result, wrinkles formed around her mouth.

“You’re really a boring fellow. In my long life, I’ve never met someone like you.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Axel slowly organized the medicine bottles.

He carefully wiped off the liquid on the mouth of the bottle, and delicately turned the cap with his large hands to close it. After staring at it for a while, he lifted it and put it back in the cupboard.

Judging by that series of movements, regret was overflowing. Ollie sighed again.

“What on earth are you doing here?”

Most of the content that made up the sentence was omitted, but Axel understood. He chuckled.

“I wonder.”

His deeply sunken voice sounded as dark as the shadow of a tree branch swaying in the winter wind.

Blood-stained cloth, the sword thrown aside unlike usual, the cold interior of the house.

Yet you’re still staying here.

She was certain that someone was needed to push Axel’s back. But that someone wasn’t here. They were clearly outside.

Ollie returned to her house and opened a dusty box tucked away in a corner.