“I will consider it.”

“Thank you. But please tie the hat strings tightly.”

Emmett slowed his horse and tactfully distanced himself. It was consideration for Jade, who might feel burdened.

“Um, what did the knight, huff, say?”

Rigel, who had finally ridden back to Jade’s side, asked while panting. Jade gave him a pitying look.

“When will you learn to ride well?”

“Huff, when you, wheeze, make it rain, Lady Jade.”

It meant he would never do so in his lifetime, as Jade had no talent for water magic. Jade smiled brightly and sent Rigel’s horse away again.

Ugh, it’s still cold even with the magic stone. Well, magic stones can’t warm the tip of your nose, fingers, and toes.

Jade exhaled a white breath and used her teeth to pull her glove strings, fastening them more tightly to block the wind.

Just then, Axel riding in front raised his hand lightly. All members slowly reduced their horses’ speed.

“We’ll take a short break. We’ve now fully entered the border area, so it wouldn’t be surprising to encounter monsters anytime. Be thoroughly prepared.”

People dismounted and replenished their energy by drinking water or eating small snacks. Jade quickly ran to the supply wagon and pulled out a thick, warm cloak. As soon as she wrapped it around herself, warmth spread.

Wow, I’m glad we stopped at just the right time.

As she readjusted her clothes, Jade glanced towards Axel. He was surveying the surroundings with an expressionless face while talking to Ives Greer.

For a moment their eyes seemed to meet as his gaze shifted, but Jade thought it was an illusion due to the distance and turned away, running to her friendly mage to share some snacks.

The border between the Kingdom of El Sion and the Kingdom of Jisen was mostly unremarkable. The two countries, which had been friendly for a long time, thought it better to utilize nature rather than waste money building unnecessarily large barriers.

So one of the things decided was a large river. The Rhine George River.

But as monsters began to overrun the Kingdom of Jisen, lords who had settled on the border felt uneasy. There were cases where their subjects became confused and tried to abandon their farmland and leave.

So they obtained the king’s permission to build defensive walls for safety, like where the subjugation force was now facing.

As soon as the Earl of Milburn, who ruled Milburn, granted permission to pass through the castle gate, they passed through and faced the Rhine George River.

“Wow.”

“Though the situation isn’t good… it’s magnificent.”

Jade also nodded with wide eyes.

The Rhine George River was famous for its fierce currents. The water was so strong that it sometimes didn’t freeze properly even in the northern winters. As a result, it gradually became deeper and wider, and there were stories that even a decent-sized castle could fit in it now.

Above it was a huge bridge. It was created a hundred years ago as a collaboration between famous architects and magicians to celebrate the long-standing exchange between the Kingdom of El Sion and the Kingdom of Jisen. The contrast between its artificial shape forming a perfect arch and the ruggedness of nature created a strange feeling.

“Won’t that collapse if we bring all the horses and luggage up?”

“How could such a huge bridge do that?”

“But the weight would be enormous, right?”

As someone expressed doubt, the Earl of Milburn, who had come out to greet them, burst into laughter. His empty sleeve on one side fluttered in the wind.

“Though it’s temporarily blocked now because of monsters, in the past countless mules and people used to travel around selling goods with loads as big as houses. But it never budged, so don’t worry.”

Axel greeted the Earl of Milburn, who wore a smile full of goodwill.

“I’m relieved that you generously offered to help with the supply issue. I’ll convey our gratitude to His Majesty as well.”

“Spring and summer are important times for farmers. If the subjugation force pushes back the monsters in advance, I won’t have to conscript farmers as soldiers, which will be a great help to the domain. So this much is far too little.”

The Earl of Milburn stepped closer and whispered.

“Now that I don’t have an arm to fight alongside you, shouldn’t I at least do this much?”

Axel chuckled.

“You still have your left arm.”

“It’s not enough yet. But if you could stop by the training grounds on your way back, I’d be grateful. That light that doesn’t even need a mage would still be the same, right?”

The Earl of Milburn stepped back, and Axel gestured. The subjugation force began to move onto the bridge.

“Has the Kingdom of Jisen side already granted permission to pass?”

“I heard it was agreed upon, but…”

Ives Greer, who had been listening to people’s conversations nearby, chimed in.

“It seems the situation was really bad, so they readily accepted help. In fact, they had no choice, as the lords near the border said they couldn’t even properly communicate with the King of Jisen.”

“Well, he fled alone without even issuing an evacuation order.”

Someone clicked their tongue.

“Our Majesty didn’t back down even when faced with beheading.”

“Do you have inside information? Weren’t you not yet inherited your family title at that time, My Lord? Isn’t all talk related to the throne struggle strictly forbidden?”

“Well, it’s just a rumor, you know.”

Jade looked up at the sky while listening to people’s conversations. The sun had already tilted quite a bit.

We’ll have to set up camp within a few hours, I wonder where we’ll stay.

On the Kingdom of Jisen side, there were no separate walls, just a few small watchtowers scattered sparsely. The subjugation force was wary of possible attacks, but there was no signal at all, as if they were empty.

It was an open field. Since no one would leave such a wide area unsown, it was right to think there were no people to manage it. Most of the houses visible in the distance had traces of being burnt black.

Everyone thought they would ride to somewhere with remaining civilian houses, but Axel raised his hand not long after.

The sun hadn’t set yet, so monsters weren’t properly visible. This was natural, as most monsters were nocturnal. The subjugation force waited for the commander-in-chief’s decision.

Axel took a few knights and circled the area widely before returning.

“We’ll set up camp here.”

“Here, you say?”

Someone looked around in bewilderment.

The place Axel chose wasn’t flat ground, and no villages or cities where people lived were visible nearby. Only a faint fortress could be seen in the distance if you squinted your eyes.

The bumpy ground was obviously uncomfortable to stay on, and the nearby rocky mountain blocked the view, making it somehow uneasy.

But Axel didn’t offer any kind explanations.

“I need to see once.”

That was all. Since it was the commander-in-chief’s words, everyone just nodded and started setting up tents and building fortifications. They were all tired from moving all day without a single battle. They wanted to rest rather than ask questions or argue.

“Should we unpack everything completely?”

“No, we won’t stay long, so just moderately.”

The command staff couldn’t designate places, but everyone received individual tents. Jade roughly threw her luggage inside and came out.

“Jade.”

“Ah, Blake!”

Blake was a mage with red curly hair, a woman with a powerful advantage in earth-attribute healing magic. They became acquainted when she treated Jade after she got injured due to poor coordination with a knight that day.

“I wanted to greet you since yesterday, but there was no chance at all.”

“I’m sure. How busy were you with that knight you liked? Did you even see me?”

Jade couldn’t help but curse. Blake burst into laughter.

“You’re at that age too. Don’t be shy.”

“It wasn’t like that! You just saw wrong. How many people do you have to tell about this!”

“Your intense reaction like that keeps us going. It’s so fun.”

As Jade was about to go back into the tent, fuming, Blake quickly grabbed her by the nape of her neck.

“I’ll stop teasing now, don’t go! You fell in the Athanase Forest, right? You have to tell me about that.”

The two started walking arm in arm, circling widely around the camp. Walking was an effective remedy as their buttocks were sore and painful from riding horses all day.

“You say there are that many potion ingredients?”

“I’m telling you. It wasn’t as much as the Florensio Forest, but it was amazing. I’ve never seen Tilbury trees lined up like that before!”

Blake sighed deeply. As a master of healing magic, she was very interested in potions, so she was easily captivated by such stories.

“The more I study, the more I feel that healing with just spells is lacking in many ways. There was a time when I arrogantly thought that was everything, but… Anyway, Jade, have you chosen your pair knight?”

“Not yet. There are too many unfamiliar people, so I’m not sure.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to choose quickly? You always get injured when you don’t match well.”

Jade sighed. It was a few years ago, but there was an incident where a knight obsessed with performance pushed into an area with too many monsters, causing Jade to overexert herself.

In the end, Jade fainted not long after due to excessive mana consumption.

The knight she was temporarily paired with turned pale and apologized several times, but she never worked with that knight again.

“There was a rumor that you’re looking for a fiancé, why didn’t you bring one of those people? They were all knights, right? It would have helped in understanding their personalities too.”

“I ran away to the subjugation force because it was burdensome, and you’re telling me to bring them to the subjugation force? That’s the worst.”

“You’re still the same. I heard Henk Melling was the most promising. Is that right?”

Where on earth did such accurate rumors come from? Jade asked back with an astonished face.

“Where did you hear that from?”

“You know how interested I am in these things. Anyway, isn’t Henk Melling a knight too? Why didn’t he participate in this subjugation force? It would have been romantic if he said he came to be your pair.”

Jade scratched her cheek with an indifferent face.

“Well, maybe he was trying to be faithful to the role of a shy suitor. To give you a flower necklace when you return…?”

The members of the subjugation force were diverse. From renowned nobles to knights who received titles from the king but had no territory, commoner mages belonging to the mage guild, and famous mercenaries.

To prevent conflicts as different classes mixed, the subjugation force tried to distribute the same items as equally as possible.

The command staff was taken care of a little more, but there weren’t many big privileges. They rather had to move more and roll around more.

So, the commander-in-chief’s tent was indistinguishable from the outside.

Thanks to this, at the part about the flower necklace, Jade’s eyes met Axel’s as he was coming out of the tent right in front. Due to his tall height, he was in a posture of lifting the cloth with his arm and slightly bending his waist, which made their eye levels match perfectly.

It might have been her imagination, but his gaze somehow felt chilly. Jade inhaled at the wrong beat and choked severely.