“Ugh, cough!”

“Ah, hello. I believe this is our first time meeting. I’m Blake Roman.”

Blake greeted Axel with a slight smile. Axel simply nodded in response.

“Leon Vaintz. Sorry to interrupt your pleasant conversation.”

Somehow the word ‘pleasant’ seemed overly emphasized, but only Jade seemed to notice. Blake just smiled casually.

In fact, Blake had already sensed a very peculiar atmosphere.

Born as the second child in a family that was neither famous nor wealthy, he had to be quick-witted to survive. Even just choosing a doll could cause an uproar in the household.

As soon as they exited the tent, the commander-in-chief glanced at Jade, and even after exchanging greetings, he oddly didn’t move away, while Jade was still coughing violently.

What were they talking about again? Ah, right. They were discussing Jade’s pair and suitor.

A cheerful smile involuntarily formed on Blake’s lips. He couldn’t miss an opportunity like this.

Blake looked up at the man who was undoubtedly one of the most handsome in her life and spoke kindly.

“Interruption? Not at all. Ah, would you like to walk together? It’s not bad for members of the subjugation team to build relationships. Especially since we mainly operated on the western border, so we haven’t met before.”

Jade jerked her head up and shook it vigorously, but Axel and Blake ignored her simultaneously.

“Why not. We’re heading to where the weapons are gathered anyway.”

She couldn’t even escape by squeezing between them. Jade started walking with a death-like expression, dragging her feet between the two men who were taller than her.

“Where did you operate in the past?”

“Well, it’s better to say the north.”

“I thought so. You must have been a very famous knight?”

“You probably haven’t heard of me, so there’s no need to flatter me like that. I heard you’re a famous healing mage in this subjugation team, is that right?”

Blake smiled brightly.

“I do oversee the healing mages. Though there aren’t many of us. But Jade Broen here also has some knowledge in potions.”

Jade wanted to shout not to talk about her. But it was too late. Axel’s gaze descended upon Jade.

“Is that so?”

Her voice came out gloomy involuntarily.

“…I’m nothing compared to Blake.”

As if finding it amusing, Blake let out an artificial laugh and hit Jade’s shoulder.

“Oh my, our Jade is being modest again.”

“Why is your voice so coquettish…?”

“What are you talking about? I always speak like this.”

When Jade gave him a disbelieving look, Blake put strength into his eyes. It meant don’t ruin the fun.

“How did you two become acquainted?”

Axel seemed to be asking Jade, but she was blankly staring into space with her mouth tightly shut. Instead, Blake cheerfully chattered away.

“We met in the subjugation team. Jade was seriously injured when she formed a temporary pair with an incompatible knight.”

At that moment, Jade recalled the past when she had drunkenly told Axel, “I think we match quite well.” Her face turned bright red with shame.

This is driving me crazy, I talked to Axel a lot more than I thought! Did he notice that I liked him before I did?

While Jade wanted to tear her hair out and hung her head low, Axel was looking down at her.

He was also recalling the same day. She had said it was “the first pair she chose because she wanted to.”

After mulling over her words, Axel slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s important for pairs to match well. Depending on whether defense or offense is prioritized, the tasks differ.”

“As a healing mage, I don’t know much, but it seems that way. Ah, Sir Leon, do you have a mage pair?”

Jade felt her ears perk up involuntarily and was mortified. To have such a reaction even after experiencing all this shame!

But emotions can’t be erased or eliminated in just a moment, so it couldn’t be helped.

Fortunately, Axel simply shook his head.

“I don’t have a separate pair mage.”

“Not even temporarily?”

“Not even temporarily.”

Blake made a fuss.

“But forming a pair is much safer, isn’t it? You should look around carefully. There must be someone suitable somewhere!”

Axel glanced at Jade again, but for some reason, she had her head bowed low, so he couldn’t meet her eyes.

He was curious. Did she also recall the day they fought together?

The position he was forced to take due to the king’s stubbornness was none other than commander-in-chief. And it was the largest group among the subjugation teams that had existed for years.

So he could choose his pair as he pleased right now. Even if that Emmett or whoever had promised to form a temporary pair with her, it didn’t matter.

It wouldn’t look strange if he chose Jade Broen. She seemed to be classified as a mage with a unusually strong offensive tendency, so she would match well with him.

No, they had matched well. Because they had similar mindsets of wanting to kill it instead of taking time to defend.

But he didn’t want to be that blatant yet. Because Jade Broen seemed to have forgotten about him and was doing just fine as soon as she left the forest.

A suitor, he couldn’t help but laugh mockingly. He felt like a fool for being lured out of the forest by the king.

After walking in silence for a while, he advised in the most monotonous tone possible.

“A knight skilled in both offense and defense or a very offensive knight would suit you well. After all, Lady Jade seems to have a talent for adding offensive power. By the way, Sir Jennerson is like that. He doesn’t have a pair, so it wouldn’t be bad to try matching with him.”

“Oh my, how did you know Jade was offensive?”

Ignoring Blake who was speaking nasally, Axel walked away to where the weapons were stored. After confirming that he was far away, Blake patted Jade’s back repeatedly.

“Ouch…!”

“You know each other, right? You know Sir Leon, right!”

Jade frowned and denied it.

That was the only pride she had left. Until he first acknowledged her in public, she would keep denying him!

“How many times do I have to tell you it’s not true?”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m telling you it’s true! Why are you like this when Sir Leon barely even spoke to me?”

Blake widened his eyes and pointed a finger at her face.

“Your eyes are speaking instead of your mouth!”

Ah, now she remembered. Blake had once bought a whole bookshelf full of romance novels. Whenever he went to parties, he would gather rumors about someone’s love life and smile contentedly.

Jade sighed heavily and quickly started running in a different direction.

This wasn’t the time. It would be better to confirm a temporary pair before it got completely dark. There must be a reason why they set up camp here.

“Where are you going!”

Blake shouted from behind, but she ignored him. It didn’t matter anyway since Commander Leon seemed unlikely to form a pair with anyone.

Recommending Sir Jennerson? Don’t be ridiculous.

The process of forming a pair was also called binding souls, so it required a very complicated and terrifying step that involved blood, but temporary pairs were not like that. A simple spell was enough.

In fact, knights could be helped even without forming pairs, but it was better to form even a temporary pair. Because the efficiency improved, even if only slightly.

I wonder who created such a spell. Was that person also a mage who disliked forming pairs like me?

Jade, who had formed a temporary pair with Emmett who had approached her first, was standing watching the setting sun while thinking such thoughts. The surroundings were filled with the smell of food, but she didn’t have much appetite and barely ate.

“Lady Jade.”

Rigel, wrapped tightly in a fur cloak, was walking over. His thin cheeks were pale from the cold.

Jade glanced at him and then looked away, responding indifferently.

“What.”

“Have you found a pair?”

“Of course. What about you?”

“As always, with a knight from my subordinate family.”

A familiar face came to mind. A man who looked sturdy, particularly broad sideways. Was his name Arthur?

He was a knight who always carried a shield, and since Rigel had a defensive aspect, they seemed to match well.

Then a question arose.

“Why don’t you look for a pair?”

Rigel was the head of the Hias family. Although Jade ignored him, he had inherited everything from the family with the full support of the older generation.

The reason for his lack of interest in war was probably because his life had flowed too perfectly. He didn’t need to pay attention to conflicts.

Then finding a partner would probably follow the same flow. Usually, nobles would exchange engagement talks as early as seventeen or at the latest nineteen, and make marriage vows after turning twenty.

But she had never heard any news of Rigel’s engagement.

Rigel puffed out his lips sulkily.

“I… don’t match well with knights.”

“How can that be? You just need to find someone who matches you.”

“No. We just don’t match.”

Jade recalled Bernard, Mori, and others who used to nag her. They must have felt this stuffy, as if their insides were completely blocked.

“Is there really a need to have a knight as a companion?”

“If not a knight, the magic to form a pair won’t work.”

“No, I mean a companion. Someone to spend a lifetime with…”

Rigel’s voice trailed off.