Involuntarily, a hesitant voice came out.

“Um… I…”

Axel spoke indifferently without sparing a glance.

“How close you are. I’ll keep it a secret, so just run along.”

His gaze remained fixed on the ground still shrouded in darkness. Jade tightly shut her mouth, feeling like she might cough.

She had no idea what was going on, but she felt like she had been caught secretly cheating on her husband. Of course, she neither had a husband nor had ever cheated, so it was just a vague feeling, but that’s how it was anyway.

Jade was in a dilemma about whether or not to tighten the still loose glove straps.

Jenerson whispered quietly beside her.

“Should we keep this a secret too?”

“…What?”

“That Lord Leon seems to be in a bad mood?”

She turned her head sideways to check again, but he just looked cold and composed.

From his furrowed brow bone to his straight nose bridge, the cool lines falling today seemed particularly deep. There was not a single tremor. She couldn’t understand at all what Jenerson saw that made him think his mood was bad.

Looking at that sight, she suddenly felt upset.

Jade got jealous even when he had work-related conversations with Lord Grace, but he wasn’t like that. Rationally, she told herself it was natural since the weight of their feelings was different, but emotionally, she felt hurt. Foolishly so.

After sniffling once, she pulled herself together. This wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

Of course, there was someone she needed to correct first.

“Lord Jenerson, when we return to Rund Castle, there’s a magician named Blake…”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you try getting close to him?”

Seeing how you imagine nonexistent emotions, I think you two would get along well. You like romance novel collections, don’t you?

Leaving those harsh words behind, Jade increased her speed to move away from the surrounding knights. Jenerson’s giggling laughter faded away, seemingly unaffected.

What Axel said he would use in the conference room was magic stones.

Magic stones were one of the essentials included in military supplies, not just useful for luxurious conveniences in daily life.

A good example was that when two magic stones engraved with fire and wind were used together, they could explode with great force, making them useful for digging mines.

The direction Axel wanted was similar. Since both the entrance and exit of the tunnel were confirmed, he wanted to throw magic stones inside to damage the monsters first.

Even if they survived, the movements of those coming out would be defenseless, which would be advantageous for the subjugation team.

It wasn’t a bad idea. No matter how well the monsters were covered with hides that resisted external magic, they would be wounded by the strong force hitting continuously. That was how Jade used magic offensively as well.

“Can’t we do it during the day?”

“It’s underground. There will definitely be survivors. We need to completely clear out that cave this time.”

The magicians distributed magic stones among themselves, each holding several in their arms.

“This is a new experience. Throwing magic stones.”

“I wonder if I can throw it well into the entrance…”

Someone spoke in a tone of complete disbelief in themselves. Jade laughed, coughing.

“You can’t do it even throwing from right in front? Of course…”

But as she spoke, her confidence dropped. Jade also started tilting her head.

“Maybe we can’t…?”

“It should be possible unless you’re a fool. Are you all fools?”

Despite Rigel’s mean tone, the magicians weren’t hurt at all.

They were just busy murmuring and trying to throw stones on the ground. Having only wielded pens before, they were completely unskilled at throwing anything.

“If we fail, will it explode outside?”

“It’s not a confined space, so it won’t explode. Just some wind might blow.”

“Oh… it’ll be cold then…”

“With flames shooting up next to it, it might be hot.”

“Oh my…”

Belita said, pulling on her prettily curled hair.

“Yeah, it’s nice to see everyone so carefree. I hope we can meet like this again in a little while.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that. It causes problems instead.”

Someone claimed they had seen such a scene in a novel. Then everyone poked Belita in the side, telling her to take back her words. Belita finally changed her sentence a little.

“Okay, I get it, I get it! Let’s meet like this again in a little while!”

While the magicians were having this silly conversation, the knights approached. They gathered near the people they were supposed to be with and stood straight. Finally, the buzzing surroundings grew quiet.

“You all know what you need to do.”

With Axel’s low words as the last, everyone tied up their horses and began to move in their pre-assigned groups.

The target was the empty houses in the distance with their roofs blown off. More specifically, all the entrances to the tunnel beneath them. The plan was to block every single escape route for the monsters without exception.

Jade moved first. As she walked with soft steps, soon heavy footsteps followed. Glancing up, she saw the man still composed of quiet lines.

It was natural that she was assigned to the same group as Axel. After all, they were temporary partners.

Looking back, there were only five knights, one magician, and nine mercenaries walking at a distance. The spear-wielding soldiers exceeded double digits but still weren’t many. They all looked very tense.

Jade became worried.

“Is this all we have on this side?”

A calm voice responded.

“We pushed them to the other side.”

“Why?”

Axel frowned strangely.

“Because of you, my lady.”

“Why is it suddenly my fault?”

He looked at the people walking far away and lowered his head to whisper.

“Lord Ives insisted that this group doesn’t need many people since you can even attack. He asked for more people on the other side.”

“Then you should have said no, why is that my fault?”

You’re the commander-in-chief. You should have brought people efficiently.

As Jade grumbled, Axel chuckled. It was still enchantingly charming, but she had gotten used to it. His eyes softening at the corners, his lips curving. There was no trace of the coldness she had seen earlier.

That smile instantly erased the distance and hurt she had felt earlier, making her dizzy.

The emotional waves she experienced daily were too extreme, so she wondered if she had caught a cold? She would soar to the skies at the small kindness he showed, then crash to the ground when he looked away for a moment.

Realizing this, she suddenly became scared.

Is this okay? No, it’s not, right? What will I go through later if we grow apart again, if we can’t meet?

Unaware of Jade’s anxious thoughts, Axel still looked calm.

“But it seemed balanced. I’ve learned your skills well over the past few days. Still, I’m a bit worried.”

“I know. Everyone looks tense.”

“No.”

That wasn’t the worry. Axel was about to lightly touch Jade’s flushed cheeks but, fearing the cold from his gauntleted hand, he just brushed back a few strands of her hair as if tidying them.

At that movement, round purple eyes looked up at him in surprise. The tips of her upturned eyelashes trembled for some reason.

Axel thought it looked like the fluttering of butterfly wings. A fragile trembling. The warmth spreading beneath.

So he became even angrier at himself. Thinking of the person who gave her those annoyingly thick gloves made him displeased that she was wearing them willingly, but at the same time, he should be grateful that they were keeping her warm. He had nothing he could give her.

A knight’s armor was close to metal, more likely to take away warmth from someone than give it. The sword was the same. It only took things away.

Even his long cloak was only useful on his own body; if moved to Jade’s body, it would become a dragging burden.

He apologized, feeling like a confessing prisoner.

“You look unwell. I’m sorry. For pushing you too hard.”

A low voice consumed by worry. An intense gaze falling heavily.

Jade quickly turned her head. Her cheeks, already slightly red in a rustic way, must have been completely flushed now. No, even the tips of her ears were burning hot.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. No, this can’t be. There’s no hope for this relationship. Get a grip, Jade Broen. He’s just your friend! He’s simply worried!

Words she couldn’t properly organize came out stuttering along with coughs.

“Th-that, well, cough, it’s nothing. I-I just did what needed to be done.”

“No. I deliberately moved more often. So it is my fault.”

Deliberately? Not me, but why you?

Reflexively, she was about to blurt out the question “why” but clenched her teeth and held it back. There was nothing good to know.

“So tell me if you’re in pain.”

“Yes, if it’s your fault, what. What are you going to do about it?”

“I’ll do everything.”

While they whispered to each other quietly, conscious of others’ gazes, a dark shape had suddenly approached before their eyes.

They stopped walking. Others also stood still as if nailed to the spot.

In a low voice, she cast a spell. Flames flickered in the air, driving away darkness and shadows from around them.

“This is it.”

A young knight who had walked with them muttered in a worried voice.

A place where the eastern wall had collapsed. A place with only a tall, skinny tree beside it, without any fence. It was certainly the house marked on the map Belita had drawn.

“Ax- no, Lord Leon.”

His gaze left Jade. His large hand firmly gripped the scabbard.

As if that was a signal, all the people who came together stood at an appropriate distance from that house. The wind blowing around them was chilly.

Looking closely, a large hole dug in the ground could be seen through the gap in the collapsed wall. The entrance part was well-smoothed by friction, as if something had frequently moved around.

Axel gave a hand signal. Wait.

They had to wait for the people who went to other passages to get in position. Everything had to happen simultaneously. That was the safest way. Jade withdrew the flames.

The surroundings were plunged into complete darkness. It was a night with a thin moon and only starlight remaining.

As the continuing unfamiliar darkness began to feel frightening, Axel quietly pulled her behind him. It seemed he intended to block the wind. Realizing his presence again, her heart felt better.

After a long silence, finally, a faint light flickered somewhere in the distance.