Oh no. Just as Jade was about to lower her gaze back to the ground, he reached out to stop the movement.

“Don’t do that. Is there something bothering you?”

“No. Do I have any reason to be angry at Lord Leon?”

When she had to leave the Athanase Forest in a hurry without being able to properly say goodbye, the aftereffects had been severe.

During the day, whenever she had a moment, she would wander around the garden alone and think of Axel, and at night, she would open the window, count the stars, and think of Axel.

The days of realizing the parting as soon as she acknowledged her feelings were truly painful.

This time would be no different. She was certain that she would think of Axel just by seeing someone’s scabbard, and she would think of Axel every time she ignited a flame with a spell. The moment she saw a marriage proposal from someone, she might not be able to bear the depression.

So practice, the practice of keeping a distance was the only way to survive. If she kept going, she would be somewhat adapted by the time she crossed the border to return. Because even giving up would get better the more she did it.

But even to her ears, the current tone was too stiff. It was as if she had built an insurmountable cliff between them, not trying to slowly take one or two steps back.

Just yesterday, they had fought monsters back-to-back together, and on the way back, he had carried her in his arms when she fainted, so from Axel’s perspective, it would be absurd as if he had been hit for no reason all of a sudden. It would be even more so because he would think they were friends.

Realizing that, Jade tried to find a way to handle the situation, but her tongue wouldn’t move eloquently at all. Words just swirled around in her mouth.

In the meantime, Axel’s eyes, staring intently at her, gradually furrowed. Jade cleared her throat and stammered to open her mouth.

“Ahem, really…”

“I didn’t tell them.”

What does that mean? Unable to understand the sudden denial, she just blinked, and Axel hastily continued.

“I had no intention of telling. They were making a fuss among themselves and came to find me, but since you were sick, I was at a loss…”

I have no idea what he’s saying.

“No, I don’t understand what you’re saying…”

“I asked them to let you know first… Were you angry that I didn’t keep that?”

“Tell me what that light is.”

“Since I’m in a hurry to sleep, while sleeping, you have to let me know first.”

“It’s a promise. Got it?”

Right before fainting after defeating the monster. Axel lifted the staggering Jade in his arms, and the moment Jade comfortably settled in his embrace, she pleaded as if whining. She finally remembered.

He was concerned about it.

As she blankly stared at him, he was still focused on her. Not just his gaze, but more essentially, all of him.

From the direction his body was facing to his slightly downcast eyes to meet her gaze.

Jade felt a heat rising through her.

Was it too late to keep a distance? Once she felt how happy this was, it would be difficult to go back to when she knew nothing.

No, let’s admit it. I’m already doomed. No matter who the suitor is, I will never be able to taste these feelings again.

“…It’s alright. Since Lord Jenner is not very talented at lying, it can’t be helped.”

“Anyway, I didn’t answer until the end.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Then why is your tone like that?”

“What’s wrong with my tone?”

Axel’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I…”

“Lady Jade!”

She felt someone approaching with heavy footsteps. Turning her gaze, she saw Rigel waving a piece of paper in the air.

The young-faced wizard, upon seeing Axel, immediately changed his eyes to be sharp.

“What are you doing here? You don’t seem to have any! urgent business, so it would be great if you could help me organize the research contents. I’m very busy as I plan to take the corpses to the El Cion Kingdom.”

Rigel approached closely and squeezed himself between Axel and Jade. He was trying to look tall by stiffly lifting his neck.

Unintentionally receiving the paper Rigel handed over, she read it and found that it contained information related to the monster corpses brought a while ago.

｢…The core was found. In human terms, it is the cervical vertebrae, the second from the beginning…｣

“Really?”

“It’s true. I was going to ask you about this part anyway. You said you gave me a heads-up before bringing it.”

“Ah, no, I’m not exactly sure either…”

Axel was thoroughly excluded from the conversation between the wizards. It was clear that Rigel, who was offended by the recent glove incident, intended it, but Jade didn’t stop him either. She was very relieved that the topic had changed.

Axel’s gaze, disturbed, sank unpleasantly. He called her in a low voice.

“Jade.”

Jade, swallowing dry saliva behind her swollen throat, muttered awkwardly.

“Yes, I… Anyway, I’ll be going now. I have a lot of things to wrap up. Lord Leon, you’ve worked really hard too. What value would my words have…”

“You should be polite. Just because it was a temporary pair, if you call him without honorifics, ah, why are you doing that!”

Jade hastily pulled Rigel to walk ahead.

“I’m right, aren’t I! Even if he’s the commander-in-chief, if you let him act like that…”

“You’re not in a position to talk. You should be polite to Lord Leon too.”

Grumbling, Rigel glanced back and spat out irritably.

“Why is he glaring at us so coldly like that? He’s the one being rude.”

“Stop it.”

When Jade spoke in a tired voice, the blue-eyed wizard finally fell silent.

There were so many things she wanted to ask Axel.

But the name he used was not a priority. It didn’t matter at all what kind of person he was outside.

She wanted to ask why he returned the glove to Rigel instead of her. She wanted to ask why he meticulously remembered every nonsensical word of hers. She wanted to ask why he spent more time with her and went out.

She just wanted to know his true feelings for her.

But she didn’t.

Jade wanted to praise herself for that alone. You endured well, Jade Broen.

Any hope was definitely worse than nothing.

Callum, who ruled the Lund estate, expressed his regret countless times.

“Your king must have had a conversation with our monarch. But I wish you could have stayed with us a little longer…”

“Now there are no monster habitats left near here. Then, the ones that appear around here will be small ones that can be sufficiently dealt with if the people of the estate join forces.”

“I know it’s greed. But my people have not yet been able to completely let go of their anxiety. Hope has not grown properly, so the speed of being discouraged again in the face of unforeseen disasters will be fast…”

“The excellent lord will be able to lead them sufficiently.”

The subjugation team was a group that absolutely followed the king’s orders, so Callum knew they had no choice. He let out a regretful sigh.

“I’m being too whiny. At least allow me to hold a banquet of gratitude.”

“There’s no room in the schedule, so I’ll just gratefully accept your heart.”

At Axel’s polite refusal, Callum forced a smile on his thin face.

“I see. I hope that one day, when everything is restored and the Jisen Kingdom regains its health, we can meet again on a good day. I will make sure to welcome you with better treatment then.”

“I, too, will look forward to that day.”

That’s how they wrapped things up with the lord of Lund.

The soldiers began to clean up the land of the Lund estate one last time, and the knights scoured far and wide to see if there were any traces of remaining monsters.

And the wizards were overwhelmed by the pouring work.

“No, this, damn it!”

“I think there’s no choice but to dry it. How are you going to carry this size?”

“No, we can’t. We need to maintain the condition as much as possible. I want to show it to the wizards in the home country. My skills were lacking in research.”

“Then you do something about it!”

Watching the wizards fight among themselves, Jade rubbed her throbbing forehead.

“So, Lord Rigel wants to take this intact.”

“Yes.”

“And Lord Jasper…”

“Are you crazy? How are we supposed to carry this! Our forward speed will be at least five times slower!”

In front of them lay five giant monster corpses. They were intact without being cut or missing a part, and since they were not of the usual shape, they had very high research value. Moreover…

“One of them still has a core?”

“That’s right. If we don’t take this, we’ll regret it later!”

“I said we’re taking it! Let’s cut it in exchange for taking it!”

“What’s the use of cutting it? The path through which the core spreads magic power throughout the body is important…”

“Damn it, then you stay here. I have to go. You may not know because you’re from a precious family that doesn’t participate well in the subjugation team, but being so selfish−”

“Jasper, stop.”

Jade interrupted in a cold voice. Jasper, with drooping eyes, rubbed his face irritably and then apologized abruptly.

“Sorry. I got emotional.”

“Yeah, go out and take a walk. No decision will be made until then anyway.”

Nodding at that, Jasper trudged out, and the remaining wizards exchanged glances. Some of them left silently, and some said goodbye, saying they would go eat and come back.

Only two people were left in the large space. Jade knelt down next to Rigel and spoke to him.

“As the core grows and the amount of magic power it can handle increases, does the body also grow? We will definitely need a lot of carriages.”

“…Probably. Um, does the subjugation team have to move all at once?”

“It’s better to do that now that we’re in another country. Accidents always happen unexpectedly.”

“Do you also think… like Lord Jasper? That I’m being too selfish?”

Somehow, his voice sounded dejected. Come to think of it, she didn’t see Rigel hanging out with someone very often.