How To Choose A Knight (28 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
“The reason merchants come into this forest is to exchange goods.”
“What kind of goods?”
“Well, things like game or herbs that you can’t find in other forests.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Of course the Atanase Forest would have such things. It’s a massive forest that has existed since the beginning of time, after all.”
Jade nodded with interest, but that wasn’t the important part.
“But are those kinds of goods available every single day?”
A chill of unease crept up her spine.
“…No.”
“Right. That’s why merchants usually stop by once every quarter.”
Her trembling hand clutched the water glass in front of her. She tried to shake off the bad premonitions flashing through her mind, but it wasn’t easy.
“S-surely not…?”
“This quarter’s merchant already came and left a few days ago. The next visit won’t be for at least a few months.”
Broken fragments of words instantly rained through her head.
Subjugation squad, missing, Felix Broen, successor position in danger!
Jade slammed her forehead against the table. I’m screwed, completely screwed.
After that, Jade pestered Axel relentlessly, chasing after him and asking if there wasn’t any other way out, but he just shook his head.
“There have to be people who know the way out, right? Besides the merchants?”
“Do you know why this place is nicknamed the Hermit’s Forest?”
“No idea! I was never interested in the Atanase Forest!”
At the scream-like reply, Axel snickered.
His face, seemingly enjoying someone else’s misfortune, looked utterly vile—yet because he was so annoyingly handsome, it only made her more irritated. The strangely twisted corners of his mouth reminded her of some charming villain straight out of a novel.
“That answer itself is very wizard-like. Anyway, it’s because this is an excellent place for seclusion. This forest is alive.”
“It’s just a metaphor, isn’t it? People say forests are alive all the time, right?”
To Jade, who was grasping at even the tiniest shred of hope, Axel poured cold water without mercy.
Whether he meant for her to drink the cold water and snap out of it, who knows—anyway, Jade gulped it down. She was so distraught she didn’t even think to check the smell this time.
“No, literally. The boundaries of the forest periodically shift. Because of that, paths that existed disappear, so if you move carelessly you’ll get lost. Did you happen to see the skull by the lakeside?”
“Why is there a skull there?”
“A warning that you can lose your way and die? Apparently the owner of those bones circled the same spot until he died.”
Jade was horrified. What did he say?
“Then how do the merchants who come here manage to enter?!”
“They’re families who have been doing this for generations, so they have knowledge accumulated over a very long time. They say there are unchanging landmarks or something—I don’t really know.”
Axel looked at the wizard’s suddenly depressed face and stood up from his seat in a good mood.
In the forest, there was always plenty to do no matter the time. There were also many preparations to make before fully entering the season of water.
Overall, he didn’t particularly like wizards, so he had no intention of putting off his busy schedule just to comfort her.
And Jade noticed that attitude. Even though she knew he was the one who had saved her, it still made her sulky for no reason.
“But do you know something?”
“What.”
Fire magic fundamentally tended to be destructive in nature. Even when not used aggressively, that was the case.
And Jade was extremely skilled with fire magic.
“If I can’t leave, that means you’ll have to keep me around much longer.”
Seeing Axel’s face instantly turn annoyed, Jade felt a little better.
“I’ll be in your care from now on.”
Thus, in the end, both people living in the small but cozy cabin became gloomy.
[This is the timeline separator]Most people living in the Atanase Forest had grown weary of the outside world and come here seeking refuge.
The constant threat of monsters large and small, merchants who visited only a handful of times a year—life here was far from easy, which meant they were exhausted enough by something to endure it.
Axel was no exception.
He had grown tired of people’s greed trying to push him into a position he had never once desired, tired of the bloodshot eyes that would kill for the sake of that position.
Even if that position was covered in gold, if he himself didn’t want it, it held no value at all.
Life after throwing off those shackles was indeed free, but certainly less convenient.
The period before the season of water—winter—was especially so. Rather than comfort, one had to move with extreme diligence solely for survival.
At first the inconvenience felt unfamiliar and exhausting, but before long he grew accustomed to it, and Axel had successfully endured five winters.
He would probably manage this one just fine too. Even though a stranger—no, a strange wizard—had shown up.
Though the wizard had been told she couldn’t leave the Atanase Forest right away, she didn’t give up easily. For about four days, at least.
Day 1.
While returning from hunting, Axel suddenly noticed leaves rustling down and looked up.
“…….”
“…Hello?”
At the top of an enormous tree, the wizard was dangling like a piece of fruit.
“W-well, I wondered if spells worked above a certain altitude, so I was experimenting a bit.”
Watching her slowly slide down the trunk left him speechless.
Axel strode past quickly and slammed the cabin door shut. Whether she fell from there or not, this time he truly intended not to care at all.
Day 2.
Next time they met in an unexpected place, not near the cabin. While leading his horse back from the lakeside, he suddenly discovered the wizard trapped inside a thicket.
“…….”
“…Haha. Nice horse.”
He was so dumbfounded that a question slipped out before he realized.
“…What on earth is that thread?”
Behind the wizard, thread trailed endlessly. It looked as though she were a spider spinning a web.
“No, I just wanted to go a bit farther. To check if the paths really change. But I didn’t want to lose the way back, so I left a trail…”
It seemed she had unraveled the thread from the clothes he’d given her when she fell in the lake. Axel pointed out coldly.
“All the thread behind you is tangled.”
“No way!”
Leaving the wizard frantically pulling at the thread, Axel walked straight past. Much later she returned with a sullen face; the clothes were completely gone, and her hands were full of nothing but a huge pile of thread.
Day 3.
By now he wasn’t surprised no matter where they met. Apparently the wizard felt the same; covered in dirt, she greeted him first.
“Haha, hi…”
Perhaps they had grown somewhat familiar—she now spoke in half-sentences. Her dirt-smeared face with only round eyes showing looked like an autumn squirrel, so he didn’t even feel angry.
“…Yeah.”
This time she was digging the ground. He had absolutely no intention of asking why. Sure, she’s really persistent. That much?
With a deep sigh he simply kicked aside a few nearby stone fragments and walked on.
And then Day 4.
The moment he stepped outside in the morning, he came face-to-face with unexpected, pleading violet eyes right in front of the door. Thanks to that, Axel experienced the feeling of his heart dropping for the first time in about five years.
After taking a deep breath, he yelled.
“Hey!”
“Is there really no way out? Truly? Tell me it’s a lie! I have to get out—I have so much to do!”
“I’ve told you countless times there isn’t! Even I can’t leave alone without a map. Move aside, I need to wash!”
The hardships of the past three days combined with his firm denial left no room for further denial. Finally the wizard accepted that she couldn’t leave and stood there dazed.
After that, for several days the wizard either stared blankly at the ceiling from the sofa in front of the fireplace or lay sprawled on the carpet with gloomy eyes. One or the other.
She wasn’t visible this morning, so she was probably lying face-down in her room.
Axel stepped out into the front yard. Shaking thoughts of the wizard from his mind, he reviewed what needed to be done.
Not knowing how long this winter would last, he had to prepare more dry firewood, hunt diligently, and store extra food ahead of time.
During the season of water, once snow fell it was hard to go hunting because your feet sank deep into it. Since he didn’t raise other livestock, he would have to trade with others later.
At that moment he spotted a woman sitting in the front yard with her mouth half-open, staring into space.
Axel thought indifferently. So she’s expanded her territory for lying around?
He had no interest whatsoever in aesthetically evaluating someone’s face, but that wizard’s face definitely did not suit such a pathetic expression.
Her light wheat-colored hair combined with delicate features gave a soft impression, while her uniquely slanted eyes that drooped long before flicking upward, along with large eyes, conveyed intelligence and passion. Her long eyelashes added a flamboyant touch like decorative fans.
Yet the owner of that face seemed to have no intention of making use of any of it.
Axel clicked his tongue inwardly and tried to pass by Jade. If only his trouser hem hadn’t been grabbed.
Clear violet eyes, raised upward, stared straight at him. From the very first moment he’d seen them he had thought the color unusual; now, under sunlight, they briefly reminded him of jewels.
To have such a color yet be named Jade—he didn’t understand. Wasn’t this hue rarer than blue?
Snapping out of his momentary stray thought, he warned in a bored voice.
“Let go.”
“Where are you going.”
The woman who had just abandoned hope of leaving quickly now clearly decided to act out completely. Her tone was as bold as someone who had known him for at least ten years.
Axel didn’t back down either.
“What business is it of yours.”
“Take me with you. I can’t just sit around like this every day. I need to do something. Since it looks like this will drag on longer than expected, I should at least get used to the nearby paths.”
Jade spoke in a gloomy voice, brushed off her bottom, and stood up.
“Take you with me?”
Axel reviewed his tasks once more. Then coldly refused.
“No.”
“Why not!”
“Want me to tell you why? It’ll hurt your feelings.”
Jade hesitated for a moment but decided it was better to be hurt and gain new knowledge. A very wizard-like thought process.
“I’ll take the hurt.”
“I’m going to chop wood for firewood and then hunt, and you clearly have zero talent for either. You probably can’t even lift an axe, and you won’t catch any animals. Magic is completely useless in this forest.”
His flat tone spoke only the truth, so although Jade wilted a little, she wasn’t actually hurt.
“So you mean taking me would just be a bother.”
That part did sting a bit. Yet even with the cold verdict, Jade didn’t give up.
“Then at least let me follow to where you chop wood. Please! And if you show me the way, I’ll visit Oli’s house. Please! How about it? I’ll just watch quietly without getting in the way!”
She looked up at him with a pitiful, pleading face.
Axel considered it for a moment and decided it was actually a pretty good idea.
Since he wasn’t planning to abandon her anytime soon, he would have to teach her the paths anyway, and he also needed to make her understand how precious firewood was.
Showing her would be far more effective than just telling her.
“Fine. But follow quietly.”
Axel two steps ahead, Jade two steps behind.
The two began making their way through the forest.
However, what Axel had misjudged was that the species known as wizards have no idea how to stay quiet in a new environment.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Chapter Comments (15)
Inline Comments (64)
If only I’d had the chance to say a proper goodbye—to tidy things up—would it ha
I have a feeling in this chapter, he too will realize his feelings- or come to be mad at Jade
Before those behind could stop him, the young man gulped down the plain water fr
Hhahahah your brother must love you a lot~~ he’s probably gonna reunite you with Jade
“A handsome man with a good body.”
Hahah looks like someone is getting an entertaining sister in law hehheh
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It is so sweet how preciously the treat the eggs because they are empathetic to the old hen’s struggle. Idk why I didn’t expect that from their character. I wonder how fervently her aides and servants are searching for her right now? I feel like one of them should be clever enough to investigate the uncle
It is so sweet how preciously the treat the eggs because they are empathetic to the old hen’s struggle. Idk why I didn’t expect that from their character. I wonder how fervently her aides and servants are searching for her right now? I feel like one of them should be clever enough to investigate the uncle
I feel like Axel must of royal bloodline. Jade is so cute! They are gonna be so cute together