How To Choose A Knight (28 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 6
“Wow, look! That—that’s a Tilbery tree! Ugh, if only we’d come just a bit sooner, we could’ve picked its flowers too! The dried fruit is great for colds—should I pick some? Do you like tea?”
“…….”
The Athanase Forest had many nicknames, most of them far from flattering: the Hermit’s Wood, the Forest of Death, the Black Forest, the Silent Forest, and so on.
Especially because of its defining trait—“magic doesn’t work here”—mages regarded it as an ominous place. Since scholars, who were mostly mages themselves, refused to set foot near it, research on the forest progressed extremely slowly.
Thus, it might well have earned names like the Hermit’s Wood or the Silent Forest—but regardless.
Still, given that it had existed since ancient times, it was expected to host diverse biological communities, and that turned out to be absolutely true.
Jade, as a mage, found it nearly impossible to suppress her excitement. The past few days of wallowing in sorrow were instantly swept away.
She’d spent days coaxing herself to let go of her worries and overcome her grief—only now realizing she could’ve recovered much faster if she’d taken the time to properly observe the forest instead.
Of course, from Axel’s perspective, her erratic behavior made it seem as though the mage had finally gone completely mad.
“That one! That’s an incredibly rare medicinal herb! I’ve only ever seen it blooming in books. No, I have to dig it up. Just a moment—I’ll be quick.”
Jade dashed off immediately, crouched down, and wrestled with the soil for a long while. Then she returned, cradling a single blade of grass as if it were precious treasure.
“…….”
This is going to be such a nuisance to carry around.
Despite having the face of a small woodland creature who’d just discovered an acorn grove, he sure talked a lot. In just a few minutes, he’d already drained every ounce of Axel’s energy. The man had to forcibly suppress the urge to wrap Jade up neatly and toss her out again.
Seeing Axel standing there with one eyebrow sharply raised, Jade quickly spoke up.
“Sorry! This is really the last one! It’s excellent for wound treatment—when the flower’s in bloom, the roots are packed with concentrated properties… I’ll make this medicine for you!”
“I don’t need it.”
“Oh, fine, then for Oli.”
“Since when have you and the old lady been close enough for that?”
“She became my benefactor just a few days ago. She told you not to abandon me, remember?”
From lying in despair just moments ago to now parrying conversation with perfect ease—her adaptability was impressive.
But Axel, having gone so long without such back-and-forth chatter, found his resistance worn thin. He strode ahead briskly. If she didn’t follow now, he’d just leave her behind.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Jade, for the rest of the way, only let out sighs of awe and regret, but followed diligently enough.
Axel glanced back briefly and murmured under his breath,
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a mage interested in herbalism.”
“Oh, well… I didn’t have much talent for earth magic. I was so frustrated I couldn’t use healing magic that I studied herbalism instead. Though, honestly, it’s only added weight to my bags, and I’ve never actually had a chance to use any potions. Whenever anyone goes outside, there’s always at least one earth mage tagging along anyway.”
“True enough.”
Jade smiled brightly.
“But you seem to know quite a bit about mages. Mind if I ask what you did out there?”
His eyes probed her intentions. The man said nothing, only readjusting his axe on his back.
Here I am, spilling everything about myself, and getting nothing in return.
Though Jade walked with visible discontent, his silence only made her more curious.
The weapon in the man’s hand now was a crude, long-handled axe—but on the day she’d first opened her eyes, she’d seen a sword always resting in the same spot beneath the window facing outside.
Its design was simple, yet that very simplicity reached such an extreme it somehow appeared dazzlingly ornate.
The Athanase Forest wasn’t merely known as a place where magic failed.
Because magic didn’t work, it was called “the land forsaken by the gods,” and thus became a place people avoided. Consequently, those who renounced all rights and duties of the outside world would flee here to escape persecution.
Yet this man clearly looked less like a fugitive and more like a hermit—or perhaps even a knight clad in a hermit’s guise.
“Wow.”
But before her thoughts could go further, she was instantly captivated anew by the sight before her.
Sunlight streamed through the tall trees in the wide clearing, shimmering like a curtain woven from golden thread, rippling in the breeze. The rustling of leaves teased her ears continuously.
Jade, for the first time in ages, chose not to rouse herself from the peaceful, beautiful scene.
This forest really is a stunning place.
She’d only ever seen it as a place to escape—but now, facing it directly, its brilliance felt startlingly vivid. For just a moment, she even thought herself lucky to witness such a sight.
Yet the man, seemingly indifferent to this beauty, scanned the area with practiced ease, finally spotting the tree he wanted.
Jade sat down on a tree stump, watching the thick veins bulge on his large hand as he readjusted his grip on the axe handle.
I’ll just cheer him on quietly from here.
That peaceful intention didn’t last long. Before she knew it, Jade was standing again, hands clasped respectfully in front of her.
She was reflecting on how she’d once taken warm rooms for granted before falling into the forest.
Chopping wood was truly grueling work—even for someone as large as he was. She wanted to help, but seeing nothing she could actually do with her strength, she stayed silent and seated.
With every swing of his axe, the entire forest seemed to tremble. Thud. Thud.
Though Axel wore a loose shirt, the powerful flexing and relaxing of his back muscles remained clearly visible.
After much effort, the tree finally fell—but there was still plenty left to do: clearing the branches, splitting the trunk into manageable pieces, and preparing it for transport.
Jade offered to help with the smaller branches, but wasn’t even allowed to attempt splitting logs.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You can’t do it.”
Jade immediately rebelled at those words—she’d developed a strong aversion to hearing “you probably can’t” after hearing it far too often during earth or water magic lessons.
“No, I can! Take a break—I’ll do it.”
The sparkle in her violet eyes clearly showed she wasn’t doing it for Axel—she genuinely wanted to try it herself.
Axel glanced once at Jade’s slender, mage-like wrists, then planted the axe into the ground.
Kids only learn by trying. And this mage behaved worse than a child.
He sat down on the stump Jade had vacated, deciding to rest for a bit. Taking his silence as tacit approval, Jade eagerly ran over and grabbed the axe handle.
“…Huh?”
“Aren’t you going to do it?”
Hearing that mocking voice from behind, Jade barely managed to lift the axe—only to realize, yet again, just how heavy it truly was.
Between the blade and the thick, leather-wrapped handle, her arms trembled uncontrollably.
How is anyone supposed to swing this? Wait—how does he swing it?
“See? You can’t. Put it down.”
But experience mattered—whether you succeeded or failed, you had to try!
Ignoring Axel’s approach, Jade swung the axe down hard at the thick log—but instead of embedding itself, the blade bounced right off.
“Yaaah!”
“Hey!”
Axel unleashed a torrent of scolding, ignoring the mother bird’s frantic chirps at the strangers. Jade listened with a pout firmly set on her lips.
“You only learn by trying? Don’t push yourself on things you clearly can’t do! You can barely lift it—why even attempt to swing it? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is when an axe bounces like that? What if the blade hits your foot?”
He sure didn’t look like the talkative type, but apparently he was. Jade mumbled in defense.
“Well… how else would I know if I don’t try… I’ve never even tried before…”
“Do you have to burn your hand to learn fire is hot?”
“Well… I kinda do…”
Axel clenched his teeth briefly. After closing his eyes, looking skyward, and regaining his composure, he issued his verdict.
“Go home now.”
His already short patience had clearly worn completely thin. Jade grumbled as she gathered the herbs she’d uprooted.
“Can I use the hearth and a pot?”
“Just go, since you obviously can.”
“When will you come back?”
“…After the hunt.”
“Oh, I see. But aren’t you thirsty? Should I bring you some water? Where even is the water?”
Faced with her relentless stream of questions, Axel finally snapped—Damn mages!—and Jade scampered off quickly. But since she didn’t know the way to Oli’s house, she circled back, thoroughly frustrating him again.
***
Since the clearing wasn’t far to begin with, Jade reached Axel’s house without getting lost. She was startled to find a black horse—previously unseen when she’d left—lounging nearby, but calmly greeted it.
“Hello?”
The horse, which she’d seen walking with Axel before, stared blankly at her for a moment before ambling off behind some bushes.
What a beautiful horse. Strong legs, too. And clearly not a wild one—definitely of fine bloodline.
Lost in thought, Jade tilted her head curiously, only entering the house some time later. She first washed the dirt thoroughly off the herbs with water, tied them with twine, and hung them by the window.
“Hmm, just need good weather from now on, and it’ll be perfect.”
Loroa root was truly exceptional for treating wounds.
It was also an ingredient in healing potions: after drying the roots thoroughly, one simmered them in water for five uninterrupted hours while stirring constantly, then added violet leaves and gently boiled for another two hours to complete the brew.
It was a relatively simple potion to make, greatly reducing infection risk and improving recovery—only the rarity of Loroa roots made it difficult to obtain.
“Since there doesn’t seem to be a healer here, treating injuries must be tough. So I’ll offer this in exchange for someone to help me leave!”
Proud of her clever plan, Jade grinned to herself.
She left the house and followed Axel’s directions: past the small tree with peeled bark, then circling around the one with red leaves. Behind the concealed bushes, a small house came into view.
As she approached, an elderly woman with a perfectly straight back was scattering feed. The chickens moved this way and that at her slightest gesture.
“Hello.”
“Well, who’s this? I’ve only ever seen you asleep—so it’s a real pleasure to see your eyes open and sparkling like that.”
“Right? My eye color is rather pretty. I’m Jade Brown.”
“What a lovely name for a lovely young lady. Just call me Oli.”
The old woman smiled warmly. Jade beamed back.
“Thank you again. According to Axel, if not for your sharp words, he might’ve left me abandoned at his doorstep again.”
Old Oli chuckled softly and shook her head.
“No need to thank me… I just added a word or two. The decision was Axel’s alone.”
“But that Axel wouldn’t have accepted me at all without your say-so.”
“Oh dear, stop flattering me—I’m getting dizzy!”
A rooster let out a disgruntled crow, clearly disapproving of Jade. Jade stepped back to give it space to eat the scattered feed beneath her feet.
“Sorry to bother you while you’re busy.”
“Oh… yes, yes. Here—take this.”
Jade took the bowl filled with something yellow, looking flustered. What on earth is this?
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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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