"You said you knew both of the people who were petrified over there, right?"

"Yes." 

"Were you close to them?" 

Jade turned to look at Marlon Dreha and Zelda Black, who were frozen in place, still facing the basilisk. He couldn't say he was close to either of them—one was just an acquaintance, and the other was someone he didn't get along with at all. 

"I don’t have any friends." 

Kirona looked at him with pity again, but Jade ignored it. He asked, even though he already knew the answer, "Which one of them was your guide?" 

"Marlon." 

"Then Zelda Black must be the one who tried to kidnap you." 

"So, there was another kidnapper besides you. How skilled is Zelda?" 

Even though Jade had just told her that one of them was a kidnapper, Kirona asked the question as if she were eagerly scouting for a new mercenary. Well, after sitting down to eat a frog with her actual kidnapper, there probably wasn't much that could scare her now. 

"He was willing to take on any crazy job for money, and he's still alive, so I guess you could say he's good." 

Though now, he was in a state of being neither fully alive nor dead, hanging from a tree. 

"Is he loyal?" 

"Anyone who would spend two billion Elyssias to hire a mercenary will never betray you. He only cares about money." 

"Then if we make it out of here, we'll have to take Zelda with us." 

As Jade thought earlier, the princess was relentlessly optimistic. That's probably why she had the guts to venture into the forest in the first place. Jade noticed Kirona blinking sleepily and helped her to her feet. After making sure she was comfortably leaning against the tree, he grabbed his flint to start a fire. 

"We can't light a fire. It might be fine during the day, but at night, it'll attract attention. The basilisk can sense not just smoke but also heat." 

"The risk is worth it if it keeps us from dying of hypothermia. We'll survive longer." 

"You’re just doing this because of me. You’re treating me like a child. You wouldn't light a fire if you were alone." 

"......" 

It wasn't that he was treating her like a child; he was just on edge because he was escorting the most important person he'd ever had to protect. But since Kirona was glaring at him, he had to settle for a less comfortable but slightly safer option. 

"Do you know how to climb trees?" 

"It's my specialty." 

Jade led the way, picking out the sturdiest tree to climb. It was one of those trees that had a hollow at the top, big enough to curl up and sleep in. Climbing up made it easier to sense the basilisk and gave them a bit more time to escape if it approached. The only worry was falling while climbing. 

Kirona managed to climb the tree reasonably well, showing no sign of fear despite the height. But Jade's nerves were on edge the whole time, as if he were climbing with a baby in his arms. It exhausted him. 

He took out a rope and tied one of Kirona's hands to the tree branch. 

"I don't toss and turn when I sleep." 

"Didn't seem that way last night. Just sleep like this." 

Kirona looked displeased, but Jade shook his head. This was the last compromise he could make. He couldn't risk not getting any sleep because he was worried about her falling from the tree. 

"Lie down and sleep." 

"What about you?" 

"I'll keep watch." 

"Come here." 

"What?" 

He was looking out into the darkness with his arms crossed, and her sudden command caught him off guard. Kirona yawned and patted the spot next to her. 

"Come here and keep watch. It's cold." 

"That's why I suggested starting a fire..." 

"I said no fire, but that doesn't mean I want to freeze. Come on. It's freezing." 

"I'm not your lover, Princess." 

When he just stood there looking incredulous, Kirona frowned and snapped at him. 

"Who said I want to sleep with you? Just come over here. I'm cold. And you're not my type." 

She made a point of clacking her teeth together and shivering. Unable to handle her complaining, Jade reluctantly moved closer. As always, the princess didn’t care about his reaction and simply huddled against his back and quickly fell asleep. 

Jade was at a loss for words. First, he was a bath tool, and now a heater. Well, she’s a princess. I guess she thinks the whole world is at her feet. Jade stared into the darkness, thinking. 

His mind was boiling with frustration, but he couldn't tell if it was because his pride was hurt from being treated like an object, because he was angry at the messed-up situation, or because he was simply annoyed at having to babysit the princess. He tried to clear his thoughts, repeating one thing like a mantra. 

Don’t break the egg. Don’t break the egg...