and Bern replies "I'll support you however I can, May!" makes the whole May/Bern (Berntag?) shipping kind of cloying.
I think we're zeroing in on a big weakness in Bernadette's depictions in the comic so far. I don't think she's ever been given enough isolated attention, aka story focus while apart from Maytag. Maytag is such a strong personality that she steals scenes from other characters just by being present. We know more about Bern as defined by her relationship with Maytag than we do about Bern as an individual, and most of Bern's plotpoints are entirely centric to her relationship. In her weaker moments she feels almost defined by it. This latest arc could solve this deficiency by giving Bern some time alone in the spotlight. I'm not too hot on the magic ring plot device though because it still connects her to Maytag with a very intimate form of communication.
In contrast to that, I'm a big fan of Crestag shipping. Yes, I'm making up fandom terms. Brick me.
Don't let yourself get attached to shipping. It's not good for your long term health as a fan. It makes you less open and flexible to plotlines that don't match up with your biases, conscious or unconscious. Brion has a story in mind and it'd be a shame if you couldn't enjoy it fully because you had your heart set on something that won't happen.
Based on what we saw in the first few chapters, Crest has the capacity to be a very dynamic character. He's fairly neutral for the time being, and he seems like he can be more easily swayed to different (non-knight) viewpoints.
This is what really defines Crest to me as a character. He has depth and moral conflict. Crest seems to be a good person but he doesn't seem to be very fond of people in positions of power. He's skeptical because he's seen their abuses, and understands what it means to be helpless. Despite the layers of cynicism on his character, Crest is a very noble character filled with empathy and most importantly a conscience. That's what makes his scenes such as his rejection to cheat with Maytag so powerful. We're never quite sure what Crest is going to do, but his actions usually feel right for him. I look forward to seeing him mature as the story goes on. (Primarily because I want to see what choices he makes, and how this contrasts or creates conflict with Maytag's rather laissez faire sensibilities.)
...!!!! Don't get me wrong, I look forward to more moments with Bern, and Maytag (or Suspiria even). I feel like a jerk for analyzing stories this deeply.