The commercial city of Evona, not too far from the cult’s territory, was bustling with a significant amount of floating population due to its geographical proximity to the capital.
The atmosphere created by the people strolling through the streets was distinctly lively.
The loud voices of the vendors enticing customers added to the already spirited mood.
In the midst of it all, a pair of a man and a woman walked down the street.
From the perspective of passersby, they were bound to catch anyone’s eye… even merchants accustomed to seeing nobles couldn’t help but glance at them.
First, the woman was fresh and graceful. Her light sky-blue hair gleamed, enhancing her bright expression, and her delicate features were intricately arranged, standing out with such precision that they seemed to demand attention from within her small face.
What she radiated was vitality.
She walked with a straight posture, sometimes smiling softly, sometimes blushing as if embarrassed, and finally pouting as if sulking—a pattern that repeated, each part imbued with freshness.
She gave the onlookers the impression of gazing at a clear, cloudless sky, a feeling that persisted even when she forced a stern expression on her face.
Perhaps she was giving a lecture? The man, who looked at her with an annoyed sideways glance, exuded a completely different vibe.
There was something cynical and distant about him. His black hair was unkempt, swaying in the breeze, and beneath it, his blue eyes held a peculiar sense of sorrow. His straight nose and thin lips gave off a gentle aura, but the way he carried himself hinted at a slight delinquency.
His distant gaze, as if uninterested in the world, was mysterious, and the way he returned to reality only when the woman’s lips moved added a bittersweet charm.
When he spoke, the woman let out a startled “hiccup” and sent a look of lively resentment his way.
Onlookers thought to themselves:
‘Ah, what a well-matched pair.’
‘They must be a couple enjoying their youth.’
From afar, the two of them seemed like characters in a comedy.
But, as with most comedies, if one were to look closer, they were experiencing something tragic.
…No, only one of them was facing a tragedy.
“Erotic books are off-limits. You keep pestering me, but I will never allow it!”
“I’m only going to look.”
“That’s the point! You can’t even look!”
“Then what am I supposed to do? If you keep suppressing it, what will you do if it bursts out?”
“B-bursts out! My body isn’t that weak…!”
“Wet dreams.”
“Ack!”
Usher leaped up in shock.
Bersia, who had suggested they go out to buy new clothes or candles, seemed intent on buying nothing but that erotic book she had her eyes on.
Of course, he knew she was only joking, but he couldn’t shake the worry that she might actually buy it for real.
Watching her with fierce concentration, Usher’s nerves were already fraying.
‘Today, I won’t let her mess with me like this!’
Yet, as always, he failed spectacularly.
His actions betrayed him, and he felt frustrated at himself and at her, who endlessly tempted him.
On this day, with his temper fraying and the worry that he might become an ill-tempered person growing, Usher finally made a resolute decision.
“Follow me! Hold my hand! Stay close without getting distracted! We’re going to finish our business and head straight back!”
“You’re so possessive. You’re subtly being affectionate. Shall I interlock my fingers with yours?”
“Ack…! That’s not it!”
He was drained.
With his face flushed red, Usher gritted his teeth and finally locked his arm around hers, steering her towards a clothing store.
Of course,
“Your chest is touching my arm.”
“They’re… they’re your chest…!”
“Are you embarrassed about breasts? Why are you whispering like that? Say it clearly. ‘Breasts.’”
“Ugh…!”
It wasn’t easy.
“Ah, it’s getting hard…”
“Oh, come on!”
- It was, indeed, not easy.
Had he ever been this exhausted after just one outing?
At least from what Usher could recall, unless he was out to slay heretics, he rarely felt this drained after just one day.
In other words, going out with Bersia was as exhausting as the hunt for heretics, and made Usher question something within himself.
He opened his eyes in the morning, still in her bedroom.
With his mouth slightly open, he looked at the ceiling, eyes drowsy with sleep.
A faint sense of despair upon realizing his body hadn’t returned.
Yet, amidst it all, the feel of the silk sheets was rather pleasant.
He lay there, blinking, slowly letting his thoughts drift.
Wham!
Darin suddenly leaned her head in close.
“Gah!”
“Huh…?”
Usher jolted in surprise.
The sudden closeness of the woman’s face sent his heart racing.
Darin quickly covered her mouth as if to apologize, and Usher awkwardly shook his head with a forced smile.
Ah, this was one of those things that wasn’t easy.
He had tried to follow Bersia’s advice to act more assertively, but Darin, seemingly oblivious to his efforts, only closed the gap between them more and more each day.
Suddenly, he remembered Bersia’s words.
– “Is it because your nature is so pathetic?”
– “Take that back!”
Yes, because he was “pathetic,” she had said.
Stirred by that comment, Usher cleared his throat with a loud, “Ahem!” and turned his head away abruptly.
How long would it take for him to realize that his behavior appeared endearing to Darin?
Only Usher remained oblivious to how their psychological distance was growing closer, as he resembled a girl trying hard to appear mature and elegant.
“Saintess, shall I start preparing you now?”
Darin asked, smiling brightly.
Though Usher found her tone oddly patronizing, he still nodded.
Humans are, after all, creatures of adaptation.
In the beginning, he had shut his eyes tightly and shivered, but now he had become rather accustomed to being scrubbed down so thoroughly.
Of course, he still hadn’t seen Bersia’s bare body.
That was a vow he had made to himself as a knight.
The warm water relaxed him as he sank into it.
Letting himself go slack, the bath was soon over, and he was dressed properly.
At first, he had felt embarrassed, but now he was grateful to have someone assist him with his grooming.
When Darin brushed his hair, he felt a touch drowsy.
Usher struggled to keep his eyes wide open, fighting the urge to doze off.
‘Bersia’s body seems to need a lot of sleep in the morning…’
Waking up at a precise hour each morning and following his routine had become much more difficult.
But he couldn’t let laziness win; otherwise, he’d become nothing more than a slothful person.
Once his hair was done, Usher rose from his seat.
That’s when he sensed something strange.
“Has the knight not arrived yet?”
“Hmm, it seems not.”
Bersia hadn’t shown up.
Though she often wore sleepiness like a badge, she was always here at this time.
Could something have happened?
A twinge of worry crept into Usher’s thoughts.
Wasn’t it possible?
Despite the body switch, Bersia’s life wasn’t often entangled with others, so complications rarely arose.
However, his own life was different.
Usher had a rather decent social circle and lived in the barracks, where he shared communal life with others.
At any moment, an unforeseen accident could occur.
‘Could it be…?!’
Had they been discovered?
A wave of fear washed over him.
With his heart pounding, Usher turned around and hurriedly set off.
“I-I’ll be going out for a bit!”
“Pardon? But the knight hasn’t arrived yet…”
“On second thought, I’m supposed to head to the barracks today!”
Leaving Darin behind, Usher hurried out of the room.
Even as he quickened his pace, the fact that he maintained his usual stride was proof that he still retained some composure.
His mind raced with various scenarios of possible mishaps.
By the time he thought of potential solutions for each case, he had arrived at the barracks—where he stopped in his tracks.
“Of…!”
“Haa…”
Near the training ground behind a column, several priestesses were blushing, gazing dreamily at something.
What’s going on? Usher narrowed his eyes, following their line of sight to the source.
There he saw it.
‘The saintess…?’
His own body—Bersia—was there.
Drenched in sweat, Bersia was irritably brushing her hair back.
It was joint training in the morning.
But why was Bersia there?
Confusion filled him, and meanwhile the priestesses were sighing deeply as they watched Bersia.
“Quite a sight…”
“Indeed… Was Sir Trevion always like this?”
“Something’s… different.”
“Yeah… he never caught my eye like this before.”
“He’s more… masculine, isn’t he?”
Thunk!
For some reason, Usher felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Accepting this as a blow to his masculinity wasn’t easy.
He stood frozen, staring at Bersia with a bewildered expression.
The furrowed brow, sweat-drenched body, and the gesture of brushing back her hair as she exhaled left him with a strange sense of deprivation.
‘Isn’t… she just struggling?’
Right?
Wouldn’t a true knight—a real man—typically face such training with a bright, triumphant smile?
Encouraging his weary comrades and leading by example would be the more masculine thing to do.
Of course, saying this to the priestesses wasn’t an option.
Attempting to explain himself directly might just make Usher die of embarrassment.
In the end, Usher watched Bersia and the priestesses from a distance, clenching his jaw in frustration, his lips pressed together, and his body trembling.
Then…
“Saintess.”
Startled, Usher’s shoulders tensed.
Someone all too familiar, and someone he’d rather not face right now, was standing there.
With a creak, he turned his head, hoping he was mistaken, but reality was cruel.
“K-Knight Commander…?”
“Yes, if I may, could we have a brief conversation?”
It was Sir Whale, the head of the Holy Knights.
‘Crisis…!’
His body stiffened in panic.
“…Would it be better to move somewhere more private?”
Sir Whale carefully asked, having noticed the two directions Usher had been glancing at.
For some reason, Sir Whale’s eyes narrowed as he looked back at Usher.