A few days had passed since Lubena’s relationship counseling incident.
During that time, Bersia had been lurking along the paths Rubena frequently traveled, spying on how she and Saturn were getting along, chuckling to herself.
I could understand her amusement.
After all, the scene she witnessed was indeed rare.
“Oh, the weather is a bit hot today!”
“Yes, Saintess.”
“…That’s it? Even though I dressed this lightly?”
“Would you like me to cool the surroundings with a prayer?”
“Eek! Die! Just die already!”
Rubena fanned the collar of her rather revealing outfit more than necessary.
It was autumn.
If you looked closely, Rubena’s legs were trembling slightly.
And yet, she still exposed herself in an attempt to seduce Saturn.
However, Saturn remained oblivious and made a clueless remark.
In the end, Rubena exploded, pounding her tiny hands against Saturn’s armor, only to groan in pain, her eyes welling up with tears.
She looked quite pitiful.
Usher chuckled.
Bersia whispered her usual vulgar jokes.
“See? I told you she’d try to seduce him with her body.”
“……Perhaps I misspoke.”
“Why feel guilty? She made the choice. Just watch. It’s only a matter of time before he falls for it. You know what they say—bald men have great stamina. Before you know it, she’ll be pinned underneath him all night, moaning for her master….”
“…Enough.”
Usher shot her a sharp glance.
Bersia simply shrugged, but Usher decided he couldn’t let this continue.
He dragged Bersia back to the garden, preventing her from peeking any further.
Then, he gave her a stern look.
There was only one reason for it.
“Are you going to keep this up?”
“What?”
“The way you talk!”
“Talking about talking? So, are there two horses now?”
Bersia grinned playfully.
That shameless pun made Usher’s temples throb.
Putting aside the question of where she even learned such terrible jokes…
The real problem was her vulgar remarks.
It had already been a week since their return.
By now, he had lost count of how many times he told her to stop.
If it were just a matter of etiquette, he wouldn’t be this persistent.
But this was a serious issue.
Bersia was being far too careless.
“This isn’t just any curse—it’s the Curse of Yearning! Do you not realize that sexual matters can lead to terrible consequences? For the sake of the Saintess, if nothing else, you must stop with the obscene jokes!”
“If hearing dirty words were enough to trigger it, wouldn’t the curse have already reached my brain?”
“I’m the one holding back here!”
“Oh? So you admit you’re turned on?”
“Hah?”
Usher was too dumbfounded to respond.
Bersia simply chuckled.
As his frustration boiled, she spoke.
“It’s okay.”
“…What?”
“As long as you’re in that body, this is fine.”
There was an odd certainty in her words.
Had she learned something new about the curse?
Usher bit back his retort and decided to listen.
They stood face to face.
Bersia reached out and brushed his hair.
The sensation of someone touching his head felt nice.
He unknowingly relaxed.
Then, in a tone filled with conviction, Bersia continued.
“Everyone has desires. Just because they grow stronger doesn’t mean there’s a problem. The Curse of Yearning isn’t simply about craving sex.”
Usher furrowed his brows.
That was hard to understand.
“Did you discover something?”
“I realized a few things while using this body.”
Bersia traced Usher’s forehead with her fingers.
The touch was a bit embarrassing.
Her fingertips brushed down his forehead, over his cheekbones, past his jaw.
Usher averted his gaze, his ears turning red.
She continued speaking.
“The cause and effect are reversed. The Curse of Yearning doesn’t make people crave sex—it makes them crave something else.
Only when they’re unable to obtain what they truly desire do they resort to mindless lust.”
“If it’s about what someone truly desires…”
No answer came.
When Usher glanced at her, Bersia only smirked cryptically.
“Saintess?”
“People like you don’t break.
You might get a little lewd, but that’s about it.”
One thing was certain.
She knew something.
That’s why she could offer such unwavering trust.
He wanted to hear more details.
But it seemed she had no intention of sharing them.
Instead, she simply said,
“You’re a pure-hearted person, Sir Knight.
That’s why I’m not worried.
Besides, the black pattern’s growth has stopped, hasn’t it?”
Just as she said, the dark markings had stopped spreading near his shoulder blades.
It was good news—but strange.
“To move past this, you need something beyond just sex.
Something you haven’t even considered.”
Right then, Bersia’s fingers brushed against the nape of his neck.
“…!”
“This is the ideal state.
In a way, the god’s actions ended up saving all of us.
Do you understand what I mean?”
All.
Tok. A fingertip tapped against his collarbone.
Usher’s back tensed.
Bersia’s voice carried a hint of laughter.
“Get more used to that body. It’s fine if you get a little lewd, so you can tell me anytime.”
Her words and actions were truly incomprehensible.
Feeling a sudden surge of frustration, Usher spoke.
“…I will not get lewd. And don’t let your hand go any lower.”
“Is sucking allowed?”
“Do you think it is?”
“Chhp.”
Bersia withdrew her hand. His body felt hot.
A strong heat surged within him, and every little action and breath from Bersia seemed to heighten his senses.
And that was it.
“Well then, I’ll be going. See you tomorrow.”
She was infuriatingly smug until the very end.
As he watched Bersia wave her hand and walk away, Usher unconsciously thought—
‘If she was just going to leave, why tease me in the first place…?’
A moment later, he flinched, realizing what he had just thought, and shuddered.
His face gradually turned red. His gaze trembled as if shaken by an earthquake.
“Ugh!”
He clutched his head and let out a sharp, pained cry.
He wanted to erase the thoughts that had just entered his mind.
That day, Bersia had been thinking about the Curse of Yearning ever since meeting Sera Wisdia.
Only after returning to Usher’s body and regaining her clarity did she reach a conclusion.
‘Sex isn’t the problem.’
It was fine.
Acts like biting, sucking, thrusting, and being taken—those were merely secondary factors in the curse’s growth.
What truly mattered was the emotions within those actions.
‘Love. More precisely, possessiveness.’
The Curse of Yearning amplifies the negative emotions that drive love.
At some point, it fills that love entirely with negativity.
Eventually, it distorts a person’s mind, pushing them to extreme actions because of those emotions.
What if she had remained in that body and allowed the curse to complete?
Bersia had to admit—when it came to love, she was the kind of person whose possessiveness ran deep.
If the curse had amplified that emotion to its limit, the only possible outcome would have been Usher’s death.
She could vividly picture herself refusing to let him go, crippling either his body or mind to keep him by her side forever.
In that sense, Bersia realized how similar she was to Sera Wisdia.
The fact that she understood Sera’s fate was proof of it.
—”I’ll kill him and devour him. In that moment, it will feel exhilarating. But after that, only emptiness will remain. You’ll go mad searching for something to replace that void. But deep down, you know better than anyone—love cannot be replaced. You’ll be left gasping for it, endlessly.”
Sera Wisdia had resorted to cannibalism.
Most likely, she had devoured the man she loved.
That was how the curse worked.
And that was why Bersia felt no guilt for teasing Usher with sexual provocations.
‘Because he’s pure.’
The Usher she knew didn’t harbor enough negative emotions for the Curse of Yearning to take root any further.
If anything, his love was filled with innocent dreams.
At worst, he’d just become clingier—that would be the extent of it.
The moment she realized that, Bersia could no longer hold back her emotions.
‘Sorry, Sir Knight.’
As long as Usher remained in that body, their relationship could progress without much risk.
Once they captured the witch—the source of the curse—everything would be resolved.
Of course, there were other ways, like confessing directly.
But that wasn’t her style.
She wanted Usher to cling to her instead.
This dark, sticky possessiveness had nothing to do with the curse—it was simply her nature.
And suppressing it was exhausting.
Lying in bed, Bersia smiled.
‘How long will he hold out?’
She wanted to gradually stain him with her presence.
She wanted her name to fill his mind completely.
She wanted his pure, untainted heart to belong solely to her.
If that happened, she felt like this emotion would finally be purified.
Late at night, lost in those thoughts, Bersia fell asleep.