Usher tossed and turned all night, repeatedly kicking off his blanket.
It was hard to accept the thoughts that had come to mind during the day.
“If she was just going to leave, she shouldn’t have teased me.”
It was a thought that surfaced without much intention, but didn’t it ultimately mean that he wanted Bersia to do something to him?
“N-No way!”
The curse must have seeped deep into his bones.
Yes! The curse had already taken full effect!
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so breathless just from the way Bersia touched his body, nor would his nerves have been so focused on her touch, nor would he have secretly imagined what would come next as he pushed her hand away.
His eyes filled with tears of despair.
He eventually reached the stage of denying himself.
‘No. No way. Usher! You’re not that kind of person! That was someone else temporarily possessing your body.’
That couldn’t be true.
‘It must be a demon! I need an exorcism!’
The church dismissed demons as mere superstition.
“Ugh…!”
He curled up like a pill bug and trembled under the blanket.
He felt as though he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at this rate.
However, if he kept dwelling on these thoughts, that would be an even bigger problem.
Since his mind was at risk of being consumed by these thoughts, he decided to empty his head and just sleep.
Usher closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.
When that didn’t work, he suddenly got up and did bodyweight exercises until he was drenched in sweat.
And then—there was a problem.
“M-My body…!”
It was hot. He felt like crying.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to escape this torment.
The only solution that came to mind was ‘release.’
Had there ever been a moment where his intelligence felt so pathetic?
He bit down on his blanket and chewed it furiously.
Indecent thoughts flooded his mind.
‘Think… I need to change my thoughts…!’
Yes, maybe thinking about something completely unrelated would help.
Like the future of the church.
Usher thought about the great threats looming over the church and the world.
But it wasn’t easy.
‘After dealing with the witch…’
What would happen with Bersia?
If his body was in this state even then, wouldn’t he be unable to resist her advances just like now…?
“Ahhh!”
He needed to think of something else.
Yes! Baern! The place he had visited not long ago!
Once the threat was gone, he had thought about visiting his homeland to see how it had changed.
What kind of king had Gester become? What kind of trouble had the mercenaries gotten into this time? Who had taken over the Lion Corps?
Imagining those things would be a good distraction.
One day, he would return and see for himself…
…The saintess had promised to go with him.
If the two of them took a long journey together, surely…
“Aaaah…!”
Usher buried his head into his pillow.
It was useless. No matter what, his thoughts always ended up returning to that subject.
Then, Judith’s words crossed his mind.
“Just masturbate already. Okay?”
Once again, the thought popped into his head without him realizing it.
‘Should I really do it?’
And then he jumped up in shock.
‘W-What am I even thinking?!’
No way. Not only would that be disrespectful to her, but as a man, he had to maintain his dignity!
‘But…’
If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
As Usher continued to struggle with his thoughts, a realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.
‘…What if I just touch my stomach a little?’
That should be fine, right?
Yes! It wasn’t anything else—just a little touch on his stomach!
His hands wouldn’t go up or down!
Usher didn’t realize what was wrong with his reasoning.
He failed to see the logical flaw—that he was even considering this because he subconsciously viewed touching his stomach as a sexual act.
To Usher, the only thing that mattered was that he had found the perfect solution.
His eyes no longer held any rationality.
‘And besides…!’
If he thought about it, this was all Bersia’s fault.
She should accept this level of discourtesy.
After all, she had touched his body first. Right in front of him, she had massaged it.
Bersia should be grateful that he wasn’t going as far as she did.
Usher crafted a flawless justification (or rather, an excuse).
Curling up on the bed, he placed his hand on his stomach.
After a moment of hesitation—
‘It’s for tomorrow…’
Finally, Usher pressed down on his lower abdomen, recalling how Bersia had touched that spot.
“Mm….”
A small sound escaped, filling the room.
His body trembled slightly.
It felt as though warmth was spreading throughout his body.
His toes curled and then relaxed, the tension sending a pleasant sensation through him.
He continued for quite a while before finally falling asleep.
That night, he dreamed of Bersia.
“Does it feel good here?”
Her whisper lingered in his mind even after he woke up.
When he finally opened his eyes, his head was clearer.
He recalled everything he had done the night before.
‘Should I just die?’
I felt like hanging myself.
“Are you tired?”
At that question, Usher couldn’t find an answer.
Or rather, he didn’t want to answer.
All he could do was glare at Bersia with narrowed eyes.
Bersia tilted her head in confusion, and Usher muttered complaints in his head.
‘Because of this person…!’
He had lost sleep last night.
Thinking ahead, it seemed like this would only become more frequent.
More than resentment, he was worried.
Drifting off to sleep while feeling his own stomach—
At this rate, when would he cross the line? Even he was starting to worry about himself.
It was embarrassing and difficult to be honest with Bersia.
Before that, if he told her, she’d probably just say something like, “Well, there’s no helping it. Let’s have a nice round of sex.”
It was clear now that simply holding back wasn’t the answer.
Usher realized he needed to find ways to relieve this tension little by little during the day.
‘How?’
Then, what methods were available?
Usher scanned Bersia up and down.
Technically, it was still his own body, but the way she moved, her expressions, the tone of her voice, and the atmosphere she gave off—
It felt like he was facing someone else entirely.
In short, she was seductive.
He swallowed dryly.
At that moment—
“Why are you looking at me like you want to lick me? If you’re going to do that, just go ahead and lick.”
“Wh-What?! What are you doing?!”
Click— She unbuttoned her shirt, and Usher panicked, quickly stopping her.
That instant—
Zing!
When their hands touched, a jolt of electricity surged through his entire body.
It was the same level of stimulation—or perhaps even greater—than when he had pressed on his stomach.
His face instantly turned red.
He hurriedly lowered his head and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I-I told you not to do things like this…!”
As he said it, he gripped her hand even tighter.
This was it.
This was the answer.
‘If—if I just hold hands like this…’
Wouldn’t he be okay at night?
The idea was tempting.
His pupils swirled.
His breath grew ragged as he stared intensely at their intertwined hands.
Bersia spoke.
“…I get it, so will you let go now?”
One more second.
No, maybe two seconds.
If he pushed it, maybe even three?
“Sir Knight?”
“…Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine…!”
He held on for two seconds—no, approximately 2.43 seconds more.
It wasn’t completely satisfying, but it was within an acceptable limit.
Even after letting go, the warmth of her hand lingered on his skin.
The rough veins and the coarse texture remained vividly imprinted in his mind.
Usher felt a strange heat creeping up his body.
But it was promising.
‘Th-This might work…!’
It seemed like he had found a way to make the nights less tormenting.
If he could secretly hold hands throughout the day, it would be enough.
With the eyes of a hunter, Usher began looking for opportunities.
But there was something Usher didn’t know.
“Hmm…”
Bersia was more perceptive than he thought.
At least when it came to matters of sexuality.
That day, Usher held her hand seven more times.
It wasn’t always a tight grip like the first time—
Just brief touches or brushing against the back of her hand under various pretexts.
But… wasn’t it a little insufficient?
That thought crossed his mind, so he used swordsmanship training as an excuse.
However, Bersia’s response was—
“Isn’t it too late today? I’m not really in the mood.”
Irritating.
That smug, crooked smile as she rejected him was unbelievably irritating.
“But it’s my body! I need to keep training to maintain muscle…!”
“Right now, it’s my body. And wouldn’t sword training be more troublesome for you?”
“I-I wouldn’t be troubled at all…!”
“But you would.”
Bersia’s hand extended smoothly.
And then—her palm touched Usher’s arm.
He flinched.
Bersia spoke.
“If we’re going to train, I’d have to put my hands on your body like this.”
Her index finger slid along his wrist.
“And adjust the angle of your wrist like this.”
Finally—
“Like this.”
Grip—!
“…!”
“I also need to teach you how to grip your sword properly.”
A shiver ran down his spine.
That sensation spread through his entire body, igniting heat.
Usher’s breath hitched.
When he lifted his head, their eyes met.
Bersia’s gaze curved with amusement.
She let out a low chuckle and asked—
“Sir Knight, are you suggesting this because you just wanted to hold hands?”
Thud— His heart plummeted.