There is a phrase that describes the feeling of fireworks going off in one’s head.
It is said that if you are truly happy or overwhelmed with pleasure, it feels like that, but Usher had never felt such a sensation before.
If there was anything similar, it would be the realization that came during training.
But even that wasn’t a complete expression.
Well, that was more like thunder than fireworks.
The joy gained through realization felt more like a powerful lightning striking and tearing through one’s mind, widening the horizons of thought.
So, the sensation of feeling so good that you might become a fool is something new for Usher.
That night, Usher struggled while recalling the feelings of the day.
The moment his palm was pressed down, his back instinctively bent, and his body trembled.
He instinctively knew that this was the reaction when a woman’s sexual pleasure crossed a threshold.
There was a sense of self-loathing that he had fallen that far, but it wasn’t that strong.
No, to be precise, the overwhelming pleasure was so intense that the feeling of self-loathing didn’t matter at all.
The aftereffects still lingered.
His heart was pounding. It was like the heartbeat of a child who had just seen an adult’s book they shouldn’t have.
But unlike the day before, there was no anxious or dissatisfied feeling.
That night, Usher slept soundly.
He had a dream where Bersia was rubbing his hand, but the aftermath upon waking was easier than the previous day.
Had there ever been a time when his mind felt this clear?
Usher greeted the morning with a broad smile.
“You look happy.”
“Hmm? I have a reason for that.”
He felt refreshed. Should he practice swordsmanship today after a long time?
Yes, in Baern, after a long time, he used all his strength and felt the changes in his senses.
If he adjusted the small errors, there would be progress in the technical areas.
‘Until now, I was so overwhelmed I never thought about such things.’
A sigh, and then relief.
Usher finished his preparations and walked out to the garden.
Bersia was standing with her arms crossed, a grumpy expression on her face.
“Hello, Great Daughter Knight.”
“…….”
“Did you enjoy the great daughter?”
“……Could you please refrain from using such expressions?”
“Why? I was just stating the truth without any lies.”
“That’s not the truth. I did not—uh, never mind! I didn’t accept that! And even if it were true, expression is what matters! Use a different expression!”
“Yes, just holding hands and she runs off, worthless bitch knight.”
“Agh!”
As usual, Usher couldn’t respond as harshly.
It was proof that he was somewhat aware of his own actions.
It couldn’t be helped. He just ignored it and moved on.
Bersia would likely stop once she got tired.
At least, that was what he thought.
It was Usher’s mistake.
Where was the mistake? Well, it was the assumption that just once would not build up any further desires.
“…”
By midday, he started to feel uncomfortable.
“Phew….”
By afternoon, his body began to feel a little heated.
He wondered if training with the sword had been a mistake. It felt as though something inside him was blocked.
What kept coming to mind was Bersia’s hand.
It just wouldn’t leave his mind.
His gaze kept drifting that way.
Bersia noticed his gaze.
“What’s wrong? You like being alone with your thoughts, don’t you, Sir Knight?”
“……”
He didn’t hear any sarcasm.
He had absent-mindedly thought to himself.
‘Should I do it again?’
If he closed his eyes and held her hand just once more, wouldn’t he be able to get through tomorrow safely?
Once he had crossed that line, Usher’s baseline had significantly lowered.
There’s that saying, right?
There are people who have never eaten meat, but there are no people who have only eaten it once.
It wasn’t much different from that.
He hated the uncomfortable feeling of fog in his mind.
He hated the sensation of being overwhelmed by thoughts and not being able to control them.
Since he knew the solution, was it necessary to endure?
‘…Even the Saintess does things my way.’
Ah.
Just then, he found the perfect excuse.
A good justification for self-rationalization.
Usher reached out.
Bersia flinched, trying to pull her hand back.
But she couldn’t defeat Usher in skill.
Even in a daze, Usher skillfully countered her movement and grabbed her hand, tightening his grip.
And just like that, he felt the sensation of fireworks bursting in his mind.
“Ugh…!”
“…This crazy person?”
Usher’s body trembled.
Anything is difficult the first time. The second time will be more familiar than the first, and as that gradually accumulates, at some point, it becomes easy.
Usher was like that.
At first, he subtly induced skinship to satisfy his desires, but at some point, he began openly holding hands.
Then later, he would suddenly grab a hand as if it just came to his mind while yawning, tremble alone for a moment, and then calm himself down.
From Bersia’s perspective, it seemed like he was treating her hand as if he were thinking, ‘I’m bored, should I just jerk off?’ and then selfishly using it to satisfy himself.
Late-blooming lust is truly terrifying.
To put it another way, it was an extremely impudent act.
“Hey, Sir Knight.”
“Yes?”
“My hand is not a masturbation tool.”
“That is my hand, though? And I’ve never done anything like masturbation in the first place.”
“Hah.”
How could someone be this shameless?
Where did the pure, bashful young man go? In front of her stood an audacious, thick-skinned beast instead.
The way he grinned triumphantly, as if nothing could stop him, made her desperately want to flick his forehead.
Perhaps his intelligence had deteriorated due to the curse.
Otherwise, this wouldn’t even make sense.
Of course, she had brought this upon herself, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel indignant about it.
While he satisfied himself and let go, what about her? How was she supposed to feel, standing there blankly, watching it all happen?
“I’m a person with sexual desires too, you know?”
“I know that very well. The saintess’s sexual desire is…”
“The way you’re looking at me like you’re fed up with it is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“I really don’t know what you mean.”
A sharp pain tugged at the back of her head.
Ah, so this is what Usher always felt?
She was beginning to understand, even if only a little, why he always grumbled.
Bersia swallowed back the rising frustration.
She cooled her head.
‘…Calm down. First, I need to.’
She couldn’t let Usher take control of the situation.
Being flustered in an unfamiliar situation was just human nature.
What mattered was how she handled it moving forward.
“So that’s how you want to play it, huh?”
Bersia’s voice dropped low.
Usher flinched but only averted his gaze.
Bersia slid her hand into his waistband.
Usher freaked out.
“W-What are you doing?! Take your hand out! I said take it out right now!”
“Why should I listen to you? I’m in charge here.”
“Right now, I’m in charge!”
“Then this hand is mine now too.”
Usher desperately grabbed her wrist, but unless it was a matter of skill, Bersia had the upper hand in strength.
“Kkng! Kkngk!”
“Can you handle it?”
“Kkiiik!”
Usher, putting all his strength into stopping her, looked truly desperate.
When Bersia made a squeezing motion, he even bit her arm.
It hurt, but it was bearable. As expected, Usher’s body was quite impressive.
A ridiculous wrestling match ensued.
It wasn’t funny enough to laugh at, nor was it a situation where either of them could actually laugh.
They struggled like that for quite some time.
“……”
Suddenly, Usher trembled.
His eyes lost focus for a moment. The strength in his grip, trying to pull her hand away, weakened.
What’s going on?
Bersia tilted her head in confusion.
And then she saw it.
Ssss, the way he exhaled through his nose, intoxicated by the scent.
The subtle eroticism of his grip on her arm.
Bersia’s expression went blank.
Even as his body twitched slightly, Usher awkwardly pulled away.
Then, he slowly stood up and, avoiding her gaze, spoke with a flushed face.
“…I need to go to the restroom for a moment.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Seriously.”
Bersia shut her eyes tightly.
The curse was far too powerful.
Was there any point in fighting a battle that no one could win?
After that day, this ridiculous power struggle entered a stalemate.
Still, perhaps because he had been getting satisfaction almost daily, Usher didn’t attempt as much skinship anymore.
Bersia had to admit that she had been acting a bit recklessly as well.
“……”
It was only after going through such an ordeal that both of them finally cooled their heads.
“I’m sorry.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
A proper apology was exchanged. It could be considered a form of resolution.
However, neither of them spoke about what would happen from then on.
It wasn’t a problem they could easily decide on.
More than that, the awkwardness between them played a significant role.
If only there was some work to do, they could use it as an excuse to break the tension.
It was on such a day that the thought crossed their minds.
“If you have time to waste, why don’t you do some volunteer work? You need to win the people’s hearts.”
A task had been assigned.