Chapter 24 : It’s Soft and Feels Nice

“Hello, my lovely first love.”

Daren felt a sting in his chest.

He had come to the inn, filled with anticipation, after hearing someone say they would treat his wounds.

And the sight before him was this.

The moment she spotted a delicate-looking man, her cheeks flushed, and she briskly approached him.

Then, after whispering something into his ear, she broke into a bright smile.

Yes, she was a woman who already had someone.

Daren found himself thinking that unintentionally.

‘I liked her first…!’

No, that wasn’t it.

‘Is this what it feels like to have something taken from you?!’

But he had never possessed it in the first place.

Daren felt a pang in his chest.

For some reason, a hollow emptiness began spreading inside him.

While he was immersed in such feelings, the two of them approached him.

“Shall we start with the treatment?”

At those words, Daren nodded.

They would probably apply medicine and bandage his wounds. At least he could carry that memory with him.

He calmed his thoughts, but even that hope was shattered.

“Come this way.”

The one administering the treatment was the man.

And at that moment, it dawned on him.

“Are you… are you a priest?”

“Haha.”

The man simply responded with a mischievous smile.

Just because someone held the title of a saintess didn’t mean everyone across the continent recognized their face.

It wasn’t as if the general public had access to detailed information about the saintess beyond vague descriptions of her hair color or general appearance. Identifying someone based solely on such scant details was nearly impossible.

It was no different for Daren, the miner.

He didn’t recognize Usher.

He simply assumed Usher was one of the priests affiliated with the church.

That made it easy to coax him.

“I’m here on an investigation. There was an incident involving the death of one of the church’s holy knights.”

“Oh, yes. That certainly did happen….”

Having found a plausible excuse, Usher asked if they could discuss it further. Daren readily agreed with a nod.

It seemed he had plenty of time, as today’s work had already fallen through due to the interference in his tasks. Usher had no qualms about compensating him for that.

Thus, they moved to the top floor of the inn.

On the way, Usher kept an eye on Bersia.

She seemed to be in a very bad mood.

It was likely because she’d learned about the fight that broke out earlier that morning.

He appeared to hold back several times before eventually opening his mouth.

In the end, she sighed and spoke.

“Don’t wander around on your own. You’re in a woman’s body right now, so you need to be more careful.”

“Yes….”

“I was worried about you. I’m sorry.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and smiled gently.

But it was different from her usual self.

There was no crude teasing, and her expression was unusually subdued.

She was serious.

Indeed, compared to his original body, Bersia’s current form was more vulnerable to danger.

Usher took a moment for self-reflection.

“I’ll be careful….”

“Will you listen to me better from now on?”

Usher nodded.

Only then did Bersia look somewhat satisfied.

Eventually, they arrived at the top floor.

“So, this guy? Is he the collaborator?”

Rubena crossed her legs and gave Daren a once-over from head to toe.

Daren froze in place.

It seemed that her overwhelming, imperious aura had made him shrink back.

Usher chuckled lightly to ease the tension, and only then could he hear the full story.

“At first, no one thought much of it. Everyone knows mining is tough, and besides, the tunnels of Puread are famously intricate—so complex that they’re almost worth a fortune. It’s easy to get lost in there. Most people assumed it was just an extension of such incidents.”

Daren scratched the back of his head.

“Then one day, it happened. There was a team among us miners that had quite a reputation. Even the leader, Mr. Bourbon, was a veteran with over 40 years of experience navigating the tunnels. But half of his team disappeared.”

“Was it an accident?”

Daren shook his head vehemently.

He swallowed hard, his expression growing more serious.

“I don’t know. The ones who made it back alive said the others were definitely there with them, mining away, and then vanished in the blink of an eye. At first, they tried to search for them. But they started sensing something strange and fled to call for help. That’s when the real problem started.”

His eyes were filled with a hint of fear.

“There were more disappearances among the rescue team. They said the tunnels were filled with deafening screams that day. That’s how it got the nickname—The Haunted Tunnel. You know, the grudge of the mine’s vengeful spirits.”

It was a chilling tale.

However, there were too many suspicious points to dismiss it as just a ghost story.

“And yet, miners still go into the tunnels?”

“Oh, that tunnel has been sealed off. But sometimes the grudge finds new paths and abducts people… well, we can’t exactly starve to death because of fear, can we? We have to eat somehow. Besides, there are occasional disappearances even outside the tunnels.”

“I see….”

Usher exchanged glances with Bersia.

She nodded.

It was clear what they both thought.

‘The sealed-off tunnel is suspicious.’

Assuming there were cultists hiding, everything fit perfectly.

A tunnel that abducts people, a massive underground space now off-limits, and continued disappearances.

While civilians might see it as superstition, to the church’s perspective, these were strong circumstantial clues.

Usher turned back to Daren and asked, “Do you happen to know where that abandoned mine is?”

They had found a lead.

While there were other potential investigations, there was no need to waste time unnecessarily.

The goal of the mission was ultimately to pursue and uncover.

With such an obvious location and rumors, it was logical to start there.

They couldn’t go during the day.

Considering the need to gear up and avoid prying eyes, they decided to act late at night.

Usher committed the map Daren provided to memory.

The map not only showed the path to the abandoned mine but also included the internal layout of the tunnels.

With a late departure planned, the group decided to take a nap.

Once Usher had memorized enough of the map, he headed for the bed to rest his eyes.

He sighed softly.

Usher’s expression turned stern.

Before him, Bersia was lying on his bed.

“So, why are you lying here?”

“It’s boring being alone.”

“Get out. What kind of nonsense is it for grown men and women to share a bed?”

“It’s fine. We’re engaged, aren’t we?”

“That’s just part of the setup….”

He couldn’t help but suspect she was up to one of her usual pranks.

While it was nice to see her acting like herself again, couldn’t she stop with these antics already?

Frustration bubbled to the surface of his face.

However, the irritation didn’t last long.

“We’re heading somewhere that might be dangerous, right? I’m nervous.”

“Ah…!”

“Come on, comfort me.”

It was only then that Usher realized his mistake.

Thinking about it, Bersia had plenty of experience with medical missions but none with tracking cultists.

Moreover, she was trapped in a body far weaker in holy power than her original one.

The level of danger was entirely different; it was unreasonable to expect her to act as usual.

‘How could I, her knight, overlook something so important?’

Usher couldn’t help but feel guilty.

He softened his expression, approached the bed, and sat on its edge.

Then, placing his hand gently over Bersia’s, he spoke.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly…”

That was the moment.

Suddenly! Bersia pulled Usher into her embrace.

With him trapped in her arms, she began kneading the flesh of his belly.

Usher was startled.

“W-what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

“I’m helping you relax. It’s so soft, it feels nice.”

“Stop it! Let go of me this instant…!”

“Well, who told you to let it get this soft?”

No matter how much Usher flailed, lying on the bed left him unable to mount any effective resistance.

More than that, the sensation of having his stomach squished felt incredibly odd.

From behind his neck, he could feel her breath and hear her soft chuckle.

The firmness of her arms against him made his body stiffen.

“Eek! Seriously!”

“Don’t like it?”

“I hate it!”

“Alright. If you hate your belly that much… I guess I have no choice.”

Her hands began sliding upward.

Usher’s face turned bright red as he swiftly intercepted her movements.

“I take it back! I take it back!”

“You should’ve said so from the start.”

Knead, knead.

Once again, her hands returned to squishing his belly.

Usher trembled with humiliation, his resolve hardening.

“I’ll get rid of it. I’ll… definitely get rid of this belly fat!”

He swore to himself that he would carve out perfectly chiseled abs, leaving no room for anyone to mess with him again.

This shame would not be forgotten. Usher vowed to repay it, even as he endured being Bersia’s toy for what felt like an eternity.

“Sir Knight, your guard collapses so quickly.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just that… you seem to give in the moment someone appeals to your emotions.”

“…That’s enough. Really.”

“You know, if you end up with the wrong wife, you might get beaten.”

Usher’s eyes flashed dangerously.

Before he could fire back, Bersia added in a softer voice,

“So just stay by my side. I can’t be your wife… but I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Usher, ready to retort, froze at her words and shut his mouth instead.

He glanced at Bersia’s face, trying to read her expression.

‘What’s really going on with her?’

One moment, she seemed to feel better, and the next, she was exuding unease.

Usher could vaguely sense the turbulence in her emotions, but he couldn’t figure out what she was truly thinking.

Late at night, after a good rest during the day, Usher and his group arrived at the entrance of the abandoned mine.

So far, nothing seemed particularly out of place.

It was clear they’d have to venture further inside to uncover anything.

But already, an obstacle presented itself.

“Uh, Rubena?”

“…What.”

“Could you, um, let go of my shoulder?”

Usher felt a wave of awkwardness.

From the moment they left, Rubena had stuck to him like glue, showing no intention of letting go.

And it wasn’t just her.

“Let’s keep moving. I’m walking just fine, aren’t I? And Baldy! I told you not to stray more than three steps away from me!”

“…Yes, ma’am. I’ll stick closer again.”

She had even summoned Saturn to stay nearby.

Usher felt the trembling in her hand as it gripped his shoulder tightly.

A forced, awkward smile spread across his lips.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple.

‘No way… could she be scared?’