Afterward, Rubena continued to complain, but it didn’t reach Usher’s ears.
Punishment, reprimand. Those words shook his mind.
The full story would only be heard later.
When Usher finally learned everything, his first reaction was none other than shock.
“C-could something like that even be possible…?”
There were many things to point out, but the first thing that came to his mind was the power of Bersia.
It couldn’t be helped.
The idea that one could wield divine power to manifest their will—it was an impossible concept in Usher’s understanding.
Why wouldn’t it be?
Prayer magic was an art completed through technical ability, not faith.
In other words, for divine power to exert its full physical force, it must follow a fixed method and yield predetermined results.
However, Bersia’s power blatantly rejected that logic.
It wasn’t an art; it was faith. She wielded her desire, her wish for things to turn out a certain way, and that alone produced the result.
Unconventional physical force, indeed.
And the result of that force was ‘divine punishment.’
It was truly divine authority, omnipotence.
A sudden sense of worry struck him.
“Prayer should be handled more carefully. If the Saintess’s divine power can move in such a way…”
He had thought that, with enough training, even he could use prayer magic.
But if it were that dangerous, it would be better to abandon it, even considering the potential backlash.
In fact, wasn’t it the aftershock of her power that caused turmoil both internally and externally within the order?
As a group representing the will of God, the order had to be extremely conservative when it came to traces of divine power or punishment. That’s why he was sighing deeply.
“Don’t worry. You couldn’t use that kind of power, even if you tried.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s complicated. I won’t explain it.”
Bersia smiled mysteriously, her response evasive.
Usher tilted his head, though he didn’t expect any clear answers from her, so he just muttered to himself.
It was at that moment.
“But is that all?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t you have any thoughts about what happens after the reprimand?”
At those words, Usher froze.
His face fell, filled with frustration and guilt, and his head dropped down.
There was something, but he could only say one thing about it.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you should be sorry. You didn’t even have a proper drink because you were worried about me.”
Bersia, who had dragged a chair over, sat beside Usher and spoke.
“I was really anxious. I thought you might actually die.”
“That…”
“I don’t even remember how I spent that time. I couldn’t sleep, and my thoughts kept drifting.”
“Now, hurry up and make me feel at ease.”
Bersia casually reached her arm around Usher’s waist.
Usher’s body stiffened.
His temperature rose slightly.
It wasn’t because of her actions.
It was because the fact that Bersia had neglected food and drink out of concern for him, that she cared for him to such an extent, for some reason, made his chest ache.
He couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye.
Amidst this, a low chuckle sounded near him, tapping against the back of his neck.
“Stay by my side. Always. It was so lonely without you.”
“We were together, though…”
“If you say that, I’ll feel like punishing you.”
Usher’s eyes widened in surprise.
A bit of worry crept in as well.
Had he hurt her?
No, he must have.
That’s why she was saying such things, things she never normally would.
“It’s a promise. From now on, you’ll listen to me properly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind…”
His voice trailed off, almost a whisper.
There was a satisfaction in Bersia’s tone.
Her hand around his waist didn’t loosen at all.
He felt a shiver run down his spine as her fingertips lightly traced his stomach. For some reason, his body twisted in discomfort, and Usher tightly grasped her fingers, saying,
“P-please stop…”
“I don’t want to.”
It was difficult.
Really, far too much.
Now, he had finally reached the point where he could return to his previous life.
The reason it had taken so long was that not only had Usher’s body been weakened, but Bersia, who had been by his side the entire time, had also become quite frail.
He hadn’t realized it at first, but Bersia’s body had definitely deteriorated.
She had been in a constant state of hunger, and even a small amount of food would fill her up uncomfortably, causing unpleasant sensations of fullness.
So Usher focused on her rehabilitation as well.
It wasn’t particularly difficult, but there were still some awkward moments.
“Saintess. I’m heavy.”
“It’s rude to say that to a woman.”
“But you’re a man right now…”
Bersia had strangely started to increase their physical contact.
Whereas before, she only teased him verbally, now she would wrap her hands around his waist or hold his shoulders, pulling him close in ways that made him feel embarrassed.
Right now, she had her arms around him from behind, holding him in an embrace.
She rested her chin on the top of his head, chuckling softly, and because of the height difference, he felt trapped.
Above all,
“Why do you keep poking my lower abdomen? It tickles…”
“Does it? Feels nice, doesn’t it?” she said, her voice soft and playful.
“…This is suspicious.”
When he narrowed his eyes, she smiled mischievously and pulled her hand away, but he still had no idea what she was trying to do.
A deep sigh escaped him.
He knew he shouldn’t get used to this kind of physical contact, but when he tried to push her away, the rare feelings of unease or the emotional burden he was carrying stopped him.
After all, she had suffered because of him, so maybe this much was allowed… That’s how he thought, and to some extent, it was because of Bersia’s words and actions that he felt this way.
“It’s a punishment. You worried me.”
She said that, knowing full well he couldn’t refuse.
It was unbearably frustrating.
Anyway, those were the days.
When it became possible to fully return to his previous routine, one task that had been delayed loomed over him.
It was time to share the results of the last mission with the saints.
For Usher, this was also an uncomfortable task.
“You’re really creepy.”
“There’s no guard next to you either. Can’t you just show yourself as you really are?”
“…I don’t have a real self…”
“Wow… Look at you trailing off at the end of your sentences. Where did you learn that? Did you go to some kind of bitch-training academy?”
Judith’s gaze shifted from shock to fear.
While Usher couldn’t agree with the ‘bitch’ part, he understood her reaction.
He himself thought that Bersia and he were entirely different people.
With bodies constantly changing like this, it was only natural that the eyes of others would grow sharp.
He couldn’t help but feel unfair as he held on.
It was a pity that his situation was beyond reproach.
Pouting and lowering his head, Judith sighed loudly and rubbed her arm.
Rubena spoke up.
“Why don’t you just leave it? She’s probably just in that kind of mood.”
“…You’re siding with someone else?”
“That’s not what I meant!”
As Rubena felt an inner sense of closeness toward Usher, she actually found it somewhat comforting to see him like this.
She added a quick comment, but Judith’s shock and disdain stirred a shame in Rubena that was hard to bear.
A confused one and two who were embarrassed, each in their own way.
As always, they were in an atmosphere of mutual disdain, but the nuance was beginning to shift a little.
At that moment, as before, the latecomer, Halia, appeared.
“Ha! Sorry I’m late!”
“If you’re sorry, can’t you just come a bit earlier next time?”
“My work is busy, you know! Try to understand!”
“Doesn’t everyone have work?”
Judith and Rubena muttered in turn.
Halia laughed loudly and brushed off their complaints, then took a seat.
Usher tensed.
Now that the meeting was about to begin, he cleared his mind of any distracting thoughts.
Focus.
None other than the artificial saint, who he had later heard about with shock, this was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
Halia spoke up.
“Well, I’m guessing no one wants to drag this on too long, so let’s get to the point. The artificial saint. The failed capture is a bit of a blow.”
She licked her lips and propped her chin up, twisting her blonde hair into a braid with the other hand.
She looked at Usher mischievously as she spoke.
“You crushed it before you even found anything out.”
Usher’s lips pressed together tightly.
His head dropped.
It was painful to know that the one who made the mistake was separate from the one being scolded, but what could he do?
“…I’m sorry.”
“You’re apologizing now? Do men only grow up when they meet women? Anyway…? It’s nothing serious.”
Halia, despite Usher’s late realization and the sudden discomfort he felt, closed her eyes slowly.
Immediately, there was a faint malice hidden in her smile.
“I got news from somewhere else. Another place where artificial witches emerged, and we got hit by one of them.”
She spat out a shocking statement.
“A first-class knight.”
“…!”
The atmosphere froze.