Mission: Eliminate pirates and exterminate heretics on the Serpent Archipelago.
It was a brief, but by no means an easy mission.
The moment he heard this, the expression on Bersia’s face became slightly grim.
It’s dangerous.
The coast is more dangerous than the land.
In other words, protecting or evacuating Usher might be impossible.
That thought crossed his mind, and Bersia immediately parted his lips.
He was about to order a refusal.
But then, that plan quickly fell apart.
There was no other reason.
“Have you ever been to the sea, Saintess?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m talking about the sea! The sea! I’ve heard it’s a place where emerald waves stretch all the way to the end of the world! Oh, and there are also flying fish, I think! I heard those fish actually fly above the surface of the water! Though I suppose that’s probably a lie…!”
Usher’s expression, as he spoke, was far too bright for someone embarking on a dangerous mission.
His slightly flushed cheeks, wide eyes, and the corners of his mouth curving upward all formed a clear expression of anticipation.
Usher’s fresh smile, one that was reserved only for him, bloomed fully on his face.
Bersia lost all of her previous irritated and grim expression.
She was taken aback by such an unexpected reaction.
She stood there, stunned, listening to Usher chatter on.
“I’ve dreamed of going to the sea since I was little! One of the mercenaries who raised me used to tell me stories about the sea, and they were so mysterious…!”
He kept chattering for quite some time.
Hehe, Usher laughed, but then quickly checked Bersia’s expression and froze, trying to calm himself.
“…Ah, I’m sorry. I got too careless in the face of such a dangerous mission.”
“…”
“I’m, uh, taking the mission seriously! Of course, I am!”
Usher cleared his throat loudly.
Perhaps embarrassed, he averted his gaze and flushed with color.
“I’m being unprofessional…!”
He muttered to himself, scolding himself.
As she watched this, Bersia didn’t know quite what to think.
What was this? She couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.
‘He’s something else. Really.’
Could someone get that excited just over the prospect of going to the sea?
Could he forget about the recent conflicts and the dangers ahead, and feel this excited?
Bersia reflected on the smile Usher had given her when he looked up from the mission orders.
The distance between them had closed.
Just like before they fought. No, even more so.
He must have been so innocent that he genuinely wanted to share his joy.
It made him feel ashamed.
He realized he felt a thin wall had gone up after he had shown his feelings.
And now, he was relieved to see that wall vanish.
But emotions can’t be understood with logic.
Perhaps Usher’s efforts over the past few days had planted a small seed of comfort deep inside her.
Just like the moment when she first fell for him and became aware of it, maybe she was slowly melting into his unpredictable nature.
Of course, the frustration and impatience hadn’t disappeared.
Her strong desire to possess him only grew stronger, not weaker.
Bersia clenched her fist. The tendons on the back of her hand stood out.
It had been wise not to decide how to treat him just yet.
He was gradually losing confidence in his answer.
“Saintess…?”
Usher, sensing the mood, cautiously approached.
At that moment, Bersia let out a bitter laugh and pushed away all the thoughts that had been flooding her mind.
‘Right, don’t think about it for now.’
One thing she had realized during these days was clear.
Usher was different from her.
So different that she still didn’t fully understand him.
She would make her decision only after she knew him better, when she was sure that this feeling wouldn’t lead to regret.
She’d do it then.
“Flying fish. They really do exist.”
At those words, Usher blinked and then burst out laughing, “Ha!”
“Hey, you’re going too far with the jokes! Even though I might be ignorant about marine life, I at least know that much isn’t true! That man… must have said it just to spark a child’s imagination!”
Usher waved his hands dismissively as though saying, “What are you talking about?”
At that moment, Bersia realized something else.
‘Now that I think about it, I don’t know.’
How was Usher born, and how did he grow up?
Who were the mercenaries who raised him, and why did he leave them to join the order?
She didn’t ask out of the blue, though. She could tell from his occasional reactions that his past was far from a happy ending.
But, if one day they became close enough to talk about everything…
Then, maybe…
‘…Should I share mine too?’
Bersia’s thoughts deepened.
Usher’s childhood dream had been to become a “sea man.”
Well, to be precise, he had that dream for about a month.
It was influenced by a man in the mercenary group who had raised him.
“The sea, you see, is incredibly alluring, but also temperamental and unpredictable. There’s a kind of magic that makes a man want to rush in headfirst.”
“Huh?”
“Is it too early for you to understand? Well, it’s like a love that you’d want to risk everything for. That’s what it is.”
The man was quite a womanizer.
His speech was calm, but his choice of words was crude, and at times, he sang of romance in that very language.
Usher admired his romanticism.
More than anything, it was his words about “a love you’d throw your life away for” that felt so romantic to him.
“When you see it, you’ll be mesmerized. You’ll think that nothing, not even the sea, can move your heart.”
“Wow!”
“That’s how you fall into it. Even I can’t help being drawn in.”
When he got drunk, the man would tell stories about the sea. He sang about the things that shone and were beautiful.
The stars in the night sea, the sound of the waves, and the tales of love on a boat.
“I’m going to be a sea man!”
At that time, Usher always said this to anyone who passed by.
So, what made that dream come to an end?
In this case, it could be said that the man who planted the dream had to face the consequences of his actions.
“Usher~ You don’t need to listen to someone like that. That man was wanted for piracy, so he fled to land.”
“Eh…? So, what about the sea man…?”
“It was all a lie. Think about it. If he really loved the sea that much, he would have died there with conviction. Why would he be here, doing dirty work on land?”
“Hey! Why would you say something like that?”
“Usher, let’s ignore that guy and go learn some fun assassination skills instead.”
“Sea man…”
“Assassin is way cooler than a sea man, don’t you think? And sir, if you’re going to keep whining like that every night, can you do it outside? It’s not good for children to hear that stuff.”
Looking back, it was almost as if his disappointment in the man made him give up on his dream of the sea.
But those days were undoubtedly the warmest and most precious memories of Usher’s childhood.
Now, any fantasies about the sea had become a wistful name, reminding him of the warmth of his childhood.
After he started standing on his own, he had made a promise to himself.
One day, I’ll go to the sea. I’ll set a boat afloat and fall asleep while gazing at the stars in the night sky.
Until now, there hadn’t been an opportunity for that.
Above all, training to become a knight was busy, and his assignments had always involved missions to exterminate heretics inland.
But now, he was finally going to fulfill that dream.
Personally, the excitement was immense.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to let his guard down or neglect his mission.
Usher prepared for potential combat by training.
He also made sure to carefully pack everything he would need for the sea.
‘But surely, not everything was a lie.’
While the man’s romanticized tales of piracy had turned out to be exaggerated, the survival tips he shared about the sea were highly practical.
Even other mercenaries acknowledged the validity of those tips, so there was no need to stubbornly resist them.
The supplies were packed, and at that, Bersia raised one corner of her mouth in a smile.
“So, you’re carrying that rubber doll, huh?”
“Yes! The person who taught me about the sea told me! He said you should always carry something flat, light, and hollow in your arms when you’re on the sea! Apparently, the people of seaside villages look down on anyone who doesn’t carry something like that around, calling them outsiders who don’t understand the sea!”
Usher proudly presented the rubber doll.
“I brought this in case we fall into the sea! And this, for the Saintess!”
It was said that Bersia had never actually been to the sea either.
At times like this, shouldn’t she, as the ‘informational expert,’ be the one to take the lead?
She had mentioned the doll with a mischievous smile, but her confidence soon faltered.
“That’s a lie.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you know? My hometown is by the sea,” she said, her voice full of disbelief. “It’s a lie.”
“…”
“Really? You didn’t ask, even when you were packing on your own?”
Usher’s eyes shook.
His lips pressed tight.
His face turned red, all the way up to his earlobes.
His shoulders trembled.
He was filled with shame from his earlier actions.
Bersia nailed the point home with a playful expression.
“Then I guess you don’t know this either.”
“…?”
“Did you know that on the sea, you have to walk around completely bare-skinned? They only wear small strips of cloth for underwear. Sir, you’ll have to take everything off.”
“Th-That’s a lie!”
“It’s true.”
Bersia smiled broadly.
Usher was in confusion.
If asked whose information seemed more credible, it was obviously Bersia’s.
Usher’s knowledge was mostly shaped by the playful remarks of adults toward children, while Bersia’s came from clear facts provided by local acquaintances.
In other words, the rubber doll was useless, and if they went to the seaside, he would have to strip down.
As Usher realized this, he sighed in despair.
“Ugh…?”
Usher was in despair.
Judith Harroway sat on the carriage, watching the approaching man and woman.
Her expression was full of annoyance.
“They’re already causing a ruckus.”
Bersia trudged along, her energy drained, while Usher stood beside her, chuckling and supporting her shoulder.
These were the people she would be going on the mission with.
The thought of spending the next few weeks witnessing this annoying display made Judith sigh deeply.