Chapter 45 : Yesterday, You Were So Clingy

I couldn’t remember when exactly I became so dizzy and out of it.

Drinking made me feel good, and I vaguely recalled rambling something while in that state.

In any case, what happened afterward felt no different than a dream to me.

Amidst the swaying world, Bersia grabbed my wrist and pulled me somewhere.

The surroundings grew quiet, and the sound of waves hummed in the distance.

In the midst of it all, I heard Bersia’s sigh.

She was frowning.

Ah, it must have been because of what happened on the deck.

I felt a bit guilty but also a wave of frustration.

It was probably because the alcohol had heightened my emotions.

But wasn’t that the case?

I found myself absentmindedly thinking, “Why you?”

She was being unreasonable. If I didn’t follow her orders, she made no effort to hide how displeased she was.

I also had my own thoughts, and it made me feel disappointed not to have them respected.

I wanted to be treated with the same respect as any other person, but she always seemed to expect everything to go the way she wanted.

The events that followed were a sort of rebellious impulse.

While I watched her crease her face with a frown, I pressed my fingers to my brow.

I spoke firmly, as boldly as any man would.

“Please don’t leave wrinkles on my face! I’m taking care of the Saintess’s body with all my heart, so please make an equal effort!”

“Wrinkles… on the face… should not be…”

After saying that, I felt surprisingly pleased with myself.

So, I let out a light laugh.

That was the end of the memory.

When I came to, the sun was high in the sky.

And then—

“Ugh…”

The hangover hit me like a ton of bricks.

My head was pounding.

My stomach churned, and my lips felt parched.

I crawled out of bed, moving slowly, desperate for water.

I wondered if I might just die if I didn’t put something in my stomach.

Bersia appeared shortly after.

“Here, drink this.”

“Thank you…”

After muttering a response with a bit of a metallic taste, I gulped down the water.

I then clutched my rumbling stomach.

“Why did you drink so much?”

“Ugh…”

“Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

At that moment, my body stiffened in surprise.

I weakly glanced up at Bersia, my appearance as if I was on the brink of death.

Now that I thought about it, I had probably said something to her while drunk.

I tensed up, expecting to be scolded, but the response was unexpected.

She…

Bersia was sitting in front of me, grinning while resting her chin in her hand.

There was no anger in her expression. On the contrary, she seemed unusually gentle.

She smiled as if it couldn’t be helped, and there was something almost nurturing about it.

It felt like no matter what I had done wrong, it would seem like a huge mistake in her eyes.

What happened? What did I do yesterday?

My eyes flickered with regret and confusion.

Bersia reached out and gently stroked his hair.

He flinched at the sensation of her fingers brushing against his cheek and ear.

Bersia spoke.
“You smell like alcohol. I didn’t know you couldn’t handle drinking.”

“Well…”

“I might have never found out, but here we are.”

Usher avoided Bersia’s gaze.

It happened immediately after.

“Drunken antics? That won’t do, Sir Knight.”

His eyes squeezed shut.

“I must have caused a scene while drunk!”

What should he do? Should he start with an apology?

As he was thinking, Bersia extended her arm and slipped it under his armpit.

Just like before, she easily lifted him up.

Dangling in mid-air, he felt a mix of shame and nausea.

As his head tilted forward—

“Ugh…”

“Don’t drink like that again. I was worried.”

“…Understood.”

“Sir Knight.”

At her call, Usher struggled to raise his head.

And then, he felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.

It was unavoidable.

Her expression was subdued, as if she hadn’t gotten enough sleep, and her bitter smile only deepened.

“You need to recognize your position, Sir Knight. Please don’t make me worry so much.”

It didn’t take long to realize that she wasn’t joking—she had genuinely been worried about him.

He couldn’t find the words to respond.

Not being able to control his drinking, causing trouble, and making her worry—this was the exact opposite of his resolve to be someone she could rely on.

“…I’m sorry.”

When he finally spoke, Bersia smiled, seemingly satisfied.

Then, she lightened the mood and adjusted her hold on him.

“Eek?!”

“If you understand, let’s go eat something.”

He found himself being carried like a princess.

Usher’s face turned red.

“L-Lady Saintess! At least put me down—”

“What’s the point now? Yesterday, you were so clingy.”

“Me?!”

“Yes, you. You buried your face in my chest, hugged my waist, and when I carried you back after you fell asleep, you wouldn’t let go of my collar even when I tried to leave after putting you on the bed. I thought about staying with you, but the smell of alcohol made me leave.”

Usher’s mind went completely blank.

He couldn’t accept such a memory as part of his past.

Clutching her collar desperately, he forced a strained smile.

“…You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“You only call it a lie when it’s inconvenient for you.”

Usher’s entire body trembled.

The focus in his eyes began to fade.

As he imagined his drunken self acting clingy toward Bersia, overwhelming shame started to weigh him down.

At the end of it all, he finally declared:

“…No, that didn’t happen. It definitely didn’t.”

Usher began hypnotizing himself.

His muttering didn’t stop until they reached the dining hall.

That is, he had forgotten the shocking truth that he was being carried by Bersia.

Judith, whom they met at the restaurant, muttered.

“…Really, you’re unbelievable. Acting like this since morning.”

It was understandable.

The most embarrassing thing in the world is hearing about the disgraceful actions you made while drunk the next day.

Usher only realized this fact now.

At twenty years old, it was a time that could be called early or late.

The shock didn’t fade quickly, but it didn’t linger long either.

By the late afternoon, after eating and washing away the alcohol, the event gradually became distant.

He met Lycas again around that time. With the entire party from the church, they went to Lycas’s house.

“Hey, Nephew! Did you sleep well?”

“Ah, Lycas-nim.”

“Haha! You agreed to call me uncle, didn’t you?”

Me?

The question almost came out, but thankfully, it didn’t.

Usher smiled awkwardly, sweating cold.

Well, they had become somewhat familiar with each other, so it wasn’t all bad.

Anyway, it was reassuring to have an ally in this unfamiliar land.

They had successfully entered the island’s outskirts.

Now it was time to begin their mission in earnest.

The island’s residents, the locals, knew best how things operated here.

So, Usher asked for relevant information, and received this response.

“Hmm! I can tell you anything. Since the sun’s up, how about we have a drink while we talk?”

Usher’s head jerked around madly.

Lycas clicked his tongue in disappointment.

When drunk, he would speak sweetly, with charm… Usher cut off that thought before it could go any further.

His mental defenses were strong.

Thus, the conversation began.

“Alright, then where should I start? If we’re talking about useful information for my bold nephew…”

What Usher wanted was specific information about the factions on the island and any rising forces.

After all, the people moving up quickly were likely to be receiving help from heretics.

Lycas mistakenly thought that Usher had come to unify the island.

In fact, it was an advantageous misunderstanding that Usher didn’t bother to correct.

And then, the conversation went on.

“Ah! Then we can start from there!”

“From where?”

“When Kyle left here, it was chaos for a while. The people around me, including myself, were all fighting to be the successor. It was a mess.”

Lycas chuckled as if remembering those days fondly.

“The problem was that he didn’t designate a successor. Well, even if he did, there probably wouldn’t have been anyone to accept it. So in the end, it didn’t matter. Anyway, while we were fighting, the island split into four factions—north, south, east, and west. The south is my land, and the rest were controlled by other factions of my close associates. That lasted… about 15 years.”

Lycas lit a cigarette with a match and continued speaking.

“The years fly by, don’t they? There are some promising young ones too. Haka from the north lost in the Great Battle and stepped down. He’s living quietly now. Pherek from the east is in the middle of a territorial dispute with a new power. They’re still fighting, so it’s probably pretty close. And then there’s Gon from the west…”

Puff. The smoke filled the air.

Lycas’s expression twisted as he continued.

The next words were precisely the information Usher was looking for.

“There’s been a recent problem there. Gon brought a woman with him and tried to make her the successor to the western region. Have you noticed the decrease in pirate raids recently? That’s because of her. She’s been invading other parts of the island, trying to take over. Everyone’s too busy defending now.”

At this moment, everything about that woman seemed suspicious.