It was a standoff, short if you consider it short, and long if you consider it long.
Bersia’s lewd jokes only stopped when Usher was practically shaking his head in frustration, yelling at the top of his lungs. And what Usher realized during this was simple.
‘How rotten!’
She was an exceedingly malicious person.
She had a tendency to enjoy the suffering of others, only stopping her “jokes” when the other person begged her to.
So, this was the true identity of Saint Bersia, whom he had once admired!
It hadn’t even been a day and a half, yet the only thing that filled Usher’s heart was betrayal. But Bersia, as if fully satisfied like a well-fed predator, sat lazily on the edge of the bed. Usher furrowed his brows and spoke primly.
“Please don’t sit on the bed like that. The sheets I carefully arranged will get wrinkled.”
“This is my bed, though?”
“…Ah.”
Right, indeed.
Trying to compose himself, he replied,
“Would you like to sit down too, Sir Knight? It’s quite soft here. Big enough for two people to lie down.”
Bersia patted the bed with her hand.
Usher let out a sigh.
“The bed is a place to lie down at night. If you make it a habit to lie down during the day, surely it’ll lead to laziness in your character as well.”
He experienced a small sense of remorse for scolding her as if she were a child, but it was only momentary.
“There are people who may want to lie down during the day. And who says a bed is only for sleeping…?”
“Oh, please!”
“…Alright, alright. You really do get all huffy.”
Usher’s eyes opened wide.
He was so taken aback that he couldn’t even speak.
Seeing his shocked expression, Bersia only shrugged with an “I don’t care” expression and changed the subject.
“Anyway, it seems nothing has changed, even after sleeping. This might last quite a while.”
“…Yes, it seems we’ll need to look for another solution.”
“That friend of yours, Marvin? Did you send him off properly? When I told him I was tired, he looked at me with such pity before leaving. Oh, and he told me to hang in there. Though, it didn’t seem like he was talking to me, so I’m passing it along.”
Usher laughed wryly.
He could easily imagine the scene.
As it was, Marvin tended to see the saint as a monstrous figure.
Bersia wasn’t the type to show much emotion, so she had likely mentioned she was tired with a blank face.
Marvin might have thought being the saint’s bodyguard was a horribly arduous job and sent some sympathy his way.
Clearing up this “misunderstanding” could come later.
Usher sat down on a chair and spoke.
“Finding a way back is an issue, but… let’s start by handling today first. Are there any unavoidable appointments?”
Though he’d trained to become a bodyguard for the saint, he didn’t actually know the specifics of what her duties entailed. He could handle dealing with people, but if she had any specific tasks, he’d need to take them over.
This was important even for the future.
After all, as long as he was her bodyguard, he needed to understand her responsibilities, even if his body was restored.
He opened his ears with a sense of enthusiasm.
Her response was rather blunt.
“Eh, nothing, actually.”
“?”
“Just take it easy. Eat when you’re hungry, snack when you’re peckish, take a stroll through the garden if you get bored, and go explore the market outside the temple if you feel cooped up.”
“???”
“Hmm, I noticed yesterday too… Sir Knight, you seem to have some high ideals about saints.”
And in the next moment, the harsh reality dawned on the bewildered Usher.
“Think about it. Sure, they revere us as saints out there, but aside from hearing the voice of the divine, we’re no different from other priests, right? We can use holy power for this and that, but they can’t exactly overwork us, given we’re touted as the ‘daughters of God.’ So, they treat us well but don’t have much use for us, so they just give us a garden and tuck us away there.”
Usher blinked, a question naturally surfacing in his mind.
“Then… the bodyguard’s role…?”
“A glorified errand boy.”
“But the conditions for that are…”
“Well, I am the ‘daughter of God.’ They can’t very well attach any riffraff to me, can they?”
Usher’s mouth dropped open.
In that moment, a memory came to him.
Back when he first joined the holy order and expressed his desire to become Bersia’s bodyguard, his master and the current head of the knight order, Sir Whale, had said something to him.
… It might not be what you’re thinking.
Could this be what he meant?
Sir Whale had often suggested over the past decade that he should aspire to the position of knight commander rather than becoming a bodyguard. At the time, Usher had taken it as encouragement or praise, but now he wasn’t so sure.
Usher’s body trembled slightly.
Bersia smiled brightly and asked, “Are you disappointed?”
“That…!”
He was momentarily at a loss for words.
But soon, Usher closed his eyes tightly and responded, “I am not disappointed! It’s still my goal, after all!”
“Oh, really?”
“And besides! It’s not like you do nothing at all! I heard that you inspect local areas and provide medical aid to the poor.”
Usher’s eyes sparkled.
Momentarily forgetting the shock, he recalled how Bersia had traveled around small villages near the kingdom to treat the sick just two months ago.
Yes, that was truly admirable!
No one had forced her; she’d volunteered to help others.
“Oh, that? They gave me extra allowances for that. I had something I wanted to buy at the time.”
“???
“Curious what it was? It’s a secret, but I have an old woodblock print hidden under the bed…”
“Saint!”
Usher shrieked, voice cracking.
With eyebrows furrowed, he stomped over to the bed, dropped to his knees, and reached underneath it.
He shouted, “I’m confiscating this! Hiding something obscene within the holy temple? What if it were discovered? It’s going straight to the firewood pile!”
But his hand found nothing.
“???
Usher looked up at Bersia, confused.
She grinned mischievously.
“Fell for it, didn’t you?”
“…….
“More than that, get up. Kneeling with your rear in the air—what kind of vulgar position is that?”
“Oh, seriously!!!”
Thud! Bang!
Usher rolled onto the floor, crawling toward the wall and curling up.
His body trembled.
“Please! Try to keep your thoughts… appropriate!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop, so lower your voice. You’ll lose it if you keep yelling.”
“Honestly…!”
Bersia just chuckled to herself.
Usher’s irritation with her was steadily growing.
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Hmm, then, why don’t we go out for an inspection since it came to mind?”
“…Suddenly?”
“Yes, it occurred to me that I could use some money too.”
Usher tilted his head in confusion.
“Why is that? The essentials should be covered by the provisions.”
“Well, that’s precisely the problem.”
What was the issue with that?
Usher, puzzled, looked at Bersia with genuine curiosity.
Then she made a face he’d never seen before, narrowing her eyes as though looking at something strange.
“The fabric of the clothes and undergarments is scratchy, the soap smells of oil and doesn’t feel refreshing, and above all, the barracks reek of sweat. I should at least have some scented candles in my room.”
What’s wrong with that?
After a moment’s thought, Usher understood.
‘After all, she is a lady.’
Certainly, compared to the clothes Bersia usually wore, Usher’s uniform was of inferior quality. He’d patched it up repeatedly, which had helped him improve his sewing skills, but the feel of the old fabric wasn’t exactly pleasant. And he couldn’t deny that the barracks’ odor could be overwhelming at times, even to him.
Even though his body was currently different, Usher didn’t forget that he was here to serve her.
He made a resolute decision.
“If it’s for that, I can use my salary to purchase those items.”
It was money he’d been carefully saving to order a new sword, but he didn’t mind using it for Bersia’s sake. Perhaps it even felt a bit gallant.
When he looked at her, though, she simply sighed.
“Honestly.”
“Huh?”
“You’re just trying to be considerate.”
“…What do you mean?”
“If you start buying fragrant candles, nicer soap, and finer fabrics with your own money, how do you think people will perceive it?”
“???
“…Won’t it look like you’re trying to impress me? It would be better if they thought I bought those things for you. If I just say I dressed you up because I felt embarrassed taking you around as you were, no one will think twice about it.”
“…!”
“You’re surprisingly naive in the wrong ways.”
Usher was taken aback.
But it made sense.
“R-right…!”
Usher trusted his fellow knights, but public perception could always shift. It was best not to stir up unnecessary suspicion.
He nodded in agreement.
“You’re right! I understand! Then, let’s go on the inspection!”
Usher’s face was brimming with enthusiasm.
“I’m confident! During my training, I worked especially hard on guard duty, and I can even perform basic healing magic!”
With his hand over his chest in the knight’s salute, Usher spoke with resolve.
“I will serve you well!”
“Though, really, I think I’ll be the one serving you.”
“There’s no need to worry! I’ll handle everything!”
“More than that, let go of my hand already. You’re subtly touching my—”
“I did not touch it!!!”
Usher shouted, his cheeks flushed red.
He glared at her, which he had now done countless times today, as Bersia merely replied,
“Alright, alright. Then, shall we go?”
Bersia strode over, slipping her hand under Usher’s armpit and lifting him up.
Dangling there, Usher felt an odd sense of embarrassment.
“…Please put me down.”
“Hmm, you’re heavier than I expected. Did you gain weight? Since we’re here, why don’t you get some exercise in my body?”
His energy was already drained before they even set out.