Usher finally succeeded in leaving the room after a long battle of words.
Today’s plan was a civilian service to earn money for shopping.
It felt slightly worldly for something the saint was supposed to do, casting a faint sense of doubt, yet a good deed was still a good deed.
Indeed, wasn’t it about using her abilities for the poor and the sick?
With great enthusiasm, she decided to proceed, and the first step was to notify the church of the inspection.
At this point, Usher felt a bit tense.
After all, even though it was for a good cause, the fact that she was a saint, the church’s most important figure, meant there would inevitably be various bothersome precautions for her safety.
However, her concerns about “how to talk her way outside” were unnecessary, as the process turned out to be surprisingly simple.
“Oh! Understood! I’ll register the document right away!”
“Thank you for the Saint’s grace.”
The priest in charge allowed it with a bright smile, without any preliminary measures whatsoever. He didn’t even submit a report to the higher-ups!
“Huh?”
As Usher stood in bewilderment, Bersia explained.
“I told you. The saint is like a burdensome honor. They praise her and give her a title, but since she doesn’t really do anything, they’re grateful for any small task she undertakes.”
“Is… is that really the case?”
“If you think about it, the saint is like the face of the church, right? It’s wonderful to see someone who looks important taking care of the sick. From a citizen’s perspective, it’s great to receive treatment for their illnesses, and from a church’s perspective, it’s good for their image.”
Usher’s lips pursed slightly.
Bersia chuckled, her smile carrying a hint of cynicism.
“Well, they even give extra allowances since she finds even this bothersome. Do you know why this special allowance was created?”
Usher began to worry seriously about the future of the Holy Church.
Despite a small incident, Usher managed to make his way outside.
This inspection involved a tour of the Osia Territory adjacent to the church, where she would provide medical services.
As Usher left the church, her face showed determination.
‘I have to do something! Yes, this might be the mission that the Father has entrusted to me!’
Perhaps the Father wanted her to improve the saint’s image, which had hit rock bottom.
The fact that her body had changed in response to her prayer to bring danger closer might have meant that, with the saint’s reputation plummeting, Bersia could face potential threats, and thus she needed to step up.
Lost in her slight, self-aggrandizing delusion, Usher’s cheeks reddened a bit.
But ultimately, wasn’t it a good thing for Bersia if she restored the dignity of the saint?
Usher’s gaze shifted to Bersia.
Unaware of her inner thoughts, Bersia appeared carefree.
With her hands in her pockets, she yawned carelessly, looking unkempt.
Usher’s expression quickly turned sour.
“Your conduct is improper! Remove your hands and cover your mouth when you yawn! And why have you left your buttons undone again? Button it all the way up… Ugh, come here!”
“Why so strict? We’re outside the church, aren’t we? Can’t I relax a bit?”
“It’s my body, I’ll have you know! I don’t want people to see me as disreputable!”
Usher nagged as he buttoned up Bersia’s shirt.
He tucked the loose hem into her pants and neatly fastened the cloak draped over her.
After tightening the belt and adjusting the angle of his scabbard, Bersia finally looked somewhat like a holy knight.
With arms folded, Usher nodded with satisfaction.
The smile on his face sparkled with pride.
“Excellent! This level of neatness could be featured in the manual!”
What he saw before him was the very image of the ideal guardian knight for a saint.
What particularly caught Usher’s eye was the emblem on the cloak.
The winged shield emblem, symbolizing the guardian knight of the saint, evoked both pride and regret.
‘Ah, I should have been the one in that position.’
He clicked his tongue, lost in such reflections.
“You’re staring awfully hard.”
Bersia placed a hand over his chest in a defensive gesture.
Usher froze, caught off guard.
He narrowed his eyes, glaring at Bersia.
‘I can’t keep letting him get to me.’
With that thought, he immediately countered.
“I was looking at the emblem! The sight of you standing in a position I’ve always wanted to be in brings me deep emotions, that’s all!”
But, as always, it was a futile effort.
“Then what was that?”
“…What?”
“You were touching me all over under the guise of fixing my clothes.”
“What…!”
Usher was at a loss for words.
…And that was his mistake.
“That’s my body, isn’t it? I can touch it freely if I want to!”
He shouldn’t have said that.
It was a self-imposed trap he couldn’t escape.
Bersia smirked slyly.
“Then, can I touch it too?”
“…!”
“According to your logic, that’s my body, so it’s okay if I touch it, right?”
Thud—
Usher’s mind went blank.
He couldn’t immediately process what he’d just heard, his face frozen in stunned silence as he mentally retraced the words.
But with his mind turned to mush, it wasn’t easy.
‘What is he even saying?’
Seeing his confusion, Bersia stepped closer to clarify.
Leaning in, he whispered into Usher’s ear.
“I’ve always been curious. Would you tell me what it feels like when someone else touches my chest…?”
Usher met his inevitable fate.
“Aaaahhh!!!”
Blushing red like a beet, Usher screamed and ran towards the city, covering his ears and tightly closing his eyes.
He neither wanted to experience nor imagine anything of the sort.
He kept repeating to himself,
“I can’t hear it! I can’t hear it! I can’t hear it!!!”
“Oh, come on, aren’t you curious too, Sir Knigh—”
“Stop!”
It was unfortunate.
Bersia’s body might be weaker than Usher’s, but no matter how much Usher sprinted, it was still no faster than Bersia’s leisurely strides.
“Come on, let’s come to some sort of agreement…”
“No! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not!”
Bersia’s laughter trailed behind Usher like a shadow.
The cost of letting his guard down was death.
At that moment, Usher thought of his friend, Marvin.
—Why do you willingly endure all that hassle? Other people would run away to avoid it if they could.
He was right.
The position of the saint’s guardian knight was no easy role.
By the time they reached the city, things had calmed down.
Why did he already feel like resting when they hadn’t even started working yet?
Caught in a wave of exhaustion, Usher finally realized the cause, shooting Bersia a resentful glare.
“… Lady Saint, please refrain from such crude jokes. We’re in the city now, so there will be many eyes watching.”
“Then, if we leave the city, I could…”
“No!”
“Eek.”
Usher’s eyes widened in a stern, solemn expression, though with Bersia’s face, it was hardly effective.
Bersia shrugged his shoulders.
“Alright, alright. I do have some sense. I wouldn’t do it in front of others.”
“You promised! This medical service isn’t just a way to make money; it’s a chance to spread the grace of the Divine Father throughout the world! It must be conducted with reverence! There must not be a single hint of impropriety!”
“Yes, yes.”
“Even though our bodies have swapped, the people’s perception of the saint is crucial. Bestowing grace is, in other words, the physical dissemination of faith, and…!”
Usher launched into a lengthy speech.
His hope was that Bersia would take this mission seriously even after their bodies returned to normal.
At some point, he became so absorbed in his lecture about faith that he didn’t notice whether Bersia was paying any attention at all, his voice gradually rising.
How long did this go on?
“Oh, we’re here.”
“…Oh! We’ve already arrived.”
Usher clicked his tongue, feeling a twinge of regret that he hadn’t finished his points about divine power and the grace of the Father.
But delaying their work was out of the question.
Arriving at the church’s branch, Usher cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
Speak less, keep a compassionate expression.
Following Bersia’s advice, he began to act accordingly.
“Greetings to the Saint.”
“Yes, where are the patients?”
The soft tone felt strange on his lips, but he endured it.
The priest at the branch led Usher and Bersia to where the patients were, and upon arrival, Usher let out a quiet sigh.
“There are… so many.”
“Well, given the city’s large population…”
It likely meant there were also many illnesses and accidents.
Behind the branch, patients were lined up all the way past the alley.
It seemed they wouldn’t be able to leave until sunset if they intended to treat everyone.
Bersia whispered softly.
“Will you be alright?”
Usher replied with a bashful smile.
“Well, it can’t be helped. With so many patients, I’ll just have to work hard.”
“Wow, you really are the Saint.”
“I’m the Holy Knight.”
“What are you buying?”
“Ah…!”
“Just kidding. Alright, I’ll stop.”
Not even a moment without a silly remark.
Usher shot her a sharp look in a warning.
Bersia gestured toward the patients with a nod of her chin.
With a sigh, Usher stepped forward.
At that moment—
“Oh! It’s the Saint!”
“Aaah!!!”
Cheering, or perhaps cries of desperate hope, echoed around them.
Usher felt a pang of sorrow.
The emotion in their eyes was none other than desperation.
But he knew he couldn’t show a sympathetic expression.
Usher understood that, in the face of desperation, what was needed was a smile, not pity—a realization thanks to a certain someone by his side.
‘Though a lot of illusions have been shattered…’
Well, it wasn’t the most important matter at the moment.
Usher gently smiled and began speaking.
“Nice to meet you, everyone.”
He addressed the patients as gracefully as possible, enduring the awkward and embarrassing feeling.
Their response was reverent.
Their praise for the Divine Father was almost touching.
Now, it was time to start the treatment.
Usher took his seat, and the first patient was an elderly man with a hunched back and raspy, wheezing breaths.
“You’ll feel better soon. Please bear with me just a little.”
“Yes, yes, Lady Saint…! Truly, thank… cough thank you…!”
“Let us give thanks to the Father instead.”
He spoke while holding the old man’s wrist.
It was simply a case of low immunity.
A little infusion of life energy, and he’d likely recover in no time.
‘A prayer for vitality, and for his weakened joints, a healing prayer.’
Though he mainly trained in combat prayers, Usher had basic knowledge of healing prayers too.
‘This isn’t difficult.’
With that thought, Usher channeled his holy power.
‘Just like always.’
…And that was the problem.
Thud—!
‘…Huh?’
Usher had overlooked one thing.
The sheer vastness and intensity of her holy power, praised as a gift from the world.
‘W-What…?!’
Panic surged through Usher.
The moment he unleashed his holy power, an unusual phenomenon occurred.
Rumble, rumble—
The ground trembled.
The sky roared wildly.
And a deafening sound swept across the city.
Boom!
‘W-What is this…!?
Feeling a sense of crisis, Usher hurried to withdraw his holy power.
But once unleashed, holy power and an initiated prayer couldn’t simply be stopped.
Panic flooded him to his very core.
And then, something even more astonishing happened.
Screeeeeech!
“Oh, Lady Saint!”
“Aah! Divine Father above!!!”
A halo appeared above Usher’s head.
The golden circle spun wildly, amplifying the prayer’s effects.
Usher’s pupils trembled as though caught in an earthquake.
‘W-Wait! Wait, please!!!’
He shouted inwardly, but his holy power ignored him and continued on its course.
Booooom!
Radiance poured down from the sky.
The dark clouds parted, and a golden pillar of light covered the space, extending beyond, enveloping the city walls and surrounding farmlands.
The ground glowed golden.
The prayer, imbued with light, began healing everything alive.
Life blossomed.
Flowers, forgetting the season, bloomed in wild profusion, crying out in blessed ecstasy.
And the people were no different.
“O-Oh…!!!”
Awe-filled gasps erupted as people knelt down with resounding thuds.
“O Divine Father…!”
“O Great Creator…!”
Some chanted the Father’s name, others clasped their hands in tears, while still others lowered their heads to the ground in testimony.
Usher’s mouth hung open in a daze.
A cold sweat trickled down his back.
‘Something…’
Something was terribly wrong.
Just as he realized this, he heard a voice behind him.
“Wow.”
Creak, creak—Usher turned his head.
There, he saw Bersia, smirking with a twisted grin.
As if she’d discovered Usher’s weakness.
An ominous feeling crept over him, and he wasn’t mistaken.
Bersia spoke in a languid whisper.
“I was hoping for a quiet life.”
“…”
“Thanks to you, things are going to get noisy. More people will be bothering me. Ah, my life is ruined…”
“…”
“…You’ll have to take responsibility. Right?”
Bersia’s eyes curved into a crescent shape.
Shadows danced in his gaze, glowing darkly.
And then—
“…Hiccup.”
Usher felt his blood run cold.