Chapter 68 : I Want to Touch the Pepper

In fact, if we trace the cause of the incident, it all began with the seed that Bersia had sown.

Indeed, wasn’t it she who repeatedly did things in front of Usher to provoke his flustered reaction?

However, even for her, there were some aspects of the situation that felt unjust.

It wasn’t injustice from a rational perspective, but rather from an emotional one.

Initially, Bersia had never given much thought to the idea that her body would return.

Since she began to develop feelings for Usher, Bersia’s goal had been consistently to attract his attention.

She hadn’t considered the far-off future where her body might return, and in fact, at times, she even thought that if her body didn’t return, their current relationship would be maintained.

The result of being swept up in such thoughts was this current situation.

It wasn’t an outcome of pure intention, so it was only natural for her to feel upset, and that bad feeling didn’t easily fade.

It manifested in a strange way.

“Do you like it?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Do you like it?”

“What are you talking about?”

Bersia asked this question without warning.

Her voice was cold, carrying a trace of emotions that Bersia couldn’t fully suppress.

Usher was taken aback.

It was only natural for him to be startled.

Bersia knew that too.

But what could be done?

Even though she knew it was childish jealousy, she couldn’t control her emotions.

One unchanging truth: Bersia’s love was close to possessiveness or obsession.

That aspect didn’t change, no matter how much Usher tried to guide her in a healthier direction.

After all, not all healthy love is built on trust alone.

Just as people’s appearances differ, so do their personalities, tendencies, and the mechanisms by which they feel love.

Bersia didn’t deny that.

She glanced at Usher, expressing her discomfort as she walked.

Of all days, there was a tea party today… In other words, a meeting to report on the results of the artificial witch project.

It wasn’t a day she wanted to hear unpleasant things, but if she avoided it, Usher would find himself in a difficult position.

Despite that, she didn’t want to disappoint him, so she was walking quickly to get there.

But, why does it always seem like bad things pile up on top of each other?

“Eh? What? You’re here?”

At the end of the hallway, Rubena appeared with Saturn.

Bersia narrowed her eyes.

Her irritation stemmed from the vulgar way Rubena was walking, swaying her hips in a manner that irritated her.

Even the outfit, which had always bothered her—exposing her chest and thighs, with extravagant adornments—was more noticeable today.

She hated the idea of Usher’s attention being drawn to such a vulgar display.

It would be bad luck for Rubena.

Normally, Bersia would have ignored or brushed off such things, but today, she openly showed hostility toward a woman who was sexually noticeable.

Also, during the time when Usher had been inside her, Rubena had developed feelings for her.

Rubena, with her foolish-looking face and a bright smile, approached and started a conversation.

Bersia responded coldly.

“You look fine? You’ve been so uneasy for a while…”

“Your perfume smells strong; I’d appreciate it if you moved away.”

“?”

Rubena froze.

Usher swallowed hard and glanced at Bersia.

Saturn had a blank expression on his face.

Bersia walked calmly past them, saying, “Sir, stay nearby. It would be better if you just went inside somewhere.”

“Yes, yes…” Usher nodded, awkwardly.

As Bersia was about to enter the meeting room, she overheard Rubena nervously speaking to Usher.

“…Hey, do I smell bad?”

“What? No, not really…”

“Are you not coming?”

Rubena, startled again, looked nervously at Bersia as she stayed close.

Bersia’s gaze was as cold as ice, and Rubena, who had thought “We’re friends” just yesterday, suddenly felt uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do.

It was utter chaos.

But, as always, the greatest chaos was in Bersia’s heart.

“Oh! You two came together! I see you’ve gotten closer…”

“No, not at all.”

“Really?”

At the unexpected early appearance of Halia, Bersia responded curtly.

Rubena was hurt.

Recently, it had been the most tense tea party.

Saturn Heisenberg was a first-class knight and the personal bodyguard of Rubena Pradeiri.

In fact, he held the highest rank in the order, but his actual duties were limited to shopping for Rubena, being her punching bag, and her only conversational partner.

Despite his role, his workload had been significantly lighter recently.

It wasn’t because of anything else, but because Rubena’s personality had become much more agreeable.

Why? Because since she started receiving protection, Bersia had become more kind to those around her.

Rubena, feeling inferior, had received Bersia’s recognition and was generally in a good mood.

But then, just like that, it suddenly changed back to how it was before.

Saturn was terrified. More so than Bersia’s personality changing, he feared Rubena would throw a fit over it.

Amid all this, Saturn’s human emotions began to surface.

He said to Usher, who was caught up in this web of misfortune:

“You’ve had a tough time too.”

“Excuse me?”

Usher tilted his head, looking puzzled.

To this, Saturn spoke.

“It seems like the Saintess is having a lot of mood swings.”

“Ah.”

Did he understand the meaning?

He thought so, but no, it wasn’t that.

Usher smiled brightly and responded.

“Still, it looks quite nice, doesn’t it? Your manner and speech have become much more polished.”

Where exactly?

Saturn swallowed his words, then quickly came to a conclusion on his own.

‘Is this a kind of delusion?’

He thought it was nice to look at?

It was a way of thinking that Saturn would never understand.

After the tea party ended, Bersia immediately began looking for Usher.

The unease that had been stirred up didn’t fade away easily.

It was a kind of dependency.

She found comfort only when he was by her side, affirming her, and she became addicted to that sense, wanting to repeat that experience.

Fortunately, Usher was waiting near the entrance, following Bersia’s words.

Bersia threw the annoying memories of the meeting away and walked toward Usher.

Usher greeted her with a bright smile.

“Ah, Saintess. Did the meeting go well?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you the details later.”

“Yes!”

She immediately headed to the garden.

While there, she believed there wouldn’t be any contact with outsiders.

It was also a manifestation of her petty jealousy, but Bersia chose to ignore that.

Luckily, the excuse of delivering secret meeting details worked in her favor.

Arriving at the well-kept garden, she sat at the tea table in the middle.

Usher, with a face full of curiosity, waited for her to speak.

Bersia enjoyed his gaze focused entirely on her.

And then she began to speak.

“There wasn’t much to discuss.”

She started explaining quietly.

Once all the details were delivered, Usher nodded.

“It’s a relief there’s no trouble. I wonder if hunting a few witches was effective. I can feel that the enemies are starting to become more cautious.”

That was the end of the meeting-related talk.

Now, Bersia decided to enjoy the rest of her time.

From here on, it would be just the two of them for the rest of the day.

She felt content with that.

“Saintess.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Thank you for your hard work today.”

Usher suddenly said with a bright smile.

Bersia tilted her head.

“Suddenly?”

“Yes! You were much kinder to others today than usual.”

Bersia could only remember being irritated with others.

What could he have seen to say such things?

As she was thinking, Usher, looking excited, listed the events of the day one by one.

“First, you didn’t point out the impoliteness of the priestesses! It was clearly rude that they only greeted me in front of you, but you endured it!”

She had simply kept silent because she was irritated.

“And also, with Saint Rubena. You spoke harshly, but you still made sure she got into the meeting room. That was a sign of improvement, a kindness that stood out.”

Bersia had taken him along because she didn’t want to talk to Usher.

“More than anything, after the meeting, didn’t you greet the other saintesses and leave?”

She interrupted the conversation because she wanted to leave quickly.

While Bersia was reflecting on the things Usher had pointed out, she let out a hollow laugh.

‘Ah…’

In the end, that personality of his, always looking at things positively, created a misunderstanding.

She felt a pang of conscience. At the same time, a shallow sense of joy rose within her.

She had discovered that she felt pleased by the fact that he viewed her favorably, regardless of her true feelings.

It was such a contradictory emotion that she found it absurd even to herself.

Hence, her expression turned sour.

Tap –

Usher placed his hand on top of Bersia’s head.

Bersia’s eyes widened in surprise.

He had patted her head while smiling.

“You did well… Ah, sorry.”

Perhaps realizing it was a mistake, Usher started to pull his hand away.

Without thinking, Bersia grabbed his hand and placed it back on her head.

“Why stop halfway?”

Her words were a bit too fast.

She wondered if she looked too desperate.

Fortunately, Usher didn’t seem to notice, blinking his eyes.

Then he laughed sheepishly and began patting her head again.

Bersia felt her heart race at the touch.

Her body’s tension loosened.

A lazy happiness washed over her.

Usher quietly spoke.

“I realized this while using the Saintess’s body. It feels so good when I comb or pat your hair.”

If it had been someone else, it would have sounded creepy, but because it was Usher, it came across as a pure intention.

In fact, even if it were creepy, it wouldn’t have mattered much.

‘Rather…’

That thought even reflected in her dreams.

As she thought about the dream, Bersia felt a tingle inside.

Her desires reflected in that dream were clearly evidence of her own growing thoughts.

She had come to recognize that she longed for a certain kind of relationship, physical closeness—how could she not react to Usher’s actions?

A dark thought briefly flashed through her mind.

And then, it happened.

Zing!

An electric current ran through her spine.

Her back straightened.

She felt a sharp stimulation in the area where her femininity lay, and Bersia immediately realized it and froze her expression.

‘This is dangerous…!’

The judgment came at the same moment.

Woosh!

…Her body changed again.

A momentary dizziness.

And the unfamiliar sensations of her new body.

After shaking that off, Bersia looked at her hand, which had been patting her head until just moments ago.

Usher, as if he had just realized the situation, looked up at Bersia with a blank expression.

Then, with a flustered face, he asked.

“Why…?”

Bersia had no words.

She knew the reason, but frankly, saying it would be embarrassing.

Reluctantly, she made an excuse while turning her head.

“I’m sorry. I had naughty thoughts.”

“???”

“I thought about wanting to touch… it…”

“Ugh?!”

Thud!

Usher fell backward.

Bersia let out a sigh of relief.