A sense of exhaustion, a heavy chest for some reason, and a high-pitched voice.
Ten minutes after the body swap, Usher finally fully realized the situation and laughed in a tired, defeated way.
‘Of course…?’
The miracle of fully returning? If it were that kind of miracle, it wouldn’t have been possible to keep the body swapped this long. The reason why God’s miracles are called miracles is because they are meant to be seen as such.
The Bible says that the parents’ plan looks far ahead, so humans cannot follow it with their limited perspective.
That phrase wasn’t just a doctrinal reverence.
It referred to the miracles performed by God on this earth.
It wasn’t a difficult concept.
Because God’s sight differs from that of humans, God’s intentions can only be understood after the result is clear, through the fragmented human perception.
In fact, some miracles had their purpose revealed only hundreds of years later, so there’s no need to keep talking about how far God looks—it’s painful enough just to imagine.
The reason Usher was showing a patient attitude toward the miracle itself was because he believed that there was a reason behind everything that had happened.
Moreover, compared to the example mentioned earlier, the miracle of the body swap didn’t seem like it would take long to reach its answer.
Hmm, a miracle for the safety of Bersia and other things—can’t the cause be explained clearly like that?
…Of course, still, it couldn’t be helped that he felt down.
“OO….”
Usher slumped down.
Sadness oozed out from every part of his body.
It was natural.
Humans are animals more sensitive to reverse sensations than their actual physical feelings, aren’t they?
The original body had been great.
It was beyond the typical human capacity in terms of strength and vitality, and even the refreshing feeling after sweating from training was as satisfying as finding fresh water after thirst.
Returning to that life made each day feel so fulfilling.
If it was going to be like this, why change it back at all? Just as he had finally adapted to his original body, it was taken away again, and Usher could only feel resentment toward God.
No, should he be resenting someone else?
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it.”
Usher lifted his head, speaking in a cheeky tone.
Even with the markings on his body, his thoughts were far from pure, and the very person who activated the miracle was there.
Usher, with a pouty expression, kept glaring at Bersia.
Of course, it wasn’t as cold as Bersia’s look; it was more like a sulking child trying to intimidate with narrowed eyes. Usher, unaware of this, awkwardly mimicked Bersia and scolded her.
“We agreed not to do this! We agreed to hold back on crude words and thoughts!”
“Do you think holding back really works?”
“Why can’t you hold back?”
“I suddenly think about chilies while walking…”
“You shouldn’t be thinking about that!”
Ah, Lord.
What on earth were you thinking when you led this woman down such a bizarre path?
The humiliation made Usher’s teeth grind.
Thinking about how to instill a sense of humanity in her made the back of his neck tense.
Usher closed his eyes tightly and groaned in desperation.
“Please, just bear with it a little… After all, I’m supposed to be a clergyman, I should at least pretend to be abstinent…”
“You’re good at pretending. I don’t think anyone does it better than you.”
“I meant, do it in front of me too…!”
“We promised no secrets between us.”
Bersia poked Usher’s cheek with her finger.
Seeing her smile sweetly, he couldn’t help but feel irritated.
‘Guess the aftermath isn’t my responsibility.’
Actually, Bersia was just relieved to have gotten rid of the embarrassing feeling, but that wouldn’t be conveyed.
Even if she apologized, it wouldn’t matter.
“I’m sorry. But since I’ve done something wrong, I’ll reflect on it.”
“That’s not the expression of someone who is sorry.”
“I really want to cry because I’m sorry. Really.”
Could I just give her a light punch on the head?
Usher thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“…Fine.”
Usher quickly turned his head away.
It was an action driven by half frustration, and half something else.
His nose wrinkled, and his skin turned red.
It was because of the markings on his body.
‘What is this scent of human flesh…’
How could it amplify so drastically like this?
It really was an utterly damnable curse.
I’m not sure if it’s fortunate, but Usher didn’t find it difficult to adapt to Bersia’s body again.
He had already experienced it once before, and in addition, he had developed quite a few habits during his time living in Bersia’s body.
‘The habit of sleeping on my stomach has definitely been corrected.’
He wasn’t naturally someone who slept in a perfectly proper position.
There were times when he would roll over in his sleep and fall to the floor, but with Bersia’s body, sleeping that way would cause discomfort due to the pressure on his chest.
After repeating such incidents, his sleeping position had become more proper compared to before.
Other habits that had changed for Usher during this process included walking with shorter, lighter steps, neatly fixing his hair, and using a soft, gentle voice.
Bersia commented on this.
“You look like a girl.”
“…Please be quiet.”
“Talking like that while brushing your hair doesn’t help…”
“I can’t help it. I can’t go out looking all disheveled!”
Usher glared at Bersia through the mirror while casually fiddling with his hair.
Though it was bothersome, preparing to go out was almost like a mission for Usher.
After all, hadn’t he made a promise not long after the strange miracle of the body swap?
“I should at least make an effort to contribute to the public perception of the saintess. You have no intention of doing that, and Judith doesn’t go out, and Halia is too extreme…”
“Rubena is vulgar.”
“……”
Usher sighed, realizing just how unremarkable the group was.
Out of the four of them, none of them truly seemed saintly… or even close to being emotionally balanced.
The fact that Bersia, wearing a mask, seemed the most saintly was enough to make Usher sigh.
At any rate, after that trivial conversation, the preparations to go out were finished.
Today was the day for volunteer work after a long while.
“Come to think of it, it’s been months.”
“There was no time with the witches stirring things up.”
“The more chaotic it gets, the more we should pay attention to such matters, and I find myself reflecting on my laziness. It’s just a little more suffering, after all.”
“That was a very saintly comment.”
“There’s a saying ‘that’s what a clergyman would say,’ saintess.”
Did she think knights were only for brawling?
This distorted perception was a problem in itself.
Bersia shrugged her shoulders.
Usher sighed once again as he looked at her.
They were heading outside.
“Huh? Oh! Rubena!”
Across the hallway, Usher spotted Rubena and smiled brightly, greeting her first.
Rubena, startled, looked at Usher with trembling eyes.
“U-uh…”
“Good morning! Are you going out?”
“Huh? Uh, well…”
Rubena froze in confusion at Usher’s warm approach, not knowing how to respond.
Her confusion was evident in her expression, though Usher didn’t notice.
It wasn’t that he was clueless, but rather that he had other things on his mind, so small details didn’t catch his attention.
“Well, it is a nice day. The witches are quiet for now, so it’s a good time to take it easy. Oh, while I’m thinking about it, would you like to join me for some volunteer work?”
They’d just met, and he’d finished his preparations.
Usher thought it might be a good opportunity to show Rubena the joy of doing good deeds, especially since they had become closer recently.
He expected that she might reconsider after some thought.
But her response was a bit disappointing.
“Huh? Uh… Um…”
Her reluctant reaction made Usher smile, though a bit of regret lingered.
“Well, we can go together next time.”
“Uh…”
“I’ll go ahead then. Have a good day!”
He waved goodbye with a smile, but Rubena didn’t seem so cheerful.
The hallway was left with just Saturn and Rubena.
Rubena felt extreme cognitive dissonance and turned to Saturn.
“What does she want from me?”
Yesterday, he was harsh with her, and today, he was all friendly.
She didn’t know how to respond and was on the verge of going crazy.
She vented her confusion to Saturn, but there wasn’t much he could say.
Saturn internally muttered, “I wish I could ask the saintess about this.”
There was no doubt that Saturn had been the one suffering the most from the hysterical mood swings these past two days.
For about five more days, there was a peaceful, uneventful time.
But then, a sudden change came.
After returning from a regular meeting, Halia suddenly called for Usher and Bersia.
“The next destination is decided. This time, come with me!”
The witches had stirred up trouble again.
And when they heard the destination, Usher froze.
“…Baern?”
The desert city of Baern.
That was none other than his hometown, the land where he was born and raised.