Etiquette (5): Cohabitation with the Kwon Saintess
I couldn't help but be flustered by Lord's proposal to live with the Kwon Saintess Lize. In other words, to cohabitate. It was unavoidable given how many incidents I'd caused so far, but why her of all people?
"Does that mean the Saintess and Sivar are going to live together?"
"That's right."
"Suddenly? Wait, is that even allowed in the first place?"
I wasn't the only one thrown off. Kara's voice was laced with confusion at the abrupt cohabitation news. Everyone else reacted the same way. They were all baffled as to why I had to live with Lize specifically.
"It's fine. It happens occasionally with students who get along well or are blood relatives sharing a room. Of course, it requires going through stringent procedures, so it's rare."
"Even if they're different genders?"
"Gender doesn't matter. That's a common misconception among students."
"But the professors said it wasn't allowed..."
Luna wore an expression of utter incomprehension as she voiced her doubt. She was probably recalling the time when I first arrived at the academy. She'd insisted on sharing a room with me under the pretext of keeping an eye on me, but the professors shut it down completely. And she couldn't really argue since they were all valid points.
"They didn't outright forbid it. They probably cited various reasons to refuse. Everyone knows what can happen when men and women share a room."
"What about the Saintess, then? She's a woman too."
Ellie's rebuttal followed. As she pointed out, no matter that Lize was the Kwon Saintess, she was still a woman of the opposite sex. She might not care about public scrutiny—and didn't need to—but I was the problem. Living in the same room as a saintess? The most vicious rumors wouldn't be surprising at all. The funny part was, I didn't care about rumors either. I just wanted to live alone.
"It shouldn't be an issue. Whether Sivar even sees Lize as a woman is questionable, and besides..."
Lord trailed off and glanced at me. He had plenty to say but was pondering where to start. It seemed even this proposal had caught him off guard. He was trying his best to persuade us. If Lize pushed through anyway, I'd be stuck cohabitating whether I liked it or not. Persuasion was still essential, though.
"...there's no reason to see her that way."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll leave it to your imaginations what form Lize might take."
"......"
That single response convinced everyone to some degree. Me included. Lize in saintess mode was truly a beautiful woman, but in Kwon Saint mode... well, no further explanation needed. Still, that wasn't enough. I'd heard Lize had come to the academy as a saintess. In other words, she couldn't maintain Kwon Saint mode constantly. She'd revert to her original saintess form for rest at least. That left some questions about how it'd work.
"Even so, I doubt you'd be fully convinced. The academy—not to mention Byzantine—is in an uproar over the news of Lize cohabitating with Sivar."
"But it somehow got approved."
"Lize was so insistent there was no choice. Besides, it won't be for long. Just until the end of the first semester, she said."
"Until the end of the semester... that's about a month and a half."
Midterms were approaching. In other words, half the semester would pass. At least it was a silver lining. If this dragged on the whole time, it'd cramp my style big time. Lize wasn't completely oblivious, so this was probably her maximum concession.
"Then why does the Saintess want to live with Sivar? What's the reason? That's what I'm most curious about."
"Me too. What about Sivar made her decide on cohabitation?"
Above all, the burning question was why. Why did Lize want to live with me? Controlling my berserk state was already planned for weekends. Cohabitation wasn't necessary. Lord cleared his throat lightly at our questions—not from illness, just a habitual cough. He glanced behind him and gave a puzzling answer.
"Best to ask her directly. She's right on time, after all."
Knock knock knock.
No sooner had Lord spoken than someone knocked. Lize must really be here. At the sound, Luna alternated glances between the door and Lord before standing up.
Click.
"Hello, Luna. Are you feeling better?"
"Ah, yes... Hello. I'm fine now."
As expected, it was Lize behind the door. She possessed striking beauty that stood out like everyone else's. Greeting Luna warmly, she walked toward us. Not in Kwon Saint mode but saintess mode, so certain... features caught my eye.
"......"
Our eyes met exactly as Lize approached. She gave me a gentle smile upon eye contact. Normally, that smile should evoke fear. That's exactly how it felt the first time we met. But not today. Instead of fear, I felt an inexplicable embarrassment and couldn't meet her gaze. I averted my eyes, and Lize chuckled softly before sitting beside Lord.
"Have you discussed it yet?"
"Somewhat. You can explain the reason."
Lize dove straight into the main topic upon sitting. No pointless small talk. For now, resolving our doubts took priority over chit-chat.
"I'm sure you're all surprised. Me living with Brother Sivar. Even if it's just a month and a half, the fact of cohabitation remains. But I assure you, it's out of necessity."
Necessity. That word alone emphasized its importance. But we needed the reason. Was it to monitor me, or some other purpose? Reading our minds or not, Lize continued in her characteristically soft tone.
"There are many reasons I want to live with Brother Sivar. The primary one is that he has been chosen by Lord Chaos. That's the biggest."
"Are you worried Sivar's antics will tarnish Lord Chaos's reputation?"
Kara pointed out sharply. It might look that way at a glance. Everyone knew I'd been chosen by Chaos, and rumors had spread. If I caused trouble, it could reflect badly on Chaos. Kara had predicted that much. But who was Chaos? The god of chaos, infinitely generous in certain aspects.
"No, that's fine. What Lord Chaos strictly forbids is taking life carelessly. Brother Sivar doesn't take life without need. Isn't that right?"
I nodded timidly from Ellie's arms. Outside of hunting, I rarely took lives. Sure, I'd crush predators invading my territory sometimes, but that was necessary too. They would've lunged the moment they spotted me anyway. It deterred prey too.
"I don't mind if Brother Sivar causes trouble. Breaking buildings or objects—none of that bothers me."
"I mind," Lord retorted incredulously. He was the one who always cleaned up after my messes. Lize brushed it off effortlessly, unruffled even by the Sword Saint's protest.
"But intentionally taking a life? That I'd reprimand strictly. It's not something humans should do. As I've said consistently, Lord Chaos blesses the wandering, not those lacking humanity."
"Are you saying Sivar's humanity isn't fully formed?"
Ellie's question. I wondered about that too. By my own reckoning, my personality was close to normal. I had berserk, but my civilized memories were vivid.
"Strictly speaking, yes. Berserk doesn't exist in humans, after all. Beasts, maybe."
"So the Saintess will teach Sivar morals..."
"Personality and morals are different. We must clarify that."
They felt similar but weren't. One was humanity, the other closer to temperament. Some kept their humanity despite rotten personalities; others lost it despite fine temperaments. Common on Earth, abundant in history.
Lots in World War II, I recall. Even that famous mustached guy was privately decent. Yet he pushed genocide policies. Meanwhile, a nasty-tempered businessman protected innocent Jews. Humanity was intellect separate from temperament.
"I plan to help Brother Sivar develop his personality better. That's why we'll cohabitate for a month and a half."
"Luna and I are teaching him plenty too..."
Ellie hugged me like a doll and murmured. She still wanted to teach me all sorts of things.
"No need to worry. If you wish, visit the room. I'll get academy permission."
"Really?!"
"Yes. Helping Brother Sivar means welcoming it."
"Thank you!"
While Ellie beamed, Lord's reaction beside Lize was worth watching. He wore a clear smirk. Lize had poked everywhere, leaving him to handle the fallout. As academy president, it must've been a headache.
"In truth, it's just a dorm change—nothing different from usual. However, Brother Sivar?"
I met Lize's gaze at her call. I barely stopped my eyes from drifting lower.
"If you fully control berserk, your personality will likely complete. Until then, develop it well for smooth human living."
"......"
"Not saying live purely innocently. The world has trash that needs clearing. Just don't carelessly steal lives, even from trash."
Don't cross the final line. Fitting chaos philosophy, yet pursuing 'goodness.' I didn't relish taking human lives anyway, prey aside. Unavoidable in berserk, though. I nodded in agreement. Lize smiled softly, pleased.
"Dorm assignment is in two days. I'm already there, so just bring yourself, Brother Sivar."
"...The phrasing sounds off."
"Misunderstanding."
Lize shut down Kara's mutter instantly. If the saintess said so, it was so.
"Oh, and call me something other than Saintess. It'll bring us closer."
"Then..."
Living with Lize was fine. But deciding without my input irked me a bit. Understandable, since I was still adapting to civilization.
"Grandma?"
"......"
So feel flustered yourself. Suppressing my inner glee, I said it quietly. 'Grandma' must've hit hard; Lize's smiling face froze stiff. By age, it fit. She'd only looked young due to reversal of aging.
"Hm. Wild instincts, indeed. Sees right through even in youth."
As everyone gaped speechless, only Lord muttered judgments. Lize recovered at his words, still smiling gently.
"Looks like etiquette training is needed."
I already got that from Lord, Grandma.
Chaos is pleased too—that's great.