Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 101
Round and round it went, landing on a woman's body once more. This shouldn't be happening, but now, the moment the switch occurred, Asher found himself casually thinking, Of course.
The repeated despair was turning the ominous thought of "Am I going to live like this forever, switching bodies?" into an accepted truth.
It was a form of resignation that came after denial.
This wasn't a small problem. Asher felt a sense of crisis about the situation.
Especially since his shame was gradually fading when handling Versia's body.
...Is this really okay?
By any common sense, a strange man shouldn't be changing and washing a woman's undergarments. Yet, doing so brought no guilt or shame whatsoever. It just felt like handling his own belongings.
If he had to add one emotion, it might be a sigh of lament toward Versia, who had forced him into this.
Can't you endure it for once...!
Thwack! In a fit of anger, Asher slammed the laundry down hard, letting out a groan before shaking his head.
What good did lamenting do? In a way, it might even be fortunate.
Looking at reality alone, Versia wasn't the type with even a shred of patience, not even as a joke. Hadn't he directly experienced what happened after she took over this body?
She pounced at every opportunity. And she planned to use that immense divine power for outright assault.
To avoid such disasters, it was better for himthe one who could at least hold backto be in this body.
It was lamentable, but unavoidable.
After finishing the laundry, he washed up. Soaking in warm water melted away the fatigue. Only then did he realize Versia might have been in a constant state of tension. Just immersing in warm water had all his muscles fully relaxit was astonishing.
A pang of sympathy hit him. Maybe she tried her best to hold back but ultimately couldn't, leading to the assault attempt?
...No.
Still, assault was assault.
Asher steeled his softening resolve. Versia needed to take responsibility for this.
With a sulky expression, Asher submerged himself up to his neck.
How much time passed like that?
"......"
Drowsiness crept in. The quiet bathroom, warm water, releasing tension, and leisurely time all conspired to bring on sleep. Asher struggled to fend it off but ultimately fell asleep right there in the tub.
"......"
He dreamed of floating aimlessly in the sky.
A sensation of fluffy clouds enveloping his body washed over him.
A smile tugged at Asher's lips. It felt like he could ride these clouds anywhere.
Then, at some point, the clouds transformed into Versia, entering his body.
Her gaze scanned Asher from head to toe.
A crooked smile curled her lips.
-Why are you walking around naked like that? Like a pervert.
A chill ran down his spine. Heat flushed his face.
Asher flailed in shock and woke up.
Splash!
"Gah!"
He didn't need to chase away sleep anymore. Thrashing in the water brought him back to reality.
Clutching the tub's edge to steady himself, Asher panted heavily.
Why of all things did he dream that?
Asher rubbed his forehead, dizzy, then belatedly looked up.
And froze solid.
"Oh, you're awake?"
Asher's expression hardened. An indescribable chill settled in his eyes.
Versia was there.
Standing in the corner of the bathroom, arms crossed, looking down at him.
Silence fell.
Asher had to labor to grasp the situation.
Was he still dreaming? No, this was reality.
And in that reality, Versia was peering down at him.
At himself, naked and submerged in the tub.
"......"
"......"
"...What are you doing?"
Humans tend to react slowly to stimuli beyond imagination.
Asher was no exception.
Why was Versia here? Why was she looking at him?
Why was he exposed to her gaze?
Such questions scrambled his mind.
Amid that, Versia answered.
"Admiring."
"......"
"My body's pretty. Nice curves, for sure."
"......"
"Why'd you refuse so much? If it were me, I'd have stripped and pounced right away."
Versia stroked her chin.
Did that person even know what guilt felt like?
No, beyond thatdid she even understand human emotions?
She surely didn't.
And rightly so; not a trace of guilt showed on her face.
Asher finally acknowledged he was being visually molested.
His body began to tremble. His eyes welled up, and his skin flushed redder by the second.
At that moment, Versia tilted her head.
"What?"
Asher shouted.
"Get out!!!"
Splash! He hurled water at Versia. His voice cracked wetly.
Versia muttered in disbelief.
"Hey, that's my body..."
"Out! Out! Get ouuut!!!"
Losing all reason, Asher splashed every drop of tub water at Versia while shrieking.
It didn't stop until she finally left the bathroom.
Left utterly alone at last, Asher covered his face with his hands, emitting sounds between sobs and groans as he wrestled his emotions for a long while.
Only then did he step out.
"...You're so sensitive."
At Versia's casual remark, Asher's eyes narrowed as he glared at her.
Then he whipped his head away without a word.
It was too much. This was straight-up harassment, a crime even.
Of course, Versia might have her side. As she said, it was her body, and if he didn't come out after a long bath, even she might worry and check.
That was beside the point.
It was just... so embarrassing and infuriating.
"Not gonna talk to me?"
"......"
"You're really mad? Over this?"
Versia's eyes conveyed a "Are you serious?" vibe.
Asher ignored even that.
His emotions were overwhelming him.
He didn't want to say a word.
That entire day, Asher ignored everything Versia said.
Halia, catching on late, heard the story from Versia and burst out laughing.
"Isn't it the curse of Galae? It affects emotions, so she could get childish like that. Just bear with her."
Asher was dumbfounded. Versia was the one at faultwhy was he the bad guy?
But inwardly, he had to admit something.
This wasn't worth sulking all day over.
He'd overreacted emotionally.
And he couldn't control it himself.
That's when it hit him.
No way...?
There hadn't been many moments where the curse of Galae made sexual desire overwhelmingly hard to bear.
But countless times, he'd struggled more than usual with emotional control.
That was the thing.
"Turns out knights don't have endless patience either."
The curse stimulated different parts for Versia and him.
For her, it was lust; for him, emotions.
"......"
"Sulkypants."
He bristled.
Asher turned his head sharply and ignored her again.
At some point, spite kept him from speaking even when he wanted to.
It was a vicious cycle, and that's how it ended.
"Sorry. Let's make up now, okay?"
Versia draped an arm around his shoulders and whispered her apology.
Asher had to admit he'd been waiting for it, feeling self-loathing for pretending to sulk until she did.
His tone was curt.
"...Don't do it again. I really hated it."
"Yeah, I won't."
Her knowing smile only embarrassed him more.
Asher chewed his lip.
* * *
The day came to finish up in Baern and depart.
Regrettably, no more info on Tehira... no, Sera Wizdia could be gleaned.
He only learned how she'd ruined the kingdom from behind the throne; personal details were nonexistent.
"We need to return to the Church and dig through the records. Isn't the Church the spiritual successor to the Holy Kingdom? There should be plenty of related documents left."
Halia urged a quick return to gather intel.
So they bid farewell. Asher took in Baern one last time. A place of memories, one he no longer had to forget like before.
Someday, when everything was over, he'd come back. Take in the changed Baern, laugh heartily. And properly honor the souls of the Trevion Mercenaries.
With that resolve, he turned away.
Gester and other Baern mercenaries saw them off.
The trip back to the Church was far more rushed than the outbound journey.
They upped the pace by about 1.5 times, arriving early.
Versia said,
"Still, nothing beats home."
"Yeah."
Asher smiled brightly in reply.
She was right. The tension of the journey melted away.
This was Asher's home now.