Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 13
Knight Order Barracks Interior, Knight Captain's Office.
Asher sat across from Sir Whale, sipping his tea.
As he did, glancing up at him brought back memories of their first meeting.
From the moment he'd joined the Order, Sir Whale had been the Holy Knight Captain.
He was a man with a clear sense of purpose in his duties, and he was genuinely dedicated to training the next generation.
Asher had learned prayer techniques and Holy Knight combat skills under him.
As these memories surfaced, amusingly enough, the first one that came to mind was this.
-Is that all you've got? Get up!!!
Sir Whale had been displeased at first with Asher, who'd joined to become the Saintess's escort knight, and assigned him twice the training volume of everyone else.
He'd supervised it personally and scolded him relentlessly.
Asher endured.
Others saw him as a kid with potential just chasing after a woman's skirts, but he was sincere despite that.
He figured as long as he became good enough for others to acknowledge him, that was that.
During those days of training with that mindset, amusingly enough, the first to recognize Asher was the very man who'd disliked him most: Sir Whale.
-...Impressive.
Those were the words Sir Whale had given him on the day he'd become a 1st Class Holy Knight and received his Sword Name.
The joy from that day still lingered vividly inside Asher.
When Sir Whale had recommended him as the next Holy Knight Captain, that recognition had thrilled him to his core.
Truth be told, he still had those thoughts sometimes.
If he'd given up being an escort knight, wouldn't he be roaming the continent with Sir Whale by now?
Exterminating heretics or protecting the people, basking in pride?
Of course, even if he went back to that time, Asher's choice would still be the escort knight position.
These fresh memories warmed his heart, but they didn't ease his tension.
'Wh-what do I do now...!'
Cold sweat trickled down Asher's back.
Maybe Sir Whale had grown suspicious of his sudden personality change.
And when Versia failed to keep up in that test training, perhaps he was considering disbanding their positions.
It wasn't unfoundedSir Whale's nickname was Moustache Guillotine.
He was extremely strict on official matters, wrapping even personal affections in merciless reason when he spoke.
His words were so cold that the moustache above his lips got called the guillotine.
It was all too clear what he'd think of the current Versia, who didn't qualify.
He had to get through this somehow.
He had to sneak Versia out of the barracks.
Such thoughts swirled in his mind.
"It's been a while since we've had a chat like this."
"...Yes!"
"How's Sir Terbion performing in his duties?"
At that moment, Asher's eyes lit up.
It was his chance to boast about how well he was doing as an escort knight.
"Yes! Of course! Sir Asher is...!"
Praising himself in the third person wasn't easy.
It was basically self-aggrandizement.
But he had no choice, so Asher continued, his face flushing red.
Sir Whale's eyes narrowed more and more, but Asher wasn't looking straight at him, so he didn't notice.
"So... that's it! Satisfactory, very satisfactory!"
Asher spat it out like a retort and caught his breath.
This should be enough, right?
That'd block any position disbandment, right?
But the situation veered in a direction Asher hadn't anticipated.
"...First off, my apologies."
"...!"
Sir Whale bowed his head.
Asher jumped in shock.
"Pl-please lift your head...!"
"No. Since I'm about to say something apologetic, allow me to speak this way."
Asher's heart sank.
His eyes trembled like aspen leaves.
"Uh...?"
"Today, I called Sir Terbion here myself for training. It was blatant overreach on my part. There was something I needed to confirm."
Thud!
His heart plummeted.
"Your skills have declined. You couldn't keep up with training you'd normally laugh off."
His mind went blank.
Asher's lips moved, but no words came out.
A torrent of emotions surged.
The biggest, naturally, was guilt over possibly disappointing Sir Whale.
But he couldn't just sit there dazed in this situationit was heartbreaking.
Dazed lip-smacking wouldn't cut it; he needed an excuse.
He couldn't stay apart from Versia, whose body he'd swapped into.
Asher bit his lip.
Then, desperate to prevent position disbandment, he spoke up.
It was at that moment.
"Th-that's..."
"Could you grant Sir Asher even one training session per week?"
"...Huh?"
"He's a man with exceptional zeal for training. He always knows how to temper himself, and his faith runs deep. I'd like to give that man some time."
What was this about?
As he wondered, Sir Whale looked up.
He wore an awkward smile Asher had never seen before.
"Of course, his top priority is escort duty. Yes, I know he must stay by the Saintess's side whenever she wisheshe chose that path himself. So this is personal greed on my part. He won't ask for time to train because he can't be honest about his own desires. Instead of him... well, it's presumptuous, but may I make this request?"
Asher was speechless.
It wasn't panic.
In this moment, setting aside rational judgment, the reason Sir Whale had bowed his head was for him. The fact that he'd quietly acted on such sincerity pierced him with overwhelming emotion.
"Th-those words..."
His voice trailed off.
Sir Whale bowed his head once more.
"I beg you. Saintess."
Asher fought back tears.
He reined in himself flailing amid waves of.
But it wasn't easy.
"He's a precious disciple to me. You've blessed my life of service to the Parent Godplease indulge me this once."
"Eek...!"
"Hm...?"
Asher squeezed his eyes shut.
He clamped his mouth and turned his head away.
Grimacing, he barely held back the tidal wave of emotion.
Precious disciple!
What a glorious ring to it!
'That's right!'
The priestesses know nothing!
Only knights of Sir Whale's caliber understand masculinity!
As a man, a knight, and a comrade who'd shared hardships, being acknowledged by his superior filled him with rapture.
He couldn't let his expression show.
Thinking that, Asher shot to his feet and turned around.
And somehow squeezed out words.
"...Do it."
"Thank you!"
"I-I'll go."
He fled the room quickly.
Today, maybe he could spend time reflecting on his past life and praising himself.
The futility he'd felt before coming here had washed away, replaced by a fullness swelling in his chest.
Thus, Asher failed to realize his mistake.
"So, I have to go train once a week?"
"......"
Asher couldn't even look at Versia, rolling his eyes.
His trembling body evoked a herbivore before a predator.
"I have to do that grueling stuff?"
"......"
"Ah, my head's getting hot."
Straight
Versia, looking somehow menacing, stretched his cheek long.
Asher replied with eyes squeezed shut.
"Yessirree...!"
Retribution.
* * *
Sir WhaleHerbert, the man now more familiar by his family name since everyone called him thatsipped tea while gazing down at the barracks from his window.
What came to mind was his recent meeting with Versia.
It had been that way from the first glance.
How displeased her eyes had been when she saw the priestesses stealing looks at Asher.
When he'd suggested stepping away to talk, her gaze kept flicking anxiously toward Asher and the priestesses.
And it wasn't just that.
When praising Asher, her face flushed with delight.
When asking for training time for him, she'd frowned and trembled with anger.
She'd ultimately allowed it, but that was likely due to the weight of his words.
'Was she always like that?'
Herbert recalled the Versia he'd known all his life.
Always wearing an empty smile, sometimes erasing her emotions as if disgusted by the whole world.
The change in such a person surprised him.
One worry was that it stemmed from Asher.
"......"
Still, he had years of life under his belt.
Herbert couldn't miss what kind of emotion was forming in this changed Versia.
Probably a girl's pure affection.
It was a near-certain guess, and that's why he worried.
He'd seen seven Saintesses in his lifetime.
Even the kindest among them had unconsciously taken self-centered thinking for granted in the Church's environment.
'Selfish love is violence.'
Thoughts of how that violence might torment Asher wouldn't fade.
Of course, he trusted Asher.
He'd wanted to disband the positions and appoint him next Holy Knight Captain, but respected Asher's will and stopped there.
Herbert closed his eyes.
'I'll give him some breathing room.'
May this training time become a respite for him.
He offered a brief prayer to the Parent God.