Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 45
I couldn't remember when I'd gotten so wasted.
I remembered feeling good after drinking, and mumbling some nonsense in that state.
So, everything that happened after that was like a dream to Asher.
In his swaying world, Versia grabbed his wrist and dragged him somewhere.
The surroundings had quieted down, and the waves were ringing in his ears, when he heard Versia's sigh amid it all.
She was frowning.
Ah, probably because of what happened on deck.
He felt a bit sorry, but also resentful.
It was probably the alcohol making his emotions run high.
But wasn't it true?
Asher unwittingly thought, Why are you doing this?
Wasn't she being too much herself, showing her displeasure so obviously just because he wasn't listening?
He had his own thoughts too, and it hurt that they weren't respected.
He wanted respect as a fellow person, but she always expected him to bend to her will.
What followed was a kind of rebellion.
As Asher watched her wrinkle his face, he pressed his index finger between his brows.
And said, in what he thought was a very manly and firm tone.
"Don't leave frown lines on my face! I'm taking good care of the Saintess's body with all my heart, so please put in the corresponding effort!"
"Frown... lines... can't do that..."
After saying it, he didn't feel so proud.
So Asher just chuckled, hehe.
That was the end of his memory.
When he came to, the sun was high in the sky.
And,
"Urk...!"
The hangover was hitting him like mad.
* * *
His head was throbbing.
His stomach was churning, and his lips were parched.
Asher crawled off the bed and staggered around looking for water.
He even thought he might die if he didn't get something in his stomach.
Versia appeared right after.
"Here, drink this."
"Thangk yooou...!"
After giving a gravelly reply, Asher gulped down the water.
Then he clutched his gurgling stomach.
"Urgh..."
"See what happens when you drink that much."
"Ugh..."
"Do you remember what you did yesterday?"
At that moment, Asher flinched, his body jerking.
In his half-dead state, he sneakily looked up at Versia.
Thinking about it, he seemed to have said something to her while drunk.
Expecting a scolding, he shrank back, but her reaction was unexpected.
Versia was squatting in front of him, chin in hand, chuckling softly.
There was no anger. If anything, she had a rare gentleness about her.
Her smile seemed so tolerant, like it didn't matter what he'd doneit just made him feel like he'd messed up big time.
What did I do yesterday?
Asher's eyes shook pitifully.
Versia reached out and stroked his hair.
He jolted at the feel of her fingers brushing his cheek and ear.
Versia spoke.
"You reek of booze. I never knew you couldn't hold your liquor."
"Th-that's..."
"I might've gone my whole life without knowing, but now I do."
Asher avoided Versia's eyes.
It happened right then.
"Making a fuss when you're drunk. This won't do, Sir Knight."
His eyes squeezed shut.
I threw a drunken fit!
What now? Should he apologize first?
As he was thinking, Versia reached out and hooked her arm under his armpits.
She lifted him up just like before.
His body dangled, a flicker of shame rising even as his stomach churned.
The moment his head lolled forward,
"Blegh..."
"Don't drink like that again. I was worried."
"...Yeth."
"Sir Knight."
At her call, Asher painfully lifted his head.
Then he felt his stomach drop.
He couldn't help it.
She looked like she hadn't slept enough, smiling wryly with a weary expression.
"You need to be aware of your position, Sir Knight. Don't make me worry so much."
It was no jokehe could tell right away that he'd really caused her concern.
Words wouldn't come easily.
Unable to control himself over some alcohol, causing trouble and worrythis went completely against his resolve to be a reliable presence for her.
"...I'm sorry."
Only then did Versia smile in satisfaction.
She adjusted him in her arms to lighten the mood.
"Eek?!"
"There, now you know. Let's go get something to eat."
It was princess carry position.
Asher's face turned red.
"S-Saintess! At least let me"
"What now? Yesterday you were clinging to me so much."
"Me?!"
"Yes, you, Sir Knight. Burying your face in my chest, hugging my waist. After carrying you on my back when you passed out midway, I tried to lay you in bed and leave, but you grabbed my collar and wouldn't let go. I thought about just sleeping together but the booze smell was too much, so I pried you off."
Asher's mind went blank.
He couldn't accept that past.
So he clung to her collar like he was hanging on.
His forced smile was utterly desperate.
"...You're lying, right?"
"Only lying when it's bad for you."
"......"
Asher's whole body trembled.
The focus faded from his eyes.
Imagining himself throwing a tantrum at Versia the night before crushed him with self-loathing.
And in the end,
"...No. That didn't happen. It definitely didn't."
Asher fell into self-hypnosis.
His mutterings didn't stop all the way to the dining hall.
In his shock at the truth, he'd completely forgotten he was being carried by Versia.
Judith, whom they met in the dining hall, muttered,
"...What a shitshow. From morning."
It was understandable.
* * *
The most embarrassing thing in the world is hearing about the fool you made of yourself while drunk the next day.
Asher realized that today.
At twenty years old, it was early if early, late if late.
The shock didn't linger easily, but it didn't stay long either.
By late afternoon, after eating and washing off the booze, it naturally faded into the distance.
That's when they met Lycus again.
The whole church group accompanied him to Lycus's house.
"Hey, nephew! Sleep well?"
"Ah, Sir Lycus."
"Kahaha! We're calling me uncle, remember!"
Me?
The question rose to his throat but thankfully didn't escape.
Asher broke into a cold sweat and chuckled hehe.
Whatever, they seemed close nowgood enough.
Of course, having an ally in this unfamiliar land was reassuring.
They safely entered the outer island chain of the archipelago.
Now it was time for the real mission.
The locals would know the archipelago's dynamics best.
So when he asked about it, that was the response.
"Mm! Happy to tell you. The sun's upwant a drink while we talk?"
Asher's head whipped around wildly.
Lycus smacked his lips regretfully.
He cut off the mutter of When drunk, he was so sweet and clingy... the moment it hit his eardrums.
Asher's mental defenses were ironclad.
And so the talk began.
"Alright, where to start for my wild nephew to get useful info..."
What Asher wanted was specifics on the factions in the archipelago, especially those rising fast lately.
Those climbing quickest were most likely getting heretic help.
Lycus mistakenly thought Asher had come to unify the archipelago.
Actually, it was a misunderstanding best left alone, so Asher kept quiet on that.
Then the words came.
"Right! Start there!"
"There?"
"After Kyle left, it was a warring states period for a while. Me and the other lieutenants were all fighting over who I'd name successor."
Lycus chuckled nostalgically, tsk tsk.
"The problem was he didn't name one. Even if he had, no one would've accepted it, so maybe same result. Anyway, we fought and split the archipelago into east, west, south, north. South here's mine, rest run by other lieutenants. For... about 15 years."
Lycus lit a cigarette with a match, chiik.
Then said,
"Time changes everything. Some young ones have promise. North's Haka lost a captain battle and stepped down. He's quiet now. East's Ferric's in turf wars with new powers. Still fighting means they're even. And west's Gon..."
Fuu, smoke trailed into the air.
Lycus's face twisted through it.
The next words clearly tied to what Asher sought.
"Trouble there lately. Gon brings in some wench and tries making her west's successor. You know pirate raids dropped? All her doing. She's invading other areas to gobble them up. Everyone's busy defending."
Right now, she was the prime suspect, no question.