Saint, You’re So Vulgar!

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Chapter 40: Knight, You Have to Strip

Mission: Exterminate the pirates of the Serpent Archipelago and eliminate the heretics.

A brief but absolutely not easy mission was issued.

The moment he heard it, Bershia’s expression darkened slightly.

This is dangerous.

The coast is even more perilous than the land.

In other words, it might be impossible to protect or escape with Asher.

Having these thoughts, Bershia couldn’t help but part her lips immediately.

She intended to refuse.

However, that matter soon fell through.

It wasn’t for any other reason.

“Saintess, have you ever been to the sea?”

“…What?”

“The sea! I’ve heard it’s a place where emerald waves stretch all the way to the edge of the world! Oh, and there are flying fish too! They say those fish soar above the surface! Of course, that might be a lie, but…!”

Asher’s expression was far too bright for a knight heading into a mission.

His slightly flushed cheeks, wide-open eyes, and the corners of his mouth pulled up formed a clear picture of excitement.

A fresh smile exclusive to Asher blossomed.

Bershia lost all traces of her previous irritation and harsh demeanor.

She was taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

In that state, she found herself dazedly listening to Asher’s chattering.

“The sea has been my dream since childhood! The stories of the sea told by one of the mercenaries who raised me were so mystical…!”

He rambled on for quite a while.

Hehe, smiling, Asher quickly noticed Bershia’s expression and flinched, calming himself down.

“…Ah, I’m sorry. I let my guard down in front of such a dangerous mission.”

“……”

“I, I’m taking this mission seriously! Yes, of course!”

Asher cleared his throat loudly.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he averted his gaze, his cheeks reddening.

“Not very knightly of me…!”

He muttered to scold himself.

What should one say about watching that scene?

Indeed, an uncontrollable chuckle slipped out.

‘How quirky. For real.’

Could he really get so excited just from going to the sea?

Could he forget the recent confrontations and the dangers ahead and feel this thrilled?

Bershia mulled over Asher’s smile as he looked up at her while unfurling the mission document.

The distance had narrowed.

Just like before they fought. No, even more so.

He must truly have been genuine in sharing his joy.

Bershia felt a pang of self-reproach.

After revealing her emotions, she felt a thin wall had gone up around her.

That it suddenly vanished brought her relief—and confusion.

Yet, emotions cannot always be understood with logic.

Perhaps Asher’s efforts over the past few days had indeed planted a small seed of comfort deep inside her heart.

Just as it had been when she first fell for him and became aware of him, maybe she was slowly melting into his unpredictable nature.

Of course, her feelings of frustration and anxiety hadn’t disappeared.

The strong desire to possess him only grew stronger.

Bershia clenched her fist tightly. The tendons on her hand stood out.

It was a good thing she hadn’t decided how to treat him.

Her certainty about her own answers was gradually fading away.

“Saintess…?”

Asher approached cautiously, glancing at her.

In that moment, Bershia let out a laugh and pushed away the thoughts that had surfaced.

‘Right, let’s not think about it for now.’

What she realized over the days was one thing.

Asher was different from her.

So different that she still couldn’t fully understand him.

The decision would come after knowing him better, and when this feeling wouldn’t leave any regrets behind.

That’s when she would act.

“Flying fish. They really exist.”

Saying so, Asher blinked in surprise and then burst into laughter.

“Hey, that’s too much of a joke! Despite my ignorance about marine creatures, I at least know that’s a joke! That guy… must have just wanted to stimulate a child’s imagination!”

Asher waved his hands dismissively as if to say what nonsense.

At that point, Bershia realized one more thing.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t know.’

How was Asher born? How did he grow up?

What kind of people were the mercenaries who raised him, and why did he leave them to devote himself to the Church?

She hadn’t asked without realizing it.

It was evident enough from some of his reactions that his past might not have a happy ending.

However, she thought, if she ever got close enough to share such stories someday…

Then perhaps…

‘…Should I too?’

Bershia’s pondering deepened.

* * *

Asher’s childhood dream was to be a “man of the sea.”

In fact, he had held that dream for about a month.

It was influenced by a certain man from the mercenary group that raised him.

“The sea, you see. It’s irresistibly enchanting but also a capricious and whimsical lady. If you’re a man, it has a magical allure that makes you want to charge in headfirst.”

“Really?”

“Is it too early for a little kid? Well, it’s a love you’d risk your entire life to attain! That’s what it is.”

The man had a reputation for being quite the lady’s man.

His tone was gentle, yet he chose lowly words, singing of romance in that manner from time to time.

Asher idolized his romanticism.

More than anything, the phrase ‘a love you’d risk your life for’ felt profoundly romantic to him.

“Once you see it, you’re entranced. You’ll think nothing else could stir your heart besides that sea.”

“Wow…!”

“And that’s how you fall in. Because of this irresistible allure.”

Whenever he got drunk, he would share various tales about the sea, singing about bright and beautiful things.

The stars of the night sea, the sound of the waves, and the love stories woven on small boats.

“I’m going to be a man of the sea!”

Back then, Asher would always proclaim this to passersby.

Then why did that dream end?

Regarding this part, it was said that the karma of the one who planted the dream had come into play.

“Asher~ You don’t need to listen to what that guy says. He’s the one who got chased for piracy and escaped to the land.”

“Eh…? Then the man of the sea…?”

“All lies. Think about it. If he loved the sea that much, he would have straightforwardly died there. Why would he be stuck here, swinging a sword?”

“Hey! You shouldn’t say that!”

“Asher, let’s ignore that guy and go learn something fun about assassination, shall we?”

“A man of the sea…”

“Being an assassin is much cooler than being a man of the sea, don’t you think? And hey, if you’re going to moan and wail at night, could you do it outside? I don’t understand why he causes such issues for the kids’ education.”

“Ugh…!”

Looking back, it was almost like disillusionment in men made him tuck away his dream of the sea.

Yet, those days were certainly some of Asher’s warmest and most precious memories.

His fantasies about the sea had become bittersweet recollections of warmth from childhood.

After he started standing on his own, he made a resolve.

Someday, he would go to the sea. He would float a boat and sleep under the starlit night sky.

Up until now, there had never been an opportunity for that.

Above all, training to become a knight kept him busy, and he had only been tasked with missions to exterminate heretics inland.

Thus, at long last, he had the chance to fulfill that dream.

Personally, he was very excited.

However, that didn’t mean he would let his guard down or slack off on his mission.

Asher prepared for training against possible combat.

He also meticulously packed the items needed for the sea.

‘But I don’t think everything he said was a lie.’

Even though the man’s romantic experiences were revealed to be glorified tales of piracy, the survival tips for the sea he taught were exceedingly valid.

So much so that even other mercenaries acknowledged them, so there was no need to stubbornly oppose this aspect.

Thus, the supplies were made, and Bershia curled one corner of her mouth into a smile.

“So, you’re hugging that rubber doll?”

“Yes! The person who taught me about the sea told me! You must always carry something flat, light, and hollow with you there! They say if you’re seen without one in the sea village, the locals will look down on you as an ignorant outsider!”

Asher boldly presented the rubber doll.

“I’ve packed it in case I might fall into the sea! And look, this is for the Saintess!”

From what she had heard, Bershia too had never actually been to the sea.

During moments like this, shouldn’t she take the lead as the ‘informative expert’?

It was a remark delivered with a blush.

Yet, that confidence was soon shattered.

“That’s a lie.”

“Huh?”

“That’s a lie. Even Darlin came from the seaside, didn’t you know?”

“Uh….”

“You said you’d pack up alone, yet it seems you really didn’t ask him.”

Asher’s eyes trembled.

His lips pressed into a tight line.

His entire face reddened up to his earlobes.

His shoulders shook slightly.

Shame welled up over his actions just moments ago.

Bershia hammered that point home.

Her expression was very playful.

“Then, you wouldn’t know this either.”

“…?”

“Did you know you have to go around naked in the sea? They say you only wear a tiny piece of fabric that barely counts as underwear. Knight, you have to strip!”

“T-That’s a lie…!”

“It’s the truth.”

Bershia smiled sweetly.

Asher was flustered.

However, if one were to ask which side was more credible, it was undoubtedly Bershia.

Asher’s information was filled with the playful banter of adults treating children, while Bershia’s came from the clear words of a local she served.

In other words, the rubber doll would be useless, and one would have to go naked to the beach.

Realizing this, he muttered.

“Uhe…?”

Asher fell into despair.

* * *

Judith Haraway sat perched on the carriage, watching the approaching man and woman.

Her expression was full of annoyance.

“They’re already causing trouble.”

Bershia shuffled along with a vacant look, while Asher stood beside her, chuckling as he supported her shoulder.

These were the people who would accompany the deployment.

The thought of witnessing this nonsense for the next few weeks made Judith let out a sigh even before they arrived.