Saint, You’re So Vulgar!

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Chapter 42: That Seems More Risqué

No matter how I thought about it, this prank was something else.

Imagining Asher strutting down the street in those vulgar clothes that might have existed made it even harder to forgive Bershia.

Isn’t that right? Bershia’s mischief ultimately involved exposing her own body and parading around outside.

What if someone with ill intentions appeared? Of course, with her strength, she wouldn’t be harmed, but just thinking about that situation sent shivers down Asher’s spine.

That was why she was more upset than usual.

Asher felt a lack of respect from her actions toward him.

She was hurtful just for the sake of a reaction.

And then she casually wrapped her arms around him and told him to calm down.

Asher felt like he was being petty, like a childish person who sulked at everything, and that left him quite unhappy.

He earnestly conveyed those feelings.

Then, to his surprise, Bershia apologized.

It was an unusual occurrence.

“I’m sorry. I’ll reconsider my actions,” she said.

“Huh? Just like that?”

“Should I not apologize then?”

“Well, that’s not what I’m saying…!”

Asher felt uneasy, but maybe accepting the apology was enough.

He more or less accepted it.

After that, they stepped out into the street.

Surely they had to see the sea, right?

The sandy beach of Whitten was divided into a bathing area and a port area by a massive rocky cliff that cut across it.

Asher headed for the bathing area.

“Wow…!”

The sea looked even more special up close.

In particular, the sight of the sun setting and engulfing the sea in twilight left him breathless.

The sun sinking beyond the mountain ridges was on another level. The red hues reflected and dissolved into the waves as Asher lost himself in their beauty.

Then he muttered absentmindedly.

“Isn’t it truly lovely?”

“Yes, well….”

Bershia was looking at Asher, who was engulfed in the red world, but he was unaware of that fact.

He just felt dazed, took off his shoes, and stepped barefoot on the sand.

The soft and ticklish sensation made him smile for no reason.

“Is it okay to go further in?”

“Of course.”

With that reply, he moved closer to the seaside.

Finally arriving at the frothy edge, waves licked at his feet, tickling them.

Asher’s toes curled up.

And then it happened.

Whoosh!

“Ugh…!”

The wind whipped around the hem of his clothes.

Asher startled and grabbed at his flapping skirt.

Bershia chimed in.

“That seems more risqué, you know.”

“Be quiet…!”

“Do you know everyone’s looking at just you, Sir Knight?”

“…….”

She wouldn’t even let him get lost in his thoughts.

Asher shot her a sulky glare.

He knew her intention was to tease him.

He would no longer fall for it.

“Well, it’s fine. I’m wearing a swimsuit underneath.”

Only now did he realize how much a swimsuit differed from mere underwear.

Indeed. It was just clothing necessary for rationalization.

Wearing a swimsuit at the beach felt less embarrassing compared to the same area of underwear.

Because everyone else was dressed like that!

Of course, he had no intention of just stripping off his dress to be in a swimsuit.

To himself, it felt like a pretty confident answer.

Feeling somewhat proud, Asher couldn’t resist adding,

“And even if someone sees, it’s not like my body is out, right! I can’t just keep enduring this… Uh, wait! Why are you taking off…!”

“I can’t be the only one being embarrassed, can I?”

“No! That’s not it! I was wrong!!!”

Asher swiftly buttoned up Bershia’s shirt as she was loosening it.

Somehow, it ended up looking like he was grabbing her by the collar.

With his head down and face all red, Asher trembled.

Then he shot Bershia an indignant look.

Bershia had a smirk only at one corner of her mouth.

“Why are you resisting when you can’t even get your money’s worth?”

“…….”

“This time, you started it, Sir Knight.”

“…I know.”

That was the kind of mishap that occurred.

The sea viewing wrapped up nicely.

On the shore, they feasted on fresh fish they’d just caught, dismissing the flirty glances of some newfound acquaintances they’d grown a bit more accustomed to.

Before returning, they also witnessed the starry night over the sea.

At that point, Asher was certainly in a better mood than during the day as he chattered endlessly to Bershia, saying he never knew the ocean could be so beautiful and that its constantly changing beauty was utterly mystical.

Then he suddenly thought that he had monopolized the conversation and asked Bershia.

“Is there anything the Saintess wants to see?”

At that question, Bershia cast her gaze toward the sea.

Her answer only arrived after the sound of the waves brushed past them.

“…A whale.”

“Huh?”

“I’d quite like to see a whale.”

A gentle smile flickered on her lips.

It was a somewhat sad-looking smile.

That moment, Asher’s words caught in his throat.

But that expression was quickly wiped away.

“Well, there are only serpents out here, I suppose.”

“…Huh.”

“It’s the Serpent Archipelago. Even if there are small fish, those big whales would become their meal.”

“No, that’s not true. There must be big whales somewhere….”

“Even if they exist, they’ve probably been caught. Darlin once told me about it. He said the pirates catch and eat whales. Their size makes them easy food.”

“Do you have to shatter my wonder like that…?”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

His feelings of sentimentality were returning just like that.

But was it okay since he was enjoying himself?

The first day came to an end like that.

The next morning, as Asher finished washing up, he became serious.

Now it was time for the mission.

* * *

In truth, there wasn’t much preparation needed before entering the archipelago.

Recognizing the general atmosphere of the city and collecting the rumors was all it took.

However, the lack of items didn’t mean it was easy.

Asher faced a few small obstacles during the investigation.

The obstacle was embarrassment.

“If a pirate shows up, what should we do? I’m, I’m scared….”

From the perspective of a tourist, a delicate girl’s body.

To make the locals open up, he needed to act as a worried girl—this part was crucial.

The diminishing of his masculine side was chilling.

Bershia was barely holding back laughter, which only made it worse.

Yet, to his surprise, embarrassment worked to his advantage.

With his face flushed and head bowed, he surely stirred their protective instincts.

“Oh, you shouldn’t worry about that at all, Miss! Pirates haven’t really been showing up lately!”

“It’s been about a month or two? The fellows who used to mess with trade convoys have pretty much decreased. Thanks to that, money is flowing well these days!”

The fishermen and merchants on the boats spoke of the pirates’ quietness.

This brought a small sense of perplexity and a large discomfort to Asher.

It was clearly influenced by the heretics; how was he to interpret that?

It could be that the heretics were catching pirates for experiments, or, conversely, pirates had been capturing hostages to furnish them to the heretics.

Whatever it was, that was something to learn when they arrived there.

All that remained were the islands where the pirates primarily lived and their power dynamics.

The locals were surprisingly well-informed about those topics.

The stories were quite fascinating.

“It was probably twenty years ago… One day the Pirate King disappeared, and after that, it became a free-for-all. The power of the king shattered and they began fighting each other. In that way, the islands in the archipelago started flying different pirate flags. The largest faction is….”

Asher’s eyes sparkled at the tales of the man called the Pirate King who led the pirates and the war entangled with him.

Wasn’t it just like an old fairy tale?

Bershia revealed a somewhat displeased expression at Asher’s fascination but didn’t say a word.

In any case, information gathering concluded, and that night the group gathered once more to prepare for departure.

They were headed for the archipelago.

“The ship is ready. The church has one,” someone said.

“It’s…small.”

“Did you expect a large ship from the church?”

In front of the port, Judith chuckled at Asher’s disappointed voice.

The boat was a small caravel that would be fine for two people to steer.

Asher felt a tinge of disappointment at the modest boat compared to his hopes for sailing, but it didn’t last long.

The caravel was still a fine vessel.

Once on board, he felt the floor sway beneath him.

It was definitely a reminder that they were leaving land behind.

He began to feel a bit excited.

Suppressing that glee, he headed to the bow of the ship.

Behind was the sound of the ocean breeze carrying remarks.

“Then we shall set sail!”

It was two priests who could steer the church’s support ship.

As Judith gestured, the boat set sail gently.

Whoosh—

The wind was pleasantly cool.

Sailing under the starlight across the vast ocean felt special in its own way.

They were now endlessly traversing the sea.

On the deck, Judith was seen reading a book, using Melburn as a chair under the lantern.

The rumor that humans used Melburn as a chair for experimentation shimmered in the air.

Was it just an illusion that the atmosphere felt eerie there?

Bershia came over as he wore an awkward smile.

“Are you feeling seasick?”

“Ah, yes! Surprisingly okay. How about the Saintess…?”

“I’m as sturdy as they come.”

Bershia shrugged and shifted her gaze back to the sea.

Her eyes narrowed.

“I hope we don’t see any pirates out here.”

“Certainly, naval battles are dangerous. We have no experience, and there may be variables we can’t predict.”

Asher added promptly.

“But don’t worry. I’ve heard plenty of rumors that pirates have been quiet lately, and most importantly, they wouldn’t be sailing around at this time, would they?”

He felt the need to reassure her as he noticed her anxiety sharp around the new mission.

But perhaps he shouldn’t have done that.

BANG―!

“P-Pirates!”

“Wha…?”

Asher encountered pirates less than ten minutes after he had just tried to reassure Bershia.