ALL NOVEL Chapter 35
Chapter 35: I Trusted You! I Really Did!
What kind of expression is that?
A sourness rolled around like a thorn in my mouth.
Asher’s and Bershia’s eyes met.
In that moment, the eerie feeling that had floated across her face vanished like a washed stain.
What replaced it was a cheeky smile familiar to Asher.
“You’re back, huh?”
“Huh? Ah….”
“I didn’t expect you to be back this soon. Still, it’s a bit of a relief.”
Was that an expression of surprise?
It was oddly dark and murky for that.
A small ripple stirred within me.
I couldn’t find the words to say, and as I pondered, Bershia smiled with her eyes.
Then she rested her chin on her hand.
Asher felt an overwhelming embarrassment that made him jump.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“I’m just happy to see my friend!”
“Let go! Do it quickly!!!”
“Nope! This is my body right now.”
“Ah, come on!”
As Asher lunged forward, Bershia reached out and grabbed his head.
The overwhelming difference in reach meant that no matter how much Asher flailed his arms, he was left floundering in the air, only to hit a wall of her hand.
Asher gritted his teeth.
“Ugh…!”
“Shouldn’t you be grateful? I didn’t touch anything while the knight was asleep, you know?”
“That’s only natural! Molesting a sleeping person is a serious crime…!”
“Well, I touched other places though.”
“What?”
Asher’s gaze wavered.
That statement conjured up all sorts of inappropriate images in his mind.
His cheeks grew warmer.
The moment he pictured her exploring his sleeping body—
“Y-Y-Y-You pervert! You sicko!”
He cried out in a squawky voice.
Asher stumbled back to the bed and wrapped the blankets around himself.
His eyes, filled with animosity and betrayal, shot daggers at Bershia.
“I trusted you! I really did!!!”
She scanned his reaction with a look of pure delight.
Then she added with a smirk.
“I just used your arm as a pillow.”
At that, Asher jumped.
“…Huh?”
“I used your arm as a pillow. It’d be awkward to leave while taking care of you, and I also needed some rest since you hogged the whole bed. What were you thinking?”
His expression turned blank.
Bershia’s gaze danced mischievously.
“How lewd. Really.”
A nail had been driven in.
Conscientious and straightforward Asher found himself unable to refute that statement, so he hung his head.
He trembled with self-loathing.
It was a humiliating initiation.
* * *
There’s an old saying that it hurts more the higher you fall.
There’s also a saying that higher expectations lead to greater disappointment.
That was Asher’s current situation.
From the first day of guarding, he had unwittingly played the role of a saintess for a month and a half.
Even in the midst of facing crises and enduring various hardships, he had thought that finally, his body was returned, and he just wanted to get up from the bed day by day.
Only to realize it was back to square one.
“God!!!”
Forget the grand plan, even as a devout follower, at this point, the deities watching all of this from up in the heavens felt cruelly indifferent.
If they were going to let him snap back to reality immediately, they shouldn’t have bothered giving him any hope, right? That seemed rather malicious.
Of course, this did not mean his faith would waver, but feelings of resentment inevitably arose.
But he couldn’t wallow in this for too long.
With a deep sigh, Asher spoke.
“…Well, I’ve certainly clarified one thing.”
“Yeah, what would that be? The way my body returns.”
“Yes, my body returns when the saintess is in danger. It changes back when the crisis has completely ended. That seems to be the basic rule. However, the range of what constitutes a danger is ambiguous.”
Asher’s brows furrowed.
“I don’t know what degree of injury qualifies as a reason for a swap. Thinking back, I did hit the saintess pretty hard during the sparring match, yet there was no change regarding that, was there?”
“Shouldn’t the threat to life be sufficient?”
“Then that’s a bigger problem. We have no way of knowing whether the deity intends to protect the saintess’s physical body or her soul.”
Indeed, in this case, since Bershia was the one to throw herself into danger, if everything returned to normal, Bershia could remain both physically and spiritually intact.
Now consider the opposite case.
If Asher threw himself in for Bershia, her physical body would be in jeopardy.
In that situation, would the deity’s power protect the body or the soul? It was still unknown.
After explaining all those points, Asher stated firmly.
“I can’t just stand by watching during a crisis. If need be, I must be able to throw myself into danger…”
“One moment.”
The response that came was something Asher hadn’t expected.
“Wait!” Bershia grasped Asher’s hand.
In that moment, his body jolted.
With a shadowy gaze yet a smiling mouth, Bershia continued.
“You shouldn’t be thinking of throwing your body away.”
“W-Well….”
“You shouldn’t even think of putting yourself in danger. Right?”
Her thumb gently brushed over Asher’s wrist.
It felt cold. Asher’s body tensed.
“You’re a person who shouldn’t be doing that. Thinking about handling another’s body so carelessly.”
Her pupils were like deep wells, dark and bottomless.
Her tone was intimidating and authoritative.
Asher shrank back.
“….”
The feeling of discomfort that he occasionally sensed now hung over him blatantly.
A sort of gloomy and murky emotion wrapped around his entire being.
It was disconcerting.
His upper body leaned back slightly, and as if denying him, Bershia pulled him closer.
“Knight.”
“…Yes.”
Asher responded, turning his head.
For some reason, he couldn’t bear to look.
But she didn’t even allow that.
“You must look at me.”
“….”
The uncomfortable sensation brewed within him, making it hard to find the words.
It felt like sitting on a thorny cushion.
Had the difference in their builds always been this vast?
Even though they were sitting facing each other, it felt as if he was being swallowed whole.
He opened his mouth slightly.
Then, Asher spoke in a mumble.
“I, um, my hand….”
“Don’t do that.”
“Huh…?”
“Don’t talk about throwing yourself away or sacrificing yourself. I don’t want you to do that.”
Only then did Asher look at Bershia.
At once, an exhale of despair slipped from his lips.
“Ah….”
It was a sorrowful face.
It felt like being hit on the back of his head.
‘…I see.’
If he were to die like that, Bershia would be left all alone.
He knew how despairing that would be, yet had he let responsibility cloud his thoughts?
…No, perhaps it was because it had been so long since someone expressed concern for him.
Asher reflected.
This was already an act that would sow anxiety in someone who had cared for him during his comatose state, making them feel they might go through the same.
Asher wryly smiled.
He felt ashamed.
“…Yes, I’m sorry. I was short-sighted.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, more than anything, I shouldn’t harm the saintess’s physical body. My protection must include this body as well.”
It was a sentence he added in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
Finally, her smile returned to a mischievous look once again.
“Good job. That’s a great answer.”
“Ha ha….”
Asher let out a sigh of relief.
What had that feeling been just before? Questions arose, but he didn’t dig too deeply.
For some reason, he was reluctant to pursue it.
* * *
Though he had gotten up from the sickbed, not everything was back to normal.
First, having been in a comatose state for nearly half a month, it was necessary to undergo various cross-examinations, which meant house arrest would continue for a bit longer.
The one conducting the examinations was Judith.
She checked Bershia’s eyelids, took her pulse, and after finishing, said,
“This will do. Don’t call me again with the same issue. It’s annoying.”
“Ah, thank you…!”
“….”
When Asher expressed his gratitude, Judith’s expression became peculiar.
It looked as if she was deeply creeped out.
When he tilted his head in confusion, she muttered,
“…Is she really a split personality?”
Having been in a comatose state, Asher had no idea how Bershia had treated Judith, so he could only feel puzzled by her reaction.
That was how it went after the examination.
As he contemplated taking a stroll in the garden, Rubena came to visit.
She burst through the door, looking frantic, and looked back and forth between Asher and Bershia with a teary expression.
Ah, so she was worried too.
Asher felt a small touch of emotion.
Still, a fellow comrade who had been through thick and thin…
“It’s finally easing up! I thought I was going to die from the tension!!! You guys didn’t even let me shop!”
…Oh, never mind.
Asher awkwardly smiled.
Rubena approached him, scrutinizing his face closely.
Just then, their eyes met, and she cracked a wry smile.
“You could hardly even acknowledge me all this time, but look at you now! You’ve really fallen in love! Haven’t you?”
“L-Love?!”
“Sure! Sure! Someone was laboring to the bone while you were all cozied up in a coma!”
At that moment, Asher froze.
“‘Laboring’?!”
“Huh? Don’t play dumb. You’d finished the probationary period, so you wouldn’t know…no, don’t tell me you really want me to run errands for you!?”
Asher swiftly turned his head towards Bershia.
Now that he thought about it, he had yet to hear what had transpired during that time.
Probation?!
The saintess actually facing punishment?!
What kind of trouble could she have possibly gotten into for that!?
Seeing the gleam in his eyes, Bershia smiled playfully.
Her cheeky expression made Asher’s eyes narrow.