Saint, You’re So Vulgar!

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#027 Chapter: Ooh, Ooh…!

Before fully launching the operation, it was necessary to convince the missing persons.

Resurrecting those who lay without any hope was not an easy task, but thankfully, it was not impossible either.

In fact, it turned out to be quite, very easy.

“Y-you’re saying it’s the Saintess…?”

“A top-tier Knight…! The Church’s secret weapon…!”

The credibility of words often varies based on who is speaking them.

Naturally, the escape plan relayed by the rescue team and the escape plan presented by the Knight, known for their overwhelming power, would feel different in terms of success rates.

There was only Rubena who was picky about relying on titles.

Nonetheless, to soothe the missing persons for the sake of public welfare was a task accomplished by all together.

Hope glimmered in the eyes of the missing.

Some even shed transparent tears and wept quietly.

As I watched them wail at the thought of being able to meet family, friends, or lovers again, Asher smiled gently.

That sight was truly a model of a benevolent Saintess.

After comforting the missing, he approached Bershia and blurted out such words.

“Thank you.”

“Suddenly?”

“You played along with my insistence, didn’t you?”

In a secluded corner, the whispers were muffled by the commotion inside.

Even in the dim light, it was difficult to discern expressions when a little distance was created.

In such a place, Bershia tilted her head slightly in a more relaxed manner.

“That came out of nowhere.”

“Haha, I thought you didn’t like it.”

That was spot on.

Bershia felt a sudden thud in her stomach.

Truth be told, she really didn’t like this operation one bit.

It was a decision purely based on arithmetic.

Rescuing around sixty missing persons versus the slaughter of heretics in the hundreds.

If asked which was beneficial in the long run for the world, she would undoubtedly choose the latter.

The rescue itself was a risky endeavor from the start.

Asking those who barely had the strength to run to navigate such chaos.

Not to mention, to take such risks while in a state that wasn’t even normal.

Wasn’t the difficulty of the mission becoming too high?

She had to think about the possibility of failure and death.

Still, why didn’t she voice any strong opinions?

With no reverence or faith in the deity, why did she join the cause?

Strangely enough, it was because of Asher.

Not because she was influenced or anything like that.

It was distinctly different.

It was a truly selfish feeling that she couldn’t express, yet recognizing it, she repeated it to herself.

She hoped that he didn’t realize this calculative aspect of hers.

She wanted Asher—who misunderstood her inherent goodness despite her rough exterior—to continue treating her that way.

Because it made her feel like he would stay by her side.

For some reason, it felt horrifying to think of him being disappointed in her, causing him to pull away.

How could it have come to this for just one person?

She thought that “this” had to remain by her side; otherwise, it would feel suffocating.

Since when, and for what reason, Bershia couldn’t clearly say.

Only the current situation remained to observe.

Asher seemed to have pierced through her thoughts.

Bershia pondered fearfully about what his next words would be.

Perhaps that was why.

“Were you disappointed?”

It was an undeniable defensive mechanism.

At that moment, Bershia realized she had asked him that question many times before.

Her heart raced.

She tried to prepare for the verdict with a blank face.

Yet again, as he always had, Asher gave her an answer contrary to her thoughts.

“Eh, why would I be disappointed?”

“…It’s a rather unholy thought for a Saintess.”

“Thoughts are free.”

Asher chuckled lightly.

His following words were as such.

Truly, they were reassuring, yet held a frivolous ideal.

“Goodness doesn’t come from will but from action. No matter how benevolent one’s thoughts may be, if they don’t act, that goodwill goes unrealized. However, the opposite isn’t true. Let’s assume there’s an evil person who pretends to be virtuous and saves someone. ”

“…So you’re saying that since his actions were good, he’s a good person?”

“Of course, there are complex causatives at play. In reality, concepts like goodness or righteousness can vary greatly depending on one’s values. Nonetheless, there is something I can say for sure.”

His eyes sparkled brightly, even in the dark.

The clarity in them certainly brushed off the dark something that lingered within Bershia.

“The Saintess is not a villain and willingly sacrificed for goodwill when facing profit. Though your thoughts may be calculative, your actions were not.”

Asher placed his hand over the back of Bershia’s.

His expression bore an air of pride.

“Choosing to forgo profit for the sake of goodwill, we call that courage. You are indeed a courageous person.”

Asher’s gaze painted a gentle arc.

That once again drenched Bershia’s heart.

It was reminiscent of rainwater washing away dirt—intensely close to that emotion.

How could he say such things?

Surely he must have seen that she was not the Saintess he had expected.

What was it that prevented him from giving up on her?

Even if her physical form was no longer a limitation, would he still have acted this way?

Many thoughts flitted through her mind.

Yet, amidst the chaos, she recalled that Asher likely spoke to anyone this way.

That thought did not sit well with her.

The feelings that had initially been stirred began to dry up at that moment.

Confusion clouded her ability to choose her words.

It was as if Asher, sensing her inner turmoil, smiled with his unique awkwardness and shyness, saying,

“Anyway, that’s why I’m grateful. It was also a bit of a demand… so…”

He cautiously glanced around.

Then he inched closer and whispered.

“When we get back, I’ll reward you…! It’s not what you’re thinking! Not that kind of reward…!”

The glow of his flushed cheeks beneath the dim light was prominent.

At that moment, Bershia sensed.

Perhaps her desire for possession over Asher wasn’t about to end here.

What remained after the chaotic thoughts was a slight anxiety and greed.

The urges surging forth were swallowed down by tightly pressed lips.

Then she smiled.

“A reward, huh….”

That was something one shouldn’t mention lightly.

She only thought it in her heart.

Feeling that such thoughts were too sordid.

*

Time passed.

It was time to execute the plan.

At this point, unaware of what lay beyond the door of the iron bars, there was only one way to figure out the enemy’s numbers and escape routes.

– Didn’t they say there are those who come to distribute supplies? Let’s interrogate them.

The plan was to capture a heretic and interrogate them.

They said that individuals would come to check the supplies and number counting.

It seemed they hadn’t considered the missing persons to rebel at all; only one person has come in one time.

Drawing on that idea, as soon as Saturn opens the door, Bershia would cause a commotion to create a path with an iron bar hidden from sight.

Then, hiding next to the door, they would ambush the incoming heretic and bind them.

After that, they would close the door again for interrogation.

Stopping any sound from leaking out could be solved with basic prayer.

To sum it up: the operation was successful.

And then the interrogation began.

Bershia took on that role.

“Gulp…!”

Asher hiccupped.

Crunch!

“Ugh…!”

In the sealed space created by divine power to stifle sounds, a heretic wearing a black priestly robe was bound against the wall.

To be precise, the two treasures below his waist were crumpled.

“Ooh, ooh…!”

“Feeling good? You sound like a pig, you scumbag.”

Bershia flashed a bright smile, seeming almost delighted.

The masculine self within Asher made a protest that this was too much, but it was quickly silenced.

…Who cares, he’s a heretic.

Such evil deserved to be torn apart.

No one else spoke up either.

Yet amongst the missing persons who hated those horrid beings, some men couldn’t bear to watch.

There were those who closed their ears and trembled in fear.

If Saturn even averted his gaze, further explanation was unnecessary.

Anyway, the interrogation proved effective.

Crunch!

“Grrk…!”

“Oh, that broke. Don’t worry. I’ll fix it.”

Bershia asked nothing, simply stepped on the ‘egg’ and popped it, then smiled joyfully as she healed it with divine power.

Every knight knew that the pain while reattaching was greater than simply breaking it.

That repetitive action itself was dreadful torture and a denial of dignity.

Bershia never asked a single question first.

It felt as though she was waiting for something, and at that end, something she wanted appeared.

“P-please, that’s enough…! I’ll say anything! I’ll tell you everything!!!”

Crunch!

“Grrk!!!”

“Oh, broke again. My bad, I’m a bit slow to understand.”

“Ooh! Ugh! Ooooh!”

“I’ll fix it again. Let’s talk after.”

The heretic shook his head frantically.

Still, Bershia didn’t stop.

Divine power radiated.

In that horrific and terrible scene, Rubena quietly whispered.

The questions were directed at Asher.

“…Are you really okay?”

“Eh?”

“No, I had no idea she was like this….”

Rubena looked at Bershia as if she were a monster.

Indeed, Bershia’s smile did appear cruel.

‘…Wait a minute.’

Asher felt a sense of urgency.

Though he had lost ownership for now, that was a body he would eventually have to reclaim.

If her reputation became this tarnished, coming back would be nothing short of a disaster.

Cold sweat dripped down his back.

So, Asher hastily made up an excuse.

His words were potentially filled with earnestness and sincerity.

“W-well, normally she doesn’t act like this…! She’s really a good person…!”

Rubena looked at him with pity in her eyes.

The response was lukewarm.

“Ugh, okay…”

Asher wouldn’t know.

That to others, his earnestness appeared as faith blind to reality.

His desperate attempt to protect his own honor only served to amplify the incongruity against Bershia’s previous actions he had publicly denied.

In fact, if Rubena considered it, wasn’t it after meeting that escort Knight that Bershia, who’d always been cold and lofty, changed to be more like a girl?

Thinking about how she was manipulated by that cruel person until losing herself truly fit the narrative.

A beaten wife.

That phrase floated in Rubena’s mind.

Of course, she didn’t voice it.

“P-please… just take care of him…!”

It was an unfortunate situation for Asher.