22. You must not show your naked body.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m doing well.”
Diarin patted Ceres' tense shoulders and laid him back against the bathtub.
Although Ceres followed orders, it took a long time for the strength to drain from his body again.
“Don’t forget this either, you must remove it completely.”
Even if the shrine wasn't a good place to wash, it had to look clean.
The world had a certain image of what it wanted, so she had to conform to that to some extent.
Diarin carefully examined all ten of Ceres' fingers and lifted his waist.
“Originally, other people would do it for you, Young Master... but would you be able to tolerate someone coming in to do it for you now?”
"No."
He's putting up with it because it's Diarin.
Do you have someone else touching your body here and there while looking at you so close that their noses are touching?
“Then you should do well on your own. Yes?”
"...Yes."
Ceres remembered in detail the way Diarin's hand had touched him.
It is not difficult to remember and repeat it exactly.
"Yes, for the rest of it, thoroughly lather your body with soap, then rinse until no more soap is left. Dry yourself off with a towel, then come out."
After teaching him as much as she could, Diarin shook her hands and stood up.
As she was about to leave the bathroom, Diarin suddenly remembered something and turned around to give him a strong request.
“Exactly. Over there, that. That gown. You have to put that on and come out.”
Ceres, left alone in the bathroom, couldn't move quickly.
Could it be because he was soaked in warm water for a long time?
His whole body was hot, and he couldn't move rashly.
Ceres was able to get up just before the water cooled and carry out what Diarin had told him.
So when he finally finished washing up and came out, it was almost like cold water.
"Complete."
Ceres washed every nook and cranny of his body with soap as Diarin had instructed, rinsed until no more bubbles appeared, and dried himself until no more water droplets fell before putting on a gown and leaving.
Following orders was a very easy task.
“Oh, let me see.”
Diarin approached Ceres and stood facing him.
Unlike before, a refreshing scent wafted through the air.
Now even the smell has become a master.
Diarin smiled with satisfaction.
Ceres stared at that smile.
Smile.
Diarin smiles at him.
Diarin smells him and smiles.
He still doesn't know why she's laughing or how she's laughing.
But it was nice to see Diarin smile because of him.
The corners of his mouth were ticklish.
“You should have dried your hair too. Oh, didn’t I tell you?”
He dried his body, but water was dripping from his hair.
Diarin was about to teach him how to dry his hair, but then changed her mind.
Hair is a place that people touch a lot, not only when washing but also when dressing up.
“Sit down.”
Diarin sat Ceres down on a chair and picked up a towel.
“Close your eyes, because hair might get stuck in there.”
Closing your eyes is something you should never do except when you are dying.
On the battlefield, it is essential to always be alert and watch your front lines.
Even if a knife was flying, you had to keep your eyes open so you could counterattack.
So Ceres was afraid to close his eyes and fall asleep at night.
He could die the moment he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
The 8th Division was told they had to die on the battlefield. They couldn't die that way, so they held on, eyes open, until the very last moment.
But Diarin keeps telling him to close his eyes.
“...Ah, no. It’ll hurt if your hair gets in your eye and pokes you. If it’s uncomfortable, you can keep it open.”
Diarin also realized later that she had said the same thing without thinking and took back her words.
Ceres took several deep breaths, as if gathering his composure before entering the water.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m doing well.”
Diarin patted Ceres' tense shoulders and laid him back against the bathtub.
Although Ceres followed orders, it took a long time for the strength to drain from his body again.
After washing his hair and scrubbing his face clean, she moved her hands down.
Even if the shrine wasn't a good place to wash, it had to look clean.
The world had a certain image of what it wanted, so she had to conform to that to some extent.
Diarin carefully examined all ten of Ceres' fingers and lifted his waist.
“Originally, other people would do it for you, Young Master... but would you be able to tolerate someone coming in to do it for you now?”
"No."
He's putting up with it because it's Diarin.
Do you have someone else touching your body here and there while looking at you so close that their noses are touching?
Just the thought of it made his hand twitch as if it were about to fly up to slit his throat.
"...Yes."
Ceres remembered in detail the way Diarin's hand had touched him.
It is not difficult to remember and repeat it exactly.
"Yes, for the rest of it, thoroughly lather your body with soap, then rinse until no more soap is left. Dry yourself off with a towel, then come out."
After teaching him as much as she could, Diarin shook her hands and stood up.
As she was about to leave the bathroom, Diarin suddenly remembered something and turned around to give him a strong request.
“Exactly. Over there, that. That gown. You have to put that on and come out.”
Ceres, left alone in the bathroom, couldn't move quickly.
Could it be because he was soaked in warm water for a long time?
His whole body was hot, and he couldn't move rashly.
Ceres was able to get up just before the water cooled and carry out what Diarin had told him.
So when he finally finished washing up and came out, it was almost like cold water.
***
"Complete."
Ceres washed every nook and cranny of his body with soap as Diarin had instructed, rinsed until no more bubbles appeared, and dried himself until no more water droplets fell before putting on a gown and leaving.
Following orders was a very easy task.
“Oh, let me see.”
Diarin approached Ceres and stood facing him.
Unlike before, a refreshing scent wafted through the air.
Now even the smell has become a master.
Diarin smiled with satisfaction.
Ceres stared at that smile.
Smile.
Diarin smiles at him.
Diarin smells him and smiles.
He still doesn't know why she's laughing or how she's laughing.
But it was nice to see Diarin smile because of him.
The corners of his mouth were ticklish.
“You should have dried your hair too. Oh, didn’t I tell you?”
He dried his body, but water was dripping from his hair.
Diarin was about to teach him how to dry his hair, but then changed her mind.
Hair is a place that people touch a lot, not only when washing but also when dressing up.
“Sit down.”
Diarin sat Ceres down on a chair and picked up a towel.
“Close your eyes, because hair might get stuck in there.”
Closing your eyes is something you should never do except when you are dying.
On the battlefield, it is essential to always be alert and watch your front lines.
Even if a knife was flying, you had to keep your eyes open so you could counterattack.
So Ceres was afraid to close his eyes and fall asleep at night.
He could die the moment he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
The 8th Division was told they had to die on the battlefield. They couldn't die that way, so they held on, eyes open, until the very last moment.
But Diarin keeps telling him to close his eyes.
“...Ah, no. It’ll hurt if your hair gets in your eye and pokes you. If it’s uncomfortable, you can keep it open.”
Diarin also realized later that she had said the same thing without thinking and took back her words.
Ceres took several deep breaths, as if gathering his composure before entering the water.
And then, taking courage, he slowly lowered his eyelids.
Diarin's heartbeat rang loudly in his ears.
Is it because it's a place where he can hear Diarin's heartbeat?
He wasn't afraid of the pitch-black world he saw when he closed his eyes.
Diarin, who was observing Ceres's expression, gently stroked the ends of his wet hair with her fingertips.
"Other people besides me might do this in the future. So let's get used to it."
Will that work?
Ceres began to doubt himself in ways he had never experienced before.
Until now, he hasn't worried about whether he could do it or not.
If someone tells him to do it, he will do it.
If it doesn't work, keep doing it until it does.
If you can't do it in the end, there is only death.
Ceres has carried out every order he has ever received, and that is why he is alive.
However, even if he fails to carry out Diarin's orders, he won't die. He doesn't have to force himself to do them until he does.
Ceres really doesn't know what to do about this.
It was a series of confusions.
“You really have a lot of hair.”
It was already the second towel.
His hair was so thick that water kept dripping from it even though the towel was completely soaked.
After repeatedly sweeping his hair with a towel and running her fingers through it for a while, Ceres's stiff eyes began to relax.
Once a dog starts to relax, it will snore even if you touch its belly while it sleeps.
It seemed that Ceres was becoming more and more like that.
Although Diarin felt a slight sense of accomplishment, as if she had tamed a wild dog with her own hands, this dog was not hers.
One day, he was a dog that had to be returned to the country, or a person who would become independent and become a human.
Either way, it wasn't hers.
"It's done. At this rate, the moisture won't drip."
Diarin finally brushed his dry hair and took her hands off.
Ceres opened his eyes.
His face was reflected in the mirror in front of him.
There was no need to look in the mirror on the battlefield.
Even if there were, they were only tools for sending signals by reflecting light or for spying.
The purpose of a mirror was not to look at one's own face.
Having lived for so long without seeing his own face, even his reflection in the mirror felt unfamiliar. It felt like a stranger.
“Why? Do you think it looks cool even when you look at it yourself?”
“...”
Is this what you call cool?
Ceres couldn't figure out what was cool.
But seeing Diarin combing and fixing his hair again with a proud look on her face, it seemed like he had an appearance that was pleasing to others.
“Yes, now that we’ve washed up, let’s spend the rest of the day learning some basic manners.”
"Education."
Is this finally the real mission beginning?
Ceres straightened his posture, and his gaze changed.
Diarin also spoke seriously.
"There are basic manners we must observe in life. If we don't observe them, it'll be difficult to call ourselves a master. People will avoid us."
He thought manners came later.
Just as you can't teach a child who can't read to read.
But he needs to at least pretend to read a book right now.
If you can't read, memorize it.
“First of all, you shouldn’t show your naked body in front of people.”
Ceres nodded without saying anything.
He doesn't know why she's doing that, but if she says he has to do it, then do it.
“You only take off your clothes when you go into the bathroom, and when you get out, you dry yourself off and then put them back on right away.”
"I get it."
“And when you open the door, knock first. Just like I did. Remember?”
"Yes."
“You have to knock and then ask permission from inside to come in.”
"I get it."
In fact, the 8th unit members are locked in their rooms and do not move until they are ordered to move.
Visiting another unit member's room? That was unimaginable.
So, the very concept of personal space was unfamiliar to Ceres.
Always having to wear clothes, making a sound, and asking permission wherever he went—all things he's never done before.
He's always been trained to kill the sound and then deploy.
He felt like he was dropped into a world where everything was the opposite.
Ceres mentally summarized the operation, thinking it would take longer to adapt and understand than expected.
“Yes, then let’s do it.”
Diarin hurried.
It doesn't work just by talking.
Manners are something that should be naturally ingrained in your body.
No matter how quickly Ceres learns to do things with his body, it will take time to form a habit.
There was no time to waste.
“First, you need to wear proper clothes... But do you even have clothes?”
Ceres had never changed his clothes since he came to this mansion.
Diarin also had to alternate between washing and wearing two sets of priests' uniforms, so she didn't really care about that.
However, there must be separate clothes for Ceres, who will become a young master in the future.
“I heard it was in the box.”
Ceres pointed to a small box in a corner of the mansion.
"This?"
"Yes."
“Can I open it?”
"...Yes."
Ceres looked puzzled by Diarin's continued questions.
It was as if she was asking him why.
Diarin felt her chest tighten once again.
She needs to teach him manners and how to take care of himself.
She thought God's love would do it all, but it required more labor.
'Isn't this really going to take a lifetime?'
She suddenly felt anxious.
Chief Priest, that sly and lethal man might not have promised a promotion for nothing.
Diarin suppressed her anxious heart and grabbed the lid of the box.
It's a small box, so she doesn't think there's anything special inside...
Still, Diarin opened the box, unable to give up the hope that something might be there, and frozen in that state.
“...Huh?”
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