The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โHuhโฆ Twina?โ
When I reached the entrance of the dungeon, I realized I was alone.
Twina, who had been clinging to me arm-in-arm just moments ago, was gone.
Had she perhaps returned to the altar room?
โFret not. I am always by your side.โ
โWhoa!?โ
Suddenly, a breathy whisper brushed my ear, making my body jerk involuntarily.
โTwina!?โ
โI told you I was right beside youโฆ heh.โ
โHyah!โ
This time, a breath was blown directly into my ear.
โWhat are you doing!?โ
โHeh hehโฆ! Sorry about that. Your reaction was so amusing I couldn’t help teasing you.โ
A soft chuckle reached my ear, and Twina’s presence pulled back slightly.
‘Well, I suppose that’s enough. โฆActually, I’m borrowing the dungeon’s magic to materialize right now. The closer I get to the outside world, the weaker the magic becomes, and I can’t maintain my form.”
โHuhโฆ? Does that mean you’ll be okay outside?โ
โNo problem. As the controller of the โBlessing,โ I’m connected to you through the magic pathways. Even if I can’t be seen, I’ll alwaysโฆ always be with you.โ
โTh-that’s goodโฆโ
I could sense a damp, heavy weight in every word she spoke, but I let out a sigh of relief for now.
Come to think of it, I recall that being the case in the game too.
Still, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at her for playing tricks.
Centuries upon centuries, waiting day after day for someone from the Vader familyโsomeone who might come only once every ten or twenty years, if at all.
She’s supposed to be a fragment of the Dungeon Core, so I don’t know if she has the same mental structure as humansโฆ Still, I couldn’t imagine those endless, idle days spent in the dark underground being enjoyable.
Besides, even though Twina acts like an older sister, her actual behavior feels childishโฆ or rather, appropriate for her apparent age.
Her talk of a โcompanionโ felt like a little kid saying, โWhen I grow up, I’m gonna marry Gerald!โ
Of course, part of it was me now, with memories and personality from my past life mixed in, thinking like an adult. But if you think of her as a slightly off-kilter, otherworldly little sister, even her mischief seemed kind of cute.
Just then.
โHeheโฆ Did you worry about me? That makes me happy.โ
Twina’s voice came from right beside me, and something warm and soft pressed against my arm with a squish.
Simultaneously, a mischievous, giggling snicker.
ใโฆโฆโฆโฆ.
Calm down, me.
This is probably just an arm.
Women’s upper arms are soft, after all.
Even Alissa, with her six-pack abs, has somewhat soft upper arms.
So this is just an arm.
Oopsโฆ I said it’s just an upper arm, dammit.
โฆโฆโฆโฆAnyway.
Right now, I need to tell my sister I safely received the sword.
โAh, right, Twina. When we get to the surface, my sisterโฆ Alissa will be waiting. Would you mind saying hello?โ
โMuuโฆโ
I heard Twina grunt, and the sensation pressed against my arm vanished.
โTwina?โ
โMmโฆ You’re rightโฆ I should probably greet Alissa. Butโฆ I’d love to, but unfortunately, in my current state, it’d be difficult for anyone besides you to touch me, recognize my form, or hear my voice outside the dungeon. Well, it’s truly unfortunate.โ
What is this? It sounds phony, or rather, oddly evasive.
Hmmโฆ Personally, I’d like to introduce her to Alissa since we’re here.
โThen, shall we have her come inside the dungeon?โ
That shouldn’t be a problem.
The dungeon monsters won’t appear until you go deeper, and even if they do, Alissa could easily handle them.
‘That won’t do.’
โHuh? Why?โ
โNo means no.โ
โSeriouslyโฆ why?โ
Somehow, our household guardian deity is stubbornly refusing to greet Alissa.
โโฆI’m sorry. But I don’t think now is the right time for me to be introduced.โ
โTime?โ
‘Mm. I think the timing is still off. Of course, eventuallyโฆ I suppose.’
What is itโฆ Did something happen with my big sister?
Maybe when she was given the sword, my sister did something wrongโฆ?
Like, maybe she beat up Sara-kun even worse than I didโฆ My sister is sometimes so strong I think she might be a monsterโฆ
Whoa, I really want to knowโฆ!
But Twina is clearly backing away.
Maybe it’s better not to pry.
Probably better not to ask.
โAlright. I’ll introduce you to my sister another time.โ
โThat would be a huge help.โ
Hearing my words, Twina visibly relaxed.
Well, it’s not like I have to introduce her right now.
โTwina, we’re almost at the surface. For now, just hide behind me or something.โ
‘Yeah, I’ll do that.’
After saying that, Twina’s presence grew faint.
It seemed she’d distanced herself slightly from me.
Or perhaps the dungeon’s magic had weakened, making her presence less noticeable.
Keeping an eye on her, I climbed the stairs and emerged above ground.
Outside was already faintly lit.
I thought I’d only explored the dungeon for about an hour, but it seemed I’d stayed far longer than expected.
Or perhaps time flowed differently inside the dungeon compared to the outside world.
โGerald, you’re back.โ
As I stood at the dungeon entrance, staring blankly at the dawn sky, a quiet voice came from beside me.
Alissa stood a short distance away, watching me.
Looking closely, her eyes were quite sleepy.
Had she stayed here waiting all night without sleeping?
โSister, I’m back.โ
โIt seems you obtained the sword safely, then.โ
Saying this, Alissa’s gaze fell to my waist.
โYes, as you can see.โ
Saying this, I drew the sword from its sheath at my waist and showed it to Alissa.
This was the โsword that cuts wellโ I had received from Twina before my battle with Sara.
After receiving this sword, I had gained the โblade’s blessingโ itself, but I didn’t know how to explain that to Alissa.
Besides, talking about the blessing would mean I’d have to explain Twina.
In the end, I decided to just say, for the time being, that I had been granted this โsword that cuts wellโ.
โIt’s a bit rough, but it’s a good sword. โฆAnd besidesโโ
Alissa nodded, shifting her gaze to my face.
โYou’ve grown into the face befitting a knight of House Vader, Gerald.โ
Saying this, she narrowed her eyes as if dazzled.
โThank you, Sister.โ
โBy the way, Geraldโโ
Alissa approached me quietly, still smiling.
She was smiling. Yes, smiling.
And yet, the air emanating from her carried an odd pressure.
It felt like the intense pressure of practiceโฆ no, of facing a real sword.
โWh-what is it?โ
โNothing.โ
Alissa said this, coming right up to my frozen face.
Still smiling, she grabbed both my shoulders firmly.
Ugh, I can’t moveโฆ
It felt like being held by a stone statue.
No matter how I twisted, I couldn’t budge an inch.
Honestly, when pinned down by someone wielding a greatsword nearly as tall as herself with the ease of a twig, someone relatively average like me was completely helpless.
โUm, is somethingโฆโ
โThis is strange.โ
Alssa brought her nose close to my neck and began sniffing.
She looked just like a drug-sniffing dog.
โI smell something sweet. Like flowersโฆ Gerald. Did you burn incense on your gear before entering the dungeon?โ
โI-I don’t knowโฆโ
I looked away.
I knew exactly what she was talking about. Way too well.
I could sense the unease behind me.
Twina had been rubbing up against me constantly on the way up from the surface, just to tease meโฆ
โThis is strange. I smell another woman’s scent on my brother.โ
Saying this, Alissa looked me straight in the eye.
Her eyes were wide open now, like deep, pitch-black abyssesโa stark contrast to before.
What’s up, sis?
You’re scarier than Twina.
โGerald. Could it beโฆ that Sword-Master did something to you down in the dungeon’s depthsโฆ?โ
Ah, so she’s interpreting it as me being โdone something toโ by Twina, not me โdoing somethingโ to her.
In truth, Alissa’s suspicion was entirely correct, but that didn’t mean I could just tell her outright.
I’d just promised her I wouldn’t speak of Twina.
If I went back on my word now, Twina’s trust in me (whether she actually trusted me or not) and my value as a man would plummet so far it would pierce through the dungeon’s bottom and reach the mantle.
Therefore.
The option to spill the beans was simply not on the table.
โOf course, since I received the sword, I did meet Swordmaker-sama. But that is all.โ
โโฆThere is no lie in those words?โ
โAbsolutely not.โ
I stood tall and proud, telling a lie.
The proverb โA lie told for a good cause is a lie told wellโ is truly great.
It gives me the courage to stand up to Goriโฆ to my sister.
I am a hero now.
Incidentally, the goddess herself seems to have been completely intimidated by Alissa’s overwhelming aura, having vanished without a trace.
You heartless womanโฆ!
Or rather, did Alissa and Twina have some kind of falling out when she received her swords?
Well, I can kinda tell from the atmosphere that they’re like cats and dogs, or oil and waterโtheir compatibility seems offโฆ
Still, my sister feels kinda heavy tooโฆ Or is it just me?
โฆOh, and about us challenging the dungeonโDad found out immediately and gave us a huge scolding. But thanks to Alissa’s backup, it kinda got swept under the rug and recognized as our coming-of-age ceremony.