The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โI wish you would train me for the upcoming Coming-of-Age Ceremony.โ
After the earlier commotion had settled.
Nora straightened her posture, looked straight at me with her clear, azure eyes, and said that.
It seemed this was the real reason she had come all the way to the Vader household.
โIn the Kingdom of Silvazard where we live, after receiving the dungeon’s blessing, children of nobles and knightly families are obligated to advance to one of several knight academies within the country (geographically, Nora and I attend the Royal Capital Knight Academy).
Though we rarely feel it here in the remote frontier far from the battlefields, our nation is in a state of total war.
Moreover, in this world, thanks to the โblessings,โ the gap in combat strength between men and women isn’t that significant.
Even a young lady like Nora, if granted a powerful blessing, becomes a valuable combat asset.
Therefore, it’s not particularly unusual for a baron’s daughter to attempt the โRite of Coming of Ageโ.
Well, in her case, she’s not just a โvaluable assetโโshe’ll grow into a force capable of deciding the very course of this warโฆ but that aside.
“So you want my impressions, since I’ve already completed the โRite of Passageโ? But yourโฆ dungeon owned by the Baron Revlon family is, of course, entirely different from our Vader family’s โSword-Forged Dungeonโ. The structure, the trials, how one receives the โblessingโโall are different.”
โI’m well aware of that, of course.โ
Nora said this as she slowly rose from the sofa, then inexplicably tried to sit next to me.
โThis is for one person.โ
But I blocked her mid-motion.
Somehow, I managed to get her to sit back across from me.
Thanks to that, the miasma-like pressure blowing against my back eased slightly.
Nora’s frequent bizarre outbursts during our conversation had me on edge, fearing Twina would snap and turn into a raging god.
โSo?โ
โYes. When it comes to conquering dungeonsโฆ that single point is common to most dungeons. I need that knowledge.โ
I see.
Indeed, basic dungeon-crawling knowledge and experience, along with monster-slaying know-how, often require firsthand experience to grasp.
Come to think of it, it was precisely because I had gaming knowledge that I could breeze through the โSword-Made Dungeonโ. Had I entered without any know-how, the outcome might have been quite different.
Moreover, dungeons typically entered during the Coming-of-Age Ceremony are usually heavily guarded by the owning house, making it impossible to just casually walk in.
Even our โSword-Made Dungeonโ has locked doors and such, despite us going in and out constantly these days.
In any case.
For most families, tackling the Coming-of-Age Ceremony dungeon is usually done cold, without prior preparation.
Therefore, they should thoroughly complete training and preparation beforehand.
To get to the point.
โYou’re supposed to learn that kind of knowledge from now on. They wouldn’t send you in unprepared, and why would you need to specifically ask me for help?โ
โI also intend to undergo the Coming-of-Age Ceremony before I turn fourteen.โ
In response to my question, Nora declared this clearly with a determined expression.
โฆI see.
But my answer to that is this:
โDon’t do it.โ
It’s obvious.
In my case, it was due to unavoidable circumstances.
Generally speaking, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony carries mortal danger.
Therefore, one should only undertake it after properly training and being recognized as having sufficient strength.
Moreover, while Nora was born with exceptionally high magical power and is high-spec in every way, she is still just an ordinary girl who hasn’t received the โBlessingโ yet.
Normally, it’s far too dangerous unless you’ve properly built your body and acquired both stamina and strength.
โMaybe you heard about my experience and thought, โThen I can do it too,โ but that’s a mistaken idea. My case was just a fluke, and even now I think it was reckless.โ
โI-I seeโฆโ
It seemed I’d hit the nail on the head.
Nora didn’t argue back at my point, just drooped her head dejectedly.
Or rather, begging someone who broke off your engagement in the first place is justโฆ well.
Well, she seems convinced I’m still her betrothedโฆ but the letter sent by Baron Rebron should have been genuine.
At the very least, I’d think we should talk after she withdraws the engagement cancellation.
In this world, nobles and knights follow their house’s will absolutely.
There’s no way they’d listen to the wishes of someone who wasn’t even old enough to be considered an adult back thenโshe was practically a little girl.
Butโฆ if she trulyโthough โtrulyโ feels closer to obsessionโdoesn’t consider the engagement broken, then she must have come to see me with proper resolve.
โฆSigh.
I guess I’m more of a softie than I thought.
โโฆI understand you came here incognito, going against your family’s wishes. So tell me the real reason. Depending on it, I might consider helping you.โ
โโฆ!โ
Nora’s face lit up at my words.
But a shadow immediately fell over her expression.
โโฆThank you. But honestly, you might not believe meโโ
The reason she gave me left me bewilderedโฆ yet it was one that forced me to decide to help her.
ใโ
โโฆDid you see your own death in a dream?โ
โโฆYes.โ
She nodded slowly, hesitantly.
She must surely realize how absurd what she’s saying sounds.
She probably expects to be laughed at too.
Dreaming about one’s own death is a common occurrence.
I have them occasionally too, and normally, one would understand that doesn’t mean it could happen in reality.
Butโฆ
What if the content was identical to the death ending I knew for her?
She continued matter-of-factly.
“The first time I saw it, I was around twelve, maybe not quite yet. After that, I’d have it once or twice a yearโฆ but lately, especially these past few months, I’ve been having the same dream almost every day. And the details keep getting clearer and clearerโฆ Thinking I’ll meet such a horrible end, Iโ”
Her eyes, now utterly devoid of life unlike before, murmured those words.
Perhaps her previous cheerful demeanor had been armor she wore around her heart.
Without itโor rather, having shed itโshe was just a fourteen-year-old girl afraid of death.
โDid you tell your family about it?โ
โOf course. But they just laughed it off.โ
โโฆWell, that’s to be expected.โ
Indeed, in this world, magic and miracles exist, as do evil gods and demonic tribes.
Incidentally, a โgodโ called the Dungeon Core also resides right behind me.
But even so, a thick line is drawn between fiction and reality.
Whether a dream becomes reality lies far beyond that line.
Especially when it’s a nightmare.
Telling her family would just end with them thinking, โShe’s still such a child.โ
Butโฆ I know the content of the dream she saw belongs to โthis sideโ.
She’ll enter the Royal Knight Academy, be abducted by demons there, and meet a gruesome end.
Of course, it’s a future that can be avoided depending on the protagonist’s actions.
However, even I don’t know if this world is destined to lead directly to her death ending.
โHmmโฆ You seem quite worn out.โ
โRegardless of what the future holds, seeing the same nightmare every day would do that to anyone.โ
โI don’t dream myself, so it’s a feeling I don’t quite understandโฆ Well, I suppose I can at least sympathize.โ
How should I put itโฆ Twina was, after all, a god.
Lately, I’d only seen her act so human I’d forgotten that.
Well, that aside.
If that’s the case, the situation is different.
โVery well.โ
I said.
โIf you need training, I’ll lend a hand.โ
It was the same as me, after all.
Whether conscious or unconscious, she anticipated her own โdeath endโ.
Even I couldn’t possibly refuse her offer knowing that.
Because I understood her anxiety and fear as if they were my own.
โIs that alright!?โ
At my words, Nora’s face lit up instantly.
Her eyes, brimming with hope, fixed on me.
โYes. Though, naturally, I can only teach you the basics. Nora, I believe your family primarily taught martial arts, correct?โ
โโฆYes. But Lord Gerald, how did you know that?โ
Damn.
While thinking about Nora’s efficient training plan, I’d answered without thinkingโbut this was pure game knowledge.
Come to think of it, there’s no way I should know what martial arts other housesโespecially one that broke off an engagementโteach their children.
Damn, I messed upโฆ but I had to cover it up somehow.
“โฆWell, nobles often find themselves in situations where they can’t carry weapons. Therefore, most nobles cultivate some level of hand-to-hand combat skill. That’s common knowledge, isn’t it?”
โI-Is that soโฆ?โ
This is bad.
She looks completely unconvinced.
I pile on more words.
โExactly. As knights, our duty is to protect the lord and the nobles of the castle. That means we need to have some understanding of other families’ martial arts. That’s all!โ
โHeheโฆ Let’s just say that’s how it is.โ
Taking my words, Nora chuckled meaningfully.
What the hell.
This makes me look like some tsundere stalker.
But this exchange seemed to distract her a bit.
After laughing for a while, she let out a big sigh and her tense shoulders relaxed.
Well, I didn’t want to keep looking after her in such a gloomy atmosphere either.
All’s well that ends well.
Let’s just say that.
โNow thenโฆ With that settled, I need to gauge your strength. Are you ready to move now?โ
โOf course I am!โ
Nora, her sunny aura restored, replied cheerfully.