The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knight’s Rampage Through Another World
“Bugya?!”
Letting out a cry like a squashed frog, the drunk adventurer was sent flying with a flourish.
He flew straight to the shop door, then crashed into the wall and stopped.
“”…….”
Silence.
Nora and the rest of the adventurers stared at me, dumbfounded.
Then I came to my senses.
Oh nooooooooooooooooo!?!?!
He was acting so silly that I couldn’t help but punch him, but is he okay?!
Ever since I became “Gerald,” I’d been training with Alissa and defeating magical beasts on a daily basis, so I’d pretty much lost my aversion to rough dealing.
However, using force against humans was another matter.
To begin with, most adventurers are of commoner origin.
So there should be few with “Divine Protection.”
Of course, he’d strengthen his physical abilities with magical tools and magical power during combat, so nothing serious would happen, but… this guy was clearly drunk, after all, we were in town!
It was a blessing in disguise that I didn’t hit any items in the store after punching him and damage them, but dying would be a terrible dream.
“Hey, are you okay…”
“Y-You…!”
The moment I tried to call out to him, the man I’d punched stood up, his face bright red.
Ah, he seems okay…
He might be a novice, but he’s still an adventurer.
His body seems sturdy.
Or perhaps he’d already been improving his physical abilities with magical tools and magical power.
However, it seemed the damage had really taken its toll on his legs.
He glared at me with his hands still on the wall, but his legs were trembling like a fawn and he didn’t seem prepared to fight back.
The problem was the remaining two.
“Damn, you’re underestimating us… Who do you think we are–“
“Hey, stop it! This guy probably has a blessing!”
One of the adventurers, his face pale, grabbed the other’s shoulder, angered.
“What?! There’s no way a brat like that has a blessing–“
“You idiot! Didn’t you see him knock Dirk down just now?! Did you see he took off his ‘talisman’ after coming back from the dungeon!?”
“N-no…”
The enraged man hesitated upon hearing this.
Then he looked at me, then at the man who’d been hit… “Seriously?” he said, his face twisting.
Oh, so these guys are wearing ‘talismans’.
No wonder they’re so tough.
Talismans are basically magical tools that increase physical ability and magical power for specific purposes.
This makes it a lifeline for many adventurers without “Divine Protection.”
The depths of wild dungeons are filled with monsters so powerful that magical physical enhancements alone are no match for them.
The thing he’s probably equipped with is something like a “Defensive Charm” or “Herculean Charm.”
If that’s the case, maybe I should have punched him harder…
As I was pondering this, I saw the men’s faces rapidly turn from red to blue.
“Hey, calm down, Matt. Judging by the way he’s dressed, that kid must be from a noble or knight family. “Divine Protection” or not, this guy is definitely a dangerous guy to mess with. I don’t want to end up hanging.”
“Huh?… Hey, are you serious?”
It seemed the men had completely sobered up.
The man who’d been punched had already turned his back on me and was sneaking out of the magic shop.
“Oh, is this your first time fighting someone with a Divine Protection?”
I thought it was kind of lame to flaunt my strength, but it worked against these guys.
Sure enough, when I said that and took a step forward, they all grimaced and backed away.
“Hey, you idiots, if you’re going to keep fighting, can we do it outside?”
Then I heard the female shopkeeper’s voice of protest from behind the counter.
That was the signal to end the fight.
“Damn, remember that!”
“Hey Matt, let’s go!”
The remaining two stomped out of the magic shop, chasing after the man who had already fled.
Sigh…
As silence returned to the shop, I breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t exactly peaceful, but I hope we’d managed to get through this crisis at least.
“…Shall we go out too?”
“Y-Yes.”
I’d already finished my shopping, and we were planning to eat after this.
After apologizing to the store owner for causing a ruckus (even though it wasn’t my fault), I took Nora and left the store.
We continued walking for a while, stopping when we reached a busy street.
Even if those adventurers from earlier harbored a grudge against us, they probably wouldn’t attack us here.
“…Here, this. I give it to you.”
I handed Nora the Berserker’s Bracelet I’d purchased earlier.
“If you wear this, you should be able to take on the Coming-of-Age Ceremony in better condition than you are now. What’s the matter, Nora?”
Nora looked back and forth between me and the bracelet with a confused expression.
Then she timidly spoke.
“Um…why are you being so nice to me?”
She clutched her chest with a pained expression as she continued.
“Even though Father decided it on his own, he still broke off our engagement. No matter how much I insist that the engagement is valid, it’s still invalid technically. My delusions mean nothing to Lord Gerald, after all.”
“…”
No, that’s too late now.
But she must have realized that her claim that she had no intention of breaking off the engagement was unreasonable.
Furthermore, it seemed she was well aware that she was restricting me.
I could sense this conflict in her every word.
But still…when she put it that way, I’m at a loss for words.
I can’t bring myself to believe that her nightmare is actually a possible future.
That would just make her think I’m crazy.
But ultimately, I just don’t want to see someone I know die a horrible death.
Of course, I know this is completely selfish.
But can I just sit back and do nothing when I might be able to prevent someone else’s death?
At least, it’s impossible for me right now.
So I forced myself to come up with words to make the story make sense.
“Well…well, I guess we’re childhood friends, after all.”
“Childhood friends…?”
Nora tilted her head with a confused look on her face.
She kept repeating the word “childhood friend” over and over, as if unable to grasp the meaning of the word.
“Um…we’ve known each other since we were old enough to remember, though. Well, we haven’t seen each other in years.”
I continued, scratching my head.
“But, well, it’s only natural to want to help an old acquaintance when they come to you for advice. I don’t think it has anything to do with whether you’re engaged or not, or your family background.”
I realized that last line was a bit cheesy, so I couldn’t look Nora in the eye…
Still, that’s exactly how I really feel.
“…… Hehe!”
Nora stared at me for a while, then burst out laughing.
“As I thought, Gerald hasn’t changed at all since the old days.”
“……”
R-Really…? ?
Nora was staring at me as if reminiscing about the past, but really…! ?
No, I think I’ve changed a lot on the inside now, don’t you think? ?
Specifically, since I was about 12 years old!
But, to her, the Gerald of the past and the Gerald of the present are the same.
After all, just because my memories have been revived doesn’t mean there’s no continuity in my consciousness between then and now.
“…I understand. I’ll treasure the bracelet that Lord Gerald bought me…and cherish it.”
With that, Nora gently took the Berserker Bracelet I handed her and put it on her left hand.
She then stared intently at my face, then muttered something in an incredibly quiet voice.
“(…This bracelet, is that what this is..?)”
“…Eh?”
Her mutter was so quiet I couldn’t hear her clearly.
I couldn’t help but ask her again.
But instead of replying, she took a few steps forward, almost as if bouncing, and then turned back to me.
She held the bracelet tightly in her other hand.
A smile as broad as a sunflower spread her eyes.
“Hehe… All I said was, ‘I will treasure this bracelet forever!'”
No, she must have muttered something else just now…!?
The length and all is clearly different!
I wonder…
When I look into her eyes, I feel a strange weight, as if a snake is entangled in me…