The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โOhโฆ Young Knight, welcome.โ
Upon rushing to fulfill a request from a nearby village to slay a demon beast, an elderly man greeted me.
I was then led straight to the living room of a large house at the very back of the village.
In the living room, four or five men who appeared to be villagers were already gathered.
Perhaps they were the village leaders?
Every single one of them stared at me suspiciously.
The elderly man who had guided me here firstโฆ the village chief, though smiling, also felt distant.
โฆWell, I understand how they feel.
They had petitioned the lord for a monster slayer, and the only one who came was this lone figure.
And what’s more, it was meโthe notorious spoiled brat known throughout the Vader domain.
No wonder the villagers look like they’ve bitten into a whole astringent persimmon.
Yeahโฆ Before I got my memories back, I really messed up a lotโฆ
Especially this village, Luserra. It’s practically the Vader family’s backyard, only about a 30-minute walk from our manor within the domain.
Because of that, nearly every resident witnessed the mess that was the old Gerald.
Like sneaking out of the manor behind the sword instructor’s back to nap on the back of a sheep grazing near the village, or picking a fight with the village bully for some forgotten reason and getting beaten up, or bathing naked in a nearby stream and being mistaken for a goblin, prompting the villagers to form an extermination squadโฆ Just remembering it makes me want to die.
They’re all memories of me acting like a mischievous brat, but honestly, I was just scared of training or couldn’t keep up with my studies, so I ran away and ended up causing trouble for the whole village. It’s just plain embarrassing.
So when they say that idiot son suddenly changed his ways and came back as a knight, there’s no way anyone could believe it.
Plus, today I didn’t even bring the rest of the Vader family knights with me. all alone.
Well, there’s an unavoidable reason for that.
In Lucera Village, a demon beastโฆ the โGreat Fang Boarโ appeared out of nowhere over the past few days. It’s ravaging the village’s crops and livestock, causing significant damage.
Demon beasts are much larger and more powerful than ordinary wild beasts, and they sometimes eat people.
So far, there haven’t been any human casualties, but it was clearly only a matter of time.
And yet, Alissa, currently the main force of our Vader household, is swamped preparing to enter the Knight Academy.
The main members of our private knight order are out hunting a monster that appeared in another village.
The remaining knights are also unavailable, busy with tasks like guarding the manor.
Naturally, Father is on duty at the castle in the provincial capital.
So, it was inevitable that the responsibility would fall to me, having recently completed my Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Incidentally, the village chief calls me โSir Knight,โ but of course, I haven’t been officially knighted yet.
Unlike the Vader family’s โComing-of-Age Ceremony,โ knighthood is conferred by the Earl Horace in the provincial capital.
In other words, right now, I’m essentially a rogue knight.
No wonder everyone’s uneasy.
Still, I couldn’t pass up this chance.
After all, it’s the perfect opportunity to test the power of the โSword-Forged Blessingโโฆ especially that feature I stumbled upon the other day.
So, folks, you’ll just have to put up with me for now.
“Young Knight, I’m terribly sorry we can’t offer you a proper welcomeโฆ Please, just take care of that damned Greatfang Boarโ”
โAlbus, sorry to interrupt,โ
The tallest, burliest guy among the entourage cut in on the village chief’s greeting.
โHey, Bates! The village chief and the young knight are talking!โ
โShut up! I can’t hold back without getting a word in here!โ
One of the younger guys in the entourage grabbed the man’s shoulder, but he shook him off in an instant.
The man closed in on the village chiefโAlbusโand began ranting, foam flying from the corners of his mouth.
“That’s โGerald-boyโ right there! The one who got beaten in a fight with my kid! And he’s not even got his knight with him! No way he can handle a monster hunt! That damn giant boar will stomp him flat! I’m telling you, Albus, leave the monster hunting to us vigilantes. That beast’s wrecked our fields and livestockโwe’re sick of it!”
Oh boyโฆ This old man sure doesn’t mince words.
If it weren’t me, this would be insulting enough to warrant a beating right here.
But considering my past screw-ups and cowardice, I can’t really complain about being called out like this.
Besides, what the old man says is perfectly reasonable.
The monster I’m supposed to hunt this time, the โGreat Fangโ, is a monstrous boar with a body as big as a dump truck and tusks like an elephant’s.
Even setting aside my past actions, no adult with a shred of common sense would ever feel comfortable leaving such a dangerous job to a kid alone.
Incidentally, the old man’s child is that very bully.
I heard through the grapevine that he ran off the village last year and is now training as a guard apprentice in the provincial capitalโฆ So it probably bothers him that someone my age casually became a knight (albeit an unlicensed one).
Still, there’s nothing I can say to the old man at this point.
โHo ho! Bates, you seem quite worried about the young knight, aren’t you? Come to think of it, your son Biff is the same age as the young knight, isn’t he?โ
โMy kid’s business is none of your damn business! And no, that’s not it! If this kid dies, how am I supposed to explain it to the lordโโ
โFret not.โ
The village chief, looking every inch the kindly old man, spoke quietly.
โโฆโฆโฆโฆ!โ
The air shifted.
An undeniable pressure dominated the space, silencing the old man without a word.
Surveying the scene, the village chief slowly opened his mouth.
โI understand your point. However, the Vader family has protected our village for generations, long before you were born. And the fact that Lord Gerald of the Vader family has come here alone speaks volumes. I cannot permit you to accompany him. โฆKnow this: our assistance would dishonor the knight’s honor.โ
The village chief’s calm voice echoed throughout the room.
It sounded almost as if he were talking to himself.
Yeahโฆ Sorry for bringing a brat like me alongโฆ
โโฆTch, I don’t care! Hey, you lot, let’s go! There’s still fieldwork to be done!โ
โAh, aye.โ
Overwhelmed by the village chief, the old man spat out a parting shot and stormed out of the living room.
Following him, the others scattered in small groups.
What is this guy, some kind of tsundere?
Well, he’s got a foul mouth, but he’s probably not a bad person.
I don’t dislike old men like this, either.
Though I’d love to get revenge on your son someday.
โMy Lord Gerald, please forgive their rudeness. They all act out of love for the village.โ
โNoโฆ no, don’t mind itโฆ Ahem, I don’t mind. I’m still a kid myself, after all.โ
Damnโฆ My corporate slave mentalityโor rather, my memories as a former Japanese personโare getting in the way. I can’t quite pull off a knightly demeanor.
But acting too weak would only make the village chief uneasy.
Especially someone like meโlooking like a brat and having made such a terrible first impression.
That said, acting haughty feels wrong tooโฆ Hmmโฆ Knight roleplay is tricky.
โAnyway, explain the situation.โ
โYes! I shall explain at once.โ
The village chief bowed respectfully before describing the monster’s characteristics and whereabouts.
ใโ
โThat old man looked at you like you were a god.โ
After leaving the village outskirts and walking into the forest for a whileโฆ Twina suddenly murmured that.
I couldn’t see her, but I could sense her presence right beside me.
โโฆTo me, it looked like the gaze of someone seeing a pitiful sacrifice.โ
I turned my face toward the source of the presence and shrugged.
While the village chief explained the situation to meโฆ occasionally, his eyes had a sorrowful look.
His attitude, too, felt distant at firstโฆ but that was probably him suppressing his emotions to avoid taking sides.
I understood his feelings.
Realistically speaking, no matter how skilled a knight might be, there’s no way a child could defeat a demon beast.
Or perhaps he was hoping I’d fight the beast, get seriously injured or killed, and then Alissa and my old man would rush over in a panic.
I won’t call it cowardly.
Having lived in this world for thirteen years, I understand that’s how a village leader must act.
For ordinary people without divine protection, beasts are natural disasters themselves.
โAnyway, I’m glad I got a chance to test my โprotectionโ.โ
โHeheโฆ You don’t have to put on a brave face. As long as I can be with you, I don’t care about the faith of others.โ
Saying that, I felt Twina cling to my arm.
Something soft pressed against my upper arm with a squish.
โโฆโฆโฆโฆI’m not putting on a brave face, you know?โ
โฆNo, no.
We’re in the middle of hunting a demon beast. I can’t let myself be ruled by desire.
Besides, it seemed we were nearing the demon beast’s lair.
โโโโโ!!โ
โโโโโ!!!โ
Deep within the forest, something was making a commotion.
The trees blocked the view, making it hard to hear clearly.
But the sounds coming from the depths were unmistakably human screams and cries.
And the vibrations shaking the ground clearly came from a heavy creature thrashing about.
‘Huh? That’s odd. Do beasts speak human language or scream like that?’
โNo, that’sโฆ No way!โ
I instinctively broke into a run.
Parting the thickets growing on both sides, I hurried deeper into the forestโ
โRoooooaaaaaarrr!!!โ
โDammit, retreat!โ
โI told you so! Only a knight could handle this!!โ
โHiiii! Don’t come near me, don’t come near me!!โ
In a slightly open area.
A boar with a body like a dump truck was chasing the old men from earlier at an incredible speed.