The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โI-I’m terribly sorry to keep you waitingโฆ!โ
After waiting a while in the courtyard, Nora emerged from the mansion, having changed into our family’s practice attire.
After all, I couldn’t possibly gauge her true strength while she was in her going-out dress.
Now, Nora wore a white knit top over a jacket, paired with long trousers.
Her footwear resembled sneakers favored by knights in this world.
Both the top and bottom were made of stretchy material, while the shoes utilized durable magical beast leather resistant to wear.
Moreover, both the clothes and shoes were high-quality items enchanted with magic to absorb a certain degree of impact.
Thanks to this, she can endure intense strikes and sword-based training without suffering serious damage, making them practically essential in knight households.
Andโฆ every single item Nora is wearing is from Alissa’s childhood wardrobe.
Alissa has been away since last spring, attending the Royal Knight Academy, so I borrowed them, feeling a bit guilty.
The maid pressed, โAre you absolutely sure this is okay?โ But Alissa has a soft spot for me, so I think she’ll laugh it off and forgive meโฆ probably.
At least the maid isn’t at fault, so she has no reason to worry.
And I shouldn’t have to worry eitherโฆ or so I thought.
โUm, what do you thinkโฆ?โ
โOh, uhโฆ Thatโฆ looks good on youโฆ I think.โ
Facing her, looking a bit embarrassed perhaps from wearing unfamiliar clothes, I found myself looking away involuntarily.
I’m sorry.
Iโฆ no, I half-lied.
It dos look good on her.
But I’m regretting it now, thinking I made a bit of a mistake.
‘Hmmโฆ This woman might indeed be my enemy.’
Twina, present only as a faint aura, sent a damp, resentment-filled telepathic message from the edge of the courtyard.
And no wonder.
โUm, Gerald sama. If possible, I’d be grateful if you could lend me something a bit looserโฆโ
โI’m sorry. That was the only practice jacket available.โ
โI-I seeโฆโ
Nora clutched the hem of the jacket tightly, her face flushing crimson.
The bottom was fine.
It fit perfectly.
The problem was the top.
It was tight as a drum.
โฆHonestly, I’m sorry.
I never imagined Nora possessed such a powerful weapon.
Or rather, the dresses noblewomen wear for going outโฆ maybe because they’re tailored for ease of movement, they have such a loose silhouetteโฆ Because of that, I never dreamed it would turn out like this until she changed and came out.
Sorry, future me.
Getting killed by Alissa when she comes home might be a certainty now.
ใโ
โHaah, haah, haahโฆ!โ
Nora lay sprawled flat on her back right in the middle of the mansion’s courtyard, gasping for air.
โHmmโฆ Is this all she’s gotโฆ?โ
Watching her out of the corner of my eye, I muttered silently so she couldn’t hear.
We’d gone through the motions of sparring to gauge her skill level.
First, a light sword practice session.
In this world, nobles and knights, regardless of gender, practice swordsmanship.
Nora could handle a sword reasonably well.
Of course, it wasn’t the full-fledged training of a knightly house, so after exchanging a few blows, my impression was just ‘Well, that’s about it.’
The real issue was her hand-to-hand combat.
I understood there were differences in physical ability between men and women, and that blessings could affect skill levels.
But her innate magical power was exceptionally high.
I believe her starting stats alone were among the highest in the story.
Naturally, her growth rate during training was overwhelming too. By the end, she was the only one boasting over three times the magical power of the story’s protagonist.
Plus, she’d been drilled in martial arts since childhood.
Martial arts benefit more from magic-enhanced physical strength than swordsmanship does.
There should be absolutely no way I could win in a bare-handed fight.
There should be absolutely none.
And yet.
Why the hell did I, a complete amateur, win?
Well, sure, her punches and kicks were sharp?
Still, every single attack was easy for me to dodge.
Plus, her punches and kicks felt light. Feather-light.
Result: my overwhelming victory.
Me, a complete novice in martial arts, overwhelmingly defeating herโsomeone who should have trained since childhood.
What the hell is going on here?
I couldn’t help but be utterly confused.
But there’s one thing I can say for sure.
With her current skill level, she’d likely struggle to even survive a challenge in our โSword-Made Dungeonโ.
But our dungeon shouldn’t be that insanely difficult.
After all, fifteen-year-old Alissa cleared it with ease.
Even if she’s a bit younger, it was strange that a talented girl like Nora couldn’t even manage to clear the dungeon.
Is this really the extent of her abilityโฆ?
To be honest, I was planning to spar lightly with her and give her a stamp of approval, thinking โYeah, no problem.โ
But this is ridiculous.
Fundamentally, her physical enhancement through magic power feels quite weak.
Even accounting for the fact that I possess divine protection and have grown significantly stronger since before.
โฆAs I was thinking about that.
โI-I beg you, one more timeโฆ!โ
After resting for a while and catching her breath, Nora slowly got to her feet.
She held both hands out in front of her, glaring at me.
โฆFor someone with the appearance of a pure-looking beauty, she’s got surprisingly gutsy spirit.
But this will just be the same no matter how many times we do it.
Or rather, it’s turned into regular practice since the point of seeing her true strength got lost somewhere along the way.
Well, I get why she’s getting so worked upโฆ
โGerald. Can I speak with you?โ
โI’m busy right nowโฆ What is it?โ
Suddenly, Twina spoke to me telepathically.
She seemed to still be in the corner of her courtyard, but I sensed she was intently observing Nora.
โHaah!โ
With a tearing shout, Nora thrusts her fist forward.
Dodging it lightly, I listen to Twina’s words.
โWatching her, something’s been bothering me.โ
โโฆGo on.โ
While evading Nora’s attack, I continue the telepathic conversation with Twaina.
‘It seems she can’t control her magic properly. Have you noticed?’
โSort of. She’s way too weak, no matter how you look at it.โ
โโฆHmm. So you feel it too.โ
After saying that, Twina fell silent for a moment.
She seemed to be observing Nora’s movements again.
But even that only lasted a few seconds.
โโฆI figured out the cause. She’s probably not using her magic correctly.โ
โI knew it.โ
She had sensed it vaguely.
No matter how you looked at it, she held immense magic power within her body, yet the attacks she unleashed, supposedly channeling that power, were pathetically weak.
Given that, there was only one possible explanation.
โAs a unique ability, I can visually perceive an opponent’s magical power. Clearly, Nora possesses immense magical power. Yet, she’s barely utilizing even ten percent of it. Her current state is like trying to sip water from a barrel with a straw.โ
โA barrel and a straw, huh?โ
โHmm. This is just a guess, but I suspect her nightmares might be involved. Perhaps she subconsciously fears the overflowing magic within her might run wild.โ
I see.
Honestly, I have a different take on the nightmares, but it’s possible she’s subconsciously holding back so much out of fear of her magic running wild.
If that’s the case, continuing this training is pointless.
โSorry, but that’s enough.โ
Saying that, I grabbed the fist Nora swung at me.
โWh-whatโฆ?โ
Clearly, she hadn’t expected her punch to be caught and stopped. Nora’s face twisted in shock.
But, of course, there’s no point unless I tell her what I’ve noticed.
โNora. It seems you’re not using your magic properly. Because of that, your attacks are completely wasted.โ
โTh-that’s notโโ
Nora denied it, but then just hung her head.
Seems she was aware of it after all.
But I didn’t want to discourage her either.
She absolutely had to get stronger, if only to avoid the death ending.
So, steeled my resolve, I said this.
โNora. How about you come with me to the capital city sometime?โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆHuh!?โ
[โฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆAh”!?]
This time, Nora’s utterly bewildered voice and Twina’s deep, resonant voice harmonized perfectly.