The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knight’s Rampage Through Another World
“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Gerald!”
Under a piercing blue sky.
Standing in a corner of the chic town, I saw a girl as bright as a sunflower running toward me.
It was none other than Nora.
“Haa, haa… Sneaking out of the villa took a bit of effort… Did I keep you waiting?”
“No, I just got here myself.”
It wasn’t a lie.
“Just got here” was an understatement—I’d practically arrived at this meeting spot at the same time as her.
…Or rather, I’d been dashing here, sweating bullets that I might be late for the rendezvous.
I was the one relieved to have made it on time.
“Is that so? Well then, I’m glad!”
Nora seemed to believe me, her expression relaxing.
But immediately, she looked up at me with a timid expression.
“Um… what do you think?”
“Hm… Ah.”
For a moment, I wondered if something was troubling her, but I quickly understood what she was asking.
Today, she was dressed like a town girl, not immediately recognizable as nobility.
Her long, fluffy blonde hair was neatly gathered at the back of her head, topped with a straw sun hat.
Her accessories were understated. She wore an elegant yet simple white blouse as her outer garment, paired with a longer skirt.
The skirt was feminine with a high waist, though she didn’t seem to be wearing a corset.
Her shoes had low heels, likely chosen to prevent fatigue from long walks.
She carried only one small shoulder bag.
Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about women’s fashion.
If someone asked why I was so clueless despite having a sister, I’d have no reply. But my sister has a tomboyish personality and usually only wears practice clothes, so it’s hopeless.
I’ve never even seen her wear a dress for going out.
Therefore, sadly, I had absolutely no idea how expensive or cheap her outfit was, or even if it was trendy or not.
But, here’s the thing.
If you asked me whether she looked less attractive now than she did in that dress the other day, I would absolutely say no.
Picture this.
A beautiful idol, usually seen only in stage costumes, running towards you in her private clothes (modest).
“Yeah, I think it suits you well. You look… really cute.”
I nodded vigorously.
That’s what it comes down to.
“Hehe… Gerald-sama complimented me… hehehehehehehehehe…”
Meanwhile, Nora didn’t seem to mind my words either.
Her cheeks flushed happily, her eyes vacant, and her mouth hanging slightly open…
…Well, it’s a bit awkward for me to say this after complimenting her, but maybe you should stop making that creepy face and laughing like that?
People walking by are giving us looks like, ‘Whoa, there’s some weird chick over there.’
Or maybe that’s the look they give at a couple of lovebirds.
Either way, I can’t stand being here.
[…Hmph. You look surprisingly good in town girl clothes. Though your smile is creepy.]
By the way, Twina’s assessment was also quite positive.
Well, the slightly poisonous comment was just part of her charm.
Not that I’ve forgotten about Twina, mind you.
Today’s ‘outing’ is actually for her sake too.
Just… since I don’t know yet if I can actually achieve my goal, I’m keeping quiet so she doesn’t get her hopes up…
Anyway.
Right now, Nora and I are meeting in the provincial capital, over a day’s ride by carriage from our own domain.
Is such a thing even possible between those who broke off an engagement, and those who had it broken off?
Of course, it is possible.
The premise is that this city is the provincial capital. That is to say, it is the castle town at the foot of Horace Castle, where the Marquis of Horace resides.
And the heads of both my House Vader and House Rebron are vassals serving the Marquis of Horace.
For the nobles and knights of this country, governing their own fiefs is not their only duty. An equally important task is assisting in the administration of the entire domain from the provincial capital where their lord resides.
Naturally, if one’s fief is too distant, commuting to perform duties in the provincial capital is impossible.
So what is the solution?
There is only one answer.
Single-person assignment.
That’s why my father Aaron currently lives in this ‘residence’ in the capital city, faithfully fulfilling his duties as a knight.
I ended up staying there for about a week, delivering locally grown food to my old man.
From Father’s perspective, it meant his beloved son had come to visit him at his work location.
He was absolutely overjoyed.
Though I did make it perfectly clear that I’m past the age where being rubbed cheek-to-cheek by that bearded face is exactly what I want.
By the way, the food I brought from the Veider domain was salted monster meat.
Ever since my old man tasted the meat from that giant boar I hunted before, he’s been completely hooked on the flavor.
Incidentally, properly aged salted monster meat is apparently an exquisite accompaniment to drinks.
Meanwhile, Oliver, the head of the Rebron household and Nora’s father, also maintains a ‘country estate’ on the outskirts of Bolts to work as an administrator at Horace Castle.
Nora, for her part, is staying there under some pretext or other.
Incidentally, she arrived in this town about a day before me and is scheduled to leave several days after I do.
…That was a long preamble.
Anyway, given these circumstances, it wouldn’t be unnatural for Nora and I to ‘bump into each other’ in the capital city, far from our hometown.
“Well, I suppose we should get going.”
After waiting for Nora to catch her breath, I started walking deeper into the city.
She quickly caught up beside me.
“Um, Gerald-sama. You said we’d be playing in town today… Where are you taking me?”
She asked that with an expectant look.
Come to think of it, I had told her that to improve her handling of magic, she needed to overcome her own anxieties, but I hadn’t explained exactly what we’d do.
Of course, thoroughly enjoying the town was one planned method.
It seemed she’d been cooped up in the mansion lately, training constantly, leading a rather stifling life.
But naturally, coming all the way to the capital wasn’t solely for that purpose.
“I heard from a village near my place that this town has a magic goods shop with an extensive selection. I was thinking we should head there first.”