The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โOh, there it is. Right here.โ
The shop I sought, โSuzutama-teiโ, quietly operated in a back alley of the bustling district.
A small black cat relief hung above the weathered door, with potted plants resembling medicinal herbs flanking either side.
Shutters covered the building’s windows, preventing any glimpse inside.
This shop, which somehow evoked the image of a witch’s hideaway, was exactly what you’d expect: a โmagic goods shopโ.
โI’ve visited the capital many times to see Father, but I never knew shops like this existed in places like thisโฆโ
Nora shrugged her shoulders, glancing nervously around the surrounding alleyways.
Unconsciously, perhaps, she gripped the sleeve of my arm tightly, which was adorable.
Indeed, unlike the bustling main street, this place had a quiet, secluded atmosphere.
The alley was narrow, so even though the sky was clear and sunny, no light penetrated, leaving it dim.
But then, magic item shops tend to set up shop in gloomy places like this.
โAnyway, let’s go inside.โ
โY-yes.โ
We pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped inside.
The interior was cramped and dim, filled with an indescribably heavy atmosphere.
Candlesticks were mounted here and there on the walls, their candlesโreused and trimmed downโglowing with faint, flickering flames.
Incense seemed to be burning throughout; with every breath, a unique fragrance filled my chest.
Magic tools were crammed together everywhere.
Animal horns and claws, likely raw materials for concoctions, along with dried fruits of some kind.
Colorful vials lined the wooden shelves on the wall. Various trinkets.
Magic scrolls stuffed carelessly into wooden boxes on the floor.
Tapestries with strange patterns hung on the walls, probably some sort of magic circle.
At the back of the shop, metal contraptions resembling traps and intricately carved knives were displayed.
Ohโฆ!
The scene, brimming with an otherworldly atmosphere impossible to capture in illustrations or on a PC screen, made me gasp involuntarily.
โHmmโฆ Who knew such a cozy place existed on the surface. This gloomy, damp atmosphereโฆ it suits my body perfectly.โ
It seemed Twina had taken a liking to Suzutama-tei’s atmosphere too.
Her opinion aside, this place did indeed resemble the air of a dungeon.
Well, it didn’t quite replicate magical energy, so it wouldn’t manifest anything tangible.
โIt’s amazingโฆ! Such a wonderful atmosphere you’d never guess from outside the shopโฆ!โ
Nora, who had been scared at first, seemed completely charmed by the shop’s ambiance.
Her eyes sparkling, she looks around eagerly.
โStill, Lord Gerald is amazingโฆ! To know such a wonderful place!โ
โNah, I never expected to find โSuzutama-teiโ here either.โ
โโฆ? Didn’t you know about it and bring us here?โ
โNo, ahโฆโ
Now, how should I explain this?
In the game, โSuzutama-teiโ is an item shop that sells health potions, mana potions, antidotes, and such. The setting states that the kingdom has multiple shops under the same name.
I only learned about this Suzutama-tei in the provincial capital about a year ago.
When I first took down that giant boar, the villagers had set a snare trapโฆ It was so well-made that I asked around, and found out they’d bought it from this shop.
Shops dealing in traps like this don’t appear until the story’s end.
That means the quality and quantity of items they sell should be plentiful.
So I figured I might just find the magic tool I’m after hereโฆ
Of course, I couldn’t explain that to Nora.
โActually, this shop has quite a reputation among my subjects. Upon inquiry, it seems it’s run by a disciple of the โHellfire Rusalkasโ. That’s why I’ve been wanting to see the shop for myself.โ
“The Great Mage Rusalkasโฆ! Of course I know of them!ใThree years ago, she was the hero who defeated one of the Seven Destruction Noble Demons, โZenus of the Raging Wind,โ right?”
โYeah, that’s the one.โ
Incidentally, depending on how the story progresses, Lady Rusalka might even become a heroineโฆ but let’s leave that aside for now.
Nora (and Twina, who occasionally chimed in) and I wandered around the shop together, making small talk.
โAh, is this skull from a unicorn rabbit?โ
โNope, it’s a subspecies of Iron Rat, a Horned Flying Rat. I think it was used as an ingredient in some concoction.โ
โJaboah?โ
โAh, it’s a beastly rat with rabbit legs. Apparently, its meat is edible, but it’s incredibly agile and charges with its horns, making it a pain to catch.โ
โEatโฆ a ratโฆ?โ
At my words, Nora’s expression turned utterly repulsed.
Admittedly, ratsโespecially iron ratsโcarry a strong image as disease-spreading beasts, and locally, the idea of eating them doesn’t even occur to people.
But this Jaboar beast, apparently, has pretty tasty meatโฆ
Well, that’s just what the game text says, anyway.
โโฆAh, what is this adorable little bottle? Perfume?โ
As if wanting to change the subject from rats, Nora picked up a small bottle from a nearby shelf.
It was a pink bottle adorned with intricate carvings.
โAh, thatโฆ It’s probably a love potion.โ
“L-L..!?”
Nora’s face turns bright red.
Was it too much for her after all?
She stared at the bottle for a few seconds, then, for some reason, seemed reluctant to part with it as she gently placed it back on the shelf.
โOh, right! Lord Gerald, you were looking for something in this magic goods shop, weren’t you? Did you find what you were after?โ
โOf course.โ
I wasn’t just wandering around the shop with Nora either.
I had found the item I was after.
I handed the bracelet I held to Nora.
โThis is the โBerserker’s Braceletโ. Simply put, it’s a magic item that boosts the wearer’s โAttack Powerโโฆ but its mechanism is a bit unique. It specializes in โunleashing latent magical potentialโ.โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆ??โ
Perhaps my explanation was unclear, as Nora tilted her head slightly.
โAs I mentioned the other day, your output is far too low compared to the vast amount of magic power you possess. That’s why I thought increasing the amount of magic power you can draw out should be the first priority. This bracelet makes that possible.โ
โI-I seeโฆ?โ
Nora looked skeptical.
Of course, this is just a symptomatic treatment.
But at the very least, it should let you move far more freely than before.
Incidentally, this โBerserker’s Braceletโโdespite its ominous nameโdoesn’t grant any mental buffs (or debuffs) like making you more aggressive or losing track of friend from foe.
It simply provides a magic-based attack power boost.
Well, in-game, it didn’t make much sense for a mage character to get a bonus to physical attack power instead of magic attack power, so it was more like a joke itemโฆ
Who knew it could be used like this?
I couldn’t help but laugh when I first came up with this idea myself.
โAlright, I’ll go buy this. Anything else you wantโโ
That’s when it happened.
โGyahaha! No way!!!โ
The entrance door slammed open violently. Three men entered the shop, accompanied by a crude laugh.
โHey, did you see the face of that werewolf we slaughtered in the dungeon earlier?โ
โOf course I did! He was begging for his life like crazy, it was hilarious.โ
โGyahaha! That guy’s an idiot! Like we’d show mercy to monsters!โ
โWell, they’re just monsters after all! Ah, what was I missing?โ
โHealing potions, maybe?โ
โOh, look, love potions right here. Wanna grab one?โ
โGyahaha, hey, cut it out!โ
The men were talking loudly while roughly rummaging through the magic items.
Judging by their appearance, they weren’t nobles or knights.
They weren’t townspeople either.
They hadn’t brought weapons insideโฆ but those are adventurers.
Their ageโฆ probably a bit older than us.
Probably around sixteen or seventeen.
They look like newbies, but you can tell they’re no good.
Plus, it seems like they’ve been drinking after work.
Their language is foul, and their conversation is terrible.
โThis is troublesomeโฆ Not all adventurers are like those gentlemen, I suppose.โ
Nora didn’t seem to think much of that sort either; she glanced at them and frowned.
Well, I agree.
We quickly finished buying the magic tools and were about to leave the shop with Noraโฆ but.
โHuh? Hey, there’s a hot chick right here!โ
One of the adventurers spotted us and yelled loudly.
Immediately, the rest of the bunch swarmed around us.
Sighโฆ I should’ve left the shop right after they came in.
But regretting it now is too late.
โWhoa, she’s crazy cute, isn’t she?โ
โHuh? What, on a date? Well, not our problem.โ
โHey lady, skip that kid and have a drink with us? Actually, we’ll buy this one. Let’s have fun together at the inn.โ
Saying that, one of them dangled a love potion right in front of Nora’s eyes.
โโฆโฆโฆโฆHuh?โ
That was it. I reached my limit.
A popping sound echoed in my head as something snapped.
โBwah!โ
When I came to, I just punched one of them hard enough to knock him out cold.