The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โDammit, this pisses me off!โ
โGyaaahh!?โ
With a curse, Dirk sliced the monkey-headed demon before him clean in two.
The creature, split from head to crotch, spilled its guts as it rolled across the dungeon floorโthen, after a brief pause, dissolved into the stone floor as if seeping into it.
All that remained was a red stone the size of a pinky fingertip, which he crushed underfoot in his rage.
โHey! Cut it out, Dirk! How many times is this now?! One magic stone can buy you two pieces of black bread for breakfast!โ
Watching from behind, Karl yelled at him.
โTchโฆ Shut up! I know!โ
Sweeping his sword through several advancing goblins at once, Dirk yelled back over his shoulder.
This time, he kicked the magic stone fragment aside with his foot to avoid crushing it in the chaos of battle.
โฆHe’s always like this.
Mages don’t put their bodies on the front lines like warriors do; they just yell orders from the back.
He’s the sharpest of the three, but all he can use are basic attack spells.
Plus, he’s a cheapskate who makes a fuss over a loaf or two of bread.
If he weren’t my childhood friend, I’d have beaten him until his face changed shape.
My irritation hasn’t subsided since yesterday.
The pain in my cheek, bruised by some noble or knight brat, still lingers.
Of course, I have healing potions.
But they aren’t cheap enough to waste on injuries this minor.
Dirk knows full well that magic stones support their very lives.
Even so, he sometimes had to crush one to vent his frustration or he couldn’t go on.
โฆDirk and his two companions were born in the Republic of Raz, bordering this kingdomโthe Kingdom of Silverado.
That country, long ruled by a union of merchants, had a stark divide between rich and poor.
Merchants grew rich, while commoners with nothing lived hand-to-mouth.
Among them, Dirk grew up in the slums, knowing neither his birth parents nor his foster parents.
Had he not met Karl and Matt, who shared his circumstances, he would likely have died of starvation long ago.
But even three skinny kids could manage a little something.
First, begging.
Then petty theft.
As they grew stronger, they moved on to extortion and robbery.
They did everything except kill.
In this world, if you were weak, if you couldn’t earn money, everything would be taken from you, and you’d die.
Admittedly, when they knocked an old woman to the ground on the street and stole her money, their hearts twinged a little. But there was no room for qualms when survival was at stake.
Soon, they gained more unsavory associates.
Through those connections, I even dabbled in smuggling illegal drugs and forbidden magic tools.
But when I heard their โhigher-upsโ were consorting with demons, I fled to the Kingdom before they could pull me in.
Less than a year later, the Republic of Raz fell to the demonic invasion.
Serves them right, I thought.
Of course, this country also had extreme wealth inequality.
But it was far better than my homeland.
This country was a monarchy, a pre-modern state ruled by royalty and nobility.
Unlike the merchants of the Republic of Raz, however, this country’s royalty and nobility had the spirit to share their wealth with the common folk.
Simply put, even for nobodies like Dirk, who were practically refugees, a way to survive was provided.
One such means was the profession of adventurer.
It involved collecting magic stones that appeared when slaying monsters in the โDungeonsโ managed by the Adventurers’ Guild.
At first, every day was spent trembling in fear for my life.
But I hated the idea of returning to the slums.
So I pushed myself to the brink of death.
I trained my body and somehow picked up swordsmanship by watching others.
Thanks to that, I can now earn enough for tomorrow’s food and drink.
But of course, it’s still not enough.
Not enough booze, not enough women, not enough money, not enough fameโฆ
It’s still not enough. Not nearly enough.
โโฆI’m not the kind of man who ends up here!!โ
There are dozens more goblins in this place.
Just the right number to go wild.
โLeg Strength Boost. โฆYou bastards, get ready to die!!โ
Borrowing the power of the ใTalismanใ, he concentrated magic power into his legs.
Lowering his stance, he gripped his short swords in both hands, holding them low at his hipsโand Dirk charged into the horde of monsters with explosive force.
โ
โ113, 114, 115โฆ 116 in total. Not bad haul for today.โ
In a corner of a tavern in the capital’s bustling district.
Dirk and the other two dumped the magic stones they’d โcollectedโ today onto the table and began counting.
Though Karl, who was good with numbers, did most of the countingโฆ Dirk helped by separating the magic stones into bundles of ten, so he could say he’d done his fair share.
Of course, after subtracting the inferior ones, the number that could actually be sold would be a bit less.
But what they gained from this adventure, even after paying the Adventurers’ Guild commission, would cover lodging at a guild-affiliated inn, upgrading equipment, paying off various debtsโฆ and still leave enough for all three to eat comfortably for about seven days.
โAlright, I’m heading to the guild to cash in the magic stones. You guys coming?โ
Karl stuffed the magic stones into a leather pouch and rose from his chair.
โNah, us coming along won’t do anything. Plus, it’d be a pain if someone else took our spot. I’ll wait here.โ
โKarl, please~โ
โYeah, yeah, whatever. Ughโฆ I’ll teach you the basics of arithmetic, so next time, Dirk should do it.โ
Karl said this with a bored look, still standing.
Well, it was the usual exchange.
So Dirk’s response was the same too.
โHuh? That’s a pain. I’m dumb.โ
โHey, heyโฆ If you can’t handle the money, what are you gonna do when I’m gone?โ
“Nah, you’d die right away without us. You can only use basic magic, you know.”
โHuh? You’re just swinging your sword relying on brute strength, aren’t you? I keep telling you to go train at a sword dojo.โ
โShut up. Places like that are too strict about manners and stuff. Besides, it’s fine, right? We handled orcs easily before.โ
โHaaโฆ Once you rank up, you won’t just face orcsโyou’ll run into minotaurs. I’m studying magic like my life depends on it right nowโฆโ
โHey, hey, Dirk and Karl, calm down. We’re three as one, right?โ
Just as Karl was about to launch into lecture mode, Matt hurriedly stepped between them.
Matt had a strong sense of justice and was deeply loyal to his friends.
Just the other day, he’d gotten angry for him when some noble brat had ambushed and punched him.
He’s a good guy, Dirk thought.
You don’t want to fight a good guy.
So this was the time to back off.
โโฆTch. Matt, you bastard, wrapping things up nicely. Buy me drinks later.โ
โHaaโฆ If that’s how you feel, Matt, I guess I have no choice. Alright, I’m outta here. I’ll catch up soon, so order me some drinks and snacks.โ
โOoh, ale’ll do?โ
โMake it firewater. I’m beat today.โ
โGot it.โ
โGet back quick, okay?โ
โYeah, sure.โ
Karl gave a light wave and left the tavern.
Andโฆ as usual, Karl returned immediately.
โฆHis face pale, his shoulders firmly gripped by a flashily dressed man.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties.
Dirk didn’t recognize his face.
But Dirk, raised in the slums, knew instantly this guy was clearly not a โrespectableโ person.
โHey there, you guys are from Raz, huh?โ
The man said this in a sickeningly cheerful tone, flashing a wide grin of pearly white teeth.
Then he pulled out an empty chair at Dirk’s table and plopped down.
โโฆWhat the hell are you?โ
Matt said this, his face stiffening.
Like Dirk, he seemed to sense the man’s unpleasant aura.
โHey, lady! Beer! Got ale? And fries! The crispy kind!โ
But the man ignored Matt’s words, cheerfully ordering drinks and snacks.
Then, looking delighted, he scanned Dirk and the others as if sizing them up.
โWow, this is great! I’m from Raz too. I thought maybeโฆ and when I changed my voice to that guy over there, it was spot on! Never thought I’d meet fellow townsfolk in a place like this! Three of you! It’s a miracle!โ
A beaming smile.
But his eyes were like a snake’s.
โ(Hey, Karl. What’s with this guy?)โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโ
Dirk sought an explanation from Karl with his eyes, but Karl only shook his head slightly, his face pale.
โSo, listen. Sorry to bring this up before the drinksโฆ but as fellow countrymen, I’ve got this one little favor I’d like to askโฆ um, you’re Karl, right? And you two over there too! Hey, won’t you at least hear me out? I’ll cover all the food and drinks here.โ
The man said this cheerfully, winking as he pressed his palms together.
It was a common gesture for making requests in Raz.
(โฆโฆโฆโฆIt’s Karl. Don’t mess up the name, you con artist bastard.)
Dirk cursed inwardly.
But he didn’t voice it.
His slum-raised instincts told him he shouldn’t.
At the same time, though, he knew there was absolutely no escaping this man.
Without a doubt, the man before him was far stronger than the three of them.
Probably even stronger than that noble brat.
So, there was no choice.
โโฆSo, what’s the favor?โ
Dirk spoke.
He worried his voice might be shaking, but it was probably fine.
โAh! You’re actually going to take my request? I’m so happy! People from the same place really stick together, huh! Thank you, thank you!โ
He pounded Karl’s back hard, bang bang.
Karl grimaced in pain but said nothing.
โAlright, just get on with it already, will you?โ
โSorry, sorry. I just wanna drink already. โฆThe favor is about this.โ
The man pulled a wooden doll from his coat pocket as he spoke.
It looked human, but with the head of a monsterโฆ An amulet.
โโฆWhat is this?โ
โWellโฆ I can’t really say why, but I’ll pay well.โ
The man suddenly lowered his voice as he continued.
โCould you justโฆ throw this into the deepest part of any dungeon you adventurers can get into? Anywhere? See? It’s an easy job, right?โ