The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โSorry to keep you waiting!โ
Waiting before the vine-covered ruins of the castle, I saw a girl in armor running toward me from across the road.
It was none other than Nora.
โHey.โ
I raised my hand in response.
Her fluffy blonde hair was tied back, and she wore a full set of armor over clothing that looked easy to move in.
Following the Adventurers’ Guild regulations, she had a breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves equipped.
Her waist was covered by leather hot pants, and a thick belt held a leather bag for items.
The greaves were shaped like thigh-high boots, covering her legs from the ankles up to just above the knees.
Of course, a sword hung at her waist.
Judging by its length, it was probably a short sword.
โIt suits you well, Nora.โ
โHeheโฆ If you say so, Gerald-sama, then all my hard work choosing this outfit and armor was worth it!โ
โOhโฆ I see.โ
I only meant to offer a small compliment, but seeing her beam like I’d given her a bouquet of flowers made me feel a bit flustered myself.
‘Hmmโฆ Your taste in swords isn’t bad. But what’s with that outfit and armor? It’s practically trying to seduce you, isn’t it? And why on earth do you need to expose your thighs? What a vulgar woman.’
โฆApparently, our goddess has started nitpicking Nora’s fashion choices.
Taking advantage of not being physical, she seems to be lurking around Nora, scrutinizing every detail. Is she a mother-in-law?
Honestly, Twina herself usually wears revealing, form-fitting tunics that hug her curves, so she’s in no position to talkโฆ
Anyway, Nora’s outfit does suit the term โprincess knightโ perfectly.
Truly befitting the heroine of this wise game world.
That said, her armor isn’t just for looks.
Look closely, and you can see faint magical inscriptions etched into her breastplate and other pieces.
From what I can tell, it’s imbued with various enchantments: impact resistance, blade protection, magic shielding, and resistance to various status ailments.
With armor this solid, she’d probably be fine even if a pig-headed demon punched her.
This is exactly what you’d expect from a Baron’s daughter.
Meanwhile, I’m wearing ordinary armor bought from the โBlack Iron Shopโ.
Well, today we’re only going as far as just past the gates of this random dungeonโฆ โUl-Doran’s Old Castleโ. It shouldn’t be a problem.
The strongest monsters that appear are just moving suits of armor anyway.
โโฆHm?โ
I sensed a gaze from a little distance away.
Looking over, I saw a woman clad in knight’s armor standing alone at the end of the road leading from the castle to the provincial capital.
She was a beauty with striking, cool-looking eyes, carrying an impressive axe-spear.
She immediately noticed me watching and gave a slight bow.
โAh, that’s Lione. She’s my escort knight.โ
Nora must have noticed my gaze too, because she turned around and looked at the female knight.
โI see.โ
Come to think of it, there’s no way a baron’s daughter could head into a dungeon alone (even with me there).
Even if she kept it secret from her father, Baron Rebron, her butler or knights would definitely insist on providing an escort.
Well, as long as they don’t interfere with us, I have no intention of saying anything.
โThen, shall we head inside right away?โ
โYes!โ
After making the necessary preparations for entering the dungeon, we passed through the ancient castle gate.
Before us appeared a vast plaza, and beyond it, a castle towering with a high spire.
There was no one else around us.
The monsters that appear in this dungeon don’t drop magic stones, so adventurers basically don’t come here.
Even so, it allows us to do things impossible in townโlike combat training, testing weapons, or trialing magicโso demand isn’t zero.
Lion, Nora’s escort knight, passed through the castle gate a little after us and stopped there.
She seemed intent on continuing her escort duties from a slight distance away.
โAlright, this spot should work.โ
We advanced a little from the gate and stopped near the castle grounds.
This area was likely once a drill ground or riding field.
The ground was dry earth, wide open like a sports field.
Today it was deserted, making it the perfect spot for combat training or mock battles.
We set down our gear and did some light stretching.
Then we assessed Nora’s physical capabilities.
To cut to the chase, she had regained about eighty percent of her potential strength.
ใโ
โStill, you look really well today.โ
After finishing the mock combat and physical ability checks.
I spoke to Nora, who was resting beside me.
Of course, she’s usually radiant with a sunny aura, but today she seemed especially bright.
Nora’s face lit up even more at my words.
โYes, I slept well last night for the first time in ages.โ
โDidn’t you have that nightmare again?โ
โNoโฆ It must be thanks to this bracelet.โ
Saying that, Nora tenderly stroked the bracelet on her left wrist.
Ah, I see. Recovering most of her original power must have lifted her anxiety.
Good, goodโฆ Just as I was feeling relieved, something felt off.
โWait a minute. You wore that thing all night long!?โ
โUm, is there a problem with thatโฆ?โ
โNoโฆ it’s fine as long as you’re okay.โ
Though he phrased it vaguely, he was inwardly confused.
Huhโฆ?
Seriouslyโฆ?
You really wore it the whole timeโฆ!?
Items like this are fundamentally meant for combat support.
Especially certain items like the โBerserker’s Braceletโ convert magic power into raw power, but regulating the output is difficult, making daily life quite challenging.
Nora seemed to accurately sense my doubts and immediately nodded, starting to explain.
“True, at first I’d tear my underwear like paper when changing clothes, or accidentally crush doorknobsโฆ But once I got the hang of it, daily life wasn’t a problem at all! More importantly, wearing this bracelet lets me feel connected to Lord Gerald. He’s always by my sideโฆ meaning this state is my everyday reality. Once I thought of it that way, understanding the power balance came naturally to my soul!”
โOhโฆ I see.โ
Nora’s intense, somewhat incomprehensible explanation was seriously creepy.
Or rather, that thing is ultimately a magical power corrector, not something meant to be worn 24/7โฆ but maybe it’s one of those things where silence is golden.
Her eyes were kind of scary when she was talking like that.
Anyway, I confirmed her magic power is converting to energy somewhat normally, so I’ve achieved my goal.
If she doesn’t feel restricted, I won’t interfere.
After that, I was chatting aimlessly with Nora, and before I knew it, the sky had turned crimson.
It takes about an hour on foot from this โOld Castle of Ur-Doranโ to the provincial capital.
If we didn’t head back soon, we’d be knocking on the capital’s gates after dark.
โWellโฆ I suppose it’s time to go.โ
โIndeed! Heheโฆ Today was a very fulfilling day.โ
Her clothes and armor were covered in dust.
But her expression was utterly content.
Had this brought us a little further from a death end?
Holding that sense of progress close, we headed back toward the castle gates.
โLion, what’s wrong?โ
At the castle gates, the female knight Lion stood frozen in place.
She turned at Nora’s voice.
Confusion spread across her face.
โโฆYoung Ladyโฆ Lord Gerald.โ
The cause of her confusion became immediately clear.
The castle gate was closed.
But this was strange.
This dungeon was open to the public, so the gate should always be open.
โThere can’t possibly be a curfewโฆ right?โ
โI haven’t heard of such a thing. โฆThen I’ll try pushing it. โฆHmph!โ
Nora replied smugly to my mutter, then pushed the door with all her might.
But it showed no sign of budging.
Just to be sure, Nora tried pulling on the door this time.
Still, it didn’t move an inch.
โWhat the hell is going on? I’ve visited this castle several times before. But this has never happened once.โ
โโฆAnyway, let’s find another way out.โ
โYeah, you’re right.โ
We nodded to each other, turned away from the castle gateโฆ and stopped dead in our tracks.
An overwhelming sense of unease washed over my entire body.
โHey, Nora. Was the sky always this red?โ
โโฆNo, I’ve never seen the sky this strange a color either.โ
The sky, which had been a deep crimson moments ago, had turned a blood-red, as if smeared with blood.
Andโฆ the clouds drifting across the sky were black.
‘Wooooooooooooooooooo’
And then, at that moment.
The door to the castle in the back slowly opened, and a figure appeared from behind it.
โWho goes there!โ
Lion shouted sharply, readying the axe-spear in her hand.
It was armor.
Moving armor.
A relatively common monster in fortress-type dungeons.
But something was off.
Not just the way it walked, but its overall size felt wrong.
For starters, its right arm was about twice the size of its left.
Its neck was absurdly long, and its torso was twisted and contorted.
Its weapon was a straight sword, broken clean through the middle.
And the final, most telling detailโpulsating, blackened, rotting flesh protruding from the armor’s joints.
This wasn’t ordinary Living Armor.
Ordinary Living Armor had no insides.
โHey, Lionโฆ I know about Living Armor too. But did it ever lookโฆ that twisted?โ
โNoโฆ I’ve never seen a monster like that eitherโโ
โI know.โ
โโฆHuh?โ
My mutter made them both look at me.
He knows.
I’ve seen it countless times on PC screens.
โThat thing is โIncarnate Armorโ.โ
โDammit!!
I cursed inwardly with all my might.
Why is demonization starting now?!