The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knight’s Rampage Through Another World
The interior of Ur-Doran’s Old Castle had fallen into a quiet stillness.
Upon opening the castle’s doors and stepping inside, the first thing that spreads out before you is the double-height entrance hall.
The ceiling is nearly ten meters high, and the depth extends even further.
It is said this castle originally belonged to a king who ruled this region about a thousand years ago.
Perhaps because of that, damaged ornaments, chairs, and other items were scattered about.
On the walls hung paintings and tapestries in large frames.
Though faded and torn from age, they were all splendid pieces, hinting at the splendor of days gone by.
“…The thing that attacked us earlier must have been one of the ones here.”
At the edge of the hall, broken statues and suits of armor were placed, though some were only pedestals now.
The ‘Incarnate Armor’ we defeated earlier was likely one of the suits of armor—or rather, one of the ‘moving suits of armor’—that had been placed here.
Incidentally, dust had accumulated on each empty pedestal, but each also had a clean spot shaped like a foot.
Judging by this, it had likely gone to report our presence to its ‘Master’, separate from the previous aberration.
In any case, to check if any other statues or suits of armor were being mimicked by aberrations, everyone proceeded to strike and poke them to verify.
“Lord Gerald, no abnormalities here!”
Once the initial inspection concluded, Lion-san snapped to attention and reported in a crisp, straight posture.
Her clear, resonant voice echoed throughout the entire entrance hall.
“…Well done.”
“Yes!”
She’d been like this ever since I defeated that Fresh Armor earlier.
Seems she was impressed by my fighting earlier.
And then there’s Twina—she’s definitely recognized me as a ‘Blessed One’ now.
That’s fine, but could we stop with this military-style superior-subordinate banter? Your master is Nora, right?
Well, I guess it’s better than her rebelling against me.
Speaking of her master…
“Nora, how’s it going over there?”
“………………Everything is fine here as well.”
She had been examining the wall paintings alone, but the instant I called out, she approached silently and stood right beside me, staring intently into my eyes.
Close enough our noses could touch.
…………
Her face… is too close…
In the world… or rather, in my past life, they apparently called this kind of distance the ‘Serious Crush Zone,’ but to me right now, it’s nothing but the ‘Seriously Creepy Zone.’
So I quickly looked away.
I mean, seriously.
Deep in her eyes, if I kept looking back, there was nothing but a darkness that felt like it would pull me in, sticky and clinging.
It wasn’t jealousy or anything like that.
It was something way more dangerous.
Hey, Nora, do you have some kind of skill like that?
The kind that gnaws away at your sanity the moment your gazes meet.
…Well, okay, I did keep Twina a secret, I admit?
But that was unavoidable, or rather, things have to happen in order.
First off, the ones I should introduce are my old man and Alissa.
Then Bernard, the maid, and the members of the private knight corps.
After that, it should have been Nora and close friends… that’s how it should have gone.
But… well.
Thanks to the unexpected demon world transformation, it ended up being introduced to Nora and the others first, without any formalities.
Of course I introduced it.
I explained it in detail, just as she wished.
From meeting Twina, to gaining the ‘Blessing’, and what happened after.
I did hold back on the fact it was the ‘God-Slaying Sword’, but I think I told her pretty much everything else.
The result is this unfathomable darkness filling her eyes.
Damn you, Demon Realm.
Damn you, demon or demonic race.
I will absolutely kill you.
Hiding that boiling, seething resolve deep within my chest, I nevertheless nodded quietly.
Because I’m scared, after all.
“…………I-I see. Please continue to be vigilant.”
“Of course.”
Nora seemed satisfied with my words and said that, taking a half-step back.
Though even then, she was still close enough I could almost feel her body heat.
And no matter where I moved, she followed silently.
Just when I thought she’d moved away, I’d suddenly find her standing right behind me.
Wait… maybe what Nora’s mastered isn’t martial arts, but ninjutsu? Scary!
Lion san, this master really is weird…
I thought, glancing at her.
“…………!”
Lion san just glared at me with shining eyes and gave a thumbs-up.
What the hell is that “good job” gesture supposed to mean…
For the record, she’s giving the thumbs-up to Nora. Not me. She’s not on my side. I know that.
As for Twina, the root cause of this whole situation, the magic’s effect had already worn off and she’d lost her physical form.
She was standing right next to me, technically…
[…Hmph. You should learn to carry yourself with a bit more dignity, befitting my ‘companion’. And now, shall we hunt down another thousand of those monstrosities? We must thoroughly show that thieving cat and her servant just how harmonious our relationship is.]
She was basking in some incomprehensible sense of superiority.
Seriously, there aren’t even a thousand Fresh Armor monsters in this dungeon.
[Hmm… Even so, this castle is still far too new. It will need another five thousand years or so to become a suitable love nest for you and me. Unfortunately, this place is rejected.]
Well, I’m not going to live in a dungeon, am I?]
Well, if we’re getting a new place, wouldn’t a newer one be better, even if it’s secondhand?
Why the hell would we have to live in a dungeon in the first place?
“Gerald-sama. Were you speaking with someone just now?”
“!?”
Nora’s voice came from right behind me.
I slowly turned around.
Over my shoulder, she peered at my face with wide, dilated pupils.
A soft, warm sensation pressed against my back.
She was… pressed up against me.
I hadn’t sensed her presence at all until just now.
“N-no…”
Wait, I thought she was walking on my right just a moment ago?
Does she already have divine protection too, not just martial arts skills?
Like ‘Ninja’s Blessing’ or something.
Though Nora didn’t object to anything I said earlier about me and Twina.
In fact, she nodded with a smile while listening to my explanation.
That’s precisely why I have absolutely no idea what she’s thinking.
Haa… My stomach is twisting in pain…
Someone tell me… Is this what they call an isekai harem…?
…Of course, this isn’t the time for such thoughts.
Even as we speak, the magic power circulating through our bodies to counter the miasma is steadily being consumed.
Trapped in this demon realm, we’re like divers swimming the deep sea with oxygen tanks strapped to our backs.
Of course, unlike real divers, our magic won’t run out in 30 minutes or an hour, but that doesn’t mean we can stay in the demon realm for days on end.
Therefore, we can’t afford to dawdle around in this entrance area.
To escape this demon-infested dungeon safely, we need to swiftly defeat the root cause—be it a demonic tribe or a demon lord.
We must stay focused.