The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knight’s Rampage Through Another World
“Haaah!”
With a deep, guttural shout, a sword as thick as a chunk of iron came crashing down.
Naturally, I had no intention of taking a direct hit from something like that.
I dodged it with ease and put some distance between us.
Even so, the wind pressure slammed into my body, and for a split second, I nearly lost my balance.
Just a glancing blow from a thing like that would probably rip the flesh right off my limbs…
Gaston’s fighting style involves swinging a heavy executioner’s greatsword with brute strength enhanced by magic.
That said, the entire area is surrounded by a wall of light, leaving me with nowhere to run.
Just in case, I tried throwing the “First Sword” into the air, but it bounced back with a clang.
It seems there’s an invisible “ceiling” somewhere around the roof of the dormitory building.
“Gerald, this barrier seems pretty powerful. Then again, the ‘Godslayer’ might be able to break through it. What do you say?”
I heard a voice whispering from behind me.
I can’t sense her presence, but Twina seems to be standing right behind me.
“……I don’t want him to see this right now.”
I replied in a low voice.
This power is, so to speak, my trump card.
Besides, if I reveal it here and now, and Gaston happens to get captured by a demon or something, I’d end up handing over our information.
So if I can avoid using it, all the better.
More importantly, what about Twina’s situation?
“So, how’s it going over there?”
“Since I have no physical form, that man’s attacks won’t affect me. But so I don’t get in your way, I’ll take refuge in a corner of the barrier for now.”
“That’s a relief. I’ll handle this here, so just wait a moment.”
“Hmm. I intend to intervene if it comes down to it, but in that case, I have no intention of letting that man off unscathed. After all, I’m not incapable of wielding the power of ‘Swordcraft’ myself.”
Her final words sounded a touch cold and ruthless.
Twina is a god.
Her sense of ethics and her view of life and death are different from ours, humans.
If my life were in danger, she would turn Gaston into a literal lump of flesh without a moment’s hesitation.
It wouldn’t be difficult at all.
If she wanted to, Twina could dematerialize, slip behind him without leaving a trace, and crush Gaston flat with the ‘Jade Sword.’
Of course, even though I can’t vanish like that, I could do the same thing as Twina if I set my mind to it.
But this is the Knight Academy, and I’m a student while he’s a guard knight.
He doesn’t seem to intend to kill me (setting aside his violent nature), and I certainly don’t want to become a murderer over something this stupid.
…So, well, I’ll just have to play it smart.
“Tch… He’s as nimble as a monkey.”
“I consider myself a monkey—is there a problem with that?”
Gaston probably meant that as an insult, but I’ve been living my life under the assumption that I am a monkey.
Since I’m at it, I climb up the streetlight at the side of the road and, from up there, try to provoke him by mimicking a monkey.
It’s a highly sophisticated tactic designed to lure him into letting his guard down through anger.
“Kikiiik! So you’re a slow-moving cow of a monkey, are you~!?”
Hahaha, he wouldn’t dare break the academy’s property!
‘What a ridiculous tactic…’
I thought I heard Twina’s exasperated voice as she figured out my plan, but I’m not going to let that bother me.
It’s a sophisticated tactic, after all.
And it definitely seemed to work on Gaston.
“You little brat!!”
Gaston’s face turned bright red as he charged toward the streetlight, raising his greatsword like a lumberjack’s axe.
Whoa, seriously?!
That streetlight is academy property, you know?!
But he seems to be serious.
Is he so enraged he’s lost all sense of reason, or is he fully resolved to destroy it from the start?
Either way, it’s dangerous to stay here.
In a panic, I leaped onto a nearby tree.
Clang!!
Almost at the same moment, the streetlight was severed, leaving only about a meter of it standing.
The vibration of the hunk of iron crashing to the ground—thud—traveled through the tree trunk to me.
“…………”
Gaston glares at me, saying nothing.
Ah… his eyes are completely bloodshot…
Guess I provoked him a bit too much.
That said, I’m not the type to get scared off by his intensity and climb down from the tree.
“…Sword One.”
I conjure about five palm-sized daggers while perched in the tree.
Just like a ninja’s kunai, I hurl them straight at Gaston.
“Do you really think a petty trick like this will work?!”
Giiiiiiing!!
Oh…!
Unbelievably, Gaston managed to block every single dagger I threw using the flat of his greatsword.
He really lives up to his reputation as the Second-Ranked Knight of the Holy Order…!
Admittedly, I didn’t use “Projectile” and I avoided his vital points, but I thought at least one would hit.
“Gerald Vader! Get down here this instant! What’s that sword you’re holding? You’re a knight, aren’t you!”
“Hahaha, what a pain!”
Gaston’s babbling on about something, but I have no intention of engaging with him.
This isn’t some duel between knights—there’s no way I’m going to fight him sword-to-sword in a fair fight.
Besides, whether you’re a knight or whatever, on the battlefield, it’s only natural to make the most of your surroundings.
After all, we’re up against monsters, demons, and the demon race.
A knight’s honor isn’t worth a damn here.
“Fine. If that’s how you feel, I’ve got a plan of my own.”
Gaston muttered in a low, strained voice.
He turned his back on me and approached a nearby streetlamp.
“Hey, wait a minute… you’re not seriously…”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Clang!
The Executioner’s greatsword flashed, and the streetlamp was sliced in two.
But it didn’t end there.
Gaston proceeded to cut down every streetlight within the barrier, one after another.
But his rampage didn’t end there.
After cutting down every single streetlight, he turned his attention to the trees lining the street.
In the blink of an eye, every tree except the one I was standing on was cut down.
“Hahaha! Now you’ve got nowhere to run!”
“Hey, hey, this is way too over-the-top…”
The guy pointing the executioner’s greatsword at me had a look of pure delight on his face.
No matter how you look at it, he’s in a berserk state.
Or maybe his rage boiled over and he’s turned into some kind of super warrior.
Joking aside, if things keep going like this, this tree will get cut down too.
I have no choice.
It’s a hassle, but I’ll have to get back to the ground for now—
Just as I thought that, the very next moment.
“You fool!!”
Suddenly, a shrill, girlish voice rang out from above.
I looked up instinctively.
I saw the ceiling of the barrier shatter like glass, and fragments of light rained down with a loud crash.
“Guh!”
At the same moment, Gaston let out a sound like a toad being run over.
I hurriedly looked down to see him already lying face-up, his eyes rolled back.
In the center of a crater about three meters in diameter.
The crater was a distorted rectangle, as if a giant fist had been dropped from the sky.
“…………”
There was no sign of Gaston moving.
He probably wasn’t dead, but… he was definitely out of commission.
“Really… your high sense of loyalty is a virtue, but if you let it make you run amok, it’s all for nothing.”
With a sigh of exasperation, the owner of the voice slowly descended.
A young girl with a sharp gaze and fluffy red hair tied back was floating right in front of me.
There was no mistaking her.
It was none other than Eliza Lindeau, Commander of the Knights of the Holy Temple—Gaston’s superior.