The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knightโs Rampage Through Another World
โWhat the hell!?โ
The moment she heard my plan, Eliza let out a wild scream and jumped to her feet.
โCome on, calm down.โ
I understand how she feels.
Sheโs probably thinking itโs ridiculous to go out of our way to get caught by the enemy, especially after weโve finally managed to identify one of them without them noticing.
โTheyโre not idiots, either. Theyโre well aware that if theyโre exposed as demons, theyโll be hunted down.โ
So far, Iโve been able to identify the demons using methods that make it hard for them to detect me, but even so, itโs impossible to eliminate them all at once without them realizing weโre here.
Besides, if we keep sneaking around inside the academy, theyโll eventually catch on anyway.
So, itโs better for us to control when weโre discovered.
When I explained it that way, Eliza nodded with a subtle expression, as if she were tentatively convinced.
โHmmโฆ I understand the logic, mind you. But how exactly do you plan to โsubtly let them knowโ?โ
โFirst, I intend to make contact with Dan-senpaiโs โjunior.โ Heโs in the same grade as us, right?โ
โHmmโฆ Ah, the only son of the Matador family.โ
โYeah, thatโs the one.โ
Lucas Matador.
Also known as โBullfighter-kunโ (a nickname I gave him).
Heโs in the same Special Class as me and is a brilliant scholarโsomething youโd never guess from his face or broad shoulders.
And, to be honest, the Matador family has deep ties to the Karsheri family.
Although the two families havenโt formed a direct lord-vassal relationship, itโs because the ancestors two generations back were classmates at the Knight Academy.
Consequently, transcending the difference in status between a knightโs family and a baronโs family, they maintain a relationship of sorts that is, even today, on equal footing.
Furthermore, if my memory serves me correctly, relatives from both families have been married to one another, and the sons and daughters of each otherโs vassals have served as knights or maids in the otherโs householdโthey have close ties. Iโm pretty sure one of Lucasโs entourage came from a family of junior knights who served the Karsheri family.
โButโฆ if thatโs the case, it means Lucas could also fall prey to the demonโs clutches, doesnโt it?โ
โNo, I donโt think thereโs any need to worry about that.โ
โHow do you know that?โ
Why? Well, itโs obvious, reallyโฆ
โTo begin with, for a demon to increase its ranks, it first needs to turn the person into a โservant.โ To turn someone into a โvassal,โ itโs not enough to simply touch them or cast a spell. If it were that easy, the kingdom would have already been destroyed by now.โ
โWell, thatโs true, I suppose.โ
Eliza said that, but she didnโt seem to quite understand.
She tilted her head and muttered, โHmmโฆโ
I continued my explanation.
โFor a demon to turn someone into a โvassal,โ there needs to be a strong master-servant bond between them, fanatical devotion, orโฆ romantic feelings, sexual desire, or some other emotion that drives a deep, intense desire to connect with the other personโฆ In short, there needs to be a decisive โvulnerabilityโ in their heart toward the demon. Lucas and Dan-senpai donโt have that. They shouldnโt have it.โ
โSo youโre saying a senior-junior relationship isnโt enough?โ
โThat alone isnโt enough.โ
It would be a different story if Dan-senpai and Lucas had formed a master-servant bond or developed a BL-style relationshipโฆ but neither of them seems interested in that.
Or rather, does Eliza really think the senior-junior relationship is that strong?
Well, maybe thatโs how it is in the Order of the Cathedral Knightsโฆ
No, never mind. I donโt even want to think about that last part.
โโฆWell, for now, I understand that Lucas is safe. However, there are still things I donโt understand.โ
After pondering for a moment, Eliza spoke up.
โSince weโve already agreed to cooperateโฆ but to get to the root of the matter, do we really need to be the ones to defeat the demon? An issue this serious should be left to the adults, shouldnโt it?โ
Her point was valid.
Especially from Elizaโs perspectiveโgiven that sheโs actually an adultโit must be hard for her to even understand why I, a student, would take action on my own.
Of course, from a common-sense standpoint, I know I should bring this up with the academy administration or the knights in charge of security.
But if I could do that, I would have done it a long time ago.
The reason I havenโt is because there are circumstances preventing me from doing so.
To be precise, it would be pointless to even try.
In other words, hereโs the situation.
The Karsheri family is a baronial houseโa wealthy and historic lineageโand they donate sums to the academy that rival even those of ducal houses.
Consequently, even if a scion of such a family were to turn into a demon, the academy administration cannot make an โimmediate decisionโ to exterminate him.
Of course, thereโs no doubt that the final decision will ultimately be to โexterminateโ him.
After all, a demon is a demon.
But before reaching that point, they must go through a mountain of decision-making and procedural steps.
Just off the top of my head:
Once the administration receives my report, theyโll start by verifying that Senpai Dan has indeed become a demon,
while simultaneously reporting to and consulting with his family,
obtaining approval for the extermination,
and convening a meeting with personnel at the vice-principal level or higher to discuss the extermination,
where theyโll plan and formulate the strategy.
Only after all of that proceeds without a hitch will the โexterminationโ finally be carried out.
Dealing with the children of nobles is entirely different in nature from a guard arresting a criminal in the act.
But if we take things that slowly, weโll absolutely not make it in time for the fateful dungeon field training.
And if I report this to the adults, theyโll definitely put the brakes on me if I try to act on my own.
It would be exactly like what Eliza said: โLeave it to the adults.โ
So, should I appeal to have the training canceled on the grounds that the demons are turning the dungeon into a demonic realm?
Thatโs difficult, too.
Perhaps if an influential noble family like the Rosenheims were to file a complaint, it might be possible.
Of course, Margrave Horace, the head of my family, also possesses power befitting his position.
Still, while that power might extend to the children of the main branch, it certainly doesnโt reach as far as the son of a mere retainer.
To begin with, I simply donโt have the time right now to get Margrave Horace to take action.
โโฆโฆI donโt have time.โ
To put it simply, that was the sole reason for my actions.
โโฆโฆHmm.โ
Upon hearing my words, Eliza looked serious as she fell deep in thought.
Then she gave a slight nod and sighed.
โWell, I understand you have your reasons. โฆI wonโt ask you to explain them. However, if thatโs the case, weโll have to act on our own.โ
โOf course, thatโs fine. But please, whatever you do, donโt let the other side find out about our intentions.โ
โThat goes without saying. Who do you think I am?โ
Eliza snorted.
โโฆWell, I do trust you on that point, though.โ
That said, Iโm not expecting much in the way of results.
After all, the Order of the Cathedralโincluding herโis basically a bunch of โmuscle-brains.โ
Since theyโre soldiers, I donโt think theyโll make the mistake of leaking information, but I canโt expect them to operate like an intelligence agency.
ใโ
The next day.
Just as the dayโs classes ended, I decided to call out to Lucas, who was hanging out with his cronies in the cafeteria, chatting idly.
โHey, Lucas. Sorry to bother you, but could you spare me a minute?โ
โโฆWh-what!?โ
At my cheerful and extremely friendly greeting, the embodiment of broad shoulders stood up, a blue vein throbbing on his forehead.