The Tale of Gerald Vader, the Heretic Knight’s Rampage Through Another World
“——!!!”
The death throes of the giant salamander ‘Sara’ echoed through the temple.
It seemed my sword had pierced its vital spot.
Power drained from its glossy black body, its head lolling to one side.
“Whoa!?”
True to its salamander nature, its skin was slimy and slippery.
Just that slight tilt made my feet slide out from under me. I frantically pulled my sword free and leaped to the ground.
Immediately after, Sara’s massive body crashed onto the stone floor of the hall, making the earth tremble.
Then, that colossal form gradually began to transform into particles of faint light—
“Whoa…!?”
They enveloped my body, surrounding me completely.
The light particles swirled around me for a while, gradually fading… then vanished.
“…Huh?”
Looking closely, a tiny newt lay on its back where ‘Sara’ had fallen.
Completely different from before, it was palm-sized.
Could this be its true form?
Its bright red belly is super cute, though?
Approaching closer, I could see its belly and throat moving faintly.
It seemed to be alive.
However, it showed no signs of moving, likely knocked unconscious by the shock of the earlier battle.
I doubt it’ll revive from this… but should I finish it off just in case?
Killing such a small creature felt wrong, but it could suddenly revive and counterattack.
A common trap in death games, that sort of thing.
This is a contest, after all.
Don’t take it personally, little guy.
Just as I raised the sword in my hand to strike—a cool hand gently grasped my arm.
“The contest is over.”
Turning my head, I saw Sword-Master-sama standing there.
She gave a faint, bitter smile and continued quietly.
“I’m sorry, but could you please stop here? If it gets cut into even smaller pieces from here, even an immortal would take time to regenerate.”
“…Understood.”
If the contest was over, I had no intention of delivering further blows.
I lowered the sword I’d raised.
“Mm.”
Swordmaker-sama nodded with satisfaction, carefully scooping up the now much smaller ‘Sara’ and releasing her into the depths of the altar.
During that time, ‘Sara’ seemed to have regained her breath. As soon as she slipped from her hand, she scurried away, disappearing into the darkness beyond.
“…Well then. It seems the ‘Swordmaker’s Blessing’ has safely taken root within your body.”
She turned back to me, approaching with a faint, bewitching smile.
This time, she pressed her entire body close, peering up at my face.
A sweet fragrance rose from her silky silver hair, making me flustered.
Her cool-looking eyes, framed by long lashes. Emerald-green pupils staring intently at me. A straight, refined nose bridge. Clean lines of white cheeks. Her cherry-pink, thin lips were moist and slightly parted. I felt like I could be sucked in. Or rather, this goddess… I realized again, she’s just so damn beautiful…!
To make matters worse, her clothing is rather thin, clearly outlining her body’s curves. To be honest, I have to concede victory to my older sister when it comes to her chest armor. But her captivatingly slender body more than makes up for it. How should I put it… For a boy like me, just entering puberty—regardless of what’s inside—it’s a bit… unsettling.
And whenever I try to compose myself, she seems to sense it and presses even closer.
It’s as if she’s saying, ‘I won’t let you escape.’
What the hell is this? Am I some pitiful prey caught in a spider’s web or something?
Whether she knows my state or not, she leans close to my ear and whispers feverishly.
“Well? Can you sense the presence of the ‘Blessing’?”
“Ahh-yes. I can sort of sense it.”
I barely managed to say that.
Honestly, this is the last thing on my mind, but I want to avoid acting suspicious and incurring her displeasure.
…Right.
I don’t have time to be fidgeting around here.
Only two years left until the death ending… just two years.
By then, I must become strong enough to easily defeat demons, at the very least.
Heart, mind, annihilate, reject…!!
…Phew.
As my head cooled, I could clearly recognize the sensation of this ‘Protection’.
How to describe it… like a warm mass settled deep in my gut… a truly strange feeling.
Yet, the very method of wielding this power felt as if I’d known it all my life.
“Now, try generating a sword. You should be able to do it now.”
“…Like this?”
As I spoke, I concentrated magic power within my hand.
I felt the magic within my body being drawn out with a slurping sensation.
Simultaneously, a faint light appeared on my palm… and it took the shape of a small sword.
Though, perhaps because I’d channeled too little magic into it, the sword vanished almost immediately.
“…Hmm, well done. Truly worthy of the man I’ve chosen as my companion.”
“Huh… What was that?”
Did I just hear the word ‘companion’?
Come to think of it, she’d said something like that before the battle too.
Somehow, it got lost in all the chaos until now, but what does it mean?
No, I understand the meaning of the words.
What I don’t understand is the context.
“Gerald. You have received the ‘blessing of the sword-maker’. In other words, that blessing has bonded with you. It means you will spend your life with me. Is that clear so far? Is it?”
“Uh yes.”
Honestly, it wasn’t good or bad, and it certainly wasn’t all good up to this point, but I nodded anyway.
Because I felt like I had to nod.
I mean, I could feel this weird pressure from Sword-Made-sama. Plus, her eyes were scary. Like a beast’s gaze.
Um, let me sort this out.
Apparently, I’ve been granted the ‘Sword-Made Blessing’.
True, to gain a ‘Blessing’, you need to fight monsters spawned by the Dungeon Core and demonstrate your strength—that’s how the game works.
And to wield the ‘Blessing’, you must have the Dungeon Core’s avatar as your partner, acting together.
If you call that a companion, it’s not entirely wrong.
But… there’s one problem, or rather, a question here.
“Um… I understand the concept of a companion for now. But didn’t I receive the ‘Sword-Made Blessing’ by defeating Sara? If so, shouldn’t she be my companion?”
Incidentally, the story’s protagonist’s first companion was the Great Eagle.
Following the main storyline, if I demonstrated my strength in this ‘Sword-Made Dungeon’, it would be natural for Salamander Sara to become my companion.
Not that I dislike Sword-Made-sama.
In fact, having a super-beautiful girl like her as a partner would be absolutely welcome.
But I’m not so dumb as to not feel something’s off when presented with a situation that contradicts the setting.
“Um, but first of all… is this actually the ‘God-Slaying Sword’?”
I asked Sword-Made-sama while making the glowing sword appear and disappear in my palm.
Admittedly, as a sword, it did have a rather special appearance.
But the ‘God-Slaying Sword’ I knew was supposed to be much thicker and larger.
It was like a lump of iron, something that could cleave a dragon’s head in two—
Wait, was I even supposed to receive a ‘blessing’ in the first place?
I was supposed to receive a sword, right?
“That is undoubtedly the ‘God-Slaying Sword’.”
After saying that, the Swordmaker suddenly puffed out her cheeks like she was sulking.
“Hmm. It seems you’re dissatisfied with me being your companion? Do you dislike me that much…?”
“No, no, not at all!”
I hurriedly protested.
“Actually, I know someone else with a ‘Blessing’. So I just assumed Sara would be my partner.”
“Hmmm… So you prefer slimy amphibians over humanoids like me, huh? By the way, Sara’s base form is a salamander, so licking her will poison you! I, on the other hand, am non-toxic. Licking me is perfectly fine!”
“I wouldn’t lick either of you!?!”
That’s why your eyes are scary! Don’t turn off the highlights!
Stop talking like I’m going to prpr Sara in the first place!
Sure, newts are cute, but I don’t have that kind of hobby!
Also, could you stop grabbing both my shoulders like “You can’t escape now”?
It’s way scarier when it’s a beautiful girl.
Also, casually implying it’s okay for me to get prpr’d? Honestly, I don’t know how to react to that.
Anyway…
I just got this ‘blessing’, and if you’re gonna pull a ‘Nah, screw it’ and take it back… I can’t even look at that.
“…Let me make this perfectly clear.”
I said that, then continued.
“If Swordmaker sama is my partner, there could be no greater honor. I sincerely look forward to working with you.”
“Really…? Also, my name is ‘Twina’. Could you please stop calling me that? And the honorifics too. They make me feel distant, and that makes me sad.”
“Yes… Twina-sama.”
“…Honorifics.”
Yeah…
You won’t come back later saying I’m rude or something, right!?
Still, if she’s going to be my partner from now on, it’s definitely easier and more comfortable for me to just talk normally.
Sigh…
Honestly, there are so many things I want to ask her.
But for now, let’s just be happy that I’ve been granted the ‘God-Slaying Sword’… no, the ‘Blessing of Kensei’.
“…Alright then. Twina, is this okay?”
“…Mm, I suppose so.”
Ah, she’s back to her usual beautiful girl face.
But seriously, this goddess… isn’t she kinda heavy…!?