In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 273

Chapter 273: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Senate Disaster: Round Two (1)

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『There are suspicious movements within the village. Remain on guard.』

Well, elves were always up to something suspicious year-round, or so it felt, but once we had received a letter like this, we could not simply ignore it. I ordered the knight corps and the marine corps alike to assume combat readiness, and also instructed the Michael Collins to prepare for departure.

That said, at present we had not suffered any direct interference whatsoever, aside from those two half-hearted mock attacks that barely counted. At this stage, we could not just start fighting indiscriminately, nor could we suddenly cut and run by putting the wind in our sails and retreating. While preparing ourselves so we could fight at any moment, we attended the resumed meeting.

“More than anything else, what I can’t stand is you lot running off and hiding in Liseben. Are you planning to have a country ruled by men protect you?”

“That’s exactly it! If it were the other way around, maybe—but why should elves be protected by men!? What happened to your pride?! Your pride!”

“If you went after us or Liseben, you’d be the usurper army, wouldn’t you! What’s wrong with enemies of yours joining hands against you!”

“To begin with, we have no intention of being protected by Liseben! We’re the ones protecting the people of Liseben, who are threatened by your tyrannical usurper army!”

In stark contrast to our growing anxiety, the meeting itself was business as usual. Not in a good way, of course. It was heated in the worst sense, with an atmosphere that made it feel like someone might draw a sword at any moment.

Still, the relationship between “New” and “Legitimate” had been awful from the very start. The fact that no one had yet laid hands on another meant they were doing fairly well. If what was written in that message arrow was true, though, it seemed that patience was about to reach its limit.

“……”

Silently, I glanced toward Sonia. She gave a thin smile and nodded slightly. “Leave it to me if it comes to that”—that was the look on her face. She carried the air of a hunting dog poised just before pouncing on its prey. And the other escort knights were the same.

The elves were elves, but we were no better. As long as we didn’t go berserk and start rampaging on our own, it was still manageable, but thinking that punching things was faster than talking was a bad habit of soldiers. If violence solved everything, Africa and the Middle East would have been peaceful long ago. Well… there were situations where nothing could be done without violence, admittedly.

“Haa…”

I let out a quiet sigh and turned my thoughts inward. There was very little we could do right now. After all, the only information we had received was that there were “suspicious movements.” We did not even know which faction the enemy belonged to. How were we supposed to respond with so little to go on?

“My stomach feels like it’s slowly burning,”

Bishop Fiorenza, seated beside me, whispered that. If even I—a fairly seasoned soldier—felt unsettled, how anxious must she be as a civilian? Feeling deeply apologetic, I dipped my head slightly.

“So, Albert-dono, what do you plan to do? Are you really intending to take out the ones backing those rebels?”

Just as I was about to respond, the chieftain of the “New” faction suddenly turned the question on me. It seemed I didn’t have the luxury of chatting idly among ourselves. Shrugging, I smiled at the elves.

“As I’ve said many times, our objective is the stabilization of Elfenia. …If it’s to bring peace to this land, we will extend our hands regardless of whether you are ‘New’ or ‘Legitimate.’ That’s all.”

I knew even as I said it that there was no way such pretty words would satisfy the elves. Still, the meeting also served as a way to buy time. Our male spies’ efforts to win over influential elven figures were proceeding smoothly. Stubborn extremists aside, the fence-sitters would likely come over to our side soon.

Perhaps the opposing faction had started moving precisely because they sensed that defection campaign. Elves weren’t idiots who could only think about fighting head-on, after all. …Things really never went smoothly.

“Put another way, we have absolutely no intention of cooperating in a war. We will never join ‘New’ and fight against you, nor the reverse—”

“Behold! Heaven’s judgment!!”

It happened without warning. An elven soldier guarding the interior of the Senate Hall suddenly drew a wooden sword and charged straight at us. I reflexively yanked the saber at my waist to intercept him, but faster still, a shuriken flew in from nowhere and embedded itself in the elf soldier’s abdomen.

“Gwaaah!”

The elf soldier spat blood and collapsed to the ground. Apparently, an elven ninja who had been mixed in among the elders had provided support. However, she was not the only attacker. A considerable number of guards drew their wooden swords all at once and rushed either us or the “Legitimate” delegation.

I flicked my gaze toward Lady Vanka, who stood in the corner of the chamber. She wore a vexed expression, pressing a hand to her forehead. What was that reaction? It felt off. Was this attack really not orchestrated by Lady Vanka? It bothered me, but there was no time to dwell on it. I immediately tore my attention away from her, raised my sword, and fixed my glare on the elven guards who had turned into attackers.

“So they had already been infiltrated by the enemy from the start.”

Sonia said as she drew her short sword. Her beloved main weapon was a massive two-handed sword with a blade over 140 centimeters long. Even in a spacious hall, wielding it freely would be difficult, so she had opted to fight with a more manageable secondary weapon.

Planting assassins among guards or royal knights was practically textbook for this kind of attack. Even so, the number of enemies was considerable. Had the majority of the guards been turned against us? What a headache.

“What do you think you’re doing, attacking while people are talking! Die and beg for forgiveness!”

“You usurper army… Have you lost your mind!?”

“Chesto!”

With things like that being shouted, the Senate Hall descended into complete chaos. 

…Complete chaos, yet these were hot-blooded elves. Not a single one cowered and fled in fear. The “Legitimate” delegation, attacked just like us, immediately drew their swords and fought back, and even among the “New” elders there were those who flew into a rage and charged the attackers. The angriest one on the “New” side was probably the chieftain who had just questioned me.

“You poisonous man, trying to seduce our elders and split our nation! Prepare yourself!”

Naturally, a fresh attacker came charging at me as well.

“The surest way to win a battle is to ‘chesto’ the enemy before you get ‘chested’ yourself!”

The words of my sword master from my previous life flashed through my mind. I instantly raised my sword and leapt at the elven guard.

“KIEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAH!!!!”

I roared almost in a rage, and the elven attacker visibly flinched. I didn’t miss that opening. With a single stroke, I cut her in two. Blood and entrails sprayed everywhere, drawing cries of awe from the elves.

“So this is a Galean male knight!”

“What a magnificent display of skill! He’s definitely a fierce one! He’s not losing against us!”

I ignored them and examined the fallen attacker. The weapon she held was a real blade with an obsidian edge. Unlike the half-hearted attacks from before, this one carried genuine murderous intent.

“Knight corps, prioritize the protection of non-combatants! Send a messenger to the marine corps outside! This internal enemy is probably a diversion! All hands, prepare for battle!”

Whatever the case, we had to repel the attack. While we were at it, we might as well show the elves our capabilities right in front of them. It seemed they had been underestimating our military strength.

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