Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 143

A formidable overhead swing struck Duchess Temeraire.

The killing strike connected.

The great sword’s hilt bore the brunt of the impact, channeling formidable force to the collision point—Duchess Temeraire’s skull.

Leveraging the explosive force derived from the abnormal muscle twist taught by the samurai through the “Spiral” technique, I nearly obliterated his very essence.

The blow I delivered was meant to erase not just her head but her existence entirely.

No screams ensued.

Instead, a resonant thud echoed through the area.

Indeed.

I had indeed fulfilled my duty as commanded by Duchess Temeraire, heeding her directive to “do it.”

I had struck down Duchess Temeraire as she desired.

Yet…

“Heh.”

Duchess Temeraire laughed.

Her helmet was misshapen, her skull fractured, blood flowing freely.

Undoubtedly, part of her skull was shattered, the blood spurting ceaselessly, cerebrospinal fluid leaking.

Still, Duchess Temeraire laughed.

“Ahaha!”

Laughter rang out.

Duchess Temeraire was prostrate on the ground.

Such a blow would have been fatal to any lesser superhuman, let alone an ordinary one. Even Lord Reckenber, who was stronger than me, would have succumbed to such a strike.

Yet, Duchess Temeraire was still laughing.

“Lord Polydoro, back away. That’s enough! No more! Any further and you’ll kill her!!”

Lady Alexandra interjected with a scream, stepping in between myself and Duchess Temeraire, fulfilling her role as mediator.

Everyone had written off Duchess Temeraire as incapable of further action.

Everyone except Faust.

“You harbinger of calamity. It’s you. You will be the ruin of the sacred Gusten Empire.”

Duchess Temeraire continued to laugh.

She had grown weary of everything.

Her voice, unsettled yet not mad, was filled with a rational fury.

“You did indeed defeat Reckenber. You have conquered Reckenber. You even vanquished this Temeraire. You might be the empire’s mightiest knight. Yet, what does that matter now? You’ve erred in everything, Lord Polydoro.”

Lady Yue moved closer to Duchess Temeraire to tend to her wounds, desperately calling her name.

But Duchess Temeraire remained unresponsive.

“You are inferior to Reckenber. Even if you prevailed in a duel, your capabilities are significantly lesser. Cannibal Anastasia stands no chance against her. She was ensnared in Reckenber’s tactics, unable to command the front lines, barely managing to defend the headquarters.”

In desperation, Lady Yue removed her deformed helmet.

Whether from pain or sorrow, Duchess Temeraire…

“Katarina is hardly worth mentioning. She is merely a clown, nurtured under a nanny’s umbrella. A successor to Reckenber? That little girl? Ludicrous. If that girl were Reckenber’s successor, I would’ve died by her hand already.”

Tears streamed down her face as blood flowed from her head.

It was darkened blood.

“You are the worst of all. Faust von Polydoro. You are nothing more than that. Aside from your prowess in duels, you are inferior to Reckenber in every aspect. You might slay a thousand men in battle, a veritable one-man army, yet easily bested by an army. What good is such brute strength? What good are you?”

The blood that flowed was not bright red, but venous.

Lady Yue instructed the nearby soldiers to prepare a needle and thread for Duchess Temeraire.

“The impending invasion by the nomadic horsemen, the ‘Mongols’—what use is mere brute strength against them?”

Mongols.

I had anticipated this to some extent.

I was prepared when I took the oath.

Yet, this was the first time I heard the name.

The name of the nomadic horsemen nation from this world, a name that once threatened to overshadow all of the cultural spheres of my former life.

“Charisma is required. Everyone must believe that following this woman, obeying her, even dying for her, is worth it. That she is a hero worthy of their allegiance. Not you. Not me. Only Reckenber, who could besiege the imperial capital, defeat both the emperor and pretenders, is recognized throughout the empire for her capability and charisma.”

It was the same name as the nation founded by Genghis Khan, which I heard for the first time.

I opened my eyes, uncertain whether Duchess Temeraire was addressing me or shouting at some unbearable specter.

I listened to her words.

“Why did you have to kill Reckenber? Your weakness, your mediocre strength, collectively acted like leeches and took her life. She was supposed to save this empire, yet you killed her!”

Duchess Temeraire brushed aside Lady Yue’s hand.

Her beautiful face, now unshielded, twisted not in anger or joy but in deep sorrow.

All was lost.

“This is Reckenber’s story. She was the lead! I was merely a supporting character, and you all were just extras. You weren’t supposed to be here! Ignorant of everything, understanding nothing, attempting nothing, you even betrayed! I tried to do everything alongside Reckenber. But now, she is gone.”

With that expression, Duchess Temeraire’s head oozed dark blood.

Lady Yue was desperately shouting in an attempt to intervene, yet to Duchess Temeraire, she scarcely seemed to exist in her field of vision.

“I realize, I fully realize I cannot measure up to Reckenber! But now she is gone, who else remains if not me, Charlotte le Temeraire?”

Duchess Temeraire rose to her feet, the black blood staining her armor as she seemed to disregard everything else.

“I aspired to become Reckenber. But I could not. So I resolved to act as Charlotte le Temeraire. And yet, I failed even in that!”

It was unclear who she was addressing. Her gaze was fixed on me, Faust, yet it was uncertain whether she truly perceived me. It appeared more as if he was affirming himself.

“I endeavored to unify the empire’s strength to conquer them. To defend my lands, to save the empire, I attempted everything within my power. From ‘The Defeated’ of my own ‘Mad Boar Knights,’ I gathered scant intelligence, rallied remnants of the Feylon Dynasty controlling trade routes, bribed foreign merchants, and even liaised with finance bureaucrats organizing the Mongols, embedding many of my subordinates to collect information. I captured every detail regarding the size of the invasion force, their military formations, their routes of advance, and their targets. I, Temeraire, had mastered everything about them!”

Duchess Temeraire’s eyes lacked focus. She seemed to be looking here but her consciousness was elsewhere, revealing all as if confessing.

Her voice was harrowing. What was Duchess Temeraire trying to convey? She had just admitted her failure. She had secured all details on the Mongols’ campaign in the west, and yet…

“I shared everything! I disclosed all the knowledge I possessed because it was to safeguard the empire, I imparted it all to those two!!”

Duchess Temeraire picked up a fallen rapier, attempting to slash at the cobblestones with its grotesquely long blade—but failed.

“The Empress and the Pope have betrayed us! They’ve concluded we cannot defeat the Mongols and have chosen to forsake the empire!!”

She no longer possessed the strength for such efforts. What she truly wished to sever was not the cobblestones.

“Because Reckenber is no more, they’ve decided we cannot prevail! They’ve determined that neither Duchess Temeraire, Elector Anastasia, nor Katarina can defeat the Mongols!!”

The world was in disarray. Lady Alexandra, Lady Yue, and I were attempting to consolidate our thoughts. Duchess Temeraire’s cries revealed…

“The Empress has betrayed us. That young Maxine does nothing. She merely contemplates prolonging her own family’s survival. Her lineage. She believes it acceptable to sacrifice the sacred Gusten Empire as a witch’s brew, if it preserves her lineage, if it continues her beloved parents’ bloodline.”

At the pinnacle of the empire, Her Imperial Majesty…

“The Pope refuses to absolutely secure her position, proclaiming no need for an Empress who denies divine right. No need for a girl like Maxine. If defeat is inevitable, she would sell out the faithful of the empire, cede the imperial crown of the sacred Gusten Empire to Toktoa Khan of the Mongols, if it secures her religious authority.”

This was a betrayal by the highest ecclesiastic, Her Holiness the Pope.

“In such circumstances, now that Reckenber is absent, who is fit for the supreme throne? The electors who grasp neither the heart of the empire nor comprehend anything? No! I am the only one left. I once swore an oath akin to a Geas before the Cologne Knights, in her presence. I pledged to sacrifice everything to protect the empire and never betray it!!”

Lady Alexandra and Lady Yue regarded Duchess Temeraire as if she were an anomaly in this world.

As for myself, my hands did not shake, nor did my legs falter. I had acquired the information.

Finally, in Anhalt, before Queen Liesenlotte…

Only I, who had sworn the Geas, comprehended what Duchess Temeraire was attempting to declare.

“I must protect everything. I must safeguard my vassals. I need to defend my people. I have to shield the country. Do you realize how many people reside in this sacred Gusten Empire? There are serfs, god-killers, and nomads. Considering all who dwell in this land, there are tens of millions. Who else but I will protect them? Born of noble blood, as a noble, as a proud knight, as a Duchess of the sacred Gusten Empire, I must be the strongest. As a dignified noble, I must stand. Here, amidst those who despise and revile each other, the foolish, hopeless masses. Whether they revere me or not, it is irrelevant. The entire responsibility lies with the Empress. The burden presses down on my back, once aspiring to the imperial throne. I will not bow to the likes of you, to you utterly ignorant, incompetent brats. Even if my head is severed, I will not concede defeat.”

After articulating all his assertions, what Duchess Temeraire desired to express with her entire essence was evident.

A breath followed shortly, a chilling sound similar to those I knew from samurais, as she deeply inhaled, steadying her breath—a specialized breathing technique distinct from karate’s “breath of life.”

“I will not surrender! Even if the ‘Pope’ betrays, even if the ‘Empress’ resigns, I alone will not yield!”

Duchess Temeraire had acquired this resolve through our combat experiences together.

“If you thought Charlotte le Temeraire would easily give up, you are gravely mistaken!! I am stronger than you—”

Duchess Temeraire’s expression was no longer sane.

“I am stronger than you.”

Her gaze met mine directly.

“For Reckenber, who has perished, and against you who bested Reckenber, I must prevail. It is imperative! I will complete my story! To the end—to the very end!!”

Duchess Temeraire’s words resonated like those of a penitent, confessing everything before a true death duel, ready for demise.

Black blood streamed. Her skull was fully split. The flesh was mangled. Beneath the armor, her body was likely swollen from internal bleeding. Her beautifully structured nose was twisted grotesquely.

If she were to lie down now, she would assuredly find ultimate bliss.

She was already enduring such torment that even death seemed a mercy, bestowed during the earlier duel.

Let it be stated unequivocally.

However, there was no chance for Duchess Temeraire to prevail against me.

As her duel opponent, I understood this better than anyone.

Yet, as long as Duchess Temeraire could move even a finger, she would not accept defeat.

She was determined to fight to the end, for Lord Reckenber, for the oath she had sworn, for all the responsibilities she had assumed.

I truly grasped every word Duchess Temeraire uttered, digesting each of her statements thoroughly.

Simultaneously, I harbored no sympathy for her.

As a knight amidst combat, my spirit remained composed, and nothing perturbed me.

“I apologize, Duchess Temeraire. I will atone for all the misunderstandings and slights I have shown you, even if it means grinding this head of Faust against the floor, bleeding until you forgive me. Yet—”

Even so, I had no intention of losing to you.

I had to ‘clarify’ to you, Duchess Temeraire, who misunderstood everything about this world.

I deflected Lady Alexandra, who sought to intervene, not with words, but with a sweep of my arm.

“Lady Alexandra! Stand aside!!”

Now, it was time for persuasion.

I faced Duchess Temeraire again, swung my great sword with a swish, and slammed it into the ground, releasing it.

I no longer required a weapon.

It was time for a debate.