Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 145

My name is Yue.

In my homeland, the now-destroyed Faelon Dynasty, it meant “moon.”

I do not declare a family name.

For it is something I have already discarded.

If I were to declare it, it would be towards Toktoa Khan.

Toktoa Khan, who slaughtered my family, who destroyed my country, my homeland.

I suppose I will be permitted to declare it again when I have killed the Empress of the nation known as “Mongol,” as Duchess Temeraire calls it.

Such are the thoughts I entertain.

As for me, on this midnight, I am unable to endure the strange silence.

The sun had already set.

The Landsknechts and the imperial soldiers gathered in front of the fortifications had already withdrawn.

Alexandra-dono said it was all over.

That this contest had ended with Lord Polydoro’s victory, and even Duchess Temeraire, though she resisted verbally, did not fault those words when defeat was declared.

The “Mad Boar’s Knights,” nearly killed by Lord Polydoro, had gathered, forcibly subdued by the surrounding soldiers, and declared the dissolution.

Lord Polydoro is extraordinary.

Such a knight did not even exist in the vast Faelon Dynasty.

With a single breath, he could recover drained vitality, heal bone fractures in a short time, and his skill was such that he could withstand any master and learn their techniques during the engagement.

In a duel, he would not lose, no matter what.

Of course, there is a way to defeat him: surround him with a group of powerful knights and warlords, and strike relentlessly before he can catch his breath. It seemed possible to win in such a manner.

Lord Polydoro likely still hides some measure to break through this, but, well, when he dies, he dies.

At the same time, if he is fully prepared, he would not die in a duel.

These are the feelings I harbor.

Well, that’s fine.

What’s important, what’s important for me, Yue, is a duchess calling herself Charlotte le Temeraire.

“I see.”

Absorbed in a book titled “Gun, Cannon, Knight.”

She indeed could be crucial.

As a vital starting point of the Holy Gusten Empire, she seemed adequate for my purposes.

Queen Katarina graciously welcomed me as an important guest general.

She accepted me, even with my different skin color, as a formidable superhuman, as a general in place of the esteemed Reckenber-dono of Virendorf.

One should be ashamed to complain about that.

However.

Still, I feel somewhat inferior compared to Duchess Temeraire.

“Lord Polydoro, I have something to ask. Just a few things. It will be brief.”

If Duchess Temeraire had been in the Faelon Dynasty before it was cornered by Toktoa Khan, by the Mongols, perhaps we could have won.

The Faelon Dynasty might have had elements that could defeat Toktoa Khan, who led a nomadic nation of 200,000 cavalry.

The queen of that nomadic horse-riding nation was indeed strong, likely surpassing all the superhumans of the Faelon Dynasty.

But that is no excuse.

We lost not just because Toktoa Khan was strong.

It was because the Faelon Dynasty was hopelessly weak.

It nauseates me how dead the functions of the nation had become.

It was us who continued internal power struggles until the nation fell.

No matter how desperately someone gathered supplies for the war, somehow someone else would steal them away.

Everywhere was forced into war unprepared.

Even if we desperately gathered soldiers for the sake of our homeland, they were no different from bandits, and in terrible times, as the official army, they would burn and plunder friendly towns and villages.

No one fought seriously.

This continued until the Faelon Dynasty was completely destroyed.

Allies fattening their own pockets while ravaging their own country—how could we have possibly won the war?

“…There was no symbol. I was merely a general fighting to protect my homeland, and that was all.”

The worst part was during the war when a coup d’état occurred within the army, and the empress was killed.

It wasn’t done to win the war.

A general who didn’t want to be held accountable for the defeat in her jurisdiction seized military power and killed the empress.

That general who stole the country was also killed by another general for exactly the same reason.

At this point, it’s laughable.

From the start, every single one of them wasn’t thinking about the country at all.

Everyone was abandoning their responsibilities, killing anyone who accused them, blind to the future.

Not a single person was serious about it.

It was only natural that we were destroyed.

The Gusten Empire was better in that regard.

Although the empress and the pope were traitors, at least Duchess Temeraire was there.

She understood the crisis, a person who tried to do everything for the sake of the country.

I was even impressed by this stubborn and arrogant superhuman.

There was nothing praiseworthy about his personality.

But, that aside.

“We are insufficient in strength.”

I feel emptiness at the same time.

Duchess Temeraire was indeed a respectable person, but clearly insufficient.

She wasn’t enough to bring victory to the current Holy Gusten Empire.

She understood this herself and, while not openly admitting it, aimed to demonstrate an appropriate demeanor as the last empress of the empire.

At least to resist until the end.

That was how she acted.

In reality, that was probably all she could do.

And even that was shattered by the violence of one man, Faust von Polydoro.

“…Well.”

My purpose, Yue’s purpose, is the assassination of Toktoa Khan.

It is the revenge of the family that I escaped from.

I must accomplish this retribution to reclaim our family name.

I live only for this purpose, and to achieve it, it’s necessary to resolve the incident before me.

I had to bring in Charlotte le Temeraire, a warrior, into my camp.

I am.

“Lord Polydoro, what will you do?”

I muttered quietly, hoping he would not hear.

I had a secret fondness for him.

Looking at him, the words “martial hero” come to mind.

Lord Polydoro, although a man, truly understood what is most honorable as a warrior.

He is showing his own way of being, crushing all the world’s injustice with martial force.

“Can’t help but fall for him.”

‘Hmph’, Alexandra-dono glared at me from the side.

Hmm, she might have heard.

In the Faelon Dynasty, Lord Polydoro’s figure was abnormal, and lacking in male charm.

But to say whether I dislike him as a person, it’s the complete opposite.

Every time that man defeated each superhuman of the “Mad Boar’s Knights,” somewhere in my heart throbbed.

“Did you say something, Yue-dono?”

“Just as you heard, Alexandra-dono.”

Though my voice was subdued, this body sworn to revenge speaking of fondness for a man is unbecoming of a warrior.

I didn’t mind if anyone found out that I harbored affection for Lord Polydoro.

It seemed Alexandra-dono understood that too, and had no intention of faulting me for falling for him.

“I am interested in the book Lord Polydoro passed on. Do you know its contents?”

“I don’t know. However, I am aware of a girl named Martina von Bösel.”

We often have casual conversations as well.

She really is a clever child.

Ah, this is truly a situation where even Lord Polydoro would prostrate himself on the floor to save her life, realizing her worth.

For a child of her age, she is so rational and kind that you might even think she could afford to be a bit more selfish.

Listening to Alexandra-dono’s gentle voice makes me incredibly interested.

Perhaps if I ask Lord Polydoro, I might be able to meet and talk with her.

These are the things I ponder.

“Coming to understand”

Duchess Temeraire, with her head that I forcibly sewed up with silk thread and needle, and whose hair I had cut short with a knife, is quietly reading a book while wearing glasses with golden frames made of crystal.

“Lord Polydoro, I am beginning to understand the contents of this book.”

Without raising her gaze, Duchess Temeraire continues to read intently.

Six members of the Mad Boar’s Knights, half-dead, gather around her, using candle-lit lamps to illuminate the book in her hands.

The darkness of night conceals everything but her hands illuminated by the light.

“This book has many eye-catching points, and there are several things I would like to ask the person who wrote it. Conversely, there are many things I could supplement. There are many deficiencies, likely due to their lack of experience.”

A faint excitement can be heard in Duchess Temeraire’s voice.

She defeated me, so she hasn’t admitted defeat yet, but she’s reading it anyway.

She started reading with the petulant attitude of a twisted child but now speaks in a serious tone.

“I tried combining various military branches in my own army, thinking I could control the battlefield by compensating for each branch’s deficiencies with others. Well, I lost to the Landsknechts, who were prepared by Reckenber to charge like mad throwing away their lives.”

At that time, it was more about Reckenber’s strength than my own lack of capability, she concluded.

But, she prefaced.

“If I had had this book seven years ago, at least I wouldn’t have suffered such an unsightly defeat.”

She muttered, seemingly amused.

Duchess Temeraire is smiling.

“The concept of understanding and compensating for the deficiencies of different military branches is old, but ah, this girl thinks artillery will be the most important in the future. I agree with that. What’s incredible is how she suggests utilizing it, describing the operations of firing guns and cannons as detailed martial arts movements. Of course, there’s a lot of theory involved, but if I teach her just one thing, she’d correct it quickly, surpassing me easily.”

Duchess Temeraire’s cheeks were flushed.

In the light, it was clearly visible in the darkness.

“So, I see. I had misunderstood something. As you say, I was an old fool. Reckenber and I, just generals of a bygone era. Individuals surpassing even our thoughts are being born now in the Holy Gusten Empire. If the military training described in this book is feasible, there might still be a chance for the empire.”

She held the book dearly but eventually, her eyes moistened, and Duchess Temeraire closed the book.

She had finished reading it.

Turning to one of the Mad Boar’s Knights.

“Knight of Cologne. I have learned of your Cologne Sect’s secret. You know the method of producing saltpeter, you probably have a brewery, and you are holding a vast amount more gunpowder than I imagined.”

“Yes, as you say.”

“I didn’t know that. I was not worthy of trust for the Cologne Sect, not enough to be entrusted with everything.”

Duchess Temeraire muttered sadly.

The Knight of Cologne answered.

“It’s a little different. If you had succeeded in usurping the empress, I was instructed to teach you everything. If it were only you, naturally, everything would have been entrusted to you.”

“I see. As you can see, I merely struggled uglily and failed in everything. Your expectations were not wrong. It seems I was just foolishly raging alone. By this point, Cardinal Cologne must also be aware of the pope’s betrayal.”

Betrayal? murmured the Knight of Cologne.

She apparently didn’t know about the pope’s betrayal.

But it seemed unlikely that Duchess Temeraire was the only one who knew.

Perhaps a struggle was beginning even within the religious factions.

“…”

Duchess Temeraire lovingly traced the title of the closed book with her finger.

Covering the word “Knight” with her thumb, she read:

“‘I hope the current empress of the Holy Gusten Empire will not be called the last knight,’ it says. That’s right, it’s me. I realize now, I intended to rise to empress and die facing the Mongols as the last knight. Nothing more than a foolish old boar.”

She staggered to her feet, reaching out to hand the book to Lord Polydoro.

“I’ll return the book. I understand what you wanted to say.”

Lord Polydoro silently took it.

It seemed there was no longer any intent to kill between them.

“Well, I admit it. I lost completely. I accused you of knowing nothing, but it was I who knew nothing about you all.”

Duchess Temeraire admitted her defeat, as if her previous demeanor had been a lie.

“So—what to do. I’ll do as you wish.”

She muttered, seemingly a little troubled.

Suddenly, Duchess Temeraire’s body swayed.

Blood began to seep from the stitches on her head again.

“Sorry, it will have to be if I live. If I die, I leave it to you.”

Duchess Temeraire used all her remaining energy and collapsed forward.

In a panic, I rushed over and managed to catch her.

Her body was shockingly cold, having lost too much blood.