Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 15

Valiere’s Second Princess’s army, consisting of 40 militia, 15 personal guards, and 20 Polydoro’s subjects, faced off against Caroline’s army, which was comprised of 70 elite subjects, including knights.

The two armies encountered each other near the Virendorf border, approximately a 30-minute walk away.

“Cross!”

Faust von Polydoro’s cry came as a short, decisive command. The crossbow bolts struck the vanguard of Caroline’s army, killing 5 of them. This left 65 members in Caroline’s army.

In numbers, the Second Princess Valiere’s army was superior. Yet, where the quality of soldiers was concerned, Caroline’s forces were overwhelmingly superior, being composed of 65 armed veterans. In contrast, the Second Princess Valiere’s army was mostly inexperienced militia lacking sufficient arms, and though the personal guards were well-armed, they were also inexperienced in battle. The only hope for Valiere’s army seemed to be the 20 subjects from Polydoro, who were more experienced than Caroline’s forces.

But the worst was yet to come.

“Fall back to the rear!”

Shouting thus, Faust von Polydoro, embodying sheer murderous intent, charged into the battle as if to shield his militia. He seemed to express a reluctance to kill his own people if possible, treating the enemy’s lives as worthless rags in contrast. The Knight of Wrath freely roamed the battlefield, not plunging into the enemy’s ranks but rather intervening in the fight to kill off Caroline’s soldiers, using his militia as a shield.

This deadly roulette was witnessed by Caroline through a slit in her carriage’s canopy, an apt description for what she saw. Inevitably, the death toll in Caroline’s army increased. In one-on-one situations, no one in the Anhalt Kingdom could match Faust. Yet, the morale of Caroline’s soldiers, determined to protect her, remained unshaken.

Caroline was close to tears, yet she understood that crying was a luxury she could not afford. These people were dying for her, and the only way to honor their sacrifice was to escape alone. However, she couldn’t make that decision, unable to abandon the subjects protecting her. But as time on the battlefield passed, she had to make a decision.

“Leave the rest to you, Helga!”

Faust did not mention the name of the Second Princess Valiere to avoid making her a target. With this calculation in mind, he charged forward alone, leaving no numbers for Caroline’s army to stop him. The situation was desperate, with the enemy overwhelming them.

The judgment of this demon, Faust von Polydoro, was coming.

Eventually, Faust reached two of Caroline’s carriages, choosing the smaller one. With a great sword in hand, he sliced through the canopy, finding men and boys cowering inside from the battlefield’s noises.

“A miss,” Faust muttered dismissively.

Caroline, then alone on a horse, fled towards the border, discarding even the goods from her larger carriage. She must escape from Faust, the Knight of Wrath. With desperation, she raced to the border, hoping Virendorf’s knights and soldiers could help her defeat Faust.

However, Faust’s pace slowed. His horse, Flügel, was exhausted from previous battles and the day’s exertions. Even a superior warhorse has its limits. Faust understood this and conceded defeat, having saved the kidnapped men and boys, thus preserving his honor. He believed Caroline’s fate was yet undecided.

It was enough. Faust stopped his horse, tenderly patting Flügel, acknowledging its hard work as they stood near the border of Anhalt and Virendorf.

Ignoring them, Caroline crossed into Virendorf. Faust merely watched, contemplating the barbaric yet aesthetically driven fate that awaited Caroline from the perspective of Virendorf’s unique values.

※

“My name is Caroline. I seek asylum and request assistance. The man standing before us alone is none other than Faust von Polydoro.”

A Virendorf knight nodded.

“Through our binoculars, we’ve scrutinized the battlefield. His visage, his swordsmanship, unmistakably, it’s Faust von Polydoro.”

“Then!”

Kill that Knight of Wrath for me. He killed my beloved subjects. Faust von Polydoro. But…

“But, that man. That beautiful beast has not crossed our border and still stands there.”

A Virendorf knight, seemingly a commanding officer, pointed out. Indeed, the Knight of Wrath was standing across the border, staring at me.

“Do you not wish to slay Faust!?”

I shouted. But the Virendorf knight remained unmoved.

“As I said earlier, that beautiful beast has not crossed the border. He’s just waiting for you.”

Waiting.

For whom?

For me?

“He’s waiting for you to be driven out of Virendorf and to come at him.”

To be driven out.

Me?

“What are you saying! My asylum has value. Do you know how much information I hold about the Anhalt Kingdom?”

“Whether you hold valuable information about the Anhalt Kingdom, we don’t know. It might be valuable to us, it might be.”

However…

The Virendorf knight shook her head, signaling denial.

“That knight, that man known as the beautiful beast among us, is just waiting for you. You said your name was Caroline? He’s waiting for a duel with you. We have no intention of interfering.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to kill Faust von Polydoro?”

“One who hasn’t crossed our borders isn’t an enemy. More importantly. Moreover, above all…”

The Virendorf knights looked at Faust with a gaze that included admiration.

“How could we, with dozens of our knights and soldiers, surround and kill that beautiful beast who has defeated our Reckenber, the head of our knights, after a fierce fight? Would that not be an insult to us?”

The sensibilities of barbarians.

To find beauty in strength.

And Faust must be the most beautiful knight to them.

Their value in strong men, their preference for muscular men.

Including these values, Faust could be said to be the most beautiful knight in the world for Virendorf.

Surrounding and killing him was beyond their aesthetic values.

Barbarians!

Caroline did not utter this thought. Instead, she slammed her fist onto the ground.

“What do you want from me?”

“Slay Faust von Polydoro. Vanquish that splendid beast. If you do, we Virendorf will gladly welcome you into our nation.”

“…”

Virendorf did not expect Caroline, me, to defeat Faust. They just wanted to see it.

They wanted to see their respected, beautiful beast fully exert his strength and defeat me.

“I understand.”

Is this the end?

Well, it’s a fitting conclusion for my end.

Caroline smiled at that thought.

Thus, she departed from the borders of Virendorf, only to return to the threshold of Anhalt once more.

Ah…

I’ve lost everything.

Everything is gone.

Even my life will probably be lost now.

This is truly the end.

Caroline smiled bitterly at herself.

And then, she rode her horse towards Faust.

Faust spoke with a simple air.

“Did you think you could escape?”

Faust asked, seemingly puzzled.

“Did you think Virendorf would welcome you, without men and boys, without wealth, without your loyal elite? Just you alone?”

“…”

I returned his question with silence and readied my halberd.

“Get down from the horse, Faust von Polydoro. I will dismount as well.”

“Very well.”

Both of us dismounted.

I wasn’t confident in my skills on horseback.

But even on the ground, I didn’t have the confidence to defeat the Knight of Wrath before me.

Yet, I couldn’t afford to lose.

I just couldn’t afford to lose.

I wanted to leave at least one wound on him.

On this man called the beautiful beast by Virendorf.

On Faust von Polydoro.

“Is that halberd your weapon of choice?”

“And yours, that great sword? My weapon has a longer reach.”

“I’ll give you that handicap.”

“Is that so?”

After a brief exchange, Caroline swung her halberd towards Faust.

Caroline was not weak; on the contrary, she was a formidable fighter who had stepped into the realm of superhuman strength that exists in this world.

However, the difference in strength between Caroline and Faust was clear to anyone.

…By the time she realized it, Caroline’s abdomen had been sliced open by Faust’s sword, cutting through her chainmail.

…

Caroline stood silently, knowing she was about to die.

“Do you have any last words? Any regrets, Caroline?”

Faust offered her a word of mercy.

With great effort, Caroline whispered her last word.

“…Martina.”

It was the name of her daughter, likely now dead by hanging.

Faust remembered the name and etched it in his heart.

As her intestines spilled onto the ground, Caroline fell. Faust felt a sense of emptiness at her figure.

“I shouldn’t have asked for her last words.”

A woman’s name.

Judging by the tone, it was probably the name of a young child, a girl.

It must have been a hopeless utterance.

Hearing it was painful.

While contemplating this, Faust decided he had to bring back Caroline’s head. He severed her head, wrapped it in a cloth he had, and carried it respectfully in his left hand.

Suddenly, he noticed.

The knights and soldiers of Virendorf were lined up along the border.

“That was a beautiful duel. Farewell, beautiful beast. We shall meet on the battlefield!”

The knights of Virendorf shouted as they turned back to their fortress. Faust quietly responded in a way they couldn’t hear.

“I refuse to deal with you barbarians ever again.”

It wasn’t about whether he could win or lose.

The Virendorf campaign was a traumatic experience for Faust.

Each knight was stronger than those of the Anhalt Kingdom, especially the head of the Reckenber knights.

If Faust had been 19 instead of 20 at the time, he might have lost. The difference was made by just one year’s worth of battle experience and training innovation.

However, he won.

That reality cannot be denied by anyone.

Faust bowed slightly to the knights who refused to grant asylum to Caroline, then decided to return to the “battlefield music.”

“Now, the objective is achieved. But…”

How much damage was done?

My subjects’ training should ensure they are safe.

But what about the militia?

And the personal guards?

The extent of the damage was still unknown.

Faust clicked his tongue, realizing that the kind Second Princess Valiere would finally come to know the harsh reality of the battlefield.

The thought pained his heart slightly.