Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 159

After completing the sacred knighting ceremony for the mercenary leader,

I called out the name of the biggest fool in the royal guard.

“Sabine, come over here.”

“Yes, Lady Valiere.”

It’s not Lady Valiere, though.

How can you casually use a nickname in this situation?

I’m angry, you know?

My mother, in her efforts to make the march look as grand as possible, lent us an extravagant carriage just for this occasion. The two of us slipped inside it.

When I think about it, my mother must have known this march would be a grand affair, yet she told me nothing. It’s almost as if she was deliberately keeping me in the dark.

Does she enjoy tormenting me?

She must get a real kick out of it, those wicked folks.

I’m vexed, but now’s not the time to dwell on it.

The royal guards are stationed around, so it’s safe to raise my voice a bit.

I let out a strained scream.

“How did it come to this!?”

“No, I mean, I should have explained it already…”

I properly informed Her Majesty Queen Liesenlotte in advance, and received approval from the bureaucratic lords. I must have said that Lady Valiere should freely embrace her role as the second heir of Anhalt, behaving as befits a royal during the knighting ceremony.

Sabine muttered nonchalantly.

But I did exactly that!

With all my heart and soul, I carried it out!

My modest charisma was in full swing!

“If this loyalty was directed at Anhalt, I wouldn’t care! I wouldn’t be fretting like this!!”

It’s not the first time I’ve presided over a knighting ceremony.

I’ve done it before for the royal guard of the second princess, and recently, during a tour to the local lords, I even performed a knighting ceremony for a lord’s daughter.

I’ve shown kindness several times when asked by a lord.

The problem isn’t that.

“That girl clearly directed her loyalty not at the kingdom but at me!”

“Well, yes, that’s true.”

The Anhalt kingdom hasn’t done anything for her. It was Lady Valiere who gave her the chance to earn the title of a knight, not the Anhalt kingdom, as Sabine says with an indifferent expression.

“She feels gratitude towards Lady Valiere.”

“In the future, the salary for her will be paid not by me, right? It comes from the budget of Anhalt kingdom?”

Even so, the salary might indeed be paid by the kingdom, but the gratitude she feels is for Lady Valiere, who tapped her shoulder with the sword.

Queen Liesenlotte? Princess Anastasia, the next queen?

Yes, if it’s the queen’s command, I’ll obey unless it’s unreasonable.

That’s all they mean to me.

“Lady Valiere, are you aware that during the Windbona Imperial invasion, Lord Reckenber gathered a mercenary group called Landsknecht?”

“I’m aware.”

“While the current salaries for them are being paid by Empress Maximine of the Sacred Gusten empire, the Landsknechts owe a loyalty beyond obligation. They still haven’t forgotten Lord Reckenber’s name. People feel gratitude towards those who gave them opportunities, not necessarily those who pay them now.”

No matter how much they realize they belong to that organization and receive salaries, they will never swear loyalty beyond obligation to a person at the top whom they’ve never met.

No matter how much we preach the sacred knightly spirit, most people are just like that.

People live to follow great figures who hold their hand, recognize their existence, and call out their name.

I understand that.

As a royal, I was educated to understand that.

“Why would someone I just met swear absolute loyalty to me!?”

“Because Lady Valiere, with her noble bloodline and knighting rights, recognized her, called out her name, and tapped her shoulder with the sword.”

Why can’t you understand such a simple thing, Lady Valiere?

Sabine muttered this with a slightly sad tone.

Well, it’s all just a posture, and Sabine knows I’m angry about this.

I understand that much too.

“Lady Valiere. Have you ever thought about why Lord Polydoro follows you?”

“What are you talking about, suddenly?”

“It’s a good example. Lord Faust von Polydoro would never betray you, even in death. Have you thought about why?”

My head hurts.

But Sabine wouldn’t speak without meaning.

I reflexively responded while sorting out my thoughts.

“Because he’s my fiancé?”

“Lord Polydoro harbors no sexual interest in Lady Valiere.”

Sabine bluntly stated something I was vaguely aware of.

Yeah, Faust is like a personification of seriousness, so that’s probably true.

Even our engagement likely has an obligatory aspect from the lordly perspective.

If there’s no lust between me and Faust…

“…because I’m royalty?”

“You’re not wrong, but that’s off the mark. Lady Valiere has power, and that indeed saved Lord Polydoro. That’s a fact, but it’s slightly different.”

I stated an opinion I knew was incorrect and got half-acknowledged and half-denied by Sabine.

Well, if I properly sort out my thoughts, I can find the correct answer.

From our conversation so far, there’s only one reason.

“Because I, and no one else, tapped Faust’s shoulder with the sword.”

The reason Faust would risk his life for me was just one.

I found Faust and made him my advisor.

Indeed, Faust has a contract of fealty for land protection with Queen Liesenlotte of Anhalt, but at the homage ceremony, the one he chose to tap his shoulder with the sword was me.

He pleaded that the homage ceremony be delegated to Lady Valiere, not the queen.

“…That’s correct. Lady Valiere, I once asked Lord Polydoro over drinks why he wouldn’t wag his tail for Lady Anastasia instead. It would clearly be more beneficial for Lord Polydoro.”

“What did he say?”

It’s a sad truth but a bit curious.

“He said he dislikes her because she looks like she might eat human flesh.”

“Well, yes. My sister is indeed frightening.”

That wasn’t said seriously, though.

Sabine cleared her throat.

“That was a joke. But well, I do have some feelings, so I don’t dislike her. It’s not like I don’t have any feelings for Lady Anastasia either. We have a relationship as comrades from the Virendorf campaign. Even if the subject of the fealty contract changes to Lady Anastasia, no one would criticize that,” Sabine said, smirking before pausing.

“Just spit it out already, idiot.”

I gave her a glare, and Sabine nodded in acknowledgment.

“Well, I can say this because it’s a drinking party. Honestly, when Lady Valiere called on me, I was troubled. In Anhalt, I’m scorned for my muscular build and, moreover, as a male knight. On top of that, my family’s reputation isn’t great. I’m known as the son of ‘Mad Marianne,’ treated as a madman by society, and all ties with surrounding nobles were severed, leaving me virtually immobilized. The audience for the fealty contract with Queen Liesenlotte kept being delayed, and more than three months had already passed. All I could do was wait, helplessly.”

That’s right.

Taking advantage of his vulnerable position, I chose Faust as an advisor.

Back then, I was mocked by everyone for lacking any talents compared to my sister.

Even so, I believed Faust, in his desperate situation, wouldn’t refuse me.

“Of course, I calculated my own interests when I shook hands with Lady Valiere. I didn’t want to be involved in palace intrigue, but well, since Lady Valiere didn’t have that capability, I figured being her advisor wouldn’t be so bad. I calculated that, and it was definitely my true feeling.”

I don’t intend to blame Faust for his honest intentions.

As a feudal lord who prioritizes his own territory, that’s the right stance. After all, a fealty contract should be a mutual agreement.

It should be a contract of mutual benefit, based on reciprocal grace and service.

“But well, honestly, I was grateful to Lady Valiere, and so, at the knighting ceremony, I personally requested that Lady Valiere be the one to tap my shoulder with the sword. Right, Lady Sabine?”

Sabine was just straightforwardly recounting what Faust said at the drinking party.

I already understood what she was trying to convey.

“As a lordly knight, I can’t think without considering interests. But as a knight, at that time, well, it was Lady Valiere who helped me, so I thought it would be fine to die for her. That’s what you wanted to say, Lady Sabine.”

In the end, it’s the same as that mercenary captain.

As for me, I’m not arrogant enough to think they should devote their lives for that, but Faust didn’t take it that way.

“Even though Lady Valiere has received royal education, being inexperienced, she might not realize what a knight thinks when tapped on the shoulder with a sword, nor can she truly understand the sentiments of the lower ranks. Someone like me clings to the grace received, something she might not yet understand. That’s sometimes called emotion. So, if there’s a chance, it would be good to convey these words to Her Highness. Anyway, Lady Sabine, you’re planning to tell Her Highness about this conversation one day, right? You should definitely do so.”

Sabine took a deep breath.

She seemed to have said everything she wanted to.

Finally, one last word.

“It’s embarrassing for me to have Lady Valiere know such thoughts, but well, if it benefits Her Highness, then it’s good. Also, make sure to tell Lady Valiere that Her Highness has qualities worth swearing loyalty to, not just because she’s good at playing her noble role.”

Sabine conveyed Faust’s thoughts and how he had been serving me.

Then she continued.

“Hannah, who died protecting Lady Valiere in her first battle, felt the same. Although unworthy, I, Sabine, would not regret dying for Lady Valiere either.”

I couldn’t understand those words.

Not because I’m a knight or because she’s my sovereign.

If I can’t offer benefits anymore, they should just abandon me.

“Wouldn’t you use me, step on me, and move to a better position? I wouldn’t blame you. Breaking a fealty contract is common. We just use each other; that’s all there is to it.”

“That’s Lady Valiere’s own reasoning, and those who receive grace don’t think that way,” Sabine muttered, looking a bit lonely.

The slightly unhinged Sabine seemed genuinely a bit lonely.

“Lady Valiere, I’m not thinking about you inheriting Anhalt’s throne now. It’s not that I did this to see you grow as a royal or a noble. Honestly, sometimes ignorance is bliss. But…”

There was just one thing she didn’t want me to forget.

“We don’t want you to pity us without understanding our feelings when we die. We have our own wills, and we die for you. We truly think it was a good life, having repaid the grace we received.”

—Surely, Hannah would have said the same thing.

Sabine said that and then fell silent.

I couldn’t respond.

After a brief silence, sorting out my emotions.

“I’ve understood the feelings of those who follow me.”

That was all I could say.

Indeed, this Valiere was immature, not understanding the feelings of the knights who serve her.

I was taught that such people exist, but I hadn’t truly understood.

I decided to reflect on that.

“Did you understand that?”

Sabine pressed, as if to emphasize.

Indeed, I was immature and had areas needing reflection.

But there was just one thing.

“Hey, Sabine. I understood that, but there’s just one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is that?”

What does this nice story have to do with the current situation?

That was all I was curious about.

“It seems like I was almost deceived by a nice story.”

I clearly stated my intention.

“Why is the heavy loyalty sworn by the mercenary captain and the loyalty that various people will gather for me in future campaigns, and my stomach surely aching from being purely deceived by Sabine, related to the story you just told?”

What I really wanted to know was not why the mercenary captain swore loyalty to me, but why Sabine, who understood everything, pushed me into this situation.

It’s not about my education being insufficient or anything.

This talk, this situation, has nothing to do with it!

I was a bit moved, but, it’s your fault I’m in trouble, isn’t it!?

It’s all Sabine’s fault, from start to finish!

You’re not going to say it’s all bad on Lady Valiere’s side for not realizing this, are you?

I clenched my fists and stated bluntly.

Waving my small arms around, I yelled a bit tearfully.

“…”

After a brief hesitation, Sabine simply answered.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“Seeing Lady Valiere being revered by people, and seeing her genuinely hate it, excites me sexually—so there was a bit of that. Well, honestly, educating Lady Valiere was just a bonus.”

“I’ll smack you.”

In the end, the whole situation was Sabine’s fault, and it had nothing to do with me being immature as a royal or as someone who should lead.

I kicked Sabine hard, eliciting a scream from her.

That her scream was slightly pleasurable—deep down, I was utterly disgusted.