Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 170

There are seven Princess-Electors.

Those who hold the electoral rights to acknowledge the position of Empress of the Holy Gusten Empire are called Princess-Electors. These include the four secular princely houses, among which the most financially powerful is the Kingdom of Anhalt, and the most militarily powerful is Virendorf.

Additionally, when you include the three ecclesiastical Prince-Electors (bishops who also serve as lords), they are collectively known as the Seven Prince-Electors.

Naturally, as clergymen, they must show a certain degree of respect to the Pope.

In essence, I, as the Pope, have the authority to summon the ecclesiastical Princess-Electors.

“Did you summon me, Your Holiness, Pope Yulia?”

“You are quick, Archbishop of Mainz. It hasn’t even been two hours since I called.”

The Archbishop of Mainz.

A Princess-Elector and also my loyal subordinate.

Of course, when I say “loyal,” it’s akin to the relationship between a foster parent and a foster child in knighthood.

It is fundamentally a reciprocal master-servant relationship based on mutual benefit.

“I expected to be summoned.”

Her defining characteristic was, simply put, a prioritization of worldly gains above all else.

Most likely, this Archbishop of Mainz does not believe in God.

This is evident from her actions: selling indulgences to earn silver coins and employing numerous artists to construct magnificent buildings.

To silence any theological objections to such actions, she makes substantial donations to powerful clergymen, including, of course, myself, the Pope.

In short, the Archbishop of Mainz is regarded by the public as a person steeped in worldly filth and evil.

Just mentioning her name would make any conscientious clergyman or knight frown.

“If you anticipated the call, then let’s make this quick. Unravel the concerns of Pope Yulia without me having to spell them out.”

“Understood. I shall clarify your concerns.”

However, from another perspective, she was not simply evil.

Even if excellent preachers recommend buying indulgences, believers will not scramble to buy them just because they believe it will save them.

Skeptical nobles and merchants would scoff at the notion.

Therefore, the Archbishop of Mainz chose those very skeptical nobles and merchants as her targets.

“If you do not buy the indulgences, I will vehemently denounce the sins you have committed in the past and ruin you,” she would say, handing over the letter with a smile.

Of course, if they paid the money, she would cheerfully hand over the indulgence.

It was, in essence, a form of extortion.

This act, repeated hundreds of times, was how the Archbishop of Mainz amassed her wealth.

Identifying vulnerable nobles and merchants, criticizing them, and then extorting them to buy indulgences was not something an ordinary person could do.

Yes, she was not simply evil.

She meticulously researched, seized advantages, and ruthlessly defeated her targets.

In a word, she was an exceptionally vile person.

“Your concern must be about the Cologne Sect, I presume?”

“Indeed.”

Yet, even the highly research-capable Archbishop of Mainz was unaware that the Emperor and I had decided to defect to the Mongols.

Therefore, she could not reach the truth.

Though she might eventually uncover it, the time was not yet ripe.

“Pope Yulia, are you aiming to seize the technology of gunpowder, which the Cologne Sect monopolizes?”

“…”

Her straightforward statement.

I once sought financial support at the Conclave and made the Bishop of Cologne a Cardinal through substantial loans.

The Cologne Sect, under her leadership, has rapidly advanced in recent years.

Of course, I won’t say that their power hasn’t helped counter the nobles, as they are a clergy faction.

“I suspect that the saltpeter the Cologne Sect circulates is not mined from mountains but is cultivated through some natural science they’ve developed.”

The Archbishop of Mainz was exceptional.

Her insights on saltpeter production matched my predictions, and considering her thoughts on the recently introduced explosive violence, few people would have her level of insight.

I would not slander her capabilities.

“However, it will be difficult for us to produce gunpowder now. It would be hard to catch up with the technology and knowledge the Cologne Sect has accumulated. Therefore, it is right to seize it all. Despite being elevated to Cardinal by the Pope, the Cologne Sect is withholding technology. Perhaps the Pope has some thoughts on this?”

But this was a worldly thought.

A worldly thought, indeed.

I sneered at the Archbishop of Mainz in my mind.

I didn’t particularly dislike the Cologne Sect.

Empress Maxein didn’t listen to me until the end, but I never hated the Cologne Sect.

At least, I respected the Cardinal of Cologne more than the worldly person before me.

No.

Let’s leave it at that.

“You have elucidated well, Archbishop of Mainz. Indeed, it was no mistake to summon you. In fact, I have decided to conduct a heresy inquisition against the Cologne Sect.”

“To preemptively share this with me. How gracious.”

“Yes. And this leads to the next part of our discussion—”

Now, by declaring the Cologne Sect heretical, I intend to utterly destroy the sect.

Thinking this, I suppose it wouldn’t be wrong for me, like the Archbishop of Mainz, to fall into hell.

Yet, there is a faith that must be protected in this world.

That’s what the Cardinal of Cologne would probably say.

“Do you know Valiere von Anhalt? She’s the miserly second daughter of the thrifty Elector Liesenlotte, and the sister of Princess Anastasia, who is soon to have her succession ceremony in the capital.”

“I am aware. Apparently, she’s gathering stray horses and mercenaries and heading to the capital Windbona.”

It was essentially a form of peddling.

A noble daughter engaging in such activities is quite something.

The Archbishop of Mainz said this with a laugh.

It was not a mocking laugh, but rather one that oozed fondness.

She purely admired Princess Valiere’s planned peddling journey to the capital.

She loved making money.

“Being able to laugh like that…”

The real conversation begins here.

Somehow, I needed to manipulate this Archbishop of Mainz like a chess piece.

“You seem to know nothing yet, Archbishop of Mainz.”

“What don’t I know? It’s rare for there to be something this Archbishop of Mainz doesn’t know.”

The Archbishop of Mainz spoke with arrogance.

A despicable woman indeed.

Yet, I must use her.

Simply telling her to kill the second daughter of the Elector family would not win her agreement.

She would absolutely detest becoming an enemy of the Elector of Anhalt.

She would find excuses to decline.

But then…

“Lord Amelia von Berlichingen has joined Valiere’s brigade.”

As the Pope, I could manipulate with just a few words.

“…”

The Archbishop of Mainz, who had just been showing favor towards Valiere, now discarded that sentiment.

Her eyes showed no trace of laughter.

“Why would that damned rogue knight get involved?”

“I don’t know the details, but it seems that by chance, she struck a chord with Her Highness Valiere. If she does nothing for such a noble person, her reputation as an imperial knight would be ruined. She wishes to serve as a guide on the road to the capital.”

Of course, it was a lie.

It was clear that she intended to legally plunder every feudal lord along the way.

Even if she maintained a refined appearance compared to the devilish Claudia von Reckenber, her essence was no different.

“Pope Yulia, I once deployed troops for you. After your ascension following the condemnation of the previous Pope, I provided the necessary soldiers to reclaim the papal lands from the filthy ruffian lords.”

“I remember. You were a great help at that time.”

The Archbishop of Mainz was astute.

At the decisive moment, she ingratiated herself with me.

It was through military force, materials, and financial contributions.

Indeed, it had helped.

“Yes. While contributing to the Pope, I also thought of my diocese. Even though I took knights with me, I left enough advisors and soldiers to fully defend my diocese. And that filthy scum! Crawling in the dirt, barely able to survive the day, born of the lowest origins and without even a family crest—a rogue knight!!”

The problem was Lord Amelia von Berlichingen.

At that time, a mere rogue knight, unknown to anyone, a lone black knight without a lord, land, or family crest, had gathered a gang and attacked the territory of the Archbishop of Mainz.

It was a vile act done in her absence.

Ordinarily, any normal opponent should have been able to repel such a thing.

The Archbishop of Mainz was, after all, an elector, not just any knight to be dishonored.

However.

Lord Berlichingen had succeeded.

She carried out the feud to the end and won a vast sum in reparations.

“My territory was attacked, my property was damaged, and stolen by that knight. How much my reputation suffered! How much I was mocked by the citizens of the Empire!!”

It later turned out that Lord Amelia von Berlichingen had been planning large-scale raids for years.

It wasn’t a haphazard act on finding an opportunity.

She had been plotting how to conquer the Archbishop of Mainz’s territory since the very beginning of her career as a rogue knight.

How to gather troops, how to collect supplies, how to self-finance, which merchants could be persuaded to invest in the raid, and how to negotiate with large cities.

What weaknesses the opponent had, and how she could seize victory.

The more I investigated, the more it became clear that it was a strategically planned campaign.

A lone black knight of the lowest origins, with doubts about her ability to read or even perform simple calculations, had perhaps studied on her own.

Even after her right arm was blown to bits by a cannon, she had accomplished so much.

It was nothing short of admirable.

“As an elector, I, whose honor was tarnished, was forced to embrace that filthy rogue knight in front of everyone. What a humiliation!!”

For the victimized Archbishop of Mainz, such feats were nothing but infuriating.

“That time, that rogue knight whispered in my ear! While we embraced, she whispered in my ear!!”

The bishop’s staff was thrown onto the carpet.

She cast aside the shepherd’s staff, no longer a clergyman guiding her flock but screaming in pure, personal rage.

“Lick my ass. Let’s be cheerful about it. Complaining won’t help. It’s really a bother. So let’s go about it cheerfully and enjoyably. What, a notable elector of the Holy Gusten Empire was just knocked down by a crawling black knight. Isn’t it cheerful and exhilarating? Singing it out as if it were a song.”

The Archbishop of Mainz truly seemed disgusted, holding her ear.

For her, having her territory invaded, her city attacked, or her property extorted under the name of reparations was secondary to the pure defilement of her honor.

“And she said lastly, ‘Because you paid, I’ll reconcile with you. You licked my ass, and that’s how history will remember it.'”

To me, it was a trivial matter.

The defeated Archbishop of Mainz was foolish.

No matter the reasons, a loss was just an excuse.

However, fundamentally, it was as a result of the military forces I had summoned.

So, I had made arrangements for her to become a cardinal.

“That rogue knight alone I cannot forgive.”

Thus, for me, it was a past matter.

If I could use it, then I should.

“Then eliminate that rogue knight. There is no other way for your honor as an elector to be fully restored.”

I whispered, now about to incite.

“Officially, we have reconciled. I cannot break that agreement.”

“Officially, yes?”

Indeed, we had reconciled. A Princess-Elector cannot break such a publicly fulfilled agreement. Contracts are important. But honestly, that’s just a facade everyone pretends to respect.

“Let’s go back a bit. I intend to crush the Cologne Sect. I plan to conduct a heresy inquisition and hunt down every last follower. This includes Valiere von Anhalt, who is also a follower of the Cologne Sect.”

In truth, as long as the facade is maintained, any number of revenges are permissible.

“Even if they were heretics, I cannot kill the children of another house. I do not want to be hated by the House of Anhalt. I am one of the Princess-Electors, and I have my own people. For their sake, I must swallow my own humiliation.”

Now, the Archbishop of Mainz was desperately calculating in her head. With her quick thinking, she should consider how—

“I can fabricate any justification you need.”

—she could excuse herself to her people, maintain the facade, seek revenge, and restore her honor.

“Archbishop of Mainz, Valiere von Anhalt is not so important to the House of Anhalt. They might resent it a bit, but it was not the intention of the House of Mainz to kill her. It was done reluctantly because she did not renounce her heretical faith. Just argue earnestly and offer compensation. Of course, I, as the Pope, will provide all the compensation.”

The House of Anhalt will not move. Even if Valiere von Anhalt is killed, officially, they will just demand an apology from the House of Mainz. Even if Valiere was beloved, they would not protect her if she became known as a follower of the Cologne Sect facing an inquisition. Nobility prioritizes such logic.

“You want me to swallow mud?”

In the mind of the Archbishop of Mainz, reason likely tells her to stop. Yet, when truly insulted, people wish to kill their tormentor, even if it leads to their own ruin. Everything else becomes insignificant. Such is the nature of insult.

“Do you wish to remain in history as a Princess-Elector who licked the rogue knight’s boots, or would you rather restore your honor by being remembered as a valiant Princess-Elector who killed not just the rogue knight but even the children of other Princess-Elector families?”

Now that I’ve provoked her enough.

“However, my goal isn’t actually to kill Valiere von Anhalt. It will be difficult to get her to hand over the clergy of the Cologne Sect who are protecting her on her journey to the capital. Of course, it would be difficult for the Archbishop of Mainz, who seeks revenge, to get her to hand over Amelia von Berlichingen.”

My goal is to crush the Cologne Sect—to prevent the clergy of the Cologne Sect from reaching the capital and to seize the holy relics they protect. The Archbishop of Mainz’s goal is to avenge the misdeeds of Berlichingen and restore the honor of her house that was tarnished by the rogue knight.

“So, tell Her Highness Valiere this: ‘This is an order from Pope Yulia. Separate yourself from the Cologne Sect, which faces the inquisition, and repent. You are a victim deceived by heretics.'”

“And if she refuses?”

“Kill them all. The protecting Valiere von Anhalt, the clergy of the Cologne Sect, Berlichingen who follows them—everything.”

I am known as the Violent Pope. At this point, I do not shy away from murder. If it’s for the sake of protecting the faith, I don’t care if I fall into hell.

No, according to the doctrine of the Cologne Sect—

As the Cardinal of Cologne would say, if I declare them heretics—

—this world itself is hell.

We are merely pitiful, sinful residents living in it.

“Understood. I will depart from the capital and return to my territory. I will immediately gather my forces and correct the heretical beliefs of Valiere von Anhalt, the second princess of the House of Anhalt, and seek her conversion.”

If she refuses, it will lead to annihilation.

The Archbishop of Mainz quietly murmured her resolution. Truly, quietly.