Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 177

The numbers kept swelling, as if by some rodent-like multiplication. The brigade’s personnel had tripled since departing Anhalt, growing from a thousand to over three thousand. Opportunities for advancement, business ventures, and the chance to reach unprecedented heights in life lured everyone in—it was a journey of dreams, a relentless march toward hope.

“Perhaps it’s time to start wrapping things up?” mused Lady Sabine von Wesperman, her pen scratching across the parchment. Truth be told, the numbers were overwhelming, barely held together by Valiere’s charisma. Every beginning has its end, and every dream must eventually awaken. Sabine knew the limits of the dreams she crafted—certainly not enough to share amongst the greedy throngs that had gathered.

“Shall we just run with it as far as we can go?”

The idea was to expand the army, secure more supplies, and besiege the imperial city, much like the legendary Reckenber of Virendorf had once led the Landsknecht. Maybe even snatch the electorship from Duchess Anastasia, as rumors within the brigade suggested—a fleeting thought dismissed with a shake of her head.

“Such actions would benefit neither Valiere nor myself. Valiere desires no electorship.”

Power equaled responsibility—a spectacle Sabine would enjoy from a distance, reveling in the chaos but never truly wishing harm upon Valiere. If things had to end, they should end well for Valiere; otherwise, Sabine herself would handle the messy bits.

“Maybe orchestrate a cannibalistic cleanup?”

An idea struck. They were halfway to the imperial city, having already bestowed knighthood on twenty and citizenship and soldier status on about four hundred. Those loyal would fight tooth and nail for Valiere. Plus, with the super-knights, including Faust, sent by the cannibalistic Anastasia, Valiere’s safety was secured. Thus, resorting to a brutal “cannibalism” strategy seemed viable.

“A tournament, perhaps?”

If they reached just outside the imperial capital, why not host a tournament? Team battles, jousts—anything. Let those who still hadn’t grasped their dreams fight it out, their lives hanging in the balance. They would likely turn on each other with deadly intent, drastically reducing the numbers. Those who survived would see their dreams fulfilled; those who died would be freed from this wretched life. It seemed like a win-win.

“I must say, I am rather clever.”

Sabine allowed herself a smug smile. To think one could easily achieve their dreams was foolish. Steal, kill, commit atrocities—all permissible until another takes your life. This was a world where “a war of all against all” was acceptable. Even if they realized Sabine’s intentions, they’d probably kill each other anyway—it was “business as usual.”

“Alright, let’s proceed with this plan.”

There were other ideas, but none seemed as effective as this one. Now to find a suitable plain near the imperial city. It would be prudent to involve Amelia von Berlichingen, an expert on the area, and perhaps let her take charge. After all, it was Sabine who would be paying.

As for Berlichingen, an odd woman indeed, she was truly fond of Valiere, yet not planning to ruin everything at the last moment. She simply hoped the journey’s end would be terrible, occasionally gazing at Valiere with a mix of adoration and sorrow.

“Don’t worry, in the end, it will all go as you wish.”

Their task of marching to the imperial city and forming factions to protect Valiere was almost done. They had effectively used everyone up.

“It’s time for the cleanup.”

Sabine finished drafting the document—a summary of conversations Valiere would have with feudal lords, detailing their histories, pride, dislikes, and breaking points. It was a simple task for a former heraldic head of Anhalt, though extracting it from memory was slightly cumbersome.

She might allow herself a short rest, perhaps an hour of sleep. But then—

“Lady Sabine, are you there?” “Lady Pretihya?”

It seemed they couldn’t proceed quite as planned. Lady Pretihya, a local officer who had proven to be a real asset, raised her voice in alarm.

“I understand you’re in a hurry, but take a moment to breathe. If you claim to be a loyal knight of Lady Valiere, you must not show any weakness.”

Her unwavering loyalty to Lady Valiere was particularly commendable. Even if Lady Valiere were to eventually join the Polydoro household, Pretihya would likely remain steadfast.

Taking a deep breath, Lady Pretihya continued, “A messenger from the Archbishop of Mainz has arrived. This is beyond my capacity to handle.”

“The Archbishop of Mainz?”

Sabine pondered for a moment. The Archbishop was an elector, one of the three spiritual princes, notorious for his greed—a clergyman more secular than sacred.

What could he possibly want?

Most would stop there, but Sabine could think of several possibilities: a command from the emperor to disband Valiere’s approaching forces, an inquisition from the Cologne Sect—not about the relics they carried, but about their true intentions—all things she had anticipated.

“Have you even heard his business yet? Why the panic?”

“Just now, a scout searching for bandits contacted us! The forces led by the elector of Mainz number about 6,000!”

So, the Archbishop of Mainz seeks negotiation backed by force, casting aside the dignity of his elector house in a desperate fashion. Sabine remembered that Lady Amelia von Berlichingen’s extensive pillaging had once affected the Archbishop’s diocese—

“Ah, I see.”

Everything clicked. Although it was just a theory, it seemed likely that all these intertwined causes had led the Archbishop here, perhaps whispered into his ear by the Pope himself. Now was the chance to execute an inquisition against the Cologne Sect and eliminate Berlichingen, all under the guise of ecclesiastical duty.

“Hmm.”

Again and again, Sabine nodded, understanding the situation, digesting it. Very well. This wasn’t necessarily bad news. Pinning everything on the Cologne Sect and Berlichingen as a conclusion to this dream might even be convenient. After all, the Cologne Sect had committed the indiscretion of not revealing their true intentions to Lady Valiere, and Berlichingen was the root cause of their target.

It was merely time to deal with past misdeeds.

What mattered to Sabine von Wesperman was Lady Valiere, her fellow guards, and her lover, Faust. The fate of others, however tragic their deaths might be, was of no concern to her. Of course, she would keep those who were necessary.

“Lady Sabine?”

“Rest assured, Lady Pretihya.”

She would definitely keep her. It would be foolish to abandon those brought from Anhalt. She had promised the young bureaucratic nobles of the kingdom that she would bring capable knights and soldiers, and breaking that promise would reflect poorly on her.

“The Archbishop of Mainz isn’t launching an attack but has sent a precursor for negotiations, right?”

Regarding the merchants, including the sutler Ingritt, whose company had invested an amount equivalent to their entire fortune in this venture, any breach of trust could lead to lethal consequences for Sabine.

“In essence, the Archbishop of Mainz has no intention of harming Lady Valiere. His target is the Cologne Sect and Berlichingen.”

As for the Cologne Sect, Sabine couldn’t afford to abandon those still in Polydoro or those among the Cologne clergy in Anhalt. Lady Valiere and Faust would oppose such an action. However, that meant the rest of the Cologne clergy could be forsaken.

“Lady Pretihya, the selection is over. I’ll protect everyone recognized as necessary—but the rest are expendable. They can be sacrificed to the bloodthirsty Archbishop of Mainz.”

Sabine laughed heartily, watching the dismayed Lady Pretihya.

The only concern now was convincing Lady Valiere. That would be more troublesome than negotiating with the Archbishop of Mainz.