Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 178

I can’t make sense of the situation.

Until a moment ago, I was troubled by the swelling ranks of the brigade, fearing that the collapse of order would turn my troops into bandits who would mercilessly slaughter innocent men and women and plunder towns.

How could I have imagined that this reckless force would end up in a “hopelessly violent, unilateral defeat”?

Yet, that was the reality bearing down on me.

“What is going on!?”

The Archbishop of Mainz leads 6,000 troops, positioned along the highway to the imperial capital. Gathering such a force implies more than just an act of intimidation—it’s not merely a violent gesture to demonstrate the Archbishop’s authority.

Even I, struggling to feed merely half of that number, can understand this. It’s clear they intend to attack us.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, they are prepared to resort to killing. Even I can understand that, and those who make their living on the brink of life and death must be even more terrified.

My army, mostly made up of starving poor, is now permeated with an eerie atmosphere.

“Normally, there would have been some precursors leading up to this resolve by the Archbishop of Mainz, some signs before such an inevitably tangled conclusion resulted in bloodshed—”

I’m merely stating the obvious, grumbling about common sense. But I realize that speaking out won’t change anything, though I need to vocalize these thoughts to organize them.

“It must be my fault.”

Lady Amelia quietly explained the reason, with the calmness of an elder sister reprimanding her younger self—simply stating the facts.

“The only aim of the Archbishop of Mainz must be to kill me, Amelia von Berlichingen. Well, the overt justification is as stated in the precursor.”

The Archbishop’s envoy presented a document to me. The content was straightforward.

I wondered how they could issue such a unilateral ultimatum. I doubted the sanity of the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Yulia, who was possibly behind him.

As the foremost prince of the Holy Realm and a member of the seven Electoral houses,

The Archbishop of Mainz addresses Valiere von Anhalt, the second child of the Anhalt Electoral family:

Are you a heretic?

Asking such a question out of the blue, you may not understand what it entails.

Especially since I, as the Archbishop of Mainz, pride myself on being an upright clergyman—not to be confused with brute knights who only know violence, akin to barbarians crawling on the ground.

Therefore, I must explain everything to you.

This is the “Lectio” (reading) phase, and you must first listen to my words.

First, I will tell you what Pope Yulia has said to me.

The Cologne Sect is heretical.

They must be eradicated and purified.

It is clear that the teachings and leaders of the Cologne Sect blaspheme the Bible.

“Why did I declare the Cologne Sect heretical?” I asked as a clergyman.

Pope Yulia spoke of religious deviations as the basis.

The sect known as the Cologne Sect blasphemes the Bible.

Originally, the Bible tells of God’s encounters and covenants with humans.

Through words, deeds, death, resurrection, and various forms, God communicated with the saints, who are the saviors, and this was realized and recorded by all witnesses.

The Bible records the life of the Savior and the preaching of his apostles.

It is a necessary document to decipher all the words that God intended to convey to humans.

However, for the Cologne Sect, it seemed different.

They do not worship God.

They worship the Savior himself, the saints, and the apostles.

If there is an image of the Savior, they hang a mace at his waist and present a musket in his hand,

Pretending that a pistol was pressed against the temple of an apostle.

They write things not clearly stated in the Bible and boast of discovering unwritten facts.

Is this befitting conduct for a clergyman?

Let me put it simply.

The Cologne Sect is purely insulting and damaging the faith of the people of the Holy Gusten Empire.

This is evident to everyone.

It should be deemed heretical.

The only commendable aspect of the Cologne Sect clergy is that they lead a holy life, fasting and abstaining, praying day and night, working only for necessities, not demanding wealth from good men and women, and always desperately thinking of ways to distribute bread to the poor.

They only think of ways to spread salvation among the people.

Isn’t that somewhat commendable?

Even compared to the heretics, the corruption within our orthodoxy needs improvement, but that aside, the Cologne Sect must be expelled.

Therefore, as Pope Yulia, I entrust the Archbishop of Mainz with all matters related to the following conditions:

• • Immediately disband the assembled army from across the empire.

• • Thoroughly burn the “New Century Savior Legend” claimed as the Bible by the Cologne Sect.

• • Valiere von Anhalt must convert from the heretical Cologne Sect to orthodoxy.

• • If the followers of the Cologne Sect do not clearly convert, they should be executed.

• • The Archbishop of Mainz should be entrusted with the disposal of properties levied from feudal lords along the imperial highways.

• • Even if the clergy of the Cologne Sect convert, they should be treated as serfs thereafter.

Furthermore, from the perspective of the Holy Gusten Empire’s law, there is something to be mentioned.

The “Mainz Land Peace Edict,” which aims to “prohibit all feuds within the empire” and was previously proposed by the Archbishop of Mainz, shall be approved on a limited basis in the name of Pope Yulia and Emperor Maxine.

As requested by the Supreme Court of the Empire, the first punishment fitting for the “most villainous robber knight who misused feuds and committed plunder” shall be entrusted to the Archbishop of Mainz: to arrest Lady Amelia von Berlichingen.

This concludes the document.

“In the eyes of the public, I shall receive your response in a form clear to all.”

Think carefully.

The knight I dispatched is a herald, well-versed in the nuances of negotiation.

I’ll let you know that there is still room for us to deepen our understanding.

From the Archbishop of Mainz to Valiere von Anhalt, the second child of the Anhalt Electoral family,

As a member of the seven Electoral families of the Holy Gusten Empire.

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“Where is there room for further understanding?!”

Isn’t this an ultimatum?

It was a demand predicated entirely on mutual destruction.

The Archbishop of Mainz was clearly seeking total submission, exposing the secular demands of the Electoral houses.

And the only demand I could possibly accept was the first one:

The disbandment of the troops.

No, conversion from the Cologne Sect isn’t an impossible condition—but…

“Don’t worry, Valiere-dono. Neither Pope Yulia nor the Archbishop of Mainz truly desire things to go this far.”

Negotiators often start by making demands the other party can’t possibly accept. Then, they work towards a compromise, bit by bit.

That’s what the astute negotiator, Lady Amelia von Berlichingen, murmured.

There probably isn’t anyone more skilled in negotiation throughout the empire than her.

“First, the disbandment of troops, which, needless to say, even you, Valiere-dono, can agree to.”

In fact, isn’t that fortunate?

Valiere-dono, it’s not like you wanted to gather these troops in the first place, right?

“Consider the conditions demanded of you, Your Highness. Burning the Cologne Sect’s Bible, executing the unconverted followers, and making converted clergy into serfs—these aren’t things that His Excellency the Archbishop of Mainz is asking you to do personally. He’s saying he’ll handle the eradication of the heretical Cologne Sect himself. What’s asked of you is to personally convert from the Cologne Sect and persuade your relatives and locals to escape from heresy—”

That’s what Lady Amelia says.

Indeed, when put that way, it makes sense.

But no matter how I think about it.

No matter how I think about it…

“In truth, what is asked of you personally isn’t all that much. Disband the troops, convert from the Cologne Sect to orthodoxy, and the only point really up for negotiation is—yes, entrusting the disposal of properties levied from feudal lords to the Archbishop of Mainz. That’s the only point they might concede. That greedy pig might want money, but honor is important even in the act of collecting it. This time, the opponent prioritized honor in their attack.”

If we continue to negotiate, your arrest is the only thing we cannot avoid.

Honestly, finding a way to protect you alone is impossible—that was Valiere’s real feeling.

Lady Amelia von Berlichingen.

Arrest, after all, means death.

Referring to past feuds as crimes to demand Lady Amelia’s arrest is nothing short of a death sentence.

“Don’t look so sad, Valiere-dono.”

Lady Amelia spread her hands like a flower.

One arm was made of iron, marked with magical symbols.

But it didn’t matter—like a flower, there was a sort of timeless grace about her.

“It’s not your fault, Valiere-dono. The Archbishop of Mainz had been proposing this for a while, and since the Pope and the Emperor endorsed it, well, it means preparations were made to corner me whenever the opportunity arose.”

Despite giving off an almost otherworldly air, Lady Amelia von Berlichingen, the empire’s most notorious robber knight, muttered as if she truly didn’t care, even though it was about herself.

“I repeat, this isn’t your fault, Valiere-dono. It was a fate bound to come for me someday. It just happened to be today. Abandon me. It goes without saying, but that’s the prerequisite. And win in the monetary negotiations. Don’t concede there. After all, there are plenty in this brigade who will starve tomorrow if Valiere-dono loses the money.”

With an odd beauty, like a rose in the Anhalt palace garden just before it withers, she said:

“Let’s stop here. If Lady Sabine were here, she would make everything right. Goodbye, Valiere-dono. It was somewhat fun.”

Sell me out.

Lady Amelia von Berlichingen, the empire’s most notorious robber knight, told her.

“I was already planning on it. There’s no problem with anything. I will not yield on the money, and I have no intention of protecting you. I’ve already proposed everything you said to the herald, the Archbishop of Mainz’s envoy. The negotiations are going smoothly. Well, yes, the only issue is that the Cologne Sect clergy brought from Anhalt are awaiting adjudication by the Anhalt Electoral family, and I shall somehow evade mentioning any rights to that.”

My head of the royal guard, Sabine von Wesperman, coldly conveyed the reality.

With a reptilian expression, her tongue seemingly flicking out.

Everything was going well, her look said.

Yet, despite openly giving off an extremely displeasing air.

My fiancé, now wearing a bucket helmet, Faust, remained silent, saying nothing.

His armor was prominently engraved with the Cologne Sect’s crest.