Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 203

Tension enveloped the room.

Facing Sabine, the field commander of the assassination plan, Nahid stood with her arms crossed, a slight look of amusement on her face.

Tall and voluptuous, Sabine contrasted with Nahid, who resembled a young girl with a more petite physique.

The two stood in silence.

Meanwhile, Miss Marina’s face was intensely contorted, making me wonder why she was even present.

Given Sabine’s personality, I had assumed she would have already abandoned her family.

“Indeed, the boy our clan presented to the Anhalt heraldry. Your face bears his resemblance, Sabine von Wesperman. It’s as if you’re a throwback to an ancestor.”

Nahid acknowledged that Sabine was indeed a member of their clan.

“Pfft. I’ve left my home, so it’s none of my business.”

Sabine, who had distanced herself from the Wesperman sub-family, clicked her tongue, dismissing the matter as irrelevant.

Well.

What should I do?

I figured I needed to intervene for the conversation to progress.

“Sabine. As a field commander, aren’t you in desperate need of Nahid’s superhuman assassination squad? And—”

I glanced at Miss Marina, who trembled slightly, startled.

Poor thing.

“In that case, isn’t the support from the Wesperman family unnecessary? Or is it otherwise?”

I asked directly.

This was not a conclusion, but a question.

After all, if the Wesperman family could provide capable assassins, there would be no reason to refuse them.

“If not, I can mediate with Queen Riesenlotte or Princess Anastasia. If you can still prove your worth, there might be no need to dismantle the Wesperman family. A reevaluation of their value might be possible.”

I was willing to make an effort.

From what Princess Anastasia had told me, it seemed she no longer saw any value in the Wesperman family.

It wasn’t my concern what happened to the Wesperman family, but if Sabine was particularly bothered—

Well, I might have stood up for Marina alone.

“Thank you. But this has nothing to do with Faust. Whether the Wesperman family falls or not… that’s a matter solely for me, as I can’t abandon even just my sister Marina. And even glaring at that old woman over there is out of line, I know.”

With a cold tone, she declined.

Her blonde hair swayed across her chest.

“As you seem to understand, the assassination guild ‘Eve’s Morning Star’ didn’t join to become vassals. We have no memory of becoming servants. We only borrowed shelter under Anhalt’s protection. I have no reason to do anything for the distant Wesperman family.”

A small, red tongue flicked out from her tanned lips as Nahid spoke.

“After fleeing the Mongol Empire and escaping to this imperial city, I investigated what the former sub-family was up to. Depending on the circumstances, I might have needed to seek shelter with them. But all I learned was their deplorable state. The predecessor of Marina, in the main family, had messed everything up. That Sabine, who left home, was somewhat competent. Those were the only two things.”

Our sub-family’s house had become a shambles, unworthy of seeking refuge in.

Nahid spoke in a ruthless tone.

“From my perspective, there’s no reason to lend strength to the fallen Wesperman family. No reason to share the rewards we’ve earned. Understand?”

“I get it. Matriarch of the main family. Even if I, this Sabine, use you to claim the pope’s head, even if the assassination succeeds, it has nothing to do with the Wesperman family, right?”

“That’s right.”

There were parts I didn’t quite grasp.

Was the Wesperman family really in such dire straits?

Anyway, in terms of simple reward for effort, it would be wrong to give what Nahid’s assassination squad had achieved to the inactive Wesperman family.

I understood that.

“But the field commander remains Sabine von Wesperman. And as such, you must understand what really needs to be done. Just abandon your sister at home already.”

Nahid made it clear.

Sabine responded firmly.

“No.”

Her expression was resolute as she muttered.

“If I hadn’t known anything, then maybe I could have done it. If it had been before I met a certain knight. I understand that I could have been that kind of person. But—”

Sabine was somewhat unhinged.

Perhaps, for her, anyone outside the category of kin had no more value than livestock.

She only recognized as human those she needed: His Highness Valiere, colleagues from the royal guard, and perhaps I was included in that small world.

That’s why she would—

Even if it was her sister, it was strange to see her protecting Marina.

“…It’s because an innocent sister shouldn’t be killed just for being related to her parents.”

That’s why it was hard to understand why she murmured so feebly.

Suddenly, something caught my attention.

There was just one moment when Sabine looked at me with a kind of dismayed yet admiring gaze.

It was as if she had discovered something sacred.

Wasn’t it right after her first battle, when we were mourning her best friend Hanna in a cheap tavern?

“So, what will you do?”

With just one word from Nahid, my thoughts were interrupted.

“I want to hear your conclusion. The distinguished descendant of our bloodline, Sabine von Wesperman.”

“First, the assassination will involve Nahid’s clan as well. It’s under Princess Anastasia’s orders, and Temeraire’s Grandmother has also given her consent. I have no authority to refuse, and as the field commander, I have no reason to refuse for the success of the assassination.”

With a smooth voice, Nahid laughed mockingly, her expression hinting at a touch of regret as if she were about to say, “Well, can’t be helped.”

“There’s no need for the Wesperman family to participate as the actual perpetrators of the assassination. Most of their capable assassins are dead, and it’s clear they lack the strength necessary to take part. However, a few spies remain and have been deployed in the imperial capital. They’ve gathered vital information, including the security arrangements at the cathedral, the Pope’s whereabouts, how many superhumans are on alert, and where the Cardinal of Cologne has been captured and confined. They’ve even pinpointed the locations where the heresy trials are planned. Although we’ve received cooperation from Duke Temeraire, there’s no denying the Wesperman family has already produced results.”

I interrupted her.

Instead, I muttered, “Hmm,” once again, this time with a hint of admiration.

“What do you mean, Sabine von Wesperman? You took control from Marina and, within days, had spies in place, gathering the intelligence needed for the assassination. How did you pull that off? You must have done something drastic, right?”

Despite the praise, Sabine didn’t look pleased at all.

Instead, she appeared as if she didn’t want to say anything.

“If you want to know… If that insufferable loli granny ever pays proper attention to the assassination plan, I’ll tell you later. I don’t even want to mention it in front of Faust.”

She indicated she didn’t want me to hear it, and that was the end of it.

I sensed something was off.

Sabine was ‘not like herself.’

Something seemed wrong.

Usually, she would laugh gleefully about her nefarious schemes.

Faust is supposed to be her kin.

“Faust, please don’t look at me like that. It’s a story you don’t need to hear.”

Seeing Sabine make excuses, her tone tinged with a faint sadness, I sensed her unease.

“Good, good, Sabine. I’ll acknowledge that you truly are a descendant of our clan. I understand most of your methods. The Wesperman family had forgotten their origins. Whether out of shame for coming from a foreign land or due to their heathen ancestry, they seemed to have deliberately forgotten. But as a family of assassins, they haven’t forgotten the art of espionage!”

Nahid praised her.

Sabine clenched her lips, avoiding my gaze.

Something wasn’t aligning.

In this state, could they really carry out the assassination of the Pope?

I felt a wave of anxiety.

It seemed like a dark cloud was hanging over the core of the plan to assassinate the Pope.

…

I tried to speak.

Then stopped.

Was this anxiety truly because of Sabine’s unease, or was it Nahid’s involvement?

My intuition told me something else was at play.

Could it be a mistake?

Was Faust von Polidoro, of all people, responsible for a critical failure?

Was I unable to articulate the fears I needed to express because of my vague understanding?

I’m not particularly clever.

I couldn’t express what was wrong, what was failing, or why it felt like it was stuck in my throat.

Maybe I should discuss whether there’s anything I’m overlooking.

Just as I was about to speak up.

A knock sounded.

“Lord Faust, a message!”

It was Martina’s voice from beyond the door.

As I nodded, Marina, standing near the door, opened it.

There stood Martina, small enough to reach my waist, shouting loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“The Cardinal of Cologne has just been detained! Accused of harboring teachings contrary to the orthodox faith, the Pope has sent a papal decree to the Electors to conduct a heresy trial on the Cologne sect. They will review the New Century Atonement Lord Legends, the scripture of the Cologne sect, for heresy!”

Hearing that my spiritual leader, the Cardinal of Cologne, had been detained, I understood he likely surrendered without much resistance.

“So it is.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and stood up.

Now, it was time to let go of all worries about failure.

Being too cautious about failure could prove fatal.

“Martina, it was the Cardinal’s own will to be captured. Thus, there’s nothing we can do for now…”

Yet, there was still something we had to do.

“Let’s pay a visit to the Pope. We must remember the face of the woman we will soon kill.”

If I leave now, I might see the Cardinal being escorted to the cathedral.

I might also catch a glimpse of the Pope orchestrating it.

I decided to take Martina and head to the grand boulevard of the imperial city.