Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World

While Lord Polydoro was absent, the three electors and Duke Temeraire discussed the urgent matters at hand.

“Faust is away, let’s discuss the main issue. Who shall be the emperor?” Duke Temeraire initiated.

Astarte was about to propose Anastasia momentarily but realized it was futile. The decision had been made by the person herself.

“I advocate for Katarina. She represents the longstanding legitimate line of Virendorf. There should be no complaints.”

The fact was that she herself did not desire it. It wasn’t that she lacked the capability to ascend to the imperial throne on her own.

Thus, I had no intention of advocating for her from the start.

“Honestly, I don’t mind who it is. Even Prince Eugen there would do. The line of Mainz has longevity.”

From the start, I was uninterested.

Anastasia’s capabilities are entirely dedicated to sustaining all that will be inherited by the Kingdom of Anhalt.

As for her personal desires, they are buried under her lust to have Faust as her lover.

Compared to that, the position of emperor seemed worthless.

“I must decline.”

That level of disinterest was shared by Eugen as well. As long as he could maintain his own elector territory, any emperor would suffice. It was crucial that the emperor was someone he could communicate and agree with.

And to be honest, now is not the time I’d want to deal with it.

We’re on the brink of the empire’s potential downfall.

“It’s still uncertain if we can win. No, being the general against an enemy where victory is not visible? I can only decline.”

Duke Temeraire had laid all cards on the table, revealing the dire situation.

And with a face distorted by hatred, he made it clear he would not tolerate betrayal. If anyone here even hinted at treachery, they would be killed on the spot.

His face was contorted with hatred, a man who had been betrayed despite sincere efforts. His lips twitched, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face was creased with lines.

The betrayers had been the empire’s emperor and the pope.

Indeed, that would drive anyone to that state.

Duke Temeraire wanted to keep Faust from seeing that face.

“Prince Eugen.”

I interjected. I had to.

“Duke Astarte. Do you think we can win against Mongolia? I’m not talking about betrayal. Duke Temeraire is frightening. I don’t want to be killed here. But let’s face it, we can’t win. Even Duke Temeraire knows this, as do the pope and emperor who betrayed us.”

If I understood the enemy’s strength, I wouldn’t say we should fight.

So spat Prince Eugen.

“We cannot win.”

He declared, in a tone of despair.

Yes, the current situation presented no possible future where the empire could defeat Mongolia.

158,000 cavalry might sound impressive, but that’s all there was.

“Mercenaries from other countries. That could work. Knights can make something of it. That’s what knights are for. But, the quality of troops, commanders, among other factors… it feels like a societal disparity. Honestly, our empire’s knights are a notch below the Mongolian soldiers.”

“Hmm.”

Anastasia nodded, seeming to understand what was being said.

“The critical issue isn’t the numerical difference but that the majority of the opposing forces are experienced warriors, and there’s a disparity with our knights?”

“Exactly. The issue is also that we don’t have a commander capable of leading 100,000 in our empire. Is there anyone?”

“Hmm.”

Anastasia nodded again.

“Well, that’s true. Our battles usually involve at most 1,000 or 2,000 troops. But isn’t that a bit too pessimistic? We don’t often face battles on the scale of tens of thousands. The battlefield is limited.”

“Even tens of thousands make no difference. Any experience, Duke Astarte?”

Eugen directed the question to me.

I answered.

“I’ve commanded around three thousand in conflicts with northern nomadic tribes.”

“That’s somewhat better. What about tens of thousands?”

“I’m scheduled to gain experience with 10,000 or 20,000 in upcoming northern campaigns.”

I promised Faust that within a year, we’d have to flatten and expel the nomadic tribes, or dominate and annex them.

Which route we’d take was still undecided—

“The death of Lord Reckenberg was unfortunate. She could have been the de facto grand commander. In contrast, Lord Polydoro excels in personal combat, but as a commander, he would be inept. He’s best leading a small militia of 20 to 30 men with his own strength.”

Eugen seemed to be contemplating various factors.

But he should stop blurting out unnecessary things as soon as they come to mind.

Duke Temeraire looked troubled again.

Looking at Prince Eugen, his gaze filled with suspicion as if thinking, “This guy might betray us,” unable to hide his doubts.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Let’s get back to the topic.

“I ask, whose lineage is the legitimate emperor? Is Katarina of Virendorf the correct answer? I would like to hear it here.”

“Well…”

I threw the ball to Katarina.

But she stood pondering how to answer, hesitating slightly before responding.

“Postpone it. It wouldn’t be a problem to dethrone the current emperor later. If no one else can or will succeed, I might as well, but isn’t it more important now to discuss how we can defeat Mongolia?”

Well, that’s true.

Prince Eugen seemed more concerned about that than about who sat on the imperial throne.

Actually, the position of emperor held little value.

The only person who truly desired it was Duke Temeraire, and even that was due to various reasons, including proximity to the capital.

That was in the past.

“If avoiding war is possible, even Seora would be fine. Give her the emperor’s position or the land. Honestly, that’s what I’d like to say.”

Katarina muttered a realistic yet utterly unrealistic proposal.

If it were feasible, it would already be done.

“The traitorous pope’s plan?”

Anastasia responded.

Something to consider.

Honestly, if that could settle things, it wouldn’t be so bad here.

If the electors agreed, any emperor would do.

Half of the electing electors were already here.

It wasn’t impossible if we decided to do it.

The pope wasn’t planning to betray with that plan; it wasn’t as if being non-Imperial disqualified one from being emperor.

We, the electors, hold the voting rights.

“There were non-provincial emperors long ago. Seora is capable. If making her emperor could truly satisfy Mongolia and avoid a major war, it’s a practical proposal.”

Anastasia stated, though she knew all this without saying.

“If Seora accepts this, a large-scale war might indeed be avoided. But regardless of what Seora wishes, the Mongolian nobles will still demand control over territories within the empire. They won’t be satisfied. As a result, a bright future for the empire seems unlikely.”

The pope’s plan also considered the great destruction that would follow a large-scale war and the reconstruction of the empire.

They tried to achieve a better country based on somewhat naive ideas, with Seora and the pope both aiming for this.

The inquisition against the heretical Cologne cardinal failed, and instead, he ended up being detained by the empire’s side.

“Impossible, then. Personally, I don’t dislike that Seora, but it seems I’m the only option.”

Katarina muttered.

Personal feelings and interests should not bring about impossible proposals.

“Then, let’s tentatively place Katarina as the emperor candidate. If that happens, no one here will complain.”

Anastasia made a decision.

Everyone responded by nodding, not voicing their agreement.

I exhaled.

Duke Temeraire, for now satisfied, continued.

“Then, as everyone is concerned about ‘how we can defeat Mongolia,’ let’s gather the few possibilities we have. Precisely, the Cologne faction.”