Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 229

A carriage was rolling down the streets.

Inside were six individuals clutching muskets, each with pouches of gunpowder and oil hanging at their waists.

I was the leader of this operation, and four of them were originally my subordinates.

The remaining one, however, was actually a member of the Second Princess’ Royal Guard.

Of course, this wasn’t an assault with just six people—our other subordinates were already in place at the scene.

Lady Karma, a knight of the Second Princess’ Royal Guard, spoke up.

“Everyone! Thank you for joining us for Lady Valiere’s sake!”

At her words, everyone immediately looked toward her.

She proudly puffed out her chest, snorting slightly.

“Normally, when such an honorable mission is given to you, Her Highness would personally offer her words of encouragement. However, Lady Berlichingen prevented it. She thought it unworthy to meet Lady Valiere before accomplishing anything—only after achieving something can you meet her with pride! If anyone has a complaint, speak up. If not, answer that you have none!”

“We have none!!”

A chorus rang out.

There was no need for a check of intentions.

Lady Berlichingen’s words aligned with our wishes—if we were going to carry out this plan, we wanted to do so with pride, to achieve something and then face Her Highness.

No one had any objections.

Lady Karma turned her face toward me and yelled.

“Lord Rodari, I heard you are a friend of Lady Pretihya!”

“That’s correct. Though, by now, our positions have diverged quite a bit.”

I responded with a wry smile.

I am—or rather, was—a loyal friend to Lady Pretihya, the loyal knight of Lady Valiere.

Unfortunately, I was unable to receive the appointment of knighthood during Lady Valiere’s “Knightly Campaign.”

But still, I am a leader of a respectable mercenary group.

During the war with Mainz, I received enough rewards to be paid in gold coins, and I also plan to join the immigration to the Polydoro Territory.

And yet—

“You have nothing to be ashamed of. You may not have been knighted, but I’ve heard you played an active role in the war against the Elector of Mainz. More importantly, even after arriving in the capital, you petitioned Lady Pretihya numerous times.”

Indeed.

Lady Karma spoke the truth.

Even after arriving in the capital, I looked for ways to be of use to Lady Valiere.

I wanted to be noticed somehow.

Naturally, there was a selfish motive as well.

If I earned Lady Valiere’s favor, my future prospects after immigrating would improve.

But more than that, I genuinely wanted to be of service to her.

That’s why I visited that fellow Pretihya again and again, breaking into my rewards to slip her some silver coins as I begged.

“Most admirable.”

Finally, my efforts bore fruit.

Her Highness decided to raid that accursed newspaper company here in the capital.

Not that I cared, but my subordinates probably would.

Apparently, Her Highness made this decision out of her gentle and benevolent heart for the subordinates.

To eliminate those who tarnished the name of that goddess-like Highness by calling her a cruel, merciless fiend, a bloodthirsty elf who thirsts for dominance after drinking the blood of bandits.

“To all of you who have joined us, well done! However, unnecessary killing is forbidden this time. You can break two or three arms, though!!”

Ah, so we weren’t allowed to kill them.

But, well, if I accidentally break someone’s neck while trying to break their arm and end up killing them, Lady Valiere would probably say, “It happens sometimes.”

After all, she didn’t spare a single bandit, sending them all to hell and walking on a carpet of their blood.

“Anyway, it’s naturally acceptable if you’re protecting your own life! Lady Berlichingen’s primary objective this time isn’t to kill—it’s to burn down the newspaper office! And, most importantly, to seize the printing presses! We are particularly instructed to prioritize the latter!”

We understood the goal.

But… what? Seizing the printing presses?

Lady Berlichingen must have some purpose.

But well, regardless of whatever she has in mind, she is under Lady Valiere’s watchful gaze, even as the most notorious bandit knight in imperial history.

I’m sure Lady Valiere knows exactly what she’s thinking, so there shouldn’t be any problem with this action either.

There must be a reason behind the seizure of the presses, likely something that Lady Valiere has in mind.

Anyway.

I should stop overthinking it and focus on the operation.

That’s when a voice called out to me.

“Speaking of which, it’s about knighthood—Lord Rodari. After this mission succeeds, you are to receive it.”

A shocking statement rang right beside my ear.

It came from Lady Karma, of the Second Princess’ Royal Guard.

“K-Knighthood?”

“That’s right. Surely Lord Rodari hasn’t been entirely unaware of this possibility.”

“No, but… I wasn’t expecting to become a knight just for attacking a newspaper company…”

I’ve dreamt of it.

Dreamt of it, but I still didn’t think it was possible to receive it under these circumstances.

My real goal was just to secure a bit of influence to speak on behalf of Lady Valiere during the immigration.

“Even so, Lord Rodari. I am a knight as well, and I must put on airs.”

For some reason, Lady Karma’s manner of speaking suddenly took on a heavy accent.

Perhaps it’s unique to the Anhalt region.

“I must put on airs in front of my subordinates. So, Lord Rodari, you must have thought of putting on airs as well, which is why you joined this assault, isn’t it? Not everyone could make such a decision, to defy the Imperial City Council, to set fire to the newspaper office, and to seize the printing presses. It’s not something that can be decided so easily.”

“Y-Yes, I suppose so.”

Indeed, if I think about it calmly, we’re about to do something incredible.

It’s not the same as attacking a rural farming village, setting the miserly mayor’s house ablaze, and clapping our hands in joy.

Lady Pretihya and I have done that before, but this is on an entirely different level.

“They’ll be after your life for sure, so watch yourself.”

“Isn’t that the same for Lady Karma?”

“That’s why I volunteered. I couldn’t leave it to Sabine, not with her arm broken.”

No, it’s all for Lady Valiere.

Certainly not just for Sabine’s sake.

Lady Karma murmured that as she ended her sentence.

“Look here, Lord Rodari is trying to put on airs, and so I must put on airs as well. If this raid succeeds, I will petition Lady Valiere for Lord Rodari’s knighthood.”

“No, but…”

“Do you have any objections?”

Lady Karma looked at me, as if to say, “You’re not going to refuse, are you?”

I couldn’t refuse.

I dream of it, after all.

Above all… above all else.

The four subordinates in the carriage were looking at me with glittering eyes.

If I become a knight, they might also have a shot at a better life.

“Look, once you become a knight, serve Anhalt, save money, have children, and retire by moving with your subordinates to Polydoro Territory. That’s what everyone in the Second Princess’ Royal Guard is saying. Whether you live off your savings or buy farmland and till it, that’s all there is to it. The ones selling the land are happy. The buyers are happy. As long as you pay taxes properly, even Lord Polydoro won’t have any complaints. No one loses in this…”

“Ah…”

That is the ideal.

To fulfill my dream of becoming a knight and to immigrate to the Polydoro Territory.

To serve Lady Valiere until my dying breath.

To think that such happiness could come to my miserable, pitiful life.

“Well, think it over. We’re almost there.”

Lady Karma muttered as we neared our destination.

I had memorized the layout of the capital perfectly.

No matter what happened, we would all be able to escape the night watch.

“Our opponents are nothing more than fat, pampered scribes! Show them our strength!!”

“Yeah!!”

The carriage arrived in front of the newspaper office.

We lit the slow matches of our muskets, and everyone immediately jumped out.

The closed door—everyone fired at it.

Six large-caliber lead shots smashed into the door, shattering it.

Stepping over it, I leaped forward.

This was an act to make Lady Valiere’s name known, so announcing myself was crucial.

“Hear me, all who are near and far! I am a messenger of the illustrious Lady Valiere von Anhalt. You scoundrels of the press—”

“You must be from the Cologne Sect!”

My proclamation was interrupted.

The scribes were wielding clubs, and for pampered citizens, their eyes glinted with determination.

Even after smashing their door to pieces, they were surprisingly quick to react.

“It’s true that Her Highness supports the Cologne Sect—but this has nothing to do with religion.”

“So you’re just stooges for our rival publication, ‘The New Era Redeemer Chronicles,’ then?!”

What? What even is that?

I can’t read, so I don’t know, but I doubt that’s the case.

I was about to say as much, but—

“You’re attacking us because you couldn’t handle the competition with the Imperial City Gazette and have stooped to stealing the sacred printing press, the foundation of human wisdom! Well, I won’t allow it! Do not think we citizens are strangers to violence! For us, who strive to print newspapers that fulfill people’s grievances, brawls, murder, duels, revenge—those are all commonplace! We answer violence with violence!!”

These guys weren’t listening at all.

But it’s true that I underestimated them, thinking they were just imperial citizens.

I never expected them to be armed and ready to fight back.

But—there’s no time for talking now.

We have to subdue them somehow.

However, if we don’t make it clear where we came from, this raid will be meaningless.

“You’re wrong! We’re not messengers from the Cologne Sect! We are assassins sent by the great Lady Valiere!”

“What?! Are you upset because we wrote a heroic tale about Lady Valiere’s triumph over the Elector of Mainz?! What could possibly be wrong with that?!”

Are they seriously unaware of what they did wrong?

They sullied the name of the great Lady Valiere!

No, these guys won’t listen to reason.

—Good thing we have someone in charge.

I turned my gaze to Lady Karma, knight of the Second Princess’ Royal Guard.

She nodded and took over the conversation.

“I don’t care what your intent was in writing that newspaper! If Lady Valiere says that pigeon is black, then it’s black. If she says it’s white, then it’s white. If she tells you to die, then you should die! The heroic tales of Lady Valiere will be published in ‘The New Era Redeemer Chronicles.’ Hand over the printing press!!”

“So you really are from the Cologne Sect!!”

“Enough of this! Lord Rodari, gather the subordinates!!”

Wait, could it be that I didn’t know, and this is actually not a direct order from Lady Valiere?!

Is it possible that what they’re saying is true?!

I doubted it for a moment, but given the chaos, it was too late to turn back—and there was no opportunity to retreat.

My knighthood was also at stake.

That’s right, there’s no room for hesitation!

“Everyone, gather! Seize the printing press!!”

I shouted, calling my subordinates together.

More than a dozen of them burst through the shattered door, swinging their muskets like clubs.

“Grab a few of them as well! We might get some ransom money!!”

“Damn you! Cologne Sect scum! Resist to the end!!”

The scribes, instead of scattering, grouped up around the printing press and resisted.

Their final words were uttered with bloodshot eyes.

“We won’t lose to ‘The New Era Redeemer Chronicles,’ a sham magazine made by some mere religious sect! We’ll keep writing radical articles!!”

A few minutes later.

We won, but at what cost?

A few of our men had been beaten with clubs, some even suffering broken bones, and a few were groaning on the ground after being struck on the head.

In retaliation, we bloodied the scribes.

In the end, we dragged away the bloodied editor-in-chief as a hostage, stole the printing presses, and burned the newspaper office to the ground.

But, was this really a success?

As Lady Karma patted my shoulder, saying, “This is definitely knighthood-worthy!”, I found myself wondering if this was truly alright.