Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 241

A messenger from the Ingritt Trading Company, a merchant under Lord Faust’s service, arrived with a message.

Ingritt herself warned, “They are unlikely to keep their word regarding a one-on-one duel. Be cautious.” Along with this warning, the Landsknecht’s challenge to a duel was delivered.

Even among the Landsknecht, known as peasant mercenaries, some were of noble origin and capable of composing lieder (songs).

Although I had little expectation, I wondered what the contents would be. Surely, the letter would be filled with crude and provocative words.

As Faust-sama’s attendant, I respectfully accepted the challenge on his behalf and was about to hand it to him when—

“Don’t bother. Read it aloud as it is, Martina.”

“Are you sure?”

“If I were to receive it myself, I might tear it apart in a fit of rage.”

Ah, I could feel his anger.

Ingritt, the trusted merchant of Polydoro, had been attacked. It was only natural for him to be furious.

Ingritt had been connected to the Polydoro domain since the time of his mother and was a trusted partner, practically bound by shared fate. She even handled part of the estate’s assets. In the upcoming colonization efforts for Polydoro, she was responsible for procuring the necessary supplies.

This attack on Ingritt was clearly a provocation by the Landsknecht.

“Very well, I shall read it aloud.”

I opened the duel challenge and began to read:

“May the great and courageous Reckenber receive the blessings of the gods!

Under her banner, a knightly order has emerged, traveling with flutes and drums through the lands. This order, they call the Landsknecht.

You may think of us as armored beggars.

But we are still the loyal servants of the late Reckenber.

We cannot accept that a brutish, muscular knight like you claims to have slain Reckenber in an honorable duel.

Surely, you must have used some cowardly trick.

Did you surround her with many men and kill her?

Or perhaps, during a prearranged match, you suddenly showed murderous intent?

Maybe you even seduced a Virendorf female knight with your manhood?

We know how strong the great Reckenber was, and because of that, we cannot acknowledge your existence.

You stole our sun.

You stole Reckenber from us.

You may think that we, the Landsknecht, are incapable of doing anything by ourselves.

But we have walked, bloodied to the soles of our shoes. Blood even dripped into our boots.

We marched over the bodies of the fallen and wounded, hearing their screams as we swung our swords upon the enemy.

That’s what we were like when Reckenber was with us.

Now, we are different.

Our youth, disgracefully, have even been defeated by Temeraire’s ‘Mad Boar Knights.’

You stole our honor.

You stole Reckenber.

You shattered our iron hearts.

And so, we must avenge this.

We seek revenge against Faust von Polydoro.

Fueled by such anger, we have penned this duel challenge.

Accept the duel, Faust.

It is said in Virendorf that you would accept any one-on-one duel.

Because Reckenber accepted such a challenge, will you not flee from this?

Swear by your small, cowardly manhood that you will fight.

Or are you too much of a weakling to even dare face our ‘Seven-Notch Baumann’?

Your mother, the ‘Mad Marianne,’ truly raised a pathetic child.

She picked up the abandoned child of Virendorf and raised him—”

“I cannot read any more of this,” I muttered honestly.

It was impossible to read further.

Faust-sama could endure insults aimed at himself, but not slander against his mother, Lady Marianne—this I was sure of. However, his face was already flushed with anger.

This was bad. Faust-sama was enraged.

He was furious beyond control.

“Let me see it!”

Faust-sama snatched the duel challenge from my hands. His face was contorted with rage.

He read it aloud himself:

“If Reckenber were a fine young stallion, then the Mad Marianne would be akin to an old donkey.

You were raised by such a mother.

You were tormented under the guise of ‘training’ from your infancy, forced to breathe in and out as you lived.

Well, when an old donkey outlives its usefulness, it’s only fit to be slaughtered for meat.

Indeed, your mother poured her very blood and flesh into raising a wretch like you.

What a fool she was.

Mad Marianne, the laughingstock of Anhalt.

She lost her husband and raised only one male knight.

Lonely Marianne, abandoned by her relatives, forsaken by the nearby lords, and even cast aside by her liege, Queen Liesenlotte.

Ah, her madness was not just in appearance.

The Polydoro domain, too, is part of the mad Cologne Sect.

I heard that you are descendants of a people lower than even us Landsknecht, born without a homeland.

They say you are nothing more than exiles, a group of the Banished.

Not even peasants or serfs.

Without any knowledge, you dug the earth with sticks like monkeys, and the result of that miserable lot was Mad Marianne and you.

It’s laughable.

She must have been so lonely after losing her husband early on.

Perhaps she even took your virginity—”

At that point, Faust-sama stopped reading.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak further.

It wasn’t something as childish as that.

The Landsknecht had insulted every aspect of Faust von Polydoro’s pride. They had touched the one thing that should never be touched: his rage.

“I’ll kill every last one of them! The very existence of the Landsknecht!!”

“Please, calm yourself,” I spoke without thinking, wishing for him to regain his composure.

We must not fall for such childish, cheap provocations. Using my small frame, I tried to hold Lord Faust back.

“The enemy has no intention of honoring a one-on-one duel. They’re surely waiting with a unit centered around ‘Seven-Notch Baumann,’ preparing to ambush you, Lord Faust.”

“I don’t care! Whatever schemes they have waiting for me, I’ll smash through them!”

Ah, this is bad.

I can’t stop him on my own.

Someone, help—this is exactly when we need Sabine. I must summon that lunatic.

As I thought this—

“Calm yourself, Faust von Polydoro. You’ll only degrade your worth.”

Emperor Maxine appeared.

Her slender body and golden hair shimmered as she intervened, urging Lord Faust to calm down.

“…”

Though Lord Faust held no particular loyalty to the Emperor, as a knight of the Gusten Empire, he paused for a moment, considering her words.

“I understand your rage. The Landsknecht have touched upon the very strings of your fury. They’ve provoked something sensitive that should never have been touched. As their employer, I offer my deepest apologies. I’m sorry.”

“…Your Majesty has no reason to apologize.”

I let out a sigh of relief. At least, for the moment, he had stopped.

“I will mediate this situation. Let’s make it an Imperial-sanctioned duel.”

“An Imperial-sanctioned duel?”

“If we do that, the Landsknecht won’t be able to pull any underhanded tricks.”

With a strong exhale, Emperor Maxine spoke. Ah, she seems to be enjoying this. Lord Faust likely hasn’t realized her true feelings yet.

“Let’s arrange for a one-on-one duel between you and Baumann under the Emperor’s watchful eye. Does that sound agreeable?”

“…I understand,” Lord Faust responded. “However, I doubt the Landsknecht will agree to it.”

“Do you believe they have no honor and would resort to ganging up on you just to kill you?”

“Judging by this challenge letter, it certainly seems that way.”

Indeed. After provoking us this far, they have no intention of fighting fairly. They’re simply preparing to face Lord Faust, who’s already driven mad with anger.

“They’ll swarm you like ants, crushing the dead beneath their blood-soaked boots as they approach you. Faust von Polydoro. Astarte once said your only weakness is being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, like an ant colony. Was she right?”

“As you say, that is my one weakness. If I were mounted on Flügel, the situation would be different.”

“Then we must ensure it doesn’t come to that. Keep your composure,” Emperor Maxine advised him calmly.

“The Landsknecht’s primary weapon during peacetime is the Katzbalger, named after catfights. These ruffians regularly use it for petty disputes and brawls. If you were to face a group of such fearless fighters, recklessly swinging those swords, you’d have no chance. You’d be skinned alive.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty is right.”

Lord Faust regained his composure. I let out a sigh of relief once more. At this moment, I felt a sense of gratitude toward the Emperor.

“Now then, Faust. As I mentioned earlier, this will be an Imperial-sanctioned duel. The matter will be settled with a one-on-one fight between you and Baumann. Is that acceptable?”

“I leave everything to Your Majesty’s will.”

With that, Lord Faust fell silent, suppressing his seething rage. He locked his emotions away, containing the boundless fury stemming from the insults hurled at his lineage and his mother.

And I realized something. Emperor Maxine was not merely mediating the conflict. She simply wanted to see for herself how extraordinary the strength of the man known as Faust truly was, through a duel with Baumann.