Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 44

At the Reckenber residence.

In the garden of this detached house, where traces of blood are slightly left on the ground.

A garden table is prepared, and four people are seated.

Myself, Faust, Valiere-sama, Yue-dono, and Miss Nina.

With Sabine, whose face is swollen from a bruise though the blood has been wiped off with a handkerchief, standing behind us.

Valiere-sama muttered.

“Let me confirm again, is that nomadic equestrian nation really going to invade the West?”

“Well, the desires of that yet-to-be-named state are boundless, and destroying our dynasty alone will not satisfy them.”

“So, you’re saying their greed will not be satisfied by destroying and conquering the dynasty you served?”

Valiere-sama replied calmly.

I, Faust, received a knightly education from my mother, Marianne. Still, I gained the power of a superhuman knight and the military tactics and governance of a regional lord with less than 300 people.

I cannot reach the knowledge of Valiere-sama, who received a higher education as a royal.

Valiere-sama continued her musings.

“There were indeed peoples in the past who built hegemonies using traditional mounted archery tactics with composite bows and excellent horsemanship.”

Could this world also have its own version of the Huns?

“Indeed, they appear human, but live with the ferocity of wild beasts. Is it their second coming?”

Valiere-sama, continuing her thoughts, requested Sabine to refill her tea.

Her demeanor was majestic and imposing.

This aspect of higher education as a royal surpasses me.

As a second princess ‘ advisor, it would be appreciated if she were always like this.

Despite being called a mediocre princess, she is far from incompetent, far from it.

Well, perhaps it’s not my place to say, having been made a fool of in front of Queen Katarina.

“I am not well-versed in the matters of the West. However, I can say that it would be even worse than that.”

Yue-dono answered, her face filled with bitterness.

“They possess intelligence. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to unify the highlands.”

“Unified the highlands? The nomadic tribes still rampaging in the north of Anhalt and Virendorf have not been unified yet.”

“In Virendorf, my mother wiped out their tribe. They’ll spring up again from somewhere, though. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lump us together with the fragile Anhalt.”

Nina’s bitter words.

For her, it must be a point of pride that her mother, Claudia von Reckenber, eradicated the nomadic tribes pillaging the north.

“My apologies.”

Therefore, Valiere-sama did not argue back.

After all, it was true.

“Shall we continue?”

Yue-dono, cutting through the atmosphere, spoke up.

“Please do. You mentioned that the highlands were unified. Is this different from the nomadic tribes to the north of Anhalt?”

“Yes, it is different. There is a vast steppe to the east of the Silk Road, north of the dynasty that fell. She unified those highlands.”

Yue-dono covered her face with both hands.

Hearing this reminds me of Mongolia, and I can barely resist the urge to hold my head in despair.

“Our country’s history, when I recall, was also plagued by the raids of northern nomadic tribes. However, I never thought they would unite. Forever killing each other over water sources, suffering through heavy snow, low temperatures, strong winds, and fodder depletion, and enduring every conceivable hardship, I had looked down upon those nomadic tribes as if they were in hell in both this world and the next.”

What is culture?

Suddenly, this word comes to mind.

In my previous life’s German, the word also means “to cultivate.”

Ultimately, I believe it comes down to how we acquire the food that fills everyone’s stomachs.

This is my thought as the ruler of a territory with less than 300 subjects, always pondering how to satisfy their hunger.

I understand it’s essentially the rant of a weak lord.

Language, religion, music, cooking, painting, philosophy, literature, fashion, laws.

All of these maintain discipline, preserve order, and fulfill responsibilities.

They serve to satisfy our hunger, both physical and mental.

Or so I think.

Then, what is the culture of the nomadic tribes, who hunger for food and water, and quench their thirst with the milk of their livestock?

Nothing more than their strength, greater than that of agricultural peoples.

Everything boils down to that.

They pursue it with pure intent.

Plunder from agricultural societies to fill their bellies.

At least, the plundering of nomadic tribes in this world is the very essence of survival competition.

Failure means death from hunger in the winter, freezing, or cannibalism among tribes.

Therefore, to Faust von Polydoro, a weak lord of an agricultural people, the nomadic tribes were terrifying.

A fear incomprehensible in my previous life.

“However, they united under the emergence of a superhuman.”

Yue-dono answers with her eyes closed.

The nameless nomadic equestrian nation.

For her, the name of that nation might already be established.

But we still don’t know that name, even as the dynasties of the East have fallen.

Gori.

My hands rub against the garden table, making a rugged noise.

In my previous life, the Mongol Empire was led by the plunder king, Genghis Khan.

Brought forth by the emergence of a heroic unit.

This world would likely be the same.

Superhumans, magic, and miracles.

The differences between my previous life and this world.

What will they bring?

Suppose, Genghis Khan was a superhuman.

Well, he seemed like one in my previous life, too.

There was even a theory that he was the greatest breeder in human history.

But that’s a byproduct, not the main topic.

Think again, Faust von Polydoro.

Is there any useful knowledge from my previous life?

“Her name is Toktoa. With her title, she is Toktoa Khan.”

So it’s Mongolia after all.

A chill ran down my spine when I heard the name Khan.

Please, spare me.

I want to groan and hold my head, but I can’t.

As a hero of Anhalt and a lord knight protecting the face of Polydoro, I cannot afford to.

I barely endure.

The fluted armor I received from Princess Anastasia, known as “The Last Knight’s Armor,” was completed in the early 16th century in my previous life.

By then, the Mongol Empire would have been heading towards disintegration due to internal divisions.

Why now?

Whether it’s Claudia von Reckenber, who annihilated the nomadic tribes, or myself.

Is this century a hit year for superhumans?

I don’t think this is an arrogant thought.

So, what should I do?

What can I do? I must think desperately.

Ignoring these thoughts, Yue-dono speaks to Valiere-sama.

“She was a plunderer, but she didn’t limit herself to simple looting as before. She launched an information war. Before, I had to understand if there were superhumans in the city. Enemy reconnaissance, negotiation. An envoy of Toktoa Khan even came to me, trying to recruit me. I refused the envoy’s offer and sent them back politely. Looking back, I should have beheaded them on the spot.”

Please, Yue-dono.

Stop trying to align my knowledge of the Mongol Empire with the reality of this current world.

Nina, with her interruption.

“Yue-dono, did even the army you commanded lose? I find that very hard to believe.”

“I did not lose. In the local battle in the city where I lived, we won. With my bow and arrows, I killed hundreds of them in a single day and night. They retreated obediently.”

Truly superhuman, indeed.

So, why did they lose?

I can guess the reason.

“But if they didn’t target us, there was nothing we could do. The nomadic tribes led by Toktoa Khan ignored cities like mine, where superhumans were located, and invaded the land like locusts.”

If they couldn’t win in local battles, they’d go elsewhere.

Winning overall was what mattered.

Indeed, it is a logical strategy.

“Fortress cities have been the absolute shield against the mobility of nomadic tribes, standing in their way and protecting us, the agricultural people. But that was not the case with Toktoa Khan. She came equipped with methods to conquer fortress cities.”

“How? Nomadic tribes can’t have a way to conquer fortress cities, right?”

Valiere-sama posed an obvious question.

Naturally, that’s what one would think.

I would have thought the same without my knowledge from a previous life.

“There were traitors.”

Yue-dono slammed her hand on the garden table.

There would be, in any world.

“The country I belonged to was called Feyron. Ah, in this country, it’s a legend, meaning a flying dragon, a dragon soaring through the sky.”

There probably really was one flying dragon in this world.

It’s a medieval fantasy, after all.

I believe in the legend of the flying dragon.

Well, I probably won’t have the chance to witness one in my lifetime.

“Feyron’s engineers accepted Toktoa Khan’s invitation and were poached. Among the catapult engineers, there were not only those from Feyron but also engineers from another country called Parlsa.”

Just like Persia, huh?

They probably used trebuchets.

My imagination reaches nightmarish levels.

In the Holy Gusten Kingdom, isn’t there a superhuman born, not skewed towards martial prowess like myself, but towards intellect?

Help me, Archimedes.

In my mind, I called out to the ancient superhuman mathematician from my previous life.

God gave no response.

If there’s a god who reincarnated me into this mad world.

A little help wouldn’t hurt, would it?

You’re a god, so it’s not like you’ll be punished.

That’s what I think.

“After a month of siege, the fortress was shattered, the fleeing citizens were captured, men were violated in front of their bound wives, and both men and women were killed. The citizens were unilaterally massacred. Although the royal family surrendered, all related to the royal lineage were killed. Thus, the dynasty fell.”

Of course, they killed them.

Not just the royals, who could become troublesome later, but also, mercilessly, all citizens unrelated to the battle, sparing no one.

Massacre is a standard tactic of nomadic equestrian tribes.

They all thirst for blood.

“The city I lived in surrendered along with the royal family’s submission. I fled the city as it submitted. I didn’t think they would let someone who had killed hundreds of their women live. Especially since I targeted and killed enemy generals who were conspicuously adorned.”

Yue-dono, your skill with the bow is extraordinary.

To be able to pinpoint and kill enemy generals.

“I initially tried to help all my relatives escape. But the enemy army overran the city, and everyone couldn’t escape. My family told me, ‘We will fight to the end, resist until death. But you are our clan’s hero. You alone can escape. Live on, so our clan’s bloodline does not perish,’ they all said.”

Yue-dono’s hand on the garden table.

Her hand clenched tightly and slammed down as if no longer able to contain itself.

The garden table creaked under the force of a superhuman.

“I abandoned my relatives. With my beloved horse, Snow Raven, I barely escaped the city surrounded by Toktoa Khan. Without Snow Raven, I wouldn’t have been able to escape.”

You managed to escape well.

No, perhaps even the nomadic tribes couldn’t catch up to the leg power of the superhuman’s horse given by the country.

“The Silk Road, even then, was still traversed by a few merchants. And during my travels, I heard from them. In the West, there is a country where, even if you’re an Easterner, you can rise through the military ranks as long as you demonstrate your abilities.”

That must be Virendorf.

“It was a long, long journey. And when I arrived, I showed my skill with the bow to the country’s guards, eventually underwent an evaluation, and was granted an audience with Queen Katarina. Then, I appealed about the threat of the nomadic equestrian nation-state.”

I think she did an excellent job.

Otherwise, information about the threat would never have reached the ears of a minor lord knight with fewer than 300 subjects, like myself, Faust von Polydoro.

Queen Liesenlotte likely prioritized maintaining public peace over spreading the news of the threat to regional lords.

She is wise indeed.

However, I believe she wouldn’t have left things completely unaddressed.

“Valiere von Anhalt, Her Highness, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Anhalt. Please, I urge you to convey the threat to the Kingdom of Anhalt. They will come eventually, for the nation’s riches and its citizens’ lives.”

“I understand,” Valiere-sama nodded.

Then, she turned to me.

“I plan to relay Yue-dono’s story directly to my mother, but what do you think, Faust?”

“That’s the right course of action. I’ll support you in this.”

“Faust? You usually prefer not to get involved in the kingdom’s politics.”

The situation doesn’t allow me to stay silent.

It’s tough to say.

After much worry, will the nomadic equestrian nation-state come invading from the West?

Or will they not?

Even that is beyond my judgment.

The past and the present have similarities, but they’re not entirely the same.

I can’t afford to make careless remarks.

But preparations are absolutely necessary.

“If need be, I’m prepared to lay down my life and stand against the nomadic equestrian nation-state.”

“That far?”

Yes, that far.

In this world, where the concept of Europe isn’t even fully formed among the Western states, it is still entangled in feudalism and lacking centralized power.

We must solidify our position; otherwise, we cannot win against the nomadic equestrian nation-state.

At the very least, Anhalt and Virendorf.

Their solidarity must be made ironclad.

However, even that wouldn’t be nearly enough.

I cannot allow my land, the subjects of Polydoro, to be trampled and erased from history by the nomadic equestrian nation-state.

The desecration of my mother’s grave by their horses became lost to the waves of history.

That, above all, cannot be allowed.

From the stance of a mere minor lord and as a reincarnated individual,

I feared the Western invasion by this virtual Mongolia.