Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 8

“Thus, please allocate funds from the annual expenses for us to visit the brothel, Valiere-sama.”

“These Chimpanzees. No, that’s an affront to Chimpanzees. Apologize to the Chimpanzees, you dolt.”

In the Kingdom of Anhalt, within the royal palace.

In the private quarters given exclusively to Valiere, the second Princess of Valiere, she scolded her own captain of the personal guard.

Yes, to reiterate, the person in question was the captain of the personal guard— the knight who served as her personal knight.

This captain of the personal guard was pleading for funds from the second Princess’s annual expenses so that all members of the personal guard could visit a brothel.

“This is an essential expenditure! Valiere-sama, it’s an inescapable part of our budget… a vital necessity!!”

“How on earth did you deduce that brothel visits qualify as a necessary expense, you chimpanzees!!”

It had always been like this.

Since she was given the personal guard by her mother—Queen Liesenlotte—at the age of ten, Valiere, the second Princess, had become prone to stomachaches as if it were her natural state.

Chimpanzees.

Primarily classified in the family of Hominidae, genus Pan.

Had Faust, the advisor to the second princess, been present, he might have muttered so, but unfortunately, he was not there.

If a male knight had been nearby, such a ridiculous plea would not have been made.

But then again, they might have still made the plea.

Because they are chimpanzees, after all.

Valiere, gasping for breath and fed up, raised her voice shrill.

“So, let’s hear it. Do you have any reason? Come on, say it.”

“Second Princess Valiere-sama, I deeply regret to burden you, but unfortunately, due to our lack of talent, we are filled with shame—”

Valiere is the captain of the second princess’s personal guard, Sabine.

Do chimpanzees even need names?

No, they don’t need them.

Does a second princess like me not have the authority to strip them of their names? Valiere considered this but decided to listen silently to Sabine’s continuation.

For some reason, Sabine mistook Valiere’s prompt as acceptance of their plea and shouted with sparkling eyes.

“It has been revealed that all 15 members of the Second Princess’s personal guard are, astonishingly, virgins!”

“Like I care!”

Valiere answered, her stomach ache.

It was none of her concern.

Truly, it was none of her concern.

Ah, how envious she was of her sister.

Anastasia, the first princess’s personal guard, was composed similarly of the second and third daughters of the military noble families.

But they were not a group of chimpanzees; rather, they were elites who had been anticipated for their talents and future prospects when they joined the personal guard.

Should the sister become queen, they would even be allowed to establish new houses as hereditary knights.

The first princess’s personal guard consisted of 30 members.

In contrast, the second princess’s personal guard consisted of 15.

Even in numbers, the discrimination was blatant.

No, she did not want more chimpanzees.

Why did Mother Queen Liesenlotte give me such a group of chimpanzees?

Did she dislike me that much?

It was not unreasonable for Valiere to think so.

“It will soon be your first battle, Valiere-sama!?”

“What does my first battle have to do with you all being virgins, you fools!!”

Valiere shouted.

Trembling angrily, she stood up from her chair and yelled from the bottom of her heart.

In response, Sabine answered.

“To die as virgins in our first battle would be too pitiful for knights. Where does this pitifulness come from? From being virgins! So, we should just lose our virginity! Let’s all go to the brothel and rid ourselves of this virginity with a male prostitute. We all agreed on this during the rally before yesterday’s first battle and decided to make this plea.”

“…”

Valiere was tired of shouting.

She sank back into her chair.

That’s it.

They’re fools.

I knew it.

I’m just a spare, after all.

Only such true fools, abandoned even by their own families, would be given to me.

With a somewhat ephemeral smile, Valiere mocked herself.

Then, she whispered.

“…I’m also a virgin.”

“Oh, then,”

Sabine shouted, with eyes sparkling as if they were sprinkled with stars.

“Let’s go together to the brothel!”

“Like hell, I will, you idiot!”

Valiere finally lost her patience, stood up from her chair, and grabbed Sabine by the collar.

She shook Sabine’s neck back and forth, making her point clear.

“Go to the brothel with your own money. With your own money, got it?”

“Ah, all of us in the Second Princess’s personal guard, including myself as captain, are of the lowest rank of one-generation knights among the military nobility. Our salaries barely cover a living standard befitting our status or the preparations for deployment. We don’t have enough to visit a high-class brothel that takes proper precautions against sexually transmitted diseases…”

“I’m aware you lack funds. Yet, are you not knights? Of noble lineage, correct? I’m not saying you should woo the pages sent from each territory to the court, but can’t you manage to charm at least one commoner boy?”

Ah, my vocal cords are about to snap.

Valiere, her stomach twisting in pain, was now also worried about losing her voice.

“We are knights! Of noble blood. As nobles, we cannot possibly mingle with commoners!”

“Male prostitutes are fine?”

“Male prostitutes are a profession, so it’s acceptable!”

Valiere did not need such reasoning.

She didn’t want it.

Releasing Sabine’s collar, Valiere covered her face with both hands, wishing she could just cry like a child.

“So, what about that thing? You know, uh… what was it?”

What to say?

Despite their idiocy, these fools had a weird sense of knightly pride, making things complicated.

These damn chimpanzees.

Valiere cursed them in her heart, peeking through the gaps between her fingers at Sabine, who looked bewildered, and then uttered the words from the bottom of her heart.

“Just die as virgins in your first battle.”

That would have been preferable for Valiere.

“Why would you say such a thing!?”

Sabine was shocked.

She had never heard such harsh words before.

That was the look on her face.

You’ve heard similar sentiments from me for the four years you’ve served as my personal guard.

Just die.

Please die.

Having Faust as my only close aide would be enough.

That’s how much these four years had driven Valiere to decide.

These four years had been nothing but a horrific time that made Valiere, the Second Princess, prone to stomachaches.

Valiere thought.

Surely, these knights can’t compare to Faust’s chief retainer, Helga, can they?

Did these fools even receive proper knight training?

Was their education neglected?

It was.

They were all thrown away to a place named “the Second Princess’s guard,” like throwing away unwanted elders.

Could they be chimpanzees picked up from a mountain of monkeys?

Valiere doubted even the human origins of her personal guard, let alone their noble blood.

But then she stopped herself.

“No, even chimpanzees are smarter.”

Valiere decided to believe in the intelligence of chimpanzees.

Fifteen chimpanzees prostrating before me, squeaking “Ukii, Ukii.”

That would have been better than reality.

Ah, my stomach hurts.

“Second Princess Valiere-sama, please, please don’t abandon us. We were abandoned by our parents and thrown out of our homes. Please!”

Sabine clung to Valiere’s feet.

The bond between Sabine’s personal guard and Valiere, the Second Princess, was not loyal to the royal family.

Unwanted children.

Children who were not needed.

That was the common sentiment.

That’s why Valiere couldn’t abandon them, the genus Pan of the family Hominidae.

But she had reached her limit.

However—were they misunderstanding something?

Even though it’s their first battle, the enemy is just a band of bandits.

Valiere started to speak as if to make Sabine understand.

“There’s no need to think about dying in your first battle. You’ll be assisted by the advisor to the Second Princess, Faust. He’s rumored to be the strongest knight in our country, having decapitated over a hundred bandits and slain the barbarian chieftain Reckenber of the Reckenber Knight Order in the Battle of Virendorf, the ‘Knight of Wrath’!”

Yes, the advisor to the Second Princess Valiere.

“The Knight of Wrath,” Faust von Polydoro.

As long as that man was by her side, Valiere never even considered the possibility of dying.

Not even Queen Liesenlotte or Anastasia, the First Princess, would consider it.

“If you have time to think about dying, spend it honing your sword skills!”

“That’s right. Lord Polydoro is with us!”

Sabine clapped her hands as if she had just remembered.

Ah, this chimpanzee is going to say something ridiculous.

I can tell.

After four years of experience.

That’s what Valiere thought.

“We shall request Lord Polydoro to relieve all 15 of us of our virginity. What say you, Valiere-sama—”

And with that, Valiere silently picked up a nearby vase and smashed it over Sabine’s head.

※

“Sigh, Captain Sabine of the personal guard is injured.”

“Severely. A serious head injury.”

In the Kingdom of Anhalt, within the royal palace.

In the private quarters given exclusively to Valiere, the second princess, Faust, scratched his head thoughtfully.

“I wanted to discuss the preparations for your first battle, but it can’t be helped if she’s sustained a head injury. Will she be able to participate in time?”

“We’ll make it in time. But we can’t have a proper discussion now. Let’s conclude the preparations for the first battle just between us.”

“Understood.”

I bowed and sat on the chair pulled out by Chief Retainer Helga.

Then, I looked at the map of the Kingdom of Anhalt spread out on the table.

“The location is a small village in the directly governed territory of Anhalt, with about 100 residents. According to the magistrate’s report, the number of bandits is 30.”

“With 30 opponents, the 20 from my territory and the 15 from the personal guard should suffice. Honestly, I would prefer a larger force for safety, but…”

“You’re saying that Faust, even though you’ve commanded forces against greater numbers under my sister’s orders in Virendorf?”

Scratching my head again, I muttered.

That battle was indeed a desperate situation.

We would have surely lost if we had not defeated the Reckenber Knight Order’s leader.

Honestly, it’s an experience I would never want to repeat.

I shook my head, trying to forget the past and return to the present discussion.

“There’s no such thing as a guaranteed victory in this world. I would prefer to call more people from the territory, but…”

“There are already reports of them loitering around the village, attacking traveling entertainers and merchants. We don’t have time for that.”

“Then, it can’t be helped.”

I gave up on the idea of mobilizing more of the populace.

Indeed, this world is full of unpredictable events.

Honestly, if it were just about dealing with around 30 bandits, I was confident I could handle them myself.

The nickname “The Knight of Wrath” was given for a reason—though, in reality, it was because I blushed painfully from an erection.

It’s an embarrassing nickname, but I was aware that my combat skills as a knight had reached almost superhuman levels.

“Then, we’ll set out in three days.”

“Yes, the preparations for provisions are complete. As for water, if we follow the route on the map, there should be no problem.”

“Please understand that my people are accustomed to military duty, but since we’re on foot, our progress might be delayed.”

“…Embarrassingly, my personal guard is also entirely on foot. We don’t have the funds to provide horses for everyone. Only Faust and I will be on horseback.”

Valiere, the Second Princess, said, her face turning red.

I smiled wryly.

Being of noble birth but of the lowest rank, I was familiar with their state of poverty.

There’s no need to feel embarrassed.

Having a full cavalry is more unusual, like the First Princess’s personal guard.

And—

“I look forward to meeting the Second Princess’s personal guard members again.”

I recalled the girls I had met once, two years ago.

They felt so young then, barely 18, now of an age suitable for marriage.

They were among the few potential brides available to me.

“Ah, yes. Of course. I’ll make sure they behave properly in front of Faust.”

For some reason, Valiere, the Second Princess, responded while pressing her stomach as if my words had caused her discomfort.