Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 89

In the management of a territory, human relationships are crucial.

Friction between people is something unavoidable as long as one lives, occurring even among peers and within the same nobility.

Especially for those who pray, those who fight, and those who work.

In these three groups, I, Martina, believe the friction is particularly significant.

The roles of clergy and knights as a military rank, and the citizens or peasants of a city who pay taxes to support these activities.

It’s not that being a commoner equals being poor; there are many commoners who are wealthier than some destitute noble priests.

Most commoners, however, are in a position to be exploited.

Many peasants in this era have few opportunities to fill their bellies and end up dying.

—Let’s return to the topic.

At any rate, the friction among people today is largely due to differences in social class.

A lord, no matter how minor, can act as a monarch, a king in his own right.

As a ruler, one must govern and manage.

One must control the land and its people, while also cherishing one’s possessions and maintaining their value.

Lords hold judicial power, making decisions and passing judgments.

A lord might punish, or mediate disputes among commoners.

It’s a challenging position.

Although a privileged class, it’s not so simple to consider it a blessed one.

To conclude, what I want to say is…

—

“So, how is your daughter doing? Is she nursing well?”

“Lord Faust, it’s been a month since the birth. I might start working soon…”

“That’s too soon. Ideally, I’d want at least two months.”

—

The situation is strange.

Why is Lord Faust inviting commoners to dine at the manor?

He claims it’s to care for the body of a commoner who gave birth while he was away.

Even for a minor lord, inviting someone just for that reason is unheard of.

Shouldn’t this be a task for the village head?

—

“Lord Faust worries, but a child will grow if fed. The nursing could be alternated among siblings. A child should be raised by the family, and after all, I have a husband at home.”

“Still, one’s own child is precious. Helga, for instance, was crying because she’s been on military duty so long that her child has forgotten her face.”

“Helga is too emotional. It’s shameful to have Lord Faust worry about such things…”

—

Why is Lord Faust, a lord, more concerned about the welfare of a commoner’s child than the parents themselves?

Wooden dishes are laid out on the table.

As a lord, Lord Faust uses silver plates and spoons, though merely for show.

Recently, he complained that the spoon was too small to use.

It’s not that the ancestors of the Polydoro territory were stingy but indeed, the spoon is too small for the gigantic Lord Faust.

Being superhuman, he is immune to poison, so honestly, he doesn’t need silverware to detect poison.

Yet, it still looks bad for a noble like Lord Faust to casually use wooden dishes.

It’s no longer the old days when stale bread was used as a plate.

—

“Everyone fears that Helga is too kind. I think she’s doing well.”

“We are more concerned about Lord Faust’s deep emotions rather than the captain of the guard.”

—

The worst part is what’s happening now.

It’s fine for Lord Faust to carve meat for his guests as the host.

But the current guests are just commoners.

Not even village heads or guards, but ordinary commoners without any special privileges.

Lord Faust smilingly serves meat to them, which is unusual.

Lord Faust smiled kindly.

—

“Is being deeply emotional a bad thing?”

“At least, we do not wish to burden Lord Faust with our troubles. If I am fatally wounded on the battlefield and become a burden, I hope you would leave me behind. Even if I lament, think of me as mad. I would no longer be a citizen of Polydoro territory then.”

“Unless you lose your life, I will not abandon you. Even if you die, I will surely bring your body back to our territory.”

“Even if you do not do so, Lord Faust, our souls will return to the Polydoro territory.”

—

Of course, I do not intend to deny everything.

I, too, come from a small town of about 1,000 residents, far from the prosperous fortress cities of the capital.

Especially my mother, Caroline participated in every military service.

Not just the captain of the guard, but also the sergeants and outstanding common workers were publicly praised for their efforts.

I was told this from a young age, and you were told to praise people in the same way.

Protecting someone’s honor and valuing their contributions

 are important regardless of whether they are nobles or commoners.

Certainly, it was common to share meals with the sergeants.

On the battlefield, there was no noticeable difference in the quality of food between the soldiers and myself; we ate from the same pot.

But during peacetime, sharing meals like that never happened once.

People have their positions and roles.

Where strictness is needed, one must be strict; where forgiveness is needed, one must forgive.

That’s it, setting up differences is important, but it’s essential to make people accept that as natural.

Maintaining a balance under the guise of acceptance is the most important thing.

—Yeah, in short.

“What exists in this territory?” I muttered softly, unheard by the others.

People are simply people.

When given privileged circumstances without any specific reason, many tend to take advantage of such opportunities.

The uneducated, in particular, often overstep their boundaries.

While stories often depict unreasonable nobles, there are even more tales of disorderly commoners.

Yet, it seems Lord Faust is managing well with this chaotic approach.

He makes no distinction between rich and poor farmers, inviting commoners to the lord’s manor on a rotational basis.

He welcomes them and feeds them well.

Somehow, as a minor lord overseeing merely 300 subjects, Lord Faust maintains a balance.

Initially, being merely a squire, I—no, that’s not right.

Counsel is indeed necessary, but that is the duty of Captain Helga-dono.

I should not usurp her role.

However, there’s one point that puzzles me.

“I repeat, you are the most valuable asset of the Polydoro territory, Lord Faust. If something were to happen to you, the royal family would seize the land. That must be avoided at all costs.”

“I have no intention of dying yet.”

“It’s because you often act as if you are unaware of the risks that we worry.”

What is this almost fanatical loyalty of the subjects?

My mother Caroline—now, it seems, foolishly so.

Such talk would make Lord Faust look sad.

She had earned the deep loyalty of the commoners who served with her in the military.

So much so that they would lay down their lives as shields to secure my mother Caroline’s asylum in a foreign land, pledging, “We would die for this lord.”

My mother Caroline managed well, despite it all.

But she failed in her attempt to usurp the family leadership.

Where did she go wrong?

Perhaps she lacked sufficient groundwork.

That applies to the man sitting in front of me, carving meat for a commoner—Lord Faust von Polydoro.

His impulsive nature.

That nature has its merits and flaws.

Will he be able to handle what comes next?

Until now, his undeniable achievements and oddly keen intuition—perhaps, should I say intelligence?—have guided him.

But will that suffice moving forward, especially if the rumored invasion by the nomadic horsemen tribes proves true?

Lord Faust will still need to overcome many challenges.

“From your perspective, has there been any change in the Polydoro territory?”

“Everyone is well. It’s not as harsh here as in Virendorf. The village head says we can expect a good harvest this year. The food production increase plan, a lifetime project of the late Lady Marianne, has been beautifully realized.”

“When I was a child, being full was something that happened only during feasts. Now, thanks to the ancestors, including my mother, who have developed this territory over centuries, everyone having enough to eat is a normal occurrence.”

I thought about this while listening to Lord Faust’s voice, tinged with nostalgia.

He is a potential future leader under the Anhalt royal family.

The key players involved with Lord Faust’s future are Princess Anastasia, Duchess Astarte—understanding superiors, yet they employ Lord Faust.

Valiere, the second princess, technically a superior, but little can be expected from her ability.

She is known to be sharp-witted but somewhat mad.

Captain Sabine of the Second Princess’s personal guard seems more competent.

Ultimately, what Lord Faust lacks, given his almost incorrigible nature, is a capable advisor.

Someone who can offer precise counsel and control his impulsiveness is essential.

“Time flies quickly. I miss my childhood.”

Regrettably, I can’t think of a single candidate.

Is there really anyone who could stop Lord Faust if he truly went off the rails?

I can’t imagine who that might be.

“May I ask a question?”

As Lord Faust finally took a seat, I spoke up, not intending to rebuke his actions towards the commoners, but driven by pure curiosity.

“What is it?”

“Do you invite the commoners to dine only during your reign, Lord Faust?”

I wondered if this attitude towards commoners stemmed from overconfidence in his people—perhaps even an underestimation—or if it had always been this way.

“No, as far as I know, it started with the first Lord of Polydoro.”

“I also remember it that way.”

The soup of beans and barley stirred in the bowl, seasoned with chicken, onions, and salt. Lord Faust stirred it with his spoon, a clinking sound accompanying each movement. This habit seemed frequent during meals, possibly a quirk of Lord Faust’s. Such table manners were not favored among the Anhalt nobility. Had Lady Marianne not cautioned him about this? But that reproach could wait.

“From the first generation onwards, meals were shared. The only difference was in the quantity.”

“It was feasible because the population was smaller back then. I recall that our great-grandmother finally had the surplus to plant apple trees.”

The proximity between the lord and his subjects was closer than usual. As previously mentioned, it seems the Polydoro citizens may hold a fanatical loyalty to the Polydoro family.

From the current conversation, it’s likely this wasn’t a practice initiated by Lord Faust’s reign.

How is such a close relationship maintained in a lord-subject dynamic? This piqued my curiosity further.

“To the commoners, may I ask what you think of the previous Lady Marianne?”

“She was a great lady. She spoke little and rarely shared her inner thoughts. She steadily developed the territory, fulfilled her military duties commendably, didn’t let any citizen go hungry, and raised Lord Faust.”

Their expressions seemed melancholic. Lady Marianne was resigned by the surrounding lords and even by her own people as being mad, as Helga-dono once said. She regretted many things she had done.

“Most of us, myself included, did not understand Lady Marianne’s intentions during her lifetime.”

“But in the end, everyone followed her to the last. Though they verbally opposed, they kindly watched over me and my mother.”

“It’s our duty as citizens, Lord Faust.”

However, as Lord Faust explained, even though Lady Marianne was considered mad, the citizens did not oppose her. Of course, the truth was that Lady Marianne was not mad; she made no mistakes in governing or managing the territory within, and she perfected Lord Faust as a superhuman.

That aside, her complete isolation from other nobles was a clear failure on her part.

I wouldn’t dare say it aloud—I’d be risking my life—but I wondered if seizing governance from what the citizens perceived as a mad ruler had ever been considered.

Could the village heads or guards have confined Lady Marianne and placed the young Lord Faust in power to restart relations with neighboring territories? That option must have been available, but it was not pursued. Whether they refrained due to various risks or simply out of loyalty to Lady Marianne is uncertain.

“Opposing the Polydoro family is unthinkable, even in death”—perhaps this generational loyalty held sway.

It’s hard to judge for now.

“Once the meal is over, take some fruit back in a basket for your family.”

“I will make sure to convey Lord Faust’s regards to my family.”

Perhaps, during my time serving Lord Faust as a squire, I will come to understand this mystery.

Once the commoners depart, I decided to remind myself to advise Lord Faust about his habit of stirring soup loudly—a minor but necessary counsel amidst the enigmas of Polydoro territory.