Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 95

After the mock battle, as the villagers return to their homes, I find myself walking back towards the manor.

I glance at a field beside me.

Legumes are being cultivated there.

Improving the soil for farming involves more than just digging up buried stones and tilling with farm tools.

Leaving fields fallow is necessary, but so is crop rotation with barley, legumes, and vegetables to improve the soil quality.

Fertilizer is also needed.

Over the centuries, food productivity has markedly improved.

The yield per unit area has steadily increased.

Lord Faust, noticing my gaze, bends his massive frame, squats down, and grips a handful of soil.

The soil crumbles easily.

It slips through Lord Faust’s fingers.

“Good soil, isn’t it?”

The manorial system, which defines the relationship between peasants and lords, varies with the size of the territory.

Some nobles frivolously spend the enormous land rent from their vast domains.

Conversely, there are lords like Lord Faust, who personally feel the soil of their fields.

However, Martina, the legitimate daughter of a former lord knight who lost the Bösel territory, no longer needs such agricultural knowledge.

She now earns a salary from the royal family, no longer relying on land rents.

Lord Faust surely understands this as he straightens up and murmurs again.

“We, the Polydoro family, along with our people, have cultivated this land for centuries.”

I recall a conversation in the church.

I heard that the first Lord Polydoro was a pioneer.

It must have been arable land.

Forests, mountains, and water were all available.

However, it was a start from scratch.

A start for a pioneering group without even the shelter of God, with just a girl barely familiar with doctrines and scriptures.

Can there really be such a thing?

Lord Faust, looking over the expansive fields, suddenly murmurs.

“I’m going to speak of something that might reflect poorly on us. It’s about our Polydoro family. I would be grateful if you could keep it to yourself. Martina, since you will be living in the Polydoro territory for a while, you’ll eventually realize it yourself.”

Before me, Lord Faust stands against the vast field.

“Even if you realize it, I hope you won’t speak of it and hurt the villagers. I know a wise person like you wouldn’t do that.”

The prelude is because he is about to discuss something that I had somewhat anticipated.

Something not even the Anhalt royal family knows, shared by Lord Faust.

It’s likely about the origins of the Polydoro family and their people.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

I had already sensed what Lord Faust was about to confirm.

The Anhalt Kingdom, Virendorf, and its land fought minor wars over their borders.

However, it’s possible that neither knew about the Polydoro family and their followers living here.

Unknown to anyone, a group without any support from the state.

Their circumstances were evident.

“We were exiles.”

People exiled from their states.

Towns, villages, settlements.

Perhaps unable to enter a fortified city, they built makeshift huts around it and eked out a living as day laborers.

Eventually, they became immobilized, succumbing to disease or starvation.

“Maybe we were exiled for committing a misdeed. Perhaps we were exiled to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Or it could have been for some other reason. But it was a group of exiles gathered for some reason.”

Lord Faust is earnest.

However, his words occasionally carry a fervor.

Now, he was clearly impassioned.

“Initially, there were about thirty of us. Not a single man among us. Essentially, they were people who didn’t think about the future. Just exiles with no hope for a bright future ahead. Naturally, none of them had any religious figures.”

“Some remembered bits of scripture, didn’t they?”

“Yes. The exiles were uneducated. None could even read. Well, one of the listeners from the time of the first Lord Polydoro eventually became a real clergy member.”

The Kern Sect church had recognized a woman who could only mutter snippets of scripture as a missionary.

Lord Faust smiles slightly and recites what seems to be the Kern Sect’s response at the time.

“We will not reject any truth found by you, no matter how noble. With the spiritual truth, goodness, and beauty you embody, we hope you will join the Kern Sect forever. We acknowledge that you came to us, and if we do not bring peace and joy to you, we will punish ourselves. If chaos and war threaten your community, we will provide means of defense. That is the spirit of the Kern Sect. From now on, we recognize you as a missionary. Perhaps all the hardships you have walked through were meant for you to be recognized as a clergy.”

It has likely been passed down through generations.

For a moment, I thought he said something profound.

Those deprived even of the right to a trial, unable to receive the protection of God or law.

People who were less than even peasants or serfs.

Despite being under the rule of the first Lord Polydoro, who gained his position from the Elector of Anhalt through the development of territories and the war with Virendorf, they recognized a mere outcast who could barely read as a clergywoman.

It was a remarkably generous act, a sincere response to the god they believed in.

However, what the Cologne Sect offered was battle clubs, chainmail, crossbows, and now muskets.

Even to someone excommunicated like me, they provide divine protection, while their measures against threats to their community are terribly direct.

It’s pitifully straightforward.

“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Sounds of a monkey-like scream and the striking of a great tree with a mace can be heard.

No sooner had we returned to the manor than, of all things, she started training again in the middle of the day, surpassing even Lord Faust.

Frankly, I wished she were dead.

Somewhere in the brain that supposedly governs our actions must be infested with disease.

“Of course, personally, I think they’re a bit mad. The villagers probably think they’re crazy too. Of course, I wouldn’t say that in front of them.”

Lord Faust casually mentions his and the villagers’ opinions.

That’s right, isn’t it?

“But that’s one thing, and this is another. Anyway, the Cologne Sect truly acts as neighbors to their followers without arrogance, possessing a very compassionate nature. Their doctrines, however, are quite severe when you listen to them. It used to be believed that wielding a battle club was a prayer to the Lord.”

“Oh, so it wasn’t just a show of support for Lord Faust, but also a prayer to the Lord?”

How did it come to this?

Probably even the Cologne Sect doesn’t remember the details.

Even if it was recorded, I didn’t particularly want to know.

What were we talking about again?

“Sorry, I’ve gone way off topic. It was as off as a carriage overturning and getting buried in the mud of a field.”

“Let’s just blame it on the Cologne Sect.”

Basically, it’s always fundamentally the Cologne Sect’s fault.

“Let’s get back to the point. In any case, our ancestors were exiles. Expelled from towns and villages for various reasons, they were hired for day labor by the master of the commoners’ guild in the royal capital of Anhalt, and they considered themselves fortunate to even get moldy bread for the day.”

I listen silently.

In the course of living such days, someone spoke out. “We are no longer granted the value of being human. Mocked, humiliated, and spat upon. Our sacred land does not exist anywhere in this world. Neither does our homeland. Perhaps not even heaven or hell. At least, we want our own village. Let’s create our own country. There is no future here. There would be no future anywhere else either. Then at least, let’s live doing what we like. If there’s not even a grave to be buried in, it wouldn’t make a difference if our remains are eaten by starving dogs.”

“Is that the founder, Lord Polydoro?”

“Yes. A woman who couldn’t even declare the name of a noble family, let alone the village she belonged to. There was just one woman named Polydoro there.”

Lord Faust did not turn around.

He just gazed at the vast fields.

“At first, no one responded. Not a single person. But well, we’re going to die anyway. Our ancestors didn’t even officially exist. As I said earlier, they were lucky to get even a day’s bread. The first Polydoro must have been quite charismatic. Eventually, many began to follow Polydoro. Thirty people gathered to seek a new world.”

“And they reached this territory?”

That’s when some bad ideas come to mind.

“Of course, they couldn’t have arrived here by any ordinary means. Well, they must have done something terrible.”

Several crimes.

Perhaps they committed theft more than just during day jobs.

To get food, they must have committed more serious crimes.

This place is far from the royal capital, on the frontier.

They must have committed many crimes along their journey.

“Our roots in the Polydoro territory are those of descendants of criminals.”

“Lord Faust, I don’t think that needs to concern you. After all, nobles are really just descendants of the strongest bandits in the area.”

Lord Faust tried to laugh it off as if comforting himself.

“Well, that’s true. Violence justifies everything. I, too, don’t demean myself by considering our roots as descendants of criminals, nor do I intend to bear the sins of my ancestors. It’s utterly foolish.”

Lord Faust casually returned the words.

“But everyone knows. The 30 outcasts, many of whom fell along the way and whose bodies were left behind, walked all the way to this territory. When it came to developing this territory, there was sadly nothing. No tools, no wisdom, no technology, no superheroes. There was just one leader named Polydoro, and a young girl who remembered the precepts and scriptures of the Cologne Sect she had overheard.”

“The loyalty of the people of Polydoro to the Polydoro family,”

“It’s because they know. They know that their ancestors were outcasts. We were a group of settlers without even God’s protection, using stolen goods as tools, using stone tools because there was no iron, and digging up fields with sticks and hands because there were no farming tools. Without wisdom or technology, they ruined many crops. Because there were no superheroes, they had no way to protect themselves from beasts, and by the time the first Lord Polydoro was recognized for her military achievements, only ten of the original 30 settlers were left.”

The heavy loyalty of the Polydoro people towards the Polydoro family stems from their roots.

They climbed up from the depths of hell and by following the Polydoro family, who were recognized as nobles, they were acknowledged as humans.

“In short, all the roots of the Polydoro people are here. This is where they are born, and this is where they die. This is the only proof that we and our ancestors have lived. It’s the same for the people as it is for the Polydoro family. At the same time—frankly, I hate it. I don’t want to be involved.”

His words are somewhat vague.

Unclear who he dislikes, I murmur a guess.

“Are you referring to other territories? To other nobles or their people?”

“Exactly. The loyalty pledged by the people is to the Polydoro family, not the royal family. Although we maintain some appearances, frankly, I have little respect for other nobles. It’s not that I bear a grudge or have any business with them. I want iron, I want technology, I want to cultivate crops, I want the Mother of the Cologne Sect to come from the capital. Bloodlines can become too concentrated; men are sent from other villages, and men are received in return—it’s a kind of exchange marriage. Even if reluctantly done. For the sake of face, I may need to marry a blue-blooded woman to be recognized by other nobles. I accept that as necessary, but no more than that.”

Incredibly dark and heavy.

Perhaps it was a mistake for Lord Faust to reveal all this to me.

I might have realized it someday, but it was not a story I wanted to hear.

Facing these heavy-hearted people, I think how Duchess Astarte, who once pinched Lord Faust’s butt, representing all the dignity of the Polydoro territory, managed to stay alive.

It wouldn’t have been strange if she had been killed in the heat of the moment.

Well, if Duchess Astarte had been killed, Polydoro territory would have been destroyed, so perhaps the last restraint worked.

Or rather, how much indemnity was she fleeced for?

About thirty silver coins?

Probably enough to sell a saint and buy a new field.

Such things come to mind, but something bothers me.

“What about me?”

I’ve never received a cold gaze from the people.

I think the Cologne Sect is a bit crazy, but I’ve never felt malice from the people, everyone was kind.

“Well—The fact that I recognized you as a knight-in-training plays a big part, but basically, the people of our territory are not foolish enough to mock a 9-year-old girl who has been excommunicated and lost her refuge. At least I believe that.”

“Probably because the ancestors of the people of Polydoro were also abandoned by everyone once.”

“That’s right. In any case, I wanted Martina to know that such circumstances exist in Polydoro territory. This matter should be kept confidential.”

Lord Faust showed a somewhat sad expression.

He wants to believe in the kindness of the people, but honestly, he probably feels some sympathy for my situation as well.

Anyway, I understand now.

The people want to continue their small activities in this small frontier territory.

They don’t want anyone other than the Polydoro family as leaders, they hope for improvements in their daily lives, but they don’t want those lives disturbed by outsiders.

Even if agricultural productivity improves, they won’t accept migrants, whether they are serfs or whatever, because this territory has only 300 people living in it.

Probably, anyone who hinders this life will be removed by whatever ruthless means necessary.

Duchess Astarte talked about making Lord Faust her lover, pouring in immigrants and materials to develop the Polydoro territory.

It’s impossible in this case.

I should persuade by letter, but this content is clearly Lord Faust’s secret.

I’ll have to find some reason to stop it.

I start to think about a way for everyone to be happy, with a bit of a headache.