《Teisou Gyakuten Sekai no Doutei Henkyou Ryoushu Kishi》 CH 1 1. Prologue My d?ck hurts. Medieval¨D¨DNah, it wasn¡¯t. It was just someplace similar to the Middle Ages, if I were to say? There seemed to be something miraculous that exists here, like, magic. Speaking about something miraculous, I was reincarnated from the earth to this different world¡­ Yes, I was reincarnated as Faust von Polydro in this world. Right now, I was constantly thinking. ¨D¨DMy d?ck hurts. Yes, my mind was full of such a thought. Why? Because I had been wearing a metal chastity belt since not long ago. I didn¡¯t get forced by anyone. I wore it at my own will. Otherwise¨DI couldn¡¯t stand it. I just couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°Faust?¡± Valliere, who was sitting next to me, called me in a confused voice. She was wearing a silk dress. Well, this woman was okay. Really, the second princess, Valliere, was okay. Not that big of a deal. ¡°It seems that the counselor, Sir Polydro, is dissatisfied. Am I wrong? Please, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me. I allow you to speak.¡± My problem was with Queen Liselotte, the ruler of this country. What was she doing? Why was she only wearing a thin veil of silk on top of her naked body? Illustration of what kind of situation the MC is in Someone said that she was 32 years old. Of course, she was still more than good, And of course, My d?ck couldn¡¯t help but get bigger. To overcome such a trial, I wore the metal chastity belt. As result, well¡­ My d?ck hurts. But, really, this world was crazy. A chastity values ??reversal world. The ratio of Men and Women was about 1 : 10. It was such a world. Therefore, women stood on the front stage, and men were driven into the shade. No, the men were strongly protected. I often hear that a man who got caught on the battlefield, would be turned into a d?ck slave. It was such a world. Such a stupid world. A really different and stupid world. ¡°It¡¯s the first battle of Valliere, the second princess, but she will only go with the elite guard and my trump card?¡± ¡°I told you earlier. She doesn¡¯t need much force against bandits.¡± I was an abnormal person in this world. I was an abnormal person who got an erection against a female in a fairytale-like appearance, a nude appearance. If I were to reincarnate anyway, I hoped my common sense would match those in this world. But, it seemed that God didn¡¯t give it to me. Well, I didn¡¯t meet an existence called ¡°God¡± when I got reincarnated, so even if I complained, nothing would happen. ¡°The First Princess, Anastasia-sama, against the enemy country ¨D Willendorf, against the 1000 barbarians who tried to invade us, sank them into the sea of ??blood and made a reverse invasion, in her first battle¡± My d?ck hurts. My d?ck really hurts. I looked away from the almost naked queen and looked at the first princess, Anastasia. Anastasia stared back at my eyes. ¡­..The first princess is so scary. With that in mind, I had no choice but to return my gaze to the almost naked queen. The queen shook her body slightly and so were her big boobs. So erotic¡­ ¡°Does the second princess, Valliere-sama¡¯s fist battle, is to exterminate bandits?¡± My face turned vermilion. After all, in this kind of situation, how could I stay calm? My d?ck hurts. Defeating the queen, who was almost naked. That was the only way to get away from this place. And I must suppress the pain in my crotch until then. ¡°¡­ The situation is too different. Defeating the bandits is also an important task.¡± ¡°The enemy country, we just need to attack Willendorf¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a joke. Faust von Polydro. Do you want us to start another full-scale war against those barbarians?¡± My d?ck hurts! I hit the table hard. The sound echoed loudly and everyone went silent. Queen, Rezenlotte too. The first princess, Anastasia too. And the second princess, Valliere, whom I served as a counselor, too. ¡°Is it my lack of power?¡± The vermilion color on the face was getting redder. My d?ck hurts. Blood flowed to the face even more. This wasn¡¯t caused because my d?ck felt hurt. I was engorged with anger. At least, I tried to make that excuse become reality. ¡°¡­ No, that¡¯s not the case, Faust von Polydro.¡± And, the effect seemed to have been achieved. To calm me, Queen Rezenlotte quietly echoed her voice in one of the rooms in the royal palace. ¡°I¡¯m not despising your power. Faust, the ¡®Knight of Wrath¡¯. In an emergency when we were attacked by Willendorf, under my Anastasia, you caught more than ten of those barbarian knights, and in a one-on-one fight with the knight captain ¨D¨D you cut the neck of that captain. I¡¯m not despising your power at all.¡± My d?ck hurts! I wanted to scream involuntarily. I wanted to stand up unintentionally. But I was a person who could the air. Even though I was reaching the limit. My d?ck hurts¡­ ¡°So, calm down¡± Damn it, I¡¯ll ¡°do¡± you, you know?! After all, my d?ck hurts because of you. I mean, why do you just cover your naked body with just one veil? Are you a slut? I wanted to scream so. ¡°¡­..Understood.¡± I looked away from the queen. To relieve the pain that I felt around my crotch completely. Then ¨D¨D I asked for permission to leave the room. ¡°Please forgive me. I¡¯m done with what I wanted to say. More than this has nothing to do with me. May I leave the room?¡± I asked the Queen. ¡°I allow you. You can leave the room.¡± ¡°Thank you very much¡± My d?ck was protected. My d?ck, which would have got necrotic if it had continued in an erect state any longer, was protected. ¨D¨D That was all that mattered the most. I left the royal palace. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù Rezenlotte was wrong. ¡°Second princess, Valliere-sama¡¯s first campaign, is to exterminate bandits?¡± Faust von Polydro was wasted. To attach him to the Second Princess¨D¨Dthat spare, Valliere. Faust von Polydro was wasted. ¡°¡­ The situation is too different. Defeating the bandits is also an important task.¡± Rezenlotte made excuses. No, it wasn¡¯t a mistake to set up a unit to subdue bandits. It wasn¡¯t a mistake, but ¨D¨D ¡°The enemy country, we just need to attack Willendorf¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a joke. Faust von Polydro. Do you want us to start another full-scale war against those barbarians?¡± Faust, the ¡°Knight of Wrath¡±, sending him to this mission would be nothing more than an insult to him. He had already caught more than ten of those barbarian knights ¨D¨D those bastards from that shit Willendorf. He even cut the knight captain¨D¨D in a one-on-one battle. It was nothing more than an insult to ask Faust to go on a skirmish against bandits. However, Faust was the counselor of the second princess, Valliere, who would go on bandit extermination. The second princess Valliere was only a spare for the first princess Anastasia. Rezenlotte didn¡¯t really care that much about her. Of course, Faust would have to go on that mission. Bad. This bad. Faust¡¯s ability and his position as a counselor, to give them to the second princess, my daughter, Valliere, all will be a waste. Rezenlotte could see that Faust had dyed his face vermilion in anger. However, I couldn¡¯t tell if it was acting or not. Yes, Rezenlotte couldn¡¯t judge him properly. A male knight who was raging. A man who was praised by bard as ¡°Knight of Wrath¡± because of his conduct on the battlefield. The only child produced by a noble female knight of the frontier Polydro territory. Faust von Polydro had become a troublesome existence to the royal family. An excellent man. He had proved himself with the achievements he got. That was why, it had become troublesome. He should have been placed under Anastasia from the start. Anastasia¡¯s abilities have been shown in the battle with those barbarians of Willendorf. It was certain that Anastasia would be the one to succeed her. Now, to strengthen the second princess, Valliere¡¯s faction¨D¨D would just be a waste of national power. The only male knight¡­ Rezenlotte wasted him. You should just look for a bride quietly. Faust von Polydro has already been assigned as a counselor of the Second Princess. As her daughter, Valliere¡¯s wishes. That was a failure of Rezenlotte. Faust¨D¨D he should have been given under the command of Anastasia. Now, Rezenlotte could only regret it. ¡°Is it my lack of power?¡± No, you don¡¯t lack power. There is no doubt about your ability, Faust. But, that¡¯s why I¡¯m in trouble. Again, Rezenlotte should have put Faust under Anastasia¡¯s command. Above all, Anastasia wanted him. Yes, Rezenlotte knew that. Seeing that Anastasia¡¯s eyes still glaring with all of her strength. But, since she was like that, she must have not noticed that Faust¡¯s face was dyed vermilion and that he glared at Rezenlotte with those angry eyes. Oh, Faust von Polydro. Rezenlotte didn¡¯t like him. Rezenlotte wished he had died in the fight against Willendorf. No. In a way, that would only be a waste. Also, that fine figure of yours. Had caused Rezenlotte to want him to take the place of her¨D¨D dead husband. Rezenlotte couldn¡¯t help but have that feeling. However, Rezenlotte knew that my daughter, Anastasia, would send her neck to fly away if she did that. Aaah. Why everything is hard? Do mother and daughter always have similar tastes in men? Or Anastasia is just hungry for fatherly love, and asking it from Faust? Aaah, Faust¡­ ¡°Please forgive me. I¡¯m done with what I wanted to say. More than this has nothing to do with me. May I leave the room?¡± The words of help Faust gave to Rezenlotte. She decided, to receive it. ¡°I allow you. You can leave the room.¡± Rezenlotte ordered so at will. If she didn¡¯t do that, her heart would go crazy. Faust had fascinated her. In her heart, he had reached a similar spot to that of her late husband. That was why, sometimes she wanted him. But for now, she decided to forget about it. Anastasia, her lust to Faust. That desire of hers. ¨D¨DRezenlotte decided to approve it. ¡°Valliere¡± ¡°Yes, mom¡± Rezenlotte¡¯s second child, the second princess Valliere, who was a ¡°spare¡±, answered. ¡°If you fail to get rid of the bandits this time, Faust will be dismissed from your counselor and will be under Anastasia. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Valliere rounded her mouth with a dismayed face. That didn¡¯t matter. Anastasia just needed to steal Faust from the spare¨D¨D Valliere. That didn¡¯t matter However, there was no reason for Faust to fail. But, what Rezenlotte said would restore some of Anastasia¡¯s trust in her. That didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Please wait a moment! Faust, is my counselor!!¡± ¡°Ara ara, what could be the second princess, my sister, Valliere, would be scared of, in just exterminating bandits.¡± Anastasia fueled the flames. That didn¡¯t matter. The reality wouldn¡¯t change at all. With Faust, there could be no failure in just exterminating bandits, even if he was to be under idiot. Valliere¡¯s counselor would remain Faust von Polydro. Anastasia¡¯s counselor would remain from those of nobility. Would remain those of a duke household. That didn¡¯t matter. The country would still be moving. If possible, Rezenlotte would like Faust to take the place of her late husband. But, that wouldn¡¯t be forgiven by the officials and above all, Anastasia and Valliere. That didn¡¯t matter. After all, the country would still be moving. Anyway, Rezenlotte opened her mouth. ¡°Valliere, can you do the bandit extermination properly? That¡¯s all that I¡¯m asking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first campaign, I¡¯d like to refuse it, but do you really think that I can¡¯t even do that?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not possible if you take Faust with you. The victory is certain, but if you haven¡¯t finished your first campaign, the other will doubt you, right?¡± Valliere fell silent. In fact, it was an undeniable fact that the bandits that have arisen were in trouble. Valliere had no choice. She squeezed her mouth and returned his consent. ¡°My dear mom, Valliere ¨D¨Das my first campaign, I will complete the mission of exterminating bandits.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s all matter.¡± Finally, the solution was decided. Felling relieved, The Queen, Rezenlotte, sighed. On the other hand, the first princess, Anastasia, clicked her tongue. CH 2 2. The counselor of the Second Princess In the first place, the failure was that I, became the counselor of the second princess, Valliere, two years ago. ¨D¨D¡¸¡±You, be my counselor¡± ¡¹ As that word crossed my mind, I thought about the past. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFlashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Since my mother died, I went to the royal capital in her stead to give a greeting. I would have an audience with Queen Rezenlotte, Waiting for my turn, three months had passed. Well, it was unavoidable, a frontier knight like me must wait. While I was convinced so and gave up, I was spending my days in a poor inn in the royal capital while worrying about funds. There, I met the second princess Valliere and her guard. ¡°You, be my counselor¡± ¡°Hah?¡± While scratching her head, she said so. She was 12 years old. Princess Valliere, took her guard to the cheap hotel, to give such an order. ¡°What¡¯s, with that attitude? I¡¯ll let you be my counselor, you know?¡± ¡°Even if you say so¡­¡± I was 20 years old. Before my mother died, I didn¡¯t do the taking over process, so the takeover was delayed. And I, got such an order from the second princess. Even if I knew that was difficult to refuse from my standpoint, at the very least I wanted to resist. ¡°So, what are the benefits for me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The second princess of Valliere went silent. Even if it might be hard to refuse. It wasn¡¯t completely impossible. ¡®Elector¡¯¨D¨D Well, since this wasn¡¯t the Holy Roman Empire of the Earth, it wasn¡¯t exactly like that, but similar, anyway, An influential person with the right to vote the ruler of the Empire, Queen Rezenlotte. The Polydro territory belonged to me., which was in a frontier, was in a way, protecting the Kingdom. The security of the Polydro territory would be guaranteed by me, a member of Polydro, fulfilling a contract. In short, to get protection for my territory, I would need to pledge allegiance to Queen Rezenlotte and fulfill a duty of military service. I, Sir Polydro, had fulfilled a military service this year as well. It was to kill about 20 insignificant bandits. Really, what a shame¡­ Thinking so, I remembered how many beautiful women¡¯s necks were sent flying by the magical greatsword that had been passed down in my family. Anyway¨D¨D ¡°I¡¯ll let you have the audience with my mom this week.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough. By the way ¨D¨D¡± My capability wasn¡¯t enough. So, to point that out, I said. ¡°Why do you want me as your counselor? I¡¯m just a knight of a frontier area with less than 300 citizens.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The princess didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she pointed to the greatsword hanging on my waist. ¡°How many people, you had decapitated with that sword?¡± ¡°I wonder, I stopped counting after 100.¡± It had been five years since I started doing military service instead of my sick mother. All of them were just stupid bandits, but some of them were strong fallen knights. However, they were not much with my power. It seemed that I just boasting myself, but that wasn¡¯t the case, many said my sword skill was probably amongst the highest in the royal capital. The reason for the guess was that men weren¡¯t eligible to participate in the swordsmanship tournament of the royal capital. So, I didn¡¯t really know the extent of my power. Yes, the view of the world of reversal of chastity would always be attached to me whether I liked it or not. ¡°I want to get, a usable handpiece first. Is that a bad thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor, but there¡¯s no merit for me.¡± ¡°For future military service, I shall prepare a small amount of military funds from my¨D¨Dsecond princess¡¯s annual expenses.¡± ¨D¨Dmoney, huh? Not a bad suggestion. As a knight, to move my citizens, money would be needed. The tax revenue would decrease as you move your citizens after all. The number of workers in the territory would decrease during the extermination of bandits too, and the mobilizers would have to give some pocket money too. ¡°Also, the military service also has a choice. And I, can let you choose the battlefield.¡± ¡°In short, I will not need to chase after the bandits¡¯ ass anymore, and can complete my military service just by a glaring contest with those of unmotivated enemy country, is it?¡± Not a bad deal. Though in an emergency, on the contrary, I might be driven to the front line as the second princess¡¯ counselor. It couldn¡¯t be helped. In case of an emergency, as a Knight, I would be driven to the front line anyway. The frontier lord was in a weak position and insignificant after all. Hmm,,. Not so bad. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t interested in the royal palace. As long as my territory, Polydro, could be safe, that was more than enough. The second princess Valliere in front of me couldn¡¯t even be compared with the first princess Anastasia, who was praised as brilliant. Well, I met her once, but really, she was literally a different creature. Was it when she was just 14 years old? Princess Anastasia walked through the city with a powerful guard while giving off an aura of a royal family. That was when she was 14 years old. It was hard to believe. I heard that while wearing something like a maximilian armor, she beheaded sinners using a halberd. ¨D¨D Anyway, I was considering the proposal of the second princess Valliere in front of you. For a 12-year-old, she¡¯s a smart person, though her appearance is just like a cheeky girl. But well, This girl, will never get me involved in the power struggle in the royal palace. After all, she doesn¡¯t have the ability. And so, I gave her my final answer. ¡°Fine. Then, I shall be a counselor to Princess Valliere.¡± ¡°Great. Well then.¡± Princess Valliere put out her hand. I kneeled and kissed her hand. Illustration of MC kissing the hand of the Second Princess And thus, I sealed a contract with her. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°It was a complete failure.¡± It wasn¡¯t good from the first year I became the counselor. The military service switched from exterminating bandits to glaring at the enemy country, Willendorf. All I had to do was lead only 20 people and protect the fort. At least, that was what supposed to be. However, a war broke out. Even though there was no battle in the last 20 years, Willendorf suddenly attacked. Naturally, I would be involved in the war. With only 550 soldiers, including the first princess Anastasia, her guards, and the army led by Duchess Astarte, who was her counselor, the battle against nearly 1000 Willendorf barbarians began. I also joined under the command of Princess Anastasia¨D¨Dand was at the forefront. I was desperate. I didn¡¯t want to die as a virgin. Why did God send me into such a crazy world? I hated it, really hated it, but nothing I could do. Other than¨D¨Dgetting an erection. However, the metal chastity belt stopped the erection. ¡°My d?ck hurts¡± It was a survival instinct. I didn¡¯t want to die. Not as a virgin. I was a virgin even in my previous life. That was what drove me. To not die as a virgin. I pulled out the magical greatsword of my family and kicked the belly of my beloved horse, Fluegel. ¡°My name is Faust von Polydro. If you think you can defeat me, come!! I¡¯ll fight to my last breath!!¡± It was easy to take the first neck. It seemed that no one ever thought that there would be a man on the battlefield¨D¨Dother than a male prostitute. I sent someone¡¯s neck flying at the moment when I raised my voice. Once again, I kicked the belly of my horse, Fluegel. I rushed to the enemy knight captain, who was protected by dozens of knights with horses. ¡°ERECTION!!¡± I uttered an obscene word. It wasn¡¯t a befitting word on the battlefield. But my current situation. My d?ck hurts! So, it couldn¡¯t be helped, Anyway, I cut off the second and third people at the same time I shouted the word. ¡°The commander of Willendorf army, have a one-on-one combat with me!!¡± The opponent didn¡¯t respond, and the fourth person thrust a spear. I cut off the tip of the spear with my greatsword and scraped off the fourth torso. Chainmail, was cut like butter with my magical greatsword. Aaaa¨C My d?ck hurts!!! Apart from that thought, the fifth knight was approaching. Did the commander think that doing one-on-one combat with me was too much? or did the commander want to capture me and turned me into a d?ck slave? ¨D¨DProbably the latter. However. I had no intention of becoming a d?ck slave. Though, Harem was always welcome. I didn¡¯t want to be raped by people who didn¡¯t have the idea of ??hygiene, and died of syphilis with stink smell all over me. Anyway, I waved my left hand, which wasn¡¯t holding the greatsword, and gave a signal. ¨D¨DCrossbow. It was a signal for that. The arrow shot from a crossbow pierced the fifth knight. Our territory owned as many as five expensive crossbows. The church asked to not use it, but, who cares? It wouldn¡¯t stop me from using it. Yes, I was selfish. Nothing was more important than my own life after all. And my d?ck was also important. Aaaa, my d?ck hurts. While hurting my d?ck, I reached the knight captain of the enemy. I raised the greatsword and shouted loudly. ¡°The commander of Willendorf army, I apply for a one-on-one duel!!¡± ¡°I have a name, it¡¯s Reckenbell! O, Male of valor!¡± The knight captain of Willendorf army replied with a loud shout. Oh, it worked. With that conviction, I gently lowered the greatsword diagonally. ¡°Then, Reckenbell-dono! Let¡¯s duel!¡± ¡°Okay, but promise one thing.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Reckenbell took a deep breath and shouted. ¡°If I win, you must become my second husband!! How is it?!¡± Values ??peculiar to those of Willendorf¨D¨D those barbarians. A strong man was worth more there. In my country ¨D¨Dthe Kingdom of Anhalt, such a type would be quite disliked. Basically, in my country, delicate men were preferred. To be honest, I wished that I was born in Willendorf. ¡°I understand. If I win, I¡¯ll do anything, even becoming your second husband!!¡± Should I lose? Such thoughts ran into my mind, but I might get treated badly, so, I didn¡¯t want to. In any case, she didn¡¯t wear a helmet, so I could see that she was a beautiful woman, even though she looked a little older. Perhaps because of the armor, but it looked like her boobs were big. My d?ck hurts. ¡°But I can¡¯t afford to lose.¡± I mumbled in low voice. I¡¯ve a responsibility here Sure I¡¯m another world person who reincarnated from the earth, but my mother gave birth to me here, in this world. I¡¯ve a territory to govern. I¡¯ve a responsibility as Lord Polydro. Even if it¡¯s just 300 people, I can¡¯t stray away and disappoint them. That¡¯s why ¨D¨D Reckenbell, you must die. I held the greatsword diagonally and charged at the commander, Reckenbell. I didn¡¯t need to say the result of the battle. As I was still alive now. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CEnd of Flashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡± ¨D¨DIt was a failure¡± It¡¯s clearly a failure to become a counselor of Princess Valliere. ¨D¨Dleaving the room where I had been discussing with Queen Rezenlotte, I muttered so. It was around the garden of the royal palace, where I was thinking of the result of the consultation ¨D¨D I can see the future. Eventually, I¡¯ll be driven to exterminate bandits as a military service this year. I smelled the flowers in a well-arranged garden. Quickly, I wanted to let it all go. In short, the naked body over one veil of Queen Rezenlotte, which had been burned into my mind a while ago, would be the dish this time. Anyway, I was going back to the inn to comfort my ¡°son¡±. But, I saw people sitting at the garden table, enjoying tea. It¡¯s not maids. It seemed like they were delicate boy attendants. And from their mouth, I heard insulting words. ¡°Is he Sir Polydro? Such muscular body, what a horrifying figure.¡± ¡°So uncivilized. Perhaps the predecessor, Lady Polydro, picked up an abandoned child from Willendorf because she couldn¡¯t have a child?¡± Apparently, that wasn¡¯t just a simple insult. It was me, I had been insulted. They¡¯ve insulted me. In other words, all things of my Polydro territory. They insulted my mother, my ancestors, my people, my land, and everything. The sound of nerve popping in my temples could be heard. With the lingering pain on my d?ck still remaining, I was in a bad mood. And they provoked me who was in such condition. You piece of shit¡­ ¨D¨D I stepped down from the hallway to the garden, to break the cartilage of the nose of the stupid disgusting men who had just insulted me. CH 3 3. Duchess Astarte My mother was a weirdo. In a world where the idea of ??chastity was reversed, she trained me in martial arts, mainly swords and spears. I understood to be taught about governance and management of the territory. I understood that it must be understood as the Lord. In the future, I would support my noble wife who would call herself instead of me ¨D¨D the ruler of Polydro. So, why did she want me to learn about martial arts and battle tactics? When I was a little boy, I remembered the memories of my previous life¨D¨D Seeing what my mother wanted me to learn, I thought it was normal for a noble eldest son to learn such skills, so I¡¯d never complained to my mother about the anomaly. However, when I was 15 years old, I learned that there was only one male knight out of the village, and that a man wouldn¡¯t normally appear on the battlefield. So, I started to have more questions. Then, I knew that the male-female ratio of Polydro territory was so abnormal, with 30 males and 270 females. In a situation where polygamy wasn¡¯t strange, I didn¡¯t think that ¡°This must be an absolutely stupid world¡±. I wasn¡¯t so narrow-minded after all¡­ Anyway¡­ ¡°Just now, what did you guys say? Me aside, you¡¯ve insulted my mother.¡± I walked up to the garden table, barging into their tea time. The two boy attendants spilled the tea, as if they never thought I would come. Standing up and making excuses, I could see their crotch was wet with a yellowish liquid. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say anything like that.¡± Again, my mother was a weirdo. My father died of lung disease at a young age, and his relatives in the aristocrats told my mother to get a new man, but she refused to do it. She trained me in martial arts and battle tactics in place of the supposedly eldest daughter¡¯s duty, since I was the only child. However, I realized that my mother must have been desperate. Perhaps my mother found that it would be difficult for her to give birth a second time because she was too weak? Or did she love my deceased father so much? 20 years since I was born, even though she must lie down on the bed, she forced herself to teach me everything about being a Lord. In the end, she died of illness at the young age of 35. I can understand now. ¡°Did you insult my mother?¡± My mother tried to leave me everything as far as she knew. Perhaps my mother knew she couldn¡¯t live long. And that was why, for a short time ¨D¨Dfrom child to adult, she tried to leave everything behind. I thought my mother was just a weirdo. From the age of 15, I began to serve in the military instead of my mother, who was completely sick and fell into bed. I didn¡¯t know if that kind of thing would become my filial piety to her. No, it wasn¡¯t, I hadn¡¯t been able to do filial piety. I finally realized it after my mother died. Even if I¡¯m just a different world person who reincarnated from the Earth. For me¡­ ¡°Did you just insult, my mother, my ancestors, my people, my land, all of Polydro?¡± From the time I was five years old, she gave me everything to live in this world ¨D¨Deven if that must cut her life. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡± She¡¯s¡­ an irreplaceable mother. The insult itself to me was nothing to make a big deal. I knew that in this kingdom, a muscular rough man like me wasn¡¯t liked. However, insults to my mother would never be allowed. So, I grabbed the soft neck of a man at hand and lift it up. Floating in the air, the weak man said, ¡°W-we are relatives of the Duchess Astarte, the First Princess¡¯ Counselor! Are you still¡­¡± I see, I see¡­ So, did you insult me since I¡¯m the second princess¡¯ counselor? Did you think that you wouldn¡¯t be harmed because of your background? ¨D¨DSeems you¡¯ve misunderstood me. ¡°So what?¡± I thrust my index finger into the man¡¯s nostril. ¡°S-stop. I apologize ¨D¨D¡± It¡¯s too late. I let my index finger go all the way in, until near the base of my index finger. I heard a scream that didn¡¯t fit with his personality ¨D¨Dno, it was a roar leaking out of a man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not just delicate. You can make such a rough voice after all. Hahaha.¡± I laughed wickedly. The fingertips pierced from the nose reaching the man¡¯s throat. Satisfied, I pulled out the bright red index finger from the man¡¯s nostril. The man made a loud noise, fell to the ground, and a bright red bubble came out of his mouth. First one, done. Next¡­ I gazed at the other man while wiping the blood on my index finger with a handkerchief. ¡°Don¡¯t run away¡± I said so, though I knew that it was unlikely that he could escape. Losing his knees, the other man fell on his butt and was beginning to leak urine and feces. ¡°Absolutely, pathetic.¡± I won¡¯t kill you. But, you¡¯ve to pay the price. Emotionally, it was just about my mother. Externally ¨D¨Dit was about the aristocratic face. I was carrying all the honor of those within my territory, under the leadership of me, Faust von Polydro. I couldn¡¯t just get insulted and leave it alone. Even if¨D¨D ¡°What are you doing!!¡± Even if it was against the Duchess, who had a bigger territory and the strength of the troops was literally beyond my scope. I looked back at the familiar voices I¡¯d heard hundreds of times on the battlefield. ¡°Well, well, if this isn¡¯t Duchess Astarte. How are you?¡± ¡°I feel the worst now¡± Duchess Astarte. She was Princess Anastasia¡¯s counselor. The number of her people exceeded tens of thousands, and the number of regular soldiers that could be moved even in an emergency was close to 500. The number of regular soldiers alone exceeded the number of my people. ¡°Let me ask straightforwardly, Sir Polydro. What did these guys ¨D¨Dwhat did the two who work as my attendants in the royal palace do to you?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve insulted my mother, my ancestors, my territories, my land, all of Polydro. Saying that my mother must have picked up abandoned children from Willendorf because she couldn¡¯t have children.¡± ¡± ¨D¨D¡± Duchess Astarte shut her mouth. She descended from the hallway into the garden and spoke to a man who was sitting on the ground while pissing himself. ¡°Is Sir Polydro¡¯s remark true?¡± ¡°N-No, we were just ¨D¨D¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s true¡± The look of Duchess Astarte changed into the look of a demon. ¡®Demon Goddess Astarte¡¯¡­ was what was sung by a bard about her. ¡°These damn idiots!!¡± Duchess Astarte, in her boots, kicked the nose of a man who was sitting on the ground. The sound of the cartilage in the nose breaking could be heard. While listening to it, I stared at the figure of Duchess Astarte. As usual, she¡¯s beautiful even with a demon-like look. And her boobs are big. Very big. Really, a super beautiful woman with long red hair flowing on her back. Well, just looking at her, of course, won¡¯t really cause an erection. To distract myself from Duchess Astarte¡¯s look, I thought of such an obscene thing. ¡°Excuse me, Sir Polydro. I want to apologize for this.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to, Duchess Astarte. Against the barbarians ¨D¨Dthose Willendorf, weren¡¯t we fighting together in the front line? Well, there was a difference in territorial power.¡± ¡°Differences in territorial power¨D¨DAren¡¯t you and me a comrade? I don¡¯t care about such.¡± Yes, the relationship between me and Duchess Astarte wasn¡¯t bad. During the invasion of Willendorf a year ago, 500 regular soldiers of Astarte territory and 20 people of my territory. In addition, 30 guards of Princess Anastasia, a total of 550 people. Because of the emergency, only those could be prepared for preventing the invasion of Willendorf. Duchess Astarte was always at the forefront with me to encourage my inferior army. Well, this wouldn¡¯t make me sick of her. There were conflicts between her as the first princess¡¯ counselor, and me as the second princess¡¯ counselor. However, the first princess faction was overwhelmingly too strong to worry about. The problem¨D¨D ¡°Even so, as usual, you sure have a nice ass, Sir Polydro.¡± ¨DWas that she always sexually harassed me. ¡°Stop joking. I know that a muscular rough man like me isn¡¯t liked.¡± ¡°No problem!! I¡¯m in the ass group!!¡± What a free person. Is being the Duchess, making her permissible to do whatever? ¡°O, Sir Polydro, when will you let me taste your body? Aren¡¯t we in a relationship where blood and sweat have entwined with each other on the battlefield?¡± If I can, I want to free those boobs. And let my ¡°son¡± rest there. ¡°Duchess Astarte, as I say many times, my chastity solely belongs to my future bride.¡± Actually, I didn¡¯t want to deal with only one person for the rest of my life. I wanted to build a harem. My dream was to gather beautiful women and build a harem. But in this country, a man, being a virgin was considered as sacred. If I was rumored to have sold my body¨D¨D My reputation, as well as my territory¡¯s reputation, would fall. And¨D¨Dthe requirements of marrying me would also get worse. That was why I couldn¡¯t do that. And so, with tears in my heart, I could only stare into the eyes of Duchess Astarte. ¡°Then, be my husband¡± ¡°Joke again, is it? There is too much difference in our position¨D¨Dour noble ranks. It¡¯s not balanced at all. And there is my territory as well.¡± ¡°What about just a lover? Not good? Don¡¯t worry, I will give birth to your children as many as you want, and I¡¯ll send one to take over the Polydoro territory properly.¡± That¡¯s a fascinating condition. But, in that case, I¡¯ll become Duchess Astarte¡¯s lover. ¡­¡­ That¡¯s, not bad. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m still a virgin. I¡¯m still 18 years old after all. When I turn 20, I have to catch a man because I have to give birth, so, isn¡¯t it better to do it first with a promising man?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± Virgin or non-virgin, I don¡¯t care, as long as I can do it. All I care about is the presence or absence of diseases. ¡­ This is bad, If I continue to have this kind of conversation with such a super beautiful woman, I¡¯ll get an erection again and my d?ck will hurt. Or rather, I¡¯ve already had a little erection. Damn it, I wish there is a brothel. Hah, I¡¯m doomed. There are only male prostitutes in this world. Why does the world keep harassing me? Why? Duchess Astarte gazed at my eyes and muttered. ¡°Let me just say it straightforwardly. I hate roundabout ways. Do with me once. I¡¯ll pay you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Who cares about your money, I¡¯m willing to pay for you. I want to free those boobs. But NO, I can¡¯t. There¡¯s too much difference in our position. Aahhh, I want to have sex. Why was my ¡°son¡± always born for nothing? A virgin in the previous life, a virgin in this world. It¡¯s just too miserable. Already¡­ let me reach the goal. In a sexual sense. Yeah, let¡¯s take the invitation of Duchess Astarte. I hated God. Every time I went to church on Sundays and I always cursed God as the backing vocals of the choir group. ¨D¨DAnd that was perhaps why, any wishes I hoped never come true. ¡°What are you talking about! Astarte!!¡± The first princess of Anastasia made an appearance. When will I be able to return to the inn to properly calm my exited ¡°boy¡±? When will I be able to unleash this accumulated power? With that in mind, I fell on my knees against the first princess with a sigh and arranged my manners. CH 4 4. First Princess Anastasia For Anastasia, her father was like the sun. Above all, she liked the ruggedness of her father, especially when he used his rugged hand to stroke her head. Anastasia¡¯s father, was from Astarte Household. It might sound like he came from a prestigious family, everyone would normally think so. And everyone would think of a delicate, short-stature man in their head. But that wasn¡¯t the case. Though not that ugly, if someone asked whether he would be included in the favorite type of the women of the Anhalt Kingdom. The answer would be, No. He was a little off. First of all, He was tall. And he had a muscular body. Because he couldn¡¯t get out of the mansion, his hobby was gardening¨D¨Dperhaps, he was farming in the large garden of the Duchess¡¯s mansion. Well, the hobbies of aristocratic men, were many. And, Agriculture wasn¡¯t bad at all. Not bad, really, though. Because of that, his hands were full of calluses and blisters, and every time he used those hands to touch Anastasia¡¯s scalp, it made her squirm. Anastasia heard that there were dozens of candidates for her mother¡¯s husband, and her mother could choose any of them or all of them. So, why did her mother¨D¨D Queen Rezenlotte had only one husband, presented by the Duchess family? Anastasia had a doubt. In fact, she had heard that the court nobles were making noise about it now Well, that aside, There was something interesting happening in front of Anastasia now. Anastasia who was standing in the hallway, spoke to Faust and Astarte, who were standing in the garden. ¡°Astarte, what were you talking to Sir Polydro just now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about a lover contract.¡± ¡°Lover contract?!¡± Anastasia had anger on her face. Sir Polydro ¨D¨D Faust stared at Anastasia¡¯s face for a while then quietly turned his gaze. Are you so scared of my face? Anastasia closed her eyes as if to soothe Faust. Somehow, this reminds me of the old day ¨D¨D In the old days, Anastasia liked getting stroked on her head by her father¡¯s rugged hands. She felt loved as a daughter. No matter how much noise the court nobles were making, it could be said that her mother¡¯s eyes were correct. Father was really a competent person. Though he had a short temper, his roots were actually, gentle. And he was such a person who wouldn¡¯t mix public and private matters. Her father refused any request of the Duchess¡¯ family, using the messenger. The petty official¡¯s plea that went through him, if it was really on the verge of need, he would do it himself ¨D¨D In any case, he refused a direct plea to mother. He was trying to protect mother and me, his family. He was a family man. Always swung the hoe on a sunny day. Read a book on a rainy day. Anyway. Anastasia loved his hands, which were full of calluses and blisters, which occasionally used to pat her while hanging out with her. Her mother probably loved her father as well. Her sister probably loved her father as well. That was why Anastasia couldn¡¯t forgive it. She wanted to monopolize her father¡¯s love. That feeling seemed to be what the world called, first love. ¨D¨DFrom the hands of my dear father, who loved agriculture, there was certainly the scent of the sun like this. Cut off her thoughts. Returned to reality again. Anastasia opened her mouth. ¡°The royal family isn¡¯t willing to forgive such a connection between the Duchess and Sir Polydro.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Astarte responded with a funny face. A provoking face. ¡°Such a connection between the first princess¡¯ counselor and the second princess¡¯ counselor, isn¡¯t funny.¡± ¡°All just for a show, isn¡¯t it? I mean, there¡¯s no such thing as second princess faction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. How could you have the nerves to speak such in front of Sir Polydro, the second princess¡¯ counselor? As expected, Sir Polydro doesn¡¯t fit you.¡± Just said that and closed her mouth. Once again, Anastasia¡¯s mind went somewhere. It went back to the past. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Flashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- One day¨D¨DAnastasia¡¯s father suddenly died. It was because of poison. Even if her mother got angry and tried to find the criminal by making full use of her outstanding skill ¨D¨D but, nothing was found. Her father was never a hated person. Her mother was still looking for the criminal. Still, she couldn¡¯t find anything. If found, ¡®Hell¡¯ would be shown to that criminal. Still, nothing was found. Her love had suddenly gone. Even though her mother loved her, her mother¡¯s gaze toward her felt like seeing a public figure, the first successor. It must be love for her talent. There was no love as a family member. One day, when Anastasia was a mere 14-year-old first princess who showed her power while parading around the city. Her mother, her guards, and her counselor, Duchess Astarte, all of them had the same eyes. They were looking at her as the first princess Anastasia. Only one ¨D¨D her father, who looked at her, as his daughter Anastasia. Anastasia was just a mere 14 years olds, so how much was the feeling of loss she felt? In any case, when Anastasia noticed it ¨D¨D she already didn¡¯t remember the shock she felt so much. No, she didn¡¯t want to remember. In the shadow of something, like a ghost¨D¨D bending over and crying in bed, she didn¡¯t want to remember those. Then, the day of the first campaign finally came to her. It was the invasion of Willendorf. Anastasia met ¡°him¡± there. ¡°Faust von Polydro. The Second Princess¡¯ Counselor. I¡¯m pleased to make an acquaintance with you.¡± The man had a stronger body than her father. The height was close to 2m, and the great sword swung with one hand, showing how muscular he was. The five fingers of both hands were filled with blisters of sword and spear. Such a man. Such a man ¨D¨D was prostrating under her command as a counselor of her sister, Valliere. Yeah, her sister. More than anything else, it was her sister. After finally, she found a replacement for her father. It wasn¡¯t funny. It wasn¡¯t funny at all. It¡¯s not funny you know. Valliere. Did you think it¡¯s so easy to find a replacement? No, right? Valliere¡­ ¡°It¡¯s an emergency now. I¡¯ll follow the command of the first princess, Anastasia. Please your command!!¡± First of all ¨D¨DI could certainly say that there was a mixture of anger in my words. Really, it was a completely stupid decision. ¡°Go to the front line with Astarte!¡± I did a ¡°trial¡±. I wished for him to die. ¡°¡­¡­Understood!¡± However, Faust went to the forefront and was successful. He defeated the leader, the Knight Captain Reckenbell, the core of the barbarians, in one-on-one combat. Hearing it, Anastasia quietly, smiled for the first time in a few years after her father died. Aaahh¨D¨DCan you take place of my father? Such an illusion suddenly came to her. Therefore, Anastasia often talked to Faust on the battlefield against Willendorf. ¡°Why look away?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Because looking at the first princess Anastasia, is too much of a reward.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rude to look away?¡± Faust muttered with an embarrassed expression, scratching his cheeks. ¡°Well¡­ yes, that¡¯s right, yes.¡± He was so honest. Similar to her father. On the battlefield, Sir Polydro, who rampaged with anger, was called as the ¡°Knight of Wrath¡±. But, the real face of Sir Polydoro¨D ¨D Faust¡¯s face was, in peacetime, it was like a family man. While holding his head down, he was apologizing to Anastasia with a sorry look. Her father¡¯s figure when he was scolded by her mother, was there. Wrong. He wasn¡¯t her father. He was a different man. All she saw was just an illusion. Even so, her father¡¯s appearance and Faust¡¯s overlapped. Before Anastasia knew, when she saw Faust, she began to follow him with her eyes. He was a man who was kind to his people. He was a fair man to the knights of his compatriots. He was the man who made Duchess Astarte declare him as her comrade in arms. The roots were too similar to that of her father. You¨D¨Dcan you take place of my father? Anastasia thought so. But then Anastasia understood. That feeling Anastasia had for her father wasn¡¯t, first love. The feeling of naturally chasing a man with her eyes was what they called, first love. She understood that. Now that Anastasia finally understood it, Anastasia wanted him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-End of Flashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Sure, I want him. Anastasia¡¯s thoughts returned to reality Then, she opened her mouth. ¡°Hey, Sir Polydro¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Faust folded his knees and opened his mouth, as such was a courtesy. His face never went in her line of sight. That much didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Please quit being the Second Princess¡¯ counselor. Be under me.¡± The remark was made naturally from within the heart. That was, to become hers. ¡°¡­ I refuse.¡± On the other hand, it took three seconds for Faust to say no. Perhaps that hesitation was intentional in consideration of Anastasia. ¡°Why refuse? It¡¯s not Astarte¡¯s words, but there¡¯s no such thing as a second princess faction. There¡¯s no future for you.¡± ¡°That is ¨D¨D¡± Faust hesitated. This time, he looked straight at Anastasia. And muttered. ¡°I still have a thing called ¡°heart¡±. I¡¯m proud as the counselor of the Second Princess Valliere.¡± It was a perfect answer. So naturally, Anastasia¡¯s crotch was about to get wet with ¡°love juice¡±. If he really had the same roots as her father, he would answer that. To an extent, Anastasia had expected such an answer. Aaah¡­Faust. Faust von Polydro. You¡¯re the right person to be my husband. I don¡¯t want others except you. By any means, I¡¯ll make you my husband ¨D¨Dor lover, by any means. What? If just a lover you still can be taken as a husband by someone else? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll never let that happen. I¡¯ll make you my own. Only mine. I won¡¯t let Astarte get in the way. Not to mention my sister, Valliere. Even my dear mother, Resenlotte. Since I¡¯ve decided, That, You are only for me. ¡°Well, then, it¡¯s fine, for ¡®now¡¯. Do your best in Valliere¡¯s first campaign and get rid of the bandits.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Faust answered with his knees folded and prostrated. This is the relationship between us now. But eventually, you¡¯ll stare at me while whispering your love. Whether as a lover or husband. Aaaahhh, Faust. I love you. Till the end of the world. Till, the end of the world. Anastasia called Astarte¡¯s name, ordered her to follow from behind, and left. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù I, Faust von Polydro, was wondering. Why she has such a scary face? I don¡¯t want to look at you, Princess Anastasia. Even Astarte, the ¡°Demon Goddess¡±, isn¡¯t so scary. Also, somehow, the aura surrounding you is strange. You¡¯re still just the first successor to the Elector, but you¡¯re already unleashing such aura. Sure, you¡¯re also an unreasonable beautiful girl, but your eyes look like reptiles. So much different from my master, the Second Princess Valliere, who¡¯s in a way, a girl with an ordinary talent. While thinking about that, I listened to Princess Anastasia¡¯s words. ¡°The royal family isn¡¯t willing to forgive such a connection between the Duchess and Sir Polydro.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Duchess Astarte answered as if to make fun of the first princess. Well, it was within my predictions. ¡°Such a connection between the first princess¡¯ counselor and the second princess¡¯ counselor, isn¡¯t funny.¡± ¡°All just for a show, isn¡¯t it? I mean, there¡¯s no such thing as second princess faction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. How could you have the nerves to speak such in front of Sir Polydro, the second princess¡¯ counselor? As expected, Sir Polydro doesn¡¯t fit you.¡± That was right. Duchess Astarte was a straightforward person without much care about troublesome things. She¡¯s too carefree. Not that I mind. But the problem is, she¡¯s in the ass group. Even though she¡¯s big boobs. What a shame. For me who¡¯s in the boobs group, she¡¯s my enemy. Perhaps this is why, she¡¯s hated by those court nobles. I¡¯m sure, they¡¯re in the boobs group too. Though hated by them¨D¨D Those bureaucratic nobles must¡¯ve been desperate to put their son as the husband of the Duchess Astarte. After all, she¡¯s a Duchess. Well, status and power are blinding, it can¡¯t be helped. I sighed again and waited for the storm to pass. It seemed when I was thinking about such things, Princess Anastasia was also lost in her thought. I wonder what she¡¯s thinking? After a while, the First Princess opened her mouth. ¡°Hey, Sir Polydro¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I put my knees on the ground and replied such. That was the courtesy after all. ¡°Please quit being the Second Princess¡¯ counselor. Be under me.¡± No way, dumbass. I¡¯m scared of you. you know? I¡¯m so scared that I don¡¯t understand why the Duchess Astarte is under you. Damn it. I answered desperately, even though my tongue was about to cramp in fear. ¡°¡­ I refuse.¡± Princess Anastasia asked again. ¡°Why refuse? It¡¯s not Astarte¡¯s words, but there¡¯s no such thing as a second princess faction. There¡¯s no future for you.¡± ¡°That is ¨D¨D¡± Oi, me, find out why, now! I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not interested in the power struggle in the royal palace. Something, think of some reason, me! ¨D¨D Ah, that¡¯s it. ¡°I still have a thing called ¡°heart¡±. I¡¯m proud as the counselor of the Second Princess Valliere.¡± It was a perfect answer. Perfect. She must¡¯ve become speechless. I gazed at Princess Anastasia. Princess Anastasia looked back at my gaze and smiled like a snake. Why do you laugh like that? And why did my ¡°son¡± get a little excited when I¡¯m so scared like this? Must be a survival instinct. Even though the tip of the d?ck hit the metal chastity belt, I held the pain and returned the snake-like smile with a bitter smile. I just didn¡¯t know what to do other than that. ¡°Well, then, it¡¯s fine, ¡°for now¡±. Do your best in Valliere¡¯s first campaign and get rid of the bandits.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°for now¡±? You mean, it¡¯s not fine in the future? Damn it, I¡¯m completely being watched. What did I do wrong? Is it because of what I did in the battle against Willendorf? Is it because I opposed the Second Princess Valliere¡¯s first campaign at the royal meeting earlier? Or, is it because I get along with Duchess Astarte? F*ck, I don¡¯t know the reason. I¡¯m scared because I don¡¯t know the reason. Why don¡¯t you leave me alone? Why? As the First Princess Anastasia and Astarte were leaving. I was still on my knees, worrying about my future. CH 5 5. Duchess Astarte and The First Princess Anastasia From an early age, Astarte grew up compared to her relative, Princess Anastasia. Her mother, who was a teacher for royal studies, said she was bad at memorizing things. The battle tactic teacher told her, that finally a student as good as her appear. The sword and spear teacher told her, that she could be one of the top ten fighters in this royal capital. Astarte grew up in that way. Since she was the third in succeeding the throne, a spare of a spare to succeed this Anhalt Kingdom in case of emergency. And because of that, she was the successor to the Duchess family. So, she was still brought up to be as good as Princess Anastasia. Her mother and father brought her up that way. And, that said First Princess Anastasia, was now steadily walking in front of her with the noise of her boots. Before following her, Astarte once again looked back at Faust, who was still on his knees paying respect to the First Princess. After waving her hand. She opened her mouth at the corner of the corridor, far from Faust. ¡°Hey, Anastasia¡± ¡°What is it, Astarte?¡± ¡°Just now¡­¡± The conversation between Anastasia and Faust. While remembering it, Astarte muttered. ¡°You said that a connection between the first princess¡¯ counselor and the second princess¡¯ counselor, wouldn¡¯t be good.¡± ¡°Yes. Is something wrong?¡± Astarted was dissatisfied. But that one, wasn¡¯t the problem. ¡°Immediately after that, what do you mean ¡°Please quit being the Second Princess¡¯ counselor. And, be under me.¡±?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the literal sense.¡± Oi, I¡¯ll hit you for real, you know? Anastasia was strong, but Astarte would as expected win in a one-on-one fight. Anastasia for strategy and Astarte for tactics. The street corner bards sang so¨D¨Dand the knight captain, judged so. In fact, that role had been distributed since the invasion of Willendorf. By the way, Faust von Polydro, the knight of the wrath, was the field commander. That was the case at that site. Now, that wouldn¡¯t be the case. Well, it was a shame that Faust would be idle a lot as the Second Princess¡¯ counselor. ¡°I know you like Faust. He¡¯s just like Uncle.¡± Anastasia stopped. They were relatives. Moreover, Astarte had been with her for two years as her counselor. Of course, Astarte would understand. Her uncle was like the sun. He was kind to her even though she was just a relative. And above all, he had a nice ass. Trained by his hobby of agriculture. Perhaps it was at that time that Astarte was sexually aroused for the first time in her life. ¡°I remember, you were looking at my father with unpleasant eyes, Astarte. To the point where I thought I¡¯d kill you several times.¡± ¡°I was in my adolescence. It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± Following her instinct, Astarte couldn¡¯t turn her eyes away. She was often scolded. As a noble, Astarte lacked the dignity of a lady. People often called her a carefree woman. The court nobles and those with bureaucratic positions all frowned and said bad things to her. Though she was a Duchess, she didn¡¯t have good manners. Even though they tried to send their sons, only ¡®fishing notes¡¯ were sent to the Duchess family. That was why she didn¡¯t deal with them. Also, the seeds to be sown in her field, had been decided to be ¡®his¡¯. ¡°Let¡¯s me say it straightforwardly, give up on Faust. From the standpoint, it¡¯ll be too much for him.¡± ¡°Haah? Bastard, want me to kill you?¡± Anastasia changed her tone. When she were alone with Astarte, her emotions tend to come out easily. ¡°Think of Faust¨D¨DSir Polydro¡¯s territory. With your position, the burden is too heavy.¡± ¡°How heavy is it?¡± Even though Anastasia herself knew, she still asked so. ¡°Suppose you successfully make Faust, your lover or husband, and what will happen to Polydro territory. No way, you will send one of your daughters with Faust, to take over Polydro territory?¡± Astarte didn¡¯t know how many would Anastasia give birth to. However, to send her child, who would be in the line of succession to the throne, as the lord of the frontier territory with less than 300 people. It was just too ridiculous. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make Polydro territory under the direct control of the Kingdom of Anhalt?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot¡± Anastasia was intoxicated with her own desires. And forgot the nature of the knight, who was also the feudal lord. ¡°You know how much Faust cares about his territory, his land. Like any knight who is also a feudal lord. Even giving a mere insect, they would refuse to do it. Should I say they¡¯re being desperate? In any case, do you think you could make such a man happy by taking away all the ties of his life?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anastasia shut up. Then argued. ¡°¡­ Look, you are the third in succeeding the throne. Even your daughter has the right to succeed to the throne.¡± ¡°Yes, but then, my child¡¯s royal blood will be much thinner. Also, I can have many children¨D¨Draising one of them as the lord of Polydro is feasible. The blood of the royal family is much thinner, so as the chance to succeed to the throne. It¡¯s not a bad thing to have a territory that the youngest child can inherit.¡± It¡¯s my and Faust¡¯s child. I¡¯m sure Faust will give much love even to the youngest. ¡°Faust can be happier if he is with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anastasia shut up again. Such persuasion¨D¨D ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. He¡¯s mine.¡± ¨D¨DAstarte didn¡¯t think it would go well from the beginning. And what she wanted to say¨D¨D was ¡®that¡¯. ¡°Then, let¡¯s compete.¡± ¡°¨D¨D¡± ¨D ¡®Do not make me pull out the sword that¡¯s in its sheath.¡¯ However, she understood that it wasn¡¯t such a game from the beginning. ¡°The one who makes Faust say that ¡®I love you¡¯ first, wins. Our wins and losses are in Faust¡¯s hand.¡± ¡°¡­ So troublesome. When I take over the Queen¡¯s seat from my mother, I¡¯ll forcibly get Faust. I¡¯ll not give him to anyone.¡± ¡°How many years will it take? In the first place¨D¨Ddo you want him to lose the thing similar to Uncle, the heart of the sun? Do you want Faust, who has been robbed of his ancestral territory and has become like a doll? If you forcefully ask him to love you to the point where he needs to abandon his territory, do you think, he¡¯ll just comply and say nothing? Probably not. ¡° ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anastasia shut up and then bit her nails. It was her bad habit that only Astarte, and probably Queen Rezenlotte and the Second Princess Valliere, knew. This noticeably came out, if she had a hard time answering a question. Even if she could force Faust to love her. It was very unlikely that Faust would be hers wholly. And, it seemed that she finally noticed it. ¨D¨DBut, yes, this was the timing Astarte had been waiting for. A perfect moment to send a ¡®rescue boat¡¯. ¡°Why don¡¯t we share Faust?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°In this world, it¡¯s common for polygamy, right? It¡¯s not uncommon for aristocrats to share the same man.¡± I want a child with Faust. I want to hug that man, while stroking that ass. I don¡¯t mind giving up taking his virginity. Is it still, too much of a luxury? ¡°¡­ you mean, as my, and your, lover?¡± ¡°Yes, your, and my, lover.¡± The lover of the First Princess Anastasia and the Duchess Astarte. Astarte distorted the edge of her mouth and laughed. ¡°Then, I can send my child will take over the territory of Polydro. I¡¯m sure Faust will agree.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Anastasia bruxed her teeth. It seemed that she was seriously thinking about it. ¡°I want Faust to be my own¡± Anastasia¡¯s mouth might say so, but her eyes were certainly confused. It was the moment when the stubborn Anastasia had a crack in her heart. ¡°It¡¯s impossible¡± Astarte laughed and whispered like a devil. ¡°That man, Faust, makes him open, two women.¡± Too emotional, Anastasia¡¯s words were disjointed, and couldn¡¯t be combined into a good sentence. In her thought, she was imagining, the man who was like the sun, opening himself to two women. A man with a muscular body, a rugged man who didn¡¯t look delicate in the slightest, the virgin that had dedicated himself to the battlefield for his territory. That chaste, innocent, pure, naive but serious, that virgin Faust, would shamefully, open his clothes like plucking the petals of an elegant flower. Such was in Anastasia¡¯s mind, distorting her thoughts. ¡°Yeah, what I mean is, let¡¯s make him open his legs in front of us like a male prostitute.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anastasia was silent, but Astarte could see the shaking of her heart. Like me, she doesn¡¯t want to let some random male attendant cut her virginity. Don¡¯t you want the first pain to be fun at the same time? Faust¡¯s body is perfect for that. Let¡¯s enjoy him to the fullest, you don¡¯t have to be ashamed of your desire. Just because both were the successors of the throne, didn¡¯t mean that they must live with a pure heart. Both had sexual desires. ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you, his virginity. I can still have a lot of fun after that.¡± ¡°Faust¡¯s ¡­ Virginity¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the virginity of the one who cherishes and protects his territory with his best.¡± What? I know Faust¡¯s weaknesses. We just need to poke there. He¡¯s a knight, but no matter what, he¡¯s a Lord. For his ancestor, territories, and lands, he¡¯ll even lick the crotch of a disgusting woman. ¨D¨DThen, when the desire got the better of him, he will open his legs, and show what¡¯s there, on his crotch. ¡°I don¡¯t want to dirty Faust!!¡± ¡°Lie! I know you have a desire of wanting to shame Faust to your heart¡¯s content!!¡± Both had been speaking indecent conversations in the hallway to their heart¡¯s content. For Astarte, making another woman dirty Faust, was out of the question. But if the woman was Anastasia, she didn¡¯t mind. She didn¡¯t mind letting Anastasia, who was a relative and would eventually become a queen, dirty Faust. She thought that this was fun in its own way. Imagining that Anastasia was holding Faust while she was lonely in bed, her crotch naturally got wet with love juice. Astarte was taught how to ¡®enjoy the night¡¯ as next to succeed the Duchess, but the teacher didn¡¯t tell her that there were many other ways to enjoy it. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea to make the embarrassed Faust shake his hips like a dog. Just imagining it, making me crazy!¡± ¡°Bastard ¨D¨D you¡¯re so despicable!!¡± Anastasia blushed and screamed. But it wasn¡¯t out of anger. It was out of being embarrassed. She was blushing with because she was embarrassed, which meant, deep in the bottom of her heart, she had such desires. Hey, Anastasia. You want to have Faust shake his hips on the bed, don¡¯t you? Same! Let shame Faust even move. Aaaah, it¡¯s driving me crazy. ¡°Hey, just imagining it, you know that it¡¯s great. If you follow my suggestion, you¡¯ll get it right away. What? I¡¯ll persuade Faust. Are you worrying that he will hate you? Don¡¯t worry, there is no such thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anastasia was already fluttering her mouth, but she didn¡¯t make any voice. She just made her face bright red. ¡°¡­¡­Got it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you. Say louder.¡± ¡°I told you, I got it! Faust is my, and your lover!!¡± As expected of the first in line to succeed the throne. The speed of making a decision was different. Well, it was an indispensable element in the strategy. Anyway, Astarte smiled and tapped Anastasia¡¯s shoulders. Illustration of Astarte tapped Anastasia¡¯s Shoulder ¡°Well¨D¨Dit¡¯s not fun to force Faust to open his legs. Still, I can¡¯t help but get excited.¡± ¡°You are really the worst woman.¡± While listening to Anastasia¡¯s curse, which wasn¡¯t so like her, Astarte was thinking about something else. For the past two years, it¡¯s been fun to have that naive and serious Faust blush with sexual words. But that¡¯s over. It¡¯s about time to have his child. ¡°Well, Faust¡¯s military service¨D¨Dthe first campaign of the Second Princess Valliere, I guess it¡¯s fine to do it after that¡¯s over?¡± Astarte didn¡¯t want to put too much strain on the man¡¯s heart before doing the military service. Anyway, the first step, persuading Anastasia, was over. Feeling relieved, Astarte stretched her back, and stretched out the disturbing big boobs that were a nuisance on the battlefield. CH 6 6. Ingrid and the Chastity Belt A place of residence in the royal capital of Anhalt Kingdom. Whenever I left my territory, I mobilized 20 people as soldiers, and I always take them with me. It was to cut some funds. My territory wasn¡¯t so rich. There were no specialty products either. 2 years ago, when I went to give a greeting to the Queen in place of my mother. I didn¡¯t want to think too much about the three months I must spend waiting in line for an audience with Queen Rezenlotte. I was burdened with lodging expenses for 21 people, including myself, and I had a hard time managing the living expenses. But not now. As the counselor of the Second Princess, the royal family had prepared a splendid mansion that could easily accommodate 20 people. It was one of the perks of being a counselor. So since then, I¡¯d been using this mansion as my residence in the royal capital. ¡°¡­I guess, it¡¯s about time.¡± Today, I was in the mansion, waiting for a guest. Ingrid Company. The official purveyor of my Polydoro territory. Well, the reason I said official purveyor, was because there were no merchants who came to my frontier territory with less than 300 people, except for Ingrid Company. Ingrid Company. had been doing business with my territory since my predecessor¨D¨Dmy mother¡¯s generation. All mediation was entrusted to the Chamber of Commerce. Things that had been passed down from generation to generation. Sharpening a magic-imbued greatsword, somewhat unsuitable for frontier territory nobles. A new and renewed thing for my generation. Repairing the chainmail that enveloped my 2m tall body. And personally, but most importantly. That was¨D¨D ¡°Faust-sama, Ingrid Company has come.¡± The Squire I recruited from my people knocked on the door and said so. ¡°Let her in¡± ¡°Excuse me. Sir Polydro, Counselor of the Second Princess.¡± As if teasing, Ingrid, the owner of the Ingrid Company, greeted me. Ever since I became Counselor of the Second Princess, she had preferred to use this way of calling me. ¡°Ingrid, Stop it. Even if you say I¡¯m the Second Princess¡¯ Counselor, there¡¯s no faction, it¡¯s just a small role.¡± ¡°Living in such a splendid mansion, how can you say that?¡± Ingrid was in a good mood and looked around the room. Certainly, the mansion was splendid. The mansion in my Polydro territory was pale in comparison¨D¨Din fact, this mansion was indeed splendid. ¡°We would like to take this opportunity, to expand the scale of our company.¡± ¡°¡­neither the Second Princess, nor I, have such influence, give up.¡± Ingrid was a merchant after all. Always on the lookout for profit opportunities. However, in the end, the Second Princess Valliere, who was a spare for the First Princess Anastasia, had not much expenditure. The fact that I couldn¡¯t afford to buy anything extra from Ingrid. Even more so, where there were merchants who were purveyors of the royal family. There was no gap to insert her company. And Ingrid, should have known about that as well. ¡°What, I expect you to be involved in a larger part of this country, Lord Polidoro.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ingrid¡¯s eyes were sparkling with greed. What did she see in me to have such eyes? I didn¡¯t know. The Ingrid Company wasn¡¯t a small company. As expected, it wasn¡¯t as good as the royal purveyor¡¯s merchants, but still, it had a lot of connections to many craftsmen and blacksmiths. A company with a large sales channel within the Anhalt Kingdom. What would be the reason why she was so attached to a frontier lord knight like me? Well, whatever the reasons. For sure, it wouldn¡¯t hurt me. Instead, it would be Ingrid, who would be making a loss. More than that. Above all. Personally, I¡¯d been wanting to talk to her about the most important matter. ¡°Ingrid, I have something to tell you. Come a little closer.¡± ¡°Yes¡± Ingrid walked over and I spoke in a low voice so that even the squire waiting outside the door couldn¡¯t hear me. ¡°It¡¯s about the chastity belt. Can you do something about it? You see, it hurts when I¡¯ve an erection.¡± ¡°Again¡­? it¡¯s about that again?¡± Ingrid blushed slightly and spoke in a voice that matched my volume. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, right? Sir Polydro¡¯s one¨D¨D was a custom-made piece to fit your size. I can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°It was when I was at age of 15. I must sneak my way to safely visit a rare male blacksmith. It was mentally painful.¡± Chastity belt. Needless to say, adult goods. It didn¡¯t change whether it was the Earth in my previous life or this stupid world. It was sold mainly to control the chastity of men here. However, my purpose was different. I wore it to prevent an erection, or more precisely, to disguise an erection. In my frontier territory, I managed to hide it by wearing baggy pants. After leaving the territory, I couldn¡¯t do that with formal clothes to go to the royal palace, or battlefield clothes. ¡°Anyway, it hurts when I¡¯ve an erection. It hurts a lot.¡± ¡°In the first place, why do you get erections so often?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­What to say¡­ I answered in the best way I could come up with. ¡°When I get emotional, or in a similar situation, I can¡¯t help but get an erection. Don¡¯t tell this anyone.¡± In this world, this was also a kind of something a male should be shameful of. Here, a man would be regarded as an abnormal person if he easily got an erection just by looking at a woman¡¯s naked body. Still, it was way better than being regarded as a nasty male. ¡°¡­ Well, should I say that it¡¯s a way of being a knight of wrath?¡± Ingrid blushed while murmuring so. I guess, she didn¡¯t know what best to say either¡­ Anyway, this chastity belt, really hurts¨D¨D ¡°Ingrid, please don¡¯t tell anyone that I bought myself a chastity belt. I know well, that I¡¯m so far away from the preferred male type here. Still, I¡¯m wearing a chastity belt. I don¡¯t want to be falsely accused by aristocrats that I bought myself a chastity belt because I was afraid of being attacked.¡± ¡°I¡¯m too scared to divulge customer information, much less leaking the purchases of nobles. So, please rest assured. Also, didn¡¯t I still keep the secret of you making the chastity belt tightly?¡± Well, that¡¯s true. Yeah, let¡¯s trust Ingrid here. ¡°Anyway, it hurts when I¡¯ve an erection.¡± ¡°¡­¡­the chastity belt, would you like to change its size to a larger one instead of a fitted one?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good. If I¡¯m wearing such a chastity belt in formal clothes, they¡¯ll find out.¡± If I had been married to someone, then that would be fine. Controlling the husband¡¯s chastity wasn¡¯t so abnormal in this world. However, it would be unwise to let the public know that while I was single, I was wearing a chastity belt. I didn¡¯t what to be falsely accused by an aristocrat, because I was wearing a chastity belt that I bought myself. At the very least, if I had been the pretty boy type that the women of Anhalt Kingdom liked, I wouldn¡¯t be judged even if I said I wore those to protect my chastity. Anyway, ¡®Nobility¡¯, in a sense, could be said to be a business of honor and appearance. So, I couldn¡¯t and shouldn¡¯t shame myself. ¡°Then, the only option is to continue using the chastity belt with a fit size.¡± ¡°Is that the only option¡­?¡± I hung my head. In this world, seeing naked women every day wasn¡¯t something strange. Of course, everyone usually wore clothes, but being naked was nothing to be ashamed of. As expected, if a woman became a noble, she would wear a veil even if she were naked. Yesterday, when I went to the royal palace, Queen Rezenlotte was wearing only a silk veil. That appearance told me that this world was indeed a stupid world¡ªIn fact, I was in that stupid world. Anyway, there was no malice that could be felt from the Queen with the appearance that seemed to appear in some kind of erotic novel illustration. She was just showing off her physical beauty. Still, my ¡®son¡¯ took a lot of damage. After that, I was so unreasonably angry that I reflected on myself a little after I calmed down. In conclusion. No salvation for me here. ¡°Second Princess¡¯ Counselor, Sir Polydro, I think it would be best for you to be a married man. Then, even if you¡¯re found out to be wearing a chastity belt, there¡¯ll be no problem.¡± ¡°If I can do it that easily, I will quickly get myself a wife.¡± I wasn¡¯t popular To be exact, my rugged and muscular body wasn¡¯t popular. Even more so, when I was just a Lord of a small frontier. In the city, the royal capital, there must be many nobles who were second and third daughters who couldn¡¯t inherit the family¡¯s wealth. Still, there were many who showed reluctance to go from the royal capital to a frontier territory, except for military service, more so spending the rest of their lives there. Even so, I didn¡¯t give up and thought of a way. Once I became the counselor of the Second Princess, I asked Princess Valliere to help me marry some random aristocrat woman. However, with a very grumpy look on her face, she refused, saying that there was nothing she could prepare for me. Really, very useless. ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay to be Duchess Astarte¡¯s lover?¡± Ingrid suddenly said something out of the ordinary. ¡°You, what the hell are you saying?¡± ¡°Since the invasion of Willendorf, Duchess Astarte always declared Sir Polydro to be her comrade-in-arms. And as if flirting, bards have been singing stories related to it.¡± ¡°That was Duchess Astarte¡¯s joke. No, even if she was serious, in the end, she would definitely get a husband who is suitable for a Duchess family from some nobleman with higher status than me. After all, there is too much difference in rank. I don¡¯t want to just be a lover of someone.¡± I didn¡¯t dislike Duchess Astarte. Rather, I liked her. She had big boobs after all. But I hated to be a mere lover of someone. More so, a lover of women who had a husband. If I agreed to be her lover, surely, I could send the youngest child of Astarte to inherit the Polydro territory. But there would be still a possibility that the Polydro territory, my territory, my everything, would be stolen by a child who didn¡¯t even inherit my blood. Sorry, but that, I would never let that happen. After all, it would be like spitting on my ancestors and my mother, who tried their best to get and maintain the territory. ¡°Sir Polydro, it seems you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°What am I misunderstanding?¡± As if having trouble with what to say, Ingrid hesitated¨D¨Dbut in the end, she didn¡¯t mutter anything. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù Leaving the mansion, as soon as Ingrid entered the carriage, she muttered to herself. ¡°Sir Polydro, you¡¯re misunderstanding something. Duchess Astarte has no intention of taking a husband if Sir Polydoro becomes her lover.¡± According to the information Ingrid got, that seemed to be the case. Duchees Astarte was said to really love Sir Polydro. Ingrid didn¡¯t tell Sir Polydro about it because the information wasn¡¯t always accurate. And ¨D¨D ¡°If I leaked it, what will happen if someone finds out about that? Even if it¡¯s profitable for Duchess Astarte, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡®Demon Goddess Astarte¡¯¡­ with that nickname, she was said to be a rough but carefree woman. In the enemy country of Willendorf, her nickname was, ¡®Astarte the Exterminator¡¯. After repelling the invasion of Willendorf¡¯s 1,000 people, together with the royal army, which was slow to come because it was positioned in a confrontation with the enemy country in the north, she went to counter-invasion Willendorf. Duchess Astarte, like a demon, plundered the people of Willendorf. All the women were killed and their corpses were crucified. The soldiers stabbed rebelling men with knives while raping them until they died, and all the surviving men were brought back to the Kingdom of Anhalt as slaves. It was said that nothing remained behind the villages that Duchess Astarte plundered. Whether in good or bad way, I don¡¯t want to be noticed by that rough-tempered woman. That woman is kind only to those whom she truly recognizes as her ally. In a way, only the first princess Anastasia and Sir Polydro. Thinking so, Ingrid¡¯s spine trembled a little. It felt as if the monitoring of the counselor of the First Princess, Duchess Astarte, were reaching Sir Polydro¡¯s mansion. Surely, it had actually enveloped the mansion area. Duchess Astarte¡¯s network couldn¡¯t be made lightly. That mansion, seems like a prison set up by the royal family to capture Sir Polydro. And¡­ ¡°¡­the First Princess Anastasia¡± Even she¡¯s showing interest in Sir Polydro. The word leaked out by the court nobles ¨D¨D the high-ranking bureaucratic nobles. If it¡¯s not a lie¡­ ¡°¡­It¡¯ll be a big business opportunity if I can become a purveyor of the first princess¡¯ lover.¡± Ingrid wondered, why Sir Polydro couldn¡¯t get married. In this world with too many women, from the military family, he¡¯s not valued that low. So, why can¡¯t he make a romantic rumor at all? I¡¯ve never once heard about it, like seriously¡­ Is it because Duchess Astarte, First Princess Anastasia, the first princess faction in general is harassing him, the Second Princess¡¯ Counselor? Well, even if that¡¯s how the lower-ranked nobles looked at the situation, it¡¯s not the same for the upper-ranked nobles and me. Without telling Sir Polydoro all those thoughts. Ingrid left the mansion while praying that Duchess Astarte wouldn¡¯t pay attention to her. CH 7 7. Squire Commander Helga¡¯s Recollections Helga, she remembered her childhood very well, especially, when she had the best festival in the village, and such a memory came to mind. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFlashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C It was a festival held on the day Young Lord Faust was born. Polydro territory was a small village with less than 300 people and everyone knew each other. All the people living there used to visit the Feudal Lord¡¯s mansion to see the face of Young Lord Faust when he was born. Of course, Helga, who came from a family lineage that had served as a Squire Commander in Polydro territory for generations, was one of them. Young Lord Faust was a child who didn¡¯t cry, which was rare for a baby. Young Lord Faust, who was the first child of the Lord of Polydro Territory¨D¨D Lady Marianne, was a boy, and Helga¡¯s mother and others were drunk and in high spirits, saying that he would eventually become a pretty noble man. Even though the village, which was part of Polydro territory, was by no means wealthy, the village chief opened up the village¡¯s food store in a good mood, as if to make full use of this opportunity. The children, including Helga, also enjoyed the feast and filled their bellies. ¨D¨DSuch village¡¯s shadows didn¡¯t last for long, as Lady Marianne¡¯s husband passed away from pneumonia not long after. ¡°This is a petition from all the people. Marianne-same, please take a new husband.¡± It was the words of a plea from Helga¡¯s mother, the Squire Commander. Though it was known how much Lady Marianne loved her late husband. It just couldn¡¯t be helped. Without the eldest daughter who could inherit the Polydro territory, the village wouldn¡¯t survive. Besides looking at her mother, who bowed her head deeply, Helga looked at Lady Marianne¡¯s complexion. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was as if she was tormented between her duties as a Feudal Lord and her love for her husband, whom she could never forget. And then¨D¨DLady Marianne, turned a little strange. Perhaps, it was because of the excess of anguish. She began to teach her son, Young Lord Faust, about spears and swords. Of course, she was stopped. By the village chief and Helga¡¯s mother. Also, by the deceased husband¡¯s relatives, However, Lady Marianne ignored all that persuasion and continued to teach swordsmanship and spearmanship to Young Lord Faust. Eventually, everyone gave up. Lady Marianne had gone mad. The child¨D¨DYoung Lord Faust would soon realize that no other boys were doing such a thing, sooner or later he would get angry and stop doing it. Lady Marianne had gone crazy. People could only hope that a strong and excellent wife would come to Lord Faust. But. Young Lord Faust simply followed Lady Marianne¡¯s teachings. In addition to the education in governance and management, he was physically tortured. Even though he was a noble, he was sure endured it well. Even Helga, who was proud to have inherited the rank of Squire Commander from generation to generation, found training with swords and spears difficult. Young Lord Faust was severely beaten with a wooden sword, and there was even a time when a real sword was actually equipped and real combat practice was given to him. However, Young Lord Faust continued his training without crying. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CEnd of Flashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Even now, Helga still could remember Lady Marianne¡¯s anguished look. And, the fact that Lord Faust, was a child that never cried. ¡°¨D¨Dapple¡± Helga suddenly muttered and returned reality. Right now, Lord Faust and Ingrid Company were in the middle of a discussion in the guest room. Helga stood tall in front of the door, making sure no one got close. While paying attention, thoughts flew back to childhood memories. Apple. Yes, it was an apple. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CFlashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C During sword and spear training, Young Lord Faust shared the apple that was always served as a dessert at lunch. Cut one in two with a knife. ¨D¨DYoung Lord Faust must have wanted to eat a whole one, too. Helgas thought so. Young Lord Faust had been kind to the people since childhood. Even though Helga refused, Helga was forced to take it, as Lord Faust said that she must have been hungry too. To such a kind Lord Faust, she always wanted to ask. Isn¡¯t this all hard on you, Young Lord Faust? But, Helga could never say such a thing loudly to the noble Young Lord Faust. Young Lord Faust¡®s hands already touched and held a sword at a young age. ¨D¨DTime passed and people grow old. Over time, Helga was transformed from a child into a full-fledged Squire Commander. And Young Lord Faust also had his appearance changed. Not that he became ugly. Not that he became unattractive at all. His face was in perfect shape. If Helga might give an opinion as a Squire Commander, Young Lord Faust had become rather noble and beautiful. However. Considering the preferred type of man in the Kingdom of Anhalt, he was a little tall, no, he was too tall. At the age of 15, he reached 180 cm. And his hands were full of blisters and calluses, and they didn¡¯t look like the hands of a nobleman. But¨D¨D He was still kind to the people. Truly kind. Unusual for a man of nobility, he was a man who lacked material desires. Feeling bad, as a token of apology, Lady Marianne bought hair ornaments, rings, etc. during her military service outside her territory. All of those things¨D¨Dat the time of the wedding ceremony between the citizens of Polydro territory, he gave one by one to them. Alternatively, he also gave to a nobleman who lived in a neighboring territory all for the sake of the people of Polydro territory. Those men were happy, but Helga was sad to see Young Lord Faust lose what should be defining him as a man. So, Helga asked about it once. ¡°The hair ornaments and rings, don¡¯t you regret it?¡± And, Young Lord Faust replied. ¡°Hair ornaments or such don¡¯t look good on me because I¡¯m tall, and rings, well¡­¡± Saying so, Young Lord Faust showed his rugged fingers with blisters and calluses. Helga regretted asking that question. She understood that anything that wasn¡¯t an order made and was bought at the market in town couldn¡¯t fit Young Lord Faust. And, before Helga knew it, Helga had come to despise the predecessor Lord of Polydro Territory¨D¨DLady Marianne from the bottom of her heart. Why aren¡¯t you pampering your child better? Is this how you treat your son? While thinking about such things, day by day passed and suddenly, Lady Marianne fell ill. In the first place, she was physically weak. So, it was kind of expected to happen. At that time, fifteen-year-old Young Lord Faust began to serve the military in her place. Then, during his military service, he asked Helga a strange question. ¡°Does there exist, a male knight other than me?¡± Helga hesitated. That kind of thing should be common sense. Young Lord Faust should have known it too. But still, Helga had to answer. ¡°Barbarians ¨D¨D Excuse me, I¡¯ve heard, there are some in Willendorf, but it doesn¡¯t exist in the Kingdom of Anhalt.¡± Even though Helga thought was an insult to Young Lord Faust. He only muttered back to her. ¡°Is that so? I guess, it is how it is.¡± Rather, Young Lord Faust muttered such innocent words. And his face too, looked innocent. Helga couldn¡¯t feel his anger towards her words, or towards Lady Marianne, who raised him as a rare male knight. Then, Young Lord Faust opened his mouth again. ¡°I want to ask you one more thing. If I play an active role as a knight ¨D¨D will my mother be pleased?¡± Young Lord Faust asked that question. Helga couldn¡¯t answer that question. She couldn¡¯t understand his thoughts. Are you looking for love from your crazy mother? Are you asking for common sense from your crazy mother? It¡¯s almost impossible, you¡¯ll just have a hard time. ¨D¨DAnd so another five years passed. Helga would soon share a husband with her sister, and Young Lord Faust had grown into a fine young man nearly two meters tall. And then, Lady Marianne finally began to vomit blood on the bed. The day of parting with Lady Marianne was approaching. ¡°S-soon, it¡¯ll be a goodbye to mother huh¡­¡± Young Lord Faust muttered so, as he opened the bedroom door. His voice trembled slightly. The bedroom beyond the door was silent. Inside was, the village chief, Helga¡¯s mother who had now retired from being a Squire Commander, Helga, and Young Lord Faust. And Lady Marianne, who was about to take her last breath in bed. ¡°Faust¡± Lady Marianne called his name. By the bedside Young Lord Faust gently stroked the face of Lady Marianne, who had become thin as she started to have a hard time even just drinking soup. ¡°Faust. Hands.¡± Young Lord Faust put out his hand. Lady Marianne¡¯s trembling hands held the rugged hands. And then, Lady Marianne quietly ¨D¨D really quietly, muttered her last words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Faust.¡± At the moment when Lady Marianne, holding his hand, apologized as if to atone for something. And, a voice ¨D¨D leaked. HIC!! ¡± ¨D¨D ¡° HIC!! It was a baby-like voice that could shake the hearts of those around. It was a voice ¨D¨D a sob. Young Lord Faust was sobbing and crying. Then, though emotionally disturbed, he opened his mouth while sobbing. ¡°No. No. Mother, No. You are wrong.¡± Young Lord Faust shook his head in the atonement remarks. While grasping Lady Marianne¡¯s hand, he spun words. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a hard time. I¡¯ve never hated you in my life. I haven¡¯t been able to do anything yet. I haven¡¯t been able to repay you. I should have talked to you more. I should have done more¨D¨D¡± Young Lord Faust lined up words to deny the reality in front of him while shedding tears. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to do any filial yet. It¡¯s, It¡¯s still too early. I finally understand, I properly love you as a mother¨D¨D¡± ¡± Young Lord¨D¨D¡± As Young Lord Faust and Lady Marianne clenched their hands together, suddenly, such mutter was heard. You, are you trying to separate those hands? No that¡¯s not the case¡­ Helga¡¯s mother muttered once again, while fixing those hands, trying not to ever let those hands separate. ¡± Young Lord. ¡° Helga¡¯s mother tried to mutter something, but her trembling tongue couldn¡¯t put it into words, so she just called Lord Faust¡¯s name. Lady Marianne had already passed away. Unable to tell that fact, Helga¡¯s mother simply called Lord Faust¡¯s name while shedding tears. Young Lord Faust, who was still holding Lady Marianne¡¯s hand, probably understood it too, without the need of anyone telling him. However, Young Lord Faust continued to call out to his mother. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet¡­ No-thing, yet¡­¡± Young Lord Faust continued to cry with his stunned body. That day, Helga saw Young Lord Faust shed tears for the first time. And Helga learned that there was love in this world that could only be understood by parents and children themselves, and love that only appeared in the final stages of life. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CEnd of Flashback¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¨D¨DOh. Helga could hear Lord Faust¡¯s voice. ¡°Helga¡± The name of the Squire Commander of Polydro, the retainer of Lord Faust was called. ¡°Yes, Lord Faust.¡± ¡°Lady Ingrid is leaving. Please open the door.¡± Helga silently opened the door and bowed her head as to see Lady Ingrid off. After that, another squire would see her off to the carriage. ¡°Helga, come inside.¡± ¡°Yes¡± Helga was called by Lord Faust and entered the room. Lord Faust, who was sitting in a chair, looked like he was worried about something. ¡°I wonder what Ingrid wanted to say.¡± Are you asking me, or are you just talking to yourself? In an unintelligible tone, Lord Faust muttered to the ceiling. ¡°Well, I wonder¡­ anyway, Helga, sit there.¡± ¡°Yes¡± As ordered, Helga sat in the chair in front of Lord Faust. Lord Faust then muttered after a short silent. ¡°When, when will I be able to get married?¡± ¡°Someone who understands Lord Faust¡¯s charms will surely appear before long.¡± Helga said it from the bottom of her heart. Seriously, no one has good eyes and taste. The court nobles were making fun of male knights. The royal family tried to send Lord Faust and us to death. Using authority and status as an umbrella, Duchess Astarte always tried to stroke Lord Faust¡¯s butt. All of them are damned. For me, the only noble person in this world is, Lord Faust. ¡°Lord Faust, let¡¯s go back to Polydro territory as soon as possible. As for a wife, let¡¯s search for it more attentively. After all, it just couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Unlike in the past, you started to speak more huh.¡± Even though Helga was scared every time she must say something because the other party was a noble. But, Lord Faust only laugh. After being on his side for a long time, she thought it would be better to speak frankly, even if her head must be cut off, so recently, Helga started to speak more. ¡°What about choosing from the Second Princess¡¯s guards?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they¡¯re within reach. All of them are far away from the royal family and court nobles. The Second Princess¡¯s guards, they¡¯re either the second or third daughter who is almost abandoned by the family, and so basically, they¡¯re on the lowest rank, the first-generation knight, right?¡± Lord Faust answered so. Then Helga spoke frankly. ¡°Do you need it? Connection with the royal family and court nobles.¡± ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t need it.¡± Lord Faust answered with a calm face. Then, isn¡¯t it okay? ¡°In that case, for the military service this time¨D¨Dthe first campaign of the Second Princess Valliere, perhaps I should seriously start looking for the nice-looking beauty?¡± ¡°Please do so¡± If possible, a strong woman, who could replace you, Lord Faust, to serve in the military and also could show the world that the name ¡°Polydro¡± is something to be feared of. While wishing that, Helga asked Lord Faust for permission to stand up from the chair and leave. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù I, Faust von Polydro, had endless regrets. I had endless regrets for my late mother. The mother, who went to military service despite her illness, exhausted herself and came back every year with souvenirs that could be found at the city market. Mother, endured herself to lie down on the bed and taught me everything about governance and management as a feudal lord. Also, about swordsmanship and spearmanship. Why was I such a fool, who couldn¡¯t understand the things called ¡°mother¡¯s love¡±, until the very end of her life? Is it because I remember my previous life? Is that matter? No, Damn it Thinking about how Mother passed away regretting the cruel treatment she gave her son ¨D¨DI feel like vomiting and want to die too. But I really can¡¯t die that easily. It¡¯s a precious body that I got from Mother. Also, I¡¯ve to protect the people, the land, Polydro¡¯s name, which I inherited from Mother. And so, for that too, I must¡­ ¡°¡­But, choosing from the Second Princess¡¯s guards huh¡­¡­? Actually, I want to have a relationship with the second daughter of a bureaucratic aristocrat who is also a military officer who understands the frontier.¡± But¡­ Helga has a point. I really don¡¯t want to be involved in court battles anymore. In the first place, I shouldn¡¯t have become the Second Princess¡¯ Counselor. ¡°But, the Second Princess¡¯ guards¡ª¡± I stammered involuntarily. Yeah, right. To be honest, in short, they¡¯re ¨D¨D ¡°Queen Rezenlotte¡¯s disposal site of good-for-nothings, prepared for the spare.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but said bad about them. While feeling embarrassed, I also felt disgusted with myself, that I had no choice but to be in the middle of it. While harboring deep doubts as to whether they would be able to do well as a Feudal Lord, I moved to bed, and decided to take a quiet nap. CH 8 8. The Second Princess¡¯ Guard Commander, Zabine ¡°Therefore, please give money to go to the brothel out of your annual expenses, Valliere-sama.¡± ¡°You monkey. No, it¡¯s rude to the monkey.¡± Kingdom of Anhalt, the royal palace. In the private room reserved for the Second Princess, Valliere cursed her guard commander. Yes, once again, the other party was the captain of the guards¨D¨D the knights who acted as the guards of Valliere. The commander of the guards was pleading to the second princess, to have all members of the guards go to the brothel. ¡°This is a necessary expense! Valliere-sama, this is a necessary expense¡­ an expense that cannot be avoided!!¡± ¡°Tell me, what kind of thinking process you have that I can use to write the document to the finance bureaucrats for making them give me the necessary expenses to let you all go to the brothel, you damn chimpanzees!!!¡± It had been like this all along. Since the age of 10, the Second Princess Valliere had many stomachaches as if it was natural, it started to occur after she was given the guards by her mother¨D¨DQueen Rezenlotte. Chimpanzees. An anthropoid ape classified in the genus Pan, family Hominidae, and class Mammalia. If Faust, the counselor of the Second Princess, was here, he would have muttered that, but unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t here. In truth, if that male knight was nearby, the guard commander probably wouldn¡¯t have made such a ridiculous plea. If only he¡¯s here¡­ Well, he would have still complained. After all, these guys are a bunch of chimpanzees. Gasping for air, The Second Princess Valliere shrieked with disgust. ¡°So, tell me, I bet you can give me some reason, right? Now, tell me.¡± ¡°Your Highness Valliere, the Second Princess, I am very sorry to make such a plea, and I am truly ashamed of my incompetence¡ª¡± The one making a plea since a while ago was Zabine, the Commander of Valliere¡¯s guards. Wait, do chimpanzees really need names? They probably don¡¯t need it anymore, but¡­ Even as Valliere thought about the fact that the Second Princess didn¡¯t have the authority to strip anyone¡¯s name. Thus, Valliere decided to listen silently to the continuation of Zabine¡¯s remarks. For some reason, Zabine seemed to misunderstand Valliere¡¯s hurried remarks as if her pleas were being heard, and cried out with sparkling eyes. ¡°But, the 15 members of the Second Princess Guard have all turned out to be virgins!¡± ¡°Who cares!¡± Valliere answered with a pain in her stomach. She didn¡¯t care about all of this. Really, didn¡¯t care. But, deep down, she envied her elder sister. First Princess Anastasia¡¯s guards were also made up of the second and third daughters of military nobles. However, they weren¡¯t a group of chimpanzees, rather they were elites who had enlisted in the Imperial Guard with hopes of a bright future from their homes. When her sister became queen, they would even be allowed to have a new house as a hereditary knight. There were 30 members of the First Princess Guard. On the other hand, the number of members of the Second Princess Guard was 15. It was blatant discrimination. Well, she didn¡¯t want the number of chimpanzees to increase. So, that was fine. Why did dear mother, give me this group of chimpanzees? Am I that unpleasant for her? It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for Valliere to think so. ¡°Your Highness Valiere¡¯s first campaign is soon, right!?¡± ¡°What does it have something to do with you guys being virgins? You damn idiots!!¡± Valliere cried so. Shaking her shoulders, she stood up from the chair and shouted from the bottom of her heart. In response, Zabine replied. ¡°It¡¯s too futile for a knight to die in the first battle as a virgin. Do you understand this empty feeling in our hearts? Right, because we¡¯re still a virgin! So, let¡¯s cut and throw it away. At the ceremony before the first campaign yesterday, everyone discussed and decided on this petition.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Valliere was tired of screaming. So, she sat down on the chair. That¡¯s it. They¡¯re really stupid, this girl and others. All of them. I know. That I¡¯m just a spare. Only genuine idiots who were abandoned by their house like this that was given to me¡­ With a somewhat vain smile, Valliere mocked herself. Then, she whispered. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m, a virgin too.¡± ¡°Oh, then!¡± Zabine opened her glittering eyes wide as if they were filled with stars. And shouted out. ¡°Let¡¯s go together! To the brothel!¡± ¡°No way, you idiot!¡± Valliere finally couldn¡¯t take it any longer, stood up from her chair, and grabbed Zabine by the neck. Then shook Zabine¡¯s head and told her clearly. ¡°A place like a brothel, go with your own money! With your own money, do you hear me?¡± ¡°W-we, all members of the Second Princess Guard, including myself, the Commander, are all first-generation knights, the lowest rank as nobles. We only get enough support to live on. We don¡¯t have money to go to an expensive brothel that pays attention to venereal diseases¡­¡± ¡°I know you guys don¡¯t have money. But, even so, you¡¯re still a knight! You¡¯re all of blue blood, right!? I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to ask you to go to seduce the apprentices presented to the imperial court from each territory, but wouldn¡¯t it be possible for you to seduce at least a single commoner boy?¡± Valliere thought that her vocal cords were going to break. She had to worry about losing her voice this time on top of having stomachache. ¡°We are knights! We are of blue blood. As blue blood, we could never allow it to mix with those of commoners!¡± ¡°But, a male prostitute is okay?¡± ¡°Because male prostitution is just a profession!¡± Such a one-night stand relationship. I don¡¯t want it. Valliere let go of Zabine¡¯s collar and covered her face with both hands. She wanted to cry like a child. ¡°Then, that. Look, umm¡­ what to say¡­¡± What should I say¡­ It¡¯s confusing because they, though stupid, as a bunch of pervert knights, they sure have pride left. Damn you bunch of chimpanzees¡­ Valliere cursed in her mind and looked at the blank-faced Zabine through the gaps between her fingers covering her face. Then she spoke from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Stay virgins and die in your first battle.¡± If only they had such pride, Valliere would have been more grateful. ¡°Why, how could you say such a heartless word!?¡± Zabine was astonished. She looked as if she had never heard such cruel words. Huh? In the four years since you guys became my guards, I think I¡¯ve said a lot of similar things? Really, die already No, please die. Faust alone is enough as my aide. These four years were such horrendous four years that only caused the Second Princess Valliere to have a stomachache, to even had such thoughts. Valliere then thought. Faust¡¯s squire commander, Helga, she¡¯s definitely more capable than this knight, isn¡¯t she? In the first place, did this girl really receive a proper knight education? She didn¡¯t abandon her education, right? No, doesn¡¯t seem so. But, this is so troublesome. The idiots were thrown away in the abandoned mountain called the Second Princess¡¯s Guard. Wait, isn¡¯t there still a possibility that they were actually chimpanzees picked up at some mountain? Valliere doubted her guards truly had blue blood, no, even their origins as human beings were looking doubtful. But, she then concluded¡­ ¡°No, even chimpanzees are smarter.¡± Valliere decided to believe in chimpanzee intelligence. 15 chimpanzees prostrate in front of her, crying ¡°uhu aha.¡± Would be still better than this reality. Uhh, my stomach hurts. ¡°Your Highness Valliere, the Second Princess, please, please do not abandon us. We¡¯ve been abandoned by our houses, so please¡­¡± Zabine clung to Valliere¡¯s feet. Loyalty to the royal family wasn¡¯t what connected Zabine, the Guard Commander and Valliere, the Second Princess. Both were unwanted children. Needless child. It was sympathy that connected them. That was why Valliere didn¡¯t abandon Zabine and the other Hominidae Chimpanzees. But Valliere had already been at the limit. ¨D¨D in the first place, isn¡¯t this girl misunderstanding something? Even though it¡¯s the first campaign, the opponents are just bandits. Valliere opened her mouth to persuade Zabine. ¡°In the first place, there¡¯s no need to think about death in my first campaign. The one in our support is none other than the counselor, Faust. He had cut off the heads of more than 100 bandits, and killed many barbarians, even the Knight Captain Reckenbell, in the Willendorf battle. He¡¯s the ¡®Knight of Wrath¡¯, that¡¯s rumored to be the strongest knight in our country, you know!¡± That was all correct. The Counselor of the Second Princess Valliere. Was none other than, the ¡¯Knight of Wrath¡¯, Faust von Polydro. As long as that man was by her side, Valliere didn¡¯t even need to think about the possibility of her dying. Even Queen Rezenlotte and even First Princess Anastasia probably wouldn¡¯t have expected all of this. ¡°If you have time to think about the possibility of dying, hone your sword skills!¡± ¡°Right, there¡¯s Sir Polydro!¡± ¡®Airhead¡¯ Zabine clapped her hands with the feeling that she just remembered that. Haaa, here it comes again, she¡¯ll soon say something stupid, damn chimpanzee. I know you will. After all, I¡¯ve 4 years of experience in this. That was what Valliere thought. ¡°Let¡¯s ask Sir Polydro to take care of the fifteen of us virgins. Ah, also Your Highness Valliere too¨D¨D¡± Then, Valliere silently hit the vase that was placed by her side on Zabine¡¯s head. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°Huff, so what about the injury of the Guard Commander, Zabine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s serious. It¡¯s a serious head injury.¡± Kingdom of Anhalt, the royal palace. Faust scratched his head in a room reserved exclusively for the Second Princess Valliere. ¡°I wanted to have a meeting for the first campaign, but ¨D¨D well, it can¡¯t be helped if she has a serious head injury. Will it be in time for the first campaign?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make her recover in time. But, for now, she can¡¯t join the meeting. So, today¡¯s meeting will be only among us.¡± ¡°Understood¡± I bow my head, then sit on the chair that Helga, the Squire Commander, pulled out for me. Then, I looked at the map of the Anhalt Kingdom on the table. ¡°According to the report of the magistrate dispatched to a small village with about 100 residents, the number of bandits is approximately, about 30.¡± ¡°For 30 opponents, 20 from my territory and 15 from the Second Princess Guard will do the trick. To be honest, to 100% make sure it¡¯ll end with no problem, double of the number is the best.¡± ¡°Although it was under my elder sister¡¯s command, Faust, you had repelled the multiple Willendorf barbarians. And still, you¡¯re saying that?¡± While scratching my head again, I lightly muttered. ¡°That battle was dangerous¡­.¡± If I hadn¡¯t killed the Knight Captain Reckenbell, we would have lost. To be honest, I don¡¯t want to experience it again. I shook my head, forgot the past, and brought my mind back to reality. ¡°There is no such thing as a certain victory in this world. And if I could, I would want the people living in that village to be evacuated first ¨D¨D¡± ¡°They¡¯re already loitering around the village and attacking traveling entertainers and merchants. We don¡¯t have time for that.¡± ¡°If so, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± I gave up on further mobilization of the people. After all, this world was full of things that couldn¡¯t be helped. And to be honest, I had the confidence that I could manage even 30 bandits myself. That fighting power and my red face in a battle would be the reasons for the nickname ¡°Knight of Wrath¡±, but the red face, it was¨D¨D actually, due to painful erections I had in a battle. Anyway, it was an embarrassing nickname, but I was aware that my combat skills as a knight had already entered the stage of a superhuman. ¡°¡­Then, let¡¯s leave in three days.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve finished preparing the provisions. Seems like securing water is no problem as long as we follow the road along the map.¡± ¡°Although our people are accustomed to military service, please understand that progress may be delayed due to walking.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m ashamed, but all of my guards are on foot. We don¡¯t have the money to prepare horses for all. Only me and Faust who will ride horses.¡± The Second Princess Valliere said so while blushing. In return, I smiled wryly. Even though the members of the Second Princess Guard were all nobles, I knew they were all poor women of the lowest rank. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. The First Princess Guard, whom all have horses, is a rather strange case. More than that¡­ ¡°It¡¯s been a while, I¡¯m looking forward to meeting the members of the Second Princess Guard after a long time.¡± ¨D¨D I met the girls only once, it was two years ago. The girls, whom I felt nothing other than still too young at that time, were now 18 years old, an age where they could marry. They were a few bride candidates that I realistically could aim for now. ¡°Eh, yes, right. I¡¯ll make them properly, act properly in front of Faust.¡± For some reason, the Second Princess Valliere answered my words while holding her stomach with her hand. CH 9 9. Preparation for the first campaign ¡°It was useless after all!¡± Screamed Zabine, the commander of the Second Princess Guard, disappointed. One of her subordinates replied. ¡°Well, as expected.¡± It was an acceptable answer. Even if, Valliere-sama agreed, there¡¯s no way the finance bureaucrats will pass the annual fee for a reason like, ¡°the cost of going to the brothel¡±. From the beginning, I¡¯ve never thought it to be accepted. But, what didn¡¯t stop me from trying was a glimmer of hope that¡­ maybe, perhaps¡­ ¡­The hope of 18-year-old virgins. I just gambled on that chance. ¡­¡­Is it a sin? ¡°But, at the very least, I heard good things. Or should I say I remembered about it? Anyway, Lord Polidoro!¡± [TN: changed from Polydro -> Polidoro] ¡°Lord Polidoro?¡± The counselor of the Second Princess. From what Zabine had heard, the counselor, was the man who claimed the greatest achievement in the Willendorf campaign. A man who, with his bravery, turned the battle situation around when even Duchess Astarte could think of no way out. And in this country, he was the only male knight. ¡°What about Lord Polidoro?¡± ¡°You all, don¡¯t get it, huh? It¡¯s Lord Polidoro, the holy virgin, the frontier lord, the male knight.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± No one knew what to say. In this cheap bar frequented by the Second Princess Guard, today, all 15 of them were present. All had the thought to drink at least some liquor before the first campaign, so each of them rummaged in the bottom of their wallets, exchanged the collected copper coins for silver coins, and bought a barrel of liquor. Therefore, now, this cheap bar was occupied by these 15 people. ¡°In this Kingdom of Anhalt, maybe, he¡¯s perhaps the strongest knight, you know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± They had heard enough, no, more than enough heroic songs about the counselor sung by the bards. During the Willendorf campaign, the young Duchess Astarte made the only tactical blunder against Willendorf. The temporary base at the rear collapsed. More specifically, the base of the First Princess Anastasia, the strategic base, was discovered by the barbarian scouts, and 30 elites then quietly infiltrated the base. Due to this, the communication¨D¨Dthe magic crystal ball temporarily interrupted. Only the sound of sword fighting and the screams of the dying resounded from the crystal ball. The turmoil was transmitted to the standing soldiers under her command, leading them to think that First Princess Anastasia had been killed, causing a morale collapse and chaos in the unit. Taking advantage of the turmoil, a large number of Willendorf soldiers surrounded the army under her command. In the midst of this situation, Lord Polidoro, the only one who understood the situation, led a small group of 20 people in a rush to stop the 50 knights in order to escape from a complete disaster. With his sword, he mowed down every common soldier who blocked his way, defeated 9 knights, and killed the commander of the barbarian front line¡ª called ¡°Reckenbell¡± in a one-on-one battle, and politely left the scene after defeating her. With the words, ¡°She was a strong woman. I¡¯ll never forget this battle for the rest of my life.¡±, and with a face dyed red in anger, he ignored the frozen enemy soldier and returned to the base. A battlefield where the commander of the frontline had fallen and the barbarians were temporarily stiff and stagnant. That was the result of his doing. In the meantime, communication with First Princess Anastasia, who repelled the enemy at the base, was restored, and the regular soldiers under the command of Duchess Astarte regained their morale. A man who overturned an absolutely unfavorable battle situation with his bravery. Of course, such a heroic story would be sung about by many. In the first place, being a male knight alone was already too great of a subject for a bard. ¡°But Lord Polidoro is two meters tall, muscular and beefy, isn¡¯t he?¡± One of them opened her mouth. Her words indicated, that he wasn¡¯t to her taste. ¡°But, Duchess Astarte claims that his ass is the highest peak of quality. Don¡¯t you get it? When it comes to men, the important thing is their ass, their ass.¡± Another one opened her mouth. Her words indicated, that she belonged to the ¡°ass faction¡±. That being said, Duchess Astarte couldn¡¯t suppress her desire, and actually rubbed Lord Polidoro¡¯s ass, telling others ¡°Yeah, I rubbed Lord Polidoro¡¯s ass once, it was the best. And my mind, couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that. All right, I guess it¡¯s time, I should go to hell to rub some ass.¡± afterward. She said this crazy remark while being surrounded by the people under the command of an enraged Lord Polidoro. Such was a bard¡¯s crazy song, people said. ¨D¨DBut, it was all true. Anyway, Duchess Astarte managed to escape from ¡°hell¡± by paying Lord Polidoro an apology fee. ¡°No, when it comes to men, it¡¯s their d*cks, d*cks. As long as they have d*cks, that¡¯s fine. Anything goes.¡± And, another one opened her mouth. Her words indicated, no she, was definitely belonged to the ¡°d*ck faction¡±. In short, the conversation had moved toward obscenity. It had completely evolved ¨D¨D no, it had degenerated into dirty talk. This person always did this. Whenever she opened her mouth, she talked something obscene, and when she had free time, she swung her sword and spear around at the training area. Indeed, she was a muscle-brain. Indeed, she was a chimpanzee. No, that would be disrespectful to chimpanzees. In any case, Zabine and the others didn¡¯t care about public opinion. They didn¡¯t care about honor. No, they were just, shameless. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, you all. We¡¯re talking about Lord Polidoro, the holy virgin, the frontier lord, the male knight.¡± ¡°Like I said, what about it?¡± One of them, who had been silent until now, opened her mouth. Right, they were all wondering what Zabine was going to say. ¡°If you become Lord Polidoro¡¯s wife, you can escape poverty.¡± ¡­ ¡­¡­.. The bar quieted down. Fifteen members of the Second Princess Guard were silent. And each of them had their own thoughts. A delusion. Definitely, it was a delusion. ¡­The lowest rank of the first-generation knight could become a feudal lord in one go! ¡­More so, with a virgin husband! That sounded like a dream come true to them. ¡°Ladies, all 15 of us. We¡¯re the lowest rank, we¡¯re just the first-generation knights!¡± BAM!! Zabine, the Commander, hit the table. Ale dripped slightly from its container. ¡°But, But! We all have burning desires. I know you¡¯re all lustful battle maidens who fantasize, who wish, that you were the mighty warrior.¡± Saying this, Zabine realized she had spilled some ale. Well, that was just the way she was. Even now, as she tried to lick the spilled ale on the table¨D¨Dshe realized that she was still a woman of blue blood even if she was in the lowest rank, so she stopped. And, she thought that she should finish the ale so that no more would spill when she hit the table next time. GULP!! And, Zabine burped. That was the price of drinking in one go. After burping, she spoke again. ¡°In that case, the fifteen of us are enemies. In fact, we should start hating each other now!¡± Lord Polidoro could only be married to one person. Naturally, the fifteen of them were already enemies, fighting for that place beside him. Die, woman who was once my friend. With this thought, they glared at each other. ¡°But! But! There¡¯s one more option.¡± Zabine spat this word to calm the others, and then made a proposal. ¡°Let¡¯s go down to our knees and ask Lord Polidoro to let us lose our virginity. If you do that, your wish to lose your virginity before your first battle may come true.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that.¡± The answer was immediately spoken by one of them. In fact, this was the consensus of everyone except Zabine. And at this moment, a thought that she would definitely be killed by the f*cking sweet Second Princess Valliere, crossed her mind. Thus, the consensus of their talk was reached. Anyway, soon the first battle would come. In the first battle, I must show my good side to our Second Princess Valliere and her future husband, Lord Polidoro. Let¡¯s temporarily ¡°hide our claws¡±. Though, I don¡¯t know if I can. To be honest, I¡¯m not even sure myself. No, wait, what if Lord Polidoro preferred me instead¡­¡­? ¨D¨DWhile embracing such a selfish delusion, the 15 members of the Second Princess Guard finished the party and left the cheap bar. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù Valliere had a big problem with her older sister. In short, her older sister, unlike her beauty, her serpentine, reptile-like glare made Valliere unable to move. Or rather, perhaps everyone. Even Faust didn¡¯t seem to be so good at handling her older sister. ¡°Valliere.¡± First Princess Anastasia, Valliere¡¯s older sister, opened her mouth. ¡°What is it, my dear sister?¡± Valliere answered without making eye contact. For some reason, she was summoned to the room reserved for the First Princess, now sitting silently on the couch. No way¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be killed all of a sudden, right? If she wanted to kill me, she would have done it earlier. While thinking about such things, Valliere still couldn¡¯t control her shaky state of mind. ¡°Now, I will teach you the preparation for the first campaign. Listen carefully.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Preparation for the first campaign? No way, she shows kindness to her younger sister like this is just¡­ ¡­No way. When Valliere was a child, she was always frightened by her older sister¡¯s gaze, and she would hide in her father¡¯s shadow to run away. Now that she thought about it, that must have made her older sister even angrier. It was after her father passed away and the conversation between the sisters decreased, did she realize this fact. ¡°You never know what will happen on the battlefield. Information obtained in advance can be inconsistent, and just a few hours later it can be all wrong. Just when you think you¡¯re in a safe zone, behind you, the enemy¡¯s elite suddenly appear. They could then attack you. ¨D¨DAnd¡­¡± Anastasia closed her eyes and muttered in a low voice as if remembering something. ¡°The person you love, can even die at that moment.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Valliere was silent Did she lose someone she loved? I thought that Father was the only person in this world that she loved,¡­? ¡°Valliere, you, do you think that my emotions are made of wood and stone? There are other people I love besides Father.¡± It was easy to see through Valliere¡¯s heart. That was why she hated talking to her older sister. Anyway, she asked her older sister a question in confusion. ¡°My dear sister, have you ever lost someone you love on the battlefield?¡± ¡°The Willendorf campaign. There, 30 enemy elite soldiers infiltrated my base, and 10 of the 30 talented elite guards of mine were lost¡­ Even though they were all useful people.¡± Wait, can you call them someone you love? Even from her remarks, I still can¡¯t feel anything called ¡°affection¡±. So, can you call them someone you really loved? Even though Valliere had her doubts, it was still a valuable experience of someone who had experienced the first campaign. She heard the story of Faust too. At his first battle, out of 30 enemy bandits, he killed 20 of them by himself. But that sounded like a heroic tale that she couldn¡¯t imagine herself doing so. After that, he told her about how he tortured the village chief of a suspicious village who seemed to be connected to bandits and made the chief talk. Right. It might be useful this time, but in truth, she didn¡¯t want that kind of knowledge. Well, Faust is a serious and honest person, but I feel like there¡¯s something a little wrong with his brain sometimes. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that I could replenish it during the last two years after the Willendorf campaign.¡± Ignoring Valliere¡¯s thoughts that began to wander, her older sister¡¯s words continued. ¡­I still can¡¯t feel it. Has she ever truly loved anyone other than Father? I don¡¯t know¡­ Right now, she seems to have her eye on my counselor, Faust, but unlike me¨D¨D she¡¯s searching for someone who resembles Father. I¡¯m sure, there¡¯s no other reason than that¡­ If there¡¯s any¡­ right, it¡¯s probably because she wants to put the strongest knight in our kingdom, the ¡°Knight of Wrath,¡± under her command. That¡¯s what I think¡­ ¡°Valliere¡± Once again, Valliere¡¯s name was called. ¡°Can you calmly deal with a situation where your loved one is dying right in front of you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Combined with her older sister¡¯s gaze, it was almost like an interrogation. Someone I love? Who could that be? The chimpanzees, my guards? Or Faust von Polidoro? I don¡¯t know¡­ Valliere didn¡¯t really understand what her older sister was trying to say. ¡°¨D¨DThat¡¯s all for the preparation training for the first campaign.¡± ¡°eh?¡± It¡¯s over already? I thought there would be more¡­ Surprised, Valliere looked at her older sister¡¯s face. As usual, she¡¯s a scary person. ¡°Valliere. You should get out of here. And go back to your room.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valliere, who made eye contact with her older sister, could only nod silently as she left. CH 10 10. The First Campaign¡¯s Ceremony ¡°That girl, seems to have prepared her heart for the first campaign.¡± After removing her lips from the cup of tea, Rezenlotte told this. Right now, two people sat facing each other, separated by the garden table in the garden of the royal palace. In front of her sat her first daughter, Anastasia. Anastasia was also drinking tea and staring at her mother with her usual snake-like eyes. ¡°Where did you get that conclusion from? Mother.¡± ¡°It was from Valliere herself. The other day, I talked to her before leaving. And I felt that from her.¡± Putting her mouth on the cup again, Rezenlotte took a sip. Then, she opened her mouth again. ¡°Our conversation, was spread by the boy attendants, and it has become a topic of conversation among the court nobles. ¡°Does the First Princess Anastasia even care in the least for her sister?¡±, they said.¡± ¡°How rude. Of course, I am.¡± Said Anastasia with her usual brazen attitude. ¡°Although, I don¡¯t know why I have these feelings. But I hate that girl.¡± ¡°Ara¡­¡± It was rare for Anastasia to speak frankly about her feelings, her likes and dislikes. Perhaps today she was a little emotional. ¡°When we were young, she was always frightened by me and always hid in Father¡¯s shadow. Even after Father passed away, she always looked at my face strangely¡­ Right, so let me say this. I hate her.¡± Rezenlotte¡¯s second daughter, Valliere, grew up to be an ordinary person. It was as if Anastasia, who was born earlier, had left no talent for her sister. When Valliere was 10 years old, Rezenlotte gave up on her to be in line for the throne, because she was no longer suited for it; even calling her a spare was too much. In case something happened to Anastasia¨D¨D in other words, if she died, Rezenlotte planned to let Duchess Astarte, the third heir to the throne, inherit the position of Queen of the Kingdom of Anhalt. Now that Anastasia had turned 16, this only caused Rezenlotte unnecessary worries. ¡°Come to think of it, that girl used to crawl into my bed when she was little. How nostalgic. She would sleep while clinging to him¡­¡± Thanks to that, since the birth of that child, my nighttime activities with him decreased a little. ¨D¨DNow, I resent her a little. Of course, had he not been poisoned, there would have been no resentment. ¡­And yet, the culprit has yet to be found. No matter what, I can¡¯t give up, but the investigation also requires personnel and money. ¡­¡­Is it time to give up? Rezenlotte heaved a melancholy sigh. Then she opened her mouth again. ¡°You, really hate Valliere, don¡¯t you?¡± At that, Anastasia gave an answer after a short silence. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t want her to die. After all, she¡¯s still my biological sister from the same father.¡± Anastasia seemed to have mixed feelings. Was it because of her loyalty to her father who loved Valliere, or was it familial love for her sister? Rezenlotte didn¡¯t know it either. Though, she didn¡¯t think of not understanding this as pathetic. Before she was a mother, she was Queen Rezenlotte of the Kingdom of Anhalt, an elector. Emotions could be a real hindrance for her, the Queen. As a ruler, what I need as a ruler isn¡¯t emotion. Rather, being too emotional could sometimes even be a hindrance. ¡­Valliere¡¯s abilities are mediocre, but more than that, she¡¯s too empathetic. So, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to dismiss her as a spare. ¡­¡­If I make a mistake in judgment, it is a betrayal to my subjects. Someone in my position must be infinitely stronger and smarter than anyone else. ¡­Well, that¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s change the topic a little. It¡¯s about the future of this country after all. ¡°¡­¡­Bard. It was good to have the bard guild sing Anastasia for strategy and Astarte for military power. With this, the order will be naturally decided.¡± ¡°That, so that was Mother¡¯s doing?¡± Rezenlotte made the bard guild hold the money and made them sing this. First Princess Anastasia should be the future leader of the nation, and Duchess Astarte should be her hands and feet. Judging from the abilities each of them possessed, that was the correct order. So, in this way, Rezenlotte guided public opinion. In truth, in the Kingdom of Anhalt, instead of having no Second Princess faction, there used to be the Duchess faction. Rather than the First Princess Anastasia, Duchess Astarte should be the Queen, said the local rulers who were indebted to the Duchess¡¯s strong standing army. A faction that certainly existed before the Willendorf campaign. Now, it no longer existed. After the Willendorf campaign, it was completely absorbed into the First Princess faction. It was strongly influenced by the fact that Duchess Astarte herself didn¡¯t want to take the throne. ¡­¡­If Valliere were to take the throne, I¡¯m sure¨D¨D ¡°Hey, Anastasia. If Valliere were to take the throne instead of you, do you think Astarte would obey?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If she ever, probably because it¡¯s for the sake of the country and her territory. If she found it annoying, even though reluctant, she would usurp the throne. I don¡¯t think Valliere would even be a match for her.¡± ¡­That¡¯s right. Rezenlotte¡¯s thoughts were affirmed by Anastasia, and she was convinced that her judgment wasn¡¯t wrong. To put it bluntly, Duchess Astarte even looked down on Valliere. After all, she hated mediocrity. Nevertheless, even Rezenlotte couldn¡¯t understand how Duchess Astarte could stand by someone who, like Faust of Polidoro, possessed a radiant talent without a hint of jealousy. In fact, Duchess Astarte had long been fond of Anastasia, with whom she should be competing for the throne. She had even asked to become the First Princess¡¯s counselor herself. In short, she was a free person. If someone had to describe Duchess Astarte in one word, they would say this. ¡­She lives freely as she pleases, even if she is a little out of rank and ties. I envy her a little. Sometimes I would like to be free too. ¨D¨DFaust von Polidoro. Sometimes I even get the illusion that he¡¯s the reincarnation of my late husband. Even when Valliere brought Faust to the royal palace, to tell me that she had found a counselor. I had this illusion. Considering my age, I shouldn¡¯t be like this, but¡­ ¡­ I want. That man, I want him. Just that. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rezenlotte drank the cold tea until there was nothing left. It calmed her restless head. ¡­I can¡¯t have him. My daughter, Anastasia, is obsessed with that man. ¡­¡­Did she see the shadow of my late husband in the same way I did, or did she genuinely love him? ¡­No, there¡¯s no reason to know that. ¡°Anastasia.¡± Rezenlotte called her daughter¡¯s name. ¡°Yes?¡± In response, Anastasia looked at her mother with her snake-like eyes. ¡°When Valliere returns from her first campaign ¨D¨DI will decide when to hand over the throne to you. Pobably, it¡¯ll be at the same time as when you get a husband. The one you want is¡­ Faust von Polidoro? You know I can¡¯t accept him as your official husband, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes. I have given up on making him my official husband. And, looks like I¡¯ll have to share him with Astarte.¡± Anastasia took Rezenlotte¡¯s words as if it were a matter of course. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°In the end, no one came to see me off, huh¡­¡± Valliere¡¯s sister, Anastasia¨D¨D When the First Princess Anastasia departed for her first campaign, the citizens were almost overflowing to see off the First Princess and the guards who followed her. This time, it did not happen. It was as if Valliere had secretly left the royal capital for her first campaign, as if she was hiding from the public. ¡­Well, it¡¯s different from the war against the barbarian from Willendorf. There¡¯s no way people would see me off. I¡¯m just going to exterminate bandits. And all 15 members of my bodyguard were abandoned by their families. So, no family visits either. It¡¯s only natural that there is no one who came to see-off, at all. Right, it¡¯s natural¡­ ¡°Did you have a conversation with Queen Rezenlotte before the departure? Ah, I¡¯ve also heard the First Princess Anastasia, gave you some lessons for the preparation.¡± As if to comfort Valliere, Faust, who was nearby, said this to her. The conversation she had with her mother was just a regular conversation. She hadn¡¯t received a single encouragement for the first campaign. Older Sister? ¨D¨D To be honest, Valliere didn¡¯t really know how to summarize it. The conversation they had was too brief. In the end, the conversation was cut off as if her older sister had grown tired of talking. But, in any case, she didn¡¯t want to disappoint Faust. ¡°Yeah, That¡¯s right.¡± Valliere put a smile on her face, quite contrary to her heart. However, even though she felt that way, she couldn¡¯t help but complain about Zabine. ¡°How can you be slower than Lord Polidoro¡¯s people, Zabine!¡± ¡°The equipment is heavy! Especially the chainmail!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s chainmail, Lord Polidoro¡¯s squires are also equipped with it!¡± The excuse of Zabine, the captain of Valliere¡¯s bodyguard, was cut off and thrown away. Slow, so slow!! Zabine and the rest of the bodyguards were laying on the ground as they were currently taking an unscheduled break. All of you¡­ Inside your brain are only muscles and more muscles, right? What happened to your usual spirits? Wait¡­ If you take the energy out of chimpanzees, there will be nothing left. Nothing. Only nothing is there¡­ ¡°Marching, is something you get used to. It¡¯s also their first time, after all, getting tired isn¡¯t that unusual. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure they will get used to this soon.¡± Faust¡¯s squire commander, Helga, said this to comfort Valliere. Pathetic. So pathetic. Valliere¡¯s face was about to turn bright red. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the first campaign.¡± Faust¡¯s comforting words sounded empty. Even if the man who cut down 20 people in his first campaign said so, it would be no comfort to Valliere. Hah, seriously. That said, Valliere was also slightly tired while riding the horse. It was the first time in her life that she left the royal capital. What made it so stressful and tiring? Well, in her mind, Would there be bandits lurking in the tall trees along the way? Would a stray bear suddenly attack? Right. That was all she could think about. She was a coward, by nature. Ever since she was a child, she couldn¡¯t even face that terrifying older sister of hers. She always hid in her father¡¯s shadow and grabbed the hem of his pants to avoid her older sister¡¯s gaze. ¡­ Huff, Father¡­ I miss you. Then, Valliere looked at Faust¡¯s face. ¡°¡­¡­? Valliere-sama?¡± Faust raised a questioning voice. Valliere ignored his words and just, kept staring at his face. So soothing¡­ Faust¡¯s face reminded Valliere of her father and it calmed her down. Reminded her of her forever lost childhood. ¨D¨DA childhood, which was lost forever with the poisoning of her father. Right¡­ I wonder why my father died. Why? Who was the one who killed him? He was loved by everyone. Even among the court nobles, well, there were those who ridiculed his appearance, but deep down they were fine with him. So, why? The culprit and the cause, which couldn¡¯t be found even if Mother, the Queen of the kingdom went insane, couldn¡¯t be found no matter how many personnel or how much the cost has been spent. I¡¯m also very disappointed with it. But, anyway, if I meet the killer¡ª even I can become a demon. I think so. I could then rip off a piece of this timid skin. This helpless, timid thin skin that has been stuck with me since little. ¡°¡­Valliere-sama, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing Faust¡¯s words, Valliere regained her composure. Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯ve already given up. And soon, even Mother will call off the search for the culprit. If she has calmed down, she¡¯ll surely do that. Even an ordinary person like me could understand that much. ¡°¡­Nothing. Nothing, Faust.¡± The world won¡¯t move as you wish. I¡¯ve known it since I was born. Right. An ordinary person like me, who¡¯s been ridiculed by the court nobles for having no talents, should have known it since born in this world. But still, before I die, I want to peel off this timid thin skin that sticks to me, even just once. ¨D¨DIf this first campaign goes well, I wonder if it can be peeled off. While thinking about such things, Valli¨¨re quietly closed her eyes to give her body some rest. CH 11 11. Failure Idiots, these girls are idiots. I, Faust von Polidoro, looked at the Second Princess¡¯s Guard with slight disdain. A disposal site for the good-for-nothings, prepared for the spare by Queen Rezenlotte. And they themselves were aware of this. Though, I didn¡¯t expect them to be any worse than this. ¡°Listen to what I heard! Those Willendorf, have super big d¡±ck! Yes, Big! It feels good! It looks good!!¡± What an obscene song that was sung by them. The 15 members of the Second Princess Guard were in a state of high spirits, in stark contrast to the lack of energy they had displayed on the first day of the march. These people had gotten used to marching in three days. I thought in the first march of the first campaign, they would be exhausted from leaving their territory for the first time, and their movements would be sluggish until the end. But, these people had gotten used to marching in just three days. I didn¡¯t know if they just stumbled at the beginning or if they had somehow gone crazy. In any case, these people had gotten used to marching. During the Willendorf campaign, when I went to attack the 50 enemy knights, the 20 veterans of my territory didn¡¯t miss following my ass. Of course, they didn¡¯t fail this time too. But, these obscene people were getting to the pace of the march in just three days. That was good. That was a very good thing indeed. ¡°All good! Taste? Good! Very good! Good for you! Good for me!¡± But, I didn¡¯t expect them to sing such an obscene song. I was so dumbfounded by this. Well, singing while marching is still good. But, why it must be an obscene song? ¡°Zabine, stop that song, now¡­¡± The Second Princess Valliere muttered in disgust from the bottom of her heart. Commander Zabine, who was singing at the front, turned around and gave a reply. ¡°Valliere-sama. Although it¡¯s not a written law, singing while marching is a right given to soldiers from ancient times.¡± Zabine answered with a confident face. Idiot, really idiot. In the first place, you¡¯re all different from ordinary soldiers. Even though you are in the lowest rank, a first-generation knight, you¡¯re still a knight with blue blood. ¡°Ladies, you should be knights before you are soldiers. Anyway, just that¡­ in front of Faust, please stop.¡± While Princess Valliere was looking at my expression, she muttered this in sorrow. And the obscenities stopped, so suddenly. Did they just remember that there is a male knight here? ¡°Oh, but Faust. You¡¯re not blushing. I heard you¡¯re not good with sexual harassment.¡± Muttered Princess Valliere while looking at my complexion. Certainly, the world seemed to recognize me as a pure-hearted man who would blush at Duchess Astarte¡¯s sexual harassment. In reality, Duchess Astarte¡¯s intense body touch¨D¨D when her huge breasts were pressed against my body, my excited ¡°son¡± hit the chastity belt, demanding freedom, and that hurt. So, my face was red trying to calm my ¡°son¡± down. In short, there was no reason for blushing when hearing a very obscene song. ¡°Sexual harassment? Well, that¡¯s unfortunate, sure. But, that¡¯s all I can say about that.¡± I said this in all honesty. From the bottom of my heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Princess Valliere bowed her head as if ignoring the difference in our position. No no, the bad one isn¡¯t you. The bad ones are these idiots. I heaved a sigh. ¡°Lord Polidoro, I¡¯m sorry. Then, let me sing another song¡­ how about a heroic song?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop for now. It¡¯s almost time to reach our destination.¡± I stopped Zabine-dono from trying to sing again. After all, it was almost the destination village. ¡°The enemy ¨D¨D the bandits are roaming around the village and attacking the traveling entertainers and merchants. From this point onwards, they may attack. Everyone, be careful.¡± I ordered everyone to be ready for battle. We were planning to reach the village in less than two hours. I ordered five squires, including Helga, the Squire Commander, to prepare their crossbows. These crossbows owned by my territory were of the type where the user would have to pull the string with a pulley widely used in the Kingdom of Anhalt. All of them were stolen from the enemy¡¯s possession during the military service I did between the ages of 15 and 20. It was a threat when used by the enemy, but once I tried it, there was nothing more convenient than that. If the attack hit well, even a knight could be killed in one shot. Unless the opponent was a superhuman who could knock down a bow and arrow with a sword without a sweat. In other words, someone like the First Princess Anastasia, Duchess Astarte, and the leader of the enemy, Reckenbell, whom I once defeated. And me. ¡°Once the crossbow is ready, we will resume our march towards the village.¡± The number of enemies was reportedly 30 bandits. It was no different from any other military service I had done. Probably, it would take a lot of time to chase down the escaping bandits¡¯ butts, but it would be an easy task to just kill them. First, shoot them with the crossbow, then break their noses, and finally cut them all to death. Very simple. This time, however, it was quite troublesome, as I had to give some credit to the Second Princess Valliere. After all, it was her first campaign. And also, to the bodyguards under her command. Well, as far as the state of the march, their ability seems to be real. If it¡¯s just a bunch of bandits, earning a kill score won¡¯t be that hard. ¡­Should I ask the Second Princess to cut off at least one head of the captured bandits? That was what I was thinking¨D¨Dto be honest, I let my guard down, perhaps too much. Anyway, the crossbow was ready and now, we were on the way to the village. Before reaching it, I let Helga use the ¡°magic glasses¡±. Or the so-called binoculars. For this battle, I purposedly applied to borrow it from the Royal Family. Soon, she gave a report to me. ¡°The village, it looks like the village has been devastated. There are also some dead bodies.¡± ¡°Tch,..¡± I clicked my tongue and wondered why 100 villagers, under a governor sent by the kingdom, were defeated by at most 30 bandits. I started looking for the reason in my mind. Damn it¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s hurry. And we can¡¯t let out guard down. After telling everyone about Helga¡¯s report, I called for increased vigilance. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù In a small governor¡¯s mansion in a small village. Princess Valliere raised her voice. ¡°The number of bandits exceeds 100 you say!? No, to be precise, there are no bandits at all in the first place, you say!? This is different from the report!¡± ¡°I am, truly sorry.¡± Princess Valliere screamed. And the governor apologized to the Second Princess Valliere while bowing. The governor dispatched to the village by the Kingdom had a serious arm injury. Wait, in the first place, why is the governor still alive? I let the question out of my mouth. ¡°Is that true? The village was attacked, and many died. The meager amount of wealth, as well as the men and boys, were all taken away. In this situation, why you, who should have been leading the resistance, are still alive? Considering this, I can¡¯t completely believe what you said.¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Faust von Polidoro.¡± ¡°¡­you are, that Knight of Wrath?¡± I introduced myself briefly. And continued to interrogate from the side. ¡°Let me ask you again. Why are you still alive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say this honestly. I was shot through the arm by an enemy with a crossbow, and then when I fell off the horse onto the ground, I hit my head and fainted.¡± The governor confessed a shameful event while blushing. Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s a lie. When I nodded slightly, Princess Valliere began to ask the governor to continue the story. ¡°¡­¡­ So, why is it different from the first report? The first report said there were only 30 bandits. That they were roaming around the village, attacking the traveling entertainers and merchants. That was the reason the village asked for help.¡± ¡°After the situation changed, I sent someone again to report. But from what you said¨D¨D¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t arrived yet when we departed. There must be a big fuss in the royal castle that received the report by now. More importantly, we don¡¯t understand the circumstances. Tell me more.¡± Princess Valliere continued to ask questions while holding her head. To be honest, this was a situation where even I, who was listening to the conversation on the sidelines, would like to hold my head too. ¡°At first, there were indeed 30 bandits. However, the bandits were absorbed by another force.¡± ¡°Absorbed? Another force?¡± ¡°There was a family succession dispute in a neighboring town of about 1000 people. The squires, retainers, and citizens shed blood in the dispute.¡± It¡¯s only getting worse. No more, please. Princess Valliere seemed to be thinking the same as me. ¡°The result was that the eldest daughter won and the second daughter lost¨D¨Dbut in the chaotic situation where the eldest daughter was injured, there was no time to cut the neck of the second daughter. Together with the squires and people who were in her faction, she took as much as she could from the ruler¡¯s mansion and ran away from the city while still armed.¡± See, as expected it turned out to be a very unpleasant story. Even the Second Princess Valliere is frowning. ¡°Then the second daughter, and her retainers encountered a group of bandits. Apparently, something happened after that¨D¨D I¡¯m not sure myself. Anyway, the bandit group was absorbed into their group, and as a result, an army of 100 people was formed, and they attacked this village.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why do you know so many details?¡± ¡°The town ruler¡¯s eldest daughter instructed some people to rush to this village and tell us the situation. Please run away, they said.¡± Please run away? Fool! If only you had killed the second daughter, this situation wouldn¡¯t have happened. Assemble a chasing force, chase after them, and kill them, can¡¯t you? Fool! In the first place, how could the people of a small village, who would otherwise end their lives in the village, leave their homes, fields, and all their possessions and escape so easily? I kept complaining in my mind. ¡°By the time I noticed it, the army was closing in on the village. To resist, I gathered the villagers, hid the men and boys in the governor¡¯s mansion, and challenged the army¨D¨D¡± ¡°The result, you were defeated, huh?¡± The devastation in the village was indeed terrible. Fresh corpses of women, not yet stopped spreading putrid smells, were everywhere, and several heads lay on the ground like weird children¡¯s toys. ¡°I am, truly sorry.¡± With tears in eyes, the governor was no longer bent on her knees and just prostrated on the ground. It can¡¯t be helped. That blue blood¨D¨Dno, it should be called stained blue blood now, is an educated leader who must have been raised with the education to be a knight since she¡¯s a spare. Plus, followed by armed squires, and possibly military-experienced citizens. In addition, a group of bandits with experience as thieves. And they even outnumbered this village¡¯s forces. Even if you lose the battle, there is nothing to blame. What should be blamed is the cause of letting the second daughter escape. And the eldest daughter of that town ruler is the one who caused this bad situation. I¡¯m sure that she¡¯ll be summoned to the royal palace and severely cursed by Her Majesty the Queen. Even though it¡¯s a small village, it¡¯s still part of the kingdom. Possibly, the one sitting in that town ruler¡¯s seat may also be in danger. That aside¨D¨D ¡°What should I do? What should I do now? Tell me, Faust.¡± Princess Valliere looked at me with pleading eyes. As the Second Princess¡¯ Counselor. of course, I had to help. All right, let¡¯s start with the conclusion. ¡°I predict the enemy¡¯s future actions. First of all, this territory is close to the border of the enemy country, Willendorf.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°There are 100 enemies and maybe more. Trying to escape to the neighboring country before they¡¯re defeated in the Kingdom of Anhalt.¡± ¡°You mean, they¡¯re going to escape to that barbarian country?!!¡± A sound of grinding teeth came from Princess Valliere¡¯s mouth. ¡°What should we do? We don¡¯t have enough troops. Will reinforcements come?¡± ¡°Reinforcements will come. They will definitely come.¡± Most likely, Duchess Astarte, who currently has 200 regular soldiers of her territory stationed in the royal capital, will come. No matter how much stained blue blood the enemies may be, they won¡¯t stand a chance. But, It takes time to prepare for departure. Though, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re in a hurry to prepare for it right now. ¡°But probably the reinforcements won¡¯t arrive in time. While we¡¯re waiting for reinforcements in this village, those stained blue blood people will flee to the territory of the barbarian, Willendorf.¡± They¡¯re transporting men and boys, as well as the stolen goods from the ruler¡¯s mansion. Their movement speed must be slow. But it¡¯s still faster than our reinforcements coming. Surely, those stained blue blood bastards will¨D¨Daaahh, so troublesome. ¡°Governor, do you know what the second daughter¡¯s name is?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Caroline.¡± Caroline, huh? ¡°It¡¯s faster for Caroline and her forces to flee to the Willendorf territory than for our reinforcements to arrive. That¡¯s the reality.¡± ¡°In other words, what should I do?¡± Princess Valliere looked me straight in the eye. It¡¯s really hard to tell you this fact, but I must. ¡°The first campaign is a failure. With 20 people of mine, 15 members of the Royal Guard, a total of 37 people including me and Valliere-sama, it¡¯s impossible to kill more than 100 people. Please make a decision to give up the pursuit.¡± Of course, I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say that we had no chance of winning, even though I knew it was a fact. I wouldn¡¯t allow my people to be involved in such an unfavorable war situation and lose their lives either. Even Princess Valliere probably didn¡¯t want to lose the lives of her elite guards in such a battle. That was indeed very unfortunate. But, I had to cold-heartedly tell the Second Princess Valliere my thoughts. CH 12 12. Zabine¡¯s Instigation In front of the unexpected situation, the first thing that came to Valliere¡¯s mind was her older sister¡¯s words. ¡¸¡±You never know what will happen on the battlefield. Information obtained in advance can be inconsistent, and just a few hours later it can be all wrong¡­¡±¡¹ Words about what attitude to take on the battlefield. Those words were right. Valliere was aware of this now. Second Princess Valliere grudgingly accepted the reality. Then she heard the words of Faust, who was her counselor. ¡°The first campaign is a failure. With 20 people of mine, 15 members of the Royal Guard, a total of 37 people including me and Valliere-sama, it¡¯s impossible to kill more than 100 people. Please make a decision to give up the pursuit.¡± A failure of the first campaign. That would be bad. Really bad. Faust would be taken away, though, he didn¡¯t know it himself. If Valliere failed her first campaign, Faust would be dismissed as her counselor. He would be taken away from her. And would be put under her older sister Anastasia. That was what her mother had told her. Her heart was beating loudly. Is this my end? ¡¸That¡¯s right, it¡¯s over. A fitting ending for an ordinary person.¡¹ Valliere felt she heard a whispering voice in her heart. Faust, her counselor, was against the pursuit. And she knew his opinion was right. ¡¸It¡¯s over.¡¹ Once again, Valliere felt her heart whispering to her. If she decided not to organize a pursuit, Faust, who was her counselor, would be taken away by her older sister, and she would be ridiculed by the people and nobles who knew nothing of the circumstances, saying she had fled cowardly from the bandits. Looking down and biting her lip, she imagined herself walking through the royal palace. But, what can I say? Other than, ¡°I have no other choice¡±? What am I supposed to do? Waste the lives of the guards following me, and also Faust? I can¡¯t do that. I can¡¯t. ¨D¨DFelling as if she had reached her limit, Valliere smiled as if mocking herself. ¡°Okay, Faust.¡± Valliere decided to withdraw. Let¡¯s leave this small mansion in this small village and run back to the royal capital. And then, as the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Anhalt, as an unusable spare, I shall shut myself up in a monastery when my older sister takes over the throne. Valliere thought so and stepped out of the room. With a worried expression on her face, she left the room, followed by Zabine. When she got out of the governor¡¯s mansion¨D¨Dthe surviving residents of the small village had gathered there. ¡°Oh, Lady Knight, please. Please, bring my husband back from Caroline, from those fiends.¡± ¡°No, please bring my son back! He¡¯s only ten years old, please!¡± ¡°Move! I want to make a request¡­ Move!¡± Pleas were thrown at Valliere and her guards. It was the plea of ??those who had been robbed of their small happiness in a small village. Women, young and old, bowed before her and asked to bring back the men of their village. But Valliere couldn¡¯t respond. She simply couldn¡¯t. And at this moment, when she was already afraid of the future, a timid figure, wearing only a thin layer of ¡°brave¡± skin, was about to appear and replace her. I, can¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t count on me. Ahh, I want to hold my head and curl up. Someone, please help¡­ The governor and Faust came out of the mansion and tried to stop the commotion. ¡°Can¡¯t you stop it? Just stop it! Hey¡­¡± A desperate cry of the governor. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Faust looked at the women in silence and pity. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And finally, Zabine, following behind Valliere, stood in front of them and shouted. ¡°Stop making a rattling noise! ??You dead people!!!¡± It was a powerful cry that resounded to the depths of people¡¯s hearts. In fact, it reached Valliere¡¯s heart as well. ¨D¨DDead people. That words suit me. In her heart, Valliere mocked herself. ¡°Dead people¡­? What do you mean by dead people?¡± One of the women who had been crying out to Valliere raised her voice. ¡°Dead people are dead people. What else can I say?¡± Replied Zabine with a puzzled look. What was Zabine trying to say? Even Valliere didn¡¯t know either. ¡°You all, why are you still pretending to be alive? Why aren¡¯t you dead, like the corpses lying over there?¡± Zabine pointed his finger at one of the corpses lying around the village. It was a corpse of someone who had been beaten all over the body and had the head decapitated, revealing its pathetic figure. ¡°That woman ¨D¨Dshe resisted until the very end not to have her son taken away.¡± ¡°If you know that, then why! Why are you guys not resisting?! Why are you living in shame?!!¡± Zabine was furious. It was the first time Valliere had seen Zabine so angry. ¡°Don¡¯t cling! Don¡¯t cling to Her Highness!! Don¡¯t cling to the feet of my master, Her Highness!!¡± Zabine¡¯s cry sounded like a screech. And her words seemed to strike Valliere to the core of her heart. ¡°You all are dead people! Dead people who didn¡¯t resist until the end, don¡¯t you filth dare cling to Her Highness!¡± ¡°What kind of crime have we committed ¨D¨Dthe army, shouldn¡¯t they protect us?!!¡± Screamed by one of the women. Her word was correct. Valliere and the others had come here to protect them. ¡°We will protect you! Her Highness will definitely rescue the kidnapped men and boys!! No, she wanted to rescue them!!¡± Zabine?! Valliere¡¯s face involuntarily changed into a surprised expression. She wanted to stop Zabine, so she pulled Faust¡¯s hand. Please stop Zabine. However, Faust didn¡¯t respond and kept listening to Zabine¡¯s words. ¡°But it¡¯s not enough! Our army, it¡¯s embarrassing to say this, but lack in strength!!¡± What was Zabine trying to say? Valliere could no longer judge. ¡°Aaah¡­ at least if there were militia who would lend their strength to our army. If only there were those who had the courage to rescue their husbands and their sons. We could have gone to rescue them now¡­¡± Said Zabine, pointing her finger somewhere. What she pointed at was those who had been beaten severely all over their body and decapitated as they were lying around the village. Right. The pathetic corpses. ¡°¡­If only, not only you dead people left! If only brave women like them were still alive!¡± Zabine said everything she wanted to say. So, she took a deep breath and ended her speech. ¨D¨DThe women, were of course, outraged. ¡°We, are not dead people! But, how could we fight back? We have no weapons or anything¡­¡± Excuses. Zabine, as if she had somehow expected it, resumed speaking. ¡°Hmmph!¡­ There are farming tools. If you hit their head with a hoe, they die. If you stab their stomach with a pitchfork, they die. In fact, some of you tried to resist once, didn¡¯t you?¡± Zabine pointed to the pitchfork that the headless corpse was still clutching. The tip of the pitchfork was smeared with the dried blood of the enemies. Right. Some resisted. Until the last moment before they died, they summoned their strength. ¡°You are all dead people! You have lost your husband and son, just get old and die already!! What, now and when you get old, nothing will change!¡± To Zabine¡¯s words, the women showed even more indignation. ¡°Are you kidding¡­ are you kidding me?!! Why didn¡¯t you help us?! Why didn¡¯t you come sooner?! If only the army had come sooner, by now they¡­!!¡± ¡°Hmm? I can¡¯t hear the words of the dead. I want to hear more proper words. Of the living. The cries of women who want their sons and husbands back.¡± Zabine added more fuel. Stop it. I¡¯m begging you, please stop. Valliere thought so, but the word ¡°dead people¡± came back to her. But Valliere, who had given up, was like the dead people, unable to say a single word. And then a woman, who had clung to her until now, murmured resolutely. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± The woman had determined eyes. ¡°If you say that we were useless! If you say we can only get them back with our own hands! Without you telling us, we will do it!¡± The woman cried and screamed. ¡°Right now!! I¡¯m going after that woman, Caroline, that fiend!! Kill her, and get my son back!!¡± Zabine then replied. ¡°Very good. Super good. Looks like there was actually one alive. I wonder if I missed more?¡± Zabine looked around and spoke provocative words that stirred people¡¯s hearts. Then voices were heard. They were the cries of women in a small village who had been robbed of their little happiness. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of that stained blue blood bastard! I¡¯ll kill her!!¡± ¡°Take me! Take me right in front of Caroline!! Please!!¡± Zabine then turned to Faust, who had been silent since a while ago. ¡°Lord Polidoro, please reconsider. I have gathered the militia.¡± ¡°Zabine-dono, you¡­¡­ I was just waiting to see what you would do, but you are like a demon. You want them, who¡¯ve been living their life peacefully here, to go to the deadly land?¡± ¡°If anything, the people of this village have no future. Unless they get their husbands and sons back.¡± Answered Zabine coldly. While scratching his head, Faust muttered, ¡°Right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to bring them regardless of age. No matter how many of these dead soldiers, militia are willing to go, only about 40 of them will be able to follow the march to pursue Caroline.¡± ¡°Even so, 40 dead soldiers who no longer fear death will be added to our force. In terms of strength, we shouldn¡¯t be that bad. Especially if Lord Polidoro is there.¡± ¡°You overestimate me, the Knight of Wrath, too much.¡± Replied Faust with a wry smile. Then he pointed out the problems. ¡°But, we don¡¯t have enough commanders. A commander to lead these 40 dead soldiers.¡± ¡°I will command! My dominant arm is still safe!! Please give me a chance to clear my name!!!¡± The governor screamed as if she was filled with the heat of Zabine¡¯s words. Faust¡¯s eyes widened at these words. But, he immediately addressed the following problems. ¡°Then, next. In this battle¨D¨Dthe eldest daughter of the neighboring town ruler, who is the biggest cause of the turmoil, will have to pay us a large amount of apology money as war expenses. I hate knights who can¡¯t even clean up their own shit so much. They¡¯re disgusting. No mercy for them.¡± ¡°That, I¡¯ll do something with my power.¡± Of course, out of Valliere¡¯s mouth came a statement from the position of the Second Princess. When Faust saw her, his eyes widened in surprise. The truth was that she spoke without thinking. Maybe she was also affected by Zabine¡¯s fever. ¡°Then, there¡¯s nothing left for me to say. We¡¯re running out of time. Now, let¡¯s gather up the remaining rations in the village, and equip the militia with weapons¨D¨Dfarming tools are fine. Then, let¡¯s continue our march.¡± With a wry smile, Faust gave up on the withdrawal plan. And once again¨D¨Dthe march for the first campaign, continued. Their target was Caroline, who was fleeing to Willendorf territory. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°Defect to Willendorf.¡± Caroline had prepared men and boys to dedicate to Willendorf. As for goods, there were goods she had taken with her when she ran away from her former home. No problem. ¡°Defect to Willendorf.¡± Murmured Caroline again. No problem. There¡¯s no problem for me to defect to Willendorf with an army of 100 men. What? I¡¯m smart, and I¡¯m an experienced soldier who has a lot of combat experience¡ªin place of that older sister of mine, I¡¯ve completed the military service ordered by the royal capital. Willendorf will accept me. Strength is everything in Willendorf, so¡­ No problem. The only problem is, that I lost the family succession dispute. In the carriage, Caroline stomped hard. In the violently shaking carriage, no one would notice the vibration. No one would notice the vibration in her heart either. ¡°I thought I could win. Was I wrong?¡± Instead of my older sister, I¡¯ve been doing military service with the squires. Instead of my older sister, I¡¯ve been empathetic to the people of the territory and did the governing work. They pushed me to do that. In place of that incompetent sister who couldn¡¯t even manage the territory and do military service. But, I was defeated. The eldest daughter and the second daughter. The wall of the succession dispute was too high. Most of the vassals of the territory sided with Caroline¡¯s older sister, who was useless. The retainers wanted to treat her as a puppet. And they didn¡¯t want to set a precedent that the second daughter could inherit the family estate. As a result, even if she succeeded in cornering her older sister, the forces behind her older sister pushed her back and forced her to run away from the territory. And on the run, she met a group of bandits and struck up a conversation with them. ¡¸¡°Do you want to join us? If you follow me, I¡¯ll let you feel good. What do I mean? There¡¯s a village nearby that¡¯s perfect for a raid. It¡¯ll be easy if we all go together¡­¡±¡¹ She was given an invitation by the bandits. ¡¸¡°You guys follow me. You¡¯re all just bandits.¡±¡¹ With one blow from Caroline¡¯s halberd, she decapitated the leader of the bandits. And so, she added bandits to her followers. ¡°¡­ Defect to Willendorf.¡± Again, Caroline muttered. The men and boys she had captured in a raid on a small village under the direct control of the royal family were ready to be handed over to Willendorf. She couldn¡¯t turn back now. If they were caught, her group would be hanged. There¡¯s enough food left. We also still have the things that were stolen from the mansion. That¡¯s enough to make a comeback. I can¡¯t die here yet I can¡¯t die in a place like this. I¡¯ve a responsibility to the squire and the people who still follow me without complaining about me who has fallen like this, They still follow me. To return their loyalty, I¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Defect to, Willendorf. I¡¯ll then become blue blood again. I¡¯ll become a knight there. Absolutely. Otherwise¡­¡± I feel sorry for the squire and the people who decided to follow me. Caroline muttered in a voice that sounded like she was vomiting blood. Not knowing that there were people chasing their backs. CH 13 13. The Melancholy of Queen Riesenlotte The march, was decided to be resumed. And the troops were getting ready in formation. At the front was I, Faust von Polidoro, and my people. In the middle, the Second Princess and her guards. And at the end, 40 dead soldiers led by the governor. Zabine is a demon. A real demon. With just a few tens of minutes of speech, the surviving citizens of the village, who have been robbed of their small happiness, are now walking to their deaths. The target of the march was Caroline¡¯s group, which had absorbed the bandits. ¡°Faust-sama, Faust-sama.¡± ¡°What is it, Helga?¡± I responded to the words of Helga, the squire commander, who was by my side. What is it? You want to complain about continuing this? It¡¯s too late, the second princess has given the GO sign already. Well, she said that she would do her best to get that ruler to give a large sum of war expen¨D¨D I mean, apology money. Right, that ruler must be fleeced of everything. If not, think I will agree to do this? ¡°¡­How about taking that knight named, Zabine, as your bride?¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking, right Helga? ¡­Please say it¡¯s just a joke.¡± I muttered so in a voice full of bitterness. ¡°No. I kind of understand what Faust-sama wants to say, but personally, I think she¡¯s not completely out of the list.¡± Kind of? If you understand, then don¡¯t be stupid. And, are you seriously pushing Zabine to me, that demon? You must be kidding, I bet the citizens probably won¡¯t agree. Don¡¯t say that you too have been poisoned by Zabine¡¯s fever. Look, she¡¯s a demon. As a knight living off the taxpayers¡¯ money, she¡¯s said things she should never have said without hesitation. She has completely denied Noblesse Oblige. Even when I said, ¡°You are like a demon. You want them, who¡¯ve been living their life peacefully here, to go to the deadly land?¡± That chimpanzee didn¡¯t even notice the sarcasm. The hidden meaning in that line. Even saying to her face, ¡°You¡¯re still of blue blood.¡±, I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll understand. Aaah, I¡¯m getting a headache. I had no choice but start explaining to Helga. ¡°The aristocrats like me, and the court nobles, even if we¡¯re in a slightly different position than the military officers of the kingdom, one thing remains the same, we receive taxes from the people. In my case, from the people of my territory, and in their case, from the people of the Kingdom. We all live and eat off that money.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Helga nodded. ¡°In exchange, we have a duty. A duty to protect the people in the territory, a duty to protect the people in the Kingdom. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Helga nodded. If you know that much, then¨D¨D ¡°Sending people, to their death. Is that what a soldier does? That¡¯s like denying the role of a soldier, no? What? You¡¯re fine with contradicting your own existence? Listen, even if you¡¯re not a blue blood, that¡¯s not something a soldier should say. Throw away that blue blood, then, you¡¯re no longer a noble, you¡¯re no longer a knight.¡± ¡°But, if it¡¯s necessary, we will do the same. If our husband or our son was taken, we, the people of the fief, would fight. Even if the force is limited to only our territory. Isn¡¯t that what we should do in such a situation? I don¡¯t think Zabine-sama said anything wrong.¡± Helga replied without hesitation. And I, was taken aback by her words. I see, these people¨D¨Dthe people of Polidoro Territory, receive protection from Queen Riesenlotte in exchange for military service. That¡¯s the contract. But, even before putting that in mind, they already have the thought of ¡°protecting themselves¡±. Is that it? ¡­Residents of frontier territories who have military service to do and are living close to the border with Willendorf, and residents of the territories under the direct control of the kingdom, like this small village, who have no military service to do. In short, a cultural difference. That¡¯s why she can¡¯t understand Zabine¡¯s demonic act. Huff, I don¡¯t feel like explaining the brutality of what Zabine did anymore. Even if I explain this further, she¡¯ll probably say, ¡°Isn¡¯t that because the people of the kingdom are warm-hearted? After all, Zabine-sama did nothing wrong.¡±, something like that. Or rather, not only she, but all the citizens of Polidoro Territory will say the same words. Aah, I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s just be honest about how I feel. ¡°I don¡¯t like Zabine-dono. I appreciate her ability as an orator, but I don¡¯t like her. Also, Her Highness Valliere, the second princess who still doesn¡¯t understand what Zabine-dono has done, is 14 years old. She¡¯s still young, I don¡¯t want her to be influenced much by Zabine-dono¡¯s fever¡­ In short, I¡¯m worried about the future. Is that enough?¡± ¡°Yes, somewhat.¡± Helga seemed to understand somewhat. I guess she¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. ¡­The people of my territory, aren¡¯t affected by that heartless agitator, right? Even while I was worrying about such a thing, I had to start the march. ¡°Everyone, forward!¡± I gave a signal. All began to march. For now, let¡¯s focus on this. Suddenly, Helga spoke again. ¡°But, but, Faust-sama.¡± ¡°What is it, Helga? Anything else you want to say?¡± I muttered again with a bitter expression. ¡°Leaving the clinging people of the small village alone would have led to a riot. Plus, we were on our way to abandon them and go home.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s possible. I mean, they are the kind of people who don¡¯t mind becoming dead soldiers for real. ¡°Besides, if we didn¡¯t recruit them as militia, they wouldn¡¯t be able to overcome the reality that they couldn¡¯t rescue the kidnapped men and boys. Considering it, isn¡¯t this result better for both us and them? I think, it wasn¡¯t that bad of an idea.¡± ¡°Do you think that chimpanzee understood that when she spoke?¡± Helga and I turned around and looked carefully at Zabine¡¯s face. She was having an obscene talk with one of the guards again. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I think so too. So, that must be the case.¡± In the first place, she definitely didn¡¯t think about conscripting the militia at first. She just didn¡¯t like the people who clung to the second princess, so she just cursed them. Then, she realized what could be done when speaking that speech-like insult. ¡°Huh? By any chance, if I continue to incite them, I won¡¯t be able to recruit them as a militia?¡± That must be it. ¡­Now that I fully understand her character, I can understand her train of thought as if it¡¯s running on my palm. That bastard. A demonic chimpanzee. Wait, chimpanzees are originally possessed by savage nature, right? Nah, whatever. Nothing important. ¡­¡­Perhaps the reason she was abandoned by her parents and thrown into the Second Princess Guard wasn¡¯t only because of her stupidity. But, she has too much of a demonic nature. Well, a person who does such dirty work might be necessary for a ruler. By any chance ¨D¨Dfor the Second Princess, and for the villagers who have their husbands and sons, kidnapped, this result may be the optimal solution, but what¡¯s the logic behind the calculation? Nothing. A literal blank, Zabine got the current result without thinking about anything. To be clear, she¡¯s a dangerous person. Considering how dangerous her speech ability is, she¡¯s a person who should be isolated somewhere. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to lock her up in a cage at the zoo, as an eccentric monkey that could speak, with a ¡°Zabine¡± name tag hanging around the neck? ¡­Aah, whatever. I can¡¯t afford to think about such things. Let¡¯s keep it simple. The target is Caroline. Catch up with her before she reaches the Willendorf border. And, stop her. My current mission is simply that. It¡¯s good to keep things simple. Right. No need to think too much. ¡°All right, let¡¯s sing. The march to catch Caroline is long. You, you, all of you, sing with all you¡¯ve got!¡° I could hear the voice of Zabine, the captain of the Second Princess Guard. And fear sprung up in the bottom of my heart. For by doing that, consciously or not, Zabine kept the morale up. And as the march went on, I gradually became afraid of this woman for real. So, I decided to keep my mouth shut. While praying. that she wouldn¡¯t hum an obscene song. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°Are you still not ready yet?!!¡± ¡°Your Majesty, Queen Riesenlotte, also understands. I must prepare to move 200 soldiers. What is there to worry? I¡¯ll be there tomorrow.¡± Standby soldiers. Even if they were designated as such, they couldn¡¯t start marching on one call. Weapons, provisions, wagons, expected enemy routes ¨D¨D such must be prepared. Also, the marching route of the soldier to the point of expected contact. Especially the last one, was important. Even one mistake on the route, could end up right at the Willendorf border. And just like that, the beginning of the second Willendorf campaign would begin. The soldiers had to march under such circumstances. Even Queen Riesenlotte understood that. She should¡¯ve understood it, too. And yet, she¡¯s like that. Astarte heaved a deep sigh. ¡°What about the anticipation of the enemy¡¯s march route?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve consulted that with the first princess.¡± Astarte, had already taken advantage of her position as counselor to the first princess. Astarte had consulted the matter with Anastasia, who prided herself on her clear mind and strategic vision. Though, Astarte felt that she was in the wrong, since she was supposed to be the counselor of the first princess, but ended up consulting the matter with the first princess. Anyway, both decided that the point marked on the map was the one where Caroline, the second daughter of a town ruler, would escape. But this point was far away. Reinforcements would probably not arrive in time. But, there¡¯s a possibility ¨D¨D that we can make it in time. The possibility of them trying to stop Caroline at the suggestion of Faust. The possibility that Caroline will be greedy and reach out to other territories, delaying the march. Also, the possibility of other troubles like broken carriages. And many more simple march delays. There¡¯s a possibility that we will be on time. And, as long as there is a possibility, given my position, I can¡¯t help but send reinforcements. Astarte heaved another sigh. ¡°What is it, why are you sighing? My daughter, Valliere, must be at a loss now.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s just a spare. A decorative spare. But, isn¡¯t Your Majesty suddenly being too affectionate?¡± Astarte said what she was thinking, like someone talking to their relatives. She was, after all, a free-spirited person. She had nothing to fear. The only thing that scared her was the moment when she rubbed Faust¡¯s ass, the Lord of the Polidoro territory¨D¨Dthe faces of the people of that territory turned into demons. She was really scared when that happened. She thought she was going to hell. ¡°Even if she¡¯s just a decorative spare! It¡¯s not like I want Valliere to die!!¡± ¡°Your Majesty says the same thing as Anastasia.¡± Is she actually loved? or not? I¡¯m not sure. But, I hate her. A mediocre like her. As a commoner, being mediocre is fine, but as someone of blue blood, such mediocrity isn¡¯t allowed. Astarte thought so. ¡°Right now, she might be still in the small village under Your Majesty¡¯s direct control, which has been ravaged by Caroline¡¯s attack. But, now way she¡¯s thinking of pursuing Caroline.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried because of that possibility. I said something to her before the march! That if she failed her first campaign, I would dismiss Faust as her counselor.¡± I see. I guess, there¡¯s a reason to be worried. But, that¡¯s not enough. ¡°Your Majesty, Valliere is mediocre. She is mediocre.¡± Faust is a knight, but also a Lord. He loathes losing his people. Unlike the Willendorf campaign, which was a hopeless situation, even if there¡¯s a chance of winning, if he knew the battle would cause a great deal of damage to his people, he wouldn¡¯t just go. And Valliere is a mediocre person. She follows the advice of her counselor, Faust. If there is an exception¡­¡­ ¡°Those chimpanzees¡­ Excuse me, I mean, the Second Princess Guard. If only they don¡¯t act unreasonably and force Valliere to choose such an option, everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such a scary thing!¡± Queen Riesenlotte muttered so as she hugged herself. And then she muttered again in annoyance. ¡°I didn¡¯t think those people were ¨D¨D stupid enough like a troop of chimpanzees. Even though they were abandoned from their homes, even though they¡¯re just second and third daughters, they¡¯re still people of blue blood. I thought of them so when I put them under Valliere.¡± ¡°But, those blue-blooded second and third daughters are lewd girls, who would casually engage in dirty talk inside the royal castle and peek at the attendants changing clothes, right?¡± Astarte replied with a straight face. She hated mediocrity. Therefore, she didn¡¯t like the chimpanzees either. There¡¯s no other way than to kill incompetent hard workers who can¡¯t control themselves. No, wait, even such people can be used as soldiers on the battlefield. Well, they¡¯re still inexperienced, it¡¯s their first battle after all, so I can¡¯t judge them properly. Come to think of it, it¡¯s also Valliere¡¯s first battle. I wonder what will happen to Valliere after she has her first battle, will her mediocrity change? Nah, can¡¯t expect much. Well, it might not be a bad idea to take this opportunity to reassess once again. Even if she fails, she could have changed a little with this opportunity, couldn¡¯t she? ¡°Anyway! Hurry up! Leaving Valliere aside, Caroline, who dared to attack the territory under my direct control and kidnap the people of the territory, must be punished and killed. The face of the royal family is at stake.¡± ¡°In short, defecting to those barbarians, Willendorf, is not allowed. Understood.¡± Astarte gave such an answer. While her eyes were fixed on the expected point of contact marked on the map, the point on the edge of the Willendorf border. CH 14 14. Scattering Small Fry ¡°We¡¯ve caught up.¡± That was the voice that came out of my mouth and took my lead. The border of Willendorf wasn¡¯t far, and we had finally caught up with Caroline¡¯s forces. About 100 enemies in my field of vision. Still far from a fighting distance, but hey. At my words, the marching chant of Zabine and the others died away, and the color of their eyes changed to the color of battle. ¡°Faust, what to do?¡± What to do? Again huh¡­ First of all, you¡¯re the supreme commander. Well, it¡¯s your first campaign. It can¡¯t be helped. And since I¡¯m the counselor, I¡¯ve to assist her. But, at a time like this, First Princess Anastasia or Duchess Astarte, would give their opinion and then ask me. Since the opponents are only bandits, they¡¯ll probably respect my opinion and give me a free hand from the beginning. Considering this, the First Princess was insane from the first campaign, huh? Not that Valliere-sama is inferior, just that Anastasia-sama is abnormal. While I was busy with various miscellaneous thoughts, I looked at Caroline¡¯s forces in front of me. Then I murmured. ¡°Perhaps, the other party has noticed what we are doing.¡± ¡°You mean, they have magical glasses, the binoculars, like us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very useful thing. There¡¯s no way Caroline doesn¡¯t have it. Not to mention, this is a plain. People who have good eyes, can definitely see us from a distance.¡± I muttered confidently. We, the pursuers, had already been noticed by Caroline. So, the next action would depend on her. Please refrain from an all-out war, an all-out combat is bad. It¡¯ll cause great damage. And I, don¡¯t want to let innocent citizens and my own people die in vain. Helga, who was using binoculars, gave a report. ¡°The enemy¡ªthe enemy, is now, split in two.¡± Escape, huh? With the Willendorf border in sight, not surprising that Caroline chose to flee and use the bandits as pawns. Well, I want to thank you a little for that. It¡¯s better than forming a formation, and fighting at full power. Much better, no, just that, it¡¯s a convenient flow for me. ¡°Helga, prepare our people for battle.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I gave instructions to Helga. Then, I gave instructions to the Second Princess. ¡°Valiere-sama, first, I will scatter the small fish.¡± ¡°Scatter the small fish?¡± ¡°In this situation, there is no chance for the royal guard or the militia. First of all ¨D¨D it¡¯s just a massacre.¡± I muttered this to the Second Princess. Right, this is just a massacre. A massacre of bandits, just like any other military service. I smiled and returned the smile of the Second Princess. Then I began the attack after signaling with a sign. ¡°Cross!¡± 5 squires had done preparing the crossbow. The preparations for firing had already been made. Now only the trigger had to be pulled. ¡°Helga, take another look before you put the binoculars back. Can you see the enemy commander?¡± ¡°Yes, I can see the commander. Probably not a bandit. Wearing chainmail and a helmet ¨D¨D probably a squire.¡± Bandits, aren¡¯t the kind of people who just shut up and become pawns. There will always be a leader to lead them. So, Caroline¡¯s squire? That means the bandits were probably taken in after their leader was killed by Caroline. Did the squire lead the bandits on the premise that she¡¯d die with those disposable pieces? Caroline seems like a respectable person, huh? Considering many points, my analysis was complete. ¡°No need to shoot the squire with the crossbow. I¡¯ll kill the squire. First, make sure to kill the five enemy archers with the crossbow.¡± ¡°Understood. Faust-sama.¡± I hated archers. It wasn¡¯t hard to fend off the arrows, but it was distracting and frustrating. If I could, I would kill the archer first, if only for that reason. Right. That¡¯s about the level of existence bandits are. Well then, it¡¯s about time to engage the enemy. With the 15 royal guards led by the Second Princess and the militia led by the governor who stayed behind a bit, we, 20 soldiers of Polidoro and I, took the lead. ¡°My name is, Faust von Polidoro! Those who want to die, step forward!!¡± ¡°¨D¨D!!¡± Fear pervaded the enemy camp. I, Faust von Polidoro, was the only male knight in the Kingdom of Anhalt who ran ahead of the others. The knight of wrath. The strongest knight of the Anhalt kingdom. The enemy would have no reason to doubt that. Sure, these were bad names for me, but in times like these, I was grateful to have such a title. ¡°Calm down! Rumors are just rumors, he¡¯s just nothing but a male knight!! Calm down!!¡± The leader of the enemies, Caroline¡¯s squire, tried to calm the bandits, but it didn¡¯t work well. Forgive me but escape isn¡¯t allowed. Bandits first, then you¡¯ll all be killed. ¡°Sing!!¡± The scream of blood. My command wasn¡¯t to my beloved people, but to the 30 enemy bandits. The arrow in the crossbow was fired at five suspected enemy archers, and thanks to the skill of my squires, who were used to shooting, the result of such an accurate technique was great, as expected. Of the 30 bandits, 5 died within a very short time. ¡°Shout!!¡± The scream of death. I, riding on a horse, of course, cut the vanguard. As usual, I wielded a magical greatsword, passed down from generation to generation, and decapitated five enraged bandits in succession. And with that, the number of forces became the same, 20. ¡°Then die!!¡± While a pool of blood formed on the ground, the enemies collapsed. The bandits had no archers left. As I wanted them to. So I went in a straight line towards Caroline¡¯s squire, who was the leader of the bandits, as one with the horse. Then we jumped. I danced through the air with my beloved horse Flugel and reached in front of Caroline¡¯s squire, who was wearing chainmail. The squire was overwhelmed by the sudden event. Quickly with my favorite greatsword, I slashed the squire from head to belly. The squire¡¯s body split in two. And the helmet that the squire was wearing, was completely split and fell to the ground in two halves. ¡°YOUR LEADER IS DEAD!!!¡± My roar echoed across the battlefield, and the morale of the bandits who had lost their leader collapsed. The miserably out-of-control bandits, some of whom begged for their lives, while others turned their backs on them and tried to flee, one by one, were killed by my people. With a spear. Or with a sword. But, this was nothing new for me. During my military service from the age of 15 to 20, this kind of work really became an assembly line. This again. And my people will just do their own work like this¨D¨Dslaughtering the enemy. While I was thinking so, I killed a bandit nearby. There were too many to count. I couldn¡¯t count each kill because it was too much trouble. Nevertheless, the fight lasted only a few minutes. And none of our citizens came to harm. The work went on without any major problems, and so the slaughter ended. ¡°In the next life, you should be reborn as a flower or something.¡± With that closing line, I looked down at the bandit¡¯s body lying on the ground. 30 bandits had been killed in a few minutes. My squires had already begun preparing to reload their crossbows and pull the strings with the pulleys without my order. The Second Princess Guard and 40 militia led by the governor finally caught up with us. ¡°Faust. What about the bandits?¡± Another boring question from the Second Princess. You can see it, right? ¡°I killed them all. You can tell by looking.¡± ¡°Well¡­ what should I say, how about the damage to you?¡± ¡°Zero.¡± Always zero. You think I want to die against a mere bandit? The only times I was prepared to die were my first battle and the Willendorf campaign. Bandits? I can slaughter them while humming. Those guys are just small fry. More importantly¨D¨D ¡°This is where the story begins, Valliere-sama. While my squires prepare to reload the crossbow, we will resume the pursuit. Until we catch up with Caroline, please consult me in advance on tactical matters.¡± ¡°I-I know.¡± ¡°Caroline has probably decided that it is best for her to flee. She probably wants to continue across the border to Willendorf. In the worst-case scenario, I will have to slip out during the battle with the 70 enemy elites and pursue Caroline, who is trying to escape on her own. Should that happen, I will hand over command of my people to Helga in the meantime. Please deploy them freely at that time.¡± Though, I¡¯ve no intention of letting them die in vain. Well, it¡¯s not like Helga will listen to Valliere-sama no matter what. She didn¡¯t grow up that way. Without saying that out loud, I looked at Caroline¡¯s army. There were two carriages in front, one of them was the carriage in which men and boys were taken from the area that was directly under the queen. And in the other one sat Caroline. Now, which one is the right one? Big one or small one? Most likely, something good is in the small one ¨D¨D I mean, Caroline must be in the small carriage. While thinking like that, I continued to wait for the crossbow to be reloaded. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°You don¡¯t have to die. Just let those bandits die.¡± ¡°In order to use those pawns, we need a commander. Caroline-sama understands that too.¡± Caroline bit her lip as she thought of her squire serving as the bandits¡¯ commander to be a discarded pawn. Sadly, something like this happened when she finally reached this point. Where the Willendorf border was right in front of her, which she could reach in another hour. With the binoculars, she saw the border line of Willendorf earlier. The knights of Willendorf were waiting at the border line with dozens of soldiers, as if they had noticed her from the watchtower of the fort. We¡¯ll reach our goal. I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll get asylum. Right, we can escape from this country. ¡°In the worst case, Caroline-sama, please be prepared to escape alone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. What¡¯s the point of abandoning you all and running away alone?¡± ¡°The meaning of supporting Caroline-sama so far, remains. Even if only Caroline-sama survives, the meaning will surely remain.¡± You, big idiot. Do you still think that it was your fault that I failed in the succession dispute? It was my failure. It was I, who failed in the succession dispute. ¡°I failed in the succession dispute because I was stupid. I wish I hadn¡¯t done that. Something like that.¡± Regret. Caroline finally got it out. It was all because of my incompetence that I was defeated in the succession dispute. I¡¯m finally able to admit it. I should have laid the foundation for other vassals more. I should have made connections with the royal family¨D¨DQueen Riesenlotte and First Princess Anastasia during my military service, and worked to have them recognize me as the head of the family. More, better. If only, I did more and better. The seeds of words of regret that come out were endless. ¡°Both the squires and the people of the fief ate from the same pot during military service. We shall live and die together, right? That¡¯s one reason for us pushing Caroline-sama¡¯s back. That said, we don¡¯t have time anymore. So, Caroline-sama, goodbye.¡± ¡°Wait¨D¨Dplease wait!¡± Ignoring Caroline¡¯s voice, the squire hurried toward the bandits. Just for her to cross the border into Willendorf. How many squires and citizens of the territory lost their lives in the feud over the territory? How many seriously injured people were lost on this march and left their bodies there? Huff¡­ Now that I think about it again, I shouldn¡¯t have started the family succession dispute from the beginning. Every time a person died, the act Caroline deemed stupid that she did in the past permeated her body. ¡°¡­¡­ Martina.¡± Caroline called out the name of her only daughter. She couldn¡¯t bring her to this escape drama. By now, she would have been hanged in the territory. ¡°¡­¡­defect to, Willendorf.¡± With unsteady steps, Caroline muttered only that. Having lost her husband to illness, lost her daughter to folly, and lost her superior squire to incompetence, this was her last remaining goal. Give the men and boys, to Willendorf. Using the wealth in the carriage, I shall make a comeback as a knight. Selling as much information as I could about the Kingdom of Anhalt, is also a good idea. Who cares if I¡¯m called a traitor? I¡¯ve nothing left after all. Other than 70 elite people who¡¯re following me. Excluding the citizens who have served together in the military, should be ¨D¨D While thinking so, a devilish report echoed in Caroline¡¯s ears. ¡°Caroline-sama! Caroline-sama! We have just confirmed the enemy commander through the binoculars!¡± ¡°Who is it!? A familiar face? Duchess Astarte, or¡­¡­¡± ¡°The enemy is a male knight. Probably, Faust von Polidoro. The Knight of Wrath!!¡± Involuntarily, Caroline jumped out of the carriage and looked at the bandits and her squire who had become discarded pawns. Probably a one-sided massacre is going on there. Seems, judgment has come. The Knight of Wrath came, ready to judge me, who has become an evil existence. CH 15 15. Beautiful Beast Valliere¡¯s Army consisted of 40 militia, 15 royal guards, and 20 Polidoro citizens¨D¨D in contrast, Caroline¡¯s Army consisted of 70 elite citizens, including squires. The two armies approached each other in a field about 30 minutes on foot before the border line of Willendorf. ¡°Cross!¡± A short signal. A shout of Faust von Polidoro. At the same time, crossbow arrows pierced the vanguard of Caroline¡¯s army, killing them. Caroline¡¯s army, 65 remaining. In terms of numbers, Valliere¡¯s Army was higher. In terms of the quality of the soldiers, Caroline¡¯s army was higher. Those 65 were, after all, armed veterans. Valliere¡¯s Army, on the other hand, had 40 poorly armed militia, whom were battle virgins. Even the 15 royal guards, despite being well-armed, were also battle virgins. Probably, the only ones who could oppose Caroline¡¯s Army were the 20 citizens of the Polidoro Territory, who boasted more skills than them. But, there was one dangerous person who could change the tide of the battle. ¡°You get behind!¡± While shouting this, a mass of murderous intent called, Faust von Polidoro, jumped out into the fight as if to protect the militia. As if he didn¡¯t want any to be killed, if possible; on the contrary, he treated the lives of his opponents like worthless rags. Faust, the Knight of Wrath, who suddenly appeared on his beloved horse, traversed the narrow battlefield. It wasn¡¯t that he jumped into the middle of the enemy soldiers. While looking at the militia as a meat shield, he suddenly cut in between the battles with the Caroline army and went around killing the soldiers of the Caroline army. A death roulette. That was exactly what Caroline saw through the hole in the cover of the carriage. It was inevitable that the death toll of Caroline¡¯s army would gradually increase. In a one-on-one situation, there was no one in the Kingdom of Anhalt who could beat Faust. However, the morale of the soldiers of Caroline¡¯s army hadn¡¯t yet declined. They were still trying to protect Caroline. Looking at the scene, Caroline was, already close to tears. But, she couldn¡¯t cry. And even if she could, she shouldn¡¯t cry. After all, they were rushing to their deaths for her. Now, she should run away, even if alone. That was the only way to answer for their sacrifice. Still, she couldn¡¯t decide. Whether or not she should abandon the people who were protecting her. But, the battle in her mind was put to an end. While retreating to the border line, Valliere¡¯s army was rushing to Caroline¡¯s army. The time on the battlefield wasn¡¯t that long, but Faust¡¯s kill score against Caroline¡¯s army was already over 30. Perhaps. Of course, there were some militia casualties, but by now the gaps in the overall forces were now large enough for Valliere¡¯s army to secure victory. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you! Helga!¡± Faust didn¡¯t mention the name of the second princess, Valliere. Obviously, Valliere, who was the supreme commander, would be targeted. But, as if not thinking about this, Faust started running alone. Caroline¡¯s Army no longer had enough numbers to stop him. All they could do was to stop the enemy in front of them. Soon, he would reach Caroline. In her eyes, it was as if judgment had finally come upon the evil spirits who had sinned. Before long, the mass of murderous intent reached the two carriages of Caroline¡¯s army. There were two, a small carriage and a big carriage. Faust chose the small carriage. With the greatsword in one hand, he cut the carriage¡¯s cover thinly. What awaited him were men and boys who were frightened by the sounds of the battlefield. ¡°Such bad luck.¡± Faust threw those words involuntarily. At the same time¨D¨Dthe big carriage loaded with the goods was separated from the horse. Right, Caroline threw away the carriage¡¯s goods and rode the horse alone, running away to the border. She thought that she must escape. From the judgment. From Faust von Polidoro. From the Knight of Wrath. Desperately, Caroline tried to reach the border line. She had the feeling she could still make it. And if she called on the knights and soldiers of Willendorf waiting at the border for help, the Knight of Wrath, Faust von Polidoro, could be defeated. With such fleeting hopes, Caroline hurried off. Chasing her was Faust, who had finished telling the men and boys in the small carriage what to do. In the background were the screams of death, the roar of victory, and the sound of sword fighting. With such battlefield music that never ceased to resound, Faust was chasing Caroline. However, Faust¡¯s speed gradually decreased. Faust¡¯s horse, Flugel, was exhausted. In the battle with the bandits, Flugel had moved around the battlefield. No matter how excellent the horse was, it had reached its limit. Faust, of course, understood that and accepted the result. Right. Faust von Polidoro had failed. At least, he was able to save face, if only slightly, by helping the kidnapped men and boys. But, according to his predictions, Caroline¡¯s fate hadn¡¯t yet been determined. Anyway, feeling he had done enough, Faust stopped and patted his beloved horse, Flugel, on the back, thanking for the hard work. Right in front of the border line between the Kingdom of Anhalt and Willendorf. Faust stopped with his horse. Ignoring him, Caroline crossed the border line. Faust just watched the situation. As Caroline¡¯s ending would depend on the barbaric nature and the unique values ??of Willendorf. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù ¡°My name is Caroline. Someone seeking asylum. And help. Standing on the border is Faust von Polidoro.¡± In response, the Willendorf Knight nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been checking the battlefield with binoculars since a while ago. That face, that sword technique, none other than Faust von Polidoro himself.¡± ¡°Then¡­!¡± ¡­Kill that man, the knight of Wrath. Who killed my beloved people! ¡°But that man. That Beautiful Beast hasn¡¯t crossed the border line, and is still standing there.¡± A knight of Willendorf, whose name Caroline didn¡¯t know and who seemed to be the commander-in-chief, pointed at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to kill Faust!!?¡± Caroline screamed However, the Willendorf knight remained unmoved. ¡°Like what I just said. That Beautiful Beast hasn¡¯t crossed the border line. He¡¯s there, just waiting¡­ for you.¡± Waiting? Who? Me? ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you to be kicked out of our land and challenge him.¡± Kick out? This I, Caroline? ¡°What are you saying?! My existence is worth a lot. Think. How much information do I have about the Kingdom of Anhalt!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much information you have about the Kingdom of Anhalt. Maybe it¡¯s something that¡¯s valuable to us. Maybe, it really is something that¡¯s valuable.¡± The Willendorf Knight shook her head. ¡°But, that knight, that man we call the Beautiful Beast in our land, is just waiting for you. Your name is¡ªDid you say Caroline? He¡¯s waiting for a duel with you. Getting in the way of that. We have no intention of doing it.¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to kill Faust von Polidoro?¡± ¡°Those who don¡¯t cross the border aren¡¯t enemies. More, than anything else.¡± The Willendorf Knight looked at Faust with eyes in which there was even admiration. ¡°At the end of a deadly battle with our Knight Commander, Reckenbell, do you think we would want to surround that Beautiful Beast with dozens of knights and soldiers, and kill him? Are you trying to insult us?¡± Barbarian sensibility. They perceived strong things as beautiful things. And to them, Faust must be the most beautiful knight. Their values ??of strong men, their preference for muscular men. On this basis, one could say that Faust was the most beautiful knight in the world to Willendorf people. Surrounding such a man who wanted to have a one-on-one duel and killing him, was outside the scope of Willendorf people¡¯s way of appreciating a beautiful beast. These Damned Barbarians! Of course, Caroline didn¡¯t say that out loud. She simply dropped her fist to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­what, do you want from me?¡± ¡°Slay Faust von Polidoro. Slay that beautiful beast, and we will gladly welcome you to our country, Willendorf.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Willendorf Knight never expected Caroline to defeat Faust. She only wanted to see a spectacle, an art. Where the beautiful beast, to which they paid their respects, with all his might slayed Caroline. ¡°Okay.¡± Is this the end? Hah, what a fitting end for my ending. Caroline smiled bitterly and left the border of Willendorf, returning to the Kingdom of Anhalt. Aaaah¨D¨D I¡¯ve lost everything. Every, thing. Even my own life would be lost because of this. This is really the end. Caroline, once again, smiled bitterly at herself. Still, riding a horse, she rushed to Faust. Looking at Caroline¡¯s appearance, Faust opened his mouth with naivety. ¡°Did you really think, that you could escape?¡± Faust asked curiously. ¡°Did you think Willendorf would accept you alone? Without the men and boys? Without money? Without your loyal elites?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Caroline could only answer with silence. Then, she prepared the halberd. ¡°Get off your horse, Faust von Polidoro. I¡¯ll get off too.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Both of them got off their horses. Caroline had no confidence in her skills on horseback. However, even though she landed on the ground, she still didn¡¯t have the confidence to win against the Knight of Wrath in front of her. But, she couldn¡¯t afford to lose. She just couldn¡¯t afford to lose. Not without a fight. At the very least, she wanted to leave one scar. On the man whom the Willendorf Knight called the Beautiful Beast. ¡°Are you fine, with that halberd?¡± ¡°Same goes for you, are you fine with that greatsword? This one has the advantage of being longer.¡± ¡°That much of s a handicap, I¡¯m willing to give.¡± ¡°I see.¡± A short conversation. Caroline pointed the halberd at Faust. Caroline was never weak. If anything, she was rather strong. She had stepped into the stage of superhumans, that existed in the world considerably. However, the difference in skills between Caroline and Faust was obvious to anyone. ¨D¨D¡­¡­When Caroline regained her senses, her stomach had been torn apart along with her chain mail by Faust¡¯s sword. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Caroline stood silently on the spot. She knew she was going to die. ¡°Do you have a will? Do you have any regrets, Caroline?¡± Faust offered words of mercy to Caroline. Caroline barely muttered one last word. ¡°¡­¡­Martina¡± It was the name of the only daughter who probably would have been hanged and died by now. Faust remembered it and carved it into his heart. Caroline fell to the ground with her viscera dripping from her stomach. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù In front of the defeated figure of Caroline, I, Faust von Polidoro, felt empty. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have, listened to your last words.¡± Judging by the name alone, most likely, a girl. Judging by Carloine¡¯s tone, probably she was still young. And, probably, the girl couldn¡¯t be helped anymore. It was a painful thing for me to hear. Anyway, after pondering for a while, I decided that I must bring back Caroline¡¯s head. So, I cut it off, wrapped it in the cloth I had, and carried it politely with my left hand. Then, all of a sudden, I noticed. I noticed that the knights and soldiers of Willendorf were lined up on the border line. ¡°It was a beautiful duel. Oh, Beautiful Beast. If there¡¯s a chance, let¡¯s meet on the battlefield!!¡± One of the knights shouted that and turned her heels back to the fortress, followed by the others. I replied quietly so that the other person couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°I refuse to deal with barbarians like you again, ever.¡± It wasn¡¯t a matter of winning or not winning. The Willendorf Campaign had taught me one thing. Every knight was stronger than that of the Kingdom of Anhalt. Especially, the Knight Commander, Reckenbell, was really strong. If I was 19 years old instead of 20 years old at that time, I would have lost. The difference between victory and defeat was only a year¡¯s worth of battle history and the difference in training ingenuity. But I won. No one would deny that reality. Still, it was a kind of trauma for me. That said, for now, I bowed to the knights who refused to grant Caroline¡¯s wish for defection. And I decided to return from the border line to where the music of the battlefield still sounded. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve achieved my goal. But¡­¡­¡± ¡­How many will be the sacrifice? I¡¯m sure my people¡¯s lives will be fine. But, what about the militia? And those royal guards? Well, the result hasn¡¯t been determined, but¡­ ¡°¡­tch.¡± And with this battle, that gentle Second Princess would finally learn the reality of the battlefield¡­ Just thinking about that, made my heart hurt a little. CH 16 16. Dream Is Beautiful On the battlefield where the main characters, Faust von Polidoro and Caroline, had left. The Second Princess Guard began to hit a kill score. The militia that Faust had pulled behind went to the back, with the other militias to rest. Instead, 20 Polidoro citizens and 15 Royal Guards stood on the front line. Less than 20 of the elite of Caroline¡¯s people remained. Although the citizens of the Caroline territory were elite, they were the last ones, and now fell into a situation where each person had to deal with two people. The citizens of Polidoro were doing well in supporting the Royal Guards under Helga¡¯s command. To be honest, the battlefield began to see the end. However, despite grasping the situation, Caroline¡¯s people were still fighting desperately. ¡°Killed! Next!¡± ¡°Immediately, go around to support from the flanks! Not a single knight will die!¡± Shouted Zabine, the commander of the Second Princess Guard. After scoring only a single kill, Zabine went to the back and took command of the other royal guards. At Valliere¡¯s side, there was only one other royal guard that went to guard her after scoring a kill. ¡°Princess, you don¡¯t seem well.¡± The royal guard, Hannah, muttered while looking at Valliere¡¯s complexion. ¡°¡­ A number of militia have died. Perhaps, more than ten. Even after Faust worked so hard.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. This is a battlefield.¡± Murmured Hannah in a voice that could be called cold. ¡°Battlefield¡­¡­¡± A battlefield. Right. Valliere herself had understood that since she had seen a headless corpse in the small village that had been mercilessly tortured. What she didn¡¯t understand was Faust, who was called the Knight of Wrath, how could his strength be like something out of this world. And how could one get used to the battlefield melody, which was a mixture of death cries, roars of victory, and clashing of swords? These two things confused her. To be honest, she was scared. Her cowardice, the timid thin skin that covered her, hadn¡¯t yet peeled off even on this battlefield. She kept wondering if someone would target her. If someone would go to attack her to take her life. Even in the rear, a little far from the front line, the fear didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°The Guards¨D¨D My Guards, no one died, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not that weak. We¡¯re still those of blue blood. We¡¯re different in skill and armament than those of the commoners.¡± Murmured Hannah, trying to reassure Valliere. Indeed, not a single knight was missing. The Second Princess Guard was much stronger than Valliere thought. Although they struggled at first because it was their first fight, once they scored a kill, they regained their usual training moves. ¡­I wish it would end like this. The moment Valliere thought that, a woman jumped out of the enemy formation even after being surrounded by the guards and the Polidoro people. What weapon did the woman have? Crossbow. Right. A powerful weapon that Faust brought, regardless of the church¡¯s complaints. ¡°¨D¨DI found you! You must be the commander-in-chief!¡± The woman with the crossbow must have been severely hit in the head since it was bleeding. Her eyes were filled with madness. Valliere was frightened and could only stand still. ¡¸¡±¡­Just when you think you¡¯re in a safe zone, behind you, the enemy¡¯s elite suddenly appear¡­¡±¡¹ The words Valliere¡¯s elder sister had spoken ran through her mind. ¡°That life of yours, I¡¯ll take it!!¡± A crossbow shot. Valliere was the target. The bad news, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to move. At this rate, she would be killed. ¡°Valiere-sama!!¡± Hannah, who was nearby, stood in the arrow trajectory to shield Valliere. At the same time, Valliere heard the sound of a heavy trigger pull. Shortly after, the sound of Hannah becoming a meat shield and her chainmail being pierced could be heard. In front of Valliere, Hannah¡¯s body was pierced by a crossbow arrow and fell to the ground. ¡°HANNAH!!¡± Screamed Valliere, as she immediately ran to Hannah, but there was no response. Hannah had lost consciousness completely. ¡°How dare you!¡± Valliere glared at the woman with the crossbow. The woman gave her a disgusting smile. Then, the woman muttered while spreading both hands. ¡°This is it huh? Just kill me already!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me!!¡± Valliere drew her sword and ran towards the woman with the crossbow. With a feeling¡ª a feeling of anger at the defeat of her guard, Hannah. She was furious. ¡°You. Hannah. You bastard. HOW DARE YOU!!!¡± It was Valliere¡¯s first rage since she was born. And the timid thin skin was peeling off. No, it was as if such a thing didn¡¯t cover her at all. As soon as Valliere reached the woman. First, she gouged out the woman¡¯s eyes. And with the next blow, she cut off the woman¡¯s ear. Then Valliere stepped on the woman¡¯s face, breaking out the woman¡¯s teeth. It wasn¡¯t long before the woman stopped moving. But Valliere didn¡¯t stop, she stabbed the woman hard in the chest as a final blow. ¡°How dare you¨D¨D Because of you, Hannah is¡­¡± Eventually, Valliere regained her composure and realized that she had killed someone, a human. Her kill scores? 1. But that didn¡¯t matter to her. ¡°Hannah!¡± With a bloody sword in her hand, Valliere ran toward the place where Hannah had collapsed. Only now did her legs begin to tremble, as if she had finally recovered from her anger, at thinking she had just killed someone. ¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù There was a woman. She was dreaming ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªDream¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Why not a boy¡­¡± These words were thrown at her many times. From her father, from her mother, from her sisters. Even though they all knew, they lived in a world where boys were rarely born. To be precise, only 1 in 10. Her family was of moderate blue blood. A hereditary aristocratic family. She was the fourth child of such a family ¨D¨D in other words, she was an unwanted child. The spare of spare of spare. She was an unwanted child that no one wanted. Therefore, she was treated roughly. Although she received knight training, if she made even one mistake, she was often reprimanded that she was a stupid child. And they would immediately give up on her. Therefore, it became a half-hearted knight education. However, her swordsmanship and spearmanship were surprisingly good. Compared to her sisters, even with the age difference, she was better. Unfortunately, that only brought jealousy. At the dinner table, she always had one less meal than her sisters. Not that she particularly cared. In any case, she did not have good memories of her childhood. And when she turned 14, they threw her out of the house. ¡°From now on, you will become the bodyguards of the Second Princess Valliere.¡± She was thankful. With this, she wouldn¡¯t have to face her hateful family. There was no love left in her family. They were like her hated enemy. Then, she made her way to the royal palace where she underwent a knighthood ceremony. The Second Princess Valliere, whom she met for the first time, was 4 years younger than her. However, that also meant, that a 14-year-old who received a half-hearted knight education, would be a knight. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she could do well at the knighting ceremony. To be honest, she was worried. ¡°To be a protector and guardian of the church, widows, orphans, or anyone who serves God against the tyranny of the heathen.¡± Congratulatory words from the Second Princess Valliere. Then a sword was placed on her shoulder. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She was at a loss for words. No, just that she couldn¡¯t remember. Of what she was supposed to say. Honestly, her intelligence wasn¡¯t that high. While she was silent, the Second Princess Valliere laughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, to not say anything. I¡¯m a spare, you¡¯re a spare. So, let¡¯s do our best together.¡± The Second Princess smiled quietly at her, who couldn¡¯t do her knightly oath properly. And since then¡­ ¨D¨D It was fun. All she could say was that, it was fun. The past 14 years, those indescribable, nightmarish 14 years, fade away. All the guards were idiots. They were all idiots. More or less, the same as her. For the first time in the Second Princess Guard, she understood what it meant to have companions and friends. At the same time, she had mixed feelings about the fact that there were so many idiots like her. Zabine, the Commander, was especially bad. Really bad. The same as others, the lowest rank of a first-generation knight. Even so, Zabine, saying ¡°I¡¯m the one best at public speaking, so I¡¯m the Commander,¡±, didn¡¯t listen to what the Second Princess said. What kind of brain did Zabine have? In any case, Zabine was too unwilling to listen, and would act violently if anyone tried to deny it, so the Second Princess burst into tears. ¡°I, really, really wanted you, Hannah, to be the commander, you know?¡± The Second Princess¡¯s words made her happy. There were no compliments thrown at her at home. That being said, Zabine was really bad. By the time she noticed, Zabine brought up a plan to go see the male attendants changing clothes. She objected. Of course, that was what she should and wanted to do. But she couldn¡¯t. At that time, as a 16-year-old woman, in no way, she wasn¡¯t interested in male bodies. In terms of knowledge¡ªthe Commander, Zabine, had more than her. Really, from where did Zabine get it? But, there was no denying that Zabine¡¯s dirty talk made her heart pound. In fact, she had never worshiped men¡¯s naked bodies before. ¡°So, you are interested in this too, huh, Hannah?¡± She would be lying if she said she wasn¡¯t interested. It wasn¡¯t long before the fifteen members of the Second Princess Guard gathered around to see how the male attendants were changing their clothes. Of course, they were discovered. First of all, it was unreasonable for a group of fifteen to peep together. Why didn¡¯t anyone try to stop the madness? Perhaps because they were all of roughly equal intelligence? As chimpanzees? But, even with this incident, the Second Princess didn¡¯t deprive anyone of their position as the royal guard. ¡°Because I bowed my head to Mother. That¡¯s it, end of story. Is what I wanted to say¡­¡± ¡°Would you kindly end here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I will end it here. You idiots. Chimpanzees! Sit on your knees over there!¡± All 15 idiots just had to sit down on the floor and were insulted. Alas, those were good memories. It was different from her childhood. Being scolded by the Second Princess, whom she respected, was like a reward, so it was a good memory. The days as a royal guard were fun. She was sure that the Second Princess wouldn¡¯t be able to be the Queen. Being a Queen didn¡¯t suit the gentle Second Princess. Well, that didn¡¯t bother her. The Second Princess could always be their only master. She didn¡¯t need anyone else. The members of the Second Princess Guard were first generation knights, poor knights of the lowest rank. But she had a dream. One day they would rise to the rank of hereditary knights. Then all the members would collect money and buy a barrel of liquor at the usual cheap tavern. One day they would get a blue-blooded husband. And one day they would have a child. One day, one day¡­¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªDream end¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Finally, the woman, Hannah, woke up from her dream. A man¡¯s voice woke her up. ¡°There are other seriously injured people. I will command my people to treat them. Princess, please stay beside her for a while. After that, I will take over the role.¡± ¡°Hannah is¡­! She¡¯s the most seriously injured! Faust. Please, Faust! She is¡­! ¡°Your Royal Highness Second Princess Valliere¡­¡± Ah, Valliere-sama is crying. Why are you crying? The man, Lord Polidoro, looked at Hannah with a pained look and muttered. ¡°Watching over the death of a retainer is the duty of a Lord.¡± After saying this, Lord Polidoro turned and left on his horse. What? Am I go I die? Will my dream end? Hannah understood the reality from the conversation between Lord Polidoro and the Second Princess. ¡°Are you awake? Are you awake?! You will live, Hannah.¡± ¡°The Second¨D¨DPrincess Guard, protecting the princess, is their job.¡± Hannah was having trouble speaking. And for some reason, she really wanted to sleep. She just wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep. But she had to wake up. She had to somehow stop the Second Princess from crying. ¡°Valliere-sama¡­¡± ¡°What is it? ¡­¡­Hannah. You¡¯re such an idiot, for you to shield me. Nothing good will come out of it.¡± Sleepy¡­ Why won¡¯t Valliere-sama stop crying? ¡°No, this is an honor. What you have done, is an honor. If I bow to Mother again, I¡¯m sure your rank will be raised and you¡¯ll have a better life. Then, after that¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m at my limit¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Valliere-sama, for always making you angry. Maybe when I go to sleep, you¡¯ll get angry again. So, before that, let me say one thing¨D¨D ¡°¡­I, you know. I really like Valliere-sama.¡± At the very least, Hannah wanted to convey this. That she wasn¡¯t loyal to the royal family. As a blue-blooded knight, she should be ashamed of that. But she didn¡¯t care. The one she swore allegiance to was none other than the Second Princess Valliere, who loved and cared for her. Aaa, so sleepy¡­ My, eyes¡­ ¡°Hannah! Open your eyes!¡± The pleading cry of the Second Princess Valliere, didn¡¯t bring a miracle. Those eyes would never open again. ¨D¨DHannah took one last breath, and then fell into an eternal sleep. She could dream no more. The Second Princess Valliere¡¯s anger, as if still trying to wake her up¨D¨Da scream-like cry rippled through the area.