WeTried Translations

Translator: Nemui

Editor: Nemui

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 124: A New Hero (2)

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At those words, everyone except Friedrich left the tent.

The entrance was closed, creating a space for father and son alone.

“Friedrich.”

When called, Friedrich walked to Matthias’s side and knelt on one knee near his face.

“…I still have no answer as to whether drawing you onto the path of a soldier and taking you as my adopted son was truly good for you. There were times I wondered whether I had placed a curse upon you.”

Told that, Friedrich thought for a moment, then showed a smile.

“I have always believed that having you recognize my talent was the greatest event and the greatest fortune of my life. No amount of gratitude would be enough.”

At that answer, Matthias’s expression softened.

“It is true that I believed you were a talent worthy of inheriting the Hosenfeld name… And at the same time, it is an undeniable truth that I took you as my adopted son because I wished for a family once more. I myself realized that truth only after welcoming you, and my certainty deepened from there.”

And then the hero, now wearing only the face of an ordinary human being, spoke gently.

“I… lost Annemarie, lost Rudolf, and while people continued calling me the living hero of Edelstein, I lived by wearing the image of the hero everyone demanded. I thought I would live that way and die that way. But when I made you my new son, I realized something.”

As he spoke, Matthias placed his hand against Friedrich’s cheek. The gesture was that of a father simply cherishing his child.

“In the end, I wanted my family to see me off. I did not want to depart only as a soldier, a noble, and a hero, judged by those names. I wanted to die as one man entrusting what came after to his family. Because of you, that wish is fulfilled. You know my memories of Annemarie and Rudolf. You know how dearly I thought of them, and how I lived after they were gone. The thoughts I never revealed to anyone else are known only to you, my son…”

Trying not to let the smile on his face become sorrowful, Friedrich nodded.

The memories Matthias had shared of his family, and the love he had held for them, Friedrich had indeed heard all this time. Now, as the one person who was his family.

“Friedrich. I am happy to be seen off by you, my heir. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart to you for becoming my new son, and for the days you gave me.”

“…I am happy I was able to become your son. I am the one who is grateful from the bottom of my heart… Thank you, Father.”

Hearing those words, Matthias wore the same gentle smile he had shown when he first welcomed Friedrich as his adopted son.

Then he quietly closed his eyes, and the light of his life went out.

His face at the end was fulfilled.

Father.

I should have called you that sooner, and far more often.

Holding the hand of Matthias that had slipped from his cheek, Friedrich wept without a sound.

・・・・・・

When Friedrich opened the entrance of the tent, the sky had begun to brighten. The first to greet him was Yurika.

With her standing close beside him, Friedrich turned toward everyone.

Gregor, Oliver, Romilda and Rudiger, and the other commanders had gathered as well. All of them were looking at Friedrich.

“…My father has departed. His end was peaceful.”

Fixing his gaze on Gregor, who had supported Matthias longer than anyone else, Friedrich spoke.

As those gathered stiffened their expressions, exhaled quietly, or lowered their eyes with grief, Gregor only nodded in silence. Then he knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

Everyone gathered followed his example. When Friedrich turned to his side, even Yurika was kneeling before him.

Then Gregor opened his mouth.

“Lord Count Friedrich Hosenfeld. We of the Ferdinand Regiment are your loyal subordinates. Under your command, we are prepared to fight with our lives. In life, Lord Count Matthias Hosenfeld appointed you as the next regimental commander, and that appointment was approved by the royal house. From this moment, you are the second regimental commander of the Ferdinand Regiment.”

As though Gregor’s words were only natural, all those bowing their heads did not move.

Lord Count. Regimental Commander. At those titles directed toward him, Friedrich froze for a while with an expression half stunned. The former was a matter of course, and it was not as though he had never anticipated the latter. Even so, being called that now left him feeling caught off guard.

“…Is it really all right for it to be me?”

“With respect, there is no one but you, who have inherited the Hosenfeld name, who can lead this regiment. Right now, the kingdom’s army, the kingdom’s people, and the kingdom itself need the successor of the living hero of Edelstein, no, they need a new hero. Because His Majesty foresaw that such a situation might come after your father’s death, he approved your father’s judgment… And we who will follow you from this point onward are convinced that you are worthy of inheriting your father’s position.”

Still on one knee, Gregor raised only his face, looked straight at Friedrich, and answered.

“Your father’s judgment in finding you and keeping you at his side proves it. More than anything, the military achievements you have shown until now, and your resolve as a soldier of the kingdom, prove it. Lord Count Friedrich Hosenfeld. Our commander. Please lead us and guide us.”

Now everyone had raised their faces and was looking at Friedrich.

Gathering their gazes, receiving their plea, Friedrich took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

Ah.

Since that day, the day he had impulsively raised his voice in his hometown of Volga, he had truly come so far.

A new hero. He did not think he had yet accomplished enough to be called that. Even so, that title would probably never leave him now. Heroes were born because everyone demanded them. Heroes lived in the form everyone demanded of them.

Matthias too, his father too, had been made into a hero by one great military achievement, and had fulfilled that role throughout his life.

And now, having been discovered by him and become his successor, Friedrich’s turn to become a hero had come.

I want to become someone.

Without knowing the weight of the mission he would bear, he had chased that dream, and now he had fulfilled it. He could never go back. He would never be freed. Just like his father.

He should have understood that all along.

“…Everyone, stand.”

Lowering his gaze, Friedrich called to them. In his voice dwelled a resolve different from before.

Gregor stood. Yurika stood. And everyone else stood as well.

“…I am the successor of Matthias Hosenfeld. The one who has inherited everything from the living hero of Edelstein. I will fulfill every role my father fulfilled. I will fulfill my duty as head of the Ferdinand Regiment and my duty as the hero who protects this country. I will accomplish it, without fail. Everyone, please follow me.”

“As you command, my lord.”

Everyone answered Friedrich’s words with a salute.

The hero had departed, and a new hero was born.

The morning glow illuminated his crimson hair and lit a new fire in his red eyes.

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