WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 13: Sentence

Then, silence fell.

Matthias said nothing, simply gazing down at Friedrich.

It wasn’t actually that long, but for Friedrich, it felt like an eternity.

Finally, Matthias spoke again.

"Interesting."

He said it with a faint smile.

"Friedrich, once an orphan. I have decided your sentence. You’ll serve under the Kingdom’s army, under my protection. Use that same cunning wit that let you crush a bandit force with lies and strategy to serve this country. Let that be the price you pay for impersonating my illegitimate son."

"......"

Friedrich froze, staring blankly after hearing the judgment passed down on him.

At first, he didn’t understand what had been said. He slowly turned the words over in his mind, and as their meaning settled in, his eyes widened.

"What is it? You don’t want to?"

Matthias asked quietly.

Friedrich didn’t dislike the idea. He didn’t see it as a punishment.

He had been recognized by a hero. That was how it felt.

To become a soldier under the living legend himself… To someone like him, a powerless nobody, it felt like the only chance he would ever have to become something. Perhaps the only chance in his entire life.

As he stood there, locked in the gaze of Matthias’s blue eyes, what swelled within him was a twisted kind of exhilaration. And paired with it, inseparable from it, was a hope that reached toward a future too vast to comprehend.

"......"

Friedrich turned his head to the side.

Yurika was no longer screaming or crawling. She had pushed herself upright and now sat on the floor, watching him.

When Friedrich met her eyes, questioning without words, Yurika narrowed hers and stretched the corners of her gagged mouth into a wide grin. It was the same smile she always gave him.

Yurika was always with him, wherever he was is where she would be too. Whatever he chose to do, she would do it with him. That would never change.

Remembering the words she once said, Friedrich turned forward again.

"I will serve with everything I have, sir. Though, if I may... I have one request."

Perhaps taking those words as insolent, Gregor, who stood beside Matthias, bristled with anger. But Matthias raised a hand to stop him and spoke to Friedrich.

"Go ahead."

"Please allow Yurika to come with me under your command. She’ll become a valuable asset. In the battle against the bandits, with a sword she held for the first time in her life, she faced their leader one-on-one and defeated him. Even if he was already wounded, she still won."

Friedrich spoke nervously, uncertainty in his voice. Matthias’s mouth curved slightly at the corner.

"Very well. You don’t seem physically strong yourself. Let that girl protect you while you use your wits to find your own way to serve the kingdom."

"Thank you, sir."

Thank goodness. He would still be with Yurika. Filled with relief from the bottom of his heart, Friedrich bowed deeply to Matthias.

As he did, he glanced toward Yurika, subtly signaling her with his eyes. She mimicked him, giving her own bow toward Matthias.

Matthias gave instructions to the soldiers, and the restraints on both Friedrich and Yurika were removed.

Gregor seemed to eye Yurika warily, but fortunately, she wasn’t wild enough to misread the situation at this point. She rose alongside Friedrich and quietly stepped to his side.

"Now then, Friedrich and Yurika, was it. From this moment on, you are both retainers of House Hosenfeld. After we return to the capital, you will be trained in the skills required of soldiers, and then you’ll be placed within the regiment. We plan to leave this city in a few days. Use that time to settle your affairs."

"Understood."

He had no real belongings to pack, and few people he was close to. It likely wouldn’t take him more than a day or two. With that thought in mind, Friedrich gave a nod.

"That’s all. You may go for today."

・・・・・・

After Friedrich left the storage room with Yurika, Matthias turned to Gregor.

"Are you displeased? Of the sentence I passed on that young man."

"Not at all. I would never harbor dissatisfaction with your judgment, sir."

Gregor, the chief retainer of House Hosenfeld and deputy commander of the Ferdinand Regiment, replied without expression.

But Matthias, having known him for many years, could tell right away that he was deliberately hiding his emotions.

"Speak your mind."

"...Then if I may. I worry, sir, that from now on, you may begin making decisions driven by a sense of urgency. That boy… he is merely an orphan who rose from nothing."

Perhaps they had both seen through each other. With that thought, Matthias gave a faint, bitter smile.

"I know. He is not Rudolf."

It struck him. It had been a long time since he had said his son's name aloud.

His wife, whom he married shortly after coming of age, had died giving birth. Though it wasn’t considered commendable behavior for a noble, Matthias never remarried. He couldn’t forget her.

Their only son, Rudolf, born at the cost of her life, died in his third battle just after his first campaign. He was intelligent and brave, as a hero’s son ought to be. In the midst of a border conflict, he recklessly tried to rescue an isolated squad and died in the attempt. He was only eighteen.

Those around Matthias had advised him to remarry or adopt an heir. But no one dared press the matter, not even the king, against the man known as a hero.

He took advantage of that silence and lived for eight years without forming a new family. If this was the will of the gods, then so be it. Let House Hosenfeld end with his generation. That was the thought he had come to accept.

And so, when he arrived in this city and heard the story of that young man, what rose in him was not anger, but curiosity.

Though born an orphan, he had devised a strategy, rallied the townspeople, and defeated the bandits.

Such a young man had dared to impersonate his son, only to meet him shortly after. According to what he’d heard, the boy was eighteen. The same age Rudolf had been when he died.

Could this truly be the will of the gods? He would be lying if he claimed the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.

It wasn’t that the boy looked like him. Rudolf had possessed a sharper, more gallant face, and he had stood taller. His voice was different too. The Rudolf he remembered had spoken with a deeper tone.

They had only exchanged a few words, but even so, it was already clear. Their personalities were likely nothing alike. That young man was not his fallen son.

“However… it’s something I’ve long considered. If I were truly to take in an heir, what kind of man would be worthy? If someone were to inherit my station, what sort of person should that be? If I were to offer my protection and entrust them with the Hosenfeld name, whom should I choose?””

“That brat fits the bill?”

“Perhaps. That young man rallied the people, led them, and seized victory all with wit alone. That is no common feat. Wouldn’t you agree?”

At his lord’s words, Gregor returned a reluctant expression.

“…With all due respect, from what I saw of that boy earlier, I can hardly believe he is fit to succeed you, my lord. Even his success in the bandit suppression seems more like a stroke of luck than true merit.”

“Haha, you think he accomplished all that by mere luck?”

Matthias chuckled softly as he turned his gaze toward the direction Friedrich had departed.

“No. That is not something luck alone can achieve. To stand before danger and draw strength, not fear. To bare one's fangs at reality rather than turn tail and flee. To claim victory and overcome a crisis. That is something only a rare few, the chosen few, are capable of. That young man, even if he is not yet worthy of inheriting my role, holds the potential to become so one day.”

He sensed in that young man a trace of the same talent his late son had possessed. A rare quality granted to only a select few; the scent of a commander’s gift, the kind that could lead subordinates to victory.

Yes, it was that scent of talent that cloaked him. In that one regard alone, the young man resembled his son.

"That said, it's still only a matter of potential. The boy may not grow any further, he may squander that potential and end in mediocrity. This could very well be the only achievement he ever manages. That is why I will not rush to adopt him as my heir. When the time comes, I’ll make that decision with proper deliberation. Does that satisfy you?"

"...Yes, sir."

Gregor gave a slight bow and responded as Matthias turned his gaze toward him.

"For now, once we return to the capital, I’ll have the boy stay at my estate. The girl accompanying him as well. From there, we’ll drill the necessary skills into them. You’ll be the one to provide him with the basic training required of a soldier."

"Of all the orders I’ve received from you, my lord, this may prove the most difficult."

Seeing his chief retainer grimace, Matthias let out a small chuckle.

"You think it’s that bad?"

"A weakling like that boy, I doubt he’ll ever shape up enough to be called a soldier. If anything, the girl clinging to his side seemed far more promising."

"Indeed. That move she pulled when she lunged at you with her hands bound, that was no ordinary reaction. If properly trained, she may well grow stronger than either of us."

Gregor, keeping his usual stern expression even while making lighthearted remarks, drew a smile and a nod of agreement from Matthias.

"But the one to prioritize is the boy, Friedrich. I intend for him to use his mind on the battlefield, not his strength. So I’m not saying he needs to be made combat-ready. As long as he has the minimum physical endurance, swordsmanship should be limited to basic self-defense, and horsemanship just enough to march on his own."

"Quite the cruel prospect, I must say. To have him march to war in such a state."

"That is precisely why I accepted that girl, Yurika, as well. She may be difficult to handle, but from what I saw, she listens to Friedrich without protest. If she serves as his personal guard, even someone as frail-looking as he is shouldn't die so easily."

And if he does die, then so be it. It would simply mean he lacked the fortune to live, just like my son whose life was taken by a stray arrow through the eye.

Silently, in the depths of his heart, Matthias muttered those words.

"Well then, Gregor. It's a troublesome task, but will you take it on for me?"

"...Of course. If it is for Your Lordship, I will see to it that the boy is trained to at least a serviceable level. The girl as well, while I'm at it."

"I knew you'd say that."

Matthias gave a light tap on the saluting Gregor’s shoulder and then turned to leave the warehouse.

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