WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

Editor: Ryuu

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 16: Daily Training (2)

That evening, after training had ended for the day, Friedrich rinsed off and changed into clean clothes. The moment he returned to his assigned room, he collapsed onto the bed.

“This is brutal…”

In the plain room furnished with only a bed, a desk, and a shelf, Friedrich stared up at the ceiling and let out the kind of complaint he had kept to himself during training. He knew the training was necessary, but that didn’t change how punishing it was.

Gregor was likely adjusting the routine so that Friedrich could just barely make it through. Even so, if it was already this painful, he didn’t want to think about how harsh it would be a month or two from now.

“Friedrich, I’m coming in.”

He heard Yurika’s voice from the other side of the door. Her room had been placed right next to his.

Without waiting for a reply, the door opened and Yurika stepped inside. Without hesitation, she jumped onto the bed and wrapped her arms around him.

“Good work today, Friedrich. You really gave it your all.”

Whispering sweetly with a warm, playful look on her face, she made Friedrich let out a faint, wry smile. Moments like this reminded him of the days they spent living in Volga.

It had been less than a month since they left Volga, yet those days already felt like a distant memory.

“Honestly, now that I’ve been moving my body like this, I’ve come to realize just how amazing you really are.”

“I fight, and you think. That’s always been how we work together, right? So don’t worry. You’re incredible, Friedrich. Way more than someone like me.”

As Yurika kissed his cheek and neck, Friedrich found himself thinking.

He was being spoiled. That was the only way to describe it. He hadn’t even officially joined the Royal Army yet, still only half-formed as a soldier, and yet here he was, allowed to share moments like this with Yurika. And it was Count Matthias who permitted such an environment.

Matthias, of course, knew that Friedrich and Yurika were in a romantic relationship. Even so, they lived in the same estate, their rooms side by side. It wasn’t just once or twice that Yurika had slipped out of her own room late at night to come into his.

If this wasn’t being spoiled, then what was it? It was precisely because he was granted such leniency that Friedrich feared the thought of disappointing those expectations once he actually entered the Royal Army.

“Friedrich. May I come in?”

Just then, a voice called from outside the door.

It was Doris, the steward of the Hosenfeld household.

“Y-yes, of course!”

Friedrich answered in a panic and tried to spring up from the bed. But Yurika was still clinging to him, so he failed and collapsed right back onto the mattress.

And then, Doris walked in.

“Oh my, am I interrupting something?”

Seeing the two of them like that, Doris smiled gently as she spoke. She was around the same age as Alma, but unlike Alma’s stern and proper demeanor, Doris had a soft and warm presence about her.

“No, um, I’m sorry... Yurika, could you maybe...”

“Hehe, sorry Friedrich.”

Slipping free from Yurika’s teasing hold, Friedrich finally managed to stand. Doris, for her part, didn’t seem the least bit concerned by their behavior. If anything, she shared a quiet laugh with Yurika, exchanging a knowing glance.

“Dinner is ready. I have come to inform you. Please proceed to the dining room.”

“Y-yes... thank you. I didn’t expect you to come in person, Miss Doris.”

“It is quite all right. I wished to come myself.”

As she spoke, walking calmly through the corridor, Doris appeared every bit the gentle old woman. But in truth, she was the one who oversaw the entire Hosenfeld household in Count Matthias’s frequent absence. From managing the estate’s finances, to supervising the staff, to handling negotiations with trusted merchants and craftsmen, all fell under her responsibility.

She had served far longer than Gregor, and even he, as captain of the retainers, often found himself unable to oppose her. Friedrich still remembered the warning Gregor had given him when he first arrived at the estate, to ‘not underestimate her simply because she looks like an old woman.’

“Oh, and one more thing. Tonight, the master would like to dine with the two of you. Once you are seated, I shall go and invite him in, so please wait for a short while.”

“Understood.”

Friedrich replied, feeling a slight twinge of nervousness.

This would be the third time he had shared a meal with Count Matthias. The dinners were simple affairs, usually involving light conversation about training or life in the capital, but he still wasn’t used to them.

“Since the two of you came to stay at the estate, I’ve been quite happy to see the master returning home more often instead of staying overnight at the royal palace. Sir Gregor has also been around lately, and the household feels so lively now. Truly, it has been delightful.”

“...Even though we were welcomed as retainers, we’ve done nothing but train every day. I’m sorry we haven’t been of more help.”

“Oh, think nothing of it. After all, you are preparing to become soldiers. I understand very well that training is your proper duty, and that you are meant to fight when the time comes.”

Then, with a soft smile, Doris added.

“Besides, caring for young people is a joy in itself. It reminds me of the days when Master Rudolf was still with us.”

“......”

Rudolf Hosenfeld. Friedrich had heard the name before. He was killed in battle eight years ago — the one and only son of Matthias.

The master had lost his only child, and the house had lost its heir. This was a home shaped by that kind of past. Hearing Doris speak, Friedrich was once again reminded of it.

・・・・・・

At the Hosenfeld family’s dining table, there were no strict rules or constant lectures about etiquette.

Both Friedrich and Yurika, who had grown up together, had been taught proper manners by Alma. For commoners, their table behavior was quite refined. Since coming to the estate, they had never been scolded for anything, not even when dining in the presence of Count Matthias himself.

The meals served here felt overwhelmingly luxurious to Friedrich and Yurika, both of whom had been raised in the countryside as commoners, especially when they dined with Matthias.

The freshly baked bread was soft, free of fillers. The soup was rich and filled with hearty ingredients. And every day, they were served meat that wasn’t salted or smoked. There was even beef occasionally.

The training was harsh, but during meals like these, Friedrich genuinely felt grateful to have been welcomed into this household.

“How is your training going, the two of you? Are things proceeding well?”

“I think it’s going well, but to be honest, there are parts that are difficult. Every day reminds me of how much I’ve relied on my mind until now, and how little physical strength I have.”

“It would seem so. Compared to four days ago, at the last dinner we shared, your face clearly looks more worn. That means Gregor is doing his job properly.”

Matthias looked at Friedrich’s face and gave a small smile.

For the record, Gregor, the captain of the retainers, did not dine with them. According to him, it was not customary for a master and his retainers to share meals unless it was a special occasion. Count Matthias allowing Friedrich and Yurika to join him for dinner likely meant that he was keeping a close eye on the two of them.

“I’m doing just fine.”

“Yurika’s been doing nearly twice as much training as I have, but she’s handling it without trouble so far.”

Friedrich added the explanation as Yurika spoke through a mouthful of meat.

“I see. It will be interesting to watch how long that confidence holds. If Gregor decides to get serious, even Yurika may find it difficult… Now then, on another matter.”

Matthias took a sip of wine before continuing.

“The magistrate of your former city, Volga. Was his name Hermann? His fate has been decided. He has been dismissed from his post and reassigned as an overseer for one of Viscount Dofen’s directly managed farms.”

He explained that this follow-up on the bandit incident had reached him through official channels.

“That sounds like a very clear demotion. Still, I suppose he’s fortunate not to have been punished more harshly.”

“He is apparently a relative of the current Viscount Dofen. I imagine the viscount was reluctant to discipline his own kin. Besides, it was his report that allowed the Ferdinand Regiment to respond in time. That at least worked in his favor.”

As Matthias spoke, a maid stepped forward and quietly refilled his wine glass.

“Friedrich, you seem relieved that he wasn’t punished. Even though he was the magistrate who abandoned you and the other townspeople.”

“…In times of peace, he wasn’t a particularly bad official from our perspective. Yes, he was a coward who ran when things turned dangerous, but in the end, we were saved. So personally, I don’t hold any resentment. If we hadn’t been saved, though, I’d probably be cursing him from beyond the grave.”

“Hah, I see.”

Matthias let out a small chuckle at Friedrich’s words.

After that, the conversation continued with light, harmless exchanges as the meal went on.

Friedrich found himself thinking that it felt less like dining with a noble and more like sitting across from a father. Not that he had any real experience with family dinners, only what he had read in books and imagined in his mind.

Footnotes:

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