WeTried Translations

Translator: Nemui

Editor: Nemui

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 161: Postwar (1)

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Crown Prince Samuel Arelia returned home in exchange for his younger sister, Princess Maria.

On the Beiral Plains, the site of the exchange, he was received by his uncle, Chancellor Emmanuel, and also met his younger sister, who would now live as a hostage under the name of studying abroad. Through the consideration of the Kingdom of Edelstein, the siblings spent a little time together before saying farewell for a while.

The next king of the defeated country had a lonely journey home. Only the escort was strict. He moved as if avoiding public attention and returned to the royal capital Saint-Victoire.

"...I have returned, Mother."

Before the queen, who received him in the audience hall of the royal castle, Samuel bowed with a stiff expression.

"Having suffered defeat and made a shameful return in exchange for my younger sister's person, I have no excuse for this failure. No words could..."

"Raise your face, Samuel."

The queen's voice, which interrupted her son, was gentle.

When Samuel raised his face, the face of the mother he saw was gentle as well.

"A monarch has the right to rule a country, and at the same time bears responsibility. The same is true of the royal house, the monarch's family. King Childebert, your father and my husband, paid the price of defeat with his life. Maria too is fulfilling her responsibility as princess by studying in the Kingdom of Edelstein. And from here on, we as well."

The queen approached Samuel and took his hand.

"As King Childebert's wife and your mother, I will support you from now on. Prince Emmanuel too will assist you as your uncle and as chancellor. By doing that, we fulfill our responsibility... And you will fulfill your responsibility as the next king. You will complete the pledges exchanged through the peace and protect the Arelian royal house and kingdom in the form that can realistically be achieved. If you feel shame, then fulfill your responsibility and recover the honor of yourself, your house, and your country."

"...Understood."

With tears gathered in his eyes, and at the same time resolve seeping into them, Samuel answered his mother.

"That is enough. Welcome home, my beloved son."

The queen said that and gently embraced Samuel.

After the mother who had lost her husband and the son who had lost his father ended their reunion's embrace, Samuel's face already belonged to a ruler who would inherit the throne.

"At present, I believe even a little time is precious. I would like to discuss the future at once. Uncle."

"As Your Highness commands. I will immediately arrange a meeting."

When Samuel looked back, Chancellor Emmanuel answered and gave instructions to the assembled chief retainers.

Prompted by Emmanuel and moving toward the meeting room, Samuel turned his eyes toward the walls of the audience hall, toward the portraits of past monarchs lined up there.

The time between becoming a prisoner of the Kingdom of Edelstein and returning here had given Samuel valuable experience.

Until now, Samuel had thought that following his father's path of hegemony was the only correct path. His father himself had taught him so. He had believed that for the Kingdom of Arelia to gain true peace, it had no choice but to unify the entire continent and subjugate every enemy country that sought to devour it.

But the people of the Kingdom of Edelstein, who had taken Samuel prisoner, were neither the cruel villains nor the unreasonable barbarians his father had spoken of. They were rational, civilized people who observed courtesy and held pride. Depending on how they dealt with each other, coexistence seemed possible. He learned that not every foreigner was an enemy fated to fight them.

It was probably true that his father had taught him lies convenient for walking the path of hegemony. He could not resent the father who had been kind to him, but he could no longer blindly believe his father's teachings either. From now on, he had to think and decide for himself. He was the one who would inherit the Arelian throne.

It would be difficult for the Kingdom of Arelia to remain the great power it had been until now. A difficult age would come for the royal house. He would become king in a difficult age. Even so, he had to preserve the house and country inherited from his ancestors, even if territory shrank and authority declined.

He had already reached that understanding with his uncle, the chancellor. Judging from her words moments ago, his mother likely shared the same view.

"..."

On the walls of the audience hall were portraits of past monarchs. The portrait depicting the dignified bearing of his father Childebert was already displayed as well. His father had passed from this world and become a person of the past, living only within a painting.

Samuel, who had succeeded his father, would now choose and walk a path opposite to his father's.

......

In the Novakia region of the Kingdom of Arelia, in the capital Cesis, at the castle of the ducal house of Novakia, Duke Julius Novakia met with Marquis Angelo Mozzetti, commander of the Arelian royal army garrison.

"Lord Novakia, I propose once more. Please provide conscripts, supplies, and funds."

In terms of position, Julius, as duke, was higher, so Angelo's tone was polite. But his expression was severe.

Ever since word of King Childebert's death and the Kingdom of Arelia's defeat arrived, he had begun making such proposals, or rather demands.

With the weakening of the Arelian royal house, discord within the country might occur before long. In order to respond quickly, he wanted the strength to carry out large-scale military action on his own. He wanted to gather conscripts and mercenaries to fill out troop numbers, stockpile supplies, and be able to move his units at any time.

That was probably Angelo's thinking, Julius thought.

Behind it was likely, first, loyalty to the Arelian royal house.

Angelo too should originally have been a general of a country conquered by the Kingdom of Arelia, but he had been subordinate to the Arelian royal house for far too long. As a soldier close enough to the royal house to have been entrusted with the offensive against the Kingdom of Novakia in a position after Marquis Montesque and Count Fargiere, he had remained Childebert's loyal underling. Even if he returned to his homeland now, there would likely be no place for him. Supporting the Arelian royal house, serving the royal house, and sharing its fate was probably his only path.

Second, Angelo likely had ambitions of his own.

He was a man whose main virtue was sincerity. He was not incompetent as a general, but he had no particularly notable talent either. Even such a man, now that the Arelian royal house had weakened and old Marquis Montesque was dead, could become a chief retainer alongside Count Villeneuve and Count Fargiere. If he kept troops and response capability in his hands and built his own military faction in the Novakia region, he could hold strong influence in the kingdom. If the royal house fell into crisis, he could sell favors by rushing in with his army.

Julius understood his intent. But he had no obligation to cooperate.

"If possible, I would like to do so as well. However, as I told you the other day, the Novakia region does not have enough surplus to answer your proposal. In a situation where one wrong step could produce many deaths by starvation, we have no spare strength to allocate to military preparations when no immediate crisis exists."

"...I understand what you say. But please, look toward the future of the kingdom and reconsider. An age of upheaval is about to come to the Kingdom of Arelia. For House Novakia and for the Novakia region, is now not precisely the time to push ourselves somewhat for a better future?"

Angelo still pressed him, and Julius shook his head.

"If we push ourselves now, the restoration of the Novakia region will be delayed further, and it will remain unable to function properly as the base guarding the eastern border of the Kingdom of Arelia. Precisely because I think of the Kingdom of Arelia's future, we must focus on reconstruction now. In order to answer the royal command of the late King Childebert as well."

Even Julius thought the words sounded blatantly hollow, but he maintained the official stance. By arming himself with reasonable arguments, he prevented Angelo from taking a still harder attitude.

The ambitious general's face across from him showed increasing impatience and anger. But no further rebuttal came.

Julius also knew that Angelo could not resort to force. His mission was to protect, maintain, and rebuild the Novakia region entrusted to him by the royal house. But Angelo, a mere general, could not handle politics. There was no way he could direct large-scale postwar reconstruction. That was precisely why someone was needed to handle administration, and at present, he could not destroy on his own judgment House Novakia, which thoroughly understood how to govern this land.

And as a major premise, House Novakia had the shield of the pledge granted by Childebert.

"King Childebert promised this Novakia region exemption from taxes for three years. The only one who can overturn the pledge granted by His Majesty is His Highness Crown Prince Samuel, who will become the new king."

At the very least, a single general at the front was not allowed to ignore the royal house's formal intent and rely on military force to wield power. Angelo had no means except persuading Julius with words, and anyone could see that this attempt of his had reached a dead end.

"...Understood. But my proposal should also have reason behind it. I ask that you continue reconsidering."

"Of course. I thank you for your valuable proposal. Let us continue working together to govern the Novakia region."

Julius extended his hand, and Angelo responded. An empty handshake was exchanged.

Then Angelo left. Someday, he would probably come again with a different wording for the same proposal. But would that man's mind be able to devise a rationale that could persuade Julius, who had been raised as royalty?

Impossible. There was no way he could prepare an option more attractive than the proposal made by the Edelstein royal house.

"Your Excellency. A secret envoy from Her Majesty Queen Claudia Edelstein has arrived."

After Angelo left the audience hall, a close aide standing beside Julius spoke quietly.

"Understood. I will meet them after changing locations."

Saying that, Julius stood.

Soon after the Kingdom of Edelstein won the decisive battle against the Kingdom of Arelia, the first secret envoy from Queen Claudia had arrived. According to the envoy, Claudia wished to put behind them last year's "tragedy," when they crossed blades with the Kingdom of Novakia, and intended to support the reindependence of the Kingdom of Novakia.

Since then, Julius and Claudia had been exchanging secret envoys and holding talks beneath the surface. Julius intended to accept her proposal.

As he walked through the castle, he let a self-mocking smile slip.

He had lost, sworn loyalty to the Arelian royal house, attacked the Kingdom of Edelstein, and now he was joining hands with that same Kingdom of Edelstein to plot reindependence. House Novakia, which should be proud as white wolves, was acting just like a bat.

But Julius had decided to fight. In any form. By any method. He had sworn to his dead father and warriors that he would fight for the land of Novakia and the people living there.

That being so, he would not be ashamed.

Pettily. Cunningly.

He would fight to the end.

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