WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 17: Lecture Hours

Training to become a soldier wasn’t just about physical endurance. Studying was just as essential.

In Friedrich’s case, where his role would involve more thinking than fighting, the classroom lessons were arguably even more important.

Gregor, who possessed all the baseline knowledge required of an officer, also served as their instructor for this academic training.

“…You really are sharp, aren’t you?”

It had been about a month since Friedrich and Yurika came to live at the Hosenfeld estate. Standing in front of the blackboard in one of the rooms, Gregor spoke with a hint of exasperation.

“It’s the only thing I’m really good at.”

“Hmph. That smug mouth of yours…”

Friedrich replied with a faintly proud look. Gregor scowled in response.

Up to this point, Friedrich had memorized everything they had been taught. Just now, Gregor had rapid-fired a series of questions at him to test his grasp, and Friedrich had answered each one perfectly.

The Kingdom of Edelstein was founded in the year 820 of the Western Continental Calendar by its first sovereign, Queen Waltrude Edelstein.

It is now the year 1007 of the same calendar, marking 187 years since the kingdom’s founding. The current ruler is the twelfth monarch, King Sigismund Edelstein. He serves not only as the nation’s sovereign, but also as the supreme commander of the Royal Edelstein Army.

However, Sigismund has suffered from illness for the past two years. While the details of his condition remain undisclosed, he has made few public appearances in recent times. In his place, the responsibilities of governance have largely fallen to Crown Princess Claudia Edelstein, who, at only twenty-five years of age, now handles most state affairs.

The kingdom’s territory lies on the eastern side of the western region of the Ludna Continent. To the west sits the Kingdom of Arelia, with whom territorial disputes are ongoing. To the north is the Kingdom of Novakia, and to the east, the friendly Imperial State of Rigald.

The kingdom’s official religion is Allusionism, a monotheistic faith widely practiced across the continent. It worships a single, absolute deity said to have created the sky, earth, and sea, following the teachings of the prophet Allusion. That said, religious institutions currently hold little to no political influence within the kingdom.

Next, an overview of the kingdom’s military structure.

The standing forces of the Kingdom of Edelstein are composed of two primary components: the Royal Army, which serves directly under the crown, and the noble domain forces, which serve as support.

At the core of the Royal Army are three main regiments. Each is named after a monarch who achieved great merit in the past: the Albrecht Regiment, the Hildegard Regiment, and the Ferdinand Regiment.

Each regiment also carries out a distinct strategic role. The Hildegard Regiment is tasked with defending the Beiral Plains, the most critical zone along the western border. The Ferdinand Regiment specializes in flexible, mobile defense operations. The Albrecht Regiment is responsible for domestic defense in the event of a breach along the kingdom’s borders.

A single regiment is composed of 600 infantry, 300 archers, and 100 cavalry. The infantry and archers are each divided into battalions of 300, companies of 100, and platoons of a little over 30 soldiers. Cavalry units are structured differently: 100 make a battalion, around 30 form a company, and roughly 10 make up a platoon.

Those recognized as officers include all company commanders and above for infantry and archers, as well as all cavalrymen. Officers are, by definition, knights who have received formal appointment. In principle, even infantry and archer company commanders must be dismounted knights who hold qualifications for mounted combat.

In addition to the regiment’s 1,000 soldiers, the regimental headquarters consists of the commander, his adjutant, a handful of knights serving as personal guards and messengers, as well as a physician, a military chaplain, and a scribe. Occasionally, court-appointed officials, the regiment commander’s own retainers or family members, and even royal-appointed war artists or court bards may serve among the staff.

The relatively high ratio of archers and cavalry compared to infantry reflects the nature of the regiment as a standing army. In times of war, additional infantry are expected to be conscripted from the common population. For example, in the royal domain bordering the Beiral Plains, the Hildegard Regiment maintains a system that allows it to summon a thousand conscripts at any time to reinforce the frontier.

Beyond these three core regiments, the kingdom also maintains a royal guard of five hundred, responsible for protecting the royal family, guarding the palace, and defending the capital. There is also a training corps composed of future recruits, which doubles as a reserve defense unit for the capital, along with a logistics unit tasked with transportation and rear-line support.

The current regimental-based force structure was established around twenty years ago. Prior to that, each military branch operated in separate units. However, that system proved inefficient for combat along the broken mountain border with the Kingdom of Loire to the west. To address this, the Royal Army was reorganized into mixed-branch regiments of around a thousand soldiers each.

Thanks to this groundbreaking reform, the Kingdom of Edelstein gained a decisive advantage in the conflict with Loire, ultimately achieving a resounding victory in a major battle. King Sigismund, the architect of this restructuring, gained renown both at home and abroad as a wise and capable ruler. It was he who gave the name “regiment” to these integrated units composed of multiple military branches.

As such, while the crown commands a standing army of roughly four thousand regular soldiers, the military strength held by the noble lords is considerably smaller.

The size of a noble domain’s forces ranges from a few dozen to, at most, two to three hundred troops. Many baronies have abolished their standing forces altogether. While officers in these domain armies are usually career soldiers, the rank-and-file troops are often part-time soldiers, spending much of the year as farmers.

The sole exception is the Duchy of Bachstein, which holds a strategically vital territory in the northwest. Though the majority of its soldiers are also part-time farmers, the duchy maintains a force of roughly one thousand troops.

Altogether, the total number of soldiers across all noble domain armies barely reaches three thousand. Their primary role is maintaining order within their own territories and acting as a reserve force in wartime. Only a few noble domains along the borders still actively contribute to the kingdom’s frontier defense.

Mercenaries also exist within the kingdom, but their numbers are limited. Since the fall of the Kingdom of Loire six years ago, and with the newly adjacent Kingdom of Arelia engaging only in minor border skirmishes, most large mercenary bands have sought employment in other countries.

Within this framework, Friedrich continued to build a structured and thorough understanding of both the kingdom's military and its broader geopolitical landscape.

“Hey, Instructor Gregor. Am I doing well?”

“Who are you calling ‘instructor’? Either add a proper honorific or call me Captain of the Retainers. As a soldier, you’re more than smart enough. But as an officer, you’d be below average. Officers and knights are almost always from families with a long military lineage. Many come from noble houses or are direct vassals. An orphan who’s only been taught a bit of reading, writing, and arithmetic won’t measure up easily. Friedrich is a rare exception.”

Yurika had raised her hand half-jokingly when she asked, and Gregor frowned as he answered.

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

“What, are you hoping to become a commander and lead a unit?”

“Absolutely not. I never want to be separated from Friedrich.”

“I figured as much. In that case, being clever isn’t all that important.”

Shaking his head with a sigh, Gregor resumed the lesson.

Footnotes: 

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