WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 27: Fated Enemy

“…A separate assignment for his first campaign. Quite the harsh treatment, wouldn’t you say?”

Gregor spoke up after Friedrich and Oliver had left.

“Surprised?”

“Yes. Forgive my boldness, but I assumed Your Excellency would keep Friedrich in the main camp for his first battle, just enough for him to get a feel for the battlefield atmosphere.”

Matthias smiled at that gently, with a hint of resignation in his expression.

“A year or two ago, I might have done exactly that. But the situation has changed. A full-scale war with the Kingdom of Arelia is likely upon us. We don’t have the luxury of coddling him and waiting for him to grow at his own pace… If he can’t handle a task of this level in his first campaign, then he was never worth the expectation to begin with.”

Despite the cold severity of those words, Gregor said nothing in return.

“The enemy is led by none other than the current Count Fargiere, renowned as a strategist. He’ll no doubt try to pull something with that detachment sent to the mountain pass. And when Friedrich overcomes it… he’ll likely come to understand the true nature of war. Only then will it become clear whether he’s truly the one meant to succeed me.”

Wisdom alone is not enough.

The courage to act is not enough.

Even the ability to lead men to victory is not enough.

Only through this battle would it become clear whether Friedrich had the qualities of a commander, a hero, someone who would dedicate his life to the battlefield.

That was what Matthias believed.

“We’re entrusting a young commander and a first-time strategist with leading a detachment. Check in on their preparations later and make sure nothing is lacking. If they request any additional supplies or equipment, provide what you can within reason.”

“As you command.”

Gregor gave that reply in response to Matthias’s order. An instruction that, faint as it was, revealed a trace of kindness toward Friedrich.

・・・・・・

“Still… to think the enemy commander would be Count Fargiere.”

Oliver muttered as he oversaw the gathering of the detachment troops and the progress of their departure preparations.

“…He’s a deeply tied opponent for the Ferdinand Regiment,”

Friedrich said, nodding in agreement. His gaze drifted toward Yurika, who was busy preparing gear for both of them.

“No doubt about it. Though, the last time our regiment faced him… was before I even joined.”

The battle against the Kingdom of Loire nineteen years ago. There, the enemy commander slain by Matthias himself was none other than the head of House Fargiere at the time.

Edelstein had deployed roughly six thousand troops, while Loire fielded eight thousand. The two forces clashed on the Beiral Plains in what would become the largest battle of the war between the two kingdoms. At the time, both the Beiral Plains and Arnsberg Fortress were under Loire’s control, and for Edelstein, it was a defensive war to halt the enemy’s advance.

That battle also marked the first time Edelstein’s newly formed regimental system was put to the test in actual combat. Following the early death of his predecessor, Matthias had already inherited the title of Count Hosenfeld. He was chosen to command at a young age, and took to the field as the inaugural commander of the Ferdinand Regiment.

In that battle, both armies began by clashing head-on. The Loire army advanced with their infantry charging under covering fire from archers in the rear, while Edelstein’s infantry held the line against the assault, supported in turn by their own rear-positioned archers.

The Loire forces held the advantage, as they charged downhill in a gradual descent. Even so, the Edelstein army, driven by the resolve to defend their homeland, held firm under the pressure.

To break through, the Loire army launched a full cavalry charge at Edelstein’s right flank. All their mounted troops which are about four hundred in total, gathered from across the kingdom and supplemented by mercenaries hired with gold, surged across the battlefield.

It was a classic move, but that’s what made it so effective. Edelstein had stationed two hundred cavalry on each flank, but the right-wing cavalry alone couldn't withstand the force of the enemy's concentrated charge. As a result, the infantry holding that side suffered significant casualties from the direct impact of the mounted assault.

But Sigismund Edelstein, who was personally commanding as supreme commander, did not let the moment slip by. Seizing the opportunity presented by the enemy cavalry’s departure and the thinning of their main camp’s defenses, he ordered the Ferdinand Regiment, positioned on the left flank, to shift and launch a direct assault on the enemy headquarters.

Because it had been trained and structured as a cohesive regiment, the Ferdinand Regiment was able to swiftly detach from the main line, maneuver around the enemy’s right flank, and launch a flanking assault on their command center. The gap left by their departure was filled by the remaining hundred cavalry on the left flank, who boldly charged the enemy vanguard. Even the royal guard, held in reserve, advanced to reinforce the frontline.

Naturally, the Loire forces attempted to respond to the Ferdinand Regiment’s assault. However, still relying on traditional unit formations, they lacked the flexibility to reposition swiftly. In the end, only a thousand infantry which were hastily torn from the main formation, were able to stand in the regiment’s path.

Facing a disorganized formation of a thousand infantry with uncertain command structure, Matthias took full advantage of his regiment’s flexibility. The enemy line faltered under a relentless barrage from three hundred archers, and before they could recover, six hundred infantry charged in and completely halted their movement.

The Ferdinand Regiment’s roughly one hundred cavalry then swept through the immobilized enemy with ease and pressed on toward the enemy headquarters. Leading the decisive cavalry charge himself, Matthias struck down Count Fargiere who stood alongside the king’s personal guard, shielding the retreating King of Loire.

With the king in flight and his chief strategist slain, the Loire army collapsed. Edelstein’s forces gave no quarter, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing enemy. Riding that momentum, they quickly surrounded and captured the poorly defended Arnsberg Fortress.

As a result of this battle, the defeated Loire Kingdom required a great deal of time to rebuild its army. The Kingdom of Edelstein pushed its borders deep into enemy territory and seized control of the entire eastern stretch of the Beiral Plains. Having slain the enemy commander and secured a decisive victory, Matthias became the emblem of triumph, and was hailed as a hero.

The connection between the Ferdinand Regiment and House Fargiere did not end with that single historic battle.

A decade after the decisive clash, the Kingdoms of Edelstein and Loire continued to engage in sporadic skirmishes across the Beiral Plains, the Northern Plains, and the corridors further north.

During one such encounter which was larger in scale than most border clashes, Rudolf Hosenfeld, a rising star among Edelstein’s knights was killed in action. Isolated by an ambush while trying to clear a retreat path for trapped infantry, Rudolf launched a daring solo charge. An enemy arrow struck his eye, piercing through to his brain. It was said to be a death as cruel as it was unfortunate.

The commander of the enemy forces during that clash was none other than Cecilia Fargiere, daughter of the fallen Count and his successor as head of House Fargiere. It was unlikely that she had deliberately targeted him, but by sheer twist of fate, she had slain the son of her father’s killer.

That skirmish marked Cecilia Fargiere’s emergence as a commander in her own right. From that point on, she rose to prominence in the Loire Kingdom’s military and became known by a chilling title, ‘The Woman Who Slew the Hero’s Son.’

All of this took place before Oliver, then a young knight-to-be, had even joined the royal army.

“Still, Lord Hosenfeld didn’t show the slightest reaction when Count Fargiere’s name came up. A model soldier, through and through.”

“Yeah… If it were me in his place, I’m not sure I could’ve kept a clear head.”

A soldier fights because it is their duty, and there is no room for personal feelings. One should not rejoice over whom they kill in war, nor harbor hatred for those they lose.

Friedrich recalled Matthias once saying that to him.

“Oliver. Friedrich. A moment, if you would.”

Just then, a voice called out from behind.

Turning around, Friedrich and Oliver saluted the approaching Gregor.

“Sir.”

“Are the preparations for departure all in order?”

Gregor asked as he scanned the state of the detachment. Oliver gave a firm nod in response.

“Sir. Preparations should be complete shortly.”

“Good. You’ll likely be operating independently for only a few days, but is there anything you’d like to bring besides food and fodder? The transport unit assigned to your detachment still has some space in the wagons.”

Oliver and Friedrich exchanged glances.

“What do you think, Friedrich? Anything come to mind?”

“Well… now that you mention it…”

Nothing immediately sprang to mind, and Friedrich paused to think for a moment.

“…In that case, a spare weapon, and a breastplate and helmet.”

“Reason?”

Gregor’s sharp gaze fixed on him as he fired the question without pause. Friedrich, slightly taken aback by the intensity, still managed to speak up.

“I figured… when it comes to spare equipment, it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. And also… well, it’s more of a feeling. A hunch.”

Even upon hearing such a vague answer, Gregor neither scolded nor laughed.

“In battle, instinct is not something to be taken lightly. If you believe it’s necessary, then bring it.”

With Gregor’s approval, the detachment was issued thirty spare breastplates and helmets, along with around fifty extra weapons. Spears, swords, and the like.

Footnotes:

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