WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 62: The Consequences of Rebellion (1)

A few days after the battle that crushed the Duke of Bachstein’s army, reinforcements from across the kingdom were gathering at Ostburg Fortress.

About five hundred troops already arrived from the Albrecht Regiment, the closest unit and second only to the Ferdinand Regiment in rapid response readiness. In addition, several hundred soldiers from the noble domain armies near the Duke of Bachstein’s territory had assembled.

“Just now, the vanguard of the Crown Princess herself has finally arrived. The beautiful battalion has made its grand appearance on the battlefield.”

“Hey, once the Royal Guard arrives, please don’t make jokes like that. Make sure your subordinates don’t either.”

Oliver gave a weary warning to Knight Yarg, who had come to report to Friedrich and the others. Yarg acknowledged the warning but smirked without a hint of guilt.

Though the Ferdinand and Hildegard Regiments and the noble border armies were known for their strength, the Royal Guard was rarely deployed in actual combat. Because of this, some soldiers mockingly referred to them as the ‘beautiful battalion.’ Lower-ranked soldiers could be even harsher, calling the elite unit the ‘decorative battalion’ with sarcasm.

Of course, while such crude jokes might be tolerated within the regiment, saying them in front of the Royal Guard was a serious problem.

“If the Crown Princess is arriving, then I’ll have to welcome her together with Lord Hosenfeld.”

“You’ve earned the credit for recapturing Ostburg Fortress. I’m sure the princess will praise you. Hold your head high and go.”

Oliver spoke to Friedrich as he stood up. Friedrich gave a slight, wry nod and began walking toward Matthias. Yurika followed closely behind.

They moved through the fortress crowded with knights and soldiers from various units, and met Matthias and Gregor in the command room. Together, they headed to the fortress’s east gate, where Rebecca Eisenhut, Marchioness and commander of the Albrecht Regiment, and several other noble lords were gathering.

After waiting a short while, a group bearing the royal banner appeared on the road. At its forefront, surrounded by Viscount Gustav Eichberger and the elite of the Royal Guard, rode Crown Princess Claudia on a white horse.

“Your Highness, Crown Princess. We have been awaiting your arrival.”

Matthias stepped forward with Rebecca and bowed from horseback. Friedrich followed their example along with everyone else present.

“Thank you for the welcome. Everyone, hold your heads high.”

With the Crown Princess’s permission, Friedrich and the others raised their heads.

Nothing had changed. At least on the surface.

Seeing Claudia, Friedrich thought this to himself. It was only natural. In a situation where the royal family was shaken, there was no way the strong Crown Princess would show any weakness to the nobles.

“Explain the situation. Let’s talk while we walk.”

Claudia gave the order as she entered the fortress and dismounted her horse, heading toward the main building where the command room was located.

“Yes, at present, the forces gathered are about five hundred from the Albrecht Regiment and roughly three hundred troops from the nobles. We expect this number to increase to around five hundred. In addition, a few hundred mercenaries, seeing an opportunity to profit, have gathered. Also, the Hildegard Regiment who’s led by Knight Diethelm Brightkreuz with five hundred soldiers is expected to arrive by tomorrow. Finally, our Ferdinand Regiment still has over ninety percent of its forces intact.”

“So, just under three thousand troops total. Adding our three hundred Royal Guard and the conscripts from the royal lands... our forces will exceed four thousand. That’s a solid number.”

Claudia answered to Matthias’s report, who was walking beside her.

“Next, the enemy’s situation. The Duke of Bachstein’s army is already in a shattered state, with fewer than three hundred able to fight. Scouts confirmed that the Kingdom of Arelia’s forces currently number about two thousand.”

“So that means they pulled a significant number of troops from the Novakia region as well. That’s some serious guts.”

No major movements had been confirmed in the forces the Kingdom of Arelia had deployed against the Kingdom of Edelstein. It was understandable, since the enemy could not afford to leave the Loire region completely undefended or without troops maintaining security.

Even so, the Kingdom of Arelia had infiltrated a certain number of troops into the Duke of Bachstein’s territory. It was believed that not only the forces stationed near the corridor from the Eastern Front Army but also part of the Northern Front Army, which had been facing the border with the Kingdom of Novakia, had been pulled toward the corridor.

The Edelstein royal family had failed to notice this in advance because they had entrusted intelligence gathering in that area to the Duke of Bachstein’s house.

Even if the Kingdom of Novakia temporarily pulled troops away from its own front, lacking the standing forces and rapid response system that Edelstein possessed, the likelihood of Novakia launching a counterattack was low. Still, it was a risk, and moving two thousand soldiers to launch a surprise attack on Edelstein was a bold strategy.

“Our forces are superior, and we maintain control of the key point, Ostburg Fortress. The odds of victory are more than sufficient at this point. This is thanks to the Ferdinand Regiment retaking the fortress and driving the Duke of Bachstein’s army into a shattered state. Well done.”

“I am humbled. The recapture of Ostburg Fortress was possible because of the strategy devised by my heir, Friedrich.”

When Matthias answered, Claudia turned to Friedrich.

“That was a great achievement, Friedrich. The talent Lord Hosenfeld saw in you appears to be genuine.”

“I am deeply honored by your praise, Crown Princess.”

Given the situation, Friedrich couldn’t afford to look too carefree or happy. He kept a serious expression and simply bowed politely.

“As soon as our forces are assembled, we will drive out the traitors and annihilate the foreign troops, correct?”

“Yes. Preparations are proceeding without fail... However, depending on the circumstances, the Kingdom of Arelia might withdraw without a fight.”

Matthias spoke his thoughts in response to Claudia’s question.

・・・・・・

Count Cecilia Fargiere, commanding the new Arelian forces, entered the Duke of Bachstein’s territory.

Originally, she was supposed to spend another week gathering troops at home and arrive last with a large army, but considering the current situation, she brought only her elite forces and stepped onto Edelstein soil.

“It pains me to say this so soon after meeting those of you who helped me achieve my long-cherished goal of invading the Kingdom of Edelstein... Duke Ernst Bachstein, your plan was a complete mess.”

Cecilia said with a bitter smile, unable to hide her exasperation. Ernst, who had come to greet her, furrowed his brow and fell silent. Beside him, Prince Konrad looked away awkwardly.

Though from different countries, the duke ruled a large domain while the court count held no lands, making Ernst clearly the higher rank. Yet Cecilia’s blunt words left Ernst unable to argue.

“You failed to recapture Ostburg Fortress, fell right into the enemy’s trap, and lost your entire domain army. Now, the only forces left to rely on are those of the Kingdom of Arelia. Quite different from what you initially reported, isn’t it?”

“...Indeed, count. It is as you say.”

“Hahaha. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t give me such resentful looks even as you admit I’m right.”

Cecilia spoke with an almost inappropriately bright smile in stark contrast to Ernst, who nodded grimly with a hardened expression.

“Believe it or not, we’ve been doing everything we can on our end. Right before the end of winter, you hit us with an impossible demand, and we’ve been struggling to match your schedule ever since. You may not have any experience with this, but moving several thousand troops spread out across a wide area is incredibly difficult. The reality is that our military system isn’t as refined or responsive as Edelstein’s. Even so, we did our best to meet your demands. I’d appreciate it if you could at least imagine how hard I’ve been working, running all over the place back home.”

The royal capital, the domain capital Remcheid, and Toulouse, the capital of the Loire region where Cecilia was based, messages between them all took time to arrive. The information about the Ferdinand Regiment’s backup deployment, which Prince Konrad had learned about in the latter half of winter, had only reached Cecilia in secret as the season was drawing to a close.

They had suddenly asked her to gather troops earlier than planned to accelerate the fortress assault and the start of their broader advance. For Cecilia, who had been given such a last-minute and unreasonable demand, no amount of complaints would ever be enough.

“And while I was running myself ragged, I had assumed that you were doing your part to carry out the plan…”

Cecilia muttered as she scratched her cheek, half-mocking Ernst, who had no room to defend himself.

While she had been working tirelessly, Ernst had accomplished nothing.

By now, they were supposed to have taken Ostburg Fortress, moved the main force of the ducal army and the Arelian vanguard under Knight Celestan forward, and established a foothold right on the border of the royal domain. But reality had played out differently. It was the Edelstein royal family that now held Ostburg Fortress as a forward base, gathering their troops just outside the duke’s territory. And the ducal army, at least what remained of it, was in utter shambles.

“…So then, Duke Ernst Bachstein. And Prince Konrad Edelstein. How exactly do you plan to turn this around? Do you have some strategy in mind to recover from this?”

Footnotes:

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