WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 68: Execution (1)

The day of the rebels’ execution. A large crowd of citizens had gathered in the central square of the royal capital, where the public execution was to take place.

The people chatted loudly, and some were even drunk. The atmosphere in the square was almost festive, and in truth the execution of criminals was a kind of festival for the populace.

On the north side of the square, considered the front, a large platform serving as a gallows had been erected. The area was under strict guard by the Royal Guard, and beside the platform, dignitaries had assembled to witness the public execution.

Ordinarily, such a lineup of prominent figures would never gather for a public punishment. But with the execution of royalty and high-ranking nobles, the significance was on an entirely different level. Senior officials including ministers, as well as the commanders of various royal army units based in the capital, had all assembled.

Among them was Friedrich, standing alongside Gregor and Count Matthias as he waited for the execution to begin.

Also present in the group were battalion commanders such as Baron Eugen Stamitz, and nobles like Oliver. However, Yurika, being merely a knight, had not been permitted to accompany them. Instead, she had been assigned a spot near the front of the crowd with the other knights, watching the event unfold.

As noon approached, the Minister of Ritual ascended the platform and announced the commencement of the public execution.

Next to take the stage was Crown Princess Claudia Edelstein. At the Minister’s command, all those gathered offered a bow to her. Once they had done so, Claudia opened her mouth to speak.

“The king reigns by the divine will of the one true and absolute God. Thus, the judgment of the king is the judgment of God Himself. I, having been entrusted with the authority of state by His Majesty, shall now deliver judgment in his name upon these traitors.”

Following Claudia’s resolute proclamation, the condemned were finally brought up to the gallows.

The first to be lined up were those who had joined the rebellion of their own will—chiefly senior retainers of House Bachstein. Among them were also a few members of court noble families.

One such case was a baronial-ranking official and his family, who had acted as intermediaries with House Bachstein on behalf of Prince Konrad Edelstein, whose position prevented him from moving in secret. This baron, previously relegated to a minor post, had taken part in the treason in exchange for the promise of a future marquisate and a ministerial position. His wife and already-adult children had also cooperated.

Their suspicious movements had drawn the attention of the Royal Guard, and after the tide of the battle turned against the Bachstein side, the entire family was captured while preparing to flee and now stood upon the scaffold.

“These people aided in rebellion, bared their fangs at the royal family, and endangered the peace of the kingdom. Therefore, they shall all be granted death… Off with their heads!”

The senior retainers of the ducal house met their fate with relative composure. The baron’s family, perhaps unprepared for such an end, wailed and screamed until the very last moment. Starting from the far left, each of them was beheaded one after another by the Royal Guards.

It was a rare and spectacular sight in the royal capital, multiple high-ranking individuals being executed all at once, and the crowd grew even more frenzied.

“Friedrich, are you alright?”

“…When I was a commoner, I watched public executions without giving them much thought. But standing here now, seeing the crowd from this position… it’s complicated. Especially when I think about what the soldiers went through to deal with all of this.”

Friedrich, frowning as he looked out over the crowd, responded quietly to Oliver’s question.

In the Viscounty of Daufen, too, executions of serious criminals were held publicly in the capital town a few times a year. Since such events were announced in advance, Friedrich had even arranged his days off to go and watch them with Yurika.

Having grown up in the church, he never behaved so crudely as to drink and make a scene, but even so, he had watched the executions with a certain detachment, as something extraordinary and removed from everyday life.

Now thinking back on that, and realizing he had once stood among the crowd just like these people, it left him with a feeling he couldn’t quite put into words.

“Don’t worry about it. That’s just how the people are, and it’s fine that way.”

“Exactly. The fact that the people can be so carefree is proof that peace is being maintained in the kingdom.”

“We soldiers get our deeds of valor spoken of, but our hardships go unseen by the people. That’s just about how it should be.”

Following Oliver, Romilda, the archery battalion commander of the Ferdinand Regiment, and one of the infantry battalion commanders, Rudiger, also spoke. Friedrich, hearing their words, nodded in tentative agreement.

“…And now, one of the main figures takes the stage.”

The one who murmured that was Barthold, the other infantry battalion commander.

Just as he said, a new criminal was brought onto the scaffold, now cleared of corpses.

Duke Ernst Bachstein, hands bound behind his back, was seated at the center of the gallows and silently lowered his head.

He alone was to be executed. His wife had passed away long ago, and his daughter, Lady Lieselotte, had been kept entirely in the dark about the plans for the rebellion.

To execute a weeping young noblewoman, uninvolved in the rebellion, before the eyes of the people would leave a poor impression. It would make the royal family appear not just strict, but needlessly cruel. Considering such political concerns, her life was spared on the condition that she renounce the world and enter a secluded monastery. Even so, for her, it was a constrained and unhappy ending.

Having already bid his final farewell to his daughter, Ernst awaited death in silence. At his side, Claudia stepped slightly back, as if relinquishing the role of announcing the execution to someone else.

And now, a new figure ascended the platform.

A loud stir swept through the crowd at the sight of him.

Standing upon the scaffold was none other than King Sigismund Edelstein himself, crowned atop his head.

“His Majesty the King approaches! All present, show respect!”

Claudia called out. The nobles who had been informed of this in advance remained composed, while the others who were still caught in their surprise hurried to bow their heads deeply.

“…Raise your heads.”

Lifted by Sigismund’s solemn and resonant voice, all present raised their faces.

Though old and frail in body, Sigismund’s voice was unchanged from the days when he stood at the forefront of governance just a few years prior. It still held a commanding force that inspired awe in the people.

With nothing more than his voice, Sigismund changed the atmosphere of the entire square. His very presence declared: the king is here.

He fixed his gaze on the bowed Ernst, and once again, Sigismund opened his mouth to speak.

“Ernst, Duke of Bachstein. This man orchestrated rebellion and invited the armies of the wKingdom of Arelia into the sacred territory of the Edelstein Kingdom. For such a grave crime unthinkable for a noble of this realm, only death is fitting. Behead him.”

Viscount Gustav Eichberger, captain of the Royal Guard, was standing beside Ernst with the execution blade in hand. He had been chosen for this role out of consideration for Ernst’s rank.

Gustav quietly placed the blade at the back of Ernst’s neck, then raised it high.

“People of the Kingdom of Edelstein! The pride of the Lutetians—”

In the final seconds of his life, Ernst tried to make one last appeal. But before he could finish his words, his head was severed. The crowd erupted, thrilled by the dramatic sight of a great noble's execution. Not a single soul gave heed to the final words he tried to speak.

“…How pathetic.”

The one who murmured this with a sigh was Baron Eugen Stamitz, commander of the cavalry battalion. A few who caught his words let out weary chuckles, sharing in his exasperation.

Footnotes:

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