WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 69: Execution (2)

After Ernst passed from this world, having accomplished nothing in the end, the final criminal was brought up to the scaffold.

It was Prince Konrad Edelstein, dressed in the same plain, unadorned garb as the others and bound at the wrists behind his back, he now stood before the people. And for once, they did not raise their voices in an uproar.

The kind-hearted prince, beloved by the people. His utterly changed appearance left the crowd in stunned silence, shaken and confused.

Most of those gathered were residents of the royal capital. They had had many opportunities to hear Prince Konrad speak and to see him in person. Many had even exchanged words directly with him, as he had dedicated himself to poverty relief programs and the promotion of culture and the arts.

Precisely because of this, the fact that he was now about to be executed as a great traitor cast a heavy pall over the square.

Konrad knelt on the scaffold and lowered his head. And Sigismund stepped up beside him.

No one could believe it. Not the people, not the knights, not even the nobles. This development had been kept secret from all but a handful of those directly involved in the logistics of the public execution.

“Prince Konrad Edelstein. Though born into the royal family, whose duty it is to protect the realm, this man conspired with Duke Bachstein and joined hands with a neighboring nation to pursue his own desires.

The Edelstein royal house must be the guardian of this kingdom.

To one who has betrayed this mission, handed down since our founding, no mercy shall be granted.”

Sigismund declared sharply, looking down upon his son with a cold and merciless expression.

“I am king. In the name of the king, I pass judgment on this foolish traitor. With my own hand, I shall sever the head of this great criminal.”

Having spoken, Sigismund took the sword offered to him by Gustav, the ceremonial blade permitted to be wielded only by the sovereign. He raised it over Konrad’s neck.

Despite the square being packed with people, it was utterly silent.

Within that stillness, Claudia alone was lost in memory of the last time she spoke with Konrad.

“…Why, Konrad?”

Claudia, who had been occupied with the post-battle affairs in the Bachstein Duchy as supreme commander, finally confronted Konrad one-on-one after returning to the capital. He had been placed under heavy guard, but she ordered the Royal Guard knights to leave the room.

Truthfully, it was painful. It was terrifying to face her younger brother, now reduced to a condemned traitor awaiting death. But she couldn’t bring herself to avoid him. Had she let him die without speaking to him, she knew she would carry that regret for the rest of her life.

She had already been briefed on his motives. She had been told of his resolve—to accept death after his failure.

Even so, the first words out of her mouth had simply been: “Why?”

“Why… Why didn’t you ever tell me, your sister, that you truly wanted to be king?”

If she had known, if she had understood his inner struggle and pain, perhaps things might have turned out differently. Even if she couldn’t have granted his wish, she couldn’t help but think there might have been another path.

“...I was afraid. Afraid that if I revealed such selfish feelings, I would disappoint you, sister. So I kept it locked away in my heart and endured… and in the end, I made the choice that disappointed you the most.”

Konrad answered with a self-mocking smile, seated and bound in a chair.

“I have not forgotten your words, sister. That a ruler must also be a protector. That teaching still lives within me… Yet still, I could not suppress my desires. Why… why must a person like me be born? Why do people, knowing full well their actions are foolish, sometimes still run headlong into folly?”

Faced with this resigned question, Claudia had no words to answer. She did not know the answer either. The only thing she knew was that reality would no longer change.

“Sister, I have just one final request.”

“...What is it?”

A traitor who betrayed the kingdom. A great criminal who caused many sacrifices. And yet, even now, Konrad was still her beloved brother.

Though she could never forgive him as a royal, and though she could never again publicly speak of him with love, if she could fulfill his wish as his sister, she wanted to do so. Claudia asked with longing.

“Please… please, even if only sometimes, remember me. Before all this happened, long before I became such a fool, remember me as the child you once adored. Even if I am forever remembered by history as a foolish great sinner, at least in your memories, I want to remain the brother you loved. I want to be only a good memory to you.”

Claudia’s hand clenched with strength as she heard those words.

She had vowed never to cry before her brother. Yet a single tear traced down her cheek.

“I understand. From now on, as a member of the royal family and as queen, I will remember you as the child you once were, a sister remembering her younger brother. Konrad. My brother.”

“...Thank you, sister. Now, I have nothing left to fear.”

With a calm expression that even conveyed a sense of relief, Konrad spoke.

He bore the same presence as that moment before. Claudia understood that he held no regrets left unfinished in this life, nor fear of death.

“...Sin carries equal punishment. Even if one is the child of a king.”

Sigismund spoke, then raised his sword.

The kind prince beloved by all. The traitor who betrayed the kingdom.

Konrad Edelstein’s head fell, and his life was extinguished.

・・・・・・

A few days after the execution of the traitors brought the situation to a tentative close, politically, issues like the aftermath in the Bachstein duchy still piled up, but the atmosphere among the common people was gradually calming down.

A rebellion involving the royal family, an incident that under normal circumstances could have led to the royal authority’s collapse. However, King Sigismund’s presence prevented such a crisis.

The sickly king, whom rumors had even declared dead, was still alive, and society was shown that his dignity remained unchanged. With strictness shown in mercilessly judging his own sinful child by his own hand, Sigismund renewed a sense of awe in everyone.

The scene of the public execution had already begun to spread as rumor beyond the royal capital and royal lands. The royal family had started information operations using traveling bards and merchants, and the story of Sigismund’s execution of the prince would continue to spread domestically and abroad with narrative flair.

As a result, this rebellion ultimately served to remind society once again of the greatness of King Sigismund. With his imposing presence, Sigismund protected and upheld the honor of the Edelstein royal family.

It is widely believed that the royal family will hardly be politically or militarily shaken publicly by this incident. At least, this is considered the best possible outcome achievable in reality.

“That said, the aftertaste is bitter.”

After spending the granted rest from battle with Yurika in the city streets, feeling the common people’s atmosphere firsthand, Friedrich returned to his mansion, settled in his room, and muttered.

“Friedrich, you’re still worried about that prince… aren’t you?”

Yurika, sitting beside him, stroked Friedrich’s head and tilted her own as she looked at his face.

Friedrich was silent for a moment, then nodded.

He had spoken directly with Prince Konrad once and seen that calm expression. He had witnessed the prince’s final moments as his own father beheaded him. Such a harrowing scene could not be forgotten in just a few days.

And beyond that—

“Prince Konrad did something unforgivable. That’s undeniable. But… I understand his feelings. I can’t fully reject his emotions. If I had continued living in Volga, I might have become like him.”

Friedrich had also heard of Prince Konrad’s motives through Matthias.

He couldn’t say he was immune to the desire to leave a name in history in any form.

If he had lived his life in Volga without Matthias discovering him, harboring a vague desire to become someone, and that burden grew unbearable over the years—

If he had come to think, even if it meant infamy, he just wanted to carve his name into history, then he couldn’t confidently say he wouldn’t have acted foolishly like Prince Konrad.

“If that had happened, I’d still have done the same thing as you, Friedrich.”

Feeling Yurika’s breath on his cheek as she leaned close, Friedrich smiled wistfully.

He thought the same. If he had declared he wanted to become a notorious villain remembered by history, she would have gladly followed him, committing all sorts of wicked deeds together, and in the end, dying side by side.

That was why he had felt a chill when he saw Prince Konrad’s execution.

“Hey, Friedrich.”

When called, Friedrich turned around and was kissed by Yurika.

After a long, long, lingering kiss, Yurika slightly parted her lips and showed a seductive yet gentle smile.

“That didn’t happen. Our lives changed. That’s the reality.”

“...Yeah. Thank you, Yurika.”

He had become the heir to a living hero. He would continue living that way. Although a difficult and painful path awaited, at least at its end was not a foolish demise driven by fleeting acts seeking infamy.

He would not drag Yurika down such a path with him.

“I’m glad I chose this path. To protect you, Yurika.”

Saying that, this time Friedrich kissed her back.

They embraced, and Yurika pushed Friedrich down onto the bed.

“I love you. My Friedrich.”

Confirming their mutual will never to be apart, the two intertwined their bodies.

Footnotes:

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