WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 90: Midnight Assault

Midnight.

Of the fifteen royal knights stationed in Kelra Village, fourteen of them, excluding Yurika, were taking turns resting in two shifts.

Friedrich’s group had taken a four-hour rest to recover some strength and had just switched with Oliver’s group. Holding a cup of hot tea prepared by village chief Johan and his wife to help them stay alert, Friedrich stepped out into the night.

Shortly after taking over from Yarg, who had been standing watch in front of the guest room, the door opened quietly. Yurika peeked out from inside.

As a woman, and because she had earned Claire’s favor, Yurika was resting inside the room while serving as their close-range guard. If anything strange happened while everyone slept, it was assumed she would be the first to notice.

"What is it?"

"I sensed you were nearby."

She kept her voice low so she wouldn’t wake anyone. Friedrich gave a small smile, amused she could tell it was him just from his presence, and handed her the cup.

"Are you alright without sleep?"

"One night like this is nothing."

Yurika took a sip of the tea as she spoke. Her calm response made sense to Friedrich.

The royal knights trained their bodies daily, and Friedrich himself had grown far stronger compared to his younger days. Even he could function after just four hours of rest. Yurika, he thought, would be perfectly fine even without a single wink of sleep.

After she handed the cup back, Friedrich took a sip himself. The deep aroma of the strong brew and the warmth that spread through his core helped sharpen his senses.

Then it happened.

Yurika’s expression changed. Her eyes darted around the room as if something had caught her attention.

“I just heard something fall outside.”

“…Enemy attack! On alert, now!”

If Yurika heard something, there was no room for doubt. Friedrich made the call immediately and raised his voice.

Yurika drew her sword and rushed back into the guest room.

Melinda had likely already woken from the sound of his voice. The windows of the guest room had been reinforced with wooden boards under Johan's instruction, making direct intrusion from outside difficult. Trusting Yurika to handle that side, Friedrich drew his sword as well and turned to check the hallway.

“Friedrich! What happened?”

It must have been Friedrich's shout about the enemy that brought one of the knights from the common room, peeking in from down the hall.

"Yurika heard something strange. Anything unusual on your si—"

Friedrich's words were cut off by the sound of a door opening right beside the guest room.

Stepping out was a man Friedrich had never seen before, dressed in gear identical to that worn by the fallen jaegers at the ambush site.

The hallway wall was lined with candleholders, and in the faint flickering light, Friedrich could make out the face paint across the man's features and the gleaming machete in his hand.

The intruder’s eyes locked onto Friedrich.

“Yurika!”

Friedrich shouted as he dropped into a defensive stance. The attacker wasted no time, raising his blade and rushing forward. Friedrich’s sword barely managed to intercept the first strike.

The force of the blow knocked him backward. He didn’t lose his grip, but the impact sent him sprawling across the floor, leaving him unable to immediately recover.

Behind the attacker, another enemy emerged from the same door, turning to face the other direction. The hallway was narrow. The knight down by the common room would now have to face that second assailant alone, and wouldn't be able to offer Friedrich any help.

“Tch...!”

As the first attacker stepped in to finish him off, Friedrich thrust his sword forward with one hand. It wasn’t a full swing, but thanks to his training, it was sharp and fast enough to make the enemy flinch and step back.

That brief pause—barely a second, if that—was enough.

Yurika burst out from the still-open door of the guest room and threw herself at the enemy with full momentum.

“!?”

The enemy soldier had likely scouted the house from outside and identified the room where Melinda and Claire were staying.

He must have thought that getting past Friedrich, who didn’t look particularly strong, would be enough to reach his target. But faced with the sudden appearance of a real threat, Yurika, he swung his machete in shock.

The enemy was skilled. Even so, Yurika had spent the last year and a half refining her technique in the field. Now she was among the strongest in the entire regiment.

After exchanging a few quick blows, Yurika landed a clean slash to the enemy’s knee. He collapsed on one leg, and the opening that created sealed his fate. Her blade pierced straight through the center of his chest, killing him instantly.

Without pause, Yurika stepped forward to face the next opponent, the third intruder. Further down the hall, the second enemy was still locked in combat with one of their knights.

In a one-on-one fight, very few could get past Yurika. Confident she could hold her ground, Friedrich moved past her and rushed into the guest room, placing himself between the women and any new threats.

“I’m scared! I’m so scared!”

“What’s going on? What is happening?”

“It’s alright. Please remain calm...”

Friedrich began, trying to reassure them over the shouting and sounds of battle echoing from the hallway.

At that moment, the wooden boards nailed over the window shattered with a violent crack. Whether they had been kicked in or smashed with a weapon was unclear, but the planks split in two.

A thick arm, clad in dark green sleeves, forced its way in from outside. The invader began tearing away the remaining boards still clinging to the frame.

“Damn it!”

Friedrich brought his sword down hard on the invading arm. The blade, gifted to him by his foster father and razor-sharp, cleaved straight through the limb, cutting it clean off at the bone.

A guttural scream rang out from outside the window, and blood sprayed into the guest room.

“AAAAAHHHHH!”

“No, don’t! Not that way!”

Still clutching Claire, Melinda screamed and bolted from the room. But the hallway was even more dangerous than inside. Friedrich quickly checked that no other arms were reaching through the window, then turned and chased after her.

As he burst into the hallway, he saw Yurika finishing off the enemy directly in front of her. The man collapsed, his abdomen split open, intestines spilling out across the floor.

The air filled with the stench of blood and guts. Another enemy soldier stepped forward, unfazed, and engaged Yurika without pause.

“Help! Somebody, please!”

“This way, Marchioness!”

Knowing this wasn’t the time for formalities, Friedrich grabbed Melinda by the shoulder and pulled her with force to the far end of the hallway. He pressed her against the wall, shielding her with his body. It was a dead end, but at least from here, they couldn’t be flanked.

“Fall back!”

Of the two remaining enemy soldiers in the hallway, the one fighting Yurika suddenly pulled back and shouted.

“But—”

“We can’t do it now! Fall back!”

With that, the man darted away and disappeared into the room they had used to enter. The other attacker hesitated for a moment, clearly reluctant, but quickly followed after.

Just like that, the intruders were gone.

The midnight battle came to an abrupt end.

・・・・・・

After confirming that Melinda and Claire were unharmed, Friedrich led the two of them to the common room.

He placed chairs in the corner of the room and had them sit. Friedrich and several others remained behind to guard them, while the rest began inspecting the scene and handling the aftermath of the skirmish.

It seemed there had also been a fight outside the house between one of the enemy jaegers and a lookout. According to reports, one of the attackers had been taken down out there as well.

“Counting the ones in the hallway and the ones who tried to enter through the window, we’re looking at around ten attackers total. Most likely the same group that ambushed the envoy party on the road. They must’ve tracked them here.”

“They’re probably skilled trackers, being jaegers and all. But their fighting ability? Not that impressive. Just because they’ve got strong legs doesn’t mean they can swing a sword worth anything.”

Yarg added, having fought one of the enemies outside. His words, while not necessary, helped ease the heavy mood that lingered after the attack. No one rebuked him for it.

“Young master.”

Just then, Gregor returned from checking the outside of the house, accompanied by village chief Johan.

“What did you find?”

“I checked the area around the village. There’s no sign of enemy soldiers. It seems they’ve truly withdrawn... However, Sir Uwe, one of the knights on outdoor watch, and a villager were both killed. It looks like they were struck by a crossbow. Most likely, they were hit when the enemy began their infiltration.”

“I see...”

A rule had been set that no one was to stand watch alone, knights and male villagers were always to patrol in pairs or groups. Everyone had followed that. At all times, over a dozen men had been keeping watch around the perimeter.

Yet despite that, the enemy jaegers had pulled off a surprise attack, completely wiping out one of the watch units and managing to breach the building. Judging by the timing, they had likely taken advantage of the brief moment when the watch shifts were changing.

Friedrich knew Sir Uwe well. He was often stationed at headquarters, handling messages and escort duties. They had spoken frequently in day-to-day life. And now, that comrade was dead.

Friedrich closed his eyes for a few seconds to silently mourn him, then turned to village chief Johan.

“Johan… I’m sorry. One of your people was killed as well.”

“No need. Every villager who stood guard knew what they were risking.”

Many of the men in the western royal domain had prior conscription or training experience. Compared to common villagers elsewhere, they were far more prepared for danger and death.

“Friedrich. What about tomorrow? Do we stay here and wait for reinforcements?”

“…No. I think we should move.”

After a brief moment of thought, Friedrich answered Oliver’s question.

“When their commander pulled back, he said ‘Not now. We fall back for now.’ That doesn’t sound like someone giving up. I believe they still intend to attack again. And with only five or six survivors, I doubt they’ll come alone. Which likely means there are other enemy units nearby.”

The knights’ expressions grew grim at those words.

“If they’re jaegers from the northern continent, then crossing into Edelstein territory wouldn’t be much of a challenge for them. It wouldn’t be surprising if their actual numbers are several times what we’ve faced so far.”

The way that enemy soldier had spoken, so confident that they could succeed if they regrouped, made Friedrich believe this wasn’t just speculation, it was a real and growing threat.

“If the survivors report our presence here in Kelra Village to their allies, and a larger force comes for a second assault… our current numbers may not be enough to hold them off.”

Gregor’s tone was measured, mindful of the fact that Melinda and Claire were still in the room. In truth,’may not be enough’ was putting it lightly.

They had fourteen knights left. Of the village men, fewer than twenty were able to fight. And while brave, they were still farmers.

There were no barricades in Kelra, and the buildings were simple wooden structures, not built to withstand battle. If thirty or forty enemies came, there was a very real chance they wouldn’t be able to protect the Marchioness and her daughter.

“If our assumption is correct and they really are from the northern continent, then we can't afford to underestimate them.

There’s a strong chance that the jaegers, being more mobile and flexible, will get here faster than any reinforcements we could hope to gather by pulling our scattered forces together.

We should leave the village at dawn and move north ourselves to meet up with the incoming reinforcements.”

There was a possibility they could run into an enemy unit along the way, but that would come down to luck. If they stayed and got surrounded, their chances of survival would be close to none.

All they could do was avoid obvious ambush points and try to reach friendly forces before the enemy reached them.

That part, however, Friedrich left unsaid. He didn’t want to increase Melinda and Claire’s anxiety.

The others must have come to a similar conclusion. No one raised an objection to Friedrich’s proposal.

“Marchioness,” Friedrich said at last, turning toward Melinda, who had remained silent.

“I understand this is far from a restful situation, but please try to get some sleep tonight. I hate to ask more of you when you’re already so exhausted, but we’ll be moving again at sunrise, and—”

“No more! I can’t do this anymore!”

Melinda suddenly shouted, cutting him off.

Footnotes:

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