WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 92: Pursuer

Early morning. After finishing their preparations for departure, Friedrich and the others woke Melinda and Claire, deliberately letting them rest as long as possible.

Once they were dressed and had eaten, Melinda stepped outside holding Claire’s hand. Facing her, Friedrich greeted them with a gentle smile. He had no intention of letting last night’s irritation show on his face.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?”

“…We’re fine. Claire and I are both doing well. Thank you.”

Melinda answered, but she was clearly still exhausted. The dark circles under her eyes were even worse than the day before, and her face looked worn. The faint smile she offered was laced with guilt and discomfort.

“Um… about last night, I’m sorry. I said some terribly rude things.”

“Please, don’t worry about it. In any case, we should get going. I must apologize, but we’ll need each of you to ride separately with a knight.”

“…Understood.”

Melinda still looked uneasy, but the awkwardness had started with her own careless words. Friedrich and the others couldn’t help but wish she would let it go. Besides, they didn’t have the luxury of time to talk things through at length right now.

“Lady Claire, would you like to ride with me?”

“Really!? I want to!”

Yurika crouched in front of Claire to meet her gaze and spoke, and Claire answered with sparkling eyes. Unlike her mother, she still seemed to have plenty of energy.

Claire was lifted onto the horse in front of Yurika, while Melinda rode behind Yarg.

Friedrich wasn’t confident enough in his riding skills to carry a VIP. Oliver and Gregor, who needed to stay agile for command in combat, were also ruled out. Gunther, being large, would burden the horse too much if carrying someone. In the end, Yarg, with the most experience and riding skill, was chosen to carry the marchioness.

The village of Kelra wasn’t particularly wealthy or populous, and had no horses or carriages. The village head’s house did have a small donkey used for hauling, but the donkey’s cart wasn’t fit for passengers, so Melinda and Claire had no choice but to ride together with one of the knights.

“It may be impolite to say this to a noblewoman, but please hold tightly onto my waist. I’ll try to handle the horse so it’s as smooth a ride as possible, but in case of an emergency, I may have to ride hard without warning. I apologize in advance.”

“Y-Yes. Understood. I’ll be in your care.”

Though Melinda, as a noble, had some training in horseback riding, it had clearly been a long time since she’d ridden outside a carriage. She looked uneasy as she mounted the horse. In contrast, Yarg treated her with more care than usual, behaving with the courtesy befitting a knight.

Everyone acted as though Melinda’s blunder from the previous night had never happened, focusing solely on fulfilling their duties as soldiers.

“Johan. How’s everything on your end?”

“Almost done. We’re ready whenever you are, sir.”

When Friedrich stepped over and asked, Johan responded promptly.

Since the villagers would also be at risk if the enemy returned, they planned to leave and head south to a neighboring village, where Johan’s relative served as the village chief.

The bodies of the knight Uwe, who had died in this village, and the Imperial knight Harold were also to be transported to that village, where they would be cremated before decomposition set in. The villagers had agreed to take care of everything until the situation settled.

“I see. Got it... You’ve been a great help. Thank you for everything. I’ll make sure your contributions here in Kelra Village are properly reported to our superiors.”

“As subjects of the Crown, we’ve simply done what’s expected of us.”

Friedrich smiled, feeling a sense of respect for Johan’s humble demeanor.

“Any compensation owed will be provided later by the Royal Army. If that proves difficult, the House of Count Hosenfeld will see to it. I’ll ask my foster father myself and make sure it happens.”

“You honor us.”

With those parting words, Friedrich and the rest of the Royal Army unit, fourteen riders in total, departed Kelra Village, escorting Melinda and Claire.

Friedrich rode alongside Yurika, making conversation with Claire, who was seated in front of her. All the while, he silently prayed they wouldn’t run into enemy troops and could safely link up with their allies.

None of them noticed the presence of a figure watching their group from the distant forest.

・・・・・・

Leading fifty men across the Beiral Plains and into the Kingdom of Edelstein, Ivar had now linked up with thirty-five others under his close aide, Acht.

By the time the sky began to pale, they had also reunited with the remnants of the unit that had been pursuing the noblewoman and her daughter. That group reported encountering over a dozen Royal Army knights in a small village, and even confirmed the presence of the lady herself. They had launched an attack in the dead of night but were ultimately forced to retreat.

The reason such coordination had been possible in a foreign land was thanks to a special type of whistle used by the northern peoples of the continent. Crafted from animal bone, the whistle emitted a thin, piercing tone that cut through the air and allowed the user to signal their direction to allies.

Ivar and his men had only learned of it after arriving in the western part of the continent, but it seemed the people here, whose senses were duller than theirs, could barely hear the whistle. As a result, it served perfectly for regrouping without alerting the enemy.

Thanks to these whistles, they were now able to reunite with the scouts who had remained near the village as lookouts.

“The Imperial envoy’s wife and daughter have left the village ahead, under the protection of Royal Army knights. It appears they’re heading north to rendezvous with another unit.”

“I see…”

Upon hearing the report, Ivar gave a brief response and began to think.

“We’ll catch up and finish them before they can join with the other unit. From here on, we run... Complete the mission at all costs, and prove the Velec Mercenaries’ strength to His Majesty Childebert. Stay sharp.”

At Ivar’s words, his men responded with firm resolve.

More than ninety jaegers shifted their course to the southeast. Though they moved through rough, forested terrain, their steps were as sure as if they were marching on a paved road, running without hesitation.

・・・・・・

About an hour had passed since they left Kelra Village. While taking a short break to allow Melinda and Claire to rest, Yarg, who had been standing watch to the west, suddenly turned back with a pale, alarmed expression.

“Enemy unit spotted! There’s a lot of them!”

Everyone immediately turned westward at the sound of his voice. Friedrich stood up and followed Yarg’s pointing finger with his eyes.

“That area, there’s a break in the forest. They’re not even trying to hide.”

“…At this range, they’ve probably decided advancing is more important than staying concealed.”

Sure enough, Friedrich could see enemy figures at the spot Yarg indicated. Though still far off, the enemy had already emerged from the treeline, boldly exposing themselves as they charged forward.

He frowned. They had of course considered the possibility that the enemy left scouts behind during last night’s attack and might discover their departure from Kelra Village.

But for them to close in this quickly, was it sheer luck on the enemy’s part? Misfortune on their own? Or perhaps the enemy was simply skilled enough to close the distance without relying on chance.

“From what I can see, it looks like nearly a hundred of them.”

“That’s far too many… If we fight them head-on, we’ll lose for sure.”

In response to Gregor’s remark, Friedrich replied in a low voice, careful not to let Melinda and the others, who were some distance away, hear him.

If it were the Imperial envoy himself, such a force might make sense, but to send such an overwhelming number after mere family members was excessive. Were they truly that desperate to present a result to the King of Arelia? Or perhaps this mission was a test of skill assigned to them by their leader.

They had horses, yes—but only fourteen in total. And that count included Yarg carrying Melinda, and Yurika carrying Claire. Engaging a force of nearly one hundred while escorting their charges would be reckless.

“We move. Before they catch up, we need to reach our allies.”

The group quickly ended their break, mounted up, and set off at speed at Friedrich’s order.

・・・・・・

What followed was a grueling chase.

Though they were on horseback, they couldn’t move at full speed. While each knight could have galloped freely on their own, that wasn’t possible with their charges riding with them.

First, there was Claire. As a young child, her body couldn’t endure the impact of a full-speed gallop.

Then there was Melinda. There was no conveniently designed saddle for two riders, so she sat atop a thick cloth laid over the horse’s back. In that condition, already injured and physically exhausted, if they picked up too much speed, she’d likely lose her grip on Yarg and fall.

To make matters worse, they had no idea how far they needed to travel before reaching the reinforcements. If they pushed too hard now, the horses might collapse from fatigue and be unable to go any farther. On foot, they’d never outrun the enemy.

As a result, Friedrich and his group could only proceed at a steady pace at best.

Meanwhile, the enemy jaegers pursuing them displayed an almost inhuman endurance.

Despite having already expended considerable stamina navigating enemy territory in light gear, the enemy maintained a relentless pace.

And, as expected from elite jaegers, they ignored the twists and turns of hills or forests, cutting straight through and always choosing the shortest path. They didn’t fall behind the horses trotting ahead. In fact, they steadily closed the distance.

At this rate, they would be caught. Tension tightened across the group. Friedrich’s expression hardened, Melinda began to sob quietly from fear, and even Claire, sensing the unease, looked frightened.

“A mounted group is coming from up ahead!”

At that moment, Oliver who’s leading at the front called out. Friedrich moved up beside him and looked ahead. From behind the curve of a hill where the road bent, more than a dozen riders were approaching.

“Those look like… judging by the armor, Imperial knights. Likely part of the envoy’s escort, sent out to search for them.”

While knights usually provided their own armor, meaning it wasn’t standardized even within the same army, there were still subtle differences in design between the Ligald Empire and the western continent, due to historical and cultural variations. To a trained eye, the distinction was clear.

Just as Oliver had said, the riders were not part of the Royal Army’s search party. Soon enough, about fifteen Imperial knights joined them.

“Lady Melinda! Lady Claire! Are you safe?”

“Ah, Sir Kahreil! You came! We’re both safe!”

“Chester! Over here! I’m here!”

When the knight, apparently the commander of the escort unit, called out, it was Melinda who responded, riding behind Yarg. Claire, seated in front of Yurika, also waved her small hands earnestly and called out.

Upon confirming their safety, the commander visibly relaxed. The other Imperial knights, too, showed some relief, the tension on their faces softening.

Then, the commander turned toward Friedrich and his group. Unsure of who was in charge on the Royal Army’s side, he hesitated. Friedrich exchanged glances with Oliver and Gregor, then stepped forward to represent them.

“I am Friedrich Hosenfeld, knight of the Royal Army. The enemy is pursuing us from the rear. Let’s talk as we move.”

The commander gave a firm nod, and with their numbers now grown to around thirty riders, the group continued northward.

Footnotes:

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