WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ How the Child of Prophecy Survives ◈
Chapter 14: A Fierce Squirrel Crouching in the Grass
──────
Ernst’s platoon was made up of those Ferdinand and Wilfried hadn’t chosen. They were all deeply discouraged by that fact. With cadets from the military faction, the noble faction, and the nonhereditary nobility mixed together, their morale was low and they had no unity. They were a perfect example of a ragtag unit.
“Follow me.”
Thomas led the cadets toward the training ground. While Ferdinand’s and Wilfried’s platoons marched proudly in neat ranks and files, Ernst’s looked like a band of defeated soldiers.
This was an unusual situation, one that rarely arose even at the academy. Normally, mock battles began after the cadets had finished their basic military theory lectures. Naturally, some cadets distinguished themselves during those classes and came to be accepted as platoon leaders.
Situations like this only happened from time to time when Thomas taught the first-years.
When they reached the training ground, the signs of the upperclassmen’s hard work were already clear. Ernst had visited this forest a few times with Hires, but he had never been near this part. Hires must have deliberately kept them away from it.
“That is the Imperial Army’s position.”
Thomas gathered the cadets and pointed to a dark blue flag planted in the field. Then the instructor pointed toward the forest on the opposite side.
“Somewhere inside the forest is a red flag marking the Allied Forces’ position. The red flag will be moved after each battle. Ask the training assistants for its exact location.”
That was probably meant to stop anyone from knowing where the flag was and taking it in a single charge. As for the Imperial Army’s flag being fixed in plain sight, that must have reflected the current reality of the Empire and the Allied Nations, without any attempt to soften it.
“Rabid, take the Imperial Army.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Thomas assigned Wilfried the Imperial Army’s role first, then looked at Ferdinand and Ernst.
“You two are the Allied Forces. Hartmann will command.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Ernst and Ferdinand answered together. Thomas nodded and added,
“In the next battle, Hartmann will take the Imperial Army, while Krieger commands Rabid on the Allied Forces’ side. In the final battle, Krieger will take the Imperial Army, while Rabid commands Hartmann on the Allied Forces’ side.”
They would rotate through their roles for a total of three mock battles.
First, Ernst would fight Wilfried under Ferdinand’s command. Next, he would lead Wilfried against Ferdinand. Finally, he would face both Wilfried and Ferdinand alone.
Ernst could sense Thomas’s malice in that order and arrangement. As he considered his tactics, he soon realized why Thomas had appointed him platoon leader.
His eyes wandered over the surrounding terrain, the cadets’ faces, the training assistants, and Thomas. When he met Thomas’s chilly gaze, he smoothly continued looking around until his eyes settled on the forest.
“Distribute the bayonets and ammunition.”
Pretending not to have noticed Ernst, Thomas gave the training assistants an order. They handed out light wooden bayonets and wooden bullets to the first-year cadets. The bayonets were about as long as the cadets’ forearms and had blunt edges. Their ammunition pouches were filled generously, so it seemed unlikely that they would run out.
But the idiots who hadn’t packed ammunition pouches received no bullets. The other cadets had to share with them, making everyone realize they couldn’t simply fire as much as they pleased.
“Whatever you imagine, conditions on a real battlefield will be far worse. Be grateful that someone has water and that you can share it. When water can’t be found on the battlefield, soldiers have to drink not only rotting muddy water mixed with filth, but even urine.”
Thomas offered the cadets who were frowning and grumbling over the shortage of supplies a tiny glimpse of war’s brutal reality. A few turned sickly pale at the mere thought and looked ready to vomit.
Thomas was about to tell them to head to their positions and prepare for battle when Ernst quietly raised his hand.
“What is it, Krieger?”
Given permission to speak, Ernst asked calmly,
“How are we declared dead after being hit by a bullet? Also, how will you stop the Allied Forces from loading by pulling the strings back by hand?”
A cold silence briefly followed his questions. The cadets wanted to shout at Ernst, “No one would do that unless they wanted to be known as a dishonorable bastard!”
“Work that out yourselves.”
But Thomas answered without concern.
“As long as the training assistants and I don’t catch you, it doesn’t matter. In most cases, you may act freely. Disobey orders, rebel, or betray your comrades if you want.”
The words were so extreme that the cadets wondered if Thomas had gone mad. Then the instructor stared into Ernst’s black eyes and imposed a single exception.
“However, killing or seriously injuring your opponents will not be tolerated. You’re not three-year-olds, so I trust you understand what I mean.”
That was something everyone understood perfectly.
The cadets looked at Ernst, who had used vines and branches to cripple an upperclassman. Then, their faces pale, they turned toward the thick spring forest.
These mock battles caused many injuries and, though very rarely, actual deaths. Most such tragedies happened when cadets became furious with someone who kept fighting after being shot, insisting they weren’t dead, and decided to make sure the offender really couldn’t move.
The cadets of the Imperial Military Academy hadn’t come here to play with others their age. They were quite willing to beat another cadet if necessary. In the confusion, it would be easy to break an arm or a leg and make it look like an accident.
Anyone who cheated would be punished by the other cadets, one way or another. And that would be far more terrible than receiving demerit points from an instructor.
“Head to your positions, prepare for battle, and wait for the signal.”
At Thomas’s command, the cadets hurried into action.
Wilfried led his platoon beneath the dark blue flag for a planning meeting, while Ferdinand took both his own platoon and Ernst’s toward the forest.
“...”
Ferdinand carefully studied the terrain. He paid particular attention to a small hill near the edge of the forest, in what was probably the center of the battlefield. Whoever took that hill would likely control the battle.
The advantages of high ground in the center of a battlefield were beyond imagination. Even in hand-to-hand combat, it would allow them to dominate the fighting. With ranged weapons involved, this hill was practically a guarantee of victory.
“This is your position. If you lose the flag, you lose the battle immediately. Keep that in mind.”
The training assistants led the first-year cadets into the forest and showed them the red flag.
“If anyone is injured or an unexpected accident occurs, call us immediately. We’ll be watching you from hiding.”
Then they darted deeper into the forest and vanished. Without breastplates, helmets, or crossbows, they could run swiftly. All they carried were water pouches and first-aid supplies, such as medicine, bandages, and splints.
Ernst tracked the upperclassmen serving as training assistants for as long as he could. Even after they vanished into the thick undergrowth, he stubbornly tried to catch every last footstep, movement, and rustle of grass.
“If we lose the hill, the battle is as good as over. The enemy has better weapons than we do. They could kill us all simply by firing down from the hill, then stroll into the forest and take our flag.”
Ferdinand had no intention of wasting time. He issued his orders without delay.
“As soon as the battle begins, we’ll leave only a minimum force in the forest and advance on the hill. Brandt, Koch. From now on, you’ll each command nine soldiers as squad leaders. Brandt will attack from the left side of the hill, and Koch from the center. I’ll take twelve soldiers and attack from the right.”
Ferdinand planned his tactics in an instant and gave his orders without hesitation.
“Koch, draw the enemy’s attention in the center and do everything you can to stop them from taking the hill.”
“Understood.”
“Brandt, support Koch’s squad aggressively so they can buy us time. But if the situation allows it, you may seize an opportunity.”
“By an opportunity, do you mean the flag?”
“Yes. But Rabid isn’t an idiot. He’ll have troops stationed in the rear. An easy-looking route is likely to be a trap, so judge carefully.”
“Understood, Hartmann.”
“The right wing under my command will move once Koch’s and Brandt’s squads have drawn the enemy’s attention. If everything goes to plan, we’ll be able to strike their flank and rear while they’re focused on our center and left wing. But it won’t be easy. If Rabid does even the basics properly, we’ll be stopped near the hill and wiped out.”
Ferdinand discussed their defeat in a calm voice.
The other cadets knew it too. The difference in their weapons was too great. While they spent twenty seconds winding their pulleys to load their crossbows, Rabid’s platoon would finish loading in five seconds at most. The enemy’s effective range would also be three times theirs. With the enemy’s accuracy far superior as well, they were no match.
Astonishingly, even that was nothing compared with the gap between the Imperial Army and the Allied Forces on a real battlefield. Gunpowder guns had a dreadful number of limitations. In the rain, they became nothing more than expensive clubs that were difficult to maintain.
“In case we’re wiped out, Krieger, I’ll assign three soldiers to you.”
Only then did Ernst stop looking restlessly around, scraping at the ground with his toes, and crouching to touch the soil and grass. He looked at Ferdinand.
“Guard the flag.”
“Understood.”
Despite the weight of the task, Ferdinand had assigned only four people, including Ernst, to defend their position. Ernst’s answer was remarkably cheerful.
Then Ferdinand led his troops away to carry out the plan.
“...Are we really supposed to do this?”
Robert’s voice was hollow as he addressed Ernst, the leader of their four-person squad. Like Robert, the two other cadets from the nonhereditary nobility had no idea what to do. They simply kept looking between Ernst and the flag.
“Ferdinand gave us an order, so we should follow it.”
Speaking calmly, Ernst led the three cadets a little farther forward.
“Wait here. If the enemy comes, shoot without hesitation.”
“...And then?”
“Depending on the situation, reload and shoot, charge into hand-to-hand combat, or run away if neither of those works.”
“Run away?”
“Yes.”
Ernst answered the bewildered cadet without concern.
“Reloading takes at least twenty seconds. Even if you’re lucky enough to kill an enemy with your first shot, just two surviving enemies could fire at you at least eight times while you reload. Do you think you can win?”
“...No.”
“Right. Hide here, then. ...What are you doing?”
Ernst had been about to leave the cadet there, but his restless eyes had already turned back. He tilted his head in confusion.
“I told you to hide.”
“...I am hiding.”
The cadet’s voice was full of complaint, as if asking what the problem was.
Ernst frowned slightly and strode toward the cadet standing behind a tree. He moved swiftly and without hesitation, as if the uneven, slippery ground were the academy’s polished marble floor. The cadets, who had nearly fallen several times over the moss-covered roots and stones, couldn’t help starting in surprise.
“That isn’t hiding. Lie down.”
“What?”
“I said lie down. And your hands and face... No, never mind. Just lie down for now.”
Ernst stopped himself from saying more and grabbed the shoulders of the cadet, who was still standing upright.
“Whoa!”
Before the cadet could do anything, Ernst had knocked them down and left them lying face down on the ground.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Would you stand that straight and die even with an enemy’s gun pointed at your head?”
“That’s...! That’s different!”
“How?”
“...”
“Wait here and shoot if the enemy comes. Fire at least once. Honorably, just as you want. After that, do whatever you think best.”
Then Ernst turned and walked away as calmly as if he were on level ground. Robert and the other cadet stared after him with pale faces before following.
After choosing a hiding place for the other cadet as well, Ernst took Robert back toward the flag.
“You wait here.”
“Right in front of the flag?”
“Yes. That should let you get a shot in when they let their guard down.”
“And then I run?”
“You can meet a glorious end if you like.”
Robert rubbed between his eyebrows as if he had a headache, then let out a deep sigh.
“Fine. I get it. What are you going to do, then?”
Ernst answered while securing his crossbow to his back.
“I’ll start moving from the edge of the forest.”
“...You’re going to torment Wilfried all the way from there?”
“Uh... Is that what it amounts to?”
Ernst considered this with a serious expression, then tilted his head.
“It should be fine since this is training, shouldn’t it?”
“Hmm... Yeah, I suppose it should. But, Ernst.”
Robert called him back just as he was about to run toward the edge of the forest. When Ernst turned, Robert looked thoroughly drained.
“How about at least learning your classmates’ names? Do you know the name of any cadet besides me, Wilfried, and Hartmann?”
“...Well...”
“You’ve already forgotten Brandt and Koch, haven’t you? Hartmann just said their names while giving orders. No, you never remembered them in the first place. Am I right?”
“...”
Ernst hesitated, then nodded.
He truly had no interest in the other cadets. They had already lived together for over two weeks, yet he hadn’t learned a single name besides that of Robert, his roommate, and the two faction leaders. No, he hadn’t even thought of trying to remember them. He simply had no interest at all.
The only things that interested Ernst were their abilities and characteristics. Just as when he had “played” with his father, Hires, he wasn’t interested in them as individual people, only in their traits and abilities.
To Ernst, the cadets left outside his attention were no different from trees he passed or pieces of furniture.
“Professor Ernst, you have a remarkable talent for offending people. Of course, I’m among the exceptions, so I have no complaints. But for the sake of your future, might I suggest that you begin bringing that remarkable talent under control?”
“...I’ll try.”
Robert’s advice was playful but serious, and Ernst answered just as seriously. Then he dashed off like a little squirrel and vanished from Robert’s sight.
He was so fast and quiet that Robert lost him completely the moment he turned around a tree.
“Just... Just look at him. Having the time of his life. Good grief.”
Despite his grumbling, Robert obediently lay down where Ernst had shown him and aimed his loaded crossbow toward the place from which he expected the enemy to approach.
It was spring, and the wind still held a slight chill. Lying in the shadow of the dense forest, he felt the cold creep through his body.
It was quite cold.
“I’m scared.”
Robert muttered softly. Lying alone in the silent forest was much more frightening than he had expected. But he didn’t leave his position or stand up.
He simply waited as quietly as a corpse. Though they hadn’t known each other for long, Robert had learned a great deal in the time he had spent with Ernst.
A good hunter knew how to wait in silence for the right moment. Robert understood that now.
* * *
Thomas stood on a transport truck outside the training ground, hands clasped behind the back, silently watching the cadets move. From that high position outside the grounds, their movements were fairly easy to see.
For a moment, Thomas tried to find someone among Ferdinand and the cadets following him, but soon gave up and looked away. Seeing Wilfried quietly waiting for the signal with his troops lined up abreast in the field, Thomas let out a small sigh.
‘Typical tactics for an officer from the nobility.’
Despite that thought and sigh, Thomas didn’t consider it entirely bad.
Depending on the situation, those tactics could be astonishingly powerful. And someone like the Duke of Rabid’s son should be able to use them well.
“The signal.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
The training assistant waiting below the truck answered firmly, raised a gunpowder pistol, and pulled the trigger.
Baaang!
A shot sharper than that of a Valt gun tore through the forest’s silence, and thick smoke rose. The training assistant frowned at the smoke from the burning black powder and stepped aside. That was one wonderful thing about Valt guns: they didn’t produce smoke.
The report of a gunpowder gun. No one was stupid enough not to recognize the signal.
“Charge!”
The waiting cadets began moving at once. The first to move was the Allied Forces’ center, led by Koch. Made up of military faction cadets, they ran swiftly even with crossbows held in both hands and reached the foot of the hill in one rush.
They began climbing. At the same time, Brandt’s left wing, which had been watching for an opening, burst from the forest and started running. Not a single enemy was visible in the area they had been watching. It was completely empty.
“That prissy Rabid must have done something stupid.”
Brandt sneered at Wilfried. Had he really thought that Ferdinand Hartmann, the eldest grandson of Second Corps Chief of Staff Heinz Hartmann, wouldn’t use the forest terrain and his two-to-one advantage in numbers?
Without any interference from Rabid’s Imperial Army, Brandt’s left wing reached the foot of the hill in a single rush. Brandt began climbing, glancing to the side to see beyond the hill, and froze in surprise.
“What are those idiots doing?”
The Imperial Army under Wilfried’s command was approaching in a long line, marching in step. Wilfried himself was right in the center, at the front alongside the other cadets. Instead of a crossbow, he held the dark blue flag of the Imperial Army high in his hand.
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
The Imperial Army cadets answered Wilfried’s command loudly and stopped. Wilfried drove the flag firmly into the ground and took hold of the crossbow he had slung behind his back.
In the meantime, Koch and Brandt had successfully taken the hill without suffering any losses.
“Fire!”
Clack-clack.
“Damn it!”
Seeing the enemy prepare to shoot, Koch and Brandt immediately ordered their own troops to fire. But the crossbows loaded by winding their pulleys had a miserable range. The light wooden bullets fell to the ground without coming anywhere near Wilfried’s Imperial Army.
“For the Empire! Fire!”
Instead of his usual silky voice, Wilfried gave the order in a powerful shout. The cadets fired together.
Clack!
“Ugh!”
The wooden crossbows’ effective range, with their strings drawn fully back, was much greater than expected. Five Allied Forces cadets were hit by the volley from twenty cadets. Though they glanced around regretfully, they immediately descended the hill and left the training ground.
Wilfried’s Imperial Army reloaded in a matter of seconds and fired another volley. This time, six cadets were declared dead. In the end, Koch’s and Brandt’s squads had no choice but to hide behind the hill.
They could hardly be called Koch’s and Brandt’s squads anymore. Both Koch and Brandt were dead.
“Damn it! What kind of...!”
The nine Allied Forces cadets remaining on the hill cursed as they frantically wound their pulleys to reload. They cautiously raised only their heads and crossbows to fire. But not a single wooden bullet reached the Imperial Army cadets, who were shooting from beyond their range.
“Damn it all!”
Declared dead and heading down the hill, Brandt stamped a foot in fury. They were angry at having died helplessly under enemy fire without being able to do anything. Koch, however, was angry for a different reason.
“Brandt, why did you rush the charge like that? Did you forget Hartmann’s orders? You were supposed to move once I’d drawn their attention.”
“I know! But it looked fine at the time!”
Faced with Koch’s accusation, Brandt only shouted louder. Either way, the situation was already beyond repair.
Only four Allied Forces cadets remained on the hill now, and they couldn’t even raise their heads. With Wilfried carrying the flag himself, the plan to slip into the enemy’s rear and steal it was no longer possible either.
It wasn’t as if they didn’t want to call it cheating. But Thomas had said at the start that they could do whatever they liked. Since the instructor still hadn’t said anything, it seemed this was allowed.
‘Rabid, you’re better than I thought.’
Hidden among the trees, Ferdinand watched Wilfried fire at the hill and inwardly admired him. He had thought Wilfried was nothing more than a duke’s fourth son. Yet Wilfried had raised morale and united his cadets by taking the flag himself and standing on the front line. He was also making the fullest possible use of his weapons.
From a tactical point of view, Wilfried’s actions were clearly foolish. But at least at this moment, his tactics could be called the right answer.
“Advance! If you see the enemy, don’t wait for orders. Fire without hesitation!”
Wilfried pulled the flag from the ground, raised it again, and began climbing the hill. The cadets following him climbed bravely, tense and alert as they watched their surroundings with crossbows ready.
They were desperate to protect Wilfried. Allowing a commander carrying the unit’s flag to die in battle would be an intolerable disgrace. And if the flag were taken as well? Absolutely not. They had to prevent that, even at the cost of their lives.
Wilfried had given meaning to a flag they had merely been ordered to guard. At that moment, this otherwise meaningless flag became their unit’s banner. The cadets from the hereditary nobility were truly ready to throw away their lives to protect it.
“What do we do? We’ll lose the hill at this rate.”
“Wait.”
Ferdinand answered the cadet urging him to act in a calm voice. Under the weight of his commanding presence, the anxious cadets swallowed and waited quietly.
Ferdinand watched the enemy climb the hill. When they passed the halfway point and aimed their crossbows at the enemies lying on the summit, he gave a firm order.
“Now. Charge.”
“Charge! Charge!”
Thirteen cadets rushed out of the forest. There was no time to form ranks, and naturally, Ferdinand, the fastest and strongest among them, surged ahead.
“Center, halt! Left, fall back! Right, advance!”
Wilfried reacted quickly. He rotated the entire line.
Clack-clack.
“Huh?”
At that moment, the Allied Forces cadets lying on the hill quickly rose and pulled their triggers. The tension in their crossbow strings was so weak that those struck didn’t immediately realize they had been hit by wooden bullets.
Two Imperial Army cadets died. After achieving this remarkable result, the Allied Forces cadets lay down again and began winding their pulleys. Before they could offer any resistance, the Imperial Army’s right wing reached the summit and shot them.
Wilfried’s orders had been excellent. But the cadets following them were young noblemen inexperienced in battle. Distracted by Ferdinand’s troops charging from the left, they had forgotten about the enemy on top of the hill.
“Damn it! We could’ve taken out Rabid!”
The fallen Allied Forces cadets headed down the hill, bitterly regretting their failure to hit Wilfried when he had been right in front of them.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand had successfully reached the hill, using its slope to keep the enemy from getting a clear shot at him. But the cadets following him were too late. Seeing the Imperial Army’s crossbows aimed at them, they pulled their triggers in a final desperate attempt.
After one exchange of fire, only four Allied Forces cadets remained, including Ferdinand. The Imperial Army still had fourteen.
Ferdinand and the three other Allied Forces cadets lay flat, then fired at the Imperial Army as it came down the slope. Unfortunately, only Ferdinand hit an enemy. Under the rain of bullets from the enemy above them, the others could barely think.
“Enough. Enough.”
Ferdinand had been hit by a good ten wooden bullets. Slightly irritated, he stood and brushed himself off.
The Imperial Army still had thirteen cadets left. Wilfried, their commander and standard-bearer, remained untouched, the flag still in his hand.
“...Where is Ernst?”
Wilfried’s blue eyes searched around before he asked Ferdinand. Grumbling like any boy his age as he headed down the hill, Ferdinand stopped and looked up at Wilfried on the summit. An uncharacteristic smile appeared on his face.
“Do you expect an answer from a corpse?”
The smile mocked Wilfried for questioning a fallen enemy. But it also held a small desire for revenge, a wish to see Wilfried suffer a little now that he had to advance into a forest where a seasoned hunter lay in wait.
“You’re cruel.”
Realizing Ernst was in the forest, Wilfried drew his fine eyebrows together and reproached Ferdinand. The outcome had already been decided when Wilfried took the hill. Even Ernst couldn’t turn this situation around.
Leaving Ernst in the forest despite that could only be seen as a clear act of malice.
“Cruel? I merely took the most basic precaution.”
Have a taste of it, Rabid. You’re in for a hard time.
Ferdinand was a little annoyed at how helplessly he had lost, but the thought of Ernst tormenting Wilfried allowed him to smile.
“Advance!”
Wilfried gave the order in a proud, commanding voice. Carrying the flag, he strode down the hill toward the forest without hesitation.
His blue eyes were cold and frozen as he looked down at the silent trees.
He truly didn’t want to go in there. But surely he had to experience things for himself at least once.
‘...I won’t end up crippled in a trap, will I...?’
It was only natural that he couldn’t shake that fear.
Ernst already had quite a record, after all.
Of course, as long as they weren’t expelled like the upperclassman Ernst’s trap had crippled, the academy’s First-Class Valtlacher would heal their injuries.
But that didn’t make the thought of broken limbs any less frightening.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried