Arc 4 Chapter 16 : Sarisa Town

[Adrien PoV]

The second day of the invasion into the eastern territories of the Empire...

Yesterday, we had managed to conquer two villages with ease, thanks to the element of surprise we possessed. However, the Imperial forces stationed in this region had most likely realized our presence by now and would reinforce Sarisa, the Small City that had become the target of our operation today.

"Hey, is the rumor about that ghost really true?"

"According to the Reconnaissance Unit, the twenty Knights Lord Alesio took with him never returned from their search mission!"

"The rumor says they were slaughtered by some mysterious figure in a burning cornfield last night."

I overheard several soldiers gossiping nearby.

They were talking about what had happened to Lord Alesio and the Knights he had led in search of the villagers.

In fact, I had already spoken with him about it yesterday.

Lord Alesio explained that he and the twenty Knights under his command had followed the tracks of a horse until they reached a cornfield. He had then suspected that the rider they were pursuing intended to burn the cornfield so that our soldiers would be unable to use the crops as food.

But his assumption had been wrong.

The rider had never intended to burn the cornfield.

Instead, he had used the field as a secluded hunting ground, allowing him to kill the Knights one by one within its confines.

He described the figure they had encountered as something resembling a ghost.

Its footsteps made no sound. Its movements were frighteningly fast, and it possessed an incredibly sharp killing instinct. Its hair and eyes were as black as the darkness of night.

For the time being, he had given the mysterious figure a nickname.

"The Ghost of Cataluna."

He also told me that never in his life had he experienced such overwhelming fear toward another person.

After hearing his explanation, it was obvious that this figure was no ordinary member of the Imperial Reconnaissance Unit if he had truly managed to defeat twenty experienced Knights in a single location.

As a warrior myself, I couldn't help but want to meet him.

And fight him on the battlefield.

At present, I was making my way toward the main tent to attend the briefing that would take place before the main army moved toward the Small City of Sarisa.

When I arrived, the two guards at the entrance allowed me through immediately, having already recognized me.

Inside the tent, several military officials had already gathered. Conquering this small city was one of the most important stages of our invasion into Imperial territory.

I took an empty seat and waited for the briefing to begin.

"Good morning, Lord Adrien. You seem rather energetic today."

I turned toward the voice and saw a man in his early thirties smiling at me.

He was Marian mel Travuna—the third son of a Duke of the Kingdom of Draconia.

He and I had once served together in an elite military unit known as Bolgarev before we were both promoted to military officials.

"Ah... Good morning, Lord Marian." I returned his greeting. "To be honest, I can't wait for the battle to begin. I'm hoping I'll get the chance to meet the person who kept Lord Alesio awake all night."

My companion chuckled at my words.

He wasn't mocking me.

He simply knew me well enough to understand exactly why I was saying it.

"As usual, you're always eager to fight strong opponents, Lord Adrien," Lord Marian said.

"If this so-called 'Ghost of Cataluna' is left unchecked, none of our Reconnaissance Units will be able to conduct their missions peacefully, will they?" I said half-jokingly.

"You're right."

While Lord Marian and I continued our conversation, General Melisandru finally entered the main tent, followed by several of his aides.

He took his seat and looked around at all the military officials who had gathered.

"We'll begin today's briefing," the General announced. "As you all know, yesterday our forces safely entered the territory of the Margraviate of Cataluna—the Aragon Empire, suffering only a small number of casualties along the way."

Following the Stretto Route shown to us by Lord Alesio, our main army had successfully crossed the Montana Mountains with only twenty-four casualties.

All of them had been caused by accidents—men falling or being struck by loose rocks.

That number was extremely small compared to the thousands of soldiers who could have died had we attempted to cross the steeper mountain routes before even engaging the enemy.

"This was possible because of the guidance provided by the spy agent sent by the Republic of Venetia—Lord Alesio," General Melisandru said, acknowledging the contribution of our ally. "However, due to the injuries he sustained during the successful operation carried out by Lord Adrien yesterday, he will be unable to join us for today's briefing."

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Lord Alesio was a Non-Sorcerer.

There was no way he could have put up much of a fight against a Knight.

Could that be why the Ghost hadn't killed him?

Perhaps, in the Ghost's eyes, Alesio had posed no threat whatsoever. Perhaps he had even deliberately allowed Alesio to survive so that he could spread rumors and terrify our Reconnaissance Units.

I didn't know.

What I did know was that plenty of strong opponents were waiting for us on the battlefield ahead.

"At nine o'clock, we will move toward the Small City of Sarisa and capture it. Once secured, it will become the main base of our army for this front," the General continued. "First, this small city originally had only three thousand soldiers stationed there. However, according to reports from the Reconnaissance Unit, they have sent an additional two thousand troops, bringing their current strength to approximately five thousand."

General Melisandru then explained that the Small City had no walls at all, making it easier for our forces to attack and surround it from every direction.

However, he also warned us that reinforcements from Cataluna Fortress City could arrive at any moment.

That meant the assault still carried considerable risks if we were careless.

Knowing this, he ordered us to concentrate our attack from a single direction rather than spreading our forces around the entire city. Doing so would allow us to maintain a more effective assault.

"The first stage of the attack will be to bombard the city's buildings so they cannot be used as strong defensive positions by Imperial soldiers," the General explained. "The second stage will begin when the main army enters the city, escorted by our Knights and Wizards from all sides."

These two stages were standard procedures for an army attempting to capture a city.

With the possible exception of the Republic of Venetia, since they possessed neither Knights nor Wizards unless they hired groups capable of providing such forces.

"The third stage will involve the First Infantry Unit securing the city's food warehouses so the enemy cannot destroy them after our forces drive their troops back," General Melisandru continued. "The fourth stage will involve the First and Second Cavalry Units pursuing any enemy forces we drive out of the city as they attempt to flee toward Cataluna Fortress City."

Within the military structure of our nation, an Infantry Unit consisted of five thousand soldiers.

A Cavalry Unit, meanwhile, consisted of two hundred mounted soldiers.

"Lord Adrien, I entrust command of the First Infantry Unit to you. Your task will be to secure the city's food warehouses," the General said, looking directly at me. "I am confident you will complete this task successfully."

"Yes, General!"

General Melisandru nodded before continuing to call out the names of the military officials who would command the various units during the assault on the Small City of Sarisa.

After assigning duties to all the military officials present, the briefing finally came to an end.

General Melisandru then ordered the army to mobilize toward the Small City of Sarisa and begin the assault operation.

[Raul PoV]

Sarisa.

A Small City located within the Margraviate of Cataluna.

There was another small city in this territory called Nuova, located fifty kilometers northwest of Sarisa.

Last night, my team had just finished evacuating the villagers of Alto, whose homes had been attacked by the forces of the Kingdom of Draconia, and bringing them safely to Sarisa.

However, neither the people of Alto nor the residents of Sarisa were truly safe yet.

There was a strong possibility that this city would be the next target of the Draconian army.

I was currently on my way to Baron Meyer de Ginoa's residence to report on the mission carried out by Reconnaissance Unit 21 yesterday.

The streets were noticeably quieter than they had been yesterday, before Marquis Fran issued the emergency declaration warning of a sudden attack by the Kingdom of Draconia in this region.

The citizens were still preparing to evacuate toward safer Imperial territories, away from the advancing Draconian forces.

Judging by the preparations, the first wave of evacuations would begin at noon.

After several minutes of walking, I finally arrived at the Baron's residence.

It was a mansion surrounded by a five-meter-high wall.

"What business do you have here?"

Two guards approached me at the gate.

I took out my Reconnaissance Unit insignia and explained that I had come to report on the mission my unit had carried out yesterday in Alto Village.

"Come in. Baron Meyer is in his study at the moment."

I nodded and entered the Baron's estate.

One of the guards escorted me into the mansion where his lord resided, then asked me to wait in the corridor while he checked on Baron Meyer.

It wasn't long before he returned and told me to enter the Baron's study at the end of the corridor.

I opened the door.

Inside, a man in his mid-twenties was reading several documents spread across his desk.

"Lord Raul, come in and have a seat," the Baron said with a smile.

"Thank you, Baron Meyer."

I sat down in the chair across from his desk.

"So, have you come to give me a report regarding yesterday's reconnaissance?" the Baron asked. "Before that, however, Lord Raul, you and the unit under your command did an excellent job bringing the refugees from Alto Village safely to this city."

"Thank you for the compliment, Baron Meyer. But the reason I came here isn't only to provide a report."

I reached into my belongings and handed him a sealed letter.

"I also have an instruction from Marquis Fran."

The Baron accepted the letter, broke the seal, and unfolded the sheet of paper inside.

It contained the plans I had discussed with Marquis Fran several days ago.

"I see..." the Baron murmured as he read through the document. "We don't need to fight to the death to defend this city..."

He lowered the letter slightly.

"Although it pains me to allow the enemy to occupy my territory, I will follow the Marquis's orders."

After he finished reading the Marquis's orders, I gave him my report regarding yesterday's mission.

I explained how the enemy had managed to seize Gela Village with ease, as well as our efforts to burn the food storage buildings and the surrounding fields near Alto Village.

"Haaah... It seems the battle with the main Draconian army won't be far off now," the Baron muttered. "Lord Raul, when do you think they will attack this city?"

"I believe their forces have already begun moving at around nine o'clock. They should reach the city around noon."

"This is bad. We need to speed up the evacuation of the citizens!" the Baron exclaimed.

Only one hour remained before the estimated arrival of the enemy forces.

After leaving Baron Meyer's mansion, I headed toward the barracks where the unit under my command was currently stationed.

When I arrived, I found them playing cards.

They had been given no assignments at the moment, so they had simply been passing the time.

"Everyone, gather around!"

At the sound of my voice, all fifty men stopped what they were doing and immediately formed a line facing me.

"Listen carefully. The enemy will arrive soon and attack this city," I told them. "We're going to the food warehouses to intercept the enemy forces heading toward that area."

Suddenly, someone raised his hand, apparently wanting to ask a question.

"Captain, does that mean we won't be fighting many enemies if we're only assigned to guard the food warehouses?"

The one who asked was Piers Morgan—one of the members of the Disciplinary Committee whom I had brought into this unit.

"No. Quite the opposite, Piers."

He looked confused by my answer.

"The enemy will target the city's food warehouses as one of their primary objectives when they attack this city," I explained, looking at everyone under my command. "That's because they brought only a limited amount of food supplies with them so they could move quickly into this territory, catching everyone completely unprepared for the surprise attack they launched."

Everyone nodded as they listened to my explanation.

To be honest, I wanted to put my plan into action immediately and begin taking the two hundred people I would command later into the Dwarf City located within the Montana Mountains.

However, it seemed that I and the members of the Disciplinary Committee I had brought with me would be needed in this battle first.

I just hoped everything would go according to plan until I could finally carry out my real objective.