Arc 4 Chapter 7 : Army's Mobilization

[Elena POV]

Twenty days had passed since our nation declared war on the Republic of Venetia, yet neither side had launched an attack.

For now, I was stationed on the outskirts of Brabant City—the capital of Hernant Duchy and the logistical hub for the Imperial forces participating in this war.

Thousands of tents had been erected across the vast field, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"One, two! One, two!"

"One, two! One, two!"

Several Spearman units were conducting their routine drills.

They practiced basic thrusting and defensive techniques, movements designed to counter enemy Cavalry units and prevent them from striking at the flanks of an infantry formation.

Nearby, infantry units were also practicing formation changes, using trumpet calls and various colored flags to coordinate their movements.

I eventually arrived at the main command tent to attend a briefing concerning the upcoming offensive. In just a few days, all of our forces would have finished assembling in this area.

After showing the insignia identifying me as the commander of the First Cavalry Squadron, the two soldiers guarding the entrance allowed me inside.

The interior of the enormous tent had been arranged in a U-shaped formation.

On the right sat the Caballerons—the commanders of the Caballero units.

On the left were the commanders of the Cavalry Squadrons, while the center was occupied by the commanders of the Mage units.

I took my seat among the other Squadron commanders and waited for the briefing to begin.

"Ah, Princess Elena. Is this your first time attending an offensive operation briefing?"

The man beside me was Pizzaro de Gaulle—the son of Duke Carlos de Gaulle, a noble who supported my older brother, Terantio.

His faction was primarily backed by nobles with considerable influence within the Imperial military.

"You are correct, Mr. Pizzaro," I replied. "I hope we can break through the Republic of Venetia's first defensive line without much difficulty."

"Let us hope so. We need to take advantage of this situation before reinforcements from the Republic of Greco arrive to aid our enemy," Pizzaro said.

He was the commander of the Second Cavalry Squadron.

Our conversation came to an end when General Salazar—the Marshal commanding the entire Imperial army—entered the tent with several aides.

He proceeded to the seat at the front of the gathering and sat down.

"Everyone, let us begin the briefing regarding our assault on the Republic of Venetia's first defensive line," General Salazar announced. "Nepos, bring the map of the area surrounding Tusculum City."

"Yes, Marshal."

His aide brought forward a large board with a map attached to it and positioned it where everyone could see.

Marshal Salazar then stood, a pointer in his hand.

"This is the western region of the Republic of Venetia—Tusculum."

I could clearly see the cities and villages scattered throughout western Venetia.

"Their first line of defense is Regium Fortress City," Marshal Salazar explained. "We will deploy one hundred thousand soldiers to assault this fortress city, which is estimated to be defended by approximately fifteen thousand Venetian troops."

Fifteen thousand soldiers was a considerable number for a single fortress city.

It seemed the Republic of Venetia had carried out massive conscription in preparation for this war.

"After capturing Regium Fortress City, we have three routes available to reach Tusculum City—the primary target of this operation," Marshal Salazar continued.

"Seven Caballero units will advance toward Tusculum City to engage the Republic of Venetia's main army, while the remaining three Caballero units will capture Ebro Village. Meanwhile, a Reserve Unit consisting of twenty thousand soldiers will secure our rear guard at the Regium Fortress City we have captured."

As soon as Marshal Salazar finished speaking, Marquis Vardis de Nerona—the commander of the Second Caballero Unit—raised his hand.

"Marshal, what about the Republic of Greco's forces approaching through the Vetucini Route?" the Marquis asked. "If we fail to capture Ebro Village before the Grecan forces arrive, this offensive will fail."

"That is precisely why the commander leading the assault on Ebro Village must capture it as quickly as possible," Marshal Salazar replied. "I believe three Caballero units, with nearly thirty thousand soldiers in total, should be more than capable of conquering a village that is likely defended by only two to three thousand troops."

So, thirty thousand soldiers from three Caballero units would be responsible for intercepting the approaching Grecan army, while the seven remaining Caballero units would engage fifty thousand Venetian soldiers near Tusculum City?

"Marshal, what if the Republic of Venetia refuses to confront us in open battle and instead hides inside the cities, waiting to fight us from positions with stronger defenses?" I asked after raising my hand.

"If that happens, our main force will be divided again," Marshal Salazar answered. "Thirty thousand soldiers will reinforce our troops at Ebro Village and engage the newly arrived forces of the Republic of Greco, while the remaining forty thousand will form our rear guard in case the Republic of Venetia's main army emerges from Tusculum City."

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He looked around the tent.

"Are there any other questions?"

"Marshal, is there any information regarding the whereabouts of the Kingdom of Draconia's forces?"

The question came from Marquis Diego de La Hoya—the commander of the First Caballero Unit.

"They should arrive in this region approximately one month after we capture Regium Fortress City," Marshal Salazar replied. "Therefore, we must seize every defensive line in this region so their forces cannot assemble with ease."

If the armies of all three allied nations managed to unite, their combined strength would exceed the total number of troops we had brought into this region.

If that happened, we would have no choice but to retreat and wait for reinforcements.

That would mean our operation to rapidly seize Tusculum City had already failed.

"Listen carefully. There is no such thing as a truly perfect plan in warfare," Marshal Salazar said.

"If conditions on the battlefield differ from our expectations, everyone must adapt quickly and deal with problems we never anticipated. Is that understood?"

Although Marshal Salazar said those words, for some reason, my mind drifted toward a certain black-haired man.

A man who had once executed his plan flawlessly against hundreds of academy students—all by himself.

"We understand, Marshal!"

"We understand, Marshal!"

After explaining the overall strategy, Marshal Salazar ordered the Reconnaissance Units to sweep the surrounding area and continuously monitor any suspicious movements by the Republic of Venetia's forces.

"Starting tomorrow, we will advance and begin the siege of Regium Fortress City. Let us give our absolute best in this offensive operation for the glory of the Aragon Empire."

Marshal Salazar looked across the entire assembly.

He clenched his right fist and pressed it against the left side of his chest.

"Glory... to the Empire!"

"GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!"

"GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!"

Everyone rose to their feet and imitated Marshal Salazar's gesture.

I did the same.

Starting tomorrow, the war between us and the Venetian Alliance would truly begin.

[Ezio POV]

This was my first real war.

For as long as I could remember, my Seniors and I had done little more than hunt bands of bandits as part of our routine duties securing the trade routes in this region.

Now, I was standing on a training field with my fellow members of the Cavaliero Squad.

The group had been established by Major Siena and consisted of specially trained soldiers whose purpose was to rival the abilities of knights from other nations—especially those who could enhance themselves with magic.

It had been two years since the Squad was founded.

Now, its ranks had grown to fifty members.

"All of you, attack me."

Captain Siena stood before me and nine other members.

Every day, she trained us herself so that we could become accustomed to fighting knights.

I tightened my grip around my sword with both hands before sprinting toward Captain Siena.

I immediately launched a diagonal slash.

But my blade cut through nothing but air.

In the blink of an eye, Captain Siena vanished from my sight.

Bam!

My body was sent flying.

I rolled several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop, an excruciating pain spreading through my left ribs.

"Ughhh... Captain really kicked me hard."

I looked ahead.

Captain Siena's hands and feet were surrounded by tiny particles of orange light—a clear sign that she was using magic to evade the attacks of the Squad members.

"Magic users really are unfair."

Captain Siena was using Accel and Acceleration, spells capable of making one's movements two or even three times faster and more agile.

I pushed myself back onto my feet.

Then I shot forward once more, attempting to attack the Captain from behind.

But she sensed my presence and immediately turned around.

"Take this!"

I thrust my sword toward her.

Once again, Captain Siena effortlessly avoided my attack.

But she didn't stop there.

She seized my arm and hurled me through the air.

I crashed directly into another member who was running toward us.

Crash!

Our bodies collided.

"Ow! Are you all right, Tina?" I asked the woman I'd crashed into.

"I'm fine, Ezio," the twin-tailed woman replied.

She was Valentina Calguera—the younger sister of Vice Captain Valentino.

She had joined the Squad at the same time as I had.

We were both eighteen years old.

"Captain Siena! Why do you have to use magic?" one of the members complained.

"Exactly! We're already having a hard enough time fighting you without magic! We'll never stand a chance if you use it against us as well!" another member protested.

Captain Siena finally stopped moving.

Hearing the complaints from most of the newer members, she deactivated her magic.

"You must become accustomed to fighting knights who use magic," Captain Siena said, staring at them with her distinctive orange eyes.

"You need to understand how their movement speed changes and learn to recognize the intervals between their spell activations."

The new members fell silent.

It seemed they were only now beginning to understand just how difficult the training in this Squad truly was.

We would have to work much harder if we wanted to stand on equal footing with magic-wielding opponents.

"Everyone, listen to me."

Captain Siena looked at us seriously.

Everyone immediately turned their attention toward her, waiting to hear what she would say next.

"I know this world is unfair because we were not blessed with the ability to use magic like other race," Captain Siena said firmly.

"But is all we can do complain and lament the misfortune that has befallen our people? Are we supposed to simply wait for someone else to come and pull us out of our suffering?"

I clenched my fists along with the others as we listened to Captain Siena's question.

"No."

Her voice grew stronger.

"We must rise and stand on our own."

Her gaze swept across all of us.

"No one will come to help you when the world decides to treat you unfairly!"

For some reason, her words made my entire body feel hot.

My fists tightened even further.

"Before this nation was founded, our people were always forced to live under the shadow of other race. We were constantly looked down upon by them."

She was right.

I had often heard about it in our history lessons.

Back then, our people had been treated with such contempt that we were barely regarded as anything more than slaves.

"But our predecessors refused to let our people remain in such misery. They eventually founded this nation as a symbol of resistance against a world that had dealt the Venetian people an unjust fate!"

Captain Siena's words pierced our hearts like needles.

Only moments earlier, many of us had been quick to complain whenever we encountered something difficult.

Now, none of us could bring ourselves to say a word.

"That is why I want you to forge a will of steel, just like our predecessors," Captain Siena continued. "Never surrender when faced with the obstacles standing before you. Do you understand?"

"Yes! We understand, Captain!"

"Yes! We understand, Captain!"

Everyone answered her loudly.

"Good. We'll end today's training here for now."

Captain Siena smiled at all of us—the new members of the Squad.

It was the first time I had ever seen her smile like that.

"I hope that from now on, all of you will continue fighting without complaining."

After training ended, everyone returned to the barracks to change out of their dirty clothes and clean themselves up.

I, however, immediately approached Captain Siena to ask about the weaknesses she had noticed during my training.

"Ezio, I think your speed and reaction time are already sufficient to fight an ordinary knight," Captain Siena said in response to my earlier question.

"However, the way you apply them in actual combat is still rather stiff. Try sparring more often with the Senior members of this Squad."

"Thank you for the advice, Captain."

I lowered my head respectfully.

However, I noticed that Captain Siena wasn't looking at me.

Instead, her gaze had shifted toward something behind me.

I followed the direction of her eyes.

A man wearing armor was approaching us.

His hair was dark blue.

It was Vice Captain Valentino.

"Captain, we've received news from Regium Fortress City regarding the movement of the Imperial army," Vice Captain Valentino reported.

"They say the Imperial forces have been spotted one hundred kilometers south of the city and are expected to arrive there in three days."

"I understand," Captain Siena replied.

"Valen, prepare every member of the Squad. We're leaving for Regium in two hours."

The time had finally come.

At last, I would have the opportunity to put everything I had learned into practice.

This time, I would face real magic-wielding knights on an actual battlefield.