[Siena PoV]
The following morning, we rejoined the 20,000 troops tasked with attacking the Regium Fortress City.
Previously, we had ambushed 20,000 Imperial reserve troops at Lake Tiberias. In that battle, we emerged as the victors. Although our side suffered thousands of casualties, our efforts succeeded in crushing their reserves; 10,000 enemy corpses were found after the fighting ended.
We also took approximately 3,000 prisoners who surrendered toward the end of the battle. The remaining 7,000 either drowned in the lake while attempting to swim away or managed to break through our encirclement and escape.
I allowed the troops to rest after winning that engagement.
Around four in the morning, we moved toward the Regium Fortress City to merge with the other 20,000 troops planning to retake the city that the Empire had seized a few days prior. We arrived there around seven in the morning, and I was surprised to find that the 20,000 troops had already recaptured the Regium Fortress City.
According to a report from the man I trusted to lead those 20,000 troops, the Imperial forces guarding the fortress mistook our 20,000 soldiers for their own reserve troops—the ones we had defeated at Lake Tiberias. By the time our troops were close to the city gates, they only then realized that the force they had allowed to approach was actually the enemy.
Due to the negligence of the Imperial garrison, our 20,000 troops were able to conquer the city swiftly.
By midday, I was at the City Hall to discuss our next steps with several military officials involved in this operation.
"We sustained about 4,000 casualties in retaking the Regium Fortress City from the Imperial forces," one military official stated. "Factoring in the losses from the battle at Lake Tiberias, our current mobile force stands at 25,000 men."
5,000 total casualties is a small number considering we destroyed a force of 20,000 and recaptured a city guarded by 5,000 Imperial troops.
By tomorrow, it is certain that the main Imperial force heading toward Tusculum will realize that our 25,000 troops are positioned directly behind them.
"We will leave 5,000 men to garrison the Regium Fortress City we have retaken," I told them. "The remaining 20,000 will head to Ebro Village to link up with the 30,000 Greco Republic troops and defeat the 20,000 Imperial soldiers stationed there."
Once we defeat the 20,000 at Ebro Village, the Imperial strength in this region will be reduced to 70,000. With the arrival of the 30,000 Greco Republic troops, the total force we can mobilize will be 50,000.
If we can easily win our battle against the 20,000 Imperial troops at Ebro, our chances of winning the war on this front will increase significantly. To that end, we must move fast. Because our numbers are much smaller, we can move more rapidly than the main Imperial force of 70,000 currently trekking toward Tusculum.
"After letting the men rest, assemble them immediately for a quick departure," I ordered the military officials present. "We must destroy the 20,000 troops at Ebro Village before the main Imperial force of 70,000 can arrive to save them."
Everyone nodded, listening to my direction.
After explaining the next phase of the operation, the officials returned to their respective units to inform them of our new objective.
I hope it takes the main Imperial force as long as possible to realize we are here.
***
[Elena PoV]
After three days of movement, we finally emerged from the Tuscan Forest in the afternoon. Currently, the entire army is resting; we will resume the march tomorrow morning toward Tusculum City, which is about 30 km from here.
During these rest periods, I often go off alone to practice my swordsmanship. However, this time is different. I am currently inside my Soul Room. This place is like a garden filled with flowers of various colors, lush green trees, and a fountain whose sound I can hear clearly.
In the center of the garden sits a middle-aged woman with long blonde hair, reading a book. A shining crown rests upon her head—a sign that she was once a leader of a nation.
"Elena, it has been a long time since you visited," the woman said, smiling at me.
"Forgive me, Queen Isabella. I have been preoccupied with various matters, even until now," I replied as I sat in the chair across from her desk.
Looking at her face makes me think this is how I will look when I am her age. This is because she is my great-grandmother—Queen Isabella de Aragon—the woman who made the Aragon Empire the most powerful nation on the continent.
Queen Isabella ruled 250 years ago. At that time, Aragon was still a Kingdom and not yet the Empire it is today. She was the one who expanded the Kingdom's territory significantly until Aragon finally achieved Imperial status on this continent.
"Is that so? You last visited me before the academy tournament to activate one of your Profound Codices, did you not?" Queen Isabella remarked. "What is your purpose in coming now? No—tell me about the academy tournament first. Did you win?"
Hearing the question about the tournament, I was reminded of my duel with him, which ended in a draw.
"I am sorry to disappoint you," I answered. "I was eliminated by a man before reaching the semi-finals."
Hearing an answer that did not meet her expectations, Queen Isabella closed her book and turned toward me.
"Heee~ Who could have eliminated you, Elena?" she asked with an interested expression. "Was it the Hero with the Pendragon Codex you once spoke of?"
"It was not him,," I replied. "In the quarter-finals, I faced a man from the House Garcia. We defeated one another simultaneously, and the match ended in a draw."
"Ah, that family of snakes? I did not expect their bloodline to produce a child capable of rivaling your talent," Queen Isabella noted.
I suspect Raul's ability has nothing to do with talent, but I didn't want to discuss him too deeply with Grandmother Isabella right now.
"Queen Isabella, I want to ask you about the one Profound Codex I have yet to unlock," I said. "But before that, I want to know about our nation's invasion of the Venetian Republic 250 years ago during your reign. I heard the invasion failed because a storm destroyed our fleet; is this true?"
Before the war began, I studied the history of the Empire's relationship with the Venetian Republic over the last 300 years.
Roughly 245 years ago, Queen Isabella carried out a massive expansion, conquering various nations and incorporating them into the Kingdom of Aragon. For 15 years, the Kingdom nearly doubled in size. However, this expansion stopped after her failed attack on the Venetian Republic, which was only 50 years old at the time.
Various sources claim the failure was due to the Royal Fleet being destroyed by a massive storm at sea. However, I doubted this reason; it seemed impossible for a common storm to destroy an entire Imperial force of 100,000 men!
Hearing my question, Queen Isabella's expression turned somber as she recalled her only failure as a ruler.
"To be honest, Elena, I do not know exactly what happened," the Queen replied softly. "I was not part of the expedition. From where I stood, all I saw was the sky turning black, a gale manifesting, and sea waves rising so high they flooded the coast and submerged the land for two kilometers."
The land was submerged for two kilometers? It really wasn't a natural disaster. That means the coastal cities were swallowed after that storm!
"Only a few ships from our fleet survived—those positioned far behind the center of the catastrophe," Queen Isabella revealed. "They could only watch as a waterspout towered into the sky, followed by a massive wave that obliterated the ships far ahead of them."
A waterspout? If this was caused by someone, who could perform magic on such a massive scale? Furthermore, aren't the Venetians Non-Sorcerers? If so, did they have an ally during the war?
"Elena, are you asking this because our nation is currently at war with the Venetian Republic?" the Queen asked.
I nodded. "Yes. The war has been ongoing for over a month."
"Is that so?" Queen Isabella mused. "I hope you can advise the Marshal not to be reckless in attacking Florentia Island."
"I understand."
After discussing the Venetian Republic, I asked the Queen about my Inspire-themed Profound Codex. It is the only one I haven't been able to unlock.
"Try to touch the hearts of the soldiers in the midst of battle," Queen Isabella said.
Hearing her answer, I honestly still didn't quite understand what she meant by "touching the hearts of the soldiers."
"The Inspire Profound Codex provides the soldiers you lead with an iron will, pain tolerance, and double the strength bonus as long as the magic is active," she added.
"Thank you for the advice, Queen Isabella."
After asking what I needed to know, I left the Soul Room and headed straight to the main command tent to discuss Marshal Salazar's next strategy. Inside, many military officials were already present, seemingly waiting for the Marshal's arrival.
"Princess Elena, were you just training outside?"
Uncle Raymond, standing beside me, asked. I usually train with him to perfect my movements, but he has been busy lately escorting the Reconnaissance Units monitoring this area.
"No, I was just in the Soul Room to ask my Guider something, Uncle," I replied.
One must never reveal the identity of their Guider to others. If people know who our Guider is, those skilled in Soul Magic could infiltrate our Soul Room and destroy the foundation of our Codex.
After chatting with Uncle Raymond for a while, Marshal Salazar finally entered the tent. His expression suggested he was in a foul mood. Has something happened?
"Everyone, we have received bad news," Marshal Salazar said without preamble. "30,000 troops have suddenly appeared behind us. They destroyed the 20,000 reserve troops intended to garrison Regium City, and they managed to retake the city in just one day!"
Hearing this shocking news, every military official in the room looked on in disbelief.
"Marshal Salazar, how could they appear behind us without being detected by the Reconnaissance Units!?" one official asked.
"Most likely, they used the Vicenzo River route. When our scouts tried to monitor the river area, they were pushed back by enemy reconnaissance units whose numbers had suddenly swelled," Marshal Salazar answered. "They must have docked at Bitola Village and moved quickly under the cover of night to reach Lake Tiberias and set an ambush for our reserves."
Venetian ships can transport troops against the river current? How? Transport ships usually only sail the seas and never navigate rivers, let alone against the current! Is such a thing possible? Unless they are using a different type of vessel entirely—which is possible, given the Venetian Republic is known for constant innovation.
"According to our soldiers who escaped, the Venetian force currently in Regium numbers between twenty and thirty thousand," Marshal Salazar revealed. "A force this size can stab us in the back at any moment while we are attacking Tusculum City."
However, Marshal Salazar also explained that the Venetian force behind us would likely move toward Ebro Village, where 20,000 of our troops are currently stationed to hold back the 30,000 Greco Republic soldiers.
Knowing this, our commander presented three options.
First, we could seize the opportunity to capture Tusculum City easily, as Marshal Salazar is certain the Venetian force behind us represents a large portion of their regional army. This would mean Tusculum's defenses are halved. However, doing this would sacrifice our 20,000 troops at Ebro, and we would have to switch our supply route from Hernant Duchy to Wisperia County using the Vicenzo River—the same route the Venetians are using. But the Venetians could block the river at any time, leaving our army to starve without supplies.
Second, we could move toward Ebro Village to join our 20,000 troops there. However, given our larger numbers, our movement would be slower than the Venetian force. If we are late, we risk being encircled by their combined forces. Even if we split our army again, the result would likely be the same because the enemy has a one-day head start toward Ebro.
Third, we return to Regium Fortress City and retake it to ensure our supply lines aren't cut, allowing us to continue operations in this region later.
No matter the choice, none of them are truly advantageous for us. We were caught off guard this time; a single move like this has caused us to lose the initiative in the war. The Venetian Republic has a very cunning strategist.
"We retreat and retake the Regium Fortress City," the Marshal declared.
"But Marshal Salazar! What about our 20,000 troops at Ebro Village!? Are we just going to abandon them?" one official asked in protest.
"Then do you have a better option for the situation we are facing?" the Marshal countered.
It was true; the first and second options carried the risk of our offensive failing and our entire army being annihilated. The third option was the only one that was relatively safe and risk-free. The official remained silent, unable to provide an answer.
"We will return to retake Regium and seize Bitola Village so they cannot use it as a landing point for new troops again."
With this, we return to the early stages of the war, but with the advantage now firmly in the hands of the Venetian Republic Alliance.