[Raul PoV]
Hundreds of corpses lay scattered across the forest. Truthfully, I hadn't made a plan for what to do with these bodies after the battle. If left here untended, I feared the rotting remains would spread disease and interfere with our mission in this area.
I didn't have much of an issue seeing hundreds of enemy corpses on the ground like this.
But...
I turned to the side, seeing six bodies placed side by side. They were soldiers from the 100 men I brought for this mission. It wasn't that I never expected casualties in this war. However, they were soldiers under my command.
I am responsible for their lives. Their families are waiting for them to return from the war. I have to face the loved ones of the fallen—their anger, their disappointment, their grief—and compensate for their loss to at least slightly heal the wounds they've gained.
I know the Empire should be the one doing all that, not me personally. However, I am the one responsible for the suffering of everyone here, because I and my team members created this flawed world—a world full of war and evil, worse than the world I came from.
That is why I want to atone for my sins by preventing the total destruction of this world from the demon invasion. Because of that, I understand that nothing great can be achieved without sacrifice. Many will die on my journey, be they my subordinates or innocent people from the other side who accidentally get caught in the conflicts I face now and in the future.
Pushing the negative thoughts from my head, I approached a Priestess who was treating a wounded soldier.
"Sister Linda, what is the total casualty count?" I asked.
The Priestess paused her healing before answering.
"My duty here is only to heal people and prevent them from dying in the wars all of you create," she replied. "The Temple forbids us from further interfering in the affairs of either side in this conflict."
It seems Ariel did something good this time by standardizing procedures for Priests or Priestesses who wish to perform their duties in healing those in need.
"Very well, sorry for interrupting your work."
I then ordered Eric, Tom, and Jerry to tally the heavy and light casualties. Additionally, I sent 50 men who were still capable of moving to secure the caravan so that none of them could escape with the logistics wagons.
After a few moments, Eric, Tom, and Jerry returned to me.
"Captain, we lost seven comrades in this attack," Eric reported.
"As for heavy casualties, there are four men who need help walking even after being healed by Sister Linda," Tom reported. "This is because they lost too much blood and are still too weak to move."
After hearing Tom's report, I looked at Jerry, who was tasked with reporting light casualties.
"There are five soldiers with light injuries, Captain," said Jerry, who had a sword gash on his own hand. "They can still move, but Sister Linda refused to heal them because their wounds aren't life-threatening."
Is that so? So our total casualties in this raid numbered 16. It seems I must devise even better strategies to minimize the losses during this operation.
"I refused to heal those with light injuries to save Mana for emergencies."
Suddenly, Sister Linda joined our conversation. It seemed she had finished treating the heavy casualties.
"You certainly wouldn't want me to be unable to heal you if one of you were dying because I ran out of Mana?" Linda said, pointing at the wound on Jerry's right hand. "Besides, you're a man. Don't be a crybaby over a scratch like that."
Hearing Linda's words, Jerry's face turned red with annoyance.
"Listen, woman. Don't preach to me about being a man if you've never been in a fight before!" Jerry barked loudly, pointing at Linda's face.
— Brak!
Suddenly, Jerry was sent sprawling to the ground. Tom had pushed him with a face just as irritated as Jerry's.
"What did I tell you before about how to treat a lady, Jerry!" Tom shouted, clenching his fists. "If you can't respect women, then my fists will give you a lesson until you understand!"
Jerry scrambled to his feet, loosening his arms as he prepared to scrap with Tom.
"Cuih! I truly hate men who worship women like you do!" Jerry spat.
"What did you say!?" Tom looked even more livid. "I'll make sure you wake up this time, you loser!"
Both seemed to activate Accel magic in their legs and dashed toward each other. Their hands also glowed, a sign they had activated Temper magic.
"I'm going to change that attitude of yours!"
"Try it if you can, you loser!"
Both were about to throw punches, but I was faster, catching each of their hands and throwing them both back until they hit the trees.
"If you two can't be disciplined, I'll have you wait in the Dwarven city and exclude you from this mission," I told them coldly.
Both stood up, but before parting, they gave each other a look of pure hatred.
Who actually designed these two? My job as a game developer was only to handle the programming and mechanics of the game we made. We only designed at most 100 characters in the game. But because this game became real, there are so many people whose information I don't know at all besides the characters we created. The population of this continent is nearly a hundred million; it's impossible for us to have created that many characters and remembered all their information.
I don't know what to do with that "Cat and Mouse" duo. I just hope they don't act up when we're fighting the enemy.
After handling the casualties, I ordered Estera to create a mass grave to bury the enemy soldiers so as not to trigger an outbreak in this area, which we will certainly use again.
***
[Alesio PoV]
Seven days after seizing the Cataluna Fortress City, the Draconia Kingdom's forces conducted sweeps and conquered the remaining town and several villages in the region. They did this not only to forage for food but also to find the main Imperial army that had suddenly vanished from the fortress city.
However, when the Draconia forces reached those towns and villages, they found only a few people remaining. After interrogating the residents, they said that Marquis Fran had ordered everyone to evacuate to the Duchy of Grenaut and burn all livestock and crops around their homes, preventing us from seizing them as food for the troops.
Currently, I am at the Marquis's residence—specifically in the family dining room—to discuss our next steps in the invasion of the Empire's eastern region. The Marquis's residence is currently serving as General Melisandru's command center.
"Our situation is not good right now," the General said to all the military officials present. "First, we do not know the enemy's location. If we attack the next territory, the Duchy of Grenaut, we will be in trouble if their forces ambush our troops at any time."
For these seven days, we haven't found the enemy army that was supposed to defend this city. They were very clever to empty the city to avoid a direct confrontation with the Draconia army, which has a three-to-one numerical advantage.
"Second, we haven't obtained any food in this region after the initial raids on those two villages," the General said, looking frustrated. "Poor logistics are very dangerous when we are deep in enemy territory like this. However, we are fortunate that the Republic is willing to send logistics supplies for our troops."
Six days ago, the Draconia army received a month's worth of logistics from my country. But truthfully, our nation won't be able to support the logistics for an army this size for too long. At most, we can only assist with their supplies for the next six months. The Draconia Kingdom must secure its own logistics in this region sooner or later.
"That's correct, General," I said, responding to his statement. "We will continue to send logistics equivalent to the 6 months your troops need so you can conduct this invasion without worrying about food while in enemy territory. The next shipment is surely on its way and is expected to arrive tomorrow."
"For that, we thank the Venetian Republic, Master Alesio," the General said, smiling at me. "There are two choices for our next step. First, we search for them before attacking the next target, the Duchy of Grenaut. The second choice is to attack the Duchy of Grenaut directly, hoping the Imperial forces in the Cataluna Margraviate will appear so we can fight them at the border."
It's true; without knowing where the approximately 10,000 Imperial troops in this region are, it would be very risky to force an attack on the Duchy of Grenaut. However, we also can't play cat-and-mouse with their forces when our current logistics supply only has about 20 days left.
A military official then raised his hand to speak.
"General, do we know the number of troops currently in the Duchy of Grenaut?" the official asked.
The General didn't answer, but looked at me, signaling for me to provide the information.
"The Duchy of Grenaut has a total force of about 7,000 to 10,000 men," I answered. "However, the troops there are not as good as the ones in the Cataluna Margraviate because the Duchy of Grenaut is not a militarily focused region."
Hearing this, the official nodded and thanked me.
If the defense of the Duchy of Grenaut only has 10,000 troops, then conquering that region would be easy for the Draconia army if they brought 30,000 troops. However, the 10,000 Imperial troops in the Cataluna Margraviate that we haven't detected yet would be a significant threat if they suddenly appeared there.
I saw another military official raise his hand.
"General, it would be better to split our forces in two if we intend to attack the Duchy of Grenaut," the official proposed. "25,000 of our troops will begin attacking the city, while the remaining 5,000 will hide to backstab the roughly 10,000 troops led by the Marquis should they attempt to backstab our 25,000 attacking troops."
Soon after that official finished, someone else raised their hand.
"General, I disagree with this proposal as it is too risky given our uncertain logistics," said the official, who held the opposite view. "If our logistics supply is cut by the 10,000 missing enemy troops, our army will truly be in danger!"
What he said was true. If the 10,000 Imperial troops currently missing retake the Town of Sarisa—which is our logistics hub—then the 30,000 troops attacking the Duchy of Grenaut would risk starving to death without supplies.
After receiving suggestions from several subordinates, the General fell silent, seemingly contemplating the next move. He had to choose carefully, as this would determine the success or failure of the invasion.
"We will find the Imperial forces missing in this region first and destroy them," the General decided. "Increase our Reconnaissance Units so we can find them faster."
It seemed the General didn't want to take the riskier path despite the potential for a quicker victory. What can you say? Generals have different temperaments in leading an army. Some are brave enough to take risks for quick gains, while others prefer a slower success with lower risk.
***
[Tyra PoV]
Morning in the Imperial Capital of Aragon—Terragon. Specifically at the city's military plaza, which can hold 50,000 troops. Citizens were waiting for the departure of approximately 20,000 reinforcement troops lining up in this large field, preparing to head to the Cataluna Margraviate, which is under attack by 40,000 Draconia Kingdom troops.
"Look, look! That's my big brother at the front of the line!"
"My father is holding the unit flag in the middle of that formation!"
The children and wives of the departing soldiers gathered here. Even the sides of the city streets were packed with people who couldn't get into the plaza. In front of the marching troops was a high platform, usually used by a General to give a stirring speech before mobilizing.
"People of Aragon! Fathers, mothers, and children born on this beloved land! Listen to me! Currently, our nation is being attacked by evil invaders who wish to see our country destroyed and collapsed!" a General shouted from atop the platform.
Everyone nearby fell silent, not wanting to miss what the General would say next.
"They are all jealous of our glory! They do not want to see our nation at the peak of this civilization! That is why a three-nation alliance was formed to bring down this strong nation and seize our dominant position on this continent!"
Hah! Why are you portraying yourselves as victims? Other nations hate you because of your arrogance and your attitude of always feeling superior and powerful when dealing with others. They want you to fall so they can be free from your constant threat of dominance.
"There is a proverb that says, 'The higher a tree, the stronger the wind that strikes it.' Currently, the striking wind is the three-nation alliance, and we are the strong tree that will endure any storm that hits us!"
Hearing the General's words, everyone cheered, fueled by the burning spirit of patriotism in the face of war.
"However, we cannot just stand by and watch our home be destroyed by our enemies!" the General cried, clenching his fist. "We must fight! We must protect our treasures, our families, and our honor as a great nation in the eyes of the world!"
"Yeaahhh! Drive out the invaders!"
"Show them the strength of the Great Nation of Aragon!"
Everyone screamed their intent to fight, young and old alike. They had all been blinded by nationalistic fervor, regardless of right or wrong. They were hypnotized by war propaganda whose true cause they didn't even know.
"You heard them yourselves, Soldiers! Your families and children are waiting for our success in driving out the invaders in the eastern Empire! Are you ready to answer their expectations!?" the General asked, looking at the ranks of soldiers.
"READY, GENERAL!!!"
"READY, GENERAL!!!"
The roar of the soldiers was even louder than the citizens' cheers before.
"Good! Prepare yourselves! Mark tiiiiimmmeee... March!" the General commanded.
The rhythmic stomping of feet echoed in unison, leaving the citizens in awe of the sight.
"Forward... March!"
The soldiers began to march out of the military plaza. As they moved through the city streets, citizens showered them with flowers. Families called out to their members heading to the battlefield, praying for their safe return to their embrace.
On the other hand, I was on the roof of a building, watching this scene full of joy that would soon turn into a grim landscape—a nightmare made real.
— TEENGGG!!!
— TEENGGG!!!
— TEENGGG!!!
The sound of the clock tower bell echoed, signaling that it had reached midday. This bell was the signal for my other team to execute our plan.
Shortly after, explosions erupted from the military plaza that the Imperial troops had just occupied.
— BOOMMBB! BOOMMBB! BOOOMMBBB!
Not only that, but explosions were also seen on the city streets where the Imperial soldiers were currently marching. Chaos ensued; plumes of smoke rose high into the air. The cries of children reached my ears like the melody of a soothing religious hymn.
Everyone looked panicked and ran; many citizens were trampled to death by others trying to save themselves.
That's right...
The scene this time was exactly like when your troops destroyed my Tribe back then. You slaughtered the children; you tortured the elderly for information.
"Help! Save us!"
Feel the pain of my people who were killed back then.
"No! My child! Don't step on my child! Stop, I beg you!"
Feel the despair when the one you love is dying and then perishes before your eyes.
"What is happening here!? Explosions are happening everywhere!"
Our revenge has only just begun... Everyone must pay for what your nation did to our tribe...
"This World... Shall Know... Pain..."
Following that incident, approximately 5,000 citizens of the capital were killed and tens of thousands more were injured. Emperor Phillip de Aragon declared a state of emergency for the Empire and closed all access to the capital in order to capture the perpetrators of the terror act.
The events of that day entered the dark records of the Empire's history and became known as The Bloody Midday.