[Siena PoV]
Ah... this dream again...
Currently, I see two men kicking the body of another man sprawled on the street. He is Evans Baxter—Liana's future ex-lover—though in this timeline, they have only just met.
After Liana promised to go with the blonde-haired man, his companions finally stopped assaulting Evans. Liana looked as if she wanted to help Evans, but she was held back by the blonde man whose name, if I recall correctly, is Kevan—Liana's childhood friend.
Liana is the daughter of a famous weapons manufacturing company owner in this country. Her family belongs to the elite social circle of this nation. Kevan is the son of Liana's father's business partner; they spent much of their childhood together due to their parents' closeness.
Although the social structure of this world differs from my original world, the nature of those in power remains the same, whether here or in the land of my birth. Those at the top always boast about what they possess, looking down on those they deem "not of their class," and frequently exploiting others for individual gain.
This is exactly why Kevan—someone whose family sits among the elite—maintains such an attitude toward Evans, who has no background among the powerful.
However, Liana holds a different perspective from most of these elites, despite her family being part of their circle. It isn't that Liana lacks their characteristic temperament; from a young age, she was taught to behave like an elite, much like Kevan. She also only socialized with people handpicked by her family.
Initially, Liana thought that arrogance, pride, and looking down on those of a lower social caste was normal in this world. But upon turning 15 and entering high school, Liana met people from diverse social backgrounds—unlike before, where friends always flocked to her despite her cold demeanor and tendency to belittle them.
Liana always felt the falseness in the smiles of those who sought her out because of her family's prestigious status. However, when she acted coldly and demeaned other students, she began to feel their gazes of hatred. Even the girls, envious of the many boys approaching Liana, began to shun her.
During her second year of high school, Liana had a male friend. Their relationship was quite close; it was the first connection Liana felt that was devoid of lies. This friend associated with her not because of her status or her beauty.
But their friendship didn't last long.
Envious male students, particularly from the elite circles, bullied him. They claimed he was unworthy of standing beside her because their backgrounds were as different as the heavens and the earth. Due to the constant harassment from these jealous boys, Liana's friend began to distance himself. Liana didn't even understand the sudden change in his behavior.
Yet, even after he distanced himself, the bullies didn't stop until he fell into a deep depression. Liana only learned the truth—that he avoided her because of the bullying—the last time they met on the school roof.
Her friend explained why he had stayed away and why he had stopped attending school. He even mentioned the numerous terrorizing messages threatening his family. Hearing his confession, Liana was in total shock. She tried to remain calm and comfort him, but he screamed hysterically and tried to back away from her.
He kept screaming, unable to endure the bullying any longer. The constant threats had driven him to the brink of madness, leading him to jump from the school roof and end his life instantly.
This event had a massive impact on Liana. The only friend she had at the time died because of his association with her. After the incident, she even confronted her father, asking, "Why must we live like this? Why can't we live normally like ordinary people?"
Liana recounted the heartbreaking tragedy that befell her only friend. However, her father answered in a cold tone:
"We do all of this so people fear us and see us as strong. Look what happened to your friend when others underestimated him? We must show that we belong to the upper class so we don't end up as pathetic as your friend."
In my opinion, Liana's father wasn't entirely wrong. Take the Venetian people, for example; before we had our own country and had to rely on other nations to survive, we were often oppressed, underestimated, and looked down upon. It was because they perceived us as weak, lacking the power or strength to fight back.
But once we established our own nation and began to exert influence on this continent, other nations gradually began to respect and fear what our people could do.
Despite receiving her father's answer, Liana's view of her family's lifestyle and their toxic social circle remained unchanged. Following the incident, she isolated herself and eventually distanced herself from her family. She even rented an apartment, though it made her commute to school much longer.
Eventually, after graduation, she met Evans, who slowly began to open her heart again to others.
But then, it happened again.
Before her very eyes, a man she had just met was being beaten by her childhood acquaintances, dragging back the memories of that tragic event. Consequently, when that happened to Evans, Liana decided to stop seeing him.
— Clak!
While dreaming of Liana's life once more, I suddenly woke up to the sound of approaching footsteps. It seems I fell asleep at my desk again. A man I recognize well entered my room.
"Captain Siena, forgive me for entering without permission," the man said.
He is Valentino—the Vice-Captain of the Cavalier Squad.
"It's alright, Valen," I said. "Is there any important information regarding the war?"
"Indeed, Captain," Valen replied. "According to info from our Reconnaissance Unit, the Empire has split its forces in two. The first force, numbering about 20,000, is moving toward Ebro Village, while the other is moving through the Tuscan Forest toward us."
So, they've started their move, have they?
If that's the case, it's time to initiate our plan. Valen and I left the room to meet with the Minister of Defense—Antonio Margarete—regarding the execution of the plan we had previously devised.
Leaving our lodgings, Valen and I rode through the streets of Tusculum, which were still bustling despite the enemy forces being not far off. Most of the citizens, particularly women and children, had evacuated to the Capital. However, the men in this city refused to evacuate, claiming they didn't want to abandon their property and intended to aid the troops if the city were attacked.
After a few minutes of riding, we finally arrived at the Command Center for the Tusculum region and rushed to meet Mr. Antonio.
"Major Siena, what brings you here?"
We were suddenly approached by a guard who inquired about our arrival.
"I wish to see Mr. Antonio," I answered. "Is he in his office?"
"The Minister is in," the guard replied. "Let me escort you to him, Major Siena."
Walking behind the guard, we entered the building. Many military officials were scurrying about inside; everyone was surely busy managing matters related to the current war. After walking for a bit, we arrived at Master Antonio's door. The guard knocked and waited for a response.
"Come in."
Having received permission, the guard opened the door for us. Valen and I entered to find Mr. Antonio sitting at a desk piled high with various documents.
"Major Siena, Lieutenant Valentino, please have a seat," Mr. Antonio said, gesturing to his servant to bring two chairs to the front of his desk.
"Thank you, Mr. Antonio." Valen and I sat down to begin our discussion regarding the counterattack against the Empire.
"So, what is it you need of me at this time?" Mr. Antonio asked.
I then explained that the Imperial forces had begun moving and split into two groups, heading for Tusculum and Ebro Village respectively.
"That means their 20,000 troops heading for Ebro intend to intercept the 30,000 Greco Republic troops arriving in this region, does it not?" Master Antonio mused. "That leaves two options for the remaining 70,000 Imperial troops heading this way."
I confirmed Master Antonio's thought and continued, "First, those 70,000 could directly attack Tusculum. If they are aware of our 50,000 troops here, I doubt they will attempt a direct assault immediately."
Tusculum has about 10,000 local guards. Combined with our main force, the total defending this city would be 60,000. It would be difficult for the Empire to conquer this city with only 70,000 men. They would need at least 100,000 to win a siege here.
"Second, the Empire might try to lure us out as those 70,000 move toward Ebro to join the 20,000 facing the 30,000 Greco troops," I added, explaining the second maneuver. "From there, they could face our 50,000 troops directly in the open or merge with their remaining forces at Ebro."
Given the geography around the road to Ebro, it's likely they want to engage us. However, they don't know that we have a third option.
"Mr. Antonio, I wish to execute our previous plan, as the progression of the war thus far aligns with our predictions," I told the Minister.
Hearing this, Mr. Antonio thought for a moment before asking, "Does the number of troops you requested for this operation remain unchanged?"
I answered clearly, "No, Mr. Antonio. 30,000 is enough for me to retake the Regium Fortress City and strike the 20,000 Imperial troops heading toward Ebro."
"Very well then," Mr. Antonio said.
He then drafted a letter. Once finished, he signed it and applied the official stamp and seal of the Minister of Defense.
"Give this letter to Admiral Benio." Mr. Antonio handed me the document. "He will transport you and your 30,000 troops by boat to Bitola Village."
"Thank you,."
After receiving the orders, I went to meet Admiral Benio to arrange our immediate departure.
The following day, tens of thousands of soldiers lined the city docks just as the sun was rising. They took turns boarding the boats that would carry them to Bitola Village.
The vessels we used were Nordic Ships, frequently utilized by the Nordica people in the northern reaches of this continent's eastern lands. Though smaller than seafaring ships, these boats could easily sail against river currents with the right wind and strong rowers. A medium-sized boat could carry about 40 men, while the large ones could hold a maximum of 80.
Since we only had 200 of these ships, the transport of the troops would be done in rotations from morning until night.
"Verentini Battalion! Board ships 21, 22, and 23!" a sailor shouted from the end of the dock.
Once the ships were full, the crews raised the sails to enter the Vicenzo River toward Bitola Village. While waiting for my battalion's turn to board, I gazed toward the horizon. The sun was beginning its ascent into the sky.
"I hope everything goes according to plan."