[??? POV]
The Republic of Venetia...
A country located in the heart of this Continent.
This country was built 300 years ago by the Venetian people. They are a race known for having no magic at all, referred to as Non-Sorcerers. Descendants of Non-Sorcerers can actually use magic if they marry humans who can use magic, albeit with a small percentage of success. However, even after intermarrying with wizards, the Venetian people still cannot produce a wizard. Their offspring remain Non-Sorcerers.
Because the entire Venetian people consists of Non-Sorcerers, they were often looked down upon and became victims of discrimination by other countries. Without magic, they were often trivialized; no country wanted to partner with them because they had no value at all other than being manual laborers. Without influence, they would never be able to raise the status of their own nation.
In the year 318 of the Francia calendar, they received news that the Novgarad Federation wanted to sell half of Florentia Island, located in the middle of the continent, to overcome the economic problems they were facing.
"We must stand on our own if we do not want to be oppressed by other nations!"
That was the cry proclaimed by the pioneers of the Venetian people's independence. They then invited all Venetians scattered across this continent to raise funds so they could purchase half of the land on Florentia Island. They wanted to establish their own country so that there would be no more oppression experienced by their nation when residing in the lands of other races.
After successfully collecting funds amounting to five million Gulden, they were finally able to buy half of Florentia Island and established a country named the Republic of Venetia.
However, the most difficult time faced them just as they had established that new country. Because they possessed no power, the Venetian Republic was always faced with difficult conditions when making trade agreements or other collaborations with other countries. But the people of the Republic of Venetia did not give up. Because they lacked magic, the Republic of Venetia focused more on business and innovation.
Gradually, they finally became a wealthy nation until they could purchase the remaining half of the island from the Novgarad Federation. Currently, the Republic of Venetia is one of the most important countries in the world because it has full control over the Gulf of Cosentia and the Middle Sea, allowing the country to dominate vital trade routes.
Because of this, not a few countries dislike the Republic of Venetia, especially the Aragon Empire—the strongest nation on this continent. Lately, our country's relationship has worsened; even the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs predict they will issue a declaration of war next year.
Currently, I am at my residence reading several reports from the field intelligence team located within the Empire's territory. It is explained here that several minority races there feel dissatisfied with the Empire's treatment of them. Discrimination frequently occurs against minority nations in the Empire when seeking employment or obtaining education and other rights.
"I think we can exploit this to cause conflicts that will weaken the Empire from within."
By inciting and spreading propaganda regarding the Empire's poor treatment of Minority race live in their country, we could even create a civil war if the operation we run proceeds well.
- Knock! Knock! Knock!
I heard the sound of knocking on my room door.
"Captain Siena, there is a message from the President ordering you to be present at the state palace two hours from now."
It was the voice of a man quite familiar to me. Currently, I hold the rank of Major in the Republic of Venetia Military and am also the Captain of a squad named Cavaliero—knights without magic whom I have specially trained. However, even without magic, they can compete with knights who can use that power.
"Wait there; I will be out shortly."
After tidying up the reports I received, I exited the room and saw a handsome man with dark blue hair. He was Valentino Calguera—the Vice Captain of the Cavaliero Squad.
"Let's go immediately, Valen," I said to him.
"As you command, Captain."
I then walked out of my residence, which was a castle, followed by Valentino walking behind me. This is the Headquarters of the Tigrenata Battalion, which specializes in infiltration and ambushes, numbering 500 soldiers. It has been two years since I took over the leadership of this army unit at the age of 19.
Stepping out of the castle, I saw the soldiers practicing both physically and technically. Noticing my presence, they then paused their activities and stood at attention. After exiting the castle, a horse carriage was seen waiting for me there.
"Good morning, Miss Siena," said the carriage driver while bowing to me. "I will escort you to the Presidential Palace."
I only nodded in response to his words and entered the carriage along with Valentino. Once inside, the carriage began to move forward slowly.
"Valen, why do you think the President summoned me today?" I asked, seeking his opinion.
"I believe it is a quite important matter, Captain," my Deputy replied. "Perhaps the President, as usual, wishes to seek your opinion before making a decision."
People in the Republic of Venetia respect me deeply. Certainly not without reason; it is because I frequently provide them with new innovations such as military system reforms, the invention of new objects, and the special abilities I possess.
"I hope this won't take long because tonight I want to draft an operation proposal to weaken the Empire," I expressed to him.
"Weren't you also the one who proposed the previous operation, Captain?" Valen asked me.
"Exactly, but they did not allow me to lead that operation directly," I answered him. "They feared the failure of the mission and that I would be captured by the Empire."
After nearly twenty minutes, the carriage we were riding in stopped; the carriage door opened to reveal a magnificent Palace, the pride of this country.
"We have arrived, Miss Siena."
We descended from the carriage and headed straight to the meeting room where the President was currently located. Inside the building, I happened to encounter several state Ministers who were here.
The politics of the Republic of Venetia are dominated by patriarchs from large business families. When the time for the Presidential election arrives, they form coalitions with various parties to secure the most votes. Then, the President has the right to choose their ministers, whom they usually take from the parties that helped them campaign during the election period.
Not long after, we arrived in front of the meeting room door. The servant escorting us then spoke with one of the guards. Shortly after, the door opened; Valen and I then entered this meeting room. Inside the room, one woman and three middle-aged men were seen sitting.
They were Wanda Belgera—the Presidential Secretary, Antonio di Margarette—the Minister of Defense, Marcelino di Borselino—the Head of the National Intelligence Agency, and the last... Luciano di Reginossa—the 32nd President of the Republic of Venetia, who is also my Father.
"Siena, you have arrived," said the President. "Have a seat first; there is something we wish to convey to you."
Valen and I then sat as Father instructed. "So, what is the reason the President brought me here?" I asked him.
"Wanda, explain it to her," Father said, ordering his Secretary.
"Understood, President."
The Presidential Secretary then explained the failure of the operation to steal the Armor of the Hero Pendragon. Actually, I was the one who designed the strategy for this operation. Although no strategy is perfect, I did not expect this operation to suffer such failure.
"Of the 50 people sent into the field, only 19 are reported to have returned after the operation was completed," Wanda said, mentioning the remaining survivors.
"According to the reports, they managed to execute the plan perfectly up to the final stage," I said to them. "That means they failed during the escape phase; however, according to the strategy I created, their success rate should have reached at least 80 percent if they reached this stage successfully."
Hearing my words, they only sighed as if not knowing what to say.
"Read this newspaper from the Empire, Major Siena," said Marcelino, handing a piece of paper to me.
I then read its contents; it stated that the theft of the Pendragon Armor artifact had been stopped by an Academy student. Honestly, I did not want to believe this news, but facts are facts and I cannot change that. It is true, the unit deployed during this operation possessed no magic at all. However, they had been given training so they could at least fight against Knights.
Nevertheless, this proves why the Aragon Empire is called the most powerful nation on the continent. I then read the name of the student listed in the newspaper.
Raul de Garcia...
Garcia, huh? Aren't they a wealthy noble family possessing territory in the north of the Empire? I will remember that name.
"Currently, there is no one leading our intelligence unit in the Empire," Father said, looking at me seriously. "Captain Niccolo was one of those who did not return from that operation."
Hearing Father's words, I slightly regretted this occurrence. Captain Niccolo and I had a good relationship; he also possessed a high sense of nationalism.
"I want you to replace him to lead Intelligence activities within the Empire's territory," Father said, revealing the reason he called me here.
"Very well; I recommend Valentino to replace me in the leadership of the Tigrenata Battalion," I said to him.
Father only nodded in response to my words.
Field duty within the Empire's territory, huh...? Actually, I have always wanted to obtain this assignment to re-confirm the information I gathered regarding the Empire. If it is indeed true, then this will be a major advantage for us.
After the Intelligence Agency provided direction and detailed information regarding the condition of the Intelligence units in the field, I then left to prepare myself to head straight to the Empire. It was already late afternoon by the time I reached my room at the Tigrenata Battalion Headquarters. The servants then helped to tidy up and prepare the items I would bring to the Empire's territory.
After all that was finished, I sat at my desk, removed the pendant I wore around my neck, and examined it. This half-crescent-shaped pendant was an Artifact given by my mother. She said this Artifact has a pair—the other half that will form a perfect crescent moon if combined.
I am a special woman for the Venetian people... That is because I was born able to use magic, unlike others in this country. I am the only descendant of the Venetian in history to break this fate. That is why since birth I have always been idolized; many placed their hopes that I would lead this nation to triumph at the peak.
However, when I was 14 years old, I suffered an accident that caused me to fall into a coma for one year. None of the doctors were able to wake me up; Father even brought in Priests from the Temple of Goddess Diana, but the result remained the same. During that coma, I experienced something unbelievable.
While I was unconscious, I dreamed of the lives of two women I did not know at all. "Dreamed" is probably not the right word; it was as if I experienced their lives directly. Their emotions, their habits, and their ways of thinking—I felt them directly in that dream.
The first was Liana de Grantz... She was a Hero with truly amazing swordsmanship from the Empire. Her gift and talent could be said to be the best among the other Grand Espadas. She was the first woman to achieve the title of the strongest Knight in that Empire. Her techniques, fighting style, and habits—I felt all of them in that dream, making my understanding of martial arts and magic much broader.
I respect Liana de Grantz; she sacrificed the glory she could have achieved if she had ignored the city being attacked by demons—glory as the strongest Grand Espada in the Empire's history and the best Knight in the history of this world. She sacrificed her life to defeat that high-ranking Noble Vampire so that the city's residents could be saved from the horrific terror. I still remember her final thought before deciding to plunge in to fight that super-powerful creature:
"I am an Imperial Knight; what does glory mean to me if I ignore the duty and responsibility that have been entrusted to me."
She preferred to be remembered as a Knight who protected the weak from the threat of evil rather than the strongest Knight in history.
Then, the second woman I dreamed of was... Liana Rosentina. She lived in a world named Earth, a world very different from the world I live in now. There was no such thing as magic there, but it possessed various interesting innovations in various fields of life. That world is a dream for people who cannot use magic like the Venetian Nation.
I want to make my Country like their country... With the technology and weapons without magic that world possesses, I am certain this nation will be more feared on this continent. Because of that, I studied and tried to create the same weapons as theirs. However, I still do not fully understand the composition of the strange powder so that the weapon works.
Liana Rosentina possessed one of those weapons; I made a model nearly identical to the weapon she owned. The problem now is the material to make the powder so that this weapon works. That is because the material composition to make it is very rarely found on this continent. Currently, we have started producing this weapon on a small scale and only distributing it to special units as a trial. If indeed this weapon can change the course of battle effectively, then I will make a proposal for the state to mass-produce this weapon.
Liana Rosentina's life itself, in my opinion, was not as deep as Liana de Grantz's. She was a researcher at a military facility in one of the countries in the world named Earth. She came from a wealthy family and entered a renowned academy in that country. She had two lovers, but I feel she only truly loved the first lover she ever had.
His name was Evans Baxter—Liana's first lover. The two of them entered the same academy and then entered a relationship during their second year. As long as Liana was with him, she always appeared smiling and happy. To be honest, I was very touched by their relationship at that time. Both were like the ideal couple everyone wanted.
But after graduation, suddenly they began to meet rarely; sometimes they fought frequently, causing their relationship to grow distant. At the peak, they had to separate when Liana's family decided to arrange her marriage with the son of a big businessman in their country. Liana then met Evans for the last time at her former lover's residence. Her heart felt great suffering when she was forced to say goodbye to the man she loved so much. She left him full of regret and cried after leaving her former lover's house.
Two dreams about these women's lives changed my life... By knowing the life of Liana de Grantz, I could become stronger with her martial arts techniques and experience. I also know several secrets of the Empire known only by Grand Espadas like Liana de Grantz. By knowing the life of Liana Rosentina, I can understand where to lead the development of this country to become better. I will place the Venetian Nation at the peak of this civilization.
Standing from my desk, I then walked toward the room window. The beautiful moon and stars were seen decorating this beautiful night sky.
"I hope everything goes well for this country I love so much..."