[Prince Felix PoV]
The night after the horrific events of this afternoon, all the Emperor candidates except Elena and high-ranking state officials are currently walking behind Father toward the meeting room.
Everyone's face looks grim; this is the first time in the history of our Empire that we have been humiliated like this in front of our own people.
In my head right now, there are several possibilities as to who is responsible for this attack. However, I don't want to speak yet before we reach the meeting hall. Father's mood seems atrocious, and I have no desire to be the target of his wrath and jeopardize my position as the strongest candidate in the upcoming Imperial succession.
Upon arriving at the meeting room, we all took our seats after Father sat in the chair reserved specifically for him. He took a deep breath, clearly struggling to contain the emotions surging within him.
"Can anyone explain why this happened?" Father asked the high officials.
His voice was quiet, but everyone here knew that behind that question lay heavy regret and suppressed fury that we allowed this event to occur. Even though Father had posed the question, not a single person dared to answer.
"You are all the elites of this great nation! Are your noble titles and high positions worth nothing at all!?" Father shouted, glaring at everyone present. "How did you let these killers enter the heart of this nation undetected!?"
I thought the same. How could the perpetrators prepare such an act without us knowing? Was someone letting them through? Or did someone know the patrol schedules of the Capital City Guard? How could those explosions be triggered almost simultaneously?
"Lord Kastor, you represent the Intelligence Agency, do you not? What is the word on the mission of Duke Alvaro—your superior—to the Slavic Tsardom?" Father asked a middle-aged man. "You must explain how it is possible that I did not receive a single piece of information pointing toward this attack!?"
The man Father questioned looked nervous and bowed his head, but he tried to meet Father's gaze, as it would be improper to answer an Emperor without looking at him.
"Your Majesty, we have received no word from Duke Alvaro during his mission in the Slavic Tsardom," Lord Kastor answered. "The—the Intelligence Agency did, in fact, detect a network of groups from the minority race within the Empire that showed indications of potential rebellion."
Hearing that answer, my blood boiled, and I glared at him coldly.
"Why didn't you arrest them immediately if there were indications of rebellion!?" I snapped at him.
The man shifted his attention to me and said, "Forgive me, Your Highness, but with only indications and no clear evidence, we could not take action against them—unless the nation was in a state of emergency like it is now. If we had arrested them without clear proof, I feared the dissatisfaction of the minority would rise even higher until they resorted to extreme measures like this."
That excuse infuriated me. What is the point of holding back and just waiting for disaster to strike? Dissatisfaction from the minority, he says? They should be grateful they were even given the chance to live in peace in this land.
If they don't want to be part of this nation, those minority groups can pack their bags and find another country to live in. I am certain they would meet a far worse fate. Being part of this Empire is a privilege, even at the lowest social caste, because our nation is the strongest on the continent!
I wanted to say many things to this useless government official, but Father caught my eye, signaling me not to speak further.
"Very well, Lord Kastor. Since we have declared a state of emergency, you may take action without fear of legal violations!" Father said, slamming his hand on the table. "Do whatever it takes to restore security and stability to this nation!"
"I will carry out your wishes immediately, Your Majesty."
Having finished with the Intelligence Agency, Father turned his attention to the Vice Minister of Defense, Vincent de Salamanca.
"What is the readiness of the soldiers, Lord Vincent?" Father asked.
"Only dozens of soldiers died in this afternoon's events, Your Majesty," Lord Vincent replied. "The rest are still ready to fight and avenge what our enemies have done."
"No, the 20,000 reserve troops will not be going anywhere for now," Father said seriously. "They must help hunt down the perpetrators of this incident and guard the capital area in case of a sudden attack. After this event, we don't know what our enemies are planning."
"Does that mean we will not be sending reinforcements to Marquis Fran?" Lord Vincent asked for clarification.
"Correct. For the time being, he must handle the invading Draconia Kingdom forces on his own. Initiate conscription to form a new reserve force to be sent to the battlefield later."
"Understood, as you command, Your Majesty."
The meeting continued until midnight. After that, the Empire would observe a day of National Mourning to pump up the citizens' spirits and reassure them that today's tragedy would not happen again.
***
[Elena PoV]
5,000 lives of the capital's citizens gone...
Why did they target civilians who have nothing to do with this war?
Currently, I am reading a newspaper containing information about the "Bloody Midday" that occurred yesterday. The Empire announced that the masterminds behind this event are extremist groups from the minority nations within the Empire. It is suspected that the Venetian Republic is also involved in this attack to disrupt the stability in the heart of the Aragon Empire's seat of government.
While I know all sides want to achieve victory by any means, I didn't expect them to go this far.
"All is fair in love and war."
Suddenly, I heard someone say those words. Turning to the side, I saw a man in his 50s walking toward me.
"Uncle Raymond," I called out.
"Are you reading the news about that incident, Princess Elena?" Uncle Raymond asked.
"Yes, Uncle. Honestly, I'm quite shocked by it," I replied.
"War is a conflict that determines the fate of a nation, Princess," Uncle Raymond stated. "No matter how dirty the methods, all parties want their nation to emerge as the winner."
Though I understood his point, I still couldn't accept the loss of thousands of civilian lives and children. As soldiers, we are prepared for our fate to die in battle if it means protecting the ones we love back home. However, civilians should not have to experience the horror and despair of the war we face.
"Think about it after the war is over, Princess. Let us hurry to the Town Hall for the briefing by Marshal Salazar," Uncle Raymond invited.
I nodded and began walking toward the main tent with him. Previously, we had conquered the Regium Fortress City after battling the Venetian Republic forces that tried to defend it. After clearing the area of fallen soldiers' bodies, we are finally ready to move again to conquer this territory quickly.
Upon arriving at the Town Hall, the two of us headed straight to the meeting room. Many military officials and nobles were already present for the briefing. While waiting for it to begin, Uncle and I discussed the previous battle.
He mentioned meeting a woman capable of using the techniques of his former Master—Liana de Grantz—the first female Grand Espada and the strongest in the Empire's history.
As we were chatting, the doors to the meeting room suddenly opened, and Marshal Salazar entered, followed by his adjutant.
"Alright, without further ado, let us begin the briefing," Marshal Salazar said.
His adjutant then brought out a rolling board with a map pinned to it so we could see the current troop positions.
Currently, we are in the Regium Fortress City. To the northeast lies a vast forest, and beyond that, we will find the major city of Tusculum—the primary target of our offensive in this region.
"Gentlemen, the first stage of our offensive has been successful with the conquest of Regium," Marshal Salazar spoke. "However, there are still several steps to take before we fully control this territory."
Marshal Salazar stood beside the board and looked at everyone in the room.
"In the next phase, we will split our forces into two." Marshal Salazar pointed to the village of Ebro with a baton. "Approximately 20,000 troops led by Marquis Diego will attack Ebro and turn it into an operations base to intercept the incoming Greco Republic forces, while the remaining 70,000 troops will pass through the Tuscan forest toward the city of Tusculum."
Marshal Salazar also explained that the remaining 5,000 troops would wait for the arrival of 20,000 Reserve Troops to guard Regium after the main force leaves. With these reserves, the total Imperial force in the Venetian Republic's territory would reach 120,000 men.
"Tomorrow morning, we will begin our movement. We expect to reach Tusculum in four days," Marshal Salazar revealed. "Are there any questions?"
Hearing the Marshal, one of the Cabalerons raised his hand.
"Marshal, what if 50,000 Venetian Republic troops also move toward Ebro? Wouldn't that put our 20,000 troops there in danger and surrounded?"
It was a valid point. What if the Republic forces discovered our movements and decided to crush the force attacking Ebro first? However, if they did that, they wouldn't have enough defense to stop our advance on Tusculum, right?
But if those 50,000 Venetian troops were allowed to join 30,000 troops from the Greco Republic, then our main force of 70,000 attacking Tusculum could also be in danger if those 80,000 troops decided to return to the city we were besieging.
"If that happens, our 70,000 troops will follow the 50,000 Venetian troops toward Ebro," Marshal Salazar answered. "90,000 of our troops will battle 80,000 of theirs there, and I am confident we will have the advantage fighting in the open or in a village that doesn't even have walls."
It was true; we had struggled to take the Regium Fortress due to the walls hindering our assault. If the enemy decided to make Ebro the battleground, all we would have to do is keep firing magic projectiles and slowly whittle down their forces. In the open, we would have the advantage with our superior numbers of Knights and Mages.
When there were no more questions, Marshal Salazar concluded the briefing. If our plan goes well, we will certainly have the upper hand when peace negotiations begin.
I also heard that the Empire's eastern region is currently being attacked by 40,000 Draconia Kingdom troops. If I'm not mistaken, the unit he leads is stationed there, isn't it?
I wonder what he is doing right now. Given that Father canceled the reinforcement shipments to his area, it seems the war there is even worse than where I am now.
However, when it comes to that man, he has surely planned something so that our outnumbered forces can face those 40,000 Draconian troops.
Yes...
No matter the circumstances, Raul always finds a way to turn the tide.