[??? PoV]
After searching for several days, we finally found evidence of the Imperial forces causing chaos in this region. The troop commander then ordered us to enter the forest.
We fanned out into several teams to cover a wider search area, stretching across one and a half kilometers.
"Hoaamm... Why did the Commander order us to move so early in the morning?"
"You're right. Especially since we've already blockaded all their escape routes in this forest. They have nowhere to go except toward the mountains, which are impossible for them to cross, right?"
Many of my comrades are complaining.
In truth, I feel the same way. A total of 2,000 troops are involved in this operation. I heard the enemy numbers only range between 150 to 200 people.
Is it really necessary to bring this many troops?
This war has lasted almost three months now. However, I've heard news that progress on both the Western and Eastern Fronts remains stagnant. Honestly, I don't know much about war; this is my first time on a battlefield.
The trees around here grow taller and denser the deeper we venture into the woods. The villagers usually only hunt and gather medicinal herbs up to five kilometers deep. That is why the trees in this area are much taller than those in the areas we previously passed.
"Hey Tigre, why are you daydreaming like that?"
Suddenly, the comrade beside me asks. He is my childhood best friend—Gianco. We both come from Ostia Village, located not far from this forest.
When there was a recruitment drive due to the war, we signed up immediately. This was because after the President and the Council changed several systems based on Miss Siena's guidance, citizens with experience serving as soldiers would be prioritized when applying for civil service jobs in this Republic.
Gianco encouraged me to sign up because, according to his prediction, the focus of the war would be on the Western Front, and I wouldn't have to worry about dying young in this conflict.
However, reality is not as beautiful as hope. The war spread even to this eastern region, and we had to join the fight in the end.
"Sorry Gianco, I was just thinking about our enemies," I replied to him.
"There are only 200 of them at most, while our forces are ten times their number!" Gianco exclaimed confidently. "Don't worry, we'll definitely be back in the village tonight after wiping out the enemies in this area!"
I only gave a wry smile at his words.
That's Gianco—always confident and full of hope at every moment. I wish I had at least half the confidence he possesses so I could always think positively like him.
"Don't worry, Tigre. If any enemy dares to approach you, I wi—"
"Hmmm... Gianco?"
I stopped walking. That was because Gianco's voice suddenly cut off, unable to finish his sentence.
Turning back, I saw a large hole in the ground, and inside was Gianco's body; he had just fallen into it.
"Arrrgghh! Why did the ground suddenly cave in!?" Gianco screamed. His expression showed he was in pain, and blood seemed to be coming from his mouth.
"Gianco!"
I rushed to him and knelt down to help.
However, my eyes widened when I saw several sharpened wooden stakes inside the hole, piercing through several of Gianco's limbs.
"Eerrggg... Damn! I can't get them off..." Gianco struggled to pull away from the stakes impaling his body. His face was drenched in sweat, and his breathing began to grow ragged.
"No! Don't pull them out or you'll lose blood faster!" I warned Gianco.
As the son of a hunter, I recognized the trap that had just hit Gianco. This is a Booby Trap commonly used to catch wild beasts in the forest to sell their pelts. However, with wood this large and long, it was certain that this trap was designed to catch a human.
"Wait here, Gianco. I'll call a Priest," I told him. Blood had already begun to pour out, soaking his clothes and the stakes piercing his body.
"A-alright... I-I'll wait for you, Tigre."
I hurried to the rear to call a Priest who had followed us here.
"Arrrgghhh!"
"Ughhhh! Watch your step! There are many enemy traps around here!"
I could hear screams of pain from other soldiers. It seemed true that our enemies were the ones who made these traps and prepared them for us.
Not long after, I found a Priest at the back of the formation. He was busy healing a soldier's leg that had been impaled by a sharp tree branch.
"Priest! Can you come to the front to save my friend!?" I pleaded.
"Alright, wait a moment," the Priest replied.
After healing the wounded soldier, I led him toward the spot where Gianco had hit the trap. However, the Priest's running pace was slower than mine, leaving him slightly behind.
— Thud!
My body suddenly face-planted into the dirt. It seemed my foot had tripped on some kind of wire while I was running.
— Swoosshh!
I felt an object whistle right over my head. I immediately scrambled up and turned back to call the Priest following behind me.
"Sorry, I just fell, Prie—"
My voice caught in my throat as I saw what had happened to the Priest.
A massive log, suspended by a rope, was slammed against the front of the Priest's body. Upon closer inspection, many sword blades were embedded in the log.
I finally realized that what I had just tripped over was a trigger for one of the enemy traps in the area.
Looking at the Priest up close, his eyes were wide, his mouth open and leaking blood, and his body was stiff—he had died instantly after being hit by the log filled with blades.
My feelings were a mess after witnessing this; I clenched my fists tightly, enduring the misfortune that had befallen me. However, I had no time to mourn my bad luck.
Turning around, I ran back to where Gianco had been trapped. When I reached the hole, I saw the body of my childhood friend was as motionless as the Priest. His eyes were closed, and his head hung limp.
"Gianco! Gianco! Answer me, friend!" I called out to him desperately.
But he did not respond at all. I couldn't even feel a pulse in his neck, signifying that the man who had always been by my side since childhood was gone.
"Damn it..."
Tears began to wet my cheeks. For almost twenty years, I had always been with him. I always thought our friendship would last until our old age, until we each had children and reminisced about our youth. Why did this have to happen? Just a few months ago, our life in the village was so peaceful and tranquil.
"Enemy forces are attacking!"
"Quick! Reform the lines!"
That's right—it's because of them that this war is happening...
Because of that greedy nation, our peaceful days vanished in an instant, making many people in this country suffer...
Standing up, I saw the enemy forces in all-black clothing attacking our scattered and panicked troops due to the series of traps activated in this area.
Unsheathing my sword, my eyes glared at them—the people who had killed my best friend so miserably.
"I will avenge your death, Gianco..."
I dashed toward one of them who appeared to have just decapitated four of my other comrades. The black-haired man turned, noticing my presence.
"Die!" I launched a diagonal slash at him.
— Tang!
He parried my slash with ease.
But I will not stop until you all die here. Strengthening my resolve, I continued to attack him blindly. However, no matter how hard I tried to kill him, he always easily dodged and parried my sword strikes.
Our eyes met, and for some reason, his gaze looked as if he felt pity for me.
"I don't need pity from bastards like you!"
I launched another powerful slash at the black-haired man. At the same time, he also delivered a slash with his sword, which began to emit a light.
— Tang!
Our swords clashed.
But I felt the swing of his sword was much stronger, sending the blade I held flying into the air.
— Bam!
My right ribs felt a sharp pain; he kicked me so hard that my body was sent flying, crashing into one of the trees in the forest.
My vision began to blur. For some reason, thick smoke started to appear around the forest. The enemies who were previously attacking also began to flee toward the mountains.
No... don't let them escape... avenge our comrades' deaths...
Don't let them get away just like that...
I wanted to chase them, but my sight grew blurrier and blurrier until finally, I lost consciousness...
"Damn it..."
***
[Raul PoV]
After Scarlett set the forest ablaze with her fire, we decided to retreat slowly to lure the Venetian Republic troops toward the prepared landslide point.
Smoke from the burning forest began to fill the area, making it difficult for me and the others to breathe. We covered our noses with wet cloths to avoid passing out from inhaling the smoke.
"Chase them! Cough! Cough!"
"Don't let them get away!"
Behind me, I saw the enemy troops pursuing us. Many of them began to faint or were caught by the flames within the forest.
"Quick, retreat to the mountains and don't stop running!" I ordered the troops I led.
After running for about 15 minutes without stopping, we finally emerged from the forest and entered the mountainous area.
I saw many members collapse onto the ground while trying to normalize their breathing. I counted the number of troops who made it out of the forest; out of the 180 people I brought, a dozen or so had still not emerged.
Was anyone left behind or killed when we ambushed the enemy forces in there?
Not long after, I saw two men running to get out of the forest; they seemed to be arguing about something.
"It's your fault for falling earlier that we got left behind like this!"
"If you hadn't stopped suddenly right in front of me, I wouldn't have fallen like that!"
"Idiot, if I hadn't stopped, I would have been crushed by the falling tree in front!"
Those two were Tom and Jerry. I don't know what they were arguing about, but I was relieved they survived.
"Tom, Jerry, did you see enemy troops behind you following?" I asked them after they both exited the forest.
"Emm... I don't think so, Captain," Tom answered.
"Most of the enemy troops passed out because they inhaled too much smoke from this forest fire," Jerry said.
Is that so? I didn't expect the strategy we employed to be so effective in taking down those 2,000 troops. This meant we didn't need to detonate the remaining explosives to create a landslide or summon rain with that artifact.
Looking back at the forest, thick black smoke began to soar high into the sky. A forest fire like this would certainly make other Venetian Republic forces aware of what happened in this area. They would surely send additional troops to check on the condition of the forces they previously sent to eradicate us.
That means...
Our battle is not yet over.
***
[Siena PoV]
After departing from Avelino City this morning, we finally arrived at the forest area where 2,000 search troops were sweeping the area suspected to be the hiding place of the Imperial forces causing chaos in this region.
Earlier, while we were still 4 km away from the forest, I could see plumes of black smoke rising high into the air, indicating a forest fire. Therefore, I ordered all troops to move faster because I had a bad feeling about this. However, when we were about 2 km from the forest, rain suddenly poured down, dampening the forest fire occurring in the area.
Upon entering the deeper forest area, we were all shocked to see many of our troops lying lifeless, either due to suffocation or being roasted by the flames. This made me wonder: Why didn't they hurry out when the forest fire started?
However, after further investigation, we found the corpse of a soldier in an all-black uniform here. It seems these 2,000 troops were attacked by the enemy, so they could not escape freely. Additionally, we found traps that killed quite a few soldiers here, which prompted me to order the troops to be more careful with their steps.
"Captain, what should we do next?" asked Valen—the Vice-Captain of the Cavalier Squad.
"We only found a few corpses of the enemy troops," I said to him. "That means they are still around here."
I then looked toward the mountains to the west. It seems our enemies fled toward the mountains. My instincts told me I should wait for reinforcements to face the Imperial forces currently in the Montana mountains. However, if I let them escape this time, the mission will take longer to complete and will affect the process of sending our logistics supplies to the Draconia Kingdom Forces currently in Aragon Empire territory.
"We are heading to the mountains, Valen."