[Siena PoV]
The Battle of Tusculum City lasted about eight hours. In that span of time, tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides perished. The entire city burned, and ash drifted everywhere. The city that was once one of our nation's greatest prides was razed to the ground, with almost nothing remaining.
I could only watch it from a distance now, from a ship sailing away from Tusculum City.
We withdrew our troops and evacuated them using ships to escape after losing the battle.
In truth, we could still hold our own against the Empire's 90,000 troops with the 60,000 we possessed during the battle in the Inner City. However, Imperial reinforcements suddenly arrived. They were the troops who were supposed to be fighting our other 30,000 soldiers in the Outer City area.
We received a report that our 30,000 troops were defeated and pushed back after Princess Elena de Aragon killed Prince Vlad mel Dracus in a one-on-one duel.
Because of this, the Empire gained the upper hand in the fight. We slowly began to be surrounded, and I ordered the troops to retreat toward the docks.
Realizing that defeat was imminent, we began evacuating the troops from the city using the 400 ships available at the harbor. To accomplish this, we even sacrificed 15,000 soldiers to stay behind and hold off the onslaught of the Imperial forces during the evacuation process.
This... is truly humiliating...
In an instant, I thought about the consequences of Tusculum falling into enemy hands. Their base of operations would grow larger, their logistics chain would improve and become difficult to sever, and besides that...
It would be extremely difficult—requiring a miracle—to reclaim that territory after suffering this defeat.
We reached the port of Florentia Island toward morning. I saw many citizens of the capital flocking to the harbor; it seemed they wanted to see us and their family members or lovers who had gone to the battlefield.
"Look! Our troops have returned!"
"Did you guys beat those Imperial dogs!?"
"Tell us about the battle!"
Hearing the words of the citizens who came to witness their arrival, our soldiers could only hang their heads in shame. The citizens here did not yet know that we had just suffered a defeat and allowed the enemy forces to seize Tusculum City.
Seeing us begin to disembark from the ship, the citizens cleared a path so the troops could pass.
I began to walk through the middle of the crowd. Several military officials followed behind me.
"Lady Siena! The soldiers have returned; have we won the war!?"
"If Lady Siena is the one leading, surely our forces will always win, right?"
Hearing the questions from the citizens made my heart feel very heavy.
"Lady Siena!"
"Lady Siena, I can't find my son at all in his squad's line! What actually happened there!? Why have you returned!?"
"Lady Siena, we beg you, please speak!"
I ignored them, but the longer I kept my mouth shut, the more suspicious the citizens' expressions became. The tone of their questions changed from curiosity while waiting for good news into despair, as they failed to understand my unusual silence.
We lost...
I wanted to tell them the truth...
However, panic and fear would ensue if they found out we lost half of our forces in this defeat.
Yet, I also did not want to lie to them. Therefore, throughout the journey, I remained silent and did not respond to them.
In this difficult situation, everyone must remain optimistic. Although I knew this was my duty as the nation's greatest hope, I still couldn't stop thinking about everyone who died under my leadership.
I cannot always optimistically reassure everyone when the facts and reality say otherwise.
They nickname me "The Miracle." However, I am just a human who cannot always perform miracles in everything.
It is all a falsehood.
All my knowledge, all my experience, and my strength are merely the results of imitation, gained from those two great women. All my achievements are a sham. Even the magic I possess is solely because of my bloodline, after learning this information from that man.
I am not a genius like they think at all.
Why is the burden of a nation's future thrust upon just one person? Miracles do not happen on their own. There are limits to what one person can do.
Because of that...
I often feel that this responsibility is too heavy for me to bear alone.
After all the soldiers returned to the barracks, I headed to the State Palace to report everything that had occurred during the four months of war.
However, as I was about to have an audience with Father, I was informed that he was holding a meeting with a diplomat from the Kingdom of Draconia.
I suspect they were discussing the death of Prince Vlad in the previous battle.
Vlad was the youngest of the three sons of King Radu mel Dracus. Normally, this death should not affect the succession of their Kingdom, considering the Crown Prince is still alive and has a newborn son.
Not long after, the President's office door opened. A neatly dressed man emerged from the room. Noticing my presence, he bowed before leaving the corridor of the President's office.
"Siena, you've arrived."
I saw Father calling me. He was sitting at his desk.
"Come in and take a seat."
I nodded and entered the room.
After the door closed, Father stood up and took out a pipe he usually used for smoking. After lighting it, he took a puff, walked to the window, and blew the smoke outside.
Father's face looked as though it had aged several years. I suppose this was due to the lack of sleep and the stress he experienced while our country was at war.
"We suffered a defeat, didn't we?" Father asked, his face still turned toward the window.
"That is correct. The Empire used brilliant tactics, and Princess Elena was able to kill Prince Vlad in battle," I answered him.
The Imperial tactic of creating tunnels connected to the city was very clever. I believe that in world history, such a tactic has been used for the first time in warfare.
I wondered who proposed such a plan.
Furthermore, Prince Vlad's death caused the magic—which should have countered Princess Elena's abilities and weakened the enemy's strength—to vanish, leaving us with no advantage for the remainder of the battle after he fell.
"The diplomat from the Kingdom of Draconia talked about your engagement to their late Prince," Father revealed to me. "He said the Kingdom of Draconia would not ask for a renewal of the agreement because of this."
"Is that so? It seems that after this defeat, they are trying not to be too tied to us, aren't they?" I said, considering the intentions of the Kingdom of Draconia.
After the defeat in the Battle of Tusculum, the Empire's victory in this war was becoming more apparent, while the alliance would find it difficult to achieve victory. The Alliance would start thinking about a negotiation to end the war.
Because we are in a bad position now, the conditions of these negotiations will certainly be very one-sided and detrimental to our side. However, the Greco Republic and the Kingdom of Draconia will not face conditions that are too dire, because the Empire's target in this war is only the Republic of Venetia.
However, it seems the Kingdom of Draconia is preparing for the worst. Unlike the Greco Republic, Imperial envoys approached the Kingdom of Draconia to form an alliance, but they ultimately chose us as allies against the Empire.
This could worsen the conditions of the peace negotiations between the two parties.
Because of that, it seems the Kingdom of Draconia is trying as much as possible not to be tied to us, so the terms of the Empire's peace negotiations with their Kingdom won't be too heavy.
"Tell me, Siena. Was I wrong to lead our nation into this war?" Father asked, having stopped smoking and now looking at me.
"No, Father," I answered him while shaking my head. "If we want our nation to survive and prosper so that others do not bully our people as they did in the past, then we must be more active in thwarting our enemies and influencing other nations on this continent."
In tearing down the Empire's dominance, war was surely unavoidable. As a superpower, the Empire will always threaten nations that try to shake their dominance, whether through subtle means or force, like this current war.
"Then, can we still win the war after this defeat?" Father asked again.
I don't know...
That was the answer I wanted to give. However, for years, Father and the others have always asked for my guidance whenever we faced difficult situations. Therefore, if I—whom they consider a genius—lack confidence in front of them, everyone else will also become pessimistic, impacting their fighting spirit.
"There is still one hope, Father," I answered him. "A naval battle."
"Hmm... A naval battle, is it?" Father muttered, stroking his chin. "Long ago, specifically almost 250 years ago, the Aragon Empire once declared war on our nation. However, as they sailed through the Bay of Cosentia to launch an invasion of Florentia Island, their fleet was suddenly struck by a storm that destroyed the entire Imperial force."
Exactly.
It is written in the history books of the Republic of Venetia that the Aragon Empire, which was still a Kingdom at the time, declared war on our then-weak nation. However, just as their war fleet was about to reach Florentia Island, the sky suddenly turned black, and lightning struck the sea and their ships.
Eyewitnesses said a high wave was created that struck and pushed the Kingdom of Aragon's ships far away from Florentia Island, as if there were someone who did not want the island to be stepped upon by the Aragon people.
This event has now become a legend—that there is an entity protecting this island from its enemies. However, as time passed, this legend became a myth among the Venetian people.
Even this defeat was not recorded in the Empire's history books, surely because they were utterly defeated in the war due to that single event.
"Are you sure they will dare to sail and invade this island?" Father asked for my opinion.
"They will most likely do it, Father," I replied quite confidently. "They surely want to conquer our capital to show the world that their power must be feared by other nations on this continent."
For that reason, this battle will be our last chance to turn the tide. If we lose this final battle, then the future of the Venetian people is over!
***
[Raul PoV]
A few days after the battle ended, the Empire is currently focusing on gathering resources in the form of wood to build a fleet capable of carrying the entire army to sail and attack the capital of the Republic of Venetia—Florentia.
However, it will take time to restore our strength after the Battle of Tusculum City ended.
In that battle, although we won, a total of 40,000 people lost their lives. The most casualties came from the 30,000 troops who attacked the city from the front, causing the enemy's entire defense to focus on them.
Currently, I am at the harbor, enjoying the sunset visible on the horizon.
The sound of seagulls chirping and the sound of the ocean waves make me feel very comfortable here.
"Have you been waiting long?"
I heard a woman's voice to my right.
Turning to the side, I saw a blonde woman standing and smiling at me while placing both her wrists behind her back.
"Is the meeting over?" I asked her.
"It's over," Elena answered as she sat beside me to enjoy the beautiful view. "We will start sailing in 2-3 months from now."
"Then, did you tell Marshal Salazar about the Empire's previous attack?"
Hearing my question, Elena only sighed in resignation.
"They wouldn't listen," Elena replied, slightly disappointed. "They said, 'We need not fear events that happened by mere coincidence'."
No, the destruction of the Aragon Kingdom's fleet back then was not because of coincidental bad weather, but rather caused by a certain creature. If we don't have a plan to seal it, then the victory we previously achieved will be in vain.
Furthermore, the sea will flood the land, and several coastal cities will sink due to the rampage of this creature.
The creature I am talking about is a Demigod...
This type of creature is the pinnacle of monsters or living beings that can roam freely in this world. The Demon King is also a Demigod. However, unlike the Demon King, this particular Demigod has only its soul remaining and cannot continuously manifest its physical form in this world.
Goddess Diana established new rules in her world when many Demigods began to appear: they were not allowed to interfere with the lives of other creatures using the great power they possessed.
If they violated this, Goddess Diana would punish the Demigods, just as she did to the Demon King by banishing him to another, worse world.
That is why... When a naval battle occurs between the two sides, I must be able to seize it from Siena.
The name of the Demigod that destroyed the Aragon Kingdom's war fleet back then is...
Celestia—Mother of The Sea.