Arc 4 Chapter 28 : Bridge

[Alesio POV]

Several days passed.

Although we already knew the location of the Imperial forces that had disappeared in this region, whenever we approached them with the 30,000 troops provided by the Kingdom of Draconia, they would always retreat rather than engage us in open combat.

Even when we tried baiting them by bringing only 5,000 troops, they still refused to take the bait and simply remained where they were. And whenever those 5,000 troops approached them, the 10,000 Imperial soldiers would retreat even farther.

Yesterday, we had even attempted to surround them by dividing our forces into three groups. However, they responded to our strategy by dividing their own forces as well.

In the end, we had only managed to surround around a thousand of them.

That strategy would not work twice, because they would be more cautious next time.

For the past several days, all we had done was play a game of cat and mouse with the Imperial forces.

"They're playing with us!" General Melisandru shouted in frustration. "If this continues, we'll waste all our time chasing them around this region!"

He was absolutely right.

Nearly ten days had passed, and we still hadn't made any progress in this region.

"Lord Alesio, what about the logistical supplies for our troops?" General Melisandru shifted his attention toward me. "Several days have already passed since the promised delivery date, yet the Caravan from the Republic of Venetia still hasn't arrived in this region!"

"Our food supplies will only last another twenty days. If we wait any longer, I may have no choice but to withdraw our forces from this region to prevent our soldiers from starving in enemy territory!"

We had already been waiting four days for the Caravan from Avelino City, yet not a single wagon carrying logistical supplies had arrived.

According to the schedule, the next shipment was supposed to depart tomorrow.

But if my bad feeling was correct, the next shipment would not arrive either.

I needed to return to the city and find out what had actually happened.

"General, if you permit me, may I return to my country to find out what happened to the logistical shipments being sent to this region?" I asked General Melisandru.

"I hope you can send those supplies to us as quickly as possible, Lord Alesio," the General replied. "Otherwise, this offensive operation in the eastern territories of the Empire will fail."

I couldn't allow us to suffer a defeat on the Eastern Front.

If that happened, the pressure on the Empire would be reduced, allowing them to send reinforcements to the Western Front, where the Empire's Main Army was currently attacking our territory.

"Very well, General. I promise I will bring the logistical supplies here as quickly as possible."

[Balian POV]

The atmosphere inside the city's Military Logistics Department was tense.

Several days ago, a Caravan transporting logistical supplies to the Kingdom of Draconia's forces in Imperial territory had suddenly been attacked by an unknown group.

Several surviving witnesses claimed that the attackers were bandits.

However, according to the soldiers who had also been present, the enemies who ambushed them had been far too professional to be ordinary bandits.

The Republic of Venetia then dispatched five hundred men to search for the attackers around the site of the incident.

However, after searching day and night, they found nothing.

That was only natural.

According to Boss Raul, their operational base was on the other side of the river, specifically in the forest near Ostia Village, which was located very far from the ambush site.

"They're obviously not bandits! They must be Imperial Special Forces who infiltrated this region!"

"How could Imperial troops possibly be operating in this area!? The secret route we discovered is heavily guarded by us on this side and by the Kingdom of Draconia's forces on the other! If any Imperial troops made it through, they must have already been here before the war began!"

I was currently inside the Military Logistics Department, specifically in the conference room.

All the military officials in the building were discussing the ambush against the Caravan carrying logistical supplies for the Kingdom of Draconia's army.

"Whether they were here before or after the war began, the fact remains that their forces have now cut off the logistical supplies we're sending to the Kingdom of Draconia," Miss Milessa said, causing everyone in the room to fall silent. "We need to resolve this problem as quickly as possible!"

Time had become the greatest enemy of the Military Logistics Department's personnel.

It was estimated that the Kingdom of Draconia's logistical supplies would run out in only twenty days.

Perhaps thirty days at most if they reduced the soldiers' food rations.

If we couldn't deliver food within that timeframe, the Alliance's offensive operation in the eastern territories of the Empire would be over.

"Colonel Riggani, how many troops can you deploy to eliminate the Imperial Special Forces operating in this region?" Miss Milessa asked a middle-aged man in a military uniform.

"There are currently 10,000 troops stationed in Luceria Fortress City," the Colonel replied. "I can order 2,000 of my soldiers to quickly comb through the forests and search for our enemies."

"Very well. We will send another logistical shipment tonight, this time with 1,000 escorts," Miss Milessa said. "Hopefully, they won't expect us to make the delivery at night. In addition, with five times more escorts than before, I hope we can prevent them from destroying the logistical Caravan we send this time."

One thousand troops?

I had no idea how Boss Raul would carry out an operation against a force that large.

My only task was to report all information regarding the location and route the Caravan carrying logistical supplies to the Kingdom of Draconia would take.

On top of that, 2,000 troops would begin searching the forests where they were currently hiding.

With only 200 men at their disposal, I thought things would become quite difficult for them now that they were facing a force ten times larger.

[Raul POV]

That afternoon, I was at the operational base we had established several days earlier.

Stolen story; please report.

After we successfully destroyed the Caravan carrying supplies to the Kingdom of Draconia a few days ago, the spy I had placed inside the enemy's Logistics Department still hadn't sent me another message.

It seemed the Republic of Venetia was still trying to determine our location before sending another shipment and taking greater precautions.

"You've never eaten pork before, Scarlett!?" Viera exclaimed.

She was sitting beside the red-haired woman near the campfire.

"I suppose that's understandable, considering you're the daughter of a Duke. You probably only ever ate the finest beef."

Hearing Viera's remark, Scarlett simply nodded and took a bite of the roasted pork Viera had hunted with her bow earlier.

After our victory that day, the soldiers' morale had improved once again despite losing several of their comrades.

I had also noticed that they had grown accustomed to living in the wilderness like this.

"Hmm...?"

Suddenly, I noticed a light glowing from an artifact inside my uniform pocket.

I activated the artifact, and the light began blinking at various intervals.

I began translating the code and received a message.

"Night. One thousand escorts. Two thousand searchers."

Although the message had been shortened for convenience, I understood exactly what my spy was telling me.

I then pulled a piece of paper from the back pocket of my trousers.

It was a map of the Eastern Territories of the Republic of Venetia.

If the information from my spy was correct, their Caravan would have to cross the bridge over the Apulia River after reaching Ostia Village.

With 1,000 troops escorting them, we wouldn't be able to eliminate them quickly even if we launched an ambush.

The only way was to blow up the bridge.

However, according to our reconnaissance, there was a military outpost near the bridge.

And because of the previous ambush, they had increased the number of troops stationed there.

We would have to defeat the guards first before we could destroy the bridge they would be using.

To be honest, we had explosives that we had taken from the Republic of Venetia's forces during a previous battle.

However, I wouldn't be satisfied with simply destroying the bridge.

I thought I would use the same method we had employed during the survival exam on the island last year.

After deciding what we would do next, I jumped down from the tree and landed on the ground.

Everyone immediately turned their attention toward me and stopped whatever they had been doing.

"What's going on, Captain?" Viera asked.

"We have a new job," I told everyone. "Thirty people will come with me. We're heading to Aquilino Bridge, ten kilometers from here."

I then explained that a Caravan carrying logistical supplies for the Kingdom of Draconia would pass over the bridge tonight.

"Our mission is to sabotage that bridge so the Caravan won't be able to cross," I told them. "However, there is a military outpost there. First, we have to eliminate the soldiers guarding it."

I then selected the people I trusted to accomplish the mission without getting themselves killed needlessly.

Once the thirty people had been chosen, I began explaining the plan we would use to seize the bridge.

"First, Viera and I will infiltrate the area and take control of the alarm signal system," I explained. "Viera and I are the only ones here who know the Featherstep technique, so we're the only ones who can move around the area with relative freedom without being detected."

I also ordered the others to hide on a hill and wait for Viera's signal before launching their attack.

"Does anyone have any questions?" I asked everyone after finishing the briefing.

Everyone remained silent in response.

"If not, we'll leave immediately. We can't let the Caravan arrive before us."

I could only hope that there would be no casualties during the operation we were about to undertake.

[Viera POV]

After traveling for two hours, we finally reached the Aquilino Bridge shortly before nightfall.

The bridge connected the territory of Avelino City with the territory of Luceria Fortress City, which were separated by a fairly large river.

The river flowed from the Montana Mountains toward the Gulf of Cosentia.

The area surrounding the river was also filled with hills that encircled the bridge.

It seemed this place had once been a canyon long ago.

There was a military outpost at each end of the bridge, and numerous soldiers could be seen standing guard there.

It was clear that our mission would not be easy.

Currently, everyone participating in the mission was positioned on a hill not far from the bridge.

We were observing the situation before beginning our operation.

"All right. Before we begin the mission, I'll explain each stage of the operation so we can avoid casualties," Captain Raul said as he looked at all of us.

He then explained that the two of us would infiltrate the military outpost first.

At a glance, there appeared to be more than a hundred guards stationed at the military outposts on both sides of the bridge.

After disabling the guard tower, Captain Raul and I would begin eliminating the guards one by one.

Once the guards at the outpost on the opposite side realized what was happening, I would release a signal for the others to attack while all the guards were focused on the two of us.

After giving the instructions, Captain Raul and I separated from the others.

We descended the hill and swam across the river to reach the opposite side.

Afterward, we began climbing up toward the military outpost located on the right side of the bridge.

"Is it true that Imperial troops have entered this region?"

"I suppose so. Originally, this bridge was guarded by only fifty men, but after the previous ambush, the number of guards here was increased to 150."

I could hear the guards at the military outpost discussing our previous operation.

There were six buildings inside the outpost.

Our first target was the guard tower.

However, before reaching it, we had to eliminate the guards keeping watch without being detected.

Captain Raul and I moved slowly whenever the guards' gazes were directed elsewhere.

We activated the Featherstep technique to eliminate the sound of our footsteps, then hid behind a dumpster when the guards' attention shifted back toward us.

— Tap... Tap... Tap...

Footsteps approached.

Three guards were coming our way.

Captain Raul signaled for me to use my Silent ability.

I nodded and prepared one of my Profound Codices, Sound Proof.

This magic could create a soundproof area, making it extremely useful for missions like this.

Once the guards in the Guard Tower were no longer looking in our direction, I activated Sound Proof around the three guards nearby.

— Swooshh...

Captain Raul drew a knife and instantly lunged toward the three guards.

All three looked shocked and reached for their swords when they saw him approaching.

They appeared to be shouting, but no sound came out of their mouths.

Captain Raul stabbed one of the guards in the neck.

The man collapsed onto the ground, clutching his neck as blood began pouring from the wound.

Another guard swung his sword horizontally, attempting to sever Captain Raul's neck.

However, the black-haired man ducked beneath the attack and drove the knife in his right hand into the guard's heart.

The final guard screamed, but once again, not a single sound escaped his mouth.

Captain Raul then slit his throat, killing him.

After killing the three guards, Captain Raul signaled with his hand for me to move toward the Guard Tower immediately.

We had to hurry before the other guards discovered the bloodstains and corpses of the men we had just killed.

There were two men standing in front of the Guard Tower's entrance.

I activated Sound Proof again, and Captain Raul swiftly eliminated the two guards.

Watching his movements, I realized that he was using magic far superior to either Accel or Acceleration.

His movement and reaction speed were completely different from what I had seen when we carried out our internship the previous year.

We opened the door to the Guard Tower.

Inside, five people immediately looked shocked at the sight of the two of us.

I used Sound Proof once again to suppress their screams.

Captain Raul immediately engaged three of them while I drew two daggers and lunged toward the other two guards as they attempted to draw their swords.

One of the two men I was fighting thrust his sword toward me.

I deflected his blade with my left dagger, then slit his throat with the dagger in my right hand.

His companion launched the same thrusting attack, but I spun my body to evade it before driving my right dagger into the man's chin and slicing through his neck.

After defeating both of my opponents, I turned toward Captain Raul.

He had just decapitated the final enemy he was fighting.

The floor of the building was covered in blood, and the stench of death had already begun to fill the air.

Afterward, Captain Raul and I climbed the stairs and eliminated the four guards stationed at the top of the Guard Tower.

"All right, Viera. The first stage of the mission is complete," Captain Raul said.

From the top of the tower, Captain Raul and I could see the entire area surrounding the military outpost.

The guards had already realized that we had infiltrated their position.

Some of them were even running toward the building to attack us.

"We're under attack! I just found Patrick's corpse near the warehouse!"

"I saw two strangers enter the Guard Tower! Hurry, chase them upstairs!"

Hearing this, Captain Raul walked toward the staircase and prepared to defend it.

Meanwhile, I drew the bow hanging across my back and began aiming at the guards approaching from below.

— Swosshh! Swoosshh!

I fired arrows at the guards from above.

"Damn it! Quickly, find an angle the archer can't reach!"

The guards began spreading out toward corners that were difficult for me to target.

However, I could still shoot several guards who were farther away from the tower.

At the same time, I heard the clash of swords and cries of pain coming from behind me.

Captain Raul seemed to be fighting at the very staircase we had just climbed.

With the staircase being so narrow, their numerical advantage wouldn't mean much here.

"Quickly, call the guards at the military outpost on the other side of the bridge! Tell them to help us defeat these intruders!"

Hearing one of the guards shout this, I turned toward the bridge.

Dozens of guards from the other military outpost were already heading toward us to surround our position.

"Captain! I'll fire the signal!" I shouted to Captain Raul as I raised my bow toward the sky.

"All right! I'm starting to get overwhelmed here, too!"

I channeled Mana into the arrow I was holding.

Once the arrow began glowing with magical energy, I fired it into the sky.

The arrow exploded like a firework high above us.

It was the signal for our comrades to begin their attack.