[Ezio PoV]
The sound of waves and seagulls filled the air as I stood at the edge of the ship's deck, leaning my head out over the railing.
That's right—we are currently at sea, heading toward the City of Avelino.
"Uggghh... Why do we have to take a ship again for this trip?" I groaned, struggling to suppress the urge to vomit.
"What else can we do? Traveling by sea is faster because we don't need to stop for rest, right?" Marcela said, gently rubbing the back of my neck.
Even though I understood the logic, I still would have preferred walking over enduring this dizziness and nausea.
"As usual, you can never handle traveling by ship, can you, Ezio?"
Hearing someone call my name, I turned to the side. A handsome man with dark blue hair was approaching.
"Vice-Captain," I greeted him.
He is Valentino Calguera—the Vice-Captain of the Cavalier Squad and the second strongest person in this Battalion after Captain Siena.
"Hold on a little longer, Ezio. Tomorrow we will arrive at Avelino City and hunt down the Imperial forces operating there," Vice-Captain Valen said.
"Vice-Captain, why are we bothering with a handful of enemy troops in the eastern region?" I asked him. "Aren't the forces already stationed there enough to defeat the roughly 100 Imperial troops rumored to have appeared?"
How could a mere few hundred troops require Captain Siena to personally come here with the entire Battalion to eradicate them? It makes it seem like the troops guarding the eastern region are completely useless.
On the other hand, the warfare we faced on the Western Front was much more brutal. Even though hundreds of thousands of Imperial troops attacked, we never gave up and managed to turn the tide with fewer soldiers.
"I don't know much about the Imperial forces causing trouble in this eastern region, Ezio," the Vice-Captain answered. "However, their threat must be real enough for Captain Siena to step in personally to wipe them out."
I just hope they really are strong; it would be a waste to travel all the way from the West to the East if all we face are weaklings.
After three days and three nights of sailing in the Gulf of Cosentia, we finally docked at the pier of Avelino City. Unlike the western part of our country, the citizens here seem unaffected by the war. I suppose that makes sense, considering the enemy's offensive was focused on the Western Front. They even sent over a hundred thousand troops to that region.
After arriving in the city area, Captain Siena ordered us to go to an inn to rest, while she went to the Military Logistics Department to discuss something. She said that once she understands the situation in this region, we will immediately move to find and eradicate the Imperial forces in the east.
Upon arriving at the inn, I immediately threw myself onto the bed and slept the whole day to recover from the seasickness I endured during the trip.
***
[Siena PoV]
After arriving in Avelino City, I went straight to the city's Military Logistics Department building.
There, I immediately met with Madam Milessa—the woman responsible for military logistics affairs in this region.
Entering the office of the Head of Regional Military Logistics, I saw a woman in her 30s sitting at her desk, reading several documents. Noticing my arrival, she put down the documents and smiled at me.
"Major Siena, you've arrived," Madam Milessa said. "Please, have a seat."
I nodded and sat in front of Madam Milessa's desk. "I'll get straight to the point, Madam Milessa. What happened to the logistics supply shipments for the Draconia Kingdom Forces?"
She then told me the same thing Alesio had reported. However, Madam Milessa added that these Imperial forces somehow always know exactly when and where our supply caravans are located.
"Major Siena, I suspect—"
"There is a spy within the Military Logistics Department." I cut Madam Milessa off.
I had already suspected this. It is impossible for Imperial forces to constantly monitor the location of the caravans without being detected by the escort troops. The only answer is that someone is feeding them information regarding the departure times and the routes used by the logistics caravans.
Even if Madam Milessa ordered the caravans to be split into two or three groups using different routes, as long as this spy provides information on where they are going, the enemy forces in this region will still be able to ambush them.
If we want to resume sending logistics supplies to the Draconia Kingdom forces currently fighting in Imperial territory, we must catch this spy and destroy the Imperial forces that keep ambushing the caravans.
"Madam Milessa, you have three assistant staff members, don't you?" I asked her. "May I request their data?"
"Of course, Major Siena." She took several documents and handed them to me.
I saw the data of two men and one woman.
According to these records, all three entered the Logistics Department at the same time. However, one man and one woman were originally warehouse guards in the capital before being promoted and transferred to this city to become logistics receiving and shipping staff for Avelino City.
"I have a plan to reveal who the Imperial spy in this building is," I told her.
"What kind of plan, Major Siena?" the woman asked curiously.
"We will split the logistics supply shipments into three groups this time," I answered. "You will tell each of these three staff members a different route for the delivery. We will know who the spy is based on which group gets attacked by the Imperial forces in the region."
"But Major Siena, we still have to wait for the commodity delivery from the capital before we can make a shipment of this scale," Madam Milessa said.
"There's no need to fill these caravans with a lot of supplies; our goal this time isn't to maximize the delivery, but to find out who the spy giving information to the Imperial forces is," I countered.
Since the Aquilino bridge was destroyed, there are only two ways to send shipments to the Empire's eastern region. The first is by using ships to drop supplies at the mouth of the Apulia River, which would then be carried by two caravan groups to the Luceria Fortress City. From there, those two caravans would take two different paths: one toward Benevento Village and the other toward Anconia Village. After that, both groups would meet at the entrance to the Stretto path, where a guarded military post is located.
The final caravan group will pass through the Mazovia Forest. Even if the enemy suspects why we are sending a caravan through a forest filled with wild beasts, they will likely think we have become desperate enough to use such a route. However, my prediction is that if they intend to ambush this caravan, they will do so before the group enters the Mazovia Forest.
Once we catch this spy, we will destroy their forces roaming this region.
***
[Balian PoV]
In the morning, after helping the caravan crews sort the commodities to be sent as logistics supplies for the Draconia Kingdom forces, I returned to the Military Logistics Department building to report to my superior, Madam Milessa.
After I report, Madam Milessa usually gives me an assignment letter to be handed to the Caravan Master, certifying that the commodities they carry belong to the state. Additionally, I would be informed of the route and when the caravans would move.
However, what I noticed this time is that the logistics supplies being sent are not as plentiful as before. Are they afraid that Boss Raul and the others will ambush the caravans again? Is that why they are sending a smaller amount of supplies this time?
— Knock! Knock! Knock!
I knocked on the door of Madam Milessa's office.
"Come in."
Opening the door, I saw Madam Milessa sitting in her office alone. However, for some reason, I caught a scent of perfume that Madam Milessa doesn't usually wear.
"Balian, how are the preparations?" Madam Milessa asked me.
"Just waiting for the assignment letter and the caravans will be ready to depart, Madam," I replied.
Hearing my answer, Madam Milessa then gave me a letter that was still sealed with the stamp of the Military Logistics Department.
"This caravan group will take the Mazovia Forest route."
I furrowed my brows hearing Madam Milessa's words. However, I still accepted the letter and left the room to give directions to the caravan crews.
Why are they taking a route as dangerous as the Mazovia Forest? This trip is like suicide because many wild beasts will catch the scent of the food supplies carried by the group.
However, I also saw that the troops escorting this caravan are quite numerous. It seems the Venetian Republic is so desperate to send these supplies to the Draconia Kingdom forces that they have made such a risky decision.
After giving the assignment letter to the Caravan Master, I immediately went to a secluded place to report this information to Boss Raul.
***
[Raul PoV]
Seven days have passed since our last operation attacking the Military Post and destroying the connecting bridge often used to cross the Apulia River.
So far, there have been no further attempts by the Venetian Republic to send supplies. I suppose this is natural, considering we have successfully ambushed their logistics caravans twice. It seems they will be cautious this time and look for a route they think we would never expect.
On the other hand, the scout team I assigned to monitor the surrounding area found 2,000 troops deployed to search for us, crossing the Apulia River after finishing a sweep of the forest area to the east. Next, they will surely conduct a sweep of the forest where our base of operations is located.
However, I am not too worried because we have already made preparations to face them. If they draw near, we will crush those troops until they no longer dare to search for us in this region.
While thinking about our operations in this area, the communication artifact in my pocket suddenly emitted a light. After channeling Mana into it, the light began to blink. I started translating the Morse code Balian sent to me.
"Mazovia Forest, supplies fewer than usual."
The Mazovia Forest, huh? They are even taking the risk of entering this dangerous route just to send logistics supplies to the Draconia Kingdom forces.
But why did they reduce the logistics ratio they are sending this time? I suppose it is reasonable enough, given that we ambush their caravans every time they make a delivery. Still, for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.
However, I cannot just stand by and let this caravan penetrate the forest, even though there is a small chance they would make it to the Margraviate of Cataluna, as the wild beasts inhabiting that forest would surely hunt them throughout the journey.
After making a decision, I gathered 50 men to ambush the caravan carrying logistics supplies that is about to enter the Mazovia Forest.