June 1916.
Macedonia.
Bilato was a mountainous forest region on the border between Macedonia and Greece. Of course, after the Ottoman Empire's influence withdrew from Macedonia, the area changed hands several times before finally falling into the Kingdom of Serbia's possession.
But good times did not last. The Kingdom of Serbia had now been destroyed by the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its ally Bulgaria. Its government and military had no choice but to retreat into the mountains and continue resisting from neighboring countries.
With the arrival of summer, the entire Balkan Peninsula became exceptionally scorching. The cries of cicadas rang through the forest as soldiers of the Kingdom of Dalmatia searched the border, sweating beneath the blazing heat as they hunted the remnants of the Kingdom of Serbia.
A small unit threaded its way through Macedonia's mountain forests, trudging along the narrow paths with dejected faces.
Listening to the cicadas overhead, Makarić said impatiently, "I heard that Macedonian farmers like to bury cicadas in the ground because it makes it easier to get money. Right now, though, all I want is to knock those cicadas out of the trees and grind them beneath my boots a few times."
The squad leader, Taros, seemed not to hear the complaint in Makarić's words. He said, "The war has gone on for so long. The fighting in the Kingdom of Serbia is basically over now. The only pity is that the Serbs escaped into Greece, so we must guard this place strictly and prevent them from regrouping and infiltrating back across the border."
"Although Bilato really is no place for people to stay, we cannot delay the greater situation because of that. Besides, be thankful! If it were winter, you probably would not want to be here either."
The Balkan Peninsula,