"Where're our reinforcements?!" shouted one of Iowa's soldiers as they fought through the enemy onslaught.

"Just shut up and keep firing!" Iowa shouted back as she reloaded her weapon and went straight back to firing.

The soldiers were well trained, managing to take down their enemies in only one or two shots, but due to the enemies' overwhelming numbers. It meant that they're the ones who'll be out of bullets first.

The skirmish was at its peak. Bullets flew from all sides, and as the sun raged on with its heat, it started to exhaust both sides.

Isuzu watched from the back. Hearing the echoes of gunshots and whistling bullets, sometimes she even had to hide behind a tree as stray bullets landed near her.

"You should keep your head down, lest they see you here." told one of the scouts to Isuzu.

"Oh, right, sorry!" apologised Isuzu.

"It's odd seeing the captain like that no?" said the other scout.

"Yeah, ever since she heard about the mission about Iyala. She had been pretty blue ever since." answered his mate.

d "Iyala?" asked Isuzu.

One of the scouts looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, there was a mission-"

But before the scout could fill her in about the mission. The other scout interrupted him, "Wait! You shouldn't be telling her secret information!" he said. "Jeez, this is why you never get promoted, Goldfish!"

His mate laughed, "Don't be such a lad, Chad!"

Isuzu, who now knew their names, chuckled "The two of you must've been through a lot, eh?" asked Isuzu.

The scouts faced Isuzu and recalled their past memories.

"Aye," said Goldfish, "Our platoon under Captain Iowa had been pretty close."

"She's a good captain, always looked up to her sister, the Colonel, Sonia", said Chad.

"Sonia?" Isuzu asked, "Her older sister?"

"Indeed," Goldfish answered, "Even on our darkest hour, just as long she could go home to see her, she'd live her whole life making mistakes to see that happen", he added.

"But," Chad hesitated and looked at Isuzu, "Could you keep a secret, miss?" he then asked.

Isuzu nodded. Chad nodded back and sighed, "There had been a mission on a remote location under the command of the colonel, her sister. And ever since we had received no word from them, she started to act in such a way that it's worrying."

"Oh," Isuzu said, and as the mood started to have taken a more pessimistic tone, said Goldfish. "But ever since the general had sent us on this mission, her mind started to think about the target-err her, more often."

"What do you mean?" asked Chad.

"She started to act more jolly and positive, even scrambling us off to different directions so that she could talk to her herself! As well as telling the men on the front line to not hurt the enemy angel just because it's her best friend!" answered Goldfish.

"Eh?" Isuzu and Chad reacted.

"She told us about how the two of you were friends during your childhood, isn't that correct?" asked the scout.

Isuzu nodded, "Yeah, even up until right now we still are."

Chad laughed. He looked at Isuzu in a serious yet friendly tone, "I apologise for my friend here, but our captain is going through a lot about her sister right now. She isn't gloomy or devastated by it, but please find it in your heart to guide her properly."

"Eh, why me?" asked an embarrassed Isuzu as she got chills down her spine from hearing such a responsibility."

"Well, to be quite honest with you, you remind me of her sister", Chad said, and quickly took it back. "Err sorry! That's a weird thing to say."

Isuzu chuckled, "No, it's fine, I understand, but this is a lot to take in."

"What do you mean?" asked Chad.

"Well, why does have my dream and the letter have to do all of this?" Isuzu said, the scouts looked at each other and scrambled for an answer.

Then before they could answer the question, something rustled deep within the forest.

The two scouts looked far in the forest in front of them.

"Miss, hide!" exclaimed Goldfish as they picked up their rifles.

Isuzu hid down a pit as her heart started to pound fast, hoping nothing dire happens to any of them.

"By order of the New British Army 31st Foot Regiment under General Foster, identify yourselves!" shouted the unidentified figures.

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The scouts looked at each other, then Goldfish raised his arm, "Scouts, 42nd Foot Regiment under Captain Campbell!" he shouted.

"Do you have the objective?!" echoed the man in the forest.

"Show yourselves first!" answered Goldfish.

The men slowly walked out of the forests, with their rifles aimed, but as they recognised the presence of the friendly scouts, pulled down their rifles.

Then followed a woman with long, silver hair and red eyes. She wore a white summer dress that was simple and smooth in design and was just as tall as the soldiers. 

"Celeste, Angel of Natural Stability, and we're your reinforcements." announced the previous man.

"Do you have the trigger angel?" Celeste asked, in a gentle voice.

"Miss? You can come out now?" said Chad as the two of them looked back.

Isuzu crawled out of the pit and was helped by the two.

She stood up and faced the angel, "Ehehe... yes?" she anxiously asked.

The men behind her all marched away from the forest and ran to the front lines. Meanwhile, on the front, Iowa had received word of the arrival of reinforcements.

"Do they have the enemy angel? I can't find her!" asked Iowa.

"Yes, ma'am!" the lieutenant of the reinforcements shouted, "As well as their commander!" Iowa smiled and continued firing as she heard more and more gunshots fire from their side.

The enemy retreated, suppressing them until Iowa gave the order to charge.

Everyone stood up, bayonets fixed and charged at the fields. Still, by the time they got there, however, the enemy had fully retreated.

"Iowa", said Celeste as she approached Iowa.

"Celeste!" Iowa turned back to see Celeste and Isuzu behind her.

"Is everything alright?" asked Iowa.

"Yeah, so I reckon this is our target", Celeste asked as she faced Isuzu.

"Yep", Iowa answered as she took out the letter from her pocket.

"Hey!" Isuzu said as she pouted.

"No wonder I couldn't find it!"

"Sorry about that. Hehe." Iowa scratched her head.

"May I?" asked Celeste as she extended her hand, hoping to borrow it from her.

"Sure", answered Isuzu.

Celeste thanked Isuzu and faced Iowa.

Iowa lent the letter, and Celeste opened it. She took out the piece of paper and unfolded it. After a few seconds of looking, she folded it back and asked the two,

"Can I keep this?"

"Sure", said Isuzu.

"What are you going to do with it?" asked Iowa.

"It's complicated", answered Celeste as she hid it in her pocket.

Then a soldier ran to Celeste and reported, "Ma'am, the enemy angel is awake."

"Eleya?!" asked Isuzu.

"Oh right, Celeste?" asked Iowa, "Did you saw a small angel? She was with the enemies."

Celeste fell silent and instead told the two of them to follow her.

The two followed the angel to see the serviteur and Eleya.

Isuzu immediately rushed to Eleya. She was bounded by ropes and sat on the carriage with the bird beside her inside the cage. In contrast, the serviteur sat down on a separate carriage.

"Eleya! Are you alright?" Isuzu asked as she held her hands on her shoulder.

"Yeah." Eleya chuckled.

"Is it true, what they're saying?" the men slowly approached Isuzu, trying to comfort Eleya but was stopped by Iowa and Celeste.

Eleya fell silent and whispered, "It doesn't matter."

"What?"

"Should you take either side, the other will relentlessly come for you. You're the trigger angel, Isuzu. I'm sorry." Eleya said as she slowly passed out.

"Eleya? Eleya?!" Isuzu exclaimed, shaking her, trying to wake her up. Iowa approached Isuzu and placed her hand on Isuzu's shoulder.

"It's fine, she's just tired", said Iowa.

"She went through a lot, that girl," muttered Celeste, "She even fought the serviteur of Glenn Vista! No wonder why they were so disorganised!" she then giggled.

"Wait, serviteur?" the two asked. Celeste chuckled, "I'll explain later, but for now, let's go home, the general is waiting." the two looked at each other and nodded. Iowa ordered her platoon to get inside the carriages.

Isuzu sat down beside Eleya, letting her head rest on her shoulder as Iowa sat beside her.

The scouts, Goldfish and Chad, never got to find their horses and sat down in the carriages as well.

The convoy marched on for about an hour, still alert for any possible ambush. But with the serviteur and Eleya's capture, it seemed less and less so.

By sunset, they arrived at the border where more soldiers were waiting.

"We have the target." said the driver as they were halted.

The guards nodded and told them to enter the carriage, waiting for them along with the captain.

As they dismounted, Isuzu realised Eleya was going to be taken away.

Isuzu was not so pushy about it since Iowa had already convinced her that they'll make sure that they get to meet again.

Isuzu looked at Eleya and gave her a hug. She was still passed out, but Isuzu could feel her slow heartbeat.

As she let go of Eleya, the soldiers picked her up and gently rested her on a stretcher and took off.

Meanwhile, the serviteur got a harsher treatment by the general's special guards, "Oi, oi! You got a license for that over-sized hood?" asked one of the soldiers mockingly. They laughed on as they were dragged away.

"Those guards, always know how to crack the enemy's morale using the information I'm not even allowed to know", said Iowa as she chuckled on their jokes.

Isuzu felt less enthusiastic about her day, however, worried to death about her best friend.

"Hey, Isuzu?" asked Iowa as she caught the attention of the depressed Isuzu,

"Everything's going to be fine, we'll make sure nothing happens to you and Eleya."

"Did Sonia ever told you that?" Iowa's heart skipped a beat as she started to think about her sister.

"Sonia..."

Isuzu rubbed her eyes, "No sorry, that was a stupid question." she said as she got up and hugged Iowa.

"We'll find her..." Isuzu whispered, "Together."

"Y-yeah..." Iowa answered.

Meanwhile, inside a large office a few hours later, "We captured the serviteur, it was another dud." Celeste told the person sitting on the chair in front of a desk.

"The spy, the angel of the Animal Tongue, also turned her back on him, taking him down. We found the two deep in the forest", she added.

"The spy? Was she also a dud?" asked the person who had long curly blond hair sticking out from the large chair.

"No."

"Make sure you detain the two properly and give the target a place to stay for the time being."

"We have already given her fake identities, but she still doesn't know yet", Celeste answered.

"Oh and what about Sonia?" Celeste asked.

The person took some time to answer the question.

"I don't know..." answered the person.

Celeste looked down, sighing, "Should I tell Iowa-" Celeste was then interrupted.

"No, I'll tell her myself."

"Of course", Celeste answered.

"But, she's out there." then said the person. She stood up and looked at the window to see her carriage coming towards the building.

"They're coming", she said.

"Celeste, please escort them up here."

Celeste complied and left the room. The person sat back down as she rested her chin on her arms and whispered,

"This time, it's our turn..."