Now for the next episode, which will begin the introduction of new shows.


On Westria's side of the Alps, a squad of Germanian soldiers investigated a crash site. It was the remains of the twin-engine transport that got shot down not so long ago. They received the distress call before it crashed and were the first to arrive there as part of their responsibility.

Berkman stood upon the scrapped remains of the transport. All the personnel and experimental equipment were left behind….almost all of it. The only thing that was missing were two passengers as Rickert reported.

"So far, the only bodies we found were our own soldiers. There's no sign of a parachute used, either. What do you think happened to the princess and the specimen?"

"Maybe she was the real thing then."

Berkman's calm words startled Rickert for a moment.

"You mean, she's a descendant of Weisse Hexe?"

Berkman sighed as they moved on.

"Either way, it's our responsibility to go after her. We will call the workshop and tell them we're in pursuit."

A couple of soldiers with a large radio reported to the pair.

"Major! Incoming transmission from emergency HQ! A battle is about to begin on the plains south of Ruden Lake!"

Berkman understood what was going in that region. The Germanian troops were approaching Coenenberg, which was not far from their location. Upon hearing the news, Berkman figured out their ultimate destination.


"I see, so that's how it is…"

Tipler pondered as he hid in Alice's pocket. He and have been traveling beside Izetta and Fine, way ahead of the soldiers behind them.

The quartet found it necessary to keep private discussions among each other. It was perhaps the only time that they could do such a task. Time was of the essence now that Germania invaded with a large-scale force. They needed to know other now to ensure that they could trust each other. Their relationships were as much of a secret as their powers, which is why they found some place to be alone.

Fine started sharing their stories first, starting back when they first met. She also explained about the scar on her hip.

"Ever since the day we first met, the two of us treasured our friendship very deeply."

Alice started asking questions to Fine and her companion as they went forward.

"If you really like each other, why didn't you two stay together this entire time? Why live separate until now."

Izetta answered.

"It's because we're nomads. Unlike normal Witches, our clan never stayed in one place."

"So, there are more people like you?"

Izetta shook her head.

"I only lived with my grandmother for most of my life. She kept telling me that I would be the last of our clan. She always told me that our powers only bring grief and suffering to others. Therefore, I was to never use my powers for anything, even if it were for good. And because I did not have full control of my powers, we had to keep moving. The people of this continent despised people like us. For all my life, I felt scared, so much that I started to hate myself, and even the power I inherited."

Tipler pitied the little girl. But Alice had the opposite reaction. Instead, she slapped Izetta on the back to her shock.

"Don't be so down about it. Your princess seems to enjoy you and your powers, doesn't she? She seems to worship you if it's true that your clan descend from this legendary White Witch."

Fine gave a blush.

"Her powers were always interesting. She always talked to me about how she never smiled in real life because she was so scared everyone would hate her. Even when people did end up hating her, I always stood by her side."

"And now, it's because of your power that your princess is safe! If it weren't for you, your friend could have died by now, and…Izetta?"

Alice noticed that Izetta was still unmoved by her words. She looked worse than before as if a massive guilt trip happened.

"I'm not worthy of being her friend."

"Izetta?"

Fine stepped in to switch the conversation. She faced Alice specifically, who was the most talkative among them.

"I think we should now hear your side of the story. Who are you two exactly?"

Alice responded with pride like the last time.

"Well, to start, I'm Alice Alcubierre. And this here is Tipler, my…"

"I already know that. I mean, where did you two come from? And why do have a creature unlike any other as your companion?"

Alice sweated for the moment. Her face went red as well as she never thought over that part enough.

"Well, that's a long story. You see, I'm from the United States of Liberion."

Izetta only raised an eyebrow since she only heard the name. On the other hand, Fine's eyes were far more surprised.

"Liberion? You mean, you came all the way from the Atlantic?"

Alice gave a mischievous grin and winked at her.

"That's right! Well, I originally started south from Liberion, in the nation of Asteca. And even then, things got fuzzy."

Izetta and Fine focused on Alice as she told her story.

"You see, I was never born in such a tropical wasteland. I knew from the start, as did the family who adopted me, that I could never have been naturally born in this kind of world. For that very reason, they kept pestering me not to use them out in the open."

Alice raised her hand to show a powerful flame before immediately grabbing it, clenching her hand into a fist.

"If you ask me, this kind of power is my lifeblood. I knew that I could do anything if I convinced myself that this was a gift. Who cares if I must keep it a secret, screw what my parents or others think of it! This is my power, and I'm not going to let others tell me what to do with them!"

"I see…"

Fine gave an uneasy laugh. Izetta, however, had her face red. Perhaps it was jealousy over the girl, or rather shame that she didn't have the courage as Alice had. She only listened as Alice continued.

"After my parents passed away, I was given control of the house. But I didn't want just to remain stuck in a place like that. I made a promise to them that I would pursue an easier life than the one they had. That's why I left it all behind and headed off to the States. Then I saw all this stuff about the Empire of Germania and Neuroi waging war out here. I couldn't just let all of this crazy stuff happen, so I decided to help out."

Fine could understand Alice's desires well. But that also brought up another question.

"And how did you here from the United States?"

"Just found a food merchant ship en route to this place. I just stowed away in the cargo area, ate whatever stuff they transported, and finally got off without anyone noticing."

Fine smirked at the girl while also giving a glare.

"You better have paid for damaged goods then. If it weren't for the war, I would charge you for confessing to thievery and vandalizing personal property."

Alice waved her threat her threat.

"Ahh, it's no biggie. In fact, that's how I came to meet Tipler!"

Alice then grabbed the shocked Tipler and hugged him in front of her chest. Fine let out a more honest chuckle. She eyed on the creature and asked Alice again.

"I see, and what is his story?"

"I don't know. What he said was kind of iffy to me."

A question mark drew upon the other two girls as Alice gave a straight answer.

"Well, to start, Tipler says that he's a being from the future."

Izetta and Fine both had their eyes wide open, the princess was the one to talk.

"From the future!? Impossible!"

Tipler responded to the princess's shock over with a hint of guilt.

"A very distant one, I'm afraid."

"What brings you here? Of all places, why did you come to this period in time? Is it something to do with World War II and the Germanians winning the war?"

Alice was the one to answer that question.

"Tipler did not come here because of Germania. Hell, he says that he comes from a world where technology does not exist. Tanks and planes aside, he doesn't even know what money, trains, or guns are! It's like he came from medieval or prehistoric times or something."

Tipler looked down to confirm Alice's words.

"I'm afraid that where I come from, all of this is completely alien to me. However, I can not let it get in the way of my mission."

Fine then eyed on the little creature.

"And what is your mission?"

"To protect the world from the Vilag."

"The Vilag?"

Alice clarified Izetta's confusion.

"From what I understand, they're people like me, humans who have special abilities like the Witches of our world…although he keeps calling them Psionics."

Tipler went to explain the meaning of the term.

"Psionics differ from the…magic of our world. Seeing your powers in action, you all have a limit as to how much you can do with your abilities. The Vilag, on the other hand, have no such limitations except for their mental state and amount of practice. Simply put, as long as they can focus by even a little bit, they can bend the world as they see fit."

Izetta was the most shaken of the two. She may be a powerful Witch by her own right, but Tipler's words sounded like he knew her grave secret. Fine was also unnerved about these beings, wondering what would happen if they arrive.

"So these Vilag are that powerful?"

Alice replied as he hugged Tipler even more.

"That's why he found me! When I found him, he was looking for two people with Psionics who will defeat these evil Vilag, and I am one of them!"

"Two people?"

Tipler confirmed Alice's words.

"Yes, I thought if I could find one, then I could easily find the other. But considering she does not know of anyone else who wields Psionics, that does not appear to be the case."

"I wish we could help you in any way we can. However…"

Alice put Tipler back in her pouch as she responded.

"That's okay. You're fighting a war here, aren't you? Of course, you don't have much time! But that doesn't mean we have no reason to be here. I just need to get a taste of combat to prepare for the real bad guys. That way, when they arrive, I'll be ready to beat these Vilag to a bloody pulp whatever I see fit!"

"Is that so?"

Alice slammed her fist and palm together with glee, which gave Fine and Izetta an uneasy laugh. It would not be wrong to call Alice bold, especially if her first battle was trying to rescue her in the face of several fighter squadrons. But if Alice thought that would be enough to take on the whole Germanian force, then she was undoubtedly overconfident.

"Princess!"

Izetta called as they found Eylstadt soldiers rushing up from behind. Fine faced forward as did everyone else.

"We have arrived."

At the end of the trail, there was a large medieval castle standing by the cliff. Although the mountainside was covered in trees, there was enough visibility over the edge. On the side, they could see a river with all its bridges destroyed. On the other side was a column of tanks and trenches, poised to strike against the Germanian invaders.


The Eylstadt soldiers were busy setting up their new camp within the worn-down fortress. Even though it was in bad shape and abandoned for so long, it was still far better than the tents outside. The doctors begin treating the other wounded members while other scouts and soldiers set up guard posts around the castle.

Fine stayed in a mansion within the fort. For the past few hours, she conversed with the soldiers about Germania's advances. The duchy's future already looked grim as reports of more casualties and population centers lost to Germania came to her.

Right now, Fine remained in what used to be an old living room. The princess sat on a simple wooden chair with Alice and Izetta in front of her. She called all the soldiers to leave them alone as they began a private talk, with Alice breaking the silence.

"So, what's the situation?"

"I'm afraid to tell you that it's not looking good. The Germanian army has already broken through most of our defensive lines and crossed the Lach River. Our men destroyed the bridges to delay them, but as a result, we are unable to cross it ourselves."

"Then how do we get back to your capital?"

"There's a mountain pass we can take to get there, but it's a gamble. If Coenenberg falls before we make it there, we'll be completely surrounded."

"Coenenberg?"

"It's currently our last line of defense. Should Germania take control of it, they'll have an easy path to the capital via the main road. The people are evacuating, but even now, I fear that they'll begin bombing the city at any time."

"So, no good news, huh?"

"I'm afraid not. Without the help of the Allies, we've been on our own. But reports say that we have some soldiers form Karsland coming to assisting in Coenenberg's defense."

"Karsland?"

Fine turned to her friend to get her attention regarding the matter. It was important enough to avoid unnecessary casualties and fights.

"Something for you to know. As this point, we might come across soldiers who look and speak Germanian. However, these people are from an underground network within the Empire known as the Karsland resistance movement."

Alice rubbed her face with the palm of her hand with intrigue.

"Rebels against their own Empire, eh? What's their stake in this?"

"In case you either forgot or never learned this, Karsland was the original name for Germania. After the first World War, the nation reformed towards democracy, shifting power away from its monarchy much like all the other European nations. However, various problems made the new government indecisive, and the people were struggling for help. By the time the nation suffered a severe economic crisis, the current ruler had acted."

"That's the current Kaiser, Otto."

"He rallied the people to his side and convinced them to completely transfer power back to the royal family, revamping the nation's economy and infrastructure. The country changed so greatly that at the peak of its power, he deemed the name Karsland a name of the past. It was then that he decided to give his empire a new name, Germanian, which comes from ancient history."

"Well, that explains how where the name came from. But that doesn't explain what else is going on there. Ignoring the Neuroi, there are his dreams of world conquest, and we all know the other filthy stuff the Kaiser did to get his position."

What Alice mentioned were the various other crimes that occurred during the Kaiser's rise to power. Although she only saw some of it, Izetta also felt sick about it. Not just the massacre of entire settlements, but also how they pursued Witches like her. Tipler did not know any of this stuff, but she could also feel what the White Witch was thinking. The thoughts overwhelmed them both as Fine's lecture with Alice continued.

"Throughout his campaign for absolute power, he targeted various groups for the people to hate. Specifically, he targeted on Witches, where he claimed ordinary humans could work far better than they can. He even claims their attempt to reach greater heights rather than relying on Witches are what caused the Neuroi not to attack their homeland. After that, he focused on advancing the nation's technology by any means necessary, no matter how morally questionable it was."

"I'm guessing that's why he started persecuting Witches?"

"There are those who say he simply wanted their power, even if meant obtaining it by force, but many were wise enough to go against him. Some Witches and their supporters, especially from political and military backgrounds, decided to work behind the Kaiser's back, assisting the Allies whenever possible to stand against his tyranny. Even then, it's not enough to stop them."

"Sorry to hear about that."

"There's no need to apologize. It's practically a miracle that I made it back here alive. No, it is a miracle. But now, there will be no more miracles; this is something we must do on our own."

"Princess?"

Izetta spoke up at last. The last words caught her attention as the princess faced her.

"Izetta, I want you and Alice to run away from this war."

"What!?"

Even Alice jumped over the princess's decision. She could easily feel Izetta's shock over such a request as the Witch complained.

"Run away? But why?"

"This is Eylstadt's war. I can't get any of you involved in our affairs."

"But I…"

"You fought for me and even broke your taboo to do so. Alice also did well to protect me, but she has other important matters besides ours. Your efforts were more than enough."

"What are you talking about!?"

"You two are the only people who never seem to care about my rank. That's why I want you to survive. Is that too selfish of me?"

Alice noticed the sad look in Izetta's eyes. Perhaps she was thinking about the times when Fine risked her life to save her. That included the time when villagers blamed for a fire in the farmhouse, which resulted in the princess receiving that ugly scar on her hip. Now, the princess was sacrificing herself again for Izetta's sake. That was something even Alice did not standby over, not with such tyrannical Empire coming their way and Fine's fate uncertain.

"It's the same as before…"

Izetta muttered to herself as fine listened.

"First, it was that day when you protected me, and now this. Every time the two of us were in trouble, it was always you who came to save me. That's why I started to like myself and my powers, even just by a little bit. Even so…I've never done anything for you, especially not as a friend."

"Izetta…"

"Princess, I have a request. Will you…be my hope?"

"Izetta, are you saying?"

"From now on, I will protect your country!"

Alice smirked at the Witch's bold statement. She usually thought of her as being forced to do something against her will, even if it meant saving a person. Her past didn't help either, including her relationship with the princess. By finally standing up to herself, Alice had a better opinion of her.

However, Fine thought otherwise. The princess raised her arms, only to limp over her wound again.

"No, you can't, Izetta! As powerful as you are, you'll never beat them!"

Alice stepped in front to defend her with her bandaged arm in front.

"Come on! You saw her destroy a squadron of planes, right? Why can't you say she can take on more!"

"A handful of planes is one thing, but you'll be going against an army of over tens of thousands! They are the most advanced army in the world and trained themsleves to confront other Witches! It won't be as easy as before!"

Izetta and Alice thought otherwise.

"But I think I can do it."

"I do, too! Tipler and I came all the way here to fight the bad guys and save the world! I'm not going to just back down because you tell us to, not when we've made it this far!"

Fine regained her composure. She remained unphased about their commitment to assist her country despite the situation.

"I appreciate the gesture. But I can't get you involved when you have nothing to do with it. Please…"

The girls remained silent within the room, with none of them budging over their stances. Even Tipler did not know what to say, considering his master's bold action and his own helplessness.


Now, before closing this chapter, I want to note that Asteca is an actual country from Strike Witches. According to the Strike Witches world map, it's right where Mexico is. Therefore, that's the supposed "birthplace" of Alice Alcubierre.

Next part will be the actual battle. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.