[Strike Witches] Witches of Aurora Novel Adaptation

A Witch and Her Weapons

(Adapted from the chapter Aurora E. Juutilainen in the manga series Witches of Aurora by Kyogoku Shin.)

"Aurora, it's early and you're already drinking?" Eila complained as she saw a couple of wine bottles on the table.

"Come on, don't be so harsh. We have the day off." Aurora E. Juutilainen was sitting at the café table on the balcony, enjoying her rare leisure time without a sortie.

"Say, what have you been reading, Aurora?" Eila noticed there was not only wine, but also some books, one of which was opened, but she could not see what was on it due to the shine on the pages.

"Just my album. Appreciating your old memories while having a drink, you know..." said Aurora, fascinated.

One of the photos drew Nipa's attention. It was a photo of Aurora back when she was on the frontline. A tall, slender young lady with shoulder length silver hair in the Suomus Army's bluish gray uniform smiled at the camera, giving a feel of reliability.

This photo carried Aurora back. She poured herself a cup of wine and started to share her experiences as a witch.

Back in 1939, a year every Suomi would never forget, the Neuroi set foot in Suomus' small territory after devastating the vast land of their neighboring country Orussia. Fortunately, Neuroi was afraid of water. Were it not for the glaciers, forests and lakes Suomus was known for, all the people of this "nation of forests and lakes" must have tasted what Orussians had suffered — death and homelessness. However, it didn't mean the Neuroi would let Suomus off the hook. They never stopped harassing its border. To make matters worse, Suomus didn't have enough weapons and witches at that time. Faced with a double shortage of men and tools, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage.

At that time Aurora was a member of the Gallian Foreign Legion fighting in Hispania. When she learned Neuroi had laid a hand on her homeland, she returned to Suomus as soon as possible to defend it.

One day, on a frozen lake, when a couple of traditional soldiers were having a hard time with a huge tank-like Neuroi, a bluish gray figure descended from the sky. A blink later, a land witch was seen crouching in front of this massive object, her eyes gleaming with sheer thirst for blood. The aura of viciousness around her not only held all the soldiers in awe, but also made the supposedly emotionless Neuroi shiver with fear — in the exact words of the witch in question, believe it or not. The witch greeted the Neuroi with a hand grenade, sending it into the waterbody, before she gracefully turned around, walked up to the soldiers and asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"Lieutenant Aurora...!" A coarse voice muttered to the figure in front of him.

"I have secured your retreat route. Run back to the forest and follow through to the main road. I will be the rear-guard."