"Leader, how are you?"
"I'm feeling better. Today I'm not only allowed to do light training, but I'm even allowed to join patrols and fight weak monsters as long as I stay in a safe position."
"I'm glad to hear that. That means we can resume our mission soon, right?"
"I guess I still need some time to get back into top condition."
"Oh? I remember someone saying we had to return to the mission within a week."
Isabella sat on the bed where her leader was resting and approached him. "Tell me, did someone forget their mission?"
"Of course not. I just hope we can return more prepared. I think headquarters will understand our situation. Besides, we can't leave our other comrades behind."
"Don't worry. We've already received word from the soldiers who left earlier on duty."
"Our comrades who left?"
"They were in shock because they learned their base had been attacked. Luckily, they notified one of our comrades before returning to base. Otherwise, they might be attacked before they can enter the base. They should arrive tonight or tomorrow. What's with that stunned look on your face?"
"It's nothing. I heard you've been busy taking care of a child lately. So I didn't expect you to still be paying attention to our matters."
"Although that one took a lot of time, our mission is still our priority. I won't neglect what's important just because of one person's request."
"Okay. I'll discuss this with the others. Once everyone is gathered, we'll formulate a plan to retake the base."
"When will we discuss this?"
"When will you have time?"
"That girl usually trains until 9 or earlier, and the children's nap time is usually 10:45-11:45. We can share information in the morning and discuss plans in the afternoon."
"I think that's best. They're probably tired after the long journey. Although it's a bit rushed, I think they also want to get the base back quickly."
The next day...
"Good morning."
As soon as Dahlia woke up to the sound of the door opening, she received a gentle hug from Isabella.
"Sis Isabella..."
After waking up, Dahlia immediately ate breakfast with the food Isabella brought.
"What's wrong?"
"Milk."
"Oh, I brought you some orange juice to freshen you up. Warm milk can make you sleepy, you know."
Even though Isabella said that, she still took out her breast and began to breastfeed Dahlia.
The morning was cold, but in Isabella's arms, Dahlia felt warm.
"Okay, that's enough."
After a few minutes, Isabella stopped breastfeeding Dahlia.
Dahlia reluctantly released Isabella's nipple from her mouth, but she did so because she remembered what Isabella had said earlier and that she had to go to practice soon.
After Dahlia left, Isabella tidied up the cutlery. But as she was about to leave, she put it back down and began to caress both of her breasts.
"I guess I learned a lesson. Don't breastfeed a child from only one breast."
Isabella noticed her two breasts were heavy and uneven in size.
She only nursed Dahlia on one breast so that she wouldn't feel sleepy from the comfort. However, her actions actually made her feel uneasy... she thought.
"Ugh... It felt strange and uncomfortable. I should have just fed her half a breast each time."
*****
"Have you taken care of the child?"
After feeding Dahlia, she attended the meeting as scheduled.
"Yes. What about the others?"
"They'll be here soon. By the way, why is your appearance getting more and more back to normal? You looked elegant in that dress before. But today you're wearing a blouse and a short skirt."
"I thought it was still feminine. I'm still getting dressed and receiving makeup from you."
"That's true, but..."
"We're leaving tomorrow, so I don't think I need to keep looking like that."
"Oh, okay. At least you're feeling better."
A dozen people gathered in one room, and the three groups shared what had happened.
After the hour-long meeting, each of them did their own thing to prepare.
"Isabel, what did you do?"
"Of course, you practiced. Tomorrow's battle requires the best possible condition to win."
"Shouldn't you keep your aura looking gentle? Rather than training, I think you'd be better off using the time you have to say goodbye to that child."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sometimes goodbyes can be hard, you know."
"I'll keep this simple. If necessary, I'll tell her this afternoon."
"Are you serious about that?" Hearing Isabella's seemingly indifferent attitude, the woman felt disbelief and a little annoyed.
"I always take my duties seriously."
"I wish you'd pay a little attention. But in this matter, I have no right to judge you."
It was almost noon, and as usual, Isabella came to Dahlia.
After finishing practice, this time Dahlia went straight to the shower and started spending time with Isabella.
"Really... Didn't you drink orange juice earlier?. Drinking too much can make you bloated, you know."
Dahlia removed Isabella's nipple from her mouth and hugged Isabella. "I'm more thirsty today than usual."
"If you hadn't rushed, you wouldn't be so tired."
Dahlia responded with a smile and went back to nursing Isabella.
That day, they spent the same time as before, nothing different from the days before.
"You haven't told her yet?"
"I'll tell her after she wakes up."
"Isabel, are you sure you can do this?"
"It's nothing serious. There's no need for you to make it sound important," Isabella said, displeased at the feeling of being doubted.
"Just because there's one important thing doesn't mean there isn't a second one."
"You're right. There's still the group of people who attacked us earlier."
That wasn't what she meant. But seeing that Isabella seemed determined, she didn't say anything.
The meeting reconvened, and this time the atmosphere seemed more serious than before.
"There's no way they'll lower their guard under any circumstances. Taking our base is the same as dealing with our organization... Although it's likely only the branch headquarters will take action."
"We need to launch a full-scale attack. They'll be coming in large numbers by then, and some of them may have already occupied our base."
"A full-scale attack might be successful, but it will be devastating to our base itself. Remember, almost everything we have is there."
Everyone put forward their opinions and ideas. Some were accepted, others rejected. The accepted ideas were criticized, and the rejected ideas were suggested... The discussion became complicated because of their disadvantaged positions.