Just when he thought they had gone through the worst of it and now it was just a matter of recovering from the attack, he overheard a conversation between two fellow Lieutenants who walked by. “…disturbance in other towns…” “There’s more?! Where?” Haru blurted out, startling both. One of them turned towards him with a frown, but the frown swiftly turned to a soft smile upon realizing it was Haru. “Oh! Lieutenant Akimoto. Good work out there today. And yeah… Unfortunately, we have reasons to believe this isn’t an isolated case. Didn’t you read the notice they had put up?” he said, pointing at the large board with numerous papers pinned on it. Haru swiftly made his way to the notice board and began reading the latest one.
There is no denying that today will be marked as a black day in the history of Fiore. The horrific deaths of our brethren and the state of terror the living is left in, is not fair. I’m afraid this fight doesn’t end here. The scholars have already noticed more disturbances all over the nation. It boils my blood and I know it does the same for you as well. However, fear not. We have survived worse in the past. And we will survive this. But none of us can do this alone. I don’t need to elaborate on that.
We are Rune Knights. We have left our families and march together to defend our citizens' freedom. And we are not afraid to lay down our lives if that’s what it takes. Let us assemble tonight to remind ourselves of that. To honour those who valiantly sacrificed themselves to do their duty. To promise our unwavering loyalty to those who will fight tomorrow alongside us. To vow to stop anyone who seeks to destroy our nation. And to celebrate the small victory we’ve had today.
Germano Pagni
Captain-Commander, Squad 7
Attached to the notice was a mini map that marked the exact location where the gathering was to occur. After the things he saw that day, Haru wasn’t particularly in the mood to socialize. But not going would be disrespecting the martyrs. So, he decided to go, pay his respects, and hoped to leave as soon as he could. But… Things seldom went according to his plan.
The sky darkened and it was time to attend the event. Between the time he read the notice and sunset, he had met his old partner at the infirmary and invited her to the gathering as well. After all, he might not have the luxury to leave the party early like he intended. The Lieutenant was among the first to reach the location. There were a few others gathered around what looked like a large bonfire that wasn’t lit yet. They seemed to be setting things up. Haru walked closer to see if he knew anyone in the group, and if they needed assistance.