The crest of the laurel, inscribed in a white and purple cloth, fell upon the wooden box, marked with a cross at its head.

Stacked side by side, one hundred men, men of the guard, were laid to rest. Behind them stood a stone slab as large a single-storey house. Engraved on this stone was the name of every single one.

A preacher bowed in front of the crowd, gathered in the hundreds. His voice reverberated as he spoke, against the bleached white wall, giving it an almost ethereal presence amidst the solemn peace.

One by one, the names were called. And for each one, the bell was tolled.

Many of those names belonged to people Rika knew; a few of them, from her own squad. The sound of the bell pricked her heart, but at the same time, it lifted, more and more, a leftover weight over her shoulders. In a way, it provided closure. As if, until now, she wasn't quite sure if her friends were dead, or had simply gone away.

Once all the names had been called, the bell tolled a final three times.

And then, silence.

After a few moments, a stout man, clothed in a black coat, stepped front and center. He removed his hat, placing it on his abdomen as he spoke. "People of Ealdton, we are gathered here, today, to pay tribute to the sacrifice, the memory, and the outstanding bravery of our men of the guard." He swivelled his head from side to side, looking to the crowd before him. "Hardly a few weeks ago, our beloved town was besieged by a ravenous horde of bandits. They stormed the gates, managed to break through the great wall, and put everyone's lives in peril. But there was a wall they failed to break. And that is our beloved guard.

"These men, our brothers, our fathers, our sons, gave their lives protecting that which mattered to them the most.

"That is you.

"That is us. That is our home! In the face of overwhelming odds, against a brutal foe, they took up arms, as they have sworn, and without hesitation, paid the ultimate price. It is through their sacrifice that we stand here today, alive and well.

"And in return, we hope, in whatever small way, to honor that sacrifice. Here we are, in this fine day, to bestow, to each and every one of our fallen heroes, the honor they deserve."

From the side, several soldiers in colorful regalia marched forwards, each with wooden boxes in hand. The frontmost among them stopped at the center and opened his box.

"And heroes, they are." The man pulled from it a small medallion made of shining gold. "With my power as Duke of Ealdshire, steward of Ealdton-upon-Acsa, I hereby bestow the Order of Heroism upon all one-hundred-and-four of these brave souls." He thus laid his hands upon the first coffin, placing the golden ornament over the cross. Leaving a bow, he turned back around and said, "May this humble tribute honor their memory and may their valor be sung for a century."

The somber atmosphere returned once more. The next few moments were allowed to pass in silence as the soldiers went down the line of coffins, each placing a medallion upon them.

Then, the Duke continued. "But today is not a day of loss. For joining us today are the living, breathing paragons of that same valor."

Rika met eyes with his as he turned his head to the side. Suddenly, her palms began to sweat, and her heartbeat rose.

"Dear citizens, I would now wish to honor those who held their line in the face of annihilation. In defiance of fate, they stood - our last bastion, the victorious heroes of Ealdton!"

In contrast to the earlier solemnity, once Rika and a couple of dozen town guards took center stage, the crowd welcomed them with a flurry of cheers.

"E-ehehe..." Rika had to push her hand down to stop herself from scratching her head. T-this is actually pretty embarrassing...

"Keep your head high, Cap," Aberdeen whispered behind her.

"S-sorry..." Biting her tongue, she forced herself to smile at the crowd as she walked, meanwhile deliberately looking at the corners of her eyes to keep her mind away from the huge gathering. This plan backfired, however, when her eyes then came to the far corner of the crowd and saw several familiar faces.

"Ngh-!?" She choked. Mom!? Dad!? And even-

Her entire family had gathered on that day. Her mother, her father, and all her brothers looked on from afar with smiling faces. Even her father, whom she seldom saw with even a smirk, had a half-smile-half-scowl on his face, the closest thing he had to a real smile.

Her cheeks burned up. Uuuu... I wish I hadn't seen them... now I'm getting even more nervous!

After the applause passed its climax, the very last decorated soldier approached the Duke with yet another box and he spoke once more. "As a final service, I wish to present the highest honor that the town of Ealdton has to offer for civilian service." He then pulled out a large medallion, made of gold and encrusted with purple jewels, arranged to form a laurel. "This. The Order of Heroism with Laurel Crest. For outstanding service far above the line of duty, I, with my power as Duke of Ealdshire, steward of Ealdton-upon-Acsa... and with my own, personal gratitude, wish to present this honor to the following:"

Rika swallowed her breath.

"Squad Captain, Evrika L. Carlisle!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

A shock ran through her body the moment she heard her name. Forcing her body to move, her first few steps consisted of robotic jerks. As she picked up momentum, however, her body loosened and she began to fell a bit more comfortable.

The Duke greeted her with a smile, holding the medal in his hands.

With a salute, she greeted him back, as she would her superior. "M-my Lord!"

He laughed. "Thank you for your service, lass. It's right good to see you again." Holding out the cloth straps of the medallion, he then reached out and hung it over her neck. After fixing it center on her chest, he then laid his hand on her shoulder. "It's a shame that the walls of Ealdton will lose such a fine individual such as yourself. Nevertheless, I wish you all the best in the path you chose."

Tears gathered around her eyes. "T-t... thank you, my Lord!" With her emotions finally overflowing, her speech was stifled, and it was all she could do force her words out in between her sobbing.

"No, lass. Thank you." He squeezed her shoulders. "Chin up, eh? You're a hero."

"M-Mm...!"

"Ah, and speaking of hero, it's a shame the heroine couldn't attend. I'd have liked to present her with the same medal in person, but since you're becoming her knight now, can I entrust it to you instead?"

"A-ah! Of course!"

"Magnificent." His lips stretched out, tucking his dimples in as he smiled. "I'll hand it to you later. Now, off you go."

As Rika left center stage, the Duke bellowed loudly once more, "Guardsman, John Martin S. Aberdeen!"

The ceremony continued further. The Duke also heaped praises for the Heroine for helping save Ealdton, at the same time tying in the announcement that Rika was leaving her position in the guard, to become a Knight. Among other things, he also named the town's new Guard Commander, Aberdeen.

After the ceremony, Rika and her squad gathered once more.

Though she faced them with a smile, just like she always did, she could not help but show a tinge of loneliness in her eyes. After all, these were people she'd known for many years; the town, her home for most of her life.

And at that moment, she was leaving all of them her farewells.

"Geez, Cap. We're really going to miss you," said Aberdeen, holding his helmet under his arm.

"I already told you, I'm not your Captain anymore." She giggled. "Commander Aberdeen."

"Aww, Cap. You'll always going to be Captain for me and the boys." He then looked at the smiling faces of her former squadmates. "Right?"

"You bet." One said.

Another held a thumbs up and said, "Yeah, Captain!"

Aberdeen then turned back to her. "If you ever feel like coming back. You know I'll always have a spot open for you, Cap."

She chuckled. "What, still as Captain? And be under you now?" She then hit him lightly on the arm. "Ehehe, no way!"

"Eh?"

Bursting out in laughter, the others slapped him repeatedly over the back. "Hahaha, she got you there, Deen!"

"Th-that's not what I wanted to say!"

"Hahahaha!"

Their banter went on and on to their satisfaction. Though she felt a longing for many of the voices who were now missing, she still felt a certain lightness of heart.

That's right...

They're all still here.

It's not like I'm going away forever.

And whenever I can, I could still come and visit.

Holding those thoughts in heart, she finally bid her final farewells with a warm smile on her face.

And thus, with a final salute, her former squadmates, her friends, sent her off.

Back in the stables, a carriage carrying the royal crest awaited for Rika's return.

With a quick pull on the knob, she pulled its door open and leapt in.

"Ahh!" She bounced on the soft upholstery of the carriage interior. "It's over!"

"Cool." said a little girl, already waiting inside. She then lifted her head forwards and raised her voice, saying, "Driver, let's go, please. Back to the castle."

With a sharp thud of the reins, the carriage rumbled into motion.

"Geez..." said Rika. "People were looking for you back there. Why didn't you come? And Duke Saunders was going to give you this medal too." She pulled out the award given to her from earlier.

"Mm, don't worry about it." She then glanced at Rika and said, "This is supposed to be your day right? You, and your friends. If I went out there, what do you think would have happened?"

"U-umm..."

"People will probably just fawn over me." She snickered. "Well, of course, they would. I'm this cute, after all."

"Eh..." A crooked smile surfaced on Rika's lips.

"...plus, I'm the Heroine." She then rested her head on her hand and looked out the window. "You guys wouldn't have gotten the recognition you deserved."

"Huh..." Rika's eyes flickered. She then let out a sigh, as a warm smile fell upon her lips. "That's... nice of you, Sylphie... thank you."

"Mm. Besides, I'm no good with crowds. Or events." She grinned. "So it worked out for both of us in the end!"

"Ehehe, I guess so!"

As they departed, the great walls of Ealdton slowly faded from view. Her head rested on the window frame Rika smiled to herself, cheeks flushed red, and her hair swaying with the wind.