[Dimitri takes a deep breath, and gazes into the flames.]
Five years ago, I was a student at an establishment known as the Officer's Academy. It's a prestigious institution, hosted by the Church of Seiros, the dominant faith in all of Fódlan. Many nobles send their children there, but they also accept commoners who either secure a sponsorship or enough money to pay the entry fee.
The Officer's Academy is divided into three houses -- Blue Lions, Black Eagles, and Golden Deer -- one for each of the sovereign states that existed in Fódlan. Approximately halfway through the school year, the three houses all get together and participate in a large mock battle based on a historical battle; we even use the same grounds that the battle was fought upon, called Gronder Field.
The mock battle had two goals. One, to be the last house standing at the end, and two, the house that secured the most eliminations would receive a prize. My house, the Blue Lions, was led by a new teacher, one who had actually been a simple mercenary until the start of the school year, hired on a special request by the Archbishop herself. Under our professor's leadership, we trained hard and fought valiantly in the mock battle, and won both in terms of being the last house standing and in terms of securing the most eliminations.
After the mock battle came to an end, when we returned to the Academy, we -- that is to say, we students -- threw a very large party to celebrate our victory. And not just the Blue Lions, either -- both of the defeated houses joined us in our celebration.
For that night, we truly felt like we were all one.
[There's a hint of wistfulness as Dimitri speaks the final sentence. That was one of the last good memories he had of the time before the war. A month later, the Remire Village Calamity would occur, and though the grand ball the following month would grant the students a reprieve, it would be quickly followed by the knight captain's murder -- and from there, it was all downhill.]
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Five years ago, I was a student at an establishment known as the Officer's Academy. It's a prestigious institution, hosted by the Church of Seiros, the dominant faith in all of Fódlan. Many nobles send their children there, but they also accept commoners who either secure a sponsorship or enough money to pay the entry fee.
The Officer's Academy is divided into three houses -- Blue Lions, Black Eagles, and Golden Deer -- one for each of the sovereign states that existed in Fódlan. Approximately halfway through the school year, the three houses all get together and participate in a large mock battle based on a historical battle; we even use the same grounds that the battle was fought upon, called Gronder Field.
The mock battle had two goals. One, to be the last house standing at the end, and two, the house that secured the most eliminations would receive a prize. My house, the Blue Lions, was led by a new teacher, one who had actually been a simple mercenary until the start of the school year, hired on a special request by the Archbishop herself. Under our professor's leadership, we trained hard and fought valiantly in the mock battle, and won both in terms of being the last house standing and in terms of securing the most eliminations.
After the mock battle came to an end, when we returned to the Academy, we -- that is to say, we students -- threw a very large party to celebrate our victory. And not just the Blue Lions, either -- both of the defeated houses joined us in our celebration.
For that night, we truly felt like we were all one.
[There's a hint of wistfulness as Dimitri speaks the final sentence. That was one of the last good memories he had of the time before the war. A month later, the Remire Village Calamity would occur, and though the grand ball the following month would grant the students a reprieve, it would be quickly followed by the knight captain's murder -- and from there, it was all downhill.]