Sunday, 07.06.2364

  San woke up with a headache.

  Not only had he gotten very little sleep, but he had also endured a particularly eventful night.

  And his last conversation with Funo had kept him awake the longest.

  Now, he was sure—something was definitely wrong with that man.

  The rumors were true.

  As his comrades urged him to hurry up so they could report to Funo, he debated whether he should tell them.

  After a brief moment of thought, he decided he would.

  But first, he got himself ready for duty.

  Just as they were about to leave, he stopped them.

  "Wait a second!

  …

  I need to tell you something!"

  "Can’t it wait until later?"

  "No.

  I think you should hear this now."

  And so, he told them everything that had happened after they had parted at the entrance to the garrison.

  He told them about the Calculator and his encounter with Funo.

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  When he finished, the others looked visibly concerned.

  "Are you serious?"

  "Dead serious."

  "Damn… So the rumors are true after all."

  "What do we do now?"

  "I think we should go to him as planned.

  As long as we play along with his plans and don’t draw attention to ourselves, we should be fine."

  "You really think so?"

  "We have to go to him.

  No matter what.

  …

  Otherwise, he might start thinking we’re traitors or something."

  They nodded at each other and set off.

  As they walked, they noticed the visible unease on the faces of the soldiers around them.

  It seemed like everyone had realized what Funo was like long before they had.

  Everyone in the garrison seemed afraid of him.

  And now they understood why.

  By the time they reached his office and stepped inside, they were more nervous than ever before.

  It felt like stepping into the lion’s den.

  Funo was staring out of the window, speaking to them without even turning to face them.

  "You have the day off again.

  Tonight, you’ll patrol the museum once more.

  The two guardians won’t be there this time—I promise.

  You are dismissed."

  Short and painless.

  That was all he had to say.

  They felt a wave of relief wash over them.

  After officially signing out, they left the garrison.

  Only once they were outside did they speak again.

  "Man, I was scared as hell!"

  "Me too."

  "Same here!"

  "That guy is seriously insane.

  Good thing we don’t have to see him again today!"

  "You said it!"

  After a brief pause, San spoke up.

  "So… what do we do until patrol?"

  "I was thinking of heading back to the marketplace."

  "I wanted to look for some new casual clothes."

  "I’ll stay at the garrison."

  Everyone seemed to have their own plans.

  "Alright.

  Then let’s meet at sunset at the museum entrance," San decided.

  No one objected.

  A moment later, they went their separate ways.

  San was about to head toward the tavern that had fascinated him so much the night before when he noticed a cloaked man sitting on a bench by the garrison fence.

  Something about him seemed strange.

  But San chose to ignore him.