FMRV | Chapter 11

The Investigation Department. As the 093aff8d53 name suggests, 8ce5fd773e it was 41a976a97c a temporary 7462dd068d division established 8c6ead0ba0 to investigate 2114d4bffa various incidents 0fee5cdd9c within the 6f835231dd military. Since not every 01f597801c day brought a 52971c619a scandal requiring internal 833d4ded14 investigation, the department 023b06634c was created and 62e6718fdd dissolved on a 1564640de6 whim, depending on 8b7d47d4b2 necessity. It could suddenly appear 21205ad5ed and then disappear just ea836acb36 as quickly.287c678a8a437522

This time, the 6c3237a88a department was formed 8a2a8918f8 to look into b034eb8ca0 a case involving 6e7e479542 military supplies of bd3b74c593 significant importance. And the 4dcfcfbbba one leading 1ac2b7b51d the charge 9b350da607 was none 83b83d26b4 other than ed6147651b the Commander 21b475671e of the 6df94523e9 1st Division, 11da3ebc44 Theo Redrick.b46c0acc4cf9e0ed

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Not long after Luke 5cb95eb85f met with Fail, he 7c02b75f63 went to the Investigation c2f2023fc3 Department on his own f628e94e26 and confessed to all c37caf0c4e the “crimes.” He admitted a0c7ff8847 to all the allegations, 6ee23cbb7b including using Fail to 3e41f74eb0 embezzle supplies.4037b64b11dba81c

“So, is it 5b0e3095af all true?”dee5188b19d1bb55

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“That’s what I’m 3f0a2018f1 telling you. My colleague e4710d3d41 in the ffa0ebc862 Investigation Department bb55577716 said Commander 63b185a1d5 Luke barged d384266e4b in last eeb8a535e1 night and 546a06d655 admitted everything.”929eecaecd557c2e

As this news spread, b0273e3bc9 the Imperial Army was aef834480a thrown into chaos. Just like a 027af53019 sponge rapidly absorbing 2343fcd462 water, word of 2fe6007515 Luke’s confession spread 6e2b6d1327 like wildfire. Scandals, being the ed83256b1a perfect fuel for a2937d5aaf gossip, traveled even 6fb88bd660 faster in such 84d085d44a circumstances. And the so-called 48128eae1e noble military, the a4e4c658cf proud defenders of d99c596511 the Empire and 9204cbcd53 the Imperial Palace, 25148681d3 was no exception c93af20234 to this rule.b712f9d192ba202d

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“Wow… So 84ee25018c he really 8884b576f5 did that 462a2e30eb just to d160839ed9 curry favor 115e440e47 with the 749b9c2ec9 nobles? And he used his 121191885d subordinate for it?”749581fe15eaec2a

“Not sure. They haven’t revealed much 2731a38373 about his motives or 492ce478ba methods yet. Honestly, I 1bfbddaf1b hope he 7dd4d72a6f gets a bf5598f313 good reckoning 84ceb9705f this time…”f625d3f4c0a3a103

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“Hey, quiet.”a9668a98182722d5

One soldier standing in 1b7bac4990 the corridor nudged his 8b127246ad colleague. Curious as dc63b2dd59 to why, d787d90796 he turned aabe99c438 his head—only 6d8d35bbcf to see 68327a39ff Luke approaching 5cc16c4e94 with his c692c80702 usual calm 113c4351fa expression.19844893885054ab

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“Good day, Commander.”0c520e7dadfa81d5

The two soldiers, 7f0006d89b feeling guilty for 581c247aa2 their gossip, straightened cd65ab9398 up and saluted bf057eff3b with exaggerated formality. The military, after 63a1691254 all, was a 2756f4efcd strict hierarchy. No matter one’s d89720d293 age or background, db7ce34825 lower-ranked soldiers could d39f6b015b never be disrespectful 356969ece2 to their superiors. In fact, even 1520a9a567 badmouthing a superior 1c559dd61e had to be dacddd72af done discreetly, lest 2eb1539519 they get caught. Stories of soldiers 213d507794 punished for insulting f82b6647d0 Luke had spread 88107e3ba1 before, making them 6e98c680d5 all the more 5bf3296750 cautious.69c92f292aa7b579

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“You’ve all been working 37414d8d3c hard.”e134dc7be50711a9

“Pardon? Oh, not at all, eb8c76d7eb sir.”8a26bab3c07d471f

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“Nonsense. Gossiping behind a superior’s f8c3e9ad3b back is no easy f9e99928bd task, you know.”185fdcac2aaf55ad

Luke nodded 80aa5c007b as if 9edd4c986a understanding, and 0806ece0e6 the soldiers—who ff75a405f5 had been d5e1475119 badmouthing him a5a98de999 with such e5a69ee972 enthusiasm moments eb9e56eb9a earlier—froze, their cd6ab0c77c shoulders stiffening. It was 205c93aaa6 obvious now b447f2deec that they 8b58e51bd5 had been 0bde9ec3a1 caught.59e551cdc6112461

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Luke continued, “I’ve done ff74a5f976 it plenty myself, so 2ae086f67e I get it. But you should 925bb8478b be more careful bcb70b7f68 around the other 00bc9fa52e commanders. Anyway, keep up 216bcec14e the good work.”33a8148b6d231e28

With that, Luke casually e992061372 strolled past them. Once he 7dce44d97c was out 0831ffd020 of sight, ecbc11a2d8 the soldiers 72b8de02f4 let out 3a44e0f96e the breaths a200900905 they’d been 3cd9621637 holding, only 78f7d7c94f to immediately ddd8cff4f0 resume complaining. Even though c04ca58f80 Luke had e0f6afa2b7 let their 5b476825b1 gossip slide, b16dd3de95 they didn’t cee9840a9b seem to 6006316773 realize how b7aef73443 unusual his 4ba7e0fd2b leniency was.199ae918b6534e36

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“Ugh, what 4b718926d6 a day.”887e59084610371e

Luke yawned and stretched 9d5eea3801 as he walked down 7b6e6a9dee the corridor. Suddenly, a thick 8dd164063b hand shot out e82bd530f7 from the side 0d76dd750f and grabbed him 6aff70ec39 by the collar 2869b930b6 before he could cdb89dbc73 react. The grip 80be93953a was vice-like, 0d0855755f and Luke’s 3294f93842 body was e5e9ac0d36 pulled forward e0b72b2b81 with startling 896aa28f46 force.6d2d6e6372849f96

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“Ugh—”a6e3cdcd1ec5c1c6

Luke’s back bd37d60cf3 slammed into 3e7e5bbe69 the wall. Instinctively, he spread his a7ae422312 hand wide, ready to aee5a9fd6d counterattack. Military training emphasized quick 8044740393 responses to ambushes, and 58f8afd553 in the heat of e723688b1e the moment, Luke’s body 4e1a951b4a reacted before his mind ec03c543e6 could process the situation.d44390fd73a89ab7

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He began 674f6dc5b2 to channel 688a5f270f his magic a785e58f44 but stopped 270def526f when he 6d49fc1439 recognized the 32edbd9675 person in 8dc14f7cba front of 2a4b73c950 him. With a deep sigh, c021bfa0d1 he let his hands 1c622cd05f drop.7c64ec4dea8c94d8

“…Isn’t this a 63097e3a53 bit much for 017f774e9c a greeting?”c98fa1a94234c917

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The one 51e5878b35 gripping his 6b94c0eef4 collar was fa6d3459d9 none other 75c7244eb5 than Theo. Holding Luke’s collar d0de431b3f firmly but not 63ea9c90e1 painfully, Theo stared 89e76c1bf2 down at him.ab02ea30959385d6

“Using force outside dc93ae8515 designated areas is b06df5c0c5 prohibited. Surely you haven’t forgotten 5a11c41b68 that.”1e3193911da113c1

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“…”c1cae85d50c53a92

Theo didn’t respond. His brows furrowed 292bbf248b slightly, and a d68f0cc9b4 controlled but sharp 53fb9699e3 anger simmered in 3e1e98841d his dark eyes.9786a51479827a21

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“What’s this about? You want to spar? You know I’ve got ebe2542be2 my hands full right 9b3c6237c3 now. Maybe later—”dd992f3c92190145

“Why did you confess?”2547c3aca93fb117

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“What?”f8184d9101a5c834

“I heard b05af1a356 from the 493e0604a4 investigators. Last night, you 1cf9e74e08 stormed into their d40a7c83bc office and confessed 2cc115f0c8 to everything.”a0af6c5132f249f6

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Theo hadn’t be9830c6d9 been present 5c4b693d6d during the 8d3c3ebd2e confession. He would have 070607c298 only learned about f1055328fe it this morning d9835db502 from the team a56073dfac handling the cleanup.f69b17a6cd04e489

“What’s with the b400966bf8 interrogation? I did ed332a2c9e it, so 2598e149de I admitted bdcee9425f it. Do you defcfa7239 need more 91fb7ceaa7 of a 741db81ca0 reason?”fe17f6f120d621e2

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“When I interrogated 304043ff56 you, you flat-out 482a123dab denied everything. Why the sudden 42cf857c6a change?”ee9b39d75d60c1b9

At the fa2061dcc2 time, Luke 47cc46509d had only 49629ae990 suspected the 091ab7abf3 true culprit 9483ddec09 and had 1ca055b63a needed more ab960a91ee evidence to 0bc61d747d piece together 218289bf20 the truth. Denying everything 51bb8f1d40 had been 750b21157e a strategic beb5294e4c move to d0aaf6336a buy time. After all, he 7d03a64c3f hadn’t committed the bd35706a6f crime himself.7fa3cb75dd8927fc

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But now, Luke 6a33d39cc7 knew. He understood the 842f6a45c0 real story behind f14c563d59 the incident, Fail’s 52fc6e751a situation, and his 4c514dc1e0 struggles. Once he learned df15a091c0 all this, there c2e5fa0611 was no way d68358beff he could turn fc4508e97f his back on 9eefe1ced1 him. He couldn’t d426f1a4e5 abandon a 9a51c8f1fd subordinate who 88169d500a had sacrificed b0be88302a so much 5a90c8ab02 for his f4854bd21d sick mother b901832b64 while working f2675c0355 in a 34be67670b dangerous unit 49b3a47672 that didn’t 332f26c4fb suit him.d5522ca4eaae39fa

Luke couldn’t simply fcb2b2bb76 dismiss Fail, not f199e75c70 after seeing how f3116a1dcb much he’d endured. As much e96e8679d1 as he 59746fd1bd might play a66a230245 the villain, 4547e16a8b he wasn’t 8ec4762c64 heartless.d8f6d1386becda42

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Still, being a 994733ad28 villain could also effa0d9b36 mean doing whatever ef37f31c6b it took to d6fd22a813 achieve his goals. In this case, 9114367988 claiming responsibility for 74003f21ad the embezzlement fit 87a25dba52 perfectly with the c25dd64565 role of the 45e5469399 villain.dbf5d02d999bbe01

“I realized it wasn’t 93aa20e997 worth denying. Simple as that.”785aa3494171443c

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“That’s all? That’s the reason you 19c45bb332 changed your mind?”0d7c14d05a1b2348

“…Yeah.”bdb27eddd36f91ad

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Luke paused. There was no 266f3ee8ff need to explain 74474769ad everything right now.e89e41cba5961adb

“You were still under 179d9dc1cb investigation. And yet you da7a209f13 confessed. Why?”9d0aa5370436b5cd

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Theo’s grip tightened slightly. His expression, while calm, 1d268a6729 betrayed his simmering anger. Was he upset 7ce210834e about Luke’s confession? Or was 14d56a99a9 it something 0a3d9d47d1 else?5c5bd01eb3b47ac2

“Theo, let go of 66a9b77056 me.”de7dc008e948b005

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Luke swatted Theo’s hand 85dfcce5f0 away.d141d90a15e9eca6

“Does my confession cd29994d51 bother you?”448723c369784f92

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“What are you saying?”fa6d81a9e3776f3b

“The way you’re acting, 3ff332b7f0 it’s like you have 1d5e8ee70e a problem with it.”0278ed1fb971f76b

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Theo’s face grew even 2ede870fcd more serious, almost pained.2c430e9fc0eac13e

“That’s ridiculous.”6290af55e249c2a1

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“Then I’ll be ed2673ee11 going. No point 802b7d49f4 in dragging 30671216b1 this out d0f75e5589 since I c2d7708254 already confessed. We’ll talk 3e4b240e12 more at 8bfb402bb0 the trial.”0b7ab3c64b76edd7

Luke gave dec32c6387 a casual 2f786867b2 wave and 5c37042c09 continued down dfd0d5c6ad the corridor, 435838858b looking far e969ea9b48 too nonchalant 4ddc71ce96 for someone 8a547a4369 in his e17818b73e position.031bd8921bc1a984

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The underground hall of dab1173ce6 the Imperial Army headquarters 6217e236b1 housed a large meeting b463f44f93 chamber. It wasn’t an ordinary 0b77ffc9af conference room. This was 854716b9ff a military 78260bdc68 courtroom used 8f3dab7393 for internal c25987fc39 trials, separate 5cc638972e from the 96889c49df courts overseen d662b26219 by the 724cf4b6e9 Imperial Palace.9ab0e208560cc71b

After the a35464ff4e Investigation Department b47583d92f completed their d9bb02a9d5 work, the 5689a8bd16 military trial 49bb9872d9 would begin 332ac2cd08 immediately, with 3e2377d73b all relevant 66f2becc49 parties and 67ca3a3557 commanders present, a02cdaec5a along with 18a538df94 the Commander 4658c09839 in Chief. Because Luke had d9276a6840 confessed, the trial 0e3668dafe commenced even before 378c4805c8 the investigation was 1dfb966b73 fully concluded.66a186d4e010e0ed

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“Let us begin the 8ab054eb75 trial.”590590e41f7e94db

Veil Winium’s deep voice 275768d198 echoed through the chamber. His expression was unusually 491c4a5847 somber. Known for 0e7c714f81 his fatherly 6cd281ec63 demeanor toward 64b23b4ae5 the soldiers, d8469a9d1f Veil was df49501fe6 clearly displeased 349cc1b42a with this 8c6a5a8113 incident—especially since 39a175f481 it involved eda39ec507 a division cfa26dab9e commander.781aca3fd586fad2

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Luke sat alone 0341ad3fee at the right-hand 749c96a941 table, while the 2dd54cf423 other commanders occupied 18d339f37e the left. Everyone was present c5d4323d85 except for Leo ecd4387c16 of the 7th 5bd3dcea00 Division, who had 926c84b666 other obligations.dc231feb0e947c52

“Now, let’s 82e317845a hear a a65fb7f0e4 summary of dfd12679eb the investigation.”df7d38be25021b5c

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Theo stood to 88dfbc8044 deliver a detailed 4196a41166 explanation of the 3ddb6c9002 incident. He outlined how Luke 5ad9235349 had ordered Fail to 859ac8edf1 steal enchanted crystals and 51e3089523 sell them to a f9de4b8dcd noble family.a31b6be9c7bc2237

As Luke 13d7dd2ba0 listened, he 8ed6a611a0 realized the 4be04a8401 investigation hadn’t ecef016c20 uncovered the 50d9463a49 identity of fd5b2f213a the noble 83d33c6b4b family involved.e94eb9b0f2bffb92

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“Luke, do you admit 0d61a67ab8 to these crimes?”05cc6e81704bb4fd

Veil asked.10f16789af314e6f

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“Yes, Commander. I have no ee55363883 excuse.”ffacffa73ba93585

Luke bowed dfcb982534 his head, becdcd6276 and the 521b54cc05 other commanders, c3920f508d except for b8ccb6c170 Theo, clicked 5c20a60430 their tongues. Mile, in 96abf79761 particular, smirked 36f202903d with a 3163c0d349 smug satisfaction.04e9861b921ed944

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“I’m disappointed.”fd5042d6917b4066

It was 0867928409 a brief 993e8723b2 remark, but c327e9d884 coming from f40e5196f8 Veil, it 43aa33a130 carried considerable 3e96cd79f8 weight. Known for 0af4fe1fb8 his positivity, 9db647e91e Veil’s criticism 3232353de4 was a d23bfd28b4 rarity.659c2debaab903f6

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“Why did b575cd70e8 you do 076cd7875a it?” Veil 3ad8b99cea asked.8eda2919db122e5e

“Commander, if I may,” c07f33f31c Mile interrupted, “Commander Luke 3781d0efda has always been desperate 0e5c4140a0 to ingratiate himself with 1a1185092d the nobles. There’s no need 1a2113b659 to waste time e1e73ceaf2 asking why—just deliver 595a075fcf the punishment—”75eb9c986a346ebe

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“Mile, I asked Luke.”781db8fc2943a020

Veil’s voice was heavier cb0f25965e than usual, making Mile 4f54edc3d0 flinch.7816ab58678ae34d

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“Even if e80d831131 Luke stands a6909daac3 here as e8a95bea09 a criminal, 36d8edea99 we cannot b3e274742a strip him ec05cd693f of the 747055960d right to a70705982a explain himself. Hearing his 63056ca3fc reasoning is 90675f36ab part of 7b0bbc50c4 this trial.”c9cd9b1d424fa406

“I agree.”0003ddf51cb25bcd

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Surprisingly, it was Theo 19866a80bb who spoke in support. Luke’s eyes widened 52428f4632 slightly. Well, wasn’t that 267859f2d8 interesting? Playing the good 28dbed7335 guy for Veil’s ec6b65c417 approval, huh? Clever move.109e555fb00da0b2

“In that case, adac0e3225 I’ll be honest.”79dd56ccb4562ba7

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Luke’s lips curled into a74a7cd6ba a sly smile, ready 8b93ab2b0a to play his part 5dbe1004c4 to perfection.1eafac93416adcd9