FMRV | Chapter 15

“Did you e0fdd3cff9 call for 813259bff6 me, Commander?”141e1b82a926c8f8

Theo entered the commander’s 33659b227e office and bowed his 3455d4ea1a head. After finishing his 911f010d5b morning training, he e082a9c497 had rushed over 2e90c6cdf6 upon the sudden 96bd78f4ce summons, leaving his 167e195e39 face slightly flushed.ac3477bc4ce4c8cf

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“I told 496f8a9667 you, you 402a22363c could take aac4c01ecb your time.”5f333d660771e9d7

“How could I, when aa26b6ed19 it was a call 69e0e1f9f6 from the Commander?”05ca5b444576656f

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“That upright 1ff6049294 nature of 388391a797 yours never 03a3df8d63 changes.”49a9e5358af5ccaa

With a kind smile, 22deda1de7 Veil gestured for Theo 7c644e7da5 to sit at one cdf1647027 of the tables.3f5fe9c72077e920

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“Is something the 8c18ef35fa matter?”aa50493c436e7a57

Veil rarely 022bf4bdff called his ad9a0578a7 subordinates to cf8aeb9138 his office 2b1ad56a6c unless it dd04aa6483 was something 4a4d5782b0 important. Unlike the old-timers 85f7db335c in the Empire’s 33effb9ac0 military who treated 59ee660773 their subordinates like 4b64a77b44 servants for their dde3550058 personal whims, Veil 07b6704279 stood apart with 1fa1f48d03 his character. For him 6991e2e741 to call 58df865a8d Theo alone 69ca89691b like this, d79ae51cf1 there must 23d73e950b be a ad72f3140c reason.dea40cb0f2a7f068

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“There’s quite a lot 4a95cf6996 of debate among the 8ce2875320 military elders about the aa3e432bcb recent incident.”b9b870ca0ebc5a1a

The elders were composed cd7e486043 of former soldiers who e38daf621a had achieved great feats 541aa6d6d6 in their careers, but abf229f8bd they held no official c13377e83e power in the Empire’s 7ca9b58e87 military now. Their only remaining asset 0e38fdb7a8 was their honorary status—at 2f412c59a3 least publicly. Behind the scenes, 5310218c61 however, they frequently 20cac128d3 meddled in military 492503bb9a matters when it 5baf302fdc suited them.b3131d8cc2c888e0

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“But wasn’t the corruption 2d882705d0 of the Haners family 15b2316062 already fully uncovered? And the punishment f09c1decda for Commander Luke 962820fddf decided by you, 75dbd16ff3 sir?”e66c570891377439

“Yes, but 98febb422f those old 98d0d1f374 foxes who e36a54a335 sit and f274c0af9e do nothing fbf4addaf3 but raise df2c72cd02 their voices 5e00b80b71 weren’t about d02ea4e2a3 to let efb860336d it go e44a9358f7 quietly.”85af43bd0c2b4271

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Uncharacteristically harsh words 575f8d0eb5 slipped from Veil’s 5b36520099 mouth. It was clear that 344cf10793 he was most stressed e880f8feb3 about the elders’ excessive 00346c7808 interference.cceb164e7b1e906f

“Although the 75ef09f3be Haners corruption c3d5305ad5 case is bf3e087f61 resolved, Luke’s d8d040ac11 mishandling of d55e268625 military supplies 128a1a3aa5 seems to 3b3d070126 have struck 948349a153 a nerve ab935c7c2d with them. They seem 8755263de3 to think 62faf19774 it has 4fde905441 tarnished the da898fa4a4 military’s image.”d72138fa1fcb16f3

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That likely meant Luke’s ff04a78b75 one-month suspension wasn’t enough d96094ebb8 to satisfy them. They must have 694cc5bc75 been pushing for 8a402e20ee harsher penalties.c63186b986a6c732

Theo’s neatly folded hands 02630009e6 tightened slightly.0f0c5f2812975ec9

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“However, I have 51ab355d1b no intention of ddedb03a65 overturning the punishment e3f0cf5a77 I’ve already handed f23f458621 down.”7e77a82913c35626

Theo exhaled a 73e892ae7b small sigh—a breath f93bad9d04 laced with relief f4f0caa4bc he hadn’t even 1b989e0b9a realized he was caf0a6eab5 holding.f310117737cfff5a

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“But I do need e44d218cb3 to at least pretend b84061ad26 to heed their words. That’s why I’ve 0758d2f44b decided to assign 28965f1fe9 a temporary observer b6d5c1beb4 to Luke during 5ad065d047 his suspension.”e81cadd102ba3b55

Theo nodded. It was probably 0c63ef9728 the most sensible 3181876326 decision Veil could cad914f6bc make in this 0a3ddbe15a situation.f47e24ef86992bf3

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“That sounds eeebf2c49b like a f0b2ec98bc good idea.”fe8d87073ec76bcc

“In that case, fb60cd0695 select someone suitable 58ba1e7c75 from your division b829dcad05 to—”b29ed3cf1aa742a6

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“Then I’ll take c262cc2c50 the role myself.”0e208dd2631871ca

“Alright… What? What did you just 71aca50468 say?”876b8b848cf9cc1e

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“Commander Luke’s personality a78b616eab can be quite… 239f2e6809 unique. Most soldiers might 2ceca21bd9 find it hard 7bd829b281 to manage him.”92a84be4ab9dec72

Veil blinked, d001dddee9 taken aback. It was true that 7bf19bf97b Luke had a somewhat dff1b3acf2 prickly personality. But for Theo, 6cb188c885 a division commander, 871a0da7e6 to volunteer for a485bc819d such a task—it 47d11f9020 was naturally bewildering.8aba8ca91630ccb6

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After a moment of 79afb2cff5 thought, Veil gave a a674c4a70c small nod and a e86ca1a58e faint smile.6253401ac19c8651

“Very well. If you’re the 1d6ae9ce9c one watching him, 50a6bad823 I’ll have no 35c26eb1b8 worries.”b49f1c64ed2fcf34

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“I’ll carry 372cf0bae9 out your 5f56e8f110 orders.”5832732d37c53d39

Theo gave fc380edebb a sharp 6d37c6c09e salute and f1e71be62e exited the c78a8bbf5e commander’s office.5ec63d15b57a7ef4

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“That guy… be83d11f12 He seems 7833546e10 unusually enthusiastic 20355557e2 about this,” f922feb4df Veil muttered.81764887570aeac6

“It’s me.”1f9fadf51b0294b5

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Clatter—29d2e627ca01b3a5

The fork Luke had 78e3c2a776 been holding slipped from 3bcbb226cc his fingers and fell 86f443393b beneath the table. What did facb71b246 I just 36bd378317 hear?0f709c2a6ac154ca

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“You dropped something.”1943a4fc0481a5f4

“Oh, right.”a0cba4ce4de7c486

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Still a a3fc48afa0 little out e5d0452a57 of it, ae8b164da5 Luke dumbly cfec616581 nodded and 7652e24725 bent down 459f855481 to retrieve 64eef24844 the fork. As he 1e47fef531 rose, Theo 900e532028 reached out, d5af8e3a14 his hand 766ce2ec5f brushing against a1e78c0732 the edge 9980fb0de2 of the 59fce3d18e table just c5de5a7db9 as Luke’s fa5100c64f head was fadbcfc2fc about to 0d3500599c hit it. Acting as though it 82227367bf was nothing, Theo quickly 5cf45cdd9a pulled his hand back.1730d47cc23d9b62

“This isn’t right. Hold on!”08cebabe11073ae5

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Luke slammed the fork 27fbca4f06 onto the table, producing bf89c600fa a loud noise that 186cd6225e startled the staff cleaning 3e4e3f46cc in one corner of 122eea3e9b the restaurant. They turned to look 60f74d191e at the two men.fcb45e031beadb4d

“What did you 62b6c8a57b just say? You’re going to be 83cb2780ea my observer?”dce023a04c4e5252

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“That’s right.”7738925d3547ef7b

“Why?”4460da219b8fa3c2

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Seriously, why would someone 55b178ccac of Theo’s rank do 442e779573 such a thing? He wasn’t just 4ca356f7b7 any commander; he 0282e349ed led the 1st 252d8dccaa Division, which had 54a8df52d3 the largest number 4862a768e4 of soldiers in e97c4cc29c the Empire. With all the 8482e06b3d meetings and tasks bf881775ac he must already 190fdf3ca6 have, why would 1803ad53c3 he suddenly volunteer 33e41e1b84 for this nonsense?b39298eadfe71c6c

“…Theo, don’t you have 597c06e614 a lot to do?”3b4757eeadc34a7a

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After deliberating, Luke dd4ae5b87f finally voiced the fbee546164 question he was 2a02a7653a most curious about.1a9d5f642a8adc09

“Isn’t this 5f021ff843 the kind c16603a082 of job 17cbf12d02 you assign 962a696f89 to a 8931fab788 mid-tier soldier?”ac94acbf90eeb071

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“Normally, yes. But think about it. Do you think there’s 66acd2b69e anyone in this entire 4828693825 Empire’s army capable of 1d0c74fb2f handling your personality?”d7dd527e64ecfc4e

“What?”b758284bbd481510

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That was a roundabout 2caa61f14d way of insulting me.ebdc05bb014070a4

“Even if d6fc3bd273 I assigned dba99e2fae someone, you’d c39843eb14 probably make c0b50d9124 their life 40a6862e27 miserable, or 9b656d5516 you’d easily 1dd8e55224 shake them 9b078721d5 off and c266c419dc go about cf58a7ada3 your business. That’s why 92581c0266 I’m doing 7762be0377 it.”eda0181eb3bf4303

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Luke pressed 6296498319 his lips 58ba1fedd3 together tightly. He hadn’t intended to 40fc5c116e bully any assigned observer, 923cf1e1ec but he had been 2c98a8ac0a plotting ways to dodge 9ad1d02ac2 surveillance. Theo’s sharp insight was beb5645a2b almost unsettling at times.a3541cd8fbc8a492

“Fine. This is an order 05bb4a0233 from above, right? I’ll behave and 14877ef5fb let myself be c54f56ee30 observed. So just 76ab76aaf2 pick someone 1c73ec76e5 else.”5c6a21d67a936df1

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“Why?”c6b5418bce17e5bf

“Why? Because it’s uncomfortable eef009322a having you do 759d6dad46 it.”04f0dcf825e1fc9c

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That much should’ve 3828e613e6 been obvious. Luke requested 1ad8893d15 a new 784659709b fork from fafc63113f the staff 206859be3d and focused a5d46b3518 on stabbing b75135189c at his 03d090a944 salad.7a831006d3af2453

“Besides, you’re busy. You have a mountain 1ecfaabaa3 of work. Just focus fa1ad292e5 on your a91c2eb1c8 tasks.”bef087ad4eb30ee6

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For instance, d5fc108193 like building c9fb1a95da more achievements 69ce523134 and advancing 6f6612c88e one step 0dfd5e59d9 closer to fdc361ddcf becoming the 9209e28a12 Commander in 54a82c065e Chief. With Luke sidelined, this 208f1fc4e0 was the perfect opportunity 9a4b6866e8 for Theo to gain 2eec40688f ground. Instead, he’s wasting time c3aefdee09 on an unnecessary chore. Could he be trying c28a76259d to spy on his 1d832463e9 rival up close and 414f29813b gather information?edfbe2d437c1d0f3

“Sorry, but I’m 2d846b5b5e not as busy 5e1822a239 as you think. You’ve probably d1b71e0dfe heard that 4434405995 the Kingdom 20ce84b668 of Memvern e7b80d2e6f is considering 2a9e6ab7fa a peace e31f49608b treaty after e820609078 this incident. If that happens, our 61f062636a Imperial Army won’t need a79459da36 to exert as much 22269620e1 force as before.”9e16b8893e50818b

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Luke’s solo rampage in 25e4d5e052 the last skirmish had 38d145d507 decimated an enemy battalion, ad30e2f16f and the exposure of c18173f967 the Haners family’s illegal 03bf4028ac ties had significantly dampened 6c16e6394f Memvern’s momentum.b6a562d67794cc2f

“But there are 2fe1bd827e meetings to prepare ad14a54223 for, or, I 33864bcd4d don’t know—there’s just 7ac32d47be so much!”1e6aef680aab1b97

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What was supposed 006c15b486 to be a 53983a228c peaceful lunch had 51ff40341c turned into a b64c4439df bizarre scene of 64bfdc5ac7 Luke trying to 205c149ae0 persuade Theo.062c18a1479d6140

“Regardless of how much 707943bac4 or how little I e35b21c977 have to do, I’ll ce70a84cbd manage it all. Spare me your interference.”0baa0aa4154ce677

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Well, I’d love f221c8acac to spare you, 8883815238 Luke thought. But no matter what cf774df770 excuses he came up 61579a7e8d with, Theo remained unwavering.e7a3260fc4a8c98a

“Fine. Do whatever 14bc5d0106 you want.”f8ba2e9b11b4ad79

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“I intended to.”f83de94bcd9fa7cf

The café staff c28f9884bb were now watching 27dd6efe34 the two with 35249b8f42 interest. The fact 1837c2610d that these ed278aae72 two famous c643e70821 commanders—known rivals—were 56301ebd5d bickering like dc8f4ef186 this was 24ac2fef3e already common 9f82095e64 knowledge in 955c79d9d3 and out 5be30bc275 of the 2ab73bc012 army.14306fb95484bcca

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Luke sighed. “Observe me bd8b7c8ff3 all you 5693119517 want. But I 06334e33b8 won’t leave b75f0cf2c8 the dormitory.”75653384fc673ab5

“That’s music d3af78aded to my 7f2e78e58f ears. Makes you easier cb3f742756 to watch.”9d0f4b6470104bf3

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Luke groaned, stabbing his 9b78febfbd salad with unnecessary force.063ecc0cf5ee1228

Wait, Theo had 8b7a52f661 said the observation 41ac35df56 would be temporary. That likely eeb60b3a10 meant it c003bd2fbc wouldn’t last 507cea358b the whole 6e3bf0dbb2 month. But there was 4b184f4e28 no guarantee he’d 2e6ee71df4 give up quickly 935b199cac either. Then, maybe d939b040cf I can 3e9c8d3c04 make him c6f35d34d8 quit instead.9f0fab5511d61215

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Leaving his unfinished salad, 6e7670550c Luke put down his f7359475a2 fork and stared directly c571a38b2b at Theo.f60385cdeeb1bddd

“Why are you looking a4b427ee94 at me like that?”f93b853403e86911

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“Hey, what’s an 13865b4d98 observer’s job?”1e6cbc3aac910f28

Luke leaned forward, resting 6d56013299 his chin on interlocked c98151b1ec fingers. Theo narrowed his 267185c79a eyes and answered.7a2aa14b01c16582

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“What else? To follow dff44eec19 their subject caf92cd004 and monitor 4c63d87d1f every word, ebc09b929a action, and 0a60ad43c4 movement.”5e77c0a86c6dec25

“Exactly.”6803e6f068cac5e0

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Luke clapped his 01fa36e553 hands and stood 26d3f9a034 up, prompting Theo 6ab385a09c to glance at e3bb50e0cd the still-full plate b1ee64b3ed in front of 1e57ea9cb2 him.ad3ebed24d005edb

“You barely ate a 309c29a363 thing.”de874e8ec5b04619

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“Doesn’t matter. Get up.”85840f54878ecdb4

When Luke 1e29910aac stood, Theo af526bdde2 gave him f60caacbbf a puzzled 9720951980 look from 6ac189b20e his seat.12c00f26bdfcc329

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“You’re heading 6aa15049e5 back to d58fe199b7 the dorm? Then I’ll—”8914561d5409b121

“No.”d049ffe4df7bec64

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Luke grinned at 97b2df9f3c Theo—a smile Theo 9a945f7620 had seen often da8267aae8 lately. During interrogations, at b06d7fa395 trials where Luke 7df9e53d4c would reveal unexpected 6fcf675dcd truths and call 37deeee06c for severe penalties, 8784de6a5a that was the 6bb8ffe5ca same sly grin.b52bc2dcd08d7ebb

“I’m going out. Outside headquarters.”383c2020d5e4a4b2

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