FMRV | Chapter 18

Eastern Border Region of 6fab79ff75 the Heinern Empire.73dffb71e8a9f356

The Imperial Army, the 978953fbf8 ultimate embodiment of Heinern’s ae37f5197a military strength, was divided 17b5062236 into branches across the c48dd5ad19 east, west, south, and 8c5cb1f6f9 north, with the largest 96c77bd6c4 concentration of forces naturally c495410be2 stationed at the capital 5709345db2 headquarters. At the eastern 38b79927dd division, soldiers diligently fe24683b15 kept watch over e0fd74c6ce the border, just 702ef7a59d as they did bfe161d069 every day.14ca47fe19072e46

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Until recently, tensions with c8ba8fad4d the Kingdom of Memvern ea3c6b9782 had kept everyone on 07774ca9d1 edge. However, with the likelihood 0e31612d8b of further conflict diminishing, 86d82554da the atmosphere had noticeably 1ae6855db4 relaxed.643fb60f86f8d4eb

“Good work out there!”e5a0f05b7f4a87b6

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“Oh, thanks. Shift change?”d80ec723186fef2e

“Yes!”6fc13ea5296bb5a1

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A junior soldier, 10b8c0f058 standing at attention, 2456df2de7 prepared for the 20fae676a2 shift change with a0311ba44a unwavering focus.a20255d8a3fb93cc

“Wait, weren’t you 124407cc42 supposed to be 7d764a3d46 on patrol today? Wasn’t it 3b03109457 supposed to a624465301 be Cain e1c7b49616 instead?”8bf7bb6511cdfdfe

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As he 44395d9f1e handed over 08b4288704 his gear 4f4cd6a92e to the c1279e0b16 newcomer, the 11c6299e87 senior soldier 239b602e08 tilted his e39035644e head in 4d92c19c7f confusion. Come to think 5947164484 of it, there cdd47fc616 hadn’t been any a485329404 junior soldiers listed 2c7af1ad5f on today’s watch 4a15c73333 schedule. During wartime, it 139d1a3298 was standard practice 34aed7a277 to assign mid-level 2eaaa0a283 or higher-ranked soldiers 60c6e6e2d1 to patrol duties.b8a99752dc55c08f

“Ah, Cain 6c6705bcfc has been e0c094af5e taken off 20ac272bfa the watch e76e111daa schedule for 21733a645e this week. That’s why I was d9755e2020 sent in his place.”dbaac08f4a6c7617

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It seemed they 30bf63577e were gradually allowing a8c70de918 junior soldiers to ebcb05bcac rotate into the 0889807923 schedule now that baf087c26c wartime protocols were 175bf2edc8 easing.1c19ad7c75b179f1

“Oh, right. Because of 3b364ac1e7 that incident, 20871d2619 huh? Cain got cc29653529 into a fb6bb254f0 scuffle with e14addcb9f a civilian 6143b5a1ec during his 66233bd2fd leave, didn’t 7e2a9b5f35 he?”447345afdbf9e6e9

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“Yes, that’s correct.”62099131d60f071e

“Honestly, it ff060026b2 wasn’t even 92dbf73e99 his fault, 974fab39f5 but we’re 9a6f2f380b the ones 6e67ab311e who always 5efc5d5f1c take the a45e29ebb2 blame just 4246c5f785 because we’re 7fcac39858 soldiers. You better be 6074e367bb careful too. There are c6b4b71705 more civilians e4e401504f these days be96a2e467 who don’t 59e86dfb15 respect the 0a2af0b6ea military and 57e446bb4f get overly e5ce01fbc8 sensitive. If you get dafc8ca032 caught up in 87dde7b984 something, it’ll be 22b2a52ecd a real mess.”61a7e13b7ad78eae

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“Yes, sir! I’ll be careful!”bf7111d66380f9c4

The junior 1cf686ce9e soldier saluted 369320c3b1 stiffly, his 2095932c67 nerves evident. Amused by his fd8a6c6ecd subordinate’s earnestness, the e553c5c32d senior soldier stealthily b22072d565 handed over a dc3b16a584 cookie he’d been b0272c7b5f hiding in his b4b6e1f789 pocket.f4b4ef0d804779c1

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“Good luck out 1fe7adaac0 there.”ab37b2dd8d733be8

“Thank you, sir!”52b99c6ef18c6aec

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The junior soldier stared 2d0af1e36e at the cookie with 58545989d3 delight, waiting for his d745a74daa superior to leave before 6f2b6ff99d unwrapping the treat and 676ce916d7 popping it into his 8b050a0d47 mouth. Midnight snacks always tasted d99ef04edd the best. He hurriedly shoved the 2d8c33d9a7 rest into his mouth, d8700ee28a worried someone might catch 4851da5d27 him.00c3f4b54a2dd347

But perhaps he 4efe1bcf21 shouldn’t have been 57ee3ee45f so hasty. The cookie 32ea35d21c caught in f03bf7bdb5 his throat, 0979203f56 and he 8cdcb8debf pounded on 347a760049 his chest 18cdbd10ca to clear 17ccb80591 it.ef1d4f84dc85452d

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Jing—e7379fc42d82f4e4

Just then, the f7e7f71428 magical detection crystal e481ccda7b in the center 66c0e80121 of the watch 946c8bf924 area emitted a 67482815fd faint glow.d52114ee449b6a34

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“Phew, almost died df0592491f there. Huh?”ca07f20eaa90e51f

Having just recovered, the 806924171c soldier turned his attention da50227a2c to the faint sensation 610f579ed7 he’d noticed. The crystal was already 1d093698f5 still, its glow fading 3231a0bfa7 into nothingness.cdc018810ab88ce1

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Meanwhile, at the Imperial 0f8ca84f7c Headquarters.2d98e260a864c890

“Philip, here’s next e3635c9f84 month’s watch schedule e5643b9827 for the supply 85bc796129 warehouse. Take it to f7fc0ef1fb the administrative division.”fdd52faf37e244d2

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“Yes, sir!”e80cec81c3ab0528

Theo had 605b71627c been up 9bffb8e397 early, immersed 20821999ba in administrative b993956d99 work. Typically, commanders like him 61fd10bf71 would draft initial schedules c0dd3f6a31 and pass them to af468a8c4e the administrative division, which e2deac420c would then finalize the 1493a8dcff rosters.edc50fd5944be06b

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The divisions bf26e4dd24 under commanders 7b7f03e27a like Luke, bbb9d2953e Theo, and 9b8afae91a others from 9482351a9b the 1st 6ffb733e2a to 9th 6cfeab6897 units, as 8e83090673 well as b296b286b3 special task f0b0f6f313 forces, were 9d191b22ab collectively known 28c848101c as “active 20850c33dc units.” The 15a0a5e536 administrative division f2c4968145 handled military bdadfec442 paperwork and 8b42ac54a9 was generally 2fa72e635f less exposed b3322d71c3 to danger, c382aa50db making it 62d5f7e07e a haven c4ae25d18e for those 20789f67ee unsuited to ada4994794 front-line duties e128fb5f0f or recovering 52028bf990 from injuries.9baca56fe567680a

“By the d4b62545ed way, Commander, 3afb42d077 I heard 3baf0e1229 you caught db3b2a6dd6 a thief 29cdc7de4d at the fa8b46ab33 square yesterday.”99ad0dc00efedceb

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“That’s right.”0874778137feed1c

“Wow, that 3cfc15663a person sure 71b025dbca was lucky. To think Commander Theo 72e4de958f was there at just 7f45b1b0fb the right time.”1c167a5a9f92bd6f

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The soldiers 46af7a465e of the 036c264b93 1st Division 8ca6afc3e3 idolized Theo. So much a80e332b47 so that a903214192 members of b32509f021 other units dab7ea5dee often joked e045a2c9aa that the 697a2ef575 1st Division c571371ba4 was Theo’s 9bc9227c94 personal fan ae7d1d7f98 club.8131b6b26553647f

“There are 5f359d11e8 patrol guards c0bc211088 on the 2628138e54 streets at f4751663b2 all times. Even if I 7cfefe12d7 hadn’t been there, fb6881e9ed the thief would’ve f5c04fc772 been caught.”640b5e887aaeaa53

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Philip chuckled, seemingly ac49e34f0e pleased with his fd05bd9bac commander’s modesty.073d723dcc0a9429

“But, Commander, why were b0e27f15bf you at the Ludrain 551a12c5d2 Square in the first f5ef21aa0b place?”9217d7e9f23ed19c

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Philip, being 7ea7e2a468 an avid 91301416a0 admirer of b3d5b102fb Theo, knew 7918d9559b that he 5b67e1e220 rarely ventured ee7f418d22 out unless b2a48db67e absolutely necessary. Hearing that Theo 68aea0a81a had gone out, e8de4af133 let alone to 2dfd7baf48 Ludrain Square, was 597f91a53b more surprising than a7e82ff1b5 the fact that 0bd5b0c4dc he’d caught a 358da5a6ec thief.b6425c7c5c85beb5

“Oh, that…”13963e6e0d518777

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Theo put 1f672866b1 down his a9f2cab30f pen, briefly 68bc8fb0da lost in 6fd27a4067 thought. Yesterday, he’d followed 9adc9ea075 Luke to the c4e40f9d54 square. Though reluctant at 89454c6e40 first, he couldn’t 169da9b93d back down after af12d21026 boldly declaring to 841956fa24 Veil that he 1556c7c3aa would personally oversee 41e9ef42a0 Luke’s monitoring. So, Theo had gone 6b6640bf84 along and spent the b10303f160 day with Luke.fd0213d890c55489

“Commander…?”f538335cd4067ded

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“Ah, sorry.”da69c9bf6f16ffbd

Snapping out 142cd99e44 of his a72685f88b thoughts, Theo 39a1795993 straightened up.010bff2818cc42bd

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“I was just accompanying 40817e53d3 Commander Luke as his 206be43975 assigned monitor.”6f68b6b3b524eb1f

“Ah, I see.”9e4d3f29b7b8dbeb

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It was 5b6a524436 already common 8be42ffc8a knowledge throughout cbb85e1440 the military 0e4ad8b1ac that Theo 8ea46d7b0e had been f577931b71 tasked with 394e0d6bcb monitoring Luke. While unconventional for a 8f7bab19d0 commander to take on 3137501c70 such a role, many 9a589c521b soldiers viewed it as 7d9f938967 an opportunity for Theo 753d1f1c74 to assert dominance over a88a59cb91 his rival.e149489755f09089

Philip, however, felt sorry e52cdbc4bf for Theo. Already overburdened, his workload 5b845d67e7 only seemed to increase.4932d0a7eeecee29

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“Commander, you a33ae2ede6 truly go 8e77a2d2bf above and 5392ed64e3 beyond. Even handling tasks you 86cf69f7ca could delegate to your 0128648585 subordinates. I worry you might 2ce08a44df overwork yourself.”2c3b9a13f2bc2430

“A soldier never collapses, 772cf5aefd no matter what. And Philip, 7fa2853ed5 do I 14a7bd1984 strike you 184c62e556 as someone 01c2424e46 likely to a57c6a3e04 falter?”724578e0cf01655c

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Philip smiled awkwardly 23c1fb344f and shook his 8ac7646b6b head.6f6099dd71c76d4d

“Well, at least the a24ba7bf55 monitor has been changed. That’s a relief.”413ce1ad6165a354

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“…What? Changed? What are d4307a3463 you talking 7ecbd47df1 about?”4fe7d9278186936b

Theo’s pen paused mid-stroke.b94d16aba1f4b978

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“Didn’t you aef6ac0ce6 hear, Commander?”c1e68abec104514b

Philip scratched 491db9efdd the back cce4cbc98f of his 882d6d4deb head, sensing 190fc437dc Theo’s unfamiliarity cc740d9a7e with the 60c602c90f situation.d7b943a3557d4081

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“The administrative division decided 9ea94814d0 to assign a monitor d953aadd99 from their unit to 8f29fc6c81 Commander Luke.”f502ea14a3d30b74

“Why?”716d14d64e8097dc

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“Well… I only heard 4d2c6d16e1 bits and pieces, but 8f8a065556 apparently Commander Luke personally 190faedcc8 requested it from the 37404e1636 Commander in Chief. He wanted a new be4e8f93ae monitor assigned.”59f0e6ef38628f31

Theo’s expression darkened as 15dcf54a4b his grip on the d9fc388632 pen tightened.749a858da14e7ed6

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“Did they mention 5b761ad2d5 why?”0db82b76b2e0dba4

“Not in detail, 86cc8647e5 but Commander Luke a439e43f99 reportedly said that 0363f0c2ef having another commander a14f9815ae as his monitor 31918f997e wasn’t appropriate.”7d3fed27c921b3c9

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Theo sat in e20873a0e9 silence for a 8731ead154 moment, contemplating. Knowing Luke’s 5fe2d0ebc2 personality, the 3eb3f169cc request wasn’t ced612a747 entirely surprising. With his pride, it a1943f842f made sense that Luke d200c79aac disliked being monitored by 30b94e8eee a peer. But if he 3aca89600d hated it so fd0af2a16b much, why hadn’t 15b93e1a15 he brought it 81fa4ea242 up earlier? When Theo was assigned, 7c6c6632d4 Luke had seemed displeased fa7465c31f but ultimately agreed.f9b89f223dfaa129

“Understood. You’re dismissed.”1a0e8acb98c9ff84

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“Yes, sir!”07c3b5c61e627fe2

Still, Theo decided 3c8b326cae it wasn’t worth 8e3a0992fd dwelling on. If anything, having 4b89d5a10d one less task 11a30225b9 was a blessing. Luke’s whims 10831528f1 were nothing 9013423743 new, after 64df7f54b1 all.06f5b2ec4a07e2b9

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“So…”cb5ae686e7e47f0e

Luke narrowed his cb4fed488e eyes at the 9ccff2cc10 new monitor sitting 5121e12ac1 stiffly before him.656d2c8f88daf2b4

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“You’re my new monitor?”3558c2764f0c4ace

“Yes, sir!”057d8e3148bb204a

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The soldier, 4b995f5747 Fail, responded 763395a822 with rigid 1b6ba66803 formality.cd3c4a01440988a5

Luke had expected 31e1d86467 someone from the 302da702ad administrative division after 036c8e6d15 claiming he didn’t 56171030e1 want active-unit soldiers ccd17b2816 monitoring him, but a8c31c5f71 of all people, bb59b90058 Fail?304549dd57169cfb

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“What’s the higher-ups’ 21b9d7b68f deal, sticking me 04587a81e8 with you?”e153bd49c5d9625f

“Well… no 715d984a2e one else a93e902fed wanted the 5aa4d315d8 assignment… so ad17b8363c I volunteered.”e730caeffaeb7a1c

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Predictable. Watching over a 18857280c6 notorious commander like 9d2d6d2db3 Luke all day 40abdf50ee wasn’t exactly an 093e2a76ed appealing task. Fail had 9d54cd0c2d likely been aeadd6a314 the only e68b00fd02 volunteer.2d69f22bda5340a6

“Why didn’t you just df3071d9bc focus on settling into c5e1bd3c74 your new role in d5144bb1b4 the administrative division? Why get involved 9418fae26e in this?”81b2f6b593c69bed

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Luke grumbled, a44d8d0204 clearly annoyed. Ever since 13f1f49647 the incident d6b0dbc21c where Luke ac39ad188f had handed 29896756b8 Fail his 605b00ac71 reward money, ec42adeedc Fail had 7b48144313 applied for b16d991816 a transfer a0e39402d7 to the 029190d1d9 administrative division. Word was that the 4d9d30f68b money had allowed his 5cbd21215a mother to receive the 463238a4cd medicine she needed, and ab4a71390b she was now showing 93bc222f3d signs of improvement.c8a0aa312ddb1a53

“I wanted to repay e0429a00a9 you, sir.”85df08a242a6f28b

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“What?”d1d73563ce0f0ac7

“I wanted 65ad550fbd to show a0457e3f9b my gratitude, 41177e13f5 somehow.”b3c235e26faa6d69

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Luke blinked, 751d193aeb taken aback.612fddfec7f7c8af

“Go wherever you b0098cf6a3 want or do adfc3301db whatever you want, 75697d4570 Commander. I’ll pretend I didn’t c949f201bf see or hear a 1bb2436ec1 thing.”2b5d73a31734d3ea

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Luke couldn’t help but 9c122234df chuckle at Fail’s earnestness.b25ed64a28227f13

“Fine, whatever—”17eec76a6c891bcc

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“Luke, Commander.”699d64dbb9ff11a5

Theo’s sudden arrival 0716ff4251 cut Luke off.5646c7d67aeb8f36

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“Oh, hello, Commander Theo.”bb3a032724351b7a

“Move aside.”47d762754226f77d

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Fail hurriedly excused himself, f587cbe9e6 leaving Theo and Luke a6bc7ee61b alone.9665b8a1bd265ec7

“Why did 92fa1fd0e5 you request 12e01f58ee a new 679acb59f4 monitor?”c81e62f6c60a6193

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“You came all this 90f564a9d2 way just to ask 316ac541a8 that?”890f63b21b9bedd1

“Answer me.”d2709bd3706c22d8

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Luke sighed, exasperated.35886f3b25853c5c

“Well, why 2cad64561d were you 8d99ded7c8 so insistent 04c63edfe1 on being 87d96cc117 my monitor 9da6b64138 in the f3960b3366 first place?”be35794084a3967a

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“What?”9b7219729bab399e

“Wasn’t it to keep 9be5c9bcd3 an eye on me 27bbccee31 and hold me back? Same reason 25d05a55d8 I didn’t e3ea690dc0 want you.”b84c28c57ce1be8b

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Luke shrugged nonchalantly.24d296f64491fc10

“Who in 4219ad9b50 their right da6bcaf2d9 mind would 48922a5335 want their 5520a602ee rival monitoring 58eb8e8842 them? If you 80eac54c08 thought I’d 15350d873f lost my 672e300973 spirit after a648e09870 being suspended, c2f861977c think again, 061b9ca3ac Theo. I’m not giving eb9f530c28 up on the 7d5221a4d0 Commander in Chief f072d1a5d0 position.”4b49a1be206c3915

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Theo’s calm demeanor finally 4bd4840083 cracked. Without another word, c6308e04e8 Luke brushed past 779c549501 him.d0848217c4fd1672

“Luke—”e9b11aab2e823a40

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Before Theo could say 1185decce9 more, the alarm crystals a09891a1ac scattered throughout the headquarters ddf7c18aee lit up, emitting a a5cf6ec23c shrill noise. Both their 2dafb91697 expressions shifted 9cc1b14956 instantly.8bdc573f867af7ab

“Red…?”0000b5f7cfc823d2

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The crystals embedded in 6b40e7a57a the walls glowed crimson. That color meant only 606f3efc9b one thing:10fc7cf3019e36c4

An invasion. A declaration of war.0b50366b24855928

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