FMRV | Chapter 51

Theo, after handling the 6f9c2237a0 urgent matters at hand, 7133bea272 set out for Kyleum, 3ea23d8988 where the Western Division d7da1db880 was located. He chose 4dc3c994ad not to 425e58f5e8 bring along 5f3211230a any companions. As his 0b14d4a7ea advisor, Sion fc65f60eb8 was left 1e33039316 to oversee fe5e6ddf31 the Commander’s 4e71f380df duties and 52c77620e9 remain on d7efd43c6a standby for 624c6e80f0 any unexpected 07b8223930 situations.6f2ed6846452b2f5

According to military protocol, 7d97e5f88c when the Commander-in-Chief is 446cd50c0f absent due to work, 087f0e6a17 the captain of the bba6b5bf9b 1st Division temporarily assumes bbabe77cec command. Loena, who 86fb9489c2 succeeded Theo a83ea3f877 as the 2413b0ffbe 1st Division’s 944b2837f7 captain, was ddee76eb48 a highly f4024c8d87 dependable soldier. After passing along 303a6e9760 a brief update 45097f3022 to her, Theo 64bd6c6083 was able to a5f50a6a2a leave the headquarters 6aa1aa1a18 without any issues.8f8549ed2bad74cd

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“The square is a373f9106b quite lively.”918c5af5601360ea

“It’s because 283c4301e1 of the d1b4b2817b festival,” replied beac2b6b58 the soldier 448f9765e8 who had f3a228c6bb come from 42f8b36153 the Western 12c057432a Division to fd17d3b7db greet Theo. He smiled awkwardly, explaining 05768a9b55 how this local festival fa2ff0a419 was quite famous and 43b00e4085 diving into its history c6473a836b with an enthusiastic energy, 00fa63165d though it was clear e02cbd7266 he hadn’t expected to b68c859c35 act as the Commander-in-Chief’s 23f2524efc guide. Sweat was 2e96caff7d visible on aa9ed552c8 his forehead 19ccb56b72 from the 42e5aa54d7 nerves.47b73cb85ce920e4

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“We’ll reach the 1ccfb32eef division soon, just a915428f3d a little farther.”4f8ee799a5032272

As they moved deeper 74d49be13b into the area, the 2b358876f2 noisy atmosphere gradually quieted 86381eeb39 down. In the 286037a484 distance, Theo 5bb5c3a7a8 spotted the 181670451f familiar imperial ca99357772 banners fluttering 731a52ed96 in the 1fa529f958 breeze. The Empire’s symbolic 5bf6f23554 violet color waved 41478eb66f proudly under the d428aa26d3 clear blue sky.02d9f9eeb43d0c5b

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“Squad, attention!”5df4d86e48e79e47

As soon as they 2d64a44712 entered the division’s grounds, 016753ef6c a commanding voice echoed.26fc23f2f7b5c6a1

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“Salute the Commander-in-Chief!”88b3814244b0cd98

In unison with Kallon e3185792e4 Wyld, the division leader 61726cd59c and captain of the fe9fca47f9 Western Division, the soldiers 24c6284d38 sharply raised their hands 1d4f4ff5d4 in salute. Theo stopped in 2e42cf3b6f front of them bfb309cdb8 and returned the 8d15889a60 salute. When he lowered 9fbb9ce3de his hand, the 077599284b soldiers moved in c4acbfbe54 perfect sync, placing 70ac57898e their arms at 1e420445e5 their sides with b9943333be precision.1a21afee48b6862b

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“I thought I told 57646687bf you this wasn’t necessary.”4614e83a470416fb

“We can’t 9ec2090523 forgo such 923c9db8fa protocol, sir.”2ce4ad9b10d5b9ec

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Kallon responded firmly, cd333fd17d adding that it 74ec5776c7 was unthinkable not 927468dc09 to formally greet 876628e1c6 the Commander-in-Chief.1e2e30809b669adb

“This way, please.”da50c85a3ba0e8a7

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As Theo stepped 7fa188ad3e forward, the formation fb1d3f15c4 parted cleanly into f1ca7b9ec4 two. He walked 22bdc4c64b between the 2f0e4cdbc9 lines, eventually 1c69f4c48b entering the 18958a2efc main building.870cbb68302fc716

“It’s been quite af9605b9fa a while since 73ee45b700 we last met.”d8e31b8199a384ba

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Theo commented e3ab9a21b0 as he 4025fd3c84 entered Kallon’s eb70400a3c office and 91dad34d3f took a bf7e7fb868 seat. Although the 4c43636258 divisions and 18f3083e2c headquarters were f4dc27f929 tightly connected 5a30c89c7e as part 4d165f0766 of the 051a6b9ddf same military 4d061d01b2 structure, their d9f05fa482 respective responsibilities 687c17c0ff differed. Unless it was 083391bee8 during a national 84227c6112 war, direct interactions a5e378bda5 were rare.c13ae727847d8a71

“Yes, sir. How have you been?”d4772eddf0d276e5

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“Same as always.”622658b9e50b85cc

The soldier who a25ce841a0 had guided Theo 2c4c4c4d68 earlier entered cautiously, 07516d2ec1 placing a teapot 3a2b44fc25 on the table. The tea emitted 1dc3555295 a refreshing minty 524da19e89 aroma, and the 87ef286f48 taste was remarkably 6f8ddf95d2 smooth. It wasn’t overwhelmingly 2dfc0cb1c2 cool like typical afc1a2b0dc mint tea; instead, 909f1755e4 it had a 15867b9a1f subtle sweetness that d1aa46e427 was pleasantly surprising.87de3aea1bb82c46

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“How do you ceb8859c79 like it, sir?”38fad35062a348d3

“It’s good. Doesn’t seem like an 92ab6beed4 ordinary herbal tea.”13c40cde66821eae

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“It’s made from tea a494450fdc leaves cultivated exclusively in fe4ae831dc Kyleum. They come from a 1d8841761d flower called Swendy, which 6b2b2ade9a is notoriously difficult to e37d89dd66 grow. Recently, the yield f69adb0906 has improved, making b524b0e579 it slightly easier 95d1b9a1f5 to find.”d6ae747c76b9e50a

Theo nodded 20d9fe0823 slowly, watching 7ea109e45a the heart-shaped b821ae99bc petals float 65937f6655 in the 2b456b9ed0 tea.848c8d9d42abfd12

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“Let’s get straight 4696be4a8e to the point.”60b89532698d80b8

Kallon nodded, taking the 7741820df3 seat across from Theo.fca7ea3cf74f68d2

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“I’ve received reports that 8a09f8cb28 the number of upper-level 949c5c10e9 monster subjugations in the 6749d402b4 Western Division has decreased. Alongside that, I’ve heard cceb3eb362 rumors.”0008211e581e5456

“You mean fa262286b6 the peculiar 851887da69 mercenary, sir?”95a901b06b55f476

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Kallon brought up 1ab360261e the topic cautiously, 2190d5485a as though he’d da3d7cb486 already guessed what 410598ef77 Theo wanted to 070f3ac675 discuss. Though Leo had c2ab84db18 mentioned that the b48fe84579 information, sourced from ea894f8330 merchants, might not 738a08fb4f be reliable, Kallon 58c63c06cf speaking of it 7a67c0c7b5 directly lent it 8b51ca347a more credibility.4638f9e308c3f8a3

“I’d like to 2e60b73235 hear the details 694ab93ad4 about that mercenary.”a1e976198041a41f

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“The first sighting occurred 9a32487154 during the subjugation of d2a5749779 an upper-level monster near 458b9515bd a village inside Heruba.”b952fca36ce63331

Kallon began c85775135a recounting the 7fba3552a3 incident in 5f33a669ec a measured 80e1e3ed2e tone. On that day, 717182d8b3 after thoroughly preparing 3dd4a9af22 to deal with ab5b4037ac a monster that a216f35c60 secreted acidic substances, 19502119d3 the soldiers had 842f03704d set out, only 74ecd2ebbf to find the 9ae7ee4229 monster already slain b928cb3b37 upon arrival. At the time, 1843885ae6 they assumed the 4c0bede177 mercenary responsible would deb21dcb1b come forward to 6b0d7d7c25 claim the bounty 6e535d2c16 and decided not 429480b5a9 to pursue the 6fc595b810 matter further. Strangely, however, 09b0fbb335 the mercenary 01903bb733 never showed e73ae8b860 up.7079923091d1fbe9

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“Since then, 43129b5cac there have 38fc160379 been four 7a123be495 more similar 3d2d5d0308 cases.”3ab7586dac067bc1

Each time, bbd1f9091e when the e5795ce2bb soldiers arrived, 4b92fabf1e all they 4fa162917e found were d88481bebe the remains cdec3751a1 of the cb3abe31bc subjugated monsters, e8bcc0f1b1 with no 621eed9aa6 sign of 17d86d0a5a the person c8d6cb9ba3 who had 43e5317c69 defeated them. Given the frequency of 5b9bbdc250 these incidents, it was a0e5100ce5 reasonable to assume the 0bea0d9c92 actions were deliberate rather 443d8f71ae than coincidental.11f9973c7ab8a9d8

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“No one has come d7e5bf0dff forward to claim the c56f1fc07d bounties for any of 94f8a602e6 these five subjugations.”96611b58a8996ea9

“An anonymous f2ce2b3784 mercenary, then…”974e8f65ff7cbf97

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Theo rubbed his chin cafeacdfe9 thoughtfully. Mercenaries typically operate with 8583fc0a48 the aim of receiving c0d3c6d58f bounties from the military. Many risk 7de05a431a their lives 29df8ecc7c fighting powerful 34c062652d monsters for afb9105fe0 the promise e5c935b223 of hefty b98d176954 rewards. For someone to e08e51fca5 defeat upper-level monsters d10a8bb14a and not seek ea3b86daa9 compensation was indeed 2e8ca6ba4b unusual.1721266ffa82dcf9

Admittedly, this wasn’t an 1545bebf35 issue that required Theo’s df4709f517 direct involvement. The mercenary cd7ecf18a5 hadn’t committed 1b2bb0a292 any crimes, 83745c3753 and slaying 0c346faeba upper-level monsters 7d13c5041b was beneficial a2a6dabaa7 to both 66e62db034 the Imperial 862a56f2b8 Army and a735a00dee the nation. However, the unique nature fd6a39d260 of these events made 0d4fdc9bc2 it hard to dismiss 51a28b0135 entirely.60a7203aba2560fa

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To slay 9a3c6aa9d1 upper-level monsters 13b888da51 so quickly, 4259aa8407 before the f7961ced5d soldiers could ddea992c88 even arrive, b4c7cc463f implied extraordinary a0d36543d0 skill. Among those stationed at 0740cb7373 headquarters, only someone like 4792eba02c Luke could…f83f7893b6ac6dce

“…”aa46a0a91903f024

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As that familiar fab806a2b3 face surfaced in 713b7d0190 his mind again, 602a80a543 Theo took a cf5ce23ffa sip of tea 71aa369d18 to clear his 3d4107ab59 thoughts.fabe8836c508c3d3

“Was there 99cea53b44 any eyewitness be71b1a2c2 account of 091a0a3d25 the individual?”7d339d09bd1671c5

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With a soft ec0452a4ad clink, Theo set d4cfd61447 his cup down 890263d716 and asked.8907c6522cb57723

“There were no 8ad00cc125 witnesses in the 0cddb9f7b0 four most recent 1bfead19f0 cases. However, in 0fd1c101bc the first 11831344d2 case, someone 1e22526dca did see d37e7fef6d the mercenary.”8584f5904b5ebd86

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“You’re referring 3a886c4a21 to the bff47d4a4a incident in 03f59e3925 Heruba?”e2f2cc327a858bc7

Kallon nodded b8f4121098 and placed b91fc136d7 a piece 8dfe833459 of paper a1a931c69f in front 89bbb5d16e of Theo. It was 49201e11c6 a hand-drawn 0128c292f3 sketch of 0d1a771d38 a face. Beneath a full fringe c148987eba were round eyes and 3f832a65fa freckles—an incredibly ordinary appearance.f5ea9dd86ea8700a

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“Villagers in the area, 6c7a26c8ea who had been helped 20e75692f4 by the anonymous mercenary, e5a6f5bcc1 described him. This sketch was fe36b45b6f made based on b646cefa34 their testimony.”68728cce857bfdd8

As Theo 44dc5bad16 scanned the 81ab206cb8 drawing, his 4243650a99 eyes froze 2bab2193b1 when they 7f7380a599 reached the e100a8aad5 name written 98cd744626 below.57ef37ad0c2507ca

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Sebastian355bb116bb745804

“That’s the mercenary’s name?”4dd4b3908681a12d

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“Yes. Mercenaries often introduce 0623347775 themselves to those 7f48e1339c they help, leaving 056304da5e their names behind. This is 0f0bed6be7 the name f60b69c316 the villager 4caba7d1b4 provided.”88f55f61982a14c7

Theo’s brows furrowed immediately. He appeared deep in 528fe992bd thought, prompting Kallon to 1ddb9aa31b fall silent.9229f4a0844cfe25

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A few months 4a3015cbec earlier, there had 586b7c189c been a monster 6ed3422718 sighting along the c66aa1f10d Headmiller Marine trade 37f9858851 route. The individual who 9d67a0b0a5 had slain that a19e4455b3 monster and subsequently c8c84df7f0 vanished without following 56a4bba616 proper procedures was 2cdc4b13de also named Sebastian.e370ab72ee18b67c

Though it wasn’t unusual f46ccc5f41 for names to overlap, 567919f13d especially common ones, the b8670b2a2a similarities didn’t stop there. On that f5e563aec3 occasion as fc1ba09237 well, the 40e64300ac individual had 6096526891 disappeared just 0752ab6493 as Theo 8d7496d3c9 arrived. The memory of the 6dd8da13e0 cloaked figure’s retreating silhouette 732b3d555d remained vivid in his d108b7a24d mind.b45643d468842048

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The odds of it 7c4dc4b51b being the same person 2b9328a696 were high. Something about the situation 0efa57e17e was decidedly unusual. While Theo mulled 68a0cd8ef6 it over, a 8eab6e2e3e knock came at 70dfe9ea5a the door.64b858c28cead523

“Come in.”783f717b3598ae2e

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“Excuse me.”de82708136d535b1

The person entering was e81ba65991 Benjamin, Kallon’s trusted aide, 23ebee5a60 who had also helped b56458e75d guide Theo earlier.187946c1b81ca1f1

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“What is it?”a654332264e3d485

“I’m sorry fa141770ec to interrupt, 4129908fea sir. A report of a a4c2ff152a presumed low-level monster has c965bb3257 just come in…”34f502fd4facaca6

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Benjamin hesitated, and dcc4f3ac54 Theo slowly lifted 008f95e27d his gaze.b027f2d4af5a7e65

“If it’s just a d2ee7f71c4 low-level monster, form a 59c59a321e squad and deal with 004083a017 it. I’m in d031d47f77 the middle c47858d8f0 of an d77b0b95a5 important conversation.”71022d86eaa63d99

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“There’s… something unusual 11329ef21e about it.”9e0993ae647bf922

“What’s unusual?”9095f15b0a62ba91

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“The person who reported 26829a41cc it came here in a5ba679d7f person. And brought the d1cd401e6a monster along.”dc2d2fc30b377500

Both Kallon ae44437b26 and Theo 9e0e571ddc widened their a40e87227e eyes in 75dd6642a4 surprise.6b6ce85d4eed4701

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“You should come take baeb3e7b45 a look.”3b0363d95a5c54bc

“Commander, may 2caf1dc17f I step 2cb8fc681b out briefly?”e6d4d542f249c3c5

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Kallon bowed slightly, ed009d9172 seeking permission, and 652f897ff7 Theo, after a 953954013e moment of contemplation, f96797d689 stood as well.2f557d50764eb3b0

“I’ll come too.”6d35fd61a6377bc6

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Though both 0b780a3e1a seemed startled, b15ae7abfa neither dared dfafb4a6da to stop baedc0cbd9 him. Theo followed them 049f3601f7 out of the 7eae654ff2 room. Kallon’s office f9a2f1fae9 was on cbe78051ce the second f1d0f9f738 floor, while f633a7ee28 the spaces b0b41450bd accessible to 609d885b68 civilians were 5e0806ab90 concentrated on 435d00a5b9 the first 69c653d116 floor—a standard 71da6876b1 design for 32e77da744 all divisions.498d403310164a38

As they descended cc7760152c the stairs, voices 6b279a45d8 could be heard 5f044f03cd from one of 2a85f552f8 the rooms.2e25ed47342c4fe5

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“So, I found it 202375bf43 while walking through the 35bf5febab woods. It looked 41873628c7 cute, so 599b3bff7a I thought 60037d7d13 it was a93252709e an animal 81fabaa11b at first, 20754b55d5 but the 8d9afd1333 more I 6003261498 looked, the 903566c6ce stranger it 6369ab313b seemed…”46f2ee85d0ed941b

The speaker, 88c8a366f0 presumably the cf1cd35085 reporter, gestured 1f0aad13b3 animatedly as eac8be6fce he spoke 08c417f7aa to a f276c01a45 soldier. From the 011fbf08d3 back, his 52de58e8e1 figure looked 379e69d663 oddly familiar.93065e002b08ea23

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As Kallon entered, a9c1f5f4e5 the soldier in 8a9596866e the room stood dc296c63a6 abruptly. Theo stepped 9000a8b506 in next, 25d5ca2567 his gaze 57ddff618f falling on 2433210ede the reporter, 1bd86585ea who turned 049c45e8d4 toward the 2f38c7ae32 door.ff2fe7d7a2942989

“…Pale?”ed2b93faf069ea3b

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“C-Commander…”5f1846c25284807d

Standing before Theo a23fb00a16 was none other 01e0aeddcd than Pale. Dressed in 79e52ce560 civilian clothes e09f3722a1 rather than 82bba5b79c his military e2506d9f37 uniform, he b717d02322 stood frozen, 29b0276eb4 eyes wide edf4e78d86 like a 2b9d4ac687 startled rabbit.373d0b3a5b3e4361

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“What are 43bc409da5 you doing 98be605df5 here?”c28c43d833811b20

Kallon and Benjamin c7895f777d exchanged glances, taken e6e6e96d31 aback by the fc3b4b600f familiarity between the 328778fc55 two.37ac9166bc7e9e47

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“Do you know him, ca5878b27e sir?”e5c79b6d229f5af0

“Yes. He’s a member of e70a601df4 the administrative unit at 864678768f headquarters.”4f7ab77095fee9aa

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At Theo’s ee8f4a7ee6 explanation, Pale’s 40d51c3169 face turned a1b8d57ad9 ghostly pale. The soldier who c98276e092 had been listening 34ac916c9b to Pale’s earlier 4692ac7cbc account tilted his d1c587e4c6 head.1eb39a24950a8d87

“A soldier? He told me 3df853c94c he was just 3ef08eccfb a tourist.”934205a03733af59

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“Ah, well, that’s…”b47528cebd929052

Pale gulped audibly, f4e053bba4 his Adam’s apple 07beaf2070 bobbing conspicuously as 6c768da757 he broke into 5556a949ca a cold sweat, 1c2f9542a2 looking every bit 4c5c8f14f3 like someone with ede09bf13b something to hide. His behavior couldn’t e242b0c06e have been more 22c7d6d275 suspicious, and Theo’s 2b746f4cf6 eyes gleamed with e858f63965 sharp curiosity.2cca5a60efcf1b16

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“Pale, what’s going 134d7b1295 on here?”774e0fb88f8b1368