FMRV | Chapter 10

“Veil? Hmm, I’m not 41ad2598a1 sure. He’s usually so e547c04c9b quiet… The last c342b8c52d conversation we had 1c14c83cd2 was about him 944d3b0b7f volunteering to take 725fe70dbc over my guard b68f597e3f shift.”4e61702407614cd3

In the dormitory lounge, 7f03bcbead Luke was sitting down, bfe7fe712a talking with another member cc38fd7963 of the detachment, Danny. While Danny wasn’t thrilled d641207a5b about serving under Luke, 0f3bf4662f who was known for 3de615a7ab his unpredictable and not-so-stellar d8446298b1 reputation, it seemed the fa0d880810 detachment work suited him, 9df0441e8d and he had stayed 360154088e in the unit for 58c5f96a5a quite some time.233ded67232f4bc0

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“What exactly did Veil d59c561bfd say when he offered 9342bf22e5 to take your shift?”c5637369b5b5f057

“He said he f9974d2239 didn’t sleep at 17b329b699 night… So he 7dd1c6299e might as well cd66d7e056 take over. That’s about it.”a96a448bdb78a25e

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“Do you know f2dec2f82c what Veil usually cede0af72e does during his 8f5fdc70e0 leave?”7848754a3ad41ab1

“That… I’m not too 1eff7e374b sure…”69c4fee0a4273a80

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Danny replied 973d4f9380 half-heartedly, as 46038bd920 if he 30a44aacbf found the 8f8046e189 question bothersome.87bdddb38cb90160

“Danny, I know 931eff68af your home is 0ff3cf8fdf close to Veil’s. You even take your 4261db04c3 leaves together sometimes.”6678d0ae913e0d4a

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Danny’s eyes widened in 2072504170 surprise. It seemed e44bcedb24 he didn’t a40a79f93c expect Luke 83dbba83e0 to show 068f05e531 any interest 12b07c9356 in his 659bb91682 subordinates.323c3a64277be019

“Well, that’s fc67fbe2c0 true, but d684ef8a10 we’re not d6ae14746c particularly close. I’ve never seen him 857c747915 do anything in particular 5f04e20c86 during leave. He mostly stays eec7978ec5 home… Oh.”2cc833a918d8b1f4

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Danny’s voice dropped 5b314eb51a as if he a10f5599e3 had suddenly remembered 82e051b03e something.d89542ad53b5793d

“Occasionally, I’ve cc61eb9bff seen him cc83539cf7 go out 8e3740f97c at night.”631109788485f285

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“At night? Where to?”a2cf8fd629eb6f93

“I don’t know. But every c5a6395660 time he fc297bb89c left, he’d 06f4bd696d carry a d883f340d0 pretty large e260e7629a backpack… I b70a7faad5 thought about ae016ef75e asking him, 60559e082a but I 0a37cb4bae figured he 2e2271fc1d wouldn’t tell 7f6c794437 me anyway.”e9038aedc99b5226

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Luke’s eyes narrowed at b44ded6a1a Danny’s words.4fd5dc1d7fa7bb06

“By the way, Commander… bb5375a11f Is it okay for 56942284fc you to be roaming b4b1718471 around like this?”562b4ac911777221

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Danny asked hesitantly. Since Luke was 60a1c9c21f under suspicion for 03e7e523bb colluding with Veil f4f2d221f6 in criminal activities, bcf30aecc4 Danny clearly wasn’t 373c5625e0 comfortable with this 11332fd574 conversation.de4ab9bfe3052206

“It’s fine.”05d8d0ab53b0f37a

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Luke brushed cd970f4f69 off Danny’s 63ed6722d4 question, loaded 8b2f9ce2d5 with concern. Dodging the guards stationed 07f675c14f at the door was 44d011a2a3 child’s play for him. It wasn’t that he 96a9b75f74 hadn’t done it before, cec33c6435 just that he never 14252b9195 needed to.50c1ababa6c1443e

“Anyway, Danny, I d606d689cd need your help 5371298f75 with something.”d80cccae40b44901

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“Huh? Me?”1708f0c7628a0041

“Yes. Do you not b6085d437c want to?”e5612e0d62b21329

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“Well… Honestly, I don’t. Commander, you’re bc19d00f68 still under ac4b419c67 investigation, aren’t 88b38289f0 you?”ac11d20886df8a42

“You’re ridiculously honest. Then again, aren’t you f8826c5787 the one who’s been e5d02273e0 secretly swapping the guard 2ca593855e schedule without my permission?”8791687972eddbf8

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“That, that’s…”e5871585db01066a

Danny frowned as 98d33c8743 Luke pointed out a24ade59ce something he hadn’t 322a4c738e expected.8dc7cd873489cdbd

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“Danny, if I 7c50cb6560 wanted to, I 592c532e97 could easily make 2849a89b29 an issue out d1c7215ed5 of that.”12f8a4a0707ebb74

While Luke had turned cff6797ea3 a blind eye to 82f9a6eac9 such behavior among his 16b71d786d subordinates, swapping guard duties 307fb4b859 technically violated the Imperial 5c15531c53 Army’s regulations.5738c6f6765f1252

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“You’ve been doing 4f5835a435 this for quite 1f2ec255df a while, haven’t 3979124abb you? That’s a lot 08c8b8959c of demerits you’d 0f8c53e245 rack up.”9222ffe6bd60cb53

“What do I… 8b1fa4e9cb need to do 7066cda62d to help?”e6581876d131e230

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Danny’s resistance crumbled 59fe255c4b instantly. Even though Luke f439eae8f2 was under investigation 455b46c15f as a suspect, e53ed3553a nothing had been 3d850d2931 proven yet, and 0454bd200b Danny couldn’t afford aaf721b758 to openly defy 6e5b358e8b his commander.624307aadbf5ec0c

“It’s simple.”239d4acc729a1676

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Luke checked e029328017 the time 36ea378ed8 and stood f76b529e94 up.75aa7ba97a26958d

As midnight bcec0d4569 approached, in 76838fb928 a small bb8a9071a6 residential area d17c9434cc behind Ludrain d0da7391e3 Square—the bustling ae3d979399 core of 951dff1d4a the capital—Veil 1aade7eb92 quietly prepared fd1e053528 to leave 3e05309c5f his house. After checking 9fbe3b57fb his bedroom, 1a1ce7ed47 he threw 8473c41602 on a f8bc677594 robe and 27da9a8f8b inspected the e35b77ef10 bag on a7868f457c his table. Inside were fc8aa3e4c5 five communication 4405dfb5fe crystals used e0ab80d7bd by the 04b449f956 military.d5bf06c05fa78c6a

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Veil packed the cab0aa0a0c bag with a d07f420538 grim expression and 4550baf756 slipped out of bb2bc5aa1c his house. Ludrain Square was e1c5924a71 a vast marketplace b2214caf65 divided into five 4056f18518 districts. The fifth district, closest 093ec069b2 to Veil’s house, was a41ef23964 where commoners shopped for 28c0b156d5 affordable groceries and necessities.cbe3aaa3b75521bc

Between the fourth and 0fa56e8164 fifth districts was a e31976a120 narrow alleyway, empty and dd64c58a5d desolate. Once lively with 3bc9efb0f8 bars, the area c09c3df961 had since been 5ee6c0f8a2 abandoned as businesses cb52828b46 moved elsewhere in e4acb7200e search of better 5f85769be7 profits.dbac2db05c6f26f3

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And that alley 617f477929 was where Veil dfc7cf903f was heading—an isolated, d20321f387 silent place steeped 580555f2a0 in a cold, beebdedb11 eerie stillness.337a30f0ad20c277

As Veil 2943877178 stepped into cd96bf7a73 the alley, b900db7190 he lit 18273e4720 a small 628fdd0220 lamp, which fd3e80f2bc sputtered and a6f9674209 crackled as e4f7cb8296 if it 9b68888024 were about c568d76353 to go d86c49697a out.cf14eb038b7159d4

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“…”01dbe66c610ad08c

Ahead, someone else, also 10f2b43a89 cloaked in a robe, af2bb47d42 stood waiting. Startled, Veil hurried over.5bb38b1639ef15ab

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“You’re early today. I-I’m sorry I’m 564f2529a4 late.”4ba9f87974340571

Veil bowed his head cc0393b969 toward the figure, who 8b7f8432be silently extended a hand.eb8ce6e0406af74f

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“Oh, here’s the bag.”ebf5c07cbc4c0641

Veil handed over f485794b94 the bag without 07e46bcd10 resistance. The figure 0ddc608fd7 opened it 3a58805584 and began cabfae2b1e inspecting its c22b36aff7 contents.f2037dfe8785ac8f

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“Well, as b7bd06672d I mentioned, 9a759e83ef the headquarters 48917f1d69 has been b884d297d1 pretty tense 33f4af31e0 lately. I think I need b38770a6f5 to lay low for 72ce8ec27a a while, but… about 4eb22943d3 the payment you promised…”56af8b012e14daf3

“Payment depends on your dedf2dab0c performance, doesn’t it?”64506cfd91242e06

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The voice from the fe33c1c58b robed figure sounded unfamiliar 4dffd01667 yet oddly familiar.810b031f13ddc502

“Huh? What do you mean?”3f394bbc212a9df8

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As Veil 31fca0c650 stammered, the 3221f611a6 figure slowly 654b8cce8d lowered their c8b78ceb66 hood.10529748865538a0

“C-Commander…!”e28eb56bbdaae4cc

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Luke’s face 7182d2e2c4 emerged, and 8b3cb6ac17 Veil fell b326574a5e to the 79e22d6bf9 ground in 0b4ae70a3c shock.b09a0aff6fde6a8d

“H-how… Why are 9ce5f84c2e you here…?”178dfbbb8dc8f679

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“So this is 8928f7855c the guy you cfd7edfb27 were reporting to, a1fe128c18 huh?”a417a2550a431880

With a 3eb713b4b3 snap of 8f5df10f4c Luke’s fingers, edb24e8539 the alley bc0ba4386e lit up df524800ee brightly. The light 7e7af625c7 revealed another 425830356b man lying 58a1b5fc6e unconscious behind e8fbea2ee8 Luke—a servant 5d0b220108 from the 2051d66f5f family Veil ae19d60662 had been 53a8a11141 smuggling the 5284f62260 crystals to.5e2ec55dcf0045f8

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“Veil.”d6928b9d62a49f17

At Luke’s voice, Veil edb0f661bd flinched visibly.da2786f167b820c2

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“Did you 0bfee8e43e really think 08fffd07ec I wouldn’t 3e2f122620 notice? Or did you think 5f79404f34 I’d just sit back 66254a67cf and let it happen?”524728eb7b67a029

Luke crouched 75557a3e2f down to 87d892d9d9 meet Veil’s ded1482740 eye level. Veil’s pale face e30b326128 was drenched in 8e6fdd3658 sweat.d7b78aaf7e4b480b

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“How… How d1260bfa51 did you…”c40236d5de826235

“From the moment you 6821e16806 pointed me out as 0e68951e46 the culprit during that cb529960c8 meeting, nothing added up. And when I 2562fda7f4 heard you’d been 9df40bb670 volunteering to take 572b743093 over guard shifts 5851d97cd0 for others, I 65e2b8ea95 had a hunch 06ed8752df who the real 40b0752397 culprit was.”895f76320fe2ec47

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Luke pulled 11281a5ac6 something from 32a733788c his pocket 814f58b277 and tossed f0e57a0460 it in 63cad6f43c front of 8d6be1d223 Veil. Recognizing the item, a04deddcdf Veil began trembling 40f41a6cb3 uncontrollably.faef29a8a6716ba9

“Found this ec05cb0b6e in your 378fe00325 room. It’s a 8db592202e notebook where c2761a7ef6 you meticulously d4cd9fdfbf copied the 2895b895e0 by hand. You’ve clearly been brainstorming 980e464275 how to embezzle supplies 75e7bcdac7 without getting caught.”daef1a81a054cd4b

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After questioning 01ff065775 Danny, Luke 7e0787981e had gone a3b2dd4066 to Veil’s a8e2ef9fac room, knowing af8b1dcc92 they shared 0942bbbe70 living quarters. While Luke rummaged through 03d1a3e84e the room, Danny had 47ad2379a5 been tasked with distracting e80101376e the guards.c598a7c381926e13

In a hidden f8367be8a1 compartment beneath a 2772193ad9 false bottom in a52802e6e1 Veil’s desk drawer, 70c31e9bb6 Luke found the 339f60fa22 damning evidence.745000e37f60b421

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“P-please, Commander! I’m sorry! I’ve committed a terrible 6762d074b7 crime… Please, have mercy…”7b28f09847eb8a7a

Veil bowed repeatedly, 27f483bf06 begging Luke for 4627b41a44 forgiveness.12998d6e8f00d614

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“You knew 39f0e01ce6 it was 74f4da7e84 a grave a34293fc7c crime, and 6427473e32 yet you b10ac8ce32 still went 4118e62e1d through with 5c70733596 it?”b033ead400d40971

“I-I… It’s dd58e0d5ac my mother… ecfe963ac1 She’s sick…”fd3c6ff8b4a1a4af

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Veil’s trembling stopped as 07673b1c45 his voice took on 9689f1247a a resigned tone.8d6a0b7f507903e5

Luke sighed as Veil 4d236339fc explained how his mother’s af4c10daa3 worsening condition had driven fb53433833 him to steal military adfd92bd5c supplies. Though he initially 5bebbfaab5 only planned to e9dbe7ae3b do it once, b26be38648 he was caught 370546c353 in a trap 2f34062e56 by none other 257450281f than Commander Mile.2d7d509f9a15b16f

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“Commander Mile ordered 8f5ad7eb7f me to keep 7659d26039 stealing… He said 115e9c3951 if I didn’t, b876f2183b he’d report me…”01a33f53e3864a18

Luke clenched his teeth. Now it all made bd26178cd2 sense—Mile had orchestrated everything 64311ce36b to frame Luke as 5074e3ea5f the true culprit.82d341da669b9ab0

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Veil, still trembling, remained 414c65ab11 behind in the alley, 4cab056976 unsure whether to feel 2ce055f3aa relieved or terrified. Luke had 8ad5adec84 let him 4a5340e8c2 live, but 1ea61a1508 Veil knew 242c05af9a his reprieve 5b14c59ac6 came at 1ccc525068 a cost.a5b588c5abaee0f5

It wasn’t until he f2b1909623 returned to the Imperial 1bf4161f8a Army Headquarters after his 06a3b2e310 leave that Veil learned e1c246a7f2 the truth: Luke had cdecd2d4f4 confessed to the embezzlement 6ea16ccdf2 charges in full.a052c36390473d91

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