FMRV | Chapter 10

“Veil? Hmm, I’m not sure. He’s usually so quiet… The last conversation we had was about him volunteering to take over my guard shift.”

In the dormitory lounge, Luke was sitting down, talking with another member of the detachment, Danny. While Danny wasn’t thrilled about serving under Luke, who was known for his unpredictable and not-so-stellar reputation, it seemed the detachment work suited him, and he had stayed in the unit for quite some time.

“What exactly did Veil say when he offered to take your shift?”

“He said he didn’t sleep at night… So he might as well take over. That’s about it.”

“Do you know what Veil usually does during his leave?”

“That… I’m not too sure…”

Danny replied half-heartedly, as if he found the question bothersome.

“Danny, I know your home is close to Veil’s. You even take your leaves together sometimes.”

Danny’s eyes widened in surprise. It seemed he didn’t expect Luke to show any interest in his subordinates.

“Well, that’s true, but we’re not particularly close. I’ve never seen him do anything in particular during leave. He mostly stays home… Oh.”

Danny’s voice dropped as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“Occasionally, I’ve seen him go out at night.”

“At night? Where to?”

“I don’t know. But every time he left, he’d carry a pretty large backpack… I thought about asking him, but I figured he wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed at Danny’s words.

“By the way, Commander… Is it okay for you to be roaming around like this?”

Danny asked hesitantly. Since Luke was under suspicion for colluding with Veil in criminal activities, Danny clearly wasn’t comfortable with this conversation.

“It’s fine.”

Luke brushed off Danny’s question, loaded with concern. Dodging the guards stationed at the door was child’s play for him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t done it before, just that he never needed to.

“Anyway, Danny, I need your help with something.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. Do you not want to?”

“Well… Honestly, I don’t. Commander, you’re still under investigation, aren’t you?”

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

“That, that’s…”

Danny frowned as Luke pointed out something he hadn’t expected.

“Danny, if I wanted to, I could easily make an issue out of that.”

While Luke had turned a blind eye to such behavior among his subordinates, swapping guard duties technically violated the Imperial Army’s regulations.

“You’ve been doing this for quite a while, haven’t you? That’s a lot of demerits you’d rack up.”

“What do I… need to do to help?”

Danny’s resistance crumbled instantly. Even though Luke was under investigation as a suspect, nothing had been proven yet, and Danny couldn’t afford to openly defy his commander.

“It’s simple.”

Luke checked the time and stood up.

As midnight approached, in a small residential area behind Ludrain Square—the bustling core of the capital—Veil quietly prepared to leave his house. After checking his bedroom, he threw on a robe and inspected the bag on his table. Inside were five communication crystals used by the military.

Veil packed the bag with a grim expression and slipped out of his house. Ludrain Square was a vast marketplace divided into five districts. The fifth district, closest to Veil’s house, was where commoners shopped for affordable groceries and necessities.

Between the fourth and fifth districts was a narrow alleyway, empty and desolate. Once lively with bars, the area had since been abandoned as businesses moved elsewhere in search of better profits.

And that alley was where Veil was heading—an isolated, silent place steeped in a cold, eerie stillness.

As Veil stepped into the alley, he lit a small lamp, which sputtered and crackled as if it were about to go out.

“…”

Ahead, someone else, also cloaked in a robe, stood waiting. Startled, Veil hurried over.

“You’re early today. I-I’m sorry I’m late.”

Veil bowed his head toward the figure, who silently extended a hand.

“Oh, here’s the bag.”

Veil handed over the bag without resistance. The figure opened it and began inspecting its contents.

“Well, as I mentioned, the headquarters has been pretty tense lately. I think I need to lay low for a while, but… about the payment you promised…”

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

The voice from the robed figure sounded unfamiliar yet oddly familiar.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

As Veil stammered, the figure slowly lowered their hood.

“C-Commander…!”

Luke’s face emerged, and Veil fell to the ground in shock.

“H-how… Why are you here…?”

“So this is the guy you were reporting to, huh?”

With a snap of Luke’s fingers, the alley lit up brightly. The light revealed another man lying unconscious behind Luke—a servant from the family Veil had been smuggling the crystals to.

“Veil.”

At Luke’s voice, Veil flinched visibly.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Or did you think I’d just sit back and let it happen?”

Luke crouched down to meet Veil’s eye level. Veil’s pale face was drenched in sweat.

“How… How did you…”

“From the moment you pointed me out as the culprit during that meeting, nothing added up. And when I heard you’d been volunteering to take over guard shifts for others, I had a hunch who the real culprit was.”

Luke pulled something from his pocket and tossed it in front of Veil. Recognizing the item, Veil began trembling uncontrollably.

“Found this in your room. It’s a notebook where you meticulously copied the by hand. You’ve clearly been brainstorming how to embezzle supplies without getting caught.”

After questioning Danny, Luke had gone to Veil’s room, knowing they shared living quarters. While Luke rummaged through the room, Danny had been tasked with distracting the guards.

In a hidden compartment beneath a false bottom in Veil’s desk drawer, Luke found the damning evidence.

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

Veil bowed repeatedly, begging Luke for forgiveness.

“You knew it was a grave crime, and yet you still went through with it?”

“I-I… It’s my mother… She’s sick…”

Veil’s trembling stopped as his voice took on a resigned tone.

Luke sighed as Veil explained how his mother’s worsening condition had driven him to steal military supplies. Though he initially only planned to do it once, he was caught in a trap by none other than Commander Mile.

“Commander Mile ordered me to keep stealing… He said if I didn’t, he’d report me…”

Luke clenched his teeth. Now it all made sense—Mile had orchestrated everything to frame Luke as the true culprit.

Veil, still trembling, remained behind in the alley, unsure whether to feel relieved or terrified. Luke had let him live, but Veil knew his reprieve came at a cost.

It wasn’t until he returned to the Imperial Army Headquarters after his leave that Veil learned the truth: Luke had confessed to the embezzlement charges in full.