FMRV | Chapter 11

The Investigation Department. As the name suggests, 14c7d23ce0 it was a temporary b2cf6c4315 division established to investigate cc9fe630d4 various incidents within the 90b91160ed military. Since not every day 712744c0b7 brought a scandal requiring 8cbae7fed8 internal investigation, the department a6d30a96f2 was created and dissolved 4265e98e42 on a whim, depending c7f3d1b49a on necessity. It could suddenly appear 4bd83d801a and then disappear just 9e6826cde6 as quickly.cd2084976c4c6e63

This time, the dc72d604f5 department was formed afd67a4f4e to look into efced99ba3 a case involving 9a68363610 military supplies of 327dd816ca significant importance. And the one f514ef9421 leading the charge ad282af05d was none other e74d78f12b than the Commander afbcdb4b7c of the 1st 8789738006 Division, Theo Redrick.c9c6c9ce430473f7

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Not long 443998ae07 after Luke a13b46564b met with 9121c6f937 Fail, he 5850741969 went to 3b4e303ba5 the Investigation d8a96fdd62 Department on 269167ad13 his own 72c38c34aa and confessed 9b5ffeb4f8 to all 4f84b74a2d the “crimes.” 3067ce1532 He admitted a2e94a0ce6 to all 9fc3b9dc4e the allegations, 61dd7ab0f8 including using c87890c681 Fail to d051f9e0f1 embezzle supplies.27002623abf7274d

“So, is 568a7057fa it all f0a3d8626a true?”924a8e31c826c9ee

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“That’s what b89e4ffb30 I’m telling e54e537deb you. My colleague in 08ea5e3ef6 the Investigation Department a55a87169f said Commander Luke 805b86182a barged in last f90293ad7d night and admitted 764dd0ad84 everything.”dfca2040ebe12ed7

As this news e61aa2259e spread, the Imperial 314ec62062 Army was thrown 1cda709a29 into chaos. Just like a sponge 6c19fb09f3 rapidly absorbing water, word a8f815a1f3 of Luke’s confession spread fc310af39d like wildfire. Scandals, being 8bb89b731c the perfect 983f48a2e9 fuel for fd957d8fa5 gossip, traveled c78eb7904f even faster a42f2adf56 in such 2a8413606a circumstances. And the 96160e64a5 so-called noble ac857efecf military, the b3acfc167a proud defenders a156ec266b of the 90a2a33692 Empire and 1c61a7ed63 the Imperial 737f1a2953 Palace, was 2ffb3eae14 no exception 185d40c0b9 to this 835ba95c0c rule.7252514284b80415

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“Wow… So he 8ba79339cb really did that 6c569da113 just to curry 8fcb34486e favor with the 640995e619 nobles? And he 772ec3a899 used his 1a1b259e00 subordinate for 25e9f9d1c3 it?”ac96e7907b345f21

“Not sure. They haven’t revealed much c21fae4bfc about his motives or 90c337f12f methods yet. Honestly, I hope he a080760391 gets a good reckoning e61be9d676 this time…”97c27e7b0357c1e3

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“Hey, quiet.”754ce2e8b1941fa4

One soldier standing in 2ee1bfaab3 the corridor nudged his 4be0ee7b90 colleague. Curious as 1f9061765e to why, f8e2664e47 he turned efa9e2c942 his head—only 13057cf413 to see 43bb9f08a1 Luke approaching b11d65fba9 with his 2ffaed9323 usual calm dd28e40856 expression.d47da3a45f8e1505

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“Good day, Commander.”d67b6ce85d22a046

The two soldiers, 22c2af9659 feeling guilty for 580097a1ff their gossip, straightened dfb2ee77f5 up and saluted 92fa6fb27e with exaggerated formality. The military, after all, 7c6d3fa1f0 was a strict hierarchy. No matter one’s bb8b101a47 age or background, ed6363b5e0 lower-ranked soldiers could 714bbc42db never be disrespectful 518c8a9f2f to their superiors. In fact, even f49b6bd3aa badmouthing a superior 79198a411e had to be b1991b5215 done discreetly, lest 5c83031e2b they get caught. Stories of soldiers punished 70831f9efc for insulting Luke had 82a0f72b13 spread before, making them b8cc94dce5 all the more cautious.5722d1091d6b330f

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“You’ve all been 9456b13325 working hard.”0d44869d80ecc648

“Pardon? Oh, not 7caf8383c3 at all, 6785622219 sir.”90d1dd7923041ede

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“Nonsense. Gossiping behind a 7fcc14090d superior’s back is 6c51c14621 no easy task, 5d09fc5842 you know.”e55e95db40a9b87e

Luke nodded as if 8f5f566fd0 understanding, and the soldiers—who b1b25ae5ea had been badmouthing him a048efa5d8 with such enthusiasm moments 9d1e4a9d64 earlier—froze, their shoulders stiffening. It was obvious 8bba423cbf now that they 9826c26490 had been caught.eed93deea80334fb

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Luke continued, b2cadd7354 “I’ve done af98911983 it plenty 1687b8a218 myself, so 711b8aa54c I get 91ea377507 it. But you should be 7a6a11a456 more careful around the 138c19ab0a other commanders. Anyway, keep 05102b93a8 up the 1e6399401a good work.”b16b1ad0d808891f

With that, Luke casually ff94664489 strolled past them. Once he 3d7b8d3003 was out aee510ef4d of sight, 12687bbe62 the soldiers 5f91102686 let out 838bba49a6 the breaths 7f73cfeff1 they’d been c726510779 holding, only 91bd00156f to immediately f9fb668024 resume complaining. Even though Luke 52a3c60aa2 had let their 593372b0bc gossip slide, they 71b7faea3e didn’t seem to ea74a22046 realize how unusual 708fabc625 his leniency was.d2fd1a527470b6e3

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“Ugh, what 8e94de7cc7 a day.”ba08a382e09c8f82

Luke yawned and 70e732bb82 stretched as he fb84471a5a walked down the 67cdd5a011 corridor. Suddenly, a thick 236ceb45b6 hand shot out a7862810e2 from the side 3de5c12c4e and grabbed him dba7907465 by the collar fba2cdf1a7 before he could f4a3a3e476 react. The grip was a982a81878 vice-like, and Luke’s 9fa0372f63 body was pulled 86a56219ec forward with startling bcf89aa26d force.deebf9e4c6e80ef3

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“Ugh—”5a6c97d5ec06599c

Luke’s back slammed into 14ca95fceb the wall. Instinctively, he spread 356d6115ad his hand wide, 0c00b6f0cb ready to counterattack. Military training emphasized quick 662d6ea449 responses to ambushes, and f2452a9eed in the heat of f3482e1ae7 the moment, Luke’s body fbe546fbec reacted before his mind e72c3aa351 could process the situation.655545e5bd2c43f7

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He began to channel 9ccedf8bda his magic but stopped 3624141493 when he recognized the 7face9d7c6 person in front of df6106980e him. With a deep 733302d82a sigh, he let 6f0ad4fbfe his hands drop.06cbbec5463b272b

“…Isn’t this 5ada9b2db7 a bit 20138c8c89 much for 3465fffe66 a greeting?”05f3d25f534efbea

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The one gripping his 583521b2a5 collar was none other efebef9c4d than Theo. Holding Luke’s fe661e3f58 collar firmly 3d4e338d1d but not c10fb0d7b3 painfully, Theo 742e2cb266 stared down 98d0ec4227 at him.d9c496932fca067c

“Using force outside designated 0b589b01c5 areas is prohibited. Surely you haven’t 68550d35e5 forgotten that.”7925662ee2b3eaed

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“…”b6699f5c7f777f04

Theo didn’t respond. His brows c1c5f66dc9 furrowed slightly, 100e5d6493 and a 007a4dabce controlled but bddadc848f sharp anger b44087a00a simmered in fd2207970e his dark 8e6cebf9f3 eyes.885a18df00a2f556

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“What’s this about? You want to 39bb62fd71 spar? You know I’ve got 5bc8e760bb my hands full right 89d7e0b7a2 now. Maybe later—”f8bcc19a0ae0c0bb

“Why did 38cedd647a you confess?”7a5aaf5ad245c07e

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“What?”221250dc48b25253

“I heard from 25e651e59c the investigators. Last night, you 45ac8663d6 stormed into their 32cafed0b2 office and confessed 70866a0ba9 to everything.”11beca2b1a418444

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Theo hadn’t e4f6839467 been present a008b594c6 during the 5c255b9cd6 confession. He would 4a918e7202 have only 3de56aabf1 learned about b25a89ae92 it this f9646f62a8 morning from 9dbf5059fa the team 67fcba222d handling the 5feee7963e cleanup.b55ed02c63290095

“What’s with the interrogation? I did it, be39012081 so I admitted 6e25392658 it. Do you f5d7cfe7b0 need more 375fb4f657 of a 296309089f reason?”532e650a82627627

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“When I bf3712833b interrogated you, 987bff0c82 you flat-out a1ac725f3a denied everything. Why the sudden change?”c17303d5c88947bb

At the time, Luke fa8b68d9e1 had only suspected the 45d14f62e9 true culprit and had 5d649752ee needed more evidence to 40301f6490 piece together the truth. Denying everything had 6f16e004d1 been a strategic ab2ae19551 move to buy ea966b5e84 time. After all, he c090270c4b hadn’t committed the 41013281cd crime himself.f149697660b93360

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But now, Luke knew. He understood 569e831880 the real 56e192223a story behind a8995ceb4b the incident, 9ab7423dbe Fail’s situation, eeee0bd6b4 and his 37bea9bf5b struggles. Once he learned c9865f83f4 all this, there 0848368c84 was no way 6f875b5c20 he could turn 7520e00a89 his back on e4a2539ea6 him. He couldn’t abandon 62bf713cf4 a subordinate who a2aab93843 had sacrificed so bcac092e22 much for his e936c2647b sick mother while 6c08b44151 working in a 37570dd54c dangerous unit that 42f801d073 didn’t suit him.65514dada55c041b

Luke couldn’t 27481cadc1 simply dismiss d60bc8db72 Fail, not a7cba8a540 after seeing 004372999b how much c62830b1e0 he’d endured. As much c2d5502724 as he 13949c66af might play a4b086a738 the villain, 2221162764 he wasn’t 57ad769693 heartless.d063aabe33b253dd

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Still, being a villain 32ea033fed could also mean doing f50d759592 whatever it took to 57c94627a5 achieve his goals. In this case, f99941a931 claiming responsibility for a592f2ea3f the embezzlement fit caa9705dff perfectly with the 2626cb0f14 role of the 597825c7e7 villain.64b27eea904f7c78

“I realized bccfc29a34 it wasn’t b9753bf004 worth denying. Simple as that.”75d5f665fcf7faa8

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“That’s all? That’s the reason you 0f862844a4 changed your mind?”e5f54df3a0db0d15

“…Yeah.”872f4ba1531906da

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Luke paused. There was 341b060de5 no need 6a98ad3199 to explain cacfe074b4 everything right 7a26edeb7b now.e3181a5bb77841e1

“You were still under 995dbe90f2 investigation. And yet you de706ef701 confessed. Why?”5282d0bf20312823

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Theo’s grip tightened 7bd47bbeff slightly. His expression, while calm, 75e7b93093 betrayed his simmering anger. Was he 5d30d22b25 upset about 48c54e82a3 Luke’s confession? Or was 369dffde5b it something bfbf777a4d else?eceb0896e1166ae0

“Theo, let ec8b2e6f7c go of a7e385cdc0 me.”cd2b548230a0fdca

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Luke swatted 0705a22bfe Theo’s hand fb63f03ef7 away.a318607633564a3d

“Does my confession 22a8cd954f bother you?”9f76ab400fbb3a82

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“What are you saying?”21df7b0e4d405902

“The way you’re 7e882d64b6 acting, it’s like f1aaece69b you have a c823411f7c problem with it.”29abcec31026e608

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Theo’s face grew 73ca8525cf even more serious, ec8ea956b3 almost pained.ba008a410b5ad4f0

“That’s ridiculous.”5295b43634c424f6

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“Then I’ll be 4292bbc9f5 going. No point in dragging 3d88849e57 this out since I 498b6b525f already confessed. We’ll talk more at 65af96af19 the trial.”3c4b294a5c46da1e

Luke gave a a666d11055 casual wave and a49fceec93 continued down the 3a94841ff9 corridor, looking far 8006752cd0 too nonchalant for b320ce12cf someone in his 928b17a86c position.48883c39131d183c

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The underground hall f093bcb9f4 of the Imperial a32e89b128 Army headquarters housed c1880c0c6c a large meeting b0bfae85cc chamber. It wasn’t an c68c245caa ordinary conference room. This was a e89d341e72 military courtroom used e241ef921f for internal trials, ce1fdfbf0d separate from the 2d6bf71fd9 courts overseen by 18188e210d the Imperial Palace.bf5c10222de1d9cd

After the b8d559206c Investigation Department 733bc7d74a completed their 49e26be7dd work, the 8993a5de89 military trial 310eb17255 would begin d711fd3999 immediately, with c3aafaea5f all relevant d24f95c791 parties and 58663a3ca3 commanders present, 581095cd2b along with 60bb2edc07 the Commander f4e532c981 in Chief. Because Luke had 332fb3315b confessed, the trial 9fda9b603f commenced even before 054c7e17ac the investigation was 2751f9fbf3 fully concluded.c1ed8646efae2972

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“Let us 5f5b8cfc2b begin the 7e21ecf870 trial.”60285e20cba2fecd

Veil Winium’s 0e4838c307 deep voice 5de2aa24bf echoed through 34be3c0f93 the chamber. His expression was 8124139280 unusually somber. Known for 822df507ac his fatherly 2e7f22a24d demeanor toward ac3ef70368 the soldiers, 7b480e90eb Veil was 9c18d1c74f clearly displeased c1f4b70504 with this 3f3ca7e402 incident—especially since a4995590c7 it involved 9b35a7056a a division 8d979bb615 commander.bb1eb1d59c414699

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Luke sat alone at 651ad7af3e the right-hand table, while 472f975466 the other commanders occupied 03913d43cf the left. Everyone was dca9fefeb8 present except f5fc1c7562 for Leo 351c4bf1e2 of the 2c7ec4ab9b 7th Division, a9c97c3530 who had 5a61a78d18 other obligations.5f3c397f68f57063

“Now, let’s hear 629360a1be a summary of 17945ab810 the investigation.”804c879025c56e6b

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Theo stood to deliver 517800c8b7 a detailed explanation of 2e369be7fe the incident. He outlined how df0f3a29db Luke had ordered fd143b8409 Fail to steal 780f4fbe1a enchanted crystals and 8774990099 sell them to 862235b091 a noble family.0c8ceea47ac9ac36

As Luke listened, he 63a677f637 realized the investigation hadn’t e23232f9ab uncovered the identity of b61b575e5a the noble family involved.573d844f9e1c5f0c

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“Luke, do you admit 30e4af2086 to these crimes?”efb036357bb5645a

Veil asked.bd551e064fd040df

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“Yes, Commander. I have 766321d37c no excuse.”8d1aab8d85ab0644

Luke bowed 0d817e9c8f his head, d1a435ac2c and the bbfa3a4ed6 other commanders, cec8c1c134 except for 4d05de9bdc Theo, clicked a3711f7706 their tongues. Mile, in particular, b74af0294f smirked with a 4ede1ca069 smug satisfaction.bb1ffea7d4034352

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“I’m disappointed.”b0973f3d7211f782

It was a brief 0a5668bc1f remark, but coming from de6542e607 Veil, it carried considerable da503db8f0 weight. Known for 3f5afb28b1 his positivity, 9800476433 Veil’s criticism 962e30be11 was a d3faa47150 rarity.ce79e2692443cc47

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“Why did 70a7c1bb27 you do 13c924f803 it?” Veil ede48edc53 asked.ebc1e9babf92fb40

“Commander, if I may,” 105c4dbeff Mile interrupted, “Commander Luke 1a87ebaca4 has always been desperate 793012cd9e to ingratiate himself with 09568b3aca the nobles. There’s no need 5c5bfbcb89 to waste time 7025011cdc asking why—just deliver 22a9240ffe the punishment—”a84c9fcc00c2cd20

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“Mile, I a059b343ac asked Luke.”e6bb888fef89046c

Veil’s voice was 705005a27f heavier than usual, 5dcb827e5b making Mile flinch.139ce63a8aeaef97

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“Even if 5c854bbd99 Luke stands be94ad3152 here as 53bb07e30d a criminal, 3227cfb621 we cannot 732b016917 strip him e764ad2e6c of the ea51c783cd right to b202872d13 explain himself. Hearing his reasoning 08ed05e42b is part of 1aacddf76e this trial.”015896bd7a6f56c2

“I agree.”e4edad48b1b3d3de

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Surprisingly, it was d6e20adf63 Theo who spoke 05e69e3aea in support. Luke’s eyes ff49a9b948 widened slightly. Well, wasn’t that b772e0cd95 interesting? Playing the 06aaf66f50 good guy b37cd22dd9 for Veil’s 6317c6abd5 approval, huh? Clever move.c9c5959b434bb5de

“In that ea7b2306b2 case, I’ll 7946e788ef be honest.”8d099cd9640ffb98

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Luke’s lips curled into 3dcb3e3718 a sly smile, ready eee34d2bc7 to play his part 988eae246d to perfection.28c12b895c91475d