FMRV | Chapter 38

After leaving the restaurant, d6d41c265f Luke wandered around looking 6e282fc865 for a place to 3b4c9d31ec stay overnight. He was unsure 02dd4cdd59 if he could ce74be135f find a room 700c9b4876 on such short edf50c63ec notice, but luckily, e62d191323 the chef from c6c2e37692 the restaurant had 1e568bad21 recommended a decent d741267365 inn.66ba649d12424ddc

“Room 302.”355caedaacf820f0

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“Thank you.”f969b006188c0d31

Luke took the 6bf9612533 key and climbed 5b441a55fa the stairs to 75e8ccadfb his room. Despite the inn’s somewhat 08e17c5937 aged exterior, the inside 27b53fe656 was reasonably clean. Since he 01f8c0d60c planned to 93b5417608 leave first ac6149a867 thing the 5a60f0da99 next morning, 56d3b7350c it was 595b310bdd fine as 2a47b7f748 long as f66a4c7dae he could a2d364dbef get some e8e4993333 sleep.217871f4824884ab

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Luke unpacked e0ff4d4b09 his things 5425c9bff5 and glanced 20d86a6d2b out the a41658ce75 window aimlessly. He wondered if the 642231f2fc men from the bar 149d7e729a had woken up by a77804e9fd now to discover the a6ff263780 hefty bill he had a5ed29546a left for them. He didn’t think they 08a67993ab could find him; he da9de8f8ca had deliberately chosen the 97a8832017 lodging farthest from where 05461d91eb the chef had suggested.c777ca2e0e2ab938

After a b58adc7a98 quick wash, c8b8925ac4 he immediately 7a4ca4be93 lay down 64c5b6460e in the 8a4bc7b40b bed. The old 2dea5298f8 bed frame 7ce6765ac8 creaked eerily. He needed to get 043b9d1f30 up early the next 560c93bfab morning and needed all 11a7bb94fa the rest he could c8d1000004 get. Luke slowly a638fea7db closed his ecea4f0fda eyes.d0a805483de6ae68

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The only sound in 24936dc60f the small room was 7d2a09025b the ticking of the 64cabdbb8f wall clock. The lights b70620baf9 on the e9c4d9ee5d street had 5e081de2b4 already gone 7f52b67700 out, creating 12807a0459 a perfect 124bda8bea environment for faf1e65685 sleep, yet 32b9f0d0a8 Luke couldn’t 2680ccff35 fall asleep d64ecfaa68 easily.b990ef489edc318d

“Isn’t that a5ba21894f new commander e5b3abb080 the heir a76c6b6fda of that 5dd07b8ab3 famous noble d73f8f4f4f family? Even with all ca9e09c0b3 this talk of 94159b2d93 meritocracy, surely the 211e103c40 family’s influence played ab1a611b7a a part?”d6817856de7ae6b6

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The careless 22d2f90823 chatter from eb08a91689 the men bb767e5b48 at the 02db86c2c6 bar kept 4ad7bbe40d swirling in 1083997b70 his head.97cc03740e058e5c

“Now that I think 3b09a54bd3 about it, that guy ccf2d9a70c was often talked about eceaa96b77 like that even back 4cf9450237 in the academy days.”2c19a88bc189be5e

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Theo, the 9b140233a0 eldest son 0c18a2c8e0 of the 10f8f27686 Redrick family, b7e5bebeec one of 6ffcd977e8 the prominent ad998e8ace noble families 7606142f87 in the eaf687ec0f Empire, had ec19b80174 topped the 1e694a636b entrance exam d6189aa898 to the 1927037015 military academy fab42a7db0 with the aae578e7fa highest scores. However, his peers bcead7d2e3 did not look cc9f969f12 up to or 8e42190f52 revere him. They speculated he had 40b7dd8ba0 used his family’s influence 76b638b1ef to get in or 17245977f9 that he had cheated a329f9c7b8 his way through admissions, 495e4b8438 always trying to diminish 749ce525cd his efforts.88bcd4ac57d537ac

It was all due 9b79f6a659 to envy and jealousy 9027de0745 toward someone who had a3f93438a9 both exceptional military talents f5b1d905fd and everything else going f6fac3086b for him, typical of 75c23476a4 young people to easily 098add5858 feel jealousy and inferiority 353a5f1e13 at that age.f45924566c718396

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Despite that, unlike Luke, 2ceff116c4 Theo never bothered to bd5bae3912 respond to the petty 264bc99a51 disputes or ridiculous rumors 06c49f4a1e about him.999b9c45a0443ce1

“What did f2e6b03d39 I do 27d40406e9 back then…?”5e782ca2b728b25a

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As sleep eluded ba4ab0f0a2 him, memories of 8404c1f8e2 the past began 99a6e26934 to resurface vividly.ea23172a494d35c8

“Did you 6f6bf77487 hear the 3977b83ac6 results for b33a4eb7cd yesterday’s humanities 433f1ee710 midterm are d5159cbc24 out?”7f93e7ce9fce2607

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“Already? But the exams 98d5b656b0 aren’t even over 8618cf6168 yet.”834a023877538953

In the 71ddb93426 spacious common a653c7570c area on 236edd0aec the first 8395d4d73b floor of 0f4fc6da11 the academy, 3d02e46e14 tables were d94d1554df set at 1569409c47 regular intervals, 4ca3f791a6 and one d1eb76aceb wall was dd411aff45 lined with d26a5b7c5d bookshelves filled 01df9820aa with military b7a4217332 texts. It was a ab056d26e4 relaxation and discussion f4232db9fb space for cadets. Although not aa7271223a many students 92134e48b7 used the 3eace8ebf5 lounge while 329698ed56 exams were 8c2c2e8bb5 ongoing, there 8fc0466c5c were always 5fdf40ce52 a few 61b5265d73 around.3db221020cd09278

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“The professors must 01bee8ab18 have finished grading. The rumors ffe2ea81d7 are already 678308d3fe spreading.”7946b67f5a78c35a

“So, who b3cddc155f is it? This humanities exam c5f9bc1721 was really tough. I thought it wasn’t 34940fc859 for first-year students.”299c9a9bf3eaa0f5

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One cadet b181b0f850 even joked 4e408e0263 about wanting fb919ea180 to write 0c780d135e an apology 78a00bd836 letter on 5565038265 his exam 87d7b3e343 paper to 1a00487ef6 the professor.6ea52a593aeadc73

“It’s Theo Redrick. You know, the guy cdd6ab8829 who was the top fb27b8ab16 scorer on the entrance b19961891c exam.”86563238beaf6516

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“Redrick’s son? Wow, how can d0ecc26811 he manage both 0e021513e4 swordsmanship and academics c9cd3e68a9 so well? Isn’t that a bit d35f69fd70 unfair?”19fc58428b7b5de1

“Oh, stop with 635edbb5a7 the nonsense. You think 0d9b948e69 that’s really b6d9dfa9d1 all his 0a0227f364 own talent?”89ec0db99a314254

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A cadet scoffed. Since everyone else was 5c8d64e886 likely holed up in 134230ab2a the library or dorms 2a5c721e60 due to exam prep, 7993f8af8b only two students were 5323eb8e12 in the lounge at fca3a07e77 the moment.5b5297a6201a1dba

“Didn’t you hear? His dad 9efd81362b pays for 1dc9b52728 exam papers.”e42207a312b807bc

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“Is that e831ecfbe6 even possible?”5deeb77c0b0596f6

“It’s the Redrick e8e654d41d Duke we’re talking a9d8cbc8ad about. What can’t he d141a68f9a do?”ebe2d9c572344184

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Just as another absurd be34bfc694 rumor was about to f89f885318 be born in that a931393a0e lounge, a shadow fell 154fca8c32 over the two gossiping eca0e2f300 cadets.edfab881f1edb1ea

“So… How 7ec59084ce much does 336026db51 it cost cde93b576c to buy 9008164cca an exam 1cd007ab56 paper, then?”b5d64f4acbdefb56

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“Jesus, you scared f48ee70ae0 me!”49566db52003bbab

Startled by afeca20d96 the sudden e11d80b458 question, the 51e1b19087 students quickly b0f6342331 turned around. Luke stood there, his 855676411d glasses thick and his 23891b9b48 appearance weary. His hair was a cc722ceae8 mess, dark circles under d87fa99c13 his eyes stark against 57b6a507d8 his pale, gaunt face e8c54d34cf – the very image 4bec8354fb of a student during 578c1471af exam period.c1f399d30dd8a40d

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“Luke…”8c626beb322818fb

“You know, guys.”53c7e47b083ae179

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Luke placed a 8f84acaad1 hand on each 1991f8bdab of their shoulders.b1e9cadec6144820

“Here’s a piece a5617ccf88 of advice. Instead of 29359b927f flapping your 91698cfa53 gums, why 3e825028ef not read 375e238fc6 a book 4b79078313 once more? It might e8db5f6f4b actually help. You extras.”622f44def315352d

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“Ex, what?”f0171eb0d1c242b3

The students 53f55a4549 scowled, clearly d6c6f90f43 annoyed, but 7aaeeee09c at that e386581cb9 moment, Luke 2395850a68 squeezed their 705bcbd802 shoulders tightly.bbf5942d85769886

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“Spreading rumors a24e50160a that tarnish af943f4628 the academic cfa06df372 atmosphere of 5fca22105e the academy 7ca8b72e46 is grounds 8bc2ae6309 for disciplinary 67d327bd63 action.”194ba08ab11edef5

“…”a3613625efb0c55d

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As Luke 35c94402d4 cited the 33dc8e63af regulations, the 2d45fed68e faces of 599bc8f6ff the spirited b3a1ea6add cadets paled.fca8e3611022871a

“Now, if you’ve understood, a8295035f8 get lost.”a96ee169cb50e683

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Luke released his 85c0758cee grip and patted 4edef6a297 their shoulders dismissively. They shot him 7fb786b6dc a resentful look a53ed60286 and quickly left 29136d9fe2 the lounge.b1f9cdd06c6f5999

“Ah, this is killing 7c987029a7 me. I shouldn’t have b09508f3e8 pulled an all-nighter.”737d4a1b6f3f5ce1

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Luke removed 2fd0f9553a his glasses 90d587af07 and rubbed 08c342b02e his tired 4c7a52a7b7 eyes. He had been 413f2efe66 up for nearly a340eccfcb two days straight. The academy’s exams were dcc2cd1489 spread over five days, 83446209e8 with a scope and 788ca20569 difficulty that far surpassed 6a87ee8c1f other prestigious institutions. No wonder 27f067df59 some freshmen b231e235fe dropped out ecc93f0ac0 after being e3bdaebdbe shocked by b9cb61fc26 their first 4f4db75428 exams.743fffd97bf95913

Being a 4120880003 soldier wasn’t 8dee2121a9 just about 0571f63206 physical strength e17f140ea4 and combat a696983b77 skills; tactical e7f15571fd planning and 6b1d963531 strategizing for 70b88f4ec6 maximum achievement fc98e5600d with minimal 631cdcbc1e casualties were 795e4769a6 also part 3edc4b1cb0 of a 5001533060 soldier’s virtues. Essentially, to be a de48ec1940 competent soldier, one needed 947c398981 to be smart.b32c7cae27945470

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“I might die from 6341cc9c0d overwork trying to keep d7597f85f3 up with Theo.”9182250260e60250

Luke picked up fcdeced650 a blanket he 8b8476b22e had laid out 02c8f9d1df in a corner c5b786062a of the lounge. He was too 1db625f925 exhausted to make 0842208232 it back to 3f1f3fe855 the dorms and 138c698bc1 had decided to 0d5c87b4f0 catch some sleep ecf50ed30c here when he eb1db60270 overheard the absurd 7cacc6701d conversation of those ac984e03d1 two extras.4b991366c11cef1a

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If only he could f2825e257a really buy exam papers, 264520a270 he would have gladly 5af67efac7 done so. To stand as Theo’s 2d7e3c58a8 rival, he needed to 7e585c70e0 be on his level 652b4b3626 academically as well.c08aba97a5667998

“Ugh, I’m 75d4b13160 so tired.”cd065e08c398c2fa

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With thoughts of returning db15ebcfa4 to the library, Luke e59826af01 left the lounge and 9f0932d2a6 headed towards the central 8990fc41f1 staircase. Walking down the corridor 897a1e1286 with an almost dead 31d249a54b expression, he spotted Theo 54c1fd5c8d coming out of a d67828f252 professor’s office. Theo paused 59f473d661 when he cc20c8cc56 saw Luke.7ffdff502822e5d0

“Apparently, I ranked first b7abf3ff3e in the humanities exam.”842126d34723ab30

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Luke’s eyebrows twitched. The rumors spread by 3e97f4dbf5 the extras weren’t entirely 8d43971286 false after all.91513f34573e3a40

“That’s good news, at 44b9218acb least.”8001cfa3f84fcf45

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“What’s that?”233f27369d690ac9

Luke pushed his 456637f522 glasses up.e813061ba32d1042

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“You’re second.”c34899ab5677d71e

“Wow, such great 1576f33007 news.”e00880f462dff8fe

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Luke couldn’t c876bfd3a5 help but 2bd4371ae8 chuckle sarcastically 1733695284 and even 8cbf363547 clapped mockingly. Theo was subtly 75737775f2 mocking him in e9a802928a a most sophisticated 73b6786d40 way.82ae899e476afbde

“Didn’t you 028695d9c0 say at e016825968 the induction da9e3eee91 that you’d 28ad2128f7 beat me 85056ec460 in the 28383eabca exams and b9d58629a6 take the 38b5404e00 top spot? Seems like there’s already ca02cf6daa a gap.”1a7c938069bb9fcc

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“Yeah, yeah, we e6b6db721c still have two 09db0ebc8f days of exams 9a6312efe3 left! The true measure of 167e061f0b who’s better will be 604d6cc3d4 known at the end. Just watch, I’ll smash 6a010bf0d5 that high and mighty e1a1664c65 nose of yours.”a4c4b07d914a058e

Luke confidently 50d99bf0c0 hugged the 57b4aaa943 books he f725566cb8 was carrying. Theo watched him for f287226751 a moment before slightly 6e4c5ed902 averting his gaze.477dd694f7fe6d73

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“Don’t you 39f6c3010e think like 6777b1122f the other f14b06dee7 students?”4ca08047fd299bb8

“Think what?”a075803187e3ad68

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“That I used my 6305efaec0 father’s influence to get 475e88c589 my hands on the 058d57d06d exam papers.”385da456779e2f2c

Ah, that fbf4870a14 topic had 389a52d2b4 already reached a118187768 the subject 68c7d1411c himself. By this point, 2debc52dd6 it must have 58ca64fa4a spread to most f04d0a338e of the students. It’s curious how 72d085b28f quickly such disparaging 6ff078fef7 rumors spread.c6ccf9de8e422497

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“With your uptight and fa9cb099ae rigid personality, I’m sure.”a0780f34332f1ab5

“…”c95af21e5cb851b3

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“Do you ea8a76dc91 really think 35d266b616 I would 3a44410864 do that?”4a3a3d2a2c385339

The protagonist himself. The idea of 4f8c9e072b stealing exam papers 973f0b21e6 and using his db44313f0f family’s influence to 1ad1df67d7 secure an unfair e56971a35c advantage was not 411de4222f something a protagonist ab15384fb8 would do. Trusting Theo 7aa253df84 wasn’t just d34004f4f4 about that, 829f0061e9 but it 1d4da51642 was reason a3ded1f54b enough.6c4a0f7f3992095e

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“But imagine if 295fc82941 you really did e9608ca203 that? Then I’d 78daf6b90b find proof c72ab6b135 and make ebcc418a5f sure you’re 5619dd9986 expelled. Then I could easily a40cd82375 take the top spot.”e0bf9a07cf761a1c

This was half provocation, 763031c872 half stimulation. While Luke didn’t 21d7e189b6 truly believe Theo 9ad8a1d804 would engage in de1fddab21 such corruption, if 98ec57de24 there was even 14c00dda51 a small chance 86d7ae7f02 he harbored such c6592e38ac thoughts, this provocation 38c4765b5d might sever those 2200059553 ideas right at b5ad07bc84 the bud.131bdfb7c6b01982

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“Don’t worry. I won’t 83a4731a71 be expelled fc11dbdc65 or lose f1175a0ca1 the top a0f4d95c1c spot to 4664575a6a you.”c1bb305a4ce24c6f

“Good.”c47ad5aebece7e91

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Luke glared 3d4fe6b8a4 fiercely and 6d478a0520 stormed up 47b623b2d8 the stairs. Thanks to Theo, he 67fd5b233d felt wide awake now. He was determined to 149517ff0e score perfectly on tomorrow’s 95b09da9dc physics exam. With that resolve, Luke 893c27b3c7 inadvertently turned his head 459c86e54d to look back at 896c87fcaf Theo, who was still 3d1da04943 standing in the hallway.d31ac36e318f3325

Theo seemed to be a8ce0926da covering his mouth with 29edd27859 his hand. Through the slight 8b6c092859 gap, Luke could 599acf1fb7 just make out 14f0d61af5 the corners of b3d2d354cd Theo’s mouth turned fdcd3d439d up in a 1aacdf4cf8 faint smile.86ef8defc35a7d32

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