FMRV | Chapter 39

The intense morning sunlight streamed in through the window. The curtain attached to the frame wasn’t doing its job well, perhaps due to the room’s cheap rate. Because of that, Luke was forced to wake up, rubbing his gritty eyes and slowly getting up.

Luke, still half-asleep, looked around the room blankly, finally remembering that his plans had gone awry yesterday, forcing him to stay here unexpectedly. Luckily, he had found a room for the night at a low cost and, unable to sleep, he had tried to recall his memories of Theo before slipping into a deep sleep as if on cue.

Was it because the last thing he thought about was that damn face? Luke had a dream that made him ruminate on the past for the first time in a while. He usually didn’t dream much, so the memory was vivid.

“Was Theo laughing there……?”

Luke murmured to himself, recalling the last scene of the dream. Clearly, at the end of his glance, it had been Theo’s faint smile that caught his eye. Whether it was a genuine part of his memory or a phantom created by the dream was unclear.

Luke scratched his messy hair and slowly got out of bed. Regardless of what the truth was, seeing Theo’s smile might have been a first. He always had the same expression, like a well-crafted wooden puppet. His lack of expression change was so notable that there were ludicrous rumors among the members that he might be a ghost.

‘It seems like he would suit smiling too.’

Throughout his preparations to leave, Luke thought about Theo. The last scene from the dream was so intense that it wasn’t easy to forget.

“I’ll return the key.”

“So soon?”

The middle-aged, kind-hearted innkeeper took the key from Luke while striking up a conversation.

“Yes, I have a long way to go. Oh, may I ask one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Where should I go to catch a ferry?”

“Leave the inn and go right; keep walking until you see a large building with a windmill. Turn left there and keep walking; you’ll find the port. You can buy tickets there too.”

The innkeeper clearly knew the area well. Originally, Luke planned to look at a local map once outside, but this saved him the trouble.

“Thank you.”

With the innkeeper’s wishes for a safe journey, Luke nodded and left the inn. The streets of Eremen were already bustling. Various shops had started doing business early to cater to tourists.

Luke leisurely looked around. A child, tightly holding his mother’s hand while out shopping, was pleading earnestly for her to buy a flat peach. Across the street, a couple, seemingly in love, was walking closely hand in hand, exploring the area.

Luke’s pace gradually slowed. Just watching was enough to bring a sense of peace to anyone, a tranquil scene. Then he saw a cat steal a fish from a fishmonger’s shop. As the owner, quite upset, picked up a broom to chase the cat, Luke went over and paid for the fish instead.

“Why would you pay for this!”

“Because the cat was cute.”

“What?”

The fishmonger raised his voice, baffled. It seemed ridiculous to him to pay for something because of such a reason, especially when the cat wasn’t even his.

“Anyway, you can’t sell that fish again.”

“Well, I’ll be! What a strange man. Being too nice will cost you. I’m saying this because I worry for young people.”

“That’s alright. I’ve been living a bit badly, so I thought I’d try to make amends.”

Luke waved at the cat, now far away with the fish in its mouth. The owner, still puzzled, took the money Luke handed him and turned away.

Resuming his walk, Luke followed the directions the innkeeper had given, and sure enough, a large building with a windmill came into view. After about five more minutes, he arrived at the port. Luke naturally headed to the ticket booth.

“The next ferry leaves in 10 minutes and there’s one spot left, do you want it?”

“Yes, I’ll take a ticket.”

After paying, Luke boarded the ferry, announced by a crew member to start boarding soon.

As the ferry started cutting through the water with a loud horn sound, Luke fervently prayed. He prayed that no sea monsters would appear and that he would safely reach his destination. As if the heavens heard his desperate plea, the ferry smoothly continued on its course.

After some time, a crew member came into the cabin to announce they would soon be docking. Passengers began to pack their bags. Luke grabbed his simple backpack and headed outside.

A cool sea breeze blew fiercely, whipping his silver hair around as he slowly walked onto the deck. Beyond the mysterious and mystical blue sea, a vast land was visible.

“Prepare to disembark soon! Please stay in your places until further instructions!”

Despite the crew member’s announcement, Luke couldn’t take his eyes off the approaching land. The excited voices of the other passengers heightened his mood.

It was the western part of the Heinern Empire, known as the most beautiful land, and Luke’s homeland, ‘Kailum’, where he had returned to start a new life.

“So, you’re saying that the person who drove off the monster fled immediately?”

“That’s what I heard.”

Theo nodded thoughtfully as he looked over the list Sion had handed him.

“It’s strange. There would have been a decent bounty for such a feat.”

“Maybe the person wasn’t short on money. Or perhaps there was a special reason they had to run.”

“Didn’t the Commander go after them?”

Theo nodded slightly. He could vaguely guess why Sion was asking that. He knew Theo’s nature was to handle things without fail.

“Anyway, there are plenty of witnesses who saw that person subdue the monster. It’s not like they committed a crime.”

“That’s true.”

That was the main reason, but Theo had felt an inexplicable premonition that day. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t chase after the person, engulfed by a feeling he couldn’t ignore. It was an unfounded intuition, but not capturing the person didn’t pose any issues in the end.

“So, are all these members listed here qualified as captains?”

“Yes, exactly. Based on their academy grades and the military evaluations conducted so far, these are the top-tier members with outstanding scores.”

The military evaluations, a system implemented by the Imperial Army, assessed each member’s performance for promotions and other important matters by aggregating quarterly achievements related to battles or monster subductions, and training conducted within the army.

From junior members to captains, no one could escape these evaluations. There had been instances where a captain had been demoted for not scoring well, and lower-ranked members were promoted to higher ranks, creating exceptions. Harold, who had recently been promoted to the captain of the 2nd Division, had received an overwhelmingly positive evaluation.

“I’ve prepared the list as the Commander instructed. The first page shows the members who are currently the most outstanding.”

Theo’s gaze impassively scanned the five members listed on the first page. As Sion mentioned, all their visible scores were exceptional, clearly outstanding even compared to other listed members.

However, one thought prevailed.

‘None of these match the records Luke had when he was active.’

In a way, it was expected. Luke had been an excellent member, constantly competing for the top position in the military evaluations during his time as the captain of the Detached Corps. It was greedy to expect the current candidates to match Luke’s skills and records.

“I will interview these five members one by one before making a decision.”

The position of the 2nd Division captain was anticipated to be vacant, so they had been considering promotions for a while, but the vacancy of the Detached Corps captain was an unexpected issue. A new member had to be carefully promoted to fill the captain’s position as it wasn’t planned.

“Understood. I will convey that.”

After Sion left, Theo skillfully pulled out some documents for the next task. Suddenly, a paper fell out.

“Ah.”

Realizing what it was, Theo let out a low hum. It was a document he had brought when he went to the guard station concerning the monster subduction. The paper had ridiculous personal details, ‘Sebastian, age 52’, written on it. On top of that, there was a note saying he would be back from the restroom. The handwriting was so crooked it didn’t seem like it was written by an adult, perhaps written with the left hand to disguise the style.

“……”

Theo stared blankly at the handwriting, his eyes narrowed.