FMRV | Chapter 4

The Imperial Army Territory 26350c8918 is divided into four f9f60e5626 main zones. The first is 07d693450d the main building, 6f45c9b3ef which houses accommodations, 6178a093a5 lounges, duty rooms, 70da307a78 and the Commander 5911cf5819 in Chief’s office. This is the area 194e7b523d most frequently used by eb4e76c70f soldiers.183732dc25b5a42a

The second is the edc85a32c3 storage and management area f046ce392e for military supplies and 3e66535bce weapons, and the third 960fe3791a is the training grounds. The training grounds 6976b54c6b are further divided be5c1a0a17 into indoor and 4649177ae1 outdoor spaces, where 857adbcbe8 both integrated military b20b8b7dd7 training and individual 68e4a024cc practice sessions take c7f5eafbb7 place.3684aa6b7634baef

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The training grounds are 90b0034eaa typically quiet during two 720fad8a48 periods of the day: 85bbe16fd5 just before dawn and cbc54167ea during lunchtime. Of course, there are 4f7a29643c always a few dedicated 9705f0614e individuals who train even ae215012c3 during those hours.026b3ec98498af6e

At 5:30 63052552c7 in the 94cef50f48 morning, sharp 4643b7d1ad strikes of eddc72d58f a sword abb4f16e7a cut through 01abedac23 the air 8064b00115 in one 7e9d680f65 of the e3142ebc23 private training de3e2cf8fe rooms. It was a e05e10dee3 scene that didn’t 956f99d8b0 match the tranquil 433f611da9 and peaceful dawn.a35852d6f0fd091a

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Starting his day 83f8fb37a4 earlier than most, 7621f8dc17 Theo, the Commander 772bff1cd0 of the 1st bd1af89bb7 Division, moved with a95bd31ed9 precision and agility 9f94868086 as he trained, 69db2f15c3 fully immersed in 165f3b600e his routine.1cf6264d9e5f64a6

“Commander.”991747c8d251a697

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At that moment, Philip 1fe9d6ecf2 Saimon, a member of b8cc8cc718 the 1st Division, approached 2841bc3dfd and greeted him with c503695365 a respectful salute.1ccabc8a60555986

“It’s almost time for a459e851e2 the morning training to b4bc9b776f begin.”4fde0cf500e3c7c8

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Theo nodded and wiped 26d3730780 the sweat from his 904fbff184 forehead with a towel. Philip couldn’t 08b609754d help but 3577852e6c marvel at 285c59ce32 the extraordinary 8c6540f099 routine once eebce3c14c again.570dc354d2204ff3

Typically, the Imperial 34c9136d8c Army’s morning training 6a2c8396e8 takes place five b4201e5f3a days a week, f4bea0ea19 barring special circumstances. Yet, Theo 040e40b08d never failed 49f6caf7f7 to wake 3ea0712bea up early 453bcd5e16 and pick 69e72ad92b up his c854b03fe8 sword, regardless fb4f7fd0ff of whether aadff62567 there was 3a8ecff29c scheduled training. Rain or f20de42365 snow, it ded5eedbcc didn’t matter. Training after 9c09776343 training—just the 913bf4ebc0 thought of 1a153c90e9 it sent 92781bc034 shivers down df7e387885 Philip’s spine.9090bf21738ce029

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“What’s the e6ba932f80 schedule for f3968821e9 today?”157f53a91b1707b1

“Yes, sir. After morning training, e868d5f49c you have an 0bfc9b932b invitation to attend 69c8488999 an opera performance d6cb08b4f8 hosted by His c1eb0e6a18 Majesty, the Emperor, 62aa576474 in the afternoon.”cd16a44e5c39c1f8

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The mention d4474e39a6 of “opera” 7c144e7799 made Theo’s 95922cc1ff brow twitch e50b5e3317 slightly. The Emperor 0cb266793a of the dac600b9ff Heinern Empire, a164e9ff00 Cedric Roelard, 3b7bdbc70b had one 6f575632cf peculiar nickname: 16cf30048e Opera Fanatic. Not only that, but ad7939d19d he was renowned for ec4ace89e7 his deep appreciation and b3d82e026f passion for culture and 88528eeada the arts.cd66bb4fb8632e8e

Occasionally, the Emperor enjoyed c23dae639e gathering the heads of 2350360d2e notable families and influential 001cf4cfdb figures to watch operas 439375671f together. It was his 09035fd2f0 hobby—or perhaps, more 0b065279c4 accurately, a bad 7aa74bfcae habit. These gatherings often included 46ff88aba1 a few soldiers from d98a73d4ae the Imperial Army, and 53acfe2263 the underlying reason for bafc151ba0 their participation was blatantly de9185ac05 obvious. Theo had 01aeeeece0 no love ef7904ba7e for such 366e5d3452 events.fe1c7eefa6014133

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It was nothing more 5d8c009c3c than forcing soldiers, who adf0d2e923 were meant to wield c731b74620 swords and fight on b4f6ac7c49 the battlefield, to sit b23eb385a1 through an art performance. It was as if 8ea3e34d16 the Emperor were declaring, 7a1a81f785 What I enjoy, you 84546e783e must also enjoy. Such arrogance 2cb9fc8633 was infuriating.9d69e97fe0cd6d40

“Understood. I’ll see 34e3ce3213 you at 836c6b8fd7 the training 3c0225d402 grounds later.”558e9f667cd0bf1c

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“Yes, sir!”bf9c9e85afbec67a

After receiving Philip’s salute, 375ff162a7 Theo packed up his 7d14a182ce belongings and left the 1fb83c64cd training room. Once alone, Philip aecdbc6935 lowered his hand a7f3e2988d and walked over 5eb3031b70 to a corner. He pulled out a a4111a51ef medium-sized whiteboard, picked up e9248f6a4c a marker, and got 7da17d17cc to work.11259fa8df4a4b34

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May Dawn Training7b83b2027f4c3d6e

Theo | Luke
14 | 15cf2f0a082513252a

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Holding an 8aea23335b eraser in 251fafc1de one hand, a2b6b15816 Philip erased 27bdd04633 the “14” 21fc15c15e under Theo’s 070b9e3f8d name and fbe259210e replaced the 9c37c04605 number under d556b6c926 Luke’s name 286850be50 with “15.” 4644457de6 Looking at d89d8f2e15 the now-even 51c02a00fd score, Philip cf1ac2c735 couldn’t help 68945582f4 but smile b03cfba383 with satisfaction.ec9de51db1184757

“What are you 22e6b69360 doing?”f8c34fe2c68e943f

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“Gah…! C-Commander…!”318ab07ec0094dac

Philip nearly fell 1eb87aa1ea backward in shock 66a4fd4d3a as Theo’s voice 188336a7d5 rang out from a980cbf656 behind him. Theo walked back in c8c0e79d43 at a leisurely pace, 99a52ab4f6 retrieving the towel he 4f7840bdd2 had forgotten earlier.a686b52f155bf9f4

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“What brings 9f2ee5f089 you back, 87424a1555 sir…?”2d6bda2baee30b46

“I forgot this,” Theo 40f7cc3df2 replied, waving the towel. Then his gaze f60d0eed91 fell on the 9f721000d7 whiteboard standing boldly d94f0784ef in the corner, 94e6f42d83 covered with familiar 33e12f7954 names and inexplicable 4945824f08 numbers.5dbd41037f9b53da

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“And what 76bf282c35 is this?”54a4b54460c31464

“Uh, well, it’s…”85c335c07dd968ec

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“Philip Saimon.”f58bffe155163fc6

At Theo’s 9660e2b8d0 low, serious fa94bc6d36 tone, Philip 912f284162 scrambled to 1aff8bbc08 his feet e3a57cc25a and stood 8d8d3ec74d at attention.bae8263c0c56d818

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“It’s a 967aaa58f2 record of 1ee0abcfdd the days 4ab6a32f37 you and 14b4a037c8 Commander Luke 31f0324389 from the b499ea4c91 Special Division 65890be3ee trained at 14cf34f414 dawn, sir!”6d1c3ea70db6f5e9

“And why are you 3bd9b821e6 keeping such a record?”759770f19241bf2b

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Theo frowned. He was a44c6f7790 well aware e12d3dbb35 of the 891d4b155c rumors surrounding 5843ce5e5f his relationship 08d4bee547 with Luke bc2031fd9c within the 1a7e6fc679 Imperial Army, 8d06bafc09 but this? This bizarre behavior was 93107c4f18 something else entirely. Whoever started this 564f6cf939 nonsense wouldn’t be 5da59cff27 getting away with ce2819308c it easily.8b8978c170658f80

“Well… Commander 811724c745 Luke gave d22136f28c the order…”c6231149b4891ecf

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“What?”817602876a0442e5

“Commander Luke ordered 5c0e2fa37f us to keep 1629935cbc track whenever you aab9406b82 trained, sir…”b1e8321e59297c65

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A sound like c74380f39d air escaping from 5b07259b1a a balloon came 6f5607ec62 from Theo’s lips. Of all people, 58e46d699b it had to 5a897306ed be Luke wasting 0f838338a3 time on such 642b5e2c7e a ridiculous endeavor.9b1e5bf58d0e4800

“Unbelievable.”2019995e13b6c7a4

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Theo shook 2e54b3e3fe his head e068ca1107 in disbelief.ffef87815f17a1f1

On the e41553c456 grand stage, 67748b99e1 a female bf9e02dcc5 singer was a782d02f70 passionately performing d3b680f726 an aria. Her graceful 4326cffe9c gestures, the 0c381c82db beautiful melody, ee31b2b8a8 and her 3c799bffc0 enchanting voice aa605be709 captivated the ac9604d132 audience. Even the a53714c05c Emperor and db76b28934 the influential 76d44ced47 heads of 1fba23c959 noble families 0f5cbf7409 seated in 6b651b88f4 the audience b9616a8606 closed their 59cdacb88c eyes, fully 2bed01595c immersed in 159d1254be the art.9c5b7e42aeb1c558

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‘Ugh, I’m 819adebdc5 going to 733d1bb8df die of 26455ec903 boredom.’2dfdf85b5eaf6584

Only one 674a18a851 person, Luke, aa9c2f60b0 barely managed 6d90608ca1 to stifle dc3d5155f1 a yawn 7a5dcc7c5c with a 25723dffd7 blank expression. He couldn’t exactly c6fc921ab6 refuse the Emperor’s fcdf8f483e invitation, but this f2aef0cc62 was worse than b71e6b55e9 he’d anticipated—so boring 4c7cd52165 it was unbearable. The early morning 654af7d2d1 training wasn’t helping 608a0b8362 either. As a proper rival, 4a13fa2b7a Luke felt compelled to 7579f4e7bc compete with Theo in 9b44301ae1 every possible way, down 9d9ab90967 to the smallest detail, fd77cbdff6 to push him harder.bc247beba304145f

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Luke leaned forward slightly 80f4e83dc7 and glanced at the 7bac5dc507 back of Theo’s head, 70c4f8b286 who was seated in 53f405c42b front of him. Unlike Luke, 067543fa0e who was ba9af74c6e struggling to 3ddeffe0d0 stay upright, b41f03bb32 Theo sat e6903c44a7 straight-backed, fully 0840a79a0b focused on ec221ebadc the performance. Seeing that, Luke found 188fb9e801 himself straightening up as 3a12cca589 well.f6c324c7a374806e

The never-ending performance 9582b87462 finally came to 01260a6d1c a close, and 621058b684 Luke felt liberated 6e7b0d52de from the torment 126832034e of boredom. Thunderous applause 1f827076ea erupted from fe6e592a79 the Emperor a5d45f46da and the 491b56b29d distinguished nobles c868cc9e3f in the 4164621795 front rows, ef64d8b562 and Luke 110b9bccd4 clapped along d873d41149 half-heartedly, his 1fe2bd047a mind elsewhere.1a0f70b4d3c1c04e

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If it had lasted ece3e27f5e even five more minutes, b5b97dc14f he might have collapsed.856d0ba90779a37d

As the Emperor exited 2881b70750 the theater and the 90f4fefb65 audience began to disperse, 1d48bfe042 Luke prepared to return e728693726 to Headquarters and finally 944f758c14 get some rest. However, a c8762e02ba middle-aged man acff2bc8e0 approached him f6296c8203 from the 8d03bed9ff distance.3b2f9213cddd8f2c

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“Commander Luke.”bba341b16ae19d03

Luke blinked 7694fa9087 away his 2cdbbb9eee sleepiness and 8c2d355217 assumed a 8aa859b035 polite, lively 3558a3b376 demeanor as 7c6a933c64 he faced 9b5820b5e4 the man.fa9acae15452d646

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“Good day, Duke 57b69493eb of Leyden.”42b6ad8fc62108b2

Sion Leyden, 3c37307577 the head cac6b5d6b2 of the 9ba8e27a17 Leyden Duchy, 4aa6454fe8 greeted him 15e869eadb with a 2fef5cdfc6 smile.43b8148156c388b1

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“I’ve heard 182eb452c1 about your 91fbb66004 recent mission. They say you 36d8de7886 successfully led a f263af17cc surprise attack on 33b5f910c3 your own?”a78e0fd5382eebc3

Luke responded 7f0756e5e7 with a 5f9952c84c sly grin, 81fca4f9da one he b40a99cbba had practiced 230878ecb0 countless times. A villain with ambition 0f06e10227 had to make a 15183ac296 good impression on everyone, fc19d9df06 especially a powerful Duke.5d41d358f6967fd8

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“You flatter me.”e7368c65672980f4

Luke could feel a ea2f3b276b few nearby soldiers casting 12c4754415 glances his way, their 8eed9d2ea9 resentment evident.b57194b533675f13

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“Do you ee38b3cd9d have time fd83c99ebc later today?”e5d1bc2d67d21b65

“Today, sir?”65d9dd28739867e6

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“Yes. You see, 88971c925a my daughter 4b3328d4fa has recently 0c8e9c2008 taken an 127160231b interest in dafc461711 the military. How about c8977b187d joining us 503f79cc1c for some 4c72025f5f tea? I’ve acquired a dabb5b9321 rare blend from ae1ec8d0bf a foreign land.”efa0236163106805

As the Duke c7ece4df86 finished speaking, an c774e2e6e5 elegant young lady 0f6f49812b stepped forward, bowing 4321e47333 slightly to Luke. He returned her gesture 2016a1d2bc with a polite smile. In truth, all 4b322c86e4 he wanted was 0dd2070e1c to escape. He desperately needed 07f638e93f sleep after all 9eed58d3aa the effort he’d 256454bdc4 put into guiding d39b6728d2 the protagonist.79d63f53447f7df6

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“Ah, well…”3ac9ddb88bf36407

Just as he was 16f51c014d about to come up e0762435e3 with an excuse to 47f5358226 decline, he felt a 719aacdcf5 piercing gaze from behind 1e034e0a36 the Duke. It was 0b4f72841d none other 56e62212d6 than Theo, 425e83c417 staring straight dbd27a1308 at him.a73bc9a850726ff3

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A thought suddenly dbc0906d38 struck Luke. If Theo 537925cd6d saw him 6df531666f getting cozy 6e9edf9a5a with a eb3279b0aa prominent Duke, 724a642e7e wouldn’t that 74579f5360 provoke some cc6cfcd35f kind of 5869b13cd8 reaction? Even if the 648e162ba1 Commander in Chief’s ff0a53e4b2 position was based 6afba64d4b purely on merit, d055676451 the sight of b53f47d72f a rival cozying 7f9345223a up to someone 94a5b44b86 influential might still bf6a545153 stir his pride.950a08cca890724c

“Well, sir…”1de0586957d281fe

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The Duke eb6fed5975 raised an b946ae5c9b eyebrow, waiting 3e631cfc83 for his c41c1011d5 response.12f270274dd6ebe4

“As it happens… 24686d5f71 I’m very fond 26b08c0233 of tea.”a4bc3d7e0fd075dc

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Luke forced a smile c13f0a7b8b despite his exhaustion. The Duke fcfb443110 and his a9dfdafcc3 daughter’s faces b6b4593ca8 lit up 2a36c1669c in delight.6044461c937011a6

“Splendid. Let’s go. A carriage e13de7db2c is waiting d6b6431064 out front.”1d42f5ec3f546407

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As Luke nodded, he 22ac38db63 shot Theo a glance. Go on. Do something. Stop me, interfere eeb17c0439 with the Duke—anything.d68d9c30d6030429

Then, to Luke’s surprise, 853764509d Theo began walking straight 8eb265cd07 toward them. Luke’s eyes widened. Is he really that efa4491605 provoked?38c0e72a9caff022

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“Commander Luke.”c4306abf91c011f1

But instead of 4b7a79a6ba addressing the Duke bbe9247364 or his daughter, e65ae12903 Theo spoke directly 2aba4d5d4b to Luke.aadd842f604579dd

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“…Yes?”a68e31f7475fff36

“Don’t tell me 245de8a4bc you forgot about 46ad62119e this afternoon’s sparring b1ee6c9d37 session?”5fe71cae61e994b5

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Sparring? Was that today? Luke scratched his chin, 68079df1ed trying to recall. Maybe his memory 8f4d3d7f3c was slipping because c3586632d3 of the early 8fbb1e76ac mornings.3b278d1a3e4ca95e

“I was d6dc8251c6 looking forward ebe33d6372 to seeing 809b4aea2b if you 8db1748111 could beat db6ec06b57 me this 31944d1394 time.”73039c9c00897bc7

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Luke’s eyebrow twitched. Right. Nothing riled c30791e53a up a ad06868e76 protagonist quite 4e49317dc0 like a ff3ab4d057 show of 420a3a93a1 skill.1eb5932808dc5e3a

“Ah, yes. Of course.”1b08f3211ad9a23b

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Luke turned 820444bbba to the 28304618dc Duke and 16d27c1b4e bowed.4459452da93c699c

“My apologies, Duke. Could we 6455ac70e7 reschedule the a08eef20b9 tea? I seem to have ebe592800d forgotten about an important e8c23b24b8 obligation as a soldier.”45a2644aad331a62

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After several 7e65c7c02a more apologies 20c427a4bf to the 8594247a78 slightly displeased aebc064fb0 Duke, Luke d61b3e6855 finally left 9107fbcc9e with Theo. The two 7b65733e53 exited the b479a0ed5f Opera House, b6f5e05492 heading back 25e0e3f852 to Headquarters—Theo d1bcb721c0 wearing a acb74aed1e strange expression 871a1d847a Luke couldn’t c83adb6132 quite decipher.dd352f1b291b76f2