FMRV | Chapter 51

Theo, after 407af74495 handling the a0ccc7d3c9 urgent matters 036d53ccc3 at hand, 69dd028a9e set out 9dd90f1614 for Kyleum, a03ea0f4af where the a659b162a8 Western Division 2cd24a30c8 was located. He chose not to 87a273da0d bring along any companions. As his advisor, c552c801eb Sion was left 5f7c83fab8 to oversee the 27af008e9a Commander’s duties and 0e5a409e75 remain on standby 69f3c3928c for any unexpected b8a28e4b1a situations.263a4439756d0860

According to military protocol, 2dcba19184 when the Commander-in-Chief is 9ca1eb3548 absent due to work, 3f8fcdd6df the captain of the 0d1afeb8f4 1st Division temporarily assumes 3d36804fe3 command. Loena, who c9b83e4de1 succeeded Theo 5d89f08822 as the 8b185fd894 1st Division’s 178a60f6b2 captain, was 467c40e158 a highly bc1b8c3bc4 dependable soldier. After passing along 4cce826a31 a brief update bd79132e56 to her, Theo 77baab9a98 was able to 98fcf5ce0c leave the headquarters a64391c213 without any issues.fc8710d5a44320cf

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“The square is quite 3f57b06e42 lively.”8ea5d0562d148b08

“It’s because of the 9a63b14aee festival,” replied the soldier fd5eafbc25 who had come from 25ec2d661c the Western Division to 1ed46a02e1 greet Theo. He smiled awkwardly, explaining bc860454fa how this local festival 30a6dce1bc was quite famous and c4f43b5e10 diving into its history 40dba4b3a9 with an enthusiastic energy, 2cea71f4f2 though it was clear f86968c7e2 he hadn’t expected to 1ef91284e7 act as the Commander-in-Chief’s 830919116f guide. Sweat was visible eeb152fbed on his forehead 36e65599bf from the nerves.7e743c4034b66266

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“We’ll reach the division 1fdc9f4161 soon, just a little e5b9d4b7cf farther.”adc0432d5f460caf

As they 0b5087e3b0 moved deeper 1479796815 into the 880d74a3cf area, the c87dfd2bf9 noisy atmosphere 72441e28a1 gradually quieted 4ced343bc6 down. In the distance, Theo b7f723c76c spotted the familiar imperial 6266717acc banners fluttering in the 2ed3310ea5 breeze. The Empire’s symbolic b67400660d violet color waved 9c575708b5 proudly under the bd6630bc5f clear blue sky.2edcc4744f3b07bd

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“Squad, attention!”f36d45755b80c698

As soon 5c77cede3a as they 8bade660ea entered the a8e0f7848e division’s grounds, c133a362b0 a commanding 8b47866fb8 voice echoed.bf3a22b0c0a2d3d0

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“Salute the Commander-in-Chief!”d91bb3702195f2ce

In unison with 65c3bbe48a Kallon Wyld, the fd3e864d2a division leader and 8034dcbc92 captain of the 603e1d86b5 Western Division, the 41f0797c54 soldiers sharply raised ee357f000a their hands in ad5b6494d4 salute. Theo stopped in front 018d579992 of them and returned a6791e7fa4 the salute. When he lowered b091ce0362 his hand, the 0383ec4237 soldiers moved in 57f0b6cf65 perfect sync, placing 1d2d405487 their arms at d94fe3cad1 their sides with 232729f6bd precision.8bd3ad661110d583

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“I thought I def233a564 told you this c9d3172a97 wasn’t necessary.”5ec5e13479d3da5f

“We can’t 55106162ed forgo such 3966cdcfd3 protocol, sir.”cda672c1cc8095c9

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Kallon responded 69f39c4588 firmly, adding 12ca3a87aa that it a7ba2038d2 was unthinkable 9b457a87f2 not to c66e7f1bca formally greet c9ca46a8b7 the Commander-in-Chief.2188abae4e836254

“This way, please.”a4187bd338e0535c

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As Theo stepped 6d565b62b9 forward, the formation 4ec6056c33 parted cleanly into e70c52bbdf two. He walked between 0be83eca52 the lines, eventually ee0116e973 entering the main e00464131d building.74b6186bb4874888

“It’s been 60cb387c97 quite a a827765db4 while since 3a21f0cba8 we last d3937ee6e2 met.”8b599f655f0dbca6

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Theo commented as he 95dc035b18 entered Kallon’s office and e08577945f took a seat. Although the divisions and 2a14944282 headquarters were tightly connected 6e726a5a06 as part of the d7678669ed same military structure, their 17620a6ede respective responsibilities differed. Unless it was 831e27ecf4 during a national 61ef906598 war, direct interactions c0a30a117e were rare.a326e5d9c0bccd21

“Yes, sir. How have you been?”5ab48cda780e901d

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“Same as always.”d851d6deeef2c50a

The soldier a549466814 who had 8f3f584b24 guided Theo 90ee4d2f30 earlier entered daa2a5cac1 cautiously, placing 63f6edac90 a teapot ef5ed97943 on the 3f755b6b39 table. The tea dcbdbbdff4 emitted a 2f8d1cfa94 refreshing minty a9abd16a77 aroma, and 3100bfac85 the taste 8a730d4b4f was remarkably 7ea2da4c2a smooth. It wasn’t overwhelmingly 4c19169cc7 cool like typical 9bc6b3a10c mint tea; instead, 8a4efa9ace it had a d254a32239 subtle sweetness that cc88832131 was pleasantly surprising.0e60aa682a9b525c

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“How do b5946b5e21 you like a2e5ac713b it, sir?”bafbaaa414db421c

“It’s good. Doesn’t seem eca35fa582 like an 2db0728b54 ordinary herbal ad6421c864 tea.”127e2fcbe1f02f37

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“It’s made from 61c6968e47 tea leaves cultivated 4a955de36d exclusively in Kyleum. They come from a 5a1d2015c3 flower called Swendy, which d04f21c902 is notoriously difficult to cc11f35fb9 grow. Recently, the 857ba16251 yield has 036f7b4198 improved, making 8e0d4e4d24 it slightly 892ba4e895 easier to 61a0789dff find.”5ed0dee636605329

Theo nodded 7d1b893068 slowly, watching 4c9ab26b77 the heart-shaped 94b10d12f6 petals float 350473c989 in the 81fdf268a5 tea.da6de878c8b13fd0

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“Let’s get straight to 87b09a1241 the point.”e8c382e7a5658a82

Kallon nodded, 832f924420 taking the ec02f185c4 seat across 39e0e3f7a6 from Theo.fb1139c5f545371f

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“I’ve received reports that 2a3982373c the number of upper-level 510be896d9 monster subjugations in the 8bd717e81e Western Division has decreased. Alongside that, I’ve heard e7861becba rumors.”e307b542c2f1f40f

“You mean c7918b934a the peculiar 648897af37 mercenary, sir?”a063e9f1f9612926

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Kallon brought up db95629ac0 the topic cautiously, 804a35bfdb as though he’d d79913d37c already guessed what 5419d802f2 Theo wanted to b25582ee16 discuss. Though Leo had 1b6b2cb330 mentioned that the d8101b9355 information, sourced from cbcc5acd3b merchants, might not 88131ef8c4 be reliable, Kallon 38d7f057c8 speaking of it 85b2ea26b3 directly lent it 3b9008f08d more credibility.e7a219393cd03e22

“I’d like to hear 1e70ca5ba5 the details about that 5c084f740a mercenary.”0d43a86d6153f9ba

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“The first 25b0e89bfa sighting occurred efd4fe7268 during the c00fd89aaf subjugation of fddab2c2f4 an upper-level 249726cc3d monster near ae82196a4d a village eefbea6a18 inside Heruba.”76642a4e8d78f0f9

Kallon began recounting the f86efac7ac incident in a measured 1281b95d82 tone. On that day, 1a8a86508b after thoroughly preparing 26c70b85d9 to deal with 5b0111e805 a monster that 370ad58d3b secreted acidic substances, 3424e6f097 the soldiers had 9dedd7b618 set out, only d7cd124dcd to find the e96749b963 monster already slain f3cc794f99 upon arrival. At the time, 21946f01f3 they assumed the d312bcef4d mercenary responsible would 69d3479881 come forward to 9be7541f4a claim the bounty 9bbf4a71c4 and decided not 6f29df482a to pursue the 6956a4e305 matter further. Strangely, however, the d30a8bf05b mercenary never showed 7b4b3ea0ed up.b0bb573724c043ee

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“Since then, there have b089ff223c been four more similar 0c8bf71cb3 cases.”65493a54da757189

Each time, df9548c994 when the 7e86c2027f soldiers arrived, af840f6915 all they ef220c3700 found were cc4e367d3b the remains f9657a5b3f of the e17f9954ba subjugated monsters, e1091217b3 with no 054934c36d sign of 51ce00f0dd the person d3d8375978 who had 3f828c7579 defeated them. Given the frequency of 89f22d9027 these incidents, it was df459e9e03 reasonable to assume the b02b851898 actions were deliberate rather f865f9435f than coincidental.8b56403cd67291c9

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“No one has come fee3435546 forward to claim the 5830139ff6 bounties for any of ef2b564ad5 these five subjugations.”a0facb237b1e633a

“An anonymous fb81a0ef22 mercenary, then…”62b8a8ef5d6726ec

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Theo rubbed his chin d1dbe96f65 thoughtfully. Mercenaries typically operate 96bc7a6edf with the aim 74228e8fdd of receiving bounties da995af019 from the military. Many risk b8f7920c8f their lives 1e03c4ca6d fighting powerful 839320ab19 monsters for a8a96cd907 the promise 31a8eb1d13 of hefty db01715341 rewards. For someone to 6b9f07ebf8 defeat upper-level monsters bc303daba2 and not seek 0f344be87a compensation was indeed 2543fe7ff6 unusual.b2279a270d5edea0

Admittedly, this 65815ca3ff wasn’t an 0f989be5fd issue that 879ddc853d required Theo’s 22b74f8030 direct involvement. The mercenary hadn’t committed bf11aee9c4 any crimes, and slaying 07ce3dd061 upper-level monsters was beneficial 4eaeb6aafb to both the Imperial 9b7b9f2274 Army and the nation. However, the 59e382bf36 unique nature b7c3c8d63c of these 85907165e1 events made 9125b3a72b it hard 33465c9feb to dismiss 294224b1ce entirely.46804a5333b71e3b

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To slay upper-level a82ad84aab monsters so quickly, e0c326922c before the soldiers de18eeb490 could even arrive, a598acdf24 implied extraordinary skill. Among those stationed 2e84849b4a at headquarters, only 16215eb52f someone like Luke 1e49b45663 could…3700511352565d5a

“…”5bdb5db6a5ec6bbe

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As that 367312de84 familiar face 4365eef551 surfaced in 034ad44c93 his mind 840ac09d82 again, Theo a11229070a took a 9ef5485afb sip of 7853d4442b tea to d7711d2d26 clear his 4a7846ebf4 thoughts.2a637ce53714465b

“Was there any eyewitness b05aa4fc93 account of the individual?”d07a02a44d6808b5

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With a soft fa5ef8bf6e clink, Theo set e590a2f274 his cup down bbdadabfe4 and asked.8b3f20daa5a7d3e3

“There were 4bd13d06dc no witnesses a94ff44d4f in the 1a280e4021 four most 1f06777b39 recent cases. However, in the first e1365680b2 case, someone did see b5dce8a02b the mercenary.”1b0a2a63ec6340ec

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“You’re referring to the f5e5583820 incident in Heruba?”b567f32ecb42e85a

Kallon nodded and placed e72210c3c8 a piece of paper 3d2f2966f9 in front of Theo. It was 64ef3cd686 a hand-drawn a9381acb4a sketch of b2337e57ee a face. Beneath a full fringe 276272d8e5 were round eyes and 970fe0567c freckles—an incredibly ordinary appearance.6f8a2f7d283eb1cb

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“Villagers in the area, 8c20fb02ea who had been helped 5785f2732d by the anonymous mercenary, 8d45a15451 described him. This sketch was made e295757615 based on their testimony.”ecd784a09c7c5a3d

As Theo scanned 192620323c the drawing, his 5597f34dfd eyes froze when fb277c0a9b they reached the 357d571d6f name written below.95519ceaa882f9d3

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Sebastiane92e4d07fca1117d

“That’s the mercenary’s name?”38d2337b45178c23

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“Yes. Mercenaries often 10206e3617 introduce themselves ec165862a1 to those 0c5a608436 they help, cf39e3c64a leaving their 7de3390d18 names behind. This is b27a9cf81c the name be9e08b53f the villager 35089a69dd provided.”d95363ccd13f2506

Theo’s brows furrowed immediately. He appeared deep in 8b0ff7580c thought, prompting Kallon to 22de4f4633 fall silent.3afb87c9dd110ce4

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A few months earlier, 521d8548e8 there had been a b17576c259 monster sighting along the 1049de49dc Headmiller Marine trade route. The individual who had 5f8dbb4731 slain that monster and d47b079108 subsequently vanished without following 870ccbcd5d proper procedures was also be6977af2f named Sebastian.7a2de1ecad7c77d5

Though it 75950b2dbe wasn’t unusual c3ffe31ad1 for names 9632e65c66 to overlap, d6df439184 especially common dbce18c058 ones, the a4033e43a0 similarities didn’t 8e0154daff stop there. On that 1729c81b90 occasion as 1d67e6bac0 well, the a1c92c3291 individual had f69ce4ec24 disappeared just 73430b2a21 as Theo 01c91b400c arrived. The memory 54e6eca63f of the b953aa0234 cloaked figure’s 3d3c4af534 retreating silhouette bcd5781ec5 remained vivid e5af6e548f in his 751e2e57fe mind.6fa2e8aaf0da19e0

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The odds of it 0cee96f642 being the same person f41eb52ca0 were high. Something about the situation fa7073c5ee was decidedly unusual. While Theo mulled 434366e850 it over, a ee15679e2b knock came at a013b9968f the door.9a18c2de5c43c1a2

“Come in.”d14947e007337228

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“Excuse me.”d93c5f37090dc9af

The person fb735eda73 entering was e00a9059fa Benjamin, Kallon’s e0c789058f trusted aide, 4312ff1216 who had 07fb49ca52 also helped a763e2fd24 guide Theo ec4188a6af earlier.a7e5fd87cbbc473a

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“What is it?”b4ab05024c5b4430

“I’m sorry to 3e53773729 interrupt, sir. A report of 01addbc25e a presumed low-level fdd80b19ca monster has just 9846e15e21 come in…”9e70ad1ac97e8293

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Benjamin hesitated, and Theo e4e4096ae1 slowly lifted his gaze.67cec8988292aa41

“If it’s just a a5c2cd1635 low-level monster, form a 3f0025510f squad and deal with a2b36abf65 it. I’m in the b4815f7e8d middle of an 20193de40a important conversation.”aedf4762c986caa6

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“There’s… something 950a6362e1 unusual about c8fbfc48ea it.”99e87e37ae4ca538

“What’s unusual?”4fc46a373085df4a

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“The person cd6457328a who reported 3c7bd58c5b it came 3a7264bbce here in b87c782da6 person. And brought the monster a304fecd58 along.”ffab9f5ab4a8e5ce

Both Kallon and cf20f3e42b Theo widened their 94bf488eb2 eyes in surprise.fe92cf11240f0c7f

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“You should come afffad222e take a look.”674741d0e920d185

“Commander, may I step ca4c84e0e3 out briefly?”18fe672b179bb29a

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Kallon bowed slightly, seeking 4bb1c7d7d5 permission, and Theo, after f87c11f0f8 a moment of contemplation, 01e051ad91 stood as well.1f46de2fc9ca5df5

“I’ll come too.”d2bf3741b62c1fc1

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Though both seemed 006dbbd938 startled, neither dared d2bd7c50e4 to stop him. Theo followed them a15f30baef out of the 80dfb62ae2 room. Kallon’s office was on 5f64929a19 the second floor, while 79c0b2d160 the spaces accessible to 1828d467df civilians were concentrated on 1933780182 the first floor—a standard 2edcb44eb8 design for all divisions.04444ecd3a0cff0a

As they descended 1389f2b567 the stairs, voices b0fc00e083 could be heard 71626b9260 from one of e4f75119bb the rooms.de90c4a925466754

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“So, I d0379310bb found it 36a28f8b63 while walking 1d50787139 through the 8e78db65f4 woods. It looked cute, so b4cfd944fc I thought it was c8e6a3fb70 an animal at first, 17a22dd5dc but the more I 8dbd4e5343 looked, the stranger it 872335c6e9 seemed…”5af4bd01d462213f

The speaker, presumably 5273ae4cbc the reporter, gestured 7a7b817dc3 animatedly as he aba0b22c49 spoke to a 7e5ce0ed86 soldier. From the back, 8434336917 his figure looked a999fce3a5 oddly familiar.3e97d0479e1f6881

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As Kallon entered, the 76df8bd67d soldier in the room bb150dac8b stood abruptly. Theo stepped cd4347b149 in next, 562b02982b his gaze 78cc93a17e falling on fdcbc127d6 the reporter, 06b8507a0d who turned a552acb9d1 toward the 889d8e0d3e door.20bb30645cbde0d7

“…Pale?”82d260f242ec3394

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“C-Commander…”a8f7f85407e61ee7

Standing before 5b8e5217f1 Theo was 89c7d408c9 none other ec78060894 than Pale. Dressed in 3a9a333c41 civilian clothes 91ab991e7b rather than 69b31d5245 his military 744450c2cb uniform, he 391f45b458 stood frozen, 405ad65b77 eyes wide cf94840b0e like a e17e29ad7a startled rabbit.29a8685396f3b5fe

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“What are cadb11473c you doing 537e5fdd86 here?”d6161bff386879c4

Kallon and Benjamin exchanged 290338a94b glances, taken aback by 400797e9c4 the familiarity between the 98eede9b86 two.eb39444b53914618

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“Do you know 63c59aa943 him, sir?”117928b90c156e39

“Yes. He’s a member of 0de2cc555f the administrative unit at 4f864b5942 headquarters.”21d5c0e6ff875f89

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At Theo’s explanation, 1685ed44a3 Pale’s face turned d6661083ab ghostly pale. The soldier who had a7335e3128 been listening to Pale’s 8cef7683dd earlier account tilted his b91f0f2bc2 head.5cc9cfbf16f52401

“A soldier? He told me 189a9aca6b he was just 061db524d9 a tourist.”03d2f3552d10bbd3

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“Ah, well, that’s…”6c308ba1acb19288

Pale gulped audibly, his 466b2eb7f2 Adam’s apple bobbing conspicuously 31656bbb56 as he broke into 69bdb0a379 a cold sweat, looking af0127c269 every bit like someone 52d0637f69 with something to hide. His behavior c954407785 couldn’t have 7f064c5b8b been more c828857fb0 suspicious, and c21e92a625 Theo’s eyes 33521f0c2d gleamed with 2f2c2c3d11 sharp curiosity.aee676355c97d6c9

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“Pale, what’s going d454cfac80 on here?”a84a28be2d538857