FMRV | Chapter 52

“Ah, well… it’s, um…”

All the eyes in the room were on Pale. Under the sudden spotlight, his timid demeanor became even more pronounced. Noticing this, Theo gestured for everyone to take a step back, giving Pale some space.

“Pale, just explain things comfortably.”

Perhaps having a familiar face present helped ease his nerves. Pale took a deep breath, composed himself, and then began reciting his explanation—clearly something he had memorized word-for-word. It was the same story he’d told the soldier earlier.

“So, you’re saying you came here on vacation during your leave, and stumbled upon this monster by chance?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then why did you hide the fact that you’re a soldier?”

Benjamin was the first to voice his suspicion after hearing Pale’s explanation.

“That’s… as I said, I’m on leave, and I didn’t want to make a big deal about my status as a soldier. I really just intended to report the monster and leave.”

Benjamin nodded slowly. It wasn’t unheard of for soldiers on leave to downplay their identity. After all, the moment they returned, they’d be back to the grind. It was only natural to want to be treated as an ordinary person while outside.

“Where exactly did you find this monster?”

This time, it was Kallon who asked.

“Near the forest by Conenium Square.”

“And how did you end up there? Even locals avoid that area, and there are signs warning people to stay away.”

“Well, the square was packed with festivalgoers, and it was impossible to move through the crowd. I ended up looking for a way out and wandered into the forest…”

Tourists getting lost in unfamiliar areas and stumbling into trouble wasn’t unheard of, so Pale’s story didn’t seem particularly far-fetched. With Kallon and Benjamin nodding in agreement, Pale let out a quiet sigh of relief.

At that moment, Theo, who had been silently observing, approached a desk to the side.

Inside a small cage made of iron bars was the creature Pale had reported. Its body was covered in fluffy fur, the same gray as the cage itself. Its large eyes darted around nervously, as if it was scared. The creature was about the size of an adult man’s palm and had wings, though it didn’t appear particularly threatening.

Its appearance was more cute than menacing, and by all accounts, it seemed to be a low-level monster—possibly the lowest of the low.

“Pale, why did you bother reporting this monster?”

Although Pale was now part of the administrative unit, he had once been a member of a special task force. With his skills, he could have easily dealt with such a low-level monster on the spot. So why go through the trouble of reporting it and bringing it here?

“At first… it just looked cute, so I didn’t think it was a monster. But when I took a closer look, I realized it wasn’t in the Imperial Monster Compendium.”

“Could it be an unidentified monster?”

The focus shifted from Pale to the creature in the cage.

“I’ve never seen anything like this either,” Kallon admitted.

While Kallon and Benjamin continued their discussion, Theo scrutinized the creature intently. The fluffy monster seemed to sense Theo’s gaze, curling up against the corner of the cage in fear.

“It doesn’t seem right to dismiss it as just an unidentified monster,” Theo said.

“Pardon?”

“Among the monsters that reside in or appear around the Empire, very few have fur this well-developed. Perhaps in colder regions, but not here.”

Pale bit his lip slightly. It was exactly what Luke had said to him earlier when they encountered the creature.

“And there’s one more thing,” Pale added after a short, calming breath.

“When I found it, it was using some kind of unusual ability.”

He went on to explain how the creature had initially been invisible, only revealing itself after being attacked. But that wasn’t all.

“And its fur… it seems to change to match its surroundings.”

“Change?”

Theo opened the cage without hesitation and picked up the creature. It squirmed and squeaked in protest, but it couldn’t escape Theo’s firm grip. Though it was clearly a harmless creature, Kallon and the others fidgeted nervously, unable to ignore Theo’s lack of caution.

Theo placed the creature on the table. After a moment, the fur that had been gray like the cage gradually shifted to a soft brown, perfectly matching the color of the wooden table.

“It certainly seems so,” Theo murmured.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a monster with such characteristics,” Kallon admitted, rubbing his chin in thought.

“Yes, so it’s… specialized in stealth and infiltration,” Pale added.

“Specialized?” Benjamin chuckled at Pale’s phrasing. “What kind of phrasing is that?”

Realizing his slip-up, Pale quickly corrected himself, blaming nerves for his strange wording.

“You did well. You brought back useful information quickly,” Kallon praised Pale, patting him on the shoulder.

“Uh, then I’ll just… take my leave. I have… something to attend to,” Pale stammered, eager to escape the room.

“Alright. Benjamin, see him out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Just as Pale wiped the cold sweat from his brow and prepared to leave unnoticed, Theo’s firm voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Wait, Pale.”

The deep tone froze him mid-step. He turned around reluctantly, only to see Theo staring at the creature in his hand with a penetrating gaze.

“How exactly did you capture this monster?”

“Uh, well… um…”

Pale’s lips quivered. For a creature he supposedly caught himself, his hesitation was conspicuous.

“I-I threw a rock at it.”

Pale’s primary magical ability was imbuing objects with speed and force. Caught off guard by the question, he instinctively referenced his usual method.

“Right, you’re not an elemental mage, after all,” Theo remarked.

“Y-yes, that’s correct…”

But as the words left Theo’s mouth, Pale felt a chill run down his spine. It was as if a bug were crawling along the back of his neck. He stood frozen, internally panicking as a single thought echoed in his mind: I’ve made a mistake.

“If that’s the case, who caused the wound on its wing?”

Theo pointed to one of the monster’s wings. Everyone’s eyes followed his finger to a faint, circular wound near the tip, surrounded by frost. As soldiers from the Magic Unit Force, they immediately recognized it as the result of a magically-enhanced ice attack.

“And the observations about its abilities—those weren’t yours, were they?”

“…”

With each word from Theo, Pale’s head drooped lower, like a stalk of rice bending under the weight of its grain.

“Providing false reports to a superior is a grave offense, Pale.”

Pale squeezed his eyes shut, internally apologizing to Luke, who was undoubtedly unaware of what was happening.

“Is Pale explaining things properly…?”

Luke muttered to himself as he surveyed the neatly maintained garden. Although the monster they’d found didn’t seem dangerous, its camouflage fur and ability to turn invisible were suspicious enough. He had sent Pale to report it, knowing the army wouldn’t scrutinize a low-level monster too thoroughly.

‘Why can’t you do it yourself, Commander?’

‘Think about it. How many people in the Western Division wouldn’t recognize me? I’ve told you—I don’t want anything to do with the army anymore.’

Luke had also considered the rumors about the “anonymous mercenary,” feeling a pang of guilt for unintentionally creating such a fuss. That was another reason he’d pushed the task onto Pale.

‘You’re in the administrative unit, so no one here knows you.’

‘That’s true, but…’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll tell you exactly what to say. I’ve even prepared excuses in case they find out you’re a soldier.’

Luke sighed deeply, stepping out of the garden with a bundle of freshly picked Swendy flowers in hand. Yet, no matter how carefully he’d planned, a nagging unease lingered. He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d left a child by a riverbank.

As he wandered toward the quiet village road, Luke muttered, “It’s just a report. What’s taking him so long?”

At that moment, a figure appeared in the distance.

“Luke, my man!”

“Ah, crap…”

It was Woods, the town drunk and notorious troublemaker. As the son of the village chief, Chess, he used his father’s influence to get away with all kinds of antics. The villagers often sighed, saying, “The chief is great, but his son is the problem.”

“Man, you look good even at night!”

“If you’re drunk, go home. Your house is the other way.”

“Oh? Is it?”

Woods scratched his head with a goofy grin, reeking of alcohol. He’d clearly gone overboard again. For a moment, Luke pitied the ever-cheerful Chess.

“Since I’m already here, why not let me crash at your place for the night?”

“Get lost before I shave your head.”

Luke managed a forced smile as he delivered the insult. While he was tempted to knock Woods out, he refrained out of respect for the chief.

“Oh, come on. We’re both guys, what’s the big deal?”

Despite his casual tone, Woods’s gaze grew unsettlingly lewd as he looked Luke up and down. Running a hand through his disheveled silver hair, Luke exuded an aura of annoyance.

“I don’t have time for this. Just—”

“Ah, maybe I drank too much. My head’s killing me.”

Woods staggered, feigning dizziness, and leaned toward Luke. Distracted by thoughts of Pale, Luke didn’t react in time and fell backward with a thud.

“You little—”

Luke winced as he felt the unpleasant weight of Woods pinning him down. He rubbed the back of his head, glaring up, only to see Woods straddling him with a disgusting grin.

“How can a guy be prettier than a girl?”

Luke let out a weary sigh. Thankfully, the flowers in his hand were unscathed. Just as he was about to shove Woods off, the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted him.

Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of a pair of boots walking toward them.

Was it Pale? Luke prepared to deal with Woods quickly, but before he could act—

“Whoa!”

Woods was suddenly lifted into the air, defying gravity, before being unceremoniously flung aside like a sack of flour.

“Ahhh!”

“…”

Luke blinked, stunned, as he watched Woods fly off. Still lying on the ground, he looked up slowly to see the familiar face of Theo towering above him, his dark hair blending seamlessly into the night.

“Retirement seems to be treating you well,” Theo remarked dryly, his voice resonating from above.

Luke blinked, momentarily at a loss. Forgetting he was still on the ground, he slowly raised the bouquet of flowers toward Theo.

“Uh… welcome?” Luke blurted out something very awkward.