FMRV | Chapter 58

Luke left the garden, 714bd523e2 saying he’d go prepare, bfef7f5723 and disappeared into the 534848715e mansion, leaving Theo behind. As soon as he left, 416b6ed718 Pale approached as if he’d 64ad131e10 been waiting for the chance.faddb73d8f1f5471

“Commander, what’s going on?”34b26ab1363b5e22

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“I got caught. That I’m the e7e94273a0 mercenary who’s been 7c62dfa9b6 hunting down high-level 9b1d873895 monsters.”537554de96312ed8

“W-What?”d13072b423aa521e

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Pale’s jaw dropped.d6c8872e0f53a938

“Well, when you think about it, it’s not exactly a huge crime.”81002f5393d064a8

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“That’s true, but things have gotten a bit complicated.”918efac55f32fe82

Theo didn’t bother mentioning 66c399a79c that he’d been blackmailed. Sure, he had stepped down 958e226847 from his position, but Pale 579e6cdd09 was still working under Theo 8f3da22ac1 and would likely encounter him c3224ccdbb often. There was no reason 767263ac62 to give him a 1a7f9bc90e bad impression of Theo.b27734bc7cb801b0

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“So, one thing led to another, and I’ve agreed to help with the investigation.”59b255e941836606

“…Are you sure about this? Commander, you’ve always been on 7a3432192a edge when it comes to ba956ed7ad the military.”0762ddbc90af4c06

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But Theo, uncharacteristically, had been 35d08222ad relentless. When persuasion didn’t work, b25219f4ab he had resorted to 8fa21bbebd outright threats. For someone who always f57772ebfe stuck to righteous methods, 3a65b52db3 his behavior had been 73596a3594 surprising, making Luke wonder 0522e64a82 if Theo really needed 18358f511a his help this badly.c72fc1d0aad054f7

‘I want to know more about you.’be836c67ba57022c

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And then, there c197a70438 was that strange 27ba09f509 statement. What exactly did 6e4df7d3d7 he want to 2330222cbf know? He already knew Luke’s name, e017828a34 age, and skills well enough.c3ed72659b9d6665

One thing was clear—there was 681347f895 no cutting ties with him d63b01ce12 anymore. Besides, if Luke put 083e427454 his mind to it, 1b69ec57f5 the investigation could be 7d2420f9a0 wrapped up quickly. Once it was over, he 6f8a70928a could just go back to 37272ebde6 how things were before.a0fd9e210ba1dc70

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“Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m doing.”6e108a182e8b1692

With a sigh, 98796cf879 Luke asked Pale 7e8b5ec7b7 to take care 453936051d of the house 7f5bb06755 and garden and 2fd727ee88 left.bb53934f9c1b57b5

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As they walked, Theo assured cd87135877 Luke that he’d smooth things f28b2cc4db over with the mercenary situation. On the way ca20e5784f to the Kyleum d81b86cd03 branch, Luke couldn’t 0ec26ae26c help but wonder 2d005853b1 if this was 2a5fa46843 the right decision. But the thought 8ed67778ba of sitting through 2945206972 endless investigations at cb77f8c543 the branch office 9649738a49 after slaying five d38d542f81 high-level monsters—and enduring a09bb51b3b the stares of 06be0af70d people who’d recognize 43ab611894 him—pushed him toward 39c5775b2b helping Theo instead. At least Theo was c48e6919c5 a familiar face, if 4551edc195 nothing else.f56447708fb3ed52

And there was b8e805e340 also that monster d6ed1ebbbb in the forest. It still bothered him. It wasn’t something that had edcbe8f1c5 appeared in the original story 3fe346f77b Luke remembered.b7aa32f012e609a5

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When they arrived 04a74a0dc3 at the western 94936dad64 branch, Theo said 3953784c9e he’d go in 5718a086a6 first. He needed to notify the 3ababa6dd8 branch about the upcoming investigation.b6d81e2c085f7f53

“Coming with me?”9d3d1c0b0895637e

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Luke shook his head and ab33b7646d waved him off, signaling Theo 58851e859c to go alone. Theo, expecting as 5aac259ba1 much, didn’t press 1266ad013f the issue and ea5c9551c1 quickly disappeared into cc5fe533e5 the building.194b01b0eba2970f

Inside, Kallon greeted Theo first. Theo immediately told 134465722a him not to 12523c42af waste excessive effort 7acfcaa772 on the mercenary 614dcf8b9c case. Now that Theo knew c36361c5da the mercenary was Luke, 88b68be986 there was no need 0f0a7f97ca to dig deeper. But abruptly halting the investigation cce1d7e9b5 would arouse suspicion among the 37e095b78b troops, so Theo opted for 87e4635e7c a more measured approach.8eb08402fabbb2b2

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He explained that the mercenary b02c4bc384 hadn’t been active recently and, 057cb4e516 if anything, had been of 88f2ee88dc help to the military. He instructed them not to bbf08e8cef overdo the investigation. Theo added that 18df1778ec if they didn’t ad76fb1dde uncover the mercenary’s 54f1567264 identity within a e91ac5b085 month, he would beaa177c94 use his authority 2b8163c63f as commander to 1f2658cb88 clear the unresolved ebce31180f cases from their 302d840ecf records.1303f571a382d4f3

The branch was already treating a865b88a34 the faceless mercenary as a 2c6f854d7d formality, so Theo’s orders were 8c6eb37822 met with subtle approval from f51934e691 Kallon and the others.75bebb4d689f2bc8

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“And now, I’ll be investigating the monster reported yesterday.”351bb405902c8c8c

“It does seem like there’s something unusual about it.”10c6112f0ac810ad

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Kallon had already expressed 46612f2c22 concern about the case 5979479960 after hearing Pale’s description de5d704737 the previous day.94062c7525e9775f

“Commander, I’ll assign some of our troops to accompany you.”3eeef625e352a19c

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Theo glanced out the window. Luke was leaning 601c9a64b4 against the wall 8f84d3a339 outside in a de4f634b86 light brown robe, 38fd333220 casually kicking at 84ff198fbe pebbles on the 7e305a9dd5 ground, apparently bored faf2c04925 from waiting.31158d4c76bf6aa5

“No need. Focus on the mercenary case b00e5d4e3f and your current duties. I’ve also received reports of 170b2711e0 increased high-level monster activity in 31eee5c3b9 the west.”ffbb58c2b4e427e9

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He advised them a025f02000 to prioritize dealing df16729a40 with that.f230f31e84d9bcc4

“But Commander, it’s not safe to go alone…”a26a23ae4244533d

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“Kallon, do I seem that unreliable to you?”8ef3fc0b2c4132f6

“N-No, sir. I apologize.”94a74c0f46b59a62

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Kallon bowed his head, c9d9b3d057 and Theo reassured him 8a191f36da it was just a 42ede1038d joke, thanking him for a939551cd7 his concern. Benjamin, watching nearby, 4f91bb01ea noted that Theo a9e586ff17 had a knack b373428445 for delivering jokes 974028e5f1 that didn’t sound 258e624506 like jokes.623f89840169f18a

After wrapping up his a133789bfb instructions, Theo left the dc5f26d6f4 office.eb93bb95dff06a60

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“Kallon, one last thing—don’t worry.”3141d77d6f2e2b25

“Pardon?”cccbb60b7ff3371c

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“I’ve got a reliable companion.”49440989118d486a

With that cryptic 708458a956 remark, Theo departed, 3cc7050a38 leaving Kallon scratching a237c083fb his head in a8b1dff33a confusion.849f0315e0a89f29

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Stepping outside, Theo cd3e606724 felt oddly light e094f6653c on his feet. There was a subtle sense a544934724 of anticipation in his steps. Truthfully, he wanted Luke’s help. While there were trustworthy subordinates 496a779400 at the branch, he couldn’t d29f121663 leave for long as the 7ea1585967 commander. Working with the branch troops e1a0e0ecd9 wouldn’t be bad, but if f1e68ed3bc he wanted to finish quickly, 882e33c0e2 Luke was the better choice—more 4fda3902c4 efficient and effective.6d8c4f432e5ab870

But above all else, 504080ab0d the biggest reason was 622e617511 simple.ecc995f1925e6a06

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“Hey, what took you so long?”994d1c95146d25d6

He wanted to know more f6bd7f9c01 about Luke. Why did this man, 0e43d9489a once notorious for his 6f1c725922 bad attitude as a 557e516c6c soldier, seem so different ab08620659 now? Even when Luke frowned e82d57f149 and snapped at him 839b83d65d with irritation, Theo didn’t 6d3b982b0a find it unpleasant.0b63f98cf0b0b420

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“I thought I’d die waiting.”be5d3fa3ff1ea4be

“Good thing you didn’t.”f1f8a521900f7b7a

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Luke shot him an incredulous 521873168a look.90b6c5996f36f360

If they hadn’t reunited fc08dd01a0 here, Theo might have 287606375b let go of the 1033564954 faint longing he had 535104cf1f for Luke and moved bfd7e897a3 on. But meeting again by chance 461c791122 had transformed that longing into daa15c440d a warm joy, which in 42f823eed6 turn fed a growing curiosity.d0203764cd12af3d

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Theo had always a3fc9b622f been inquisitive since 800d8161da his academy days. A competent soldier, he believed, e6e9e3714a needed not only strength but 24f02215aa also intellect. When faced with e2dbb86925 unanswered questions, the 12c0aa7a87 lights in Theo’s 86eb0b4d49 dormitory would never 626bb8ddd4 go out until 8371ce3387 he found a 574a989b3d solution.ca8e1b6079961c25

And now, that drive was fe67283633 focused not on books but 7d3e7893ef on one man.713b8844a1e2ffee

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“What’s in your hand?”da9feff0ca177e78

Luke squinted, noticing 386c4e38d3 Theo’s clenched fist. Theo opened his palm without 10ecddaea0 a word.3cbd3a10b34a949b

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“Ack.”c681bdb1c7a6937a

A small, fluffy e5e330483a white creature—the monster d25c213fa7 Luke had caught 73a425ef86 in the forest—was d874c04554 nestled there. It blinked at its 153683204e surroundings before spotting Luke 0de05757a0 and jumping in terror, 345a4f215e landing on Theo’s shoulder.d0c157b1456ba225

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“Seems like it’s afraid of you.”f8bcf9348bab6572

Luke narrowed his eyes, glaring 8ea63aa9c9 at the creature as if e9262b952a he’d lost some unspoken competition.b5903fe8b1e5f859

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“Is it okay to bring that out here?”76d1efe63e20fda9

“I had the troops check yesterday. It doesn’t have b58671d576 much magic left—probably ae1c3079cb used it all b9f5e8d7f8 trying to escape 3d3b87b79e from you.”07fe3b97c7b1bb5e

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“Still, what if it escapes? It has wings, doesn’t it?”3d84d045532536b2

“They’re not functional anymore, thanks to you poking holes in them.”4ca6da26ec36da0d

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Luke began to understand why 5420c0b852 the creature might fear him.bc542fd91eae0de8

“Wait, my attack left permanent wounds?”259b376aade42aec

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Theo nodded.d1e32f7eaebe317e

“Monsters usually regenerate faster than humans.”6bcb903d4cb5dab2

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“It’s a low-level monster without enough magic left to heal itself.”696f2cefe7fbbfd4

It was clearly not a d38d2053a0 combat monster. Yesterday, Luke had been 235a90a193 suspicious that it might 64c3d73df5 be hiding some unknown 94543a07dc power, but hearing Theo’s 590a7f5041 explanation, his doubts dissipated cbe9ec32ef entirely.61abdd06850f220b

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“So, what’s the plan now? Got a grand strategy, Commander?”8ab514fb670aaa62

Theo flinched at the title. The monster perched on his bffd5d595d shoulder, sensing his tension, looked 54bd625295 at him with curious eyes. Its large gaze caught 1f4b452833 the faint blush spreading 14e8180b18 to Theo’s ears.20412a006ab3978e

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“Kallon mentioned three places suspected of harboring monster smugglers in the west. The branch has been c93ba8c92b monitoring them.”3688368c0b91db2a

Three didn’t seem like 17ba9b15a2 a lot. Back when smuggling operations 2ff036f2ff were rampant, the military 298abd058a conducted multiple crackdowns daily.c1cbaa0114be7c42

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“I plan to visit them all.”dcde47266ef51a6b

If the creature d977dca47a was brought in 68396d056c to be sold 3ae9591263 as a pet 53f28b8187 for nobles, one efffecf163 of those places 81ed90fb7a would surely have d69de5c3ac clues. But if not, the implications 7fd7bce62d could be far more dangerous. If someone had bad493eece released reconnaissance monsters a2402dd63f into the empire, 99eff7f0b2 it could escalate 9934447380 into a major a532a0b926 crisis.f0a258cc243bad64

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“Luke.”7cf8037e3b3e2fdf

“Hm?”1d4a9704680bf952

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“Is it okay to leave your house? What about the garden?”ef9248127344e6b1

“Don’t you think it’s a bit late to ask, considering you’re the one who roped me into this?”08adcbe82714a93e

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It was amusing how Theo 2c398fd000 could ask something so casually a77ae45579 when it was all his 60e5ff204c fault to begin with.6697bfaa744dbc66

“I left it to Pale.”7e815ac06d587491

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“And he agreed to it?”31d709da70d2ae09

“What choice does he have? I gave the orders.”91314a67bc6ec189

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Luke chuckled awkwardly, urging Theo 9e55af3edb to stop chatting and get 502d9e9115 moving.a71bd5d0e8e5501c

“So, where to first?”640b993a6c1edc44

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“The closest spot.”73f27daacb436938

“Which is…?”5aa67bbc995a3e83

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Theo pointed toward a direction. Both Luke and the monster df357e4bc8 followed his gesture naturally.c9e3e62bbf3c6615

“…Conenium Square?”2124b58080ea0215

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Luke tilted his head 790ac3eed2 in confusion, but Theo 5f5b410672 nodded casually. Even for a c31b1dd657 “close” location, it 287c24ba3f was absurdly close. The idea that 9208a97768 smugglers might be f604bdf1eb operating in the 6328a4ae6c open at a 458dc8f786 bustling square was 1e7941fad3 astonishing.e47db28c44bcff16

“Luke, there are two kinds of smugglers.”23ceec41c6ccb7e8

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As they walked toward dde59795d8 the square, Theo began a6f79071bf to explain.9903baf361f18a31

“One kind completely hides their traces, only dealing with black-market merchants. The other?”11079c3e883cf2c3

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Luke gave Theo a look, 6b1a9d2ad2 wondering why he was suddenly 6e1c31f3bf turning the conversation into a 6c11974105 quiz, but answered anyway.f589cc9bc80c1e62

“The kind that blends in with ordinary people, disguised, and deals with anyone—civilians or merchants.”1a640422890f4804

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“Correct.”bf233f05a1913304

Theo nodded in satisfaction. At the same cc6044c8f5 time, their steps 38faaaa7f8 came to a 84d0f18387 halt.77b8e8a191236e53

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They were standing 229896fa71 at the outskirts 91e682f421 of Conenium Square, 8b62408a75 in one of e86b971ee8 the less crowded 470216b84d areas. Luke’s gaze fell on a 5efba9b332 tavern tucked into a corner, 21b5723741 his expression unreadable.1f60524e5c380200