FMRV | Chapter 6

A soldier who had sprinted from a distance to find Luke was gasping for breath. Could it be that the meeting had already started?

No, that couldn’t be it. Meetings were always held at their scheduled times, and Luke made it a habit to arrive earlier than the other commanders to review the day’s materials.

The soldier wore an expression that was both urgent and conflicted. Rather than questioning him on the spot, it seemed better to go and find out for himself.

“…Lead the way.”

Luke took the lead, feeling a vague sense of unease. Ever since he’d inhabited this body, he’d grown accustomed to whispers and wary glances, but this time, the atmosphere felt different. Luke quickly entered the headquarters building.

Commander-level meetings were typically held in the third-floor conference room of the headquarters unless there were exceptional circumstances. There were generally two types of meetings: regular ones attended by the unit commanders and monthly grand meetings led by the Commander in Chief. Usually, the regular meetings were used to compile suggestions and issues raised by the commanders, which Veil would later review and address in the grand meetings.

Luke climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the conference room door. That sense of foreboding crawled up his spine and wrapped around him. After a brief deep breath, he pushed the door open.

“….”

All the heads in the room turned toward him at once. There were ten chairs in total, all occupied except for one—his.

“…Did the meeting time change?”

He’d made a point of arriving early, but seeing all the other commanders already gathered like this was tantamount to a neon sign flashing something’s wrong in his face.

“Take a seat, Commander Luke,” someone said from one side. Luke stepped in slowly and sat down in his designated spot—the first seat on the right, directly across from Theo.

“…Let’s begin,” Theo said, turning his gaze from Luke to the documents in front of him. An odd tension hung in the air. As the commander of the 1st Division, Theo usually presided over the meetings.

“Wait, Commander Theo. Don’t beat around the bush—let’s get straight to the point,” Mile Kaylus, the 3rd Division commander, interrupted sharply.

“Commander Luke, the meeting time hasn’t changed. We’re here early because of an incident that’s occurred within the military.”

“An incident? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Of course. The rest of us only learned about it early this morning.”

“Explain it so I can understand.”

Luke frowned, his annoyance clear. Mile smirked, pulling a document to the center of the table and gesturing for Luke to take it.

The title, “Military Supplies and Weapons Management Log,” was familiar. The Imperial Army handled a vast array of supplies, ranging from basic swords and arrows to specialized weapons like explosives.

The Magic Unit Force, in particular, managed numerous processed magic stones, or magitech tools. These included magical weapons, portable warp circles, and long-range communication devices. Inventory checks were meticulous to ensure everything was accounted for.

Luke opened the log and skimmed its contents. The list of weapons and supplies was meticulously recorded, with quantities matching perfectly across dates. However, one odd detail stood out—on specific dates, marked at regular intervals, there were red notations.

“Don’t you find the marked dates suspicious?” Mile asked with his usual flippant tone.

“I don’t see anything particularly suspicious,” Luke replied casually.

“Your shamelessness knows no bounds.”

The next to speak was Seth Yulin, the 5th Division commander.

“Those dates coincide with when members of your Detached Unit were assigned to guard duty.”

“And that’s a problem, why? Are you saying standing guard is a mistake?” Luke closed the logbook and leaned back, starting to piece together what might be going on.

“Standing guard isn’t the issue,” interrupted Winnie Peridlin, the 4th Division commander. Normally silent during meetings, they seemed oddly talkative today, which Luke found mildly amusing.

“The issue is that on those specific dates, the inventory didn’t match the records. Care to explain why?”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just a counting error?” Luke asked, recalling the scene earlier that morning when soldiers had been bustling around the warehouse, muttering about lists and discrepancies.

“It’s been checked multiple times,” came a low, steady voice. Luke turned to see Theo staring at him with piercing eyes.

“The missing items are communication magitech devices. The discrepancies only occur on the days when members of your Detached Unit were on duty. What do you have to say about that, Commander Luke?”

Theo’s unrelenting gaze bore into him. A glance around the room confirmed that the other commanders were similarly fixated on him. To them, Luke was already the villain in this story.

“So, you’re saying I ordered my unit to smuggle military supplies. Is that it?” Luke said, raising a brow.

“It wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened. There were cases in the past where military supplies were stolen and sold to other countries,” Theo replied swiftly, not letting Luke’s words divert his focus.

What Theo said was true. The Heinern Empire, with its advanced magitech, was a target for smugglers. Its superior military technology and abundance of magical resources had even led to incidents where its own citizens colluded with criminals to sell military-grade magitech to other nations. One particularly notorious case involved a high-ranking Imperial officer, a scandal that had rocked the empire and prompted stricter regulations, including detailed inventory logs and guarded warehouses.

“And the missing items are just communication devices? Those are already widely used in other countries. If I were a spy, wouldn’t I have aimed for something more valuable and impressive?” Luke retorted with a smirk.

“No one’s accusing you of being a spy. But what if you’ve been handing these devices over to nobles? That’s a plausible scenario, isn’t it?”

Theo’s gaze didn’t waver. Sparks seemed to fly between them as their eyes met. The other commanders, including Mile, looked like they wanted to chime in but didn’t dare to interrupt the intense standoff.

“Military-grade communication devices are highly precise and contain much more magic than civilian models. They’re far superior.”

These devices were essential during wars for maintaining contact between command bases and front lines. To ensure reliability, they were made from rare minerals and infused with high levels of magic, restricted for military use only.

“So, you’re saying I’ve been cozying up to nobles by giving them these devices?”

“You’ve always had ambitions to climb higher, haven’t you?”

Luke bit back a laugh. Everything he’d done was to push Theo toward the role of Commander in Chief, not for personal gain. And yet, here he was, tangled in this mess.

“I really do feel like the villain now.”

Fine, if they wanted a villain, he’d play the part.

“Do you have any proof?” Luke smirked, letting a mocking tone seep into his voice.

“The only evidence you have is that the discrepancies occur on days my unit was on guard duty. That’s pretty weak if you ask me.”

Theo’s brow furrowed slightly, his usually composed expression beginning to crack.

“Proof?” Mile, who had been waiting for his chance, slammed the table and stood up.

“Commander Luke, I hope you don’t regret those words.”

What’s with this guy? Why is he acting so smug? Luke narrowed his eyes at Mile, irritated.

“Bring them in!” Mile shouted toward the door.

The conference room door creaked open, and someone stepped inside.

Luke’s eyes widened slightly. This development was completely unexpected.