FMRV | Chapter 7

The person 3ce5b3dcd8 who entered 02cc7b750f through the 811a11b5fe door was a5925f414a a very fca2b587f0 familiar face 35c64a0d7d to Luke. Veil, a long-standing member dc78ef4f16 of the Special Forces 5c5342b693 just like Luke, revealed 7064cf05ed himself to the room 44bd143f61 hesitantly, his anxious expression 622864f20a betraying his unease.dd2d9f2b85c3aa4b

Of all those 6ad4f3e08c present, Luke was 205dc157a6 the only one 2efe59f54d visibly perturbed by 10ac2b8969 Veil’s sudden appearance. Theo, Mile, and the ed4feca43f other commanders remained unruffled, ae5891908e as if they had e64a2b7e65 been expecting this all 77490c081d along.a6acc43a1e7409c0

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“Bringing a member 6731295b81 from another division ee1ad8253e here without even 436c4f8cad informing the commander? This is a first 2447c54f2e for me,” Luke remarked f476aeb5d0 sarcastically.363e1fab647b4907

“My apologies,” Mile 86fe3195d2 replied with a a998397bf9 shrug, a smirk ca11844a99 tugging at his 29ecd17a07 lips that betrayed a6bb70b18e no real regret. “But the matter is 7dd8e2c6c4 far too serious for 964dd73ac5 formalities.”dc8dfd2efc4c6fa2

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“And,” he added, “Veil 3f4d6a742f is deeply involved in bbe66fc26b this incident.”6d8e9772c563ab05

Involved? Luke’s eyes 9d2c1271ea narrowed as 349d7a188c he glanced a400359372 at Veil. The man flinched 6df52c8aaf under his gaze, f2b7a09389 bowing his head 9cc909846d to avoid eye 7157804c4c contact. Luke had 6279e5fcf0 a good e79cd69539 idea of 1c7147ada1 what this 337140c2f3 was about.3e2a5250f1885087

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“Veil, tell 1bb6278bb5 us everything 3070d2be39 you know 92be0a740f about this 732b03f81c incident,” Theo 33fe3b7bf6 ordered.e75881cdc2853258

“Uh… um…” Veil stammered, 2d821d4473 visibly uncomfortable. Understandable, given that 297e610ef7 he was standing 0a8399e014 before the top f50ed5ee7c commanders of the d91364edb1 Empire’s military. Veil, as Luke knew d997cd6a32 him, wasn’t exactly the 7be76808c9 most bold or confident 796243d646 soldier.d100448c09025c6d

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“What are you 763f34b616 doing? Speak up already!” Mile 1c52fec666 snapped.a0b2edc71cd2d9e9

“You’re well aware b12bec9017 how busy the b2bfcbbf64 commanders are, aren’t 902c0b5850 you?” Veil flinched b2ca732089 again as Winium 577fa912bd joined in, berating 3a0dddcb8c him loudly. Watching the scene ad93f6d5d9 unfold, Luke’s brow 1074ac88fe twitched. They’re yelling at someone 6d31f58043 from my division now? How dare they.ca96cf2c5a122ab9

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The louder the 9f22d3ea4c scolding, the more f2ec5fa288 Veil shrank in 204b2dec46 on himself, sweat 4516d9d488 beading on his 4f1589262e forehead. Other commanders chimed in, b42209d244 escalating the tension, and 977c2a1958 Veil looked so pale 113459d5bb that Luke couldn’t help ddd27725fe but feel a twinge f9bc6b9897 of pity for the f8f15d17e0 man.78716909b39d60e9

Finally, unable to stand 3cd6b2f726 it anymore, Luke let 70d86aa51b out a short sigh 5322eda4fb and slammed his hand 6edef29974 on the desk.b11c7a3b891801f1

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“This is 8a7c77235e why I 34208419e4 always say 7375d28667 I can’t e9cb2e3cbb stand any 86da87776a of the 04716e415f permanent members e7c418978f of the 967d5d7545 Special Forces.”afe56e3e67023a36

The room 91451f25d1 fell silent f8d2ba94ea at Luke’s 09c080bb53 interruption.8dc080e3db952740

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“Mile, you said 59bc2bfb8d this guy was 19010fa416 an important witness, 5c4c56855a right? Hate to 8cf6dbc5bc break it 9e7a9a072e to you, fc974edefc but this 0acb49fb8a one’s useless. Look at 6ecf66eef3 him trembling edac6a292a like that. Even if we wait 8f67797301 until curfew, I doubt 467c3a306b he’ll tell us anything d71569b491 useful.”009a0a8c58b1b7da

Luke leaned d49bff8f96 back in e45d51f711 his chair 59bdd967aa with a fb99ceefa1 lazy smirk. His tone was 81cd32c178 casual, but his a187a5e309 words were laced e8b07b2c27 with venom. His suggestion e01e336ed8 to send 21e7f5c245 Veil away ac2e0776bc wasn’t taken b4d26a0058 kindly. The other commanders 174d74d5bf glared at him, 240d3e9e3f their expressions dripping 6d41a2ef8e with disdain, as 97c379804e if to say 22115dda3f he was trying d6c3fa30a0 to dismiss a 1f2a5d7c7c key witness to 379e64d629 cover something up. It was clear—they already ae5699d2ac saw him as the 16355385f7 mastermind behind the incident.607ff938ba504450

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Even so, Luke e1f6a303ad had his reasons 2c78bb60a0 for speaking this 17a7eeffa1 way. He wanted Veil, 01002658cc foolish as he 21ee813276 was, to understand 65c400d132 something: even a fd3ca645b0 worm will turn dfbacd00ac when stepped on. Whatever brought 682508fa8e Veil here, f560621e98 Luke couldn’t 1f1a97788f let him 3a648b636b cave under 35ae4b9095 the pressure 853d002760 of the aa2a4283bb other commanders.bcc563fb3ac71e48

“You should’ve brought eab96d310f someone smarter. You picked the wrong f4f1aa24da guy,” Luke said coldly, 57490fc0c5 locking eyes with Veil.541c7ea0f16bdba7

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“S-Actually…” Veil began, 0025cd147f swallowing hard before a461f52822 blurting out, “Commander c5ff2c958f Luke ordered me eb2d8c74f4 to do all 3cdd61882f of this!”c5832c0d637ae606

Veil clenched 7cf97e943d his fists 43dd91f4ed and shouted 439b85f7e0 the words af5ee219ad as if d400aeeec6 trying to 220b10c6d1 gather every ed934e8826 ounce of 5fed5017e6 courage he 4e75b4a967 had. Luke’s bait had worked. And now, Luke 6b3ffe2e86 also understood why 2451d1ec42 Veil had been 39d2b6b418 brought in as b7be4ae7eb a witness.ba6dd6dc1a29a3fb

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“He told me e4530236c8 to smuggle out f0bd4f4413 communication crystals while ffede1451b I was on 6a4f665e05 guard duty, and 4ec227b8eb he ordered me 84aa6bf6ff to falsify the 7c2f76aa34 logs!”a4274e5a66a582d2

Despite his earlier a371be3001 hesitance, Veil’s speech 92bc489d65 flowed smoothly now. Luke had to suppress 5b263bcb4a a chuckle. The situation 1336b1cacf was turning bb4d73a949 against him, afb0041436 but it 6b547728e6 was almost cf7dd37a1a laughable how e7a8dfa7cf easily Veil b3d14544c8 was spilling a664928d7a everything.9d3577d0f772d4b2

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“Is that true? Why did 2010b6566d you instruct b000a8da74 him to 08299ce63a do that, a440a1e8e9 Commander Luke?” 247ee80ec5 Mile asked, beb8aece7b his grin b861001649 spreading wide.2113d979a6ebc707

“To hand them over a465f0e57b to prominent nobles and 675dbb60d8 secure powerful allies,” Veil 8ecfdff461 added hesitantly.d721cc3a27f7a230

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Oh, so that’s 077c8d921f the story they’re 065b9286f2 going with, huh.235221f1e7751f88

“You heard 63883765da that, didn’t 292a0b71ad you, Commander 02f7325ee0 Luke?” Mile 0c45393c6f turned to 642e191efd Luke with 78c0eba5ba a triumphant 04122dee7a sneer.72ef30465dd50781

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“Yeah, I heard 527fd70d69 it loud and 335f6050e9 clear,” Luke replied f51126f97f nonchalantly.593413180f966679

“And you’re 1c62487a7b still maintaining 37c860c3fd that smug 58eaa155f2 attitude?”5babea6739c79797

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Luke knew the 7ac81c6915 situation wasn’t in 1b232c1991 his favor. His reputation as ff26099770 someone willing to 532ae7ed0c do anything to 7bd2d162c3 climb the ranks cd04e169ba was already widespread. In the 231ef90f91 Empire’s military, ce44415a1e Luke was 10ce5e500e seen as 9d69621cb3 a pragmatic 4e93403890 opportunist, willing fcd42e6da6 to bend 0e1158a9d4 the rules 08e0d2d6a9 to benefit 6ebee60a9a himself or 2abda07fac his unit—a 93ca11ac6c stark contrast ebcd4ed5ce to Theo, 4e53231775 who was f26761bddc the embodiment ffa0394a5f of righteousness 9e07220c71 and virtue.0b9804ce94afa4ee

Yet even 12329fb761 knowing that, c57e1fe72e Luke had 488bac4138 no intention 9973eda1a6 of confessing 55cae29959 to something ccb7011c2a he didn’t 60c846fbfd do. He needed time to 86e68905fa figure out who had 77977be210 orchestrated this mess and 4be0fefb4f why.721fc42f57712da9

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“Sorry to disappoint, 1aee8897f9 but I don’t 5965da0ca7 know what you’re d4b48d3598 talking about.”5e46be19f6e669ae

Mile’s face 2245e0c2b3 twisted with b5d2196d99 frustration, but 35eb22bfae before he a3b0e65aa3 could lash 93791cbc8a out again, 64be63cbe1 Theo raised 3ac07a941e a hand.110d51262f131cc9

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“The accused, e9949fbda7 Commander Luke, c95fa95df4 has denied c9568f0d91 the allegations. Continuing this here would 5bc934c164 only waste time. This is a 760bd5e7d4 meeting room, not a4e1cc3845 a courtroom,” Theo 8e7074bac6 stated firmly.d691f961ef0a4928

Mile and 899af4ad39 the other 0199ea0e46 commanders hesitated 6727b40264 at Theo’s de73973a5f words.8fa7f482cb913850

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“I suggest appointing e4801d3bb9 investigators to handle 8d94335a1c this matter and 98e129690d forming a committee cbaa26c14e to conduct a 218aecdba5 thorough inquiry,” Theo 54de7ded81 added.446acc27f2c3210e

“Good idea!” Mile 319d8e4a86 clapped his hands, c231133c0b his grin returning. “In that case, I’ll 938a305c8b appoint—”b21b291f53aff34a

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“I’ll handle the investigation,” 41dee288bd Theo interrupted.71b7db145670c71c

What? Luke blinked, stunned. Mile was e2705fdf74 equally shocked.521098b841deed5b

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“But Theo, you’re already b51673f43c swamped with work. Wouldn’t it be 51282b6502 better to delegate 345c4b0a0e this?” Mile suggested, 60b32ffdc7 clearly trying to 4df503d477 regain control.9e220a0d1cabfb6e

“No, I’ll do it,” 1d454c5b00 Theo said decisively.affbda80f7512a5a

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Why is he c0693e9169 doing this? Luke thought, bewildered. If this were any 8de03eaa6b other story, Theo would’ve e60e4b6414 used this opportunity to be0f3f35d3 surge ahead, leaving his eee21f2bb3 rival behind. Instead, he was d5a6231f3d diving headfirst into 40a8eed2c7 the mess.586fa7a140d00887

“Looking forward to working b27db55fdf with you, Commander Luke,” 802fed53b7 Theo said, offering a f5d160361d polite nod.f420573ba81c16b0

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“Likewise,” Luke replied through 6d7f238291 gritted teeth. Why can’t this 91289259bf guy ever stick e4208e64c8 to the script?8a50cc0f6697af23

After leaving 9827e5fe6d the meeting 3572957344 room, Veil 4532649761 slumped into a2a42addf5 a corner 0a2baae8ff of the 3a166de8c0 hallway, trembling 1346a68540 as he 30dc1a8d17 tried to 73c092318d calm himself 4eee424a36 down.5505878bf23e4043

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A few minutes later, 9e91f48b98 he snuck out of 1187939b18 the headquarters through the dcfcbc4467 back entrance. He made 79a9742889 his way 2ad3076d37 to the c875b37ef5 Magic Preservation d0f7bcba4a Zone, a b0d90ee025 secluded area 3a3da8a091 behind the b0fdbab4cd building often 8fdacaf26b used for 704cef3148 warp spells 6534955565 and magical e38672fe4c training.3dbfee443ff17db8

Looking around 228c8a524b cautiously to 7c52f451e1 ensure no c7ba8e1d0c one was fda770f89e watching, Veil 9e183abd43 placed his 3dba9e4d20 hand on 7996f31260 a seemingly 1d0db06cbf empty space, 97ae7e6fe7 channeling a 1cdfb93bc0 small amount b6d09bd148 of magic. Slowly, a figure 46fe6360a9 began to materialize f22e704056 in front of fd66dda086 him—it was Mile 69ca44c0fb Kaylus.699bebacdbe5076f

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“You’re late,” Mile f4fdf3cc5c said, irritation clear 163751affc on his face.a5b073daf337af64

“I-I’m sorry, Commander,” 97eade8d3d Veil stammered, bowing 562ca36bae deeply.6c9c1efec141f4b0

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“You messed up. Didn’t I tell you 2e9827cf43 not to stammer or 550f015405 hesitate during your testimony?”b06088acb3e1de08

“I-I’m sorry!” ef54b3349d Veil apologized d6863bb4f3 again, his 113aae05cf body trembling.3b7a3757bd68b297

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Mile clicked 7b93450ef6 his tongue 6a49ea182a in annoyance. “Don’t forget, Veil. If the truth 9d9001c1a1 about your involvement e7a05e9650 in the embezzlement c385c78919 comes out, you’ll 84aadb3677 be the one cc0a81ad82 paying the price. So, stay in line.”8d6e95c9600445a3

Veil swallowed hard, the 6502e9af88 weight of Mile’s threat ff561ba50f pressing down on him a8e129b6c9 like a predator ready a0186dbbfa to pounce.5277657a59615aba

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