FMRV | Chapter 9

“Anything unusual?”

Luke casually dropped the thread he had been fiddling with onto the floor. For now, he was a suspect under investigation, but he also saw this as an opportunity to gather clues.

Theo pulled a document from the stack of papers and slid it toward Luke. It was written in a familiar, tidy handwriting: the guard duty roster for the detachment, prepared by Luke in his role as their commander.

At the beginning of every month, the commanders of each unit submitted a roster outlining how guards would be assigned. The administrative division would consolidate these rosters into a master schedule. Since the detachment Luke commanded didn’t have many permanent members, he had simply rotated the names of the remaining soldiers, ensuring no one bore too much of the burden.

“The names on the roster you submitted don’t match the soldiers who actually took guard duty.”

“You’re saying my unit members didn’t follow the roster?”

Theo looked at Luke with a meaningful expression before nodding.

“After questioning members of the detachment, I found out that Veil was the one who took on all the guard shifts.”

Apparently, Veil had gone to his fellow soldiers on their guard days, offering to take their shifts. Since the task of guarding a warehouse all night wasn’t exactly popular, it was unlikely anyone refused his offer.

It wasn’t unusual for soldiers to informally swap shifts without reporting it to their commanders. As long as it didn’t cause issues, most commanders turned a blind eye. However, one person repeatedly taking on everyone else’s shifts was certainly strange. Luke recalled Veil’s face, trembling with fear earlier.

“Do you have anything to say about this?”

Luke’s eyes narrowed. This could be interpreted in a way that implicated him further. The situation could easily be spun to suggest that Luke had ordered Veil to take over the guard shifts to facilitate embezzling military supplies.

After all, if different soldiers were on duty each time, there’d be more risk of discovery. But hearing Theo’s explanation sparked an idea in Luke’s mind. The military supplies were missing, and Luke wasn’t the culprit. That meant someone else was. And based on the information he had just learned, one suspect stood out.

Theo watched Luke closely as he seemed to lose himself in thought. Luke’s eyes briefly sharpened before his usual mischievous grin reappeared.

“Veil must be a real pushover. I thought he was just timid, but he even cleans up after his comrades.”

If his suspicions were correct, this wasn’t the time to speak out. He would need to confirm things later.

“I suggest you refrain from disparaging your unit members. Are you claiming you had no involvement in Veil taking over all the guard duties?”

Luke simply nodded in silence.

“…Let’s move on.”

Theo turned to the next document.

“Commander Luke, what did you do during your recent leave?”

Luke paused, trying to recall. Why was he asking this? He struggled to remember, his life too consumed with trying to resolve the mess before him to focus on anything else. He couldn’t even recall what he had done yesterday, let alone during his leave.

“Hmm, not sure…”

“If you’re pretending not to remember, I can remind you.”

“Who said I was pretending?”

“During your leave, you attended a dinner party at the Harnus Marquisate.”

“Oh, right.”

Luke clapped his hands as the memory surfaced.

“Yes, I did attend.”

There was no point denying it; it was true. Denying everything here would only deepen suspicion—not that it could get much worse.

“You’ve never had any prior connection to the Marquis of Harnus. What made you attend that party?”

Luke went quiet for a moment.

The Marquis of Harnus managed a significant maritime trade business. Luke had thought that mingling with their connections might provide insights into the Kingdom of Memvern, still in a ceasefire with the Empire. The Marquis himself had unexpectedly invited Luke, claiming his daughter was a fan. There was no reason to refuse.

“Because they invited me first.”

“And why?”

Luke wanted to know that too. The Marquis had claimed his daughter admired Luke, much like how the Duke of Leyden had once introduced his daughter. Luke didn’t understand why these nobles seemed so eager to parade their daughters in front of him.

“He said his daughter was a fan of mine or something.”

For now, he kept his answers brief, only revealing what he absolutely had to.

Theo’s hand twitched slightly.

“And why are you asking about this?”

“You know the Harnus family is heavily involved in maritime trade, right?”

“Of course.”

“Traces of smuggling were recently discovered in one of their ventures.”

Luke’s eyes widened slightly.

“The Imperial Palace is conducting a secret investigation. Preliminary findings suggest there might be military supplies involved.”

Luke stroked his chin thoughtfully, while Theo scrutinized his expression. Luke didn’t seem surprised so much as he seemed to confirm something he had already suspected.

“So it’s not confirmed yet?”

“…”

“Commander Theo, let’s stick to facts. We can talk when you have concrete evidence.”

Theo’s questioning continued for another 30 minutes. Luke answered all the alibis diligently but kept his responses vague when pressed on sensitive details. As things stood, Luke’s status as the prime suspect hinged almost entirely on Veil’s testimony.

In other words, there was no solid evidence—yet.

“This concludes the first round of questioning.”

Theo gathered his documents and reminded Luke to remain under house arrest until the next round of questioning. As Theo prepared to leave, he hesitated, standing by the door and staring at Luke.

“What now?”

“I forgot something.”

“Again? What?”

What else could there possibly be to ask?

“At the Marquisate’s party, what did you talk about?”

“Huh?”

“You mentioned the marquis’s daughter was a fan of yours. What did you two talk about?”

“How is that relevant to the investigation?”

Theo’s lips twitched slightly, though the movement was subtle enough to go unnoticed.

“It’s relevant. If the conversation had no bearing on the case, you shouldn’t have any trouble recounting it.”

Really? Luke searched his memory for any conversations unrelated to Memvern.

“She said her ideal type was ‘someone strong.’”

“And?”

“She wants a husband who’s strong in both body and spirit.”

Theo’s brow twitched slightly.

“Oh, and she said having a soldier as a husband would make her feel incredibly secure.”

Luke chuckled, finally remembering more of the conversation.

“And?”

“What do you mean, ‘and?’”

Theo had somehow closed the distance to the desk. Luke blinked, then answered.

“I told her I’d introduce her to some good soldiers if she wanted.”

“….”

Theo, who had been glaring at him moments ago, suddenly backed off. Luke tilted his head. Was this really that critical to the investigation?

“I’ll take note of that response.”

“Hey, Theo, while we’re at it, how about you? I could set you up with the marquis’s daughter—”

Bang.

Before Luke could finish, Theo stormed out, slamming the door behind him as if to say the suggestion wasn’t even worth hearing.

“That guy’s got a real temper,” Luke muttered, shaking his head.

As the guards escorted him back to the dormitory, Luke’s mind raced.

How would he create an opportunity to confront the real culprit? And more importantly, how would he gather the evidence to resolve this?