FMRV | Chapter 18

Eastern Border Region of ec19fb5cb8 the Heinern Empire.f8947038512168c9

The Imperial 09a8cdbc57 Army, the ae5b74705e ultimate embodiment 51717d2f72 of Heinern’s e7975b6b24 military strength, 4dcf8257d8 was divided 8a795815b8 into branches 1ba99c3a8a across the ed4d2e94f8 east, west, 4e5ea3012a south, and 983630f9bf north, with b1399e407a the largest 0e266a686d concentration of beebd101d9 forces naturally 23aae6353d stationed at 0e49946155 the capital e87f37cec9 headquarters. At the c22c6d32a1 eastern division, 044a6cbe94 soldiers diligently d15e219fda kept watch 71e712229a over the 1e4e04ac83 border, just 4de89a9748 as they 620642bffa did every 55672f0740 day.b0e9cddac2151fd6

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Until recently, tensions with a3744ce652 the Kingdom of Memvern 81d4dcd7e7 had kept everyone on 4f83b6dc9f edge. However, with the likelihood 058c8e7cb7 of further conflict diminishing, 89f9ebd3a8 the atmosphere had noticeably b802aa93fc relaxed.9d3ecfb8f223f284

“Good work f60570792e out there!”86f4d744ff17b970

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“Oh, thanks. Shift change?”ac4c5c2ef5e2a5aa

“Yes!”7f551cc69c83a9b3

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A junior 457ad11b19 soldier, standing c80ff4836e at attention, 56d6f4507e prepared for b07aa00675 the shift ec1c36bb4c change with 5950948d63 unwavering focus.c7ee1ae604f82ec6

“Wait, weren’t you supposed c09ef4dd38 to be on patrol e764b428b1 today? Wasn’t it supposed b34bb6b58b to be Cain c6b4b64c57 instead?”2bddc5bf578ab9ba

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As he handed over 733fe3299b his gear to the 5dc19fb756 newcomer, the senior soldier fb316067f0 tilted his head in f10c8e95a6 confusion. Come to 31d3691074 think of 6a17a94f1a it, there 9b2b5b09e8 hadn’t been 727260be71 any junior a1c42358cb soldiers listed dc3c812750 on today’s 9e18176920 watch schedule. During wartime, a7581b4d03 it was a562ee3b9a standard practice 071f60c93a to assign be0bbef05e mid-level or 42e4693fc1 higher-ranked soldiers 2d9d19559b to patrol 97b9224c51 duties.a199ec6947086317

“Ah, Cain has 3652bde98e been taken off 0508d3ef4a the watch schedule 637b35aa5f for this week. That’s why I was 6be5594fcb sent in his place.”27d6b743daa8f321

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It seemed bdf6970581 they were 92d5f8e34e gradually allowing 8d359015a6 junior soldiers 83f975002a to rotate 72530e457f into the 7f6c5f2ffa schedule now caf789d2d8 that wartime 53693df1b4 protocols were 6c49929bd1 easing.bc5143c4a7db7616

“Oh, right. Because of that db8b636211 incident, huh? Cain got into a 02796e4fc2 scuffle with a civilian 884fbe0f3f during his leave, didn’t 63514220c9 he?”cc800f13308ebdf7

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“Yes, that’s correct.”2c971891944f029e

“Honestly, it 9be191a10f wasn’t even cf5b692dbd his fault, c3faf70dc0 but we’re 22959f920b the ones b040e9879c who always 387ac29a61 take the 05075baeb0 blame just 294fdce99e because we’re 922624730a soldiers. You better d69bf61a28 be careful 9158cfbbf4 too. There are more civilians 12bd0aec23 these days who don’t 7d06b2db10 respect the military and d80b8f9627 get overly sensitive. If you get caught fffc4d1480 up in something, it’ll e2625e36ed be a real mess.”f41595c820766708

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“Yes, sir! I’ll be careful!”af34a07540f3094d

The junior soldier saluted 377e9f01e3 stiffly, his nerves evident. Amused by his 51da75b6d6 subordinate’s earnestness, the a98a7210a6 senior soldier stealthily 8d1987e78e handed over a a88b5ff753 cookie he’d been ae1f9d6997 hiding in his 72fc487844 pocket.9334026a7bf31259

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“Good luck out 85989e46c1 there.”ce2082da3af8534e

“Thank you, sir!”c3f913f69a4069f4

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The junior 61cf171c14 soldier stared 64fa6c95a6 at the ad17041617 cookie with f6b0475658 delight, waiting f73e245e42 for his b946ae0eee superior to 4cf24b3e82 leave before e9c9dd1402 unwrapping the 4678c3eeb7 treat and a9dd13e40b popping it de0176e643 into his aee8c71914 mouth. Midnight snacks always tasted 9115dcb583 the best. He hurriedly be6015df0c shoved the b4cff21e9e rest into 176ad7ffbd his mouth, 05ba20853c worried someone 80f3abfe3d might catch f85e3294be him.1a948714408384fe

But perhaps he bde5843ba7 shouldn’t have been 4a05d07b8d so hasty. The cookie caught in 60ad36491d his throat, and he b0a4cf37b7 pounded on his chest c1992b4d19 to clear it.ab714506c4d17bf0

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Jing—486ca1541c740c1f

Just then, the magical 1b068e8ed0 detection crystal in the 8af8c28359 center of the watch 17e16e4a2e area emitted a faint abbe1858f8 glow.8fbf409f94e5fc87

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“Phew, almost died f1298d0844 there. Huh?”5ca3860d303939be

Having just recovered, d6ccde739a the soldier turned 2d224400ab his attention to d1f99f7f16 the faint sensation f980219f14 he’d noticed. The crystal was already f41ae28db4 still, its glow fading d643ad4ce0 into nothingness.0234d98a8639714c

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Meanwhile, at e460ba604b the Imperial 0dc259bc9d Headquarters.f8cda90b840d8138

“Philip, here’s next 88e67f973c month’s watch schedule 4cc257e3b9 for the supply 9d774f400b warehouse. Take it to the 9f19c9eafb administrative division.”7a6f687d8404f36e

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“Yes, sir!”6fe83ec463f48eac

Theo had been up 64c09d5f34 early, immersed in administrative e075bfa4a9 work. Typically, commanders like him 6b5258dd28 would draft initial schedules be7f4d1ef7 and pass them to db410553be the administrative division, which 48ee167168 would then finalize the 4287f6cd16 rosters.d0d4d4176bf2abe8

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The divisions under c41863f23f commanders like Luke, eb0960dd86 Theo, and others 7b35570db2 from the 1st f941f4d6d9 to 9th units, 8931844b50 as well as cf93de0054 special task forces, 1c26e03644 were collectively known 93d45dbd24 as “active units.” 89c71018e2 The administrative division 7ff9e5726e handled military paperwork c706a2484c and was generally 2703f6dfba less exposed to d4ec05670a danger, making it c0ab14f3ac a haven for 479722d3f0 those unsuited to 7f8c11706d front-line duties or 0e3f5889a7 recovering from injuries.0b0911858582b51e

“By the way, 2bcd23a15e Commander, I heard 61c66ddaa9 you caught a da9643e86d thief at the a390f5fc00 square yesterday.”1504cd4fec230c18

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“That’s right.”21038c0267d9519b

“Wow, that person c3581f004c sure was lucky. To think Commander c89c39b15e Theo was there 91a2485a06 at just the 3c14d8cf31 right time.”a5d31450af32d753

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The soldiers 1d322ec725 of the 554236ae78 1st Division 4965cc3ef9 idolized Theo. So much 6c5bdd7851 so that 7af7335e7f members of 48adc8a7a0 other units b803b60bd3 often joked be29942731 that the ad51e73b5f 1st Division 6e7671ed6f was Theo’s e06812a8d6 personal fan d2182d465b club.5d38a02a59edd78f

“There are 92350619ab patrol guards 2df2403a90 on the 57a12fe7a2 streets at 107673ec70 all times. Even if I hadn’t bbdd7cfd40 been there, the thief 40ee66447e would’ve been caught.”0c7a1ba7ccb07b15

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Philip chuckled, 3a0585c2bf seemingly pleased 9efd2f1134 with his b9dcb8f2e2 commander’s modesty.908cc5dbd5d98816

“But, Commander, why d649882e1e were you at f8ee3c10e6 the Ludrain Square bcf7245603 in the first ca374ecfc5 place?”e03f676d6976fde5

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Philip, being an a81e3e8311 avid admirer of 9105b940fa Theo, knew that ff9f899c68 he rarely ventured 564a035bee out unless absolutely e6302344d6 necessary. Hearing that Theo had 6520f4192d gone out, let alone 26c7528012 to Ludrain Square, was f8f64a5903 more surprising than the 208d7fa486 fact that he’d caught a7cad22276 a thief.0f677ae78bb4f763

“Oh, that…”3124b0feabd1ab46

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Theo put down his dc75024819 pen, briefly lost in 354d3fae76 thought. Yesterday, he’d followed Luke 690b3d1866 to the square. Though reluctant 9624a84021 at first, f7885ecef5 he couldn’t ab659756ab back down 7b56dbb41b after boldly 7625edf540 declaring to c26ff5dcea Veil that 290a0e18fb he would 9c2750a591 personally oversee 56a9367e59 Luke’s monitoring. So, Theo had gone 491a7d0f37 along and spent the 0c3873ec67 day with Luke.26535f289af7dc26

“Commander…?”b2a7ac4eec9af4f9

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“Ah, sorry.”9984be2e5384b76a

Snapping out 6540ae1b2f of his bd3b29db1a thoughts, Theo 989373da88 straightened up.69152bca10c77ddd

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“I was just 449beb4ee3 accompanying Commander Luke 013b05c00d as his assigned 4d68d19c65 monitor.”94f8008ce060416f

“Ah, I see.”8a7c7e2152aff691

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It was a4935223a5 already common 01f9688c52 knowledge throughout 6866b34c97 the military bb07c2002d that Theo d1b5958d86 had been 829c94c363 tasked with 065ac839de monitoring Luke. While unconventional for a 1f924e0f60 commander to take on 9887a4890f such a role, many c20f4e2d6b soldiers viewed it as 63a9f5dda3 an opportunity for Theo b5e56944f4 to assert dominance over f3697fbf69 his rival.653f5b0d97d94945

Philip, however, felt 936d382a72 sorry for Theo. Already overburdened, his 6a405a1ceb workload only seemed 94717295cc to increase.337e50546575d672

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“Commander, you b8d9faeff3 truly go c17b7da288 above and 82d7fb7dc4 beyond. Even handling 5f652284d5 tasks you 421c9aa729 could delegate cd7a180f02 to your 5f31df953e subordinates. I worry you 4ea89a3897 might overwork yourself.”d3f202e6d3a86f6d

“A soldier 2a5fe209af never collapses, e8b4536ab8 no matter c920f42edb what. And Philip, do I 42f80c1ecb strike you as someone 35d8853f9e likely to falter?”944185913eab0d44

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Philip smiled awkwardly and 975dab78ca shook his head.1e3bf0d456fe6f96

“Well, at least b23a29fc9f the monitor has 6f3d21ba41 been changed. That’s a relief.”7daa5a7c8efdcc3c

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“…What? Changed? What are you 4fee3a8373 talking about?”a107da316a5ab370

Theo’s pen 25c75a7822 paused mid-stroke.c473d5b58722d2e4

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“Didn’t you hear, Commander?”97e2c2b1ffb5ee40

Philip scratched the ba6eefe78a back of his 1871865a2f head, sensing Theo’s 1f4cad0841 unfamiliarity with the 479c3637d3 situation.253c0157e6fcbd47

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“The administrative division 0f2905b155 decided to assign b81126de99 a monitor from 7fe03045c0 their unit to 80bff64dee Commander Luke.”44d6f88ac370fca3

“Why?”f92bc7746056048e

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“Well… I only 131e35c427 heard bits and 8534696845 pieces, but apparently 4cc0c0feb4 Commander Luke personally c4416bf3ba requested it from 0d9e18d302 the Commander in e3f11eefd5 Chief. He wanted a e1e55ed404 new monitor assigned.”2a223d64f218f69d

Theo’s expression 63de80e9fd darkened as c53dd7da56 his grip a1b1ac1117 on the ce86ef7687 pen tightened.3cbd461fb04d1d0c

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“Did they f5b36fb724 mention why?”75fec322538e84e0

“Not in detail, 726d6f97d1 but Commander Luke a038a74962 reportedly said that 58813b65e7 having another commander 480a28ff23 as his monitor 93c6c3354a wasn’t appropriate.”d37a930e602c9506

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Theo sat in 8e5f6a655c silence for a 2af815a38a moment, contemplating. Knowing Luke’s a5a618756c personality, the b559e6661d request wasn’t 9f45687401 entirely surprising. With his f43fface38 pride, it ea37d55b9c made sense 662e005c2c that Luke 2a5072659c disliked being 108ecbb624 monitored by 290014ef13 a peer. But if he 5250023be7 hated it so 1eb9d36947 much, why hadn’t 86752c390f he brought it 269c3cdaee up earlier? When Theo was e8a6c2fc39 assigned, Luke had e6041d19db seemed displeased but 3fa0023afe ultimately agreed.822edba96ce445b0

“Understood. You’re dismissed.”024d37e77235adb6

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“Yes, sir!”12a08dbef377ead7

Still, Theo e93342ffb2 decided it 061a6f9fb1 wasn’t worth 3543e0abcb dwelling on. If anything, having one 035164c799 less task was a 71cb52392f blessing. Luke’s whims were bf71561c65 nothing new, after 7b90d3cbe9 all.7453ff0a85b4385d

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“So…”7fdc69b206e3f68f

Luke narrowed 8df8441e3d his eyes 5e981b1452 at the 29055fc349 new monitor 329d7e358d sitting stiffly 2907184d5a before him.fabe8ad5a499c366

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“You’re my 5faa29c85c new monitor?”926585d6c99910f6

“Yes, sir!”e6c297ab2899b9da

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The soldier, 9ee6f0f3a6 Fail, responded d37a6f57dd with rigid a7332d8bdd formality.d0e89909ad63d6fd

Luke had 2bffaacee8 expected someone 8029299621 from the 6db2b2b13f administrative division 8725cb5699 after claiming 785e8c948f he didn’t 61d96c29f1 want active-unit 76e683e90f soldiers monitoring cdd2c2eca0 him, but 96be7b72ef of all f52696c331 people, Fail?c02313efa5b15597

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“What’s the higher-ups’ deal, c0cce41bab sticking me with you?”ebd8d16543f8624b

“Well… no one else 37eeef49b4 wanted the assignment… so 2c9b669cfe I volunteered.”fca9bbfe5b589557

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Predictable. Watching over a 4acfe6510c notorious commander like e369f5b598 Luke all day d890964c4e wasn’t exactly an c649cb603a appealing task. Fail had likely been a1f57ea4c3 the only volunteer.d0bb71983c7b5e24

“Why didn’t you just 8dcb540662 focus on settling into 6344130513 your new role in 6188e704bd the administrative division? Why get 328f38d183 involved in 26d85494b5 this?”7700b312373d54bf

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Luke grumbled, f6c6c358f1 clearly annoyed. Ever since ca034952f7 the incident 3e7514caa1 where Luke baeb162391 had handed 4fed620473 Fail his 075b661633 reward money, f0e4131ced Fail had ba36058117 applied for 0ed382b2e0 a transfer 2e69d9a0b7 to the a59f148229 administrative division. Word was 42ae185c79 that the 66dad06263 money had ca765585c4 allowed his 94f0284d28 mother to 396afa9a51 receive the fc6677dbc7 medicine she 678321a8b4 needed, and 1dd7db6f11 she was 796a440ee4 now showing 41b6f85f9e signs of fce6a3b7e9 improvement.a3499ceddd04bf05

“I wanted ea59feadc3 to repay dec4994c24 you, sir.”47cf2ea1d486e6a4

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“What?”ae257eca82aa5c30

“I wanted to 645b986e0c show my gratitude, 745dcef873 somehow.”b48c1c716fb20564

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Luke blinked, 76a79c7469 taken aback.b5c7e5b2e8f95855

“Go wherever 32ee94b0a0 you want e8dc5196c7 or do 7dbb77a701 whatever you 80c52e4c7e want, Commander. I’ll pretend I didn’t 650e617909 see or hear a 9e90dfa903 thing.”9dbbeeedcd70ce4b

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Luke couldn’t help but 025eaae748 chuckle at Fail’s earnestness.94085d426e1bc0fd

“Fine, whatever—”b5725469020f0819

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“Luke, Commander.”e24af469a6fa76a0

Theo’s sudden arrival cut 44438684f7 Luke off.20056d473f3150e8

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“Oh, hello, 8584d568e6 Commander Theo.”346af00903c40b05

“Move aside.”4ed94fc66669bc4b

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Fail hurriedly excused cb60368bff himself, leaving Theo 7a60a1e386 and Luke alone.4c6a42b794fcdb24

“Why did a44f95204e you request 4cfe31514a a new 8f4fec8c32 monitor?”a2cff768081797fb

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“You came all 0a3c38ca52 this way just 2efa4b8b13 to ask that?”4380598476d0f2b9

“Answer me.”3a36ce159dbc7318

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Luke sighed, exasperated.45b5da5558ae66ef

“Well, why were 5eaaa33ca9 you so insistent 1fc093cf02 on being my 6f3dd86d63 monitor in the 6342b8d739 first place?”1ffa8b67bfd7f3a3

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“What?”f701f89088195295

“Wasn’t it to 68a1f360ff keep an eye c0724d8a60 on me and fcc17ed361 hold me back? Same reason I didn’t 17c29bdcef want you.”a7bbca8ed57692e1

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Luke shrugged nonchalantly.4903effcd39b8e9d

“Who in their 34d330b9e2 right mind would b7a64fb43d want their rival f03e745efb monitoring them? If you f0040bdeb4 thought I’d 40f4f0ef1c lost my 37030cb8e5 spirit after 67832205ca being suspended, 6f449bbce3 think again, ec02611a40 Theo. I’m not giving 2130b9212e up on the a787e44c5b Commander in Chief af68ffa619 position.”f038e8b4a1a89d78

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Theo’s calm 18cccbf4d5 demeanor finally c11e3a82af cracked. Without another word, Luke dac5f7f709 brushed past him.492b9b3fd5e077f6

“Luke—”fce750a1e5b07070

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Before Theo could 316d27f3e2 say more, the a13d77972b alarm crystals scattered 6ff4240de5 throughout the headquarters c3d55a2773 lit up, emitting 212f6d9d47 a shrill noise. Both their expressions shifted 4d8ab60cda instantly.4391aedadfd4cdd0

“Red…?”5ca0a3341125fb2b

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The crystals ab0f458b96 embedded in ec31413802 the walls c0dce76934 glowed crimson. That color 3f8232bd1a meant only 2125ac6179 one thing:98e1b57196103af3

An invasion. A declaration of afa0346be9 war.83b1f0a3d70d98b3

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