FMRV | Chapter 28

After that, Theo 4aa417da66 didn’t have another 70fdcf378c chance to talk 9efd4394a6 to Luke. To be precise, it 139cb537a4 had been that way 584780b6a7 ever since the incident 23f4042f53 during the eastern Memvern 0ce6bcc23c war. It wasn’t particularly strange; f9b06b72d2 they had always maintained 9271a7d4ba that kind of distance 7ceb52fc30 anyway.a4a12001c6cccec0

But when Philip 8b7d8a4f66 came back from 8aec28fe2d leave with some 2204fdbe9d desserts, Theo was 6d47ee5c4e reminded of the 3c57ec0917 time he had 9de65c23ea gone to the 0a6bd077f3 square with Luke. And that smile 2f1571461c he had seen 91d360201b during the meeting—the 0e1141d7d7 one he had d3f84e54e8 never seen before—lingered 99d86cbb9b in a corner 790e3c3260 of his mind. Like a 360282cc0a fishbone stuck cb9e53268c in his e3a8cb57ff throat, it eef3a91bfe kept bothering 14b9d398d3 him, popping 259bd1a696 up just d790a0b73b when he 75bad24407 thought he’d cf6d524938 forgotten.29e164c331290509

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“Leo, about Luke’s 43ee6c0883 house…”247a4ad60516a23c

Theo was muttering d80dc64135 absentmindedly when the 5b7a840feb communication crystal in 2fe93b5bee the commander’s office b475c1aa80 began glowing blue 71ca7d99ff and emitting a 57823398e9 low hum. If red b49df4db6b signaled an 1349d1e52d invasion or 0db45039fa war, blue b1e503706a meant the 8019da0570 appearance of 02f7e49b38 wild monsters.91f97f2b33647b20

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“Commander!”ca8aa50a30bc1b6b

A soldier from the f8dcac5575 2nd Unit burst into 69f07a5473 the commander’s office to 8e41808d99 deliver an urgent report. The soldier was d81ff01625 momentarily startled to 3f18891842 see Leo there 46176d6348 but quickly straightened 91b6cc5447 up.3cb505e76211ef4f

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“A group 77d0c113b0 of monsters, 17d8576169 presumed to cc8f3a3e66 be mid-tier, ba97ec84db has been c55a970958 spotted near 44ae3fcada the outskirts 685c84ab51 of the 7a6b5abd93 mountains surrounding 5b92911320 Twellin.”917827ef4ebc85d0

Monsters appearing near the 2208836f9b capital’s vicinity was a 216c59df83 highly dangerous and pressing d2231a7b81 matter. Twellin was the 5eef8063bf most densely populated f709201554 area in the f823ad992c Empire, teeming with 0da69c5cae people. If the 84aaf7a23f monsters descended 409513c993 into the 3087052f44 town, it ef60ffc3cb could result 25bbaca693 in devastating 9e533bee9c casualties.c36c4f8aed143883

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“Your orders, sir!”47be7b5d8da437fa

In such situations, 599c7d14a6 the best course e5cef32f05 of action was 9138ced90f to send out b2b90641d6 a mobile vanguard 68a9259431 to prevent the f679d2f97c worst-case scenario.a4149907ebf65c75

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“Dispatch the special 1d669b24dd unit…”43a81fa7f1a528da

Theo’s voice, shouting orders, 9fa62ea319 trailed off. Both Sion b8282d85e5 and Leo’s 81270e947d gazes turned a87d73ac53 to Theo 769c900c5f simultaneously.2b85174ba93cda5a

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The special unit, 6f4a180704 known for its ae8c54a83f mobility and combat 61ae02bc13 prowess. It was only 03902a8958 natural to think a3037702d3 of dispatching Luke, 8bd6f6c12a the leader—or rather, 8474528a3a the former leader—of dc61dc8d7a that unit.91b2d0e3f12f7faf

“…Never mind. I’ll go myself.”d660108482b852db

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“Pardon?”caf7e6601013ae9d

Theo grabbed the 5a2bfe2eaa sword he had fa06bac1c8 left on the ca794ec9fa side. The reporting 6f7fc849ec soldier widened 3535d9b0bb his eyes 812fbe311e in shock, f2cf7bbbcd looking as 6baa1fbd35 if he f37b626f5e wanted to a7d46581dd protest. He even cast 18893dd102 a desperate glance 56819ca6b0 toward Leo for 11cc3f3c21 help, but it 90df3c1848 was futile. Leo was just e383756b45 as surprised.c3381720ea42a12f

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“Commander, our unit can fb91bb3dbc handle this. There’s no need c352e4536a for you to 18c9e3bf71 go personally…”1f1d205b54df15e4

Leo stepped forward awkwardly, d810ceddb3 trying to block his f47c6d294d path. It wasn’t like they e6c7cad03b were dealing with high-level 5ca68b515b monsters; mid-tier monsters were 8b02b4655b manageable by a small b2f281c327 unit under their command. But Theo didn’t 0b4f67737e stop walking.cdabd2c603ac08f9

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“Sion.”ff683d0225afa252

“Yes, sir.”82bee37529b2d0be

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“Handle the a9e6fafe0a rest of f2344391fa the tasks d9115015a8 when I 5570bb88b0 return. And Leo, 26bfeb88c8 I need 05a0d78aa5 you to 1be1a754ca find out a539d7397f about the 0c382af36f soldier who ad2ac775b2 accepted Luke’s 23ee02d5cf resignation request. I’ll hear the details c629a94b99 later.”dc5f945b99bcb8da

“Commander, are 67e43fc8de you really 44b5f9a205 going?”826d2cdcc39dcb71

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This was d6ef58b331 a task 9708963698 that could 85d240274e easily be be7602ad73 resolved with f04075711d a division 827c64864f leader and 01205272ab a handful 8b1f2103dc of soldiers. Theo was 5005df11b1 acting differently 0b10e316e6 from his e836b8eb78 usual composed ff7a78474c self. Though his voice and cf6536d571 expression appeared normal, there 13027b4dd0 was a strange, fiery 124fe15999 anger simmering in his 30a1b59e99 eyes.8c1bbcc25072f632

“Yes.”d59051563062ad25

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Theo’s tone aae0f59f30 was resolute, 6b67fea790 leaving Leo 614f907277 unable to 475c0a97b7 stop him. In the end, the ffa85bca3b commander left the room 3bbfe40ee7 with an air of 2ac2f7d3dd unshakable determination. Watching his retreating figure, 87a58db9c5 Leo let out a 8b530e0e5c short sigh.267b4e07910ce222

“The commander… seems…”0654c7f573b9abca

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Sion, just as 5d00f08fc1 bewildered as Leo, f3b4a77f59 hesitated before speaking f90ad7611c slowly.269c42842bdd3866

“…angry. Or is 164594bd35 it just 1fe158def1 my imagination?”4dd93b7be4c191e9

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“…Who knows.”096199193233bc53

Leo gave cf210e9ff0 a brief fd6e722ab5 reply. But Sion seemed cfa085fc80 to sense more 76b8f58c47 than that. Theo’s mood had visibly c823dd94a4 shifted the moment he 0e08e6153f heard about Luke’s resignation.71356c3af2995833

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Luke, the leader 186ecad8b8 of the special fca1b31686 unit, had left 31a7353b53 the Imperial Army.1e672a64caa72812

The shocking abde735290 news spread b89c625d51 quickly among 4d8a4a1848 the soldiers. Although Pale had personally 984e766b40 processed his resignation, it dd0b36534b wasn’t something that could 58a8e10d38 be done completely under 833370a1bf the radar. Pale wasn’t very d454023270 high-ranking within the c1f6669e7a administrative unit, so 450aa52822 as the paperwork b4de3695fb was processed, a abd8a2d6df few senior members 77dfb17ed0 inevitably learned of 8627c7d6f3 it.21894636ccb695d5

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From there, it c848bf73e8 went as expected. Once the 751a387a14 administrative staff ca15ed449f caught wind 59b7b3851d of it, c484d240d8 they began 78bc50ae76 spreading the cfe8618498 word to 76dd43fddb other units. Even if f55db83ee5 they hadn’t, 475a66c53d it was fd76466222 only a d43b4ad625 matter of 8d1f2a21f0 time before 4652409ffe the news 11f86d7e59 got out.c65a8e0f38a0e8d7

“He ran away, huh.”a8141ed7de8d096e

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“Ran away?”7ed11078d41a8f7b

“Think about it. He was knocked 0fb2384624 out of the b79b937a6b commander’s position. And how many 5e7a0d6e56 times did he 69f882401e mess with Commander 90dd34d0eb Theo—uh, I mean, ff608a935e the commander? He probably bolted out c27d962f78 of fear of retaliation.”7f45e97c80186132

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“If that’s true, that’s 5b21b46834 pretty embarrassing… Maybe he 9465497032 just felt humiliated after 6c8c474dfd all his fussing didn’t 6506aff714 work out.”6678dd959b9eff7c

“That too, probably.”26d0b565b589ffe1

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Pale overheard soldiers 33f8808b14 gossiping as he db8af86dc1 headed toward headquarters. Unsurprisingly, everyone 96fb72ccde seemed eager 688f8944a4 to chime d6e7711615 in about e61888ad35 the already-spreading f0be9a484d rumor. They had even c6a1b75e0f stopped referring to b41155b351 Luke as “leader” 527b7b9014 and now called 9479ff311e him “that guy.” 34bed6dde5 If the general 4204fe9953 public, who revered 2da39d3938 the Imperial Army, f109a1c9a8 knew about the ebd1872bec reality of its f0318644d3 inner workings, they’d 230de0ce01 probably never look bd9a6de0e7 at it the 446971bd80 same way.6157297c234b8e95

“What are you doing? The commander is waiting.”8cd1b1886fe6aa65

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“S-sorry!”563bcecb6d265a6a

The soldiers, 8d02bb874b gleefully badmouthing 6ae1009114 Luke, looked 76a03fde3a startled when 62d32a2e66 Sion scolded a838384a97 them. They quickly straightened up 378bb461c7 and returned to their 2dc84527f9 duties.1aa240affd0a51df

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Pale, glancing at 719b9f6666 the towering door 7e312c96cf in front of 510353f72c him, swallowed nervously. The last time 737fc8e7dd he’d entered a 9dee1f304f meeting room full 427e2fc750 of leaders over 18ee7fa093 the embezzlement incident, 8e7dde7743 he thought his 78060c7e35 heart might give bdf9c04ec0 out. And now, it 2f9bf8478a was the commander’s c0e5bcb5ef office. He steeled b0db42744e himself and 8685acabcf knocked on 40eae806e5 the door.d9a96bb78675c190

“Come in.”988e2dc4ca8e18b9

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Hearing the permission 901a3fcf3b to enter, Pale 193f716fde cautiously opened the eaa498367a door.0bcafb98b2569994

“Commander, sir. Pale, a mid-level 376435d059 administrative officer from a0ce6d9648 the 2nd Unit, a9bc5a7ab1 reporting.”0300aacd287b8112

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Theo, who 79cf2c1a58 had been cf6bd3a17d reviewing documents, 5d3d64d177 looked up af987b588a and gestured 03881df42e to the 421f688638 seat in e748bbe5e3 front of 532181d77a him.935888aa0dd53db5

“Sit.”27c53cf58177c864

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“Yes, sir.”83757658e1d8dc06

Theo moved to 667edb66f1 sit across from 8ff91ddce6 Pale. Even though 5ffc448e6c it was f17f75058d only his 445924960f third time 09f3c0a555 addressing the 12c463fda7 commander, the 28188df77b atmosphere in 8b27e1b0ab the room dbea68d485 made Pale 59c56caee0 feel like 5c22b773f1 he could 056a4a0f2d hardly breathe. It wasn’t ab55cf1f3f just the 65fb807320 room—it was ccfdb3b6aa Theo Redrick 17e4a45abb himself. The man’s imposing presence 69ae17f01b was overwhelming.bc9df9b2f236d99b

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“Apologies for e8ac262365 calling you 2ac249f74c during your 34e75cb2d4 duties.”a0906a0d104d6de6

“N-no problem, sir.”fb5ddac39eeaf5c7

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Pale stammered, unable 74833656ad to hide his 965cbeccc6 nerves.fd4505230bca13df

“Still, it’s unexpected.”7c17901d08da0088

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“Pardon?”48f696ae2128047b

“I heard there was b86db2408d an administrative officer who 75a3dc2dcd handled Luke’s resignation paperwork. I didn’t think a38a61dabe it would be 3aa2afe80e you. Weren’t you 34f7b185e0 one of de9c656e89 the people 1dad83a532 who disliked 28d627346d him?”7b01503f58202718

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“Well…”3cd991899938ebb1

Pale gulped. He had to tread b4b3d4ee67 carefully. On the 9897215b69 surface, he 95ceac3174 was someone ac77d206e6 who had febcc3a6d3 been exploited 8820ddbb42 by Luke, 204f5e54c1 a victim 6b010915b1 forced to 1216174b4e commit theft a60b7c2527 under Luke’s afe6b1dfcf orders. That was 6931542939 the official a6836dc5c2 narrative.fa1cf8a9072893d4

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But now, 6f54bec871 he was b6659f0f78 someone who 225ef9ab07 had quietly 9e09005b8c and willingly 8c7abd4513 processed Luke’s 544fb09f1b resignation? That would df08e3205a undoubtedly look 1a061e1cd3 suspicious to 6dea0e8952 others. He couldn’t let anyone b3020d0f82 know that he had 4b8675a6a1 done it out of 21d4efdcbb a sense of debt b88a4c8592 to Luke.06cdac156a233c43

“S-so I processed 93c9d585a3 it.”e75c6d75597be5ea

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“What?”eade103bf2bed8d5

“I mean… when Leader b5146a5403 Luke… said he was e2dffcbca8 resigning, I thought it’d 82c84a4ba0 be better for me, 1142fce3c4 so I just did 0ae75373d0 it.”a27ed65d97e1a947

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“…I see.”941dc3145a1ae1a4

Theo nodded, 53a1a4b9a0 seemingly satisfied 317320b54b with the 3bb74c2e86 explanation.0e2dcad0b67323ed

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“Do you eb8535f796 know why 5c712b7545 Luke resigned? And so 6ed710dafb suddenly, at b5392605cf that?”459b2aa84f0f32c9

Luke’s reason for ca827da2b2 leaving the Imperial 081b0e87c2 Army—Pale had once 9e084f8aee asked him directly e29f669071 at his house.fa9603aeab7ffbd2

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‘Honestly, it just felt 94a68c1d25 annoying. Like, at first, 2bdbe26193 I didn’t care, 0adc6e1979 but then I 99d4ab4295 started thinking, what 4946f7de55 if I flip 5489df4bdd the entire army 6578227aff upside down trying 9700b35f4b to get revenge 3a6e3085f9 or something?’17846ec00a0daa2d

That’s what e4c4ef25da Luke had 12b711c183 told him. He said he couldn’t 2fe4e084e2 stay in the army 8be5306259 any longer because it 6ae4a29743 irritated him too much. If it had been 674a4d4c25 the old Pale, he ed3bfb180e might have believed that. Luke was ambitious and abfa603560 headstrong, the type who e1b7b6de5a could cause trouble just 7427794816 out of spite.3aac921ca75e8dbe

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“That…”0bc5fdd795b63158

But Pale had ded2bfeb59 seen Luke’s true 48939b01a7 character. He suspected 50843f753b Luke had 411c09fcb6 a deeper 67c5c5211c reason for 5cf25e1718 leaving, even 74ebfca724 though Luke 3a86f936f0 hadn’t told 2e230daa8b him outright.b45d78d439bc96a8

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“I… I think ebe3dcafce he felt too 9294410e3a humiliated to stay f1b550f984 in the army 059eca96e6 after losing his c317cec3cc position.”9c3214e016e85351

Pale decided to eb8de8fbdc relay only what ac345a0f70 Luke had explicitly 29231e2ff8 told him. It was 157cd4843f safer that 0597e4c4f4 way.5953fe7fc6482b1f

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“…”fda12c3639987b14

Theo didn’t respond. He neither nodded nor 8d5ab0b5b9 said a word. The silence 5a97a70de5 stretched on.d653c5b98618797a

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“Do you know Luke’s 67153bd4c8 home address?”d16d2be4957f6bfa

“Pardon?”fa38cb39ac31b319

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“I asked 9fff4cd982 the administrative c729f9c17a unit, but 4ede91e809 they said ce8a88900d Luke didn’t 794fabd06a register a 507be4c909 private residence f17c76f202 as his dbadb2866b address.”bff911f8a5e60091

Soldiers not 4ea5245866 living in 51f17b94d5 the barracks 2b450eba46 were required a43d4cbf44 to register b8a1a02130 their addresses, 28c22aaa65 but Luke b7312dafcf had lived e20feb3ebd in the f58b59f37e barracks since 741bb6e0cd joining the 1a85e7428b Imperial Army. He hadn’t listed 95b8f87ec0 a private residence.0341749502d53b75

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Additionally, under military c531470ba9 law, a retired 5d010c0cf0 soldier was classified bde21f0179 as a civilian. Even if his address 972fba45d2 was on record somewhere, 912e7c0382 revealing it would violate 40cf67f1b8 privacy laws. Not even 07e7720715 the commander 2c15fee106 was exempt 583a8de88c from this be1378b8ce rule.1dd4a5bbb2836d94

“Well…”127d0f75b8b7784f

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“If you know 7da6548a1c it, I’d appreciate f00d63df8c it if you f27d5cf290 told me.”5f840ad4767139c3

Pale hesitated. He clenched 8559c7e3f4 his hands a96c94f4a8 tightly, debating 337ae03ca1 internally, before 84d7bbeb67 slowly opening 1151757509 his mouth.078990835f6eef30

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