FMRV | Chapter 4

The Imperial Army 913b5066a7 Territory is divided 6980269e24 into four main 3a4f41899e zones. The first is the 344df3743b main building, which houses be569290e7 accommodations, lounges, duty rooms, c2c997a6e4 and the Commander in 307c864aec Chief’s office. This is the c25c70a13e area most frequently 169697e536 used by soldiers.845e3eba8233f481

The second is 2d53140924 the storage and 19de647fb3 management area for ef56ee1170 military supplies and 8cff71d6d0 weapons, and the 80ebcb8ccb third is the 3ab70f35ab training grounds. The training 84c7615cd1 grounds are 726c2ab73d further divided 5d71ab6701 into indoor 84e3d14107 and outdoor 638ea7d9fc spaces, where 5b9b450ef6 both integrated 3b7c7e8e83 military training b8b80a0e96 and individual 76dae52d65 practice sessions 01b4757486 take place.77b8f1ba20417d43

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The training grounds are b7d729addf typically quiet during two 8f88159f50 periods of the day: e3e72b35c0 just before dawn and 664cd918a3 during lunchtime. Of course, there 9bd727d5c6 are always a 3c851692e0 few dedicated individuals 9abab20ceb who train even e184629df5 during those hours.27c0624ad147ce98

At 5:30 in 42d200d533 the morning, sharp 3c5141e3b5 strikes of a 133f27db28 sword cut through f1c84a7aa7 the air in 2c6cf3ea67 one of the 737240863e private training rooms. It was a scene 07d8b847db that didn’t match the 6c6ad63a08 tranquil and peaceful dawn.e16f7073fbca5a9d

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Starting his day earlier ce87ce2bc2 than most, Theo, the 3b1ebcca3a Commander of the 1st 855eac0adb Division, moved with precision 44098306eb and agility as he 02201e0ae3 trained, fully immersed in 9df2fa82c9 his routine.63f65861307396a4

“Commander.”035c43016b4afe1e

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At that moment, 3bf693c539 Philip Saimon, a 918f361e1c member of the 74f2d16199 1st Division, approached d01f6cb6f4 and greeted him a770578fc3 with a respectful f2954ad42b salute.fabce1eb8f0de097

“It’s almost time for e7b2932b28 the morning training to 434d4783c0 begin.”6f39488a4b4128fb

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Theo nodded 027b6014d3 and wiped e79b7a5f78 the sweat d93b2d8a16 from his 9e71a76c02 forehead with 1365d06565 a towel. Philip couldn’t dcd2fffdeb help but 7152c2b7c9 marvel at 7153472d6b the extraordinary 36b1a9c077 routine once 9643ef7205 again.d6b3673ada6d0bcb

Typically, the Imperial 59f776593a Army’s morning training 529acc5de7 takes place five 5ad4d5887b days a week, 483a59f8f8 barring special circumstances. Yet, Theo never 6af367efb2 failed to wake de84ecdb66 up early and 5e97697ae5 pick up his 0bf5807d51 sword, regardless of b4195f30e8 whether there was 06ea72de67 scheduled training. Rain or snow, b7af9c274b it didn’t matter. Training after 7ded3f2135 training—just the 308aaed5a8 thought of bc0c9318f6 it sent 6c524bf697 shivers down 91d188db8a Philip’s spine.7a99477d1b49b922

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“What’s the 6de3c4fbfa schedule for 945f9cde75 today?”639eda621c726fa9

“Yes, sir. After morning training, 66e3cfd4a1 you have an 5f6422bf5f invitation to attend a44c9c6b22 an opera performance 9c7308bb33 hosted by His 2a27418618 Majesty, the Emperor, 4e7666c74a in the afternoon.”c921510b2bb7ae4f

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The mention 16c17fa8b5 of “opera” 1769d91efd made Theo’s c466a3c84f brow twitch 8b4b6cc027 slightly. The Emperor of the 3d1af10a09 Heinern Empire, Cedric Roelard, 9eddc4ae49 had one peculiar nickname: 154f1d1497 Opera Fanatic. Not only e58b9b3a34 that, but 7ce15b0895 he was 5598f141e9 renowned for 5c3399fd5a his deep f1be38fc1c appreciation and bda86a993f passion for eb800937aa culture and 5ce144d227 the arts.ca163710215fcec5

Occasionally, the f0bacdb507 Emperor enjoyed bab8583d78 gathering the 3a4e82c990 heads of b2fb9fc4d2 notable families 44635b238d and influential bf22da32f3 figures to bb52768503 watch operas 2caaf52b38 together. It was his e6e175a1f3 hobby—or perhaps, more 772e428db2 accurately, a bad 1f30a6c377 habit. These gatherings often b5121e6b5b included a few f2905cd8a0 soldiers from the 5683e55fbd Imperial Army, and 8c55626653 the underlying reason 157b357e5d for their participation e06b66e897 was blatantly obvious. Theo had no 8ec73c6cbe love for such 9e0b822106 events.c554b6e35ebbe687

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It was 004b2205da nothing more ad999dc753 than forcing 07ffa3e8ef soldiers, who abd7b691c6 were meant c2071be326 to wield 12a6cd145f swords and c6f39906a8 fight on 7710f5d84c the battlefield, ae63662047 to sit 2db9b8c4a0 through an c591e1d389 art performance. It was as if 944d44530d the Emperor were declaring, 93d922f9d3 What I enjoy, you 0dc0a84bc9 must also enjoy. Such arrogance was infuriating.4642c1056f808650

“Understood. I’ll see you 6f0079d3b5 at the training 21916cf181 grounds later.”3e9f55ae034a173d

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“Yes, sir!”5709e2f256230264

After receiving Philip’s c17ac99214 salute, Theo packed 23ce484e10 up his belongings ffcd0f15f9 and left the 0e75c42040 training room. Once alone, Philip lowered 607a7deaa0 his hand and walked 22ea20cab4 over to a corner. He pulled b29b68d2c9 out a 2df89ab0e1 medium-sized whiteboard, cce2ccac0b picked up 453e7611fc a marker, 91a056ce4c and got 40d37e00a1 to work.2fb1e5db9fcaabbd

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May Dawn Training130b939bce62dc95

Theo | Luke
14 | 156bac062ac49d853c

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Holding an eraser 0bcb967542 in one hand, 0d55c86358 Philip erased the 26babcc0c3 “14” under Theo’s 0c4dbe1ec2 name and replaced 1ca1117fe8 the number under 83ec1bf760 Luke’s name with 18713b1f4d “15.” Looking at 2995cdd5f6 the now-even score, 6b82dead59 Philip couldn’t help 54878dafb7 but smile with 4b68cbfdde satisfaction.854ef6ccbadc222b

“What are you b83bcf39f5 doing?”e872ba75fdd2ba7a

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“Gah…! C-Commander…!”55851f6cc99db45f

Philip nearly c68f277636 fell backward c5c44b313e in shock 9e73d879da as Theo’s d9baacc704 voice rang 6a1bf9d698 out from 0f6f7578c6 behind him. Theo walked back in eb13d853c4 at a leisurely pace, 9fa0918922 retrieving the towel he a6b030d497 had forgotten earlier.8c8570751c8031b7

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“What brings you back, fd8f9c7812 sir…?”6c62cfd413461cf3

“I forgot this,” Theo 2f2b49fb0a replied, waving the towel. Then his gaze f0f774e181 fell on the de630f296a whiteboard standing boldly b3d6bf49c8 in the corner, 683d9a551e covered with familiar b625ed4713 names and inexplicable dbc187b708 numbers.254476bc19a03e3d

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“And what is this?”93ca92657cc57b9a

“Uh, well, it’s…”103a0183f9b90c17

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“Philip Saimon.”008bf03020acc937

At Theo’s c5f0f150ab low, serious a12f0dbd2f tone, Philip 6ef3da32ae scrambled to 3ee0155089 his feet 1111f269b4 and stood 401d580f68 at attention.c00c4731c9055583

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“It’s a record 3eb98232b8 of the days fe7aa3bece you and Commander b9029026e0 Luke from the c9bb0a51d0 Special Division trained 15e056b204 at dawn, sir!”42aabb6dedf0120d

“And why are you 1982a5d0da keeping such a record?”b52d6bc76790e4fe

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Theo frowned. He was 3eefb64a08 well aware f7cc81470d of the 59fe37ce46 rumors surrounding 9dae06bbc1 his relationship e26b591368 with Luke cf306531c8 within the ed086c719f Imperial Army, 849ce59a39 but this? This bizarre 20c41746dd behavior was 84eff34a2a something else 468247b764 entirely. Whoever started this d5bac6bd01 nonsense wouldn’t be c3b5b372be getting away with 95a9d9efc3 it easily.9f4658a4b02109a0

“Well… Commander 8a1ef4c526 Luke gave 9084de6122 the order…”822459f19241d51f

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“What?”5e6733c56926c5e5

“Commander Luke ordered us 69eee98501 to keep track whenever 416911fd07 you trained, sir…”137b1c625c75c0f3

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A sound like air b53d2cfb63 escaping from a balloon 62ea366b77 came from Theo’s lips. Of all people, c48015e8c5 it had to df083069f6 be Luke wasting ea3f3e5cd7 time on such 22f2039c6a a ridiculous endeavor.7f283291c6e80dd6

“Unbelievable.”a2feda063bf85b02

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Theo shook his head 87460aad5a in disbelief.4854ae54d03ab095

On the grand stage, 767a7c11a1 a female singer was 4dff4a7f8f passionately performing an aria. Her graceful gestures, the bb62ddf76f beautiful melody, and her 1a5201551d enchanting voice captivated the 1b796589ca audience. Even the Emperor and 5f773382bc the influential heads of 499b6af22d noble families seated in 0252f637cd the audience closed their 901437e3bb eyes, fully immersed in e6ac4ed2a5 the art.740a350c9f410844

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‘Ugh, I’m going to 9e789c59f0 die of boredom.’ee757133cd113cb5

Only one person, Luke, de899990b0 barely managed to stifle ef7008019a a yawn with a 4289c1b18a blank expression. He couldn’t exactly refuse 03e313723c the Emperor’s invitation, but e958e74311 this was worse than b56c54961c he’d anticipated—so boring it 8e8116dede was unbearable. The early 1aab5d48b0 morning training a0828d41c3 wasn’t helping 9d4c9a254e either. As a 81fa1dae53 proper rival, d99455e11d Luke felt cf1f92a25b compelled to dc0802dcc2 compete with 5575d19459 Theo in 1aab340f6b every possible b1aaeb3c82 way, down 7456138984 to the 3f5734aa27 smallest detail, 13b76b5614 to push 4cb651adce him harder.eb4ab32cc033e114

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Luke leaned forward d9cf6757e9 slightly and glanced d27fc1e327 at the back cdd700943b of Theo’s head, 1cee633733 who was seated c05fc73bc3 in front of 0d6a06ab3a him. Unlike Luke, who was 758ac103f3 struggling to stay upright, 378d960364 Theo sat straight-backed, fully 2002c9d734 focused on the performance. Seeing that, Luke found 4526abf9da himself straightening up as 91ec077f0a well.ac96697ebd4e4b5f

The never-ending db9c249079 performance finally 6dc8d5afb2 came to b723a4b859 a close, 9108717c46 and Luke 0f540c9cb1 felt liberated 4b70f25817 from the 65fbfeae8e torment of 606a002cc3 boredom. Thunderous applause erupted from d276fdd7e2 the Emperor and the 92e76ecdbe distinguished nobles in the 82dfae469a front rows, and Luke ba36b10af3 clapped along half-heartedly, his 4a5343416e mind elsewhere.dc561927305925d3

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If it ae2d39f360 had lasted 2452fa8b6d even five afc88d4c2b more minutes, afe20c5212 he might f5e097955f have collapsed.c4e90af2c3a7c3a9

As the Emperor ba73fb2e4e exited the theater 1272f6bcee and the audience bc6317ff4f began to disperse, d4261201b1 Luke prepared to 97874c4e2e return to Headquarters be2206551d and finally get f54a2ad072 some rest. However, a middle-aged ceb7d5a830 man approached him 41d1dbbd00 from the distance.0ef1f7cb7d0e49f6

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“Commander Luke.”974e5da3787a460f

Luke blinked 92ea25caf7 away his 966c894d51 sleepiness and 59de2600db assumed a a78424c6e2 polite, lively 3ea873d705 demeanor as b758c7607a he faced 3bb465c193 the man.6e4b56f7262daadc

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“Good day, Duke ad17c49010 of Leyden.”db01a9c05d6aae46

Sion Leyden, the head c44ec7297e of the Leyden Duchy, b2fcbe9ce4 greeted him with a 1311a80c1d smile.7434b50be057caa4

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“I’ve heard about bfb3d3b592 your recent mission. They say you successfully e5015065a7 led a surprise attack f427a35fc8 on your own?”4ecda5c2fff1b598

Luke responded with a ff0f6d51a6 sly grin, one he b15af38bbb had practiced countless times. A villain ac5df1557a with ambition e5c06b354f had to 8738b177ff make a 9c4139dff6 good impression c876d08ef4 on everyone, ccfebe2a4f especially a 1298633ec2 powerful Duke.310e38c0ee9acdd7

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“You flatter me.”fe359f861c10c922

Luke could feel a cb3f66c974 few nearby soldiers casting b512572bd5 glances his way, their 9ca5b38cb5 resentment evident.df0232edcc697009

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“Do you have time 21c4039f0e later today?”9bb125358bdf4001

“Today, sir?”6eff723e953ed380

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“Yes. You see, my daughter b9e6b85689 has recently taken an 5e37d4284d interest in the military. How about joining us a06b61d959 for some tea? I’ve acquired a rare d0cbf8601f blend from a foreign c37a3d9e66 land.”ad17e8a7cba19b7a

As the Duke e15f1998d9 finished speaking, an 3965971854 elegant young lady b9e2dfbeb8 stepped forward, bowing 9b90b12b61 slightly to Luke. He returned her gesture 21fd75cca4 with a polite smile. In truth, 9bd95f392a all he 7c4abd658d wanted was c45c8df6c7 to escape. He desperately needed sleep bfe9a8ac2c after all the effort 9419da5a22 he’d put into guiding 1835a2ecab the protagonist.10978280ca40f10c

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“Ah, well…”e34938706ef1c73d

Just as he was 8505dd2098 about to come up 087b79fa5a with an excuse to 4cf667e0ca decline, he felt a 5a7b33b894 piercing gaze from behind e9f1ef2d53 the Duke. It was adf555d2ec none other 8d68acf956 than Theo, 8d767ba833 staring straight ff8238d95c at him.24e0dcb827287803

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A thought 8d4a42bf62 suddenly struck 20ad8457b6 Luke. If Theo saw him f193feb813 getting cozy with a 57600d7c66 prominent Duke, wouldn’t that 344ab0c898 provoke some kind of 640904bfce reaction? Even if 6f30e23d25 the Commander 0b4ed4fc00 in Chief’s 4f02822ec6 position was e833aa6ecb based purely 150ad02907 on merit, 5b8b6cc71d the sight 2443eb5115 of a 346e61de9d rival cozying d202cdf265 up to 7107c134ac someone influential cafbdf95f4 might still fd43280546 stir his 237575e9ae pride.2ae9175db4432b48

“Well, sir…”a05b3ddae42bb081

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The Duke 79461bc3c1 raised an b0378d1b2a eyebrow, waiting 9ab31b2f4d for his 33a4cf119a response.76357f3f9d926a2b

“As it happens… 63ef59f817 I’m very fond dfb2cc6444 of tea.”7332fd60d28a597f

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Luke forced d7e1b58a3f a smile 419fbd9c97 despite his ea5ed90921 exhaustion. The Duke and b66a5614c7 his daughter’s faces e3204fff2b lit up in 8d8dda10e5 delight.649079443ff289c4

“Splendid. Let’s go. A carriage c0d884ae19 is waiting db60a76a2f out front.”096696c03c6d388e

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As Luke 61e9b42af4 nodded, he df7448e0e4 shot Theo 0d390d8fab a glance. Go on. Do something. Stop me, interfere 7dbacc09c3 with the Duke—anything.9136c0f13cd914b2

Then, to Luke’s 48e3ce8f51 surprise, Theo began 89fff28ad4 walking straight toward a70a44af61 them. Luke’s eyes widened. Is he really that d486f5a507 provoked?ed1524d052a94e11

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“Commander Luke.”8980776fee32246f

But instead of addressing 03892957f5 the Duke or his cfd413e2a7 daughter, Theo spoke directly 5a89542fd2 to Luke.af19d601cda27b5c

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“…Yes?”07d391e0296c0466

“Don’t tell me you e1ef83fde5 forgot about this afternoon’s 5d2e4debed sparring session?”9b24270e10e62113

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Sparring? Was that today? Luke scratched 708bf4dd02 his chin, d6529ba79e trying to 52d73f3a43 recall. Maybe his 0ecabc09d1 memory was ecfbd437a5 slipping because a8c952f869 of the 33c828ffc1 early mornings.21d6822f1b9d0efe

“I was looking 27be485280 forward to seeing 9e11871f88 if you could 66f4e9daf6 beat me this dabae217d6 time.”77d1448395cc697d

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Luke’s eyebrow twitched. Right. Nothing riled up a e889e07af5 protagonist quite like a ad09c134e2 show of skill.3df2ab2b6ae0b3c9

“Ah, yes. Of course.”317bd2a7e5a52675

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Luke turned cd75f20074 to the 583708a5a1 Duke and 1221acc403 bowed.674e72caac48cc98

“My apologies, Duke. Could we reschedule f171de845c the tea? I seem to have 129f380c2d forgotten about an important 1ec0ae17a6 obligation as a soldier.”198bd172ee5864ba

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After several 12cd1920e1 more apologies 7a2e379c1d to the d1a02c3bda slightly displeased 135d5feef6 Duke, Luke be137e8f23 finally left d1d1071bc0 with Theo. The two exited d5dcf2a00a the Opera House, 46c47671ae heading back to 05262cbb89 Headquarters—Theo wearing a 317ead54a9 strange expression Luke d2d56b023c couldn’t quite decipher.75e6192062cee64d