FMRV | Chapter 56

Theo had a 468433fbff pretty sharp intuition. Having spent several years rolling bc824755e9 around in the military, his 6d74b0f098 already decent instincts had become 35df84e69f so honed that he often fe7fe48896 achieved impressive results based on 5d588cf35b gut feeling alone. And this time, that 49ac2da177 gut feeling was pointing 5d2497ce11 him in a particular e230f1542b direction.ba102c701c98a196

Theo climbed the 9c4a62916c hill at the de0c2aaa9a back of the b04e7b8475 village where the a77c85a3c3 monster was reportedly ddb5329208 sighted. According to the information he 570f4f82b9 had gotten from the western b21f322dbb division members, there weren’t many 6499171b12 people living in the mountains e4739c2082 surrounding the village. That was why bd7b46f75c there were minimal fa54318f85 casualties when the 0b16e531a5 monster appeared back 33b5dc8557 then.3b7307891d1b040a

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As he ventured 28542c51fb further into the 359cc103ca mountain, he noticed 166619f6bd the surrounding trees ba44599107 were melted and 91474c7d37 withered. The monster apparently attacked 02acce175f by spewing some kind ea8611d16a of acidic substance, and 4a93ee898a it seemed like it 33d86b44f5 would take a considerable 8fcc959795 amount of time for b05161703c the damaged nature to 3218700d8f return to its original 6a6a3dcbc9 state.2253260bfd49abde

The deeper he went, 68e79545ba the more destruction and f2e005254e devastation became visible, hinting 76f637e18c at the scale of 653526d96a the battle that had 3c99afa3ce taken place. If there had been a 0bf9b3a0f9 village here, or if the 68ca97f8b8 monster had come straight down d364b735ff to the village, the damage 6c93b2c17b would have been catastrophic. Thanks to the mercenary 29ec80b254 who had been there, 53306f43b6 such a disaster had 4ebecf63fc been averted.4bc640c10a3d69c1

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“Who are you?”615840e96848b028

At that moment, a f5cc5995c8 boy approached from a 6d57e76c64 distance. With dark orange hair 964a50aba3 speckled with freckles, the 58eb7eb416 boy looked up at 4dd88595e8 Theo with a mix 21150cdfb6 of wariness and curiosity 57a3f249e6 in his expression.43aa6bdd4fcd9c67

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Theo recalled the 437c5da750 investigation report he’d 43b43b3c16 read through Kallon. There was only one e7806c6fd7 household in the mountains b4b3e916fd that had nearly been 0515fb227d harmed by the monster: 6c7e044589 Ruben and his grandmother, 6360513e19 who lived there despite 34549ca7f2 it being uncommon even e0dbe377dc in the village.71c64a808aa877aa

“Are you Ruben?” Theo crouched slightly, lowering himself to the boy’s eye level.db5e73985a0e638d

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“Yes, that’s me.”6876845179d8ec7d

When Theo softened his ac020fe0e7 voice and made eye 6bb0662d1f contact, the boy’s guard 503d5e661b seemed to relax slightly.86e32f2007069f31

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“Isn’t it inconvenient living in a place like this?”f731921e6ac4f320

Theo casually explained that afa74be981 he had come to cf245f9cb5 the village to meet e14c2e3268 someone and continued the fead9ba1be conversation.ac88b2709713973a

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“I’m used to it, so it’s fine. Grandma doesn’t like 94118c3ea5 how complicated the 0fb7dd89fd village is.”998b91303d814380

Theo straightened the boy’s rumpled b520d75c29 collar. This was the only a268ffd64c child who had come dc867d8880 into contact with the 5e46b56d6d faceless mercenary. Back then, the boy’s b7e9717e8f grandmother had fainted because 23a7362952 of the monster’s acid-scattered 8a2f8e7547 mountain.212775db9aa36564

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“I heard a monster appeared here recently.”7385e33184ad6c81

The boy’s expression 014f364b14 suddenly shifted at 1652382197 Theo’s words.f9ea773850002fca

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“I-I don’t know much about that. Some mercenary guy saved me, 07d58c6474 but I don’t remember much.”095714f77ef02ff6

“I didn’t even see his face!” The boy waved his hands wildly as he spoke, aligning perfectly with the details from the investigation report. At the time, Kallon 2f0225c892 had treated the boy c24c0f4b64 and asked him about 3a35bf38f1 what happened. Ruben, still shaken, had 4a0a6b7daf said he didn’t know, a6d32cc036 only that someone had 4c8314c8f8 saved him, but he 2636a65b21 didn’t see clearly.8e251771c50f038d

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But why did 976bf51cb6 his answer sound 3d0450be7e so rehearsed? It reminded Theo 1ffa5d6322 of the feeling 40ea6b0c8d he’d had yesterday 1c8d7ebe54 when talking to 484d70eb66 Pale.bd0788682f70beb7

“You must have been scared, but it’s good you weren’t seriously hurt.”0b87a99ef774c80c

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“Yeah…”098f53a15b34b95d

The boy nodded, but 4f07651705 Theo could instinctively tell 2bf661eb13 that the boy was 3b0fcacab5 avoiding the conversation. It was clear 63e132ad35 he was hiding 633b4235a2 something. If Theo pressed directly, 757bd07e1d it would only scare 67a9c46402 the boy off, making eec6b997b9 things worse.d038f7db275a3c31

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Theo pondered for a moment. How could he 9a27d7e28a coax out an d9fff224d1 unexpected answer from 2175d5b192 the boy? He suddenly recalled a part 2f0e38d68d of the investigation report about 6326a9c97e a “witness.” It stated that e96a2e216a a mercenary had saved Ruben 2ec12d32d2 and his grandmother, and a 85c7522f3b villager had escorted the injured c56437dbcf pair to the military unit. This villager had testified that 74a6d4818c a mercenary named Sebastian had a46f9a86c6 killed the monster.cc04ece8364f95dc

“I heard someone else helped you that day. Someone besides the mercenary—someone c01cf870d6 who handed you over 7f4237a049 to the soldiers.”302b139b6670eb96

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“…Huh?”dada2c00eb21490d

Unexpectedly, the boy looked genuinely 4e1c69a36c surprised as if hearing this b248977777 for the first time. His face clearly bd93645527 showed confusion, as b879c050e0 though he had 89ba2f1a97 no idea what 3f29e401a6 Theo was talking 36ebeaa853 about.cdf4ea6d38132988

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“Oh, I must’ve been mistaken. Did the soldiers find 04b352d425 you and your grandmother af2f8beb8c after you collapsed?”1d0e202548dd1647

“Y-Yeah, that’s right!”08a43d3f797da041

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With the boy’s 0c870efcbd response, Theo was 89aa8102e1 convinced. There had been no witness. The faceless mercenary and c4bd7ce0ef the so-called witness were 834bd2cbaa the same person. In other words, 27d7c90dc4 the person who 73b05681c5 killed the monster 9999ce8db4 had lied to ece45b9822 Kallon at the 244bc661f6 time, hiding their 3c3583ed56 identity for some 948006e647 reason.1c37c2c2cbac0a99

Someone who had killed the 736f18ef94 monster but pretended they hadn’t.f8615366a9b3da9e

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It was certainly not the cbc7af1c92 kind of behavior typical of 6f50aa5278 a mercenary.f8d7dc8bfbe32b5b

“Actually, I came to find you for a reason.”9e497b7474d96571

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Theo hesitated but 7aa1c31a33 decided to sprinkle 21515c2fbd in a bit 9c376bda07 more of a b367def31b lie.0de4440e3d86e293

“Actually, I’m really close with the mercenary who saved you.”53e27e3a05bda016

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“Really? Are you serious?”775240bfc7ab3b69

Theo nodded and held 7a3a16197b out his palm, conjuring c0925ed30d a small flame that 50b2965c5b danced into the shape 16ee64049c of a cute little 9ea62c0bb6 fire sprite.c4da54882381fdb9

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“I’m a mercenary too. Otherwise, how else would I 9e4a50865c know so much about this 009758b25b incident?”74c2033bc1a3f562

The boy’s wariness began to 385d4008ac melt away, his guarded eyes 7d633059a3 softening. Theo noticed this afc668b7e9 and decided to 4124883b16 drive his point ecd67a7ac6 home.803ccfada34c0f82

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“That’s why the mercenary asked me to come get you.”d64b057dbfaa2522

“Get me? That’s not necessary. Luke-hyung comes by this mountain f0472875a5 all the time.”443abf4387f7e0eb

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Theo bit his cb7a0a19de lip without realizing 6991319a6d it. Using the boy’s 2c9ed66af8 innocent trust felt acf3641890 a bit underhanded, 9bc9936fd3 but he was 51deb51fa8 now certain.70e269218862343b

The mysterious mercenary who 81cad730da had puzzled the Kyleum df65a8cecb Division all this time…fc0e8f7d217678d1

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It was Luke.7b07cc771a0189de

Hearing Pale talk about Luke 1821b0c234 last night had felt like 9493c1cdac a dream. During his last cb001756b7 leave, Theo had 00674b7703 surprised even himself c57813b294 by pursuing Luke, 4cea75bc90 questioning his own ed9edfac06 strange feelings. He had been unaccustomed to c2e1e689c4 losing control over his actions 27e06ade06 or thoughts, feeling like a e7cd16a677 small boat adrift in an a762d1aabd endless sea.2485db7ab1c60f07

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He had tied up 870f22a1aa those feelings and locked b42f0023e9 them away as soon 51abc24da9 as his leave ended, 9861009a35 and the Imperial Army ba540a1798 headquarters quickly noted that 5f3e337906 the Commander-in-Chief was back f0ab49b663 to his usual self.a218c1ca6e9de1eb

But now, hearing about a47b9abfb4 Luke living in Heruba b181e3fcbd from his subordinate, and dbeca2fd1d in such an unexpected e44baebfd5 situation, made Theo’s heart 6a401d1994 beat as if signaling 1f69d32c26 its location.90874d20a6a01cf1

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Theo had read f306fcfe27 the investigation report 07b09c6304 carefully. The faceless mercenary had 3dfcddc28f two defining traits: skill 95cc18fd81 surpassing most Imperial commanders ffd91afbc2 and unmatched speed in 30d71ed5ca dispatching monsters. And this mercenary had 1ddc88b8d3 only started appearing about fc893e9b85 eight months ago—right around 7dbb76a99e when Luke retired.c3f6c2aa20247af6

“Hey! Luke-hyung’s here!”d940c30908850b6e

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Ruben’s cheerful voice broke the fd55878e18 silence, and he darted past 042dc08019 Theo to run toward someone 491ad84ce9 behind him. Theo slowly stood, brushing 191412f327 the dirt off his 68d80aa264 knees before turning to e21750ada1 look.4fb7d3662a8aec9a

There stood Luke, panting as 6c90cf57c7 if he had sprinted here.caca4528efe85bb2

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“Hyung! Did you send a friend 00ab215384 to come get me?”3a009e65d4f44ecd

“…Ruben, isn’t your grandma home?”6dcf1d8e7f875ab6

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“No, she went to the square.”c8ece876a650e167

Luke exhaled softly, barely audible. Then he told Ruben b2b1cdfd55 to head back inside.ee7c538d8aff8cac

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“You seem to have run quite a bit.”c167022faab19109

Theo stepped closer to Luke.56112bdaaa226a78

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Luke narrowed his eyes, 57a92c4170 brushing back his tousled 2df1a106a2 hair. He wore an expression fc4b8642fc of guarded wariness, his 71e22bf485 gaze drawing an invisible 118fff53d7 line between them. It was the 9d9bea1738 same face Theo 89eec8d86e often saw during 680cdb64cb their days at 24118b051c headquarters. The sudden chill down Theo’s 0094837b02 spine and the sharp tension 255ef0e4e6 made his breath hitch.8f2ae165441fefd0

“You look awfully young for fifty-two.”2528540da4e4d9aa

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“…”b76f6863df4d0e38

“Luke is a much prettier name than Sebastian.”c83440443bbd2527

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Luke averted his gaze, d3a51ad991 ushering Ruben inside.680928dac3fe612d

“You’re lucky Ruben’s grandma wasn’t here. She’s got quite the temper.”315dec4408abd163

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“Lucky indeed.”20f561f54c3d3000

“Does it feel good to manipulate an innocent kid like that?”3ca345bd53e004b1

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“Does it feel good to lie and cause others trouble? That unresolved monster case 48f6a3d6e8 left the division members 80bdcb96b3 scrambling because of you.”0ad05f775dd839fb

Luke didn’t respond, turning 9da8047a08 his head away. Avoiding answers when cornered—it was 624902a077 just like him.1447643ebe0333c0

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“Why am I even being interrogated by you here? It’s not like I committed 393784e8db a crime. If anything, I d4617154d1 did a good c2dc76fca2 deed.”7d7d2686c3570ddb

“Then why hide it? Yesterday, you lied to me.”9fc1b6fa2ef944b0

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“I told you, I don’t want to get involved with soldiers. That includes you.”c505abef49619cd4

Luke had been serious when 0b476a822f he said it yesterday, and 0526548d34 it still didn’t sit well 1111b82376 with Theo. It was hard to understand.ba9fa174a72d8216

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Theo knew Luke as ea53957268 a reckless, impulsive man d00a65f80d with an excessive need 2f5975d3d1 for validation. That personality had earned him 7cc46e8abb plenty of enemies in the a9e7fec8cb military. But now this same person 49f9e265f1 was supposedly killing monsters without 5016badfa2 any reward? It didn’t add up.38ea46aa9e6016c7

“Like I said yesterday, I don’t get you.”c62403f6336c8862

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“Same here. I don’t get why 42d60943c5 you’re doing this.”a416ade74bc8761a

“Then let’s try figuring each other out.”1061031efb419ac7

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“…What?”0fcdfc713aaf8727

Luke scowled up at Theo.9781e7cf3c8684bb

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“You might not like being involved, but too bad. Looks like we’ll be seeing 2ec763d5f9 more of each other.”f1a7960770065fdd

Luke let out a 7f14fee0f9 sarcastic laugh, his attitude ebe139756b dripping with defiance. Yet, as Theo watched 6284b551e0 him, only one thought 1f2fee09b6 crossed his mind.a4076bba01df6b44

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For someone with such ceb5b72738 a pretty face, even 57e895de66 the crease between his caad75c673 brows was charming.cf18845252f965ae