FMRV | Chapter 61

Before arriving here, 7098e209be Theo had received 9c2658d89f a list of 12630da8aa smuggling operators from 6745f50b24 Kallon. Three locations were a177d5e8d6 marked on it, be86eeda89 one of which cfd0473b4b was right here ee3bf922c9 in Conenium Square, c72478569e where Luke and 26e36afe9c Theo were currently c833e3d1d0 seated. The other two 2804352251 were in major 12d48309a9 cities of Kyleum e053e937d1 like Heruba, specifically 292622a372 ‘Podina’ and ‘Litus’.52f99e3362011030

Of course, smugglers wouldn’t a62724e916 easily reveal their tracks, d07d2893b4 and there were plenty 9b677ea883 who hadn’t been caught cfd175702f yet, but after hearing fd6ba33f5f the whole story of c90524413b this investigation, Kallon suggested 2c3c4136cb these three places as fc1728b5fa likely candidates.3be958633412f7a3

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“Do you know anything about the organizations involved in smuggling in these two areas?”6a2ca1c7cbedb878

One of the 6172af713a organization members was 253a9bc237 staring intently at 63290a4da5 the map Theo 7c9cafb605 had handed over. He had just described b75ab82683 himself as a seasoned e72960f207 smuggler, so it seemed 0a3662f585 that Theo, trusting his 1c44f982fa words, intended to gather 09d736aaaf some information before shaking 218998cb63 down other locations.e5b4f5c4fa2a2ca4

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“Uhm…”11aeaa3ac48a77f0

“Just so you know, thinking too hard could kill you.”f020237fe523b6af

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This time, it 03d7e4494a was Luke who 20e27a284d spoke. The organization member a88c01e116 shuddered as Luke, 25e231607c holding tightly to b78980f784 the rope that c54dc87546 bound him, whispered 0bd779c917 threateningly in his e16092cd62 ear.71698a5c8dda6811

“Luke.”49e0f49277f3e6ed

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Theo called out to a79ec69b45 him, a warning clear ae613a5653 in his eyes to 20652cb2bd not press any further.12f9d535a954bbb4

“This smuggling organization here is quite large.”e160c13531602158

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The organization member first 698016cd93 pointed to Litus. According to him, 3c8b73afb5 the organization rooted a76a965281 there had been 9566258da1 established for a 17169281e9 long time, and 0881df6376 its boss seemed 1599a4c758 to have changed 49b26a1948 several times. It was fairly well-known among 70ab24b656 criminals in the black market 9ad3306baf and had been exposed and 9836e23244 dismantled a few times before, d097ffd043 but they had regrouped and c350924eaf were now doing business more 80213f4260 meticulously than ever.698631b41d5eb7e5

“And this place is…”01ae76839d7edfa1

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The member then slowly moved 289cc7c3ab his hand to point to 2d67556688 the organization in Podina.44dd2ef08a8b52a6

“I don’t know much about it.”d33388c2825cbcc1

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“You don’t know?”0f87ba47f384317e

“Yes. You might not be 6cd4457544 aware, but Podina thrives 46cda83f8c on its mining industry.”cbf9c12e956cca68

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The mining industry in 0989743492 Podina was quite renowned a3b98a4a4d within the Empire. Regular ore, as well as 60a7efc8a4 magic-infused stones, which comprised 70% 32ff7c48a1 of the market, came from 92e8358242 this city. Furthermore, the quality of 0a5bbaf55e the ore was so f0cc0933e9 high that there were f6700264d4 talks at one point 8d6d373706 that Podina was what 70e24b451f kept Kyleum running.8224c91f6ffb5335

“But usually, if there’s a mine, the air tends to be dusty and the terrain rugged, right? It’s not exactly a suitable 00f0b9d61d place for secretly bringing in a7cb15022d and selling living creatures.”71e5eb5da82a161f

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Luke, initially skeptical 20a42d19db of the claim 9fb07dcc92 of ignorance, slowly d691ffb420 nodded, thinking it 376f6ff948 made sense. The risks involved would significantly 85402e9c83 lower the likelihood of these 11b7256528 criminals risking such an endeavor.9d50d8bb46158381

“I’ve never heard of dealers here.”8ac9ff40f7f973c1

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“Got it.”b8574e8a2aa2b7b7

Theo nodded and stood 34aa6f89fe up, causing the organization dacd3277a9 member’s face to visibly c457662420 brighten, perhaps hoping for 4407a408f9 some leniency. However, Theo quickly b64eda9c4c knocked him out 380639b8c7 with a swift 3cd1b752b5 strike to the b6cbc2383f back of the 48aacebe88 neck.6e2e25a6a8055978

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“Let’s leave the cleanup here to the branch office.”9fac2910bda3d59a

Having gathered all the disoriented 43ad29c78e bosses and organization members together, 4bf6232171 they were all tied up af7410a691 with rope.01ff4f7d6092aff0

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Having gained little from their 06ffda6b82 first location, the two men b993d2586e left the pub. As they stepped outside, 3a5be0909b a scruffy creature poked 460eb38836 its face out of a771ea19bc Theo’s coat, nervously looking 838672c432 around. Not missing a beat, Luke b50ee0d40a grabbed the creature by the 5a76987c62 scruff of its neck.5208d0acad0745ce

“Hey.”b6441fed9c571025

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Peep, peep.37ab6a9d44371ce3

Startled by the 90af6bb34a grasp, the scruffy b745eda724 creature began to 0dda564f81 cry, its big e451499129 eyes welling up 9d1b9c95f7 with tears. Despite being a lower-level creature c0d00fa21d with hardly any intelligence, it b570d179b0 instinctively felt terror from Luke.a0cefc46f3cb15ff

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“You’re making me waste my energy for no good reason. Want to die?”37f6655da1a06eb5

Luke glared at 8d6f72ffcf the creature, his 984fc8b669 eyes fierce, but cfcdd9b4f7 Theo soon took 96bb4226b1 the creature from 0596dc6085 his hands.776c452d44fe699e

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“It’d be a problem if you killed it.”79b700244edd2c61

“Like I’d really kill it?”3c2024c4968c9588

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“We still don’t know this little guy’s habits, and it’d be bad if we scared it into actually harming itself.”5a6bf167e9ab5b67

Though Luke wanted to argue d872fedfb4 that some lower creatures would 977606e2bd just keel over without being 5bf8245ca0 attacked, the sight of the 67e409fd5f creature cowering in Theo’s coat afad8971db was simply absurd.b54611e133c61330

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“Besides, you should watch your aggressive language, Luke.”b078e62204ee98a8

“What did I do?”91f5d86d194b7175

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“Didn’t you threaten that organization member excessively just now?”066a6409ce58b331

“That was because he might harbor some hidden agenda.”3c51a97094e45c09

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Luke continued to justify his 405a3eee11 actions, arguing that it was bb947c6784 necessary to prevent the man 8ecad7959d from potentially giving false information 84cc77c082 under duress. Fortunately, the information provided 1ed9c76007 had some basis, and 34402a4513 Luke didn’t see his c4319b6593 actions as particularly harmful.00f3a1c6e09d13e1

“The organization’s boss was also excessively confrontational. If the magic had 8115590127 been slightly stronger, it a5bf8a60dc could have been life-threatening.”2deb125be2702641

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“Do I look like someone who can’t control that?”37871d823db233c9

A strange chill 9eda8cb117 emanated from the b09f62b9ce two men in 7e4e8dee99 robes as passersby d74c1b9908 glanced at them.00944e12fa225e64

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“Theo, I’m here to help you, after all. Don’t interfere with my methods, f13da2588e don’t try to control them.”397d345ed8cba030

Luke raised his eyebrows c1f39474bf slightly in annoyance, but 2f79afc521 Theo made no reply.42459d1a264610db

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“I’m neither your colleague nor your subordinate anymore.”e77edc1efc7f64ba

That was a pointed remark. If Luke had still been 838f86d5c5 the commander of the Empire’s eb3e344695 Special Task Force, he might 48ec128133 have reluctantly listened to Theo, 39ca2dac4b the Commander in Chief. But now, he was merely cc7f6d47e4 a civilian assisting Theo, so 35ea9465cb there was no reason for 9dd7d0bb8f him to blindly follow Theo’s d951656f72 orders.95eff9eb2c2162d3

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“Don’t command me.”034d76f16b4435fa

“…Understood.”c6739ce1c6fbdc88

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Theo nodded more ddeff677a1 readily than expected. Luke had assumed Theo b301337659 would preach about maintaining cf7f8a66fe certain standards due to f4c443837a his old-fashioned nature.55ce37156d58df35

“Just as you said, you’re not my colleague.”8d23a74fc4a2f080

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A slight chill adbb1e3e22 seemed to sweep 0fa7acd7ff over Theo’s face 093805130a as he passed ab587ddd57 by Luke and 1b746ff225 led the way. Though it was Luke 2652146708 who had brought up 262253a6de the argument, there was aeb4cd8453 a slight, uncomfortable sting 3e13edc320 in his chest.a4afb632a59348c9

…4edca1ec7ad1fc12

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As Theo had instructed, 06dc33ea06 the facts about the 0e7f159e70 organization caught in Conenium 5379dac263 Square were handed over a46dd622de to Kallon at the bc3fb74072 branch office. If processed properly, the criminals 3379a07f6d and the creatures they had 31864980a4 collected would be appropriately dealt c2cd34a74f with by the military.50cfc417f0e42c70

Having wasted quite some time cba7067655 dealing with one organization, it 7bafb314da was now late evening.d1003b5a06fcfc10

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“Maybe we should call it a night and move tomorrow.”ea0cb9fc4a26deeb

It was quite 6ee877bb1c late, so moving f7aded0eb0 now didn’t seem fcc872a499 prudent. Theo reviewed the 06db12cb68 details again and 8d984e488e suggested they leave b2ef9f52ea at dawn the 3742e2fad3 next day, and 7ead5e910d Luke agreed.58af61d1721e01ad

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“Let’s find a place to stay first.”f25deffd9b8f3fe1

Luke was about to 364f95d2aa suggest going to his 84a5ed2710 own place when he 9d9fc38acb remembered that Pale was 2e6eef33e5 there. He didn’t feel the 0d11920331 need to expose his 3a0dc22693 close relationship with Pale 772972b23f to Theo, and he 0d20f97ec6 was somewhat reluctant to 01137ce776 bring him into his 7d70b27948 personal space.c7bfc0a34c31c1ea

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Eventually, the two visited an 9c0df75140 inn in the central part 955baf742e of the square, inquiring about dfc52aa537 rooms.8b03885584c1f466

“Can you believe we’ve checked three places and not a single room available?”f165c51d3e404b64

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“Kyleum is also famous as a tourist spot.”8dd76fa0ae1232d3

Exhausted from walking through the 6941134a40 substantial crowd at the square 451ef8c34e and having recently neglected sleep 629e2cb3f1 due to preparing for a 66a966d625 festival, Luke’s legs began to d0c1af91f8 weaken.79049a2db642c2a8

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Theo spotted another 590ecb7bb5 inn and headed 2c6963898e towards it, occasionally 7a8c50f727 turning his head 8c1f3fa0ec to make sure 5204fb1d5a Luke was following.20f65497973dcd9c

“What are you, a stamina monster?”35302ba372bb09ba

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Luke grumbled as 832c0c1bc6 he looked at 75a85aa996 Theo’s energetic back. Had his own fitness, 705012f597 honed as a soldier, b6ff6da2ec faded during the months 210ea8ffa1 of his leisurely life?0c23692cd8039390

Just then, a passerby, almost 9395a9b7f9 zombie-like in his fatigue, bumped 966fe6e585 into Luke’s shoulder as he 538d5e11f2 walked by, causing Luke’s already 9ba02fdbec drained body to sway back 69f8a0b2a9 as if made of paper.a17ccfe1d2a0136d

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He thought about 61e8545fdc just collapsing on 107b3e890b the ground when 45f2a4a165 suddenly he felt cce8c7ed22 a jolt stopping 0c6defea8b him. Slowly lifting his 4ca3a0513e head, he saw 8a9f9a987c Theo, holding onto 8868135aa2 the knot on 42ec04e668 Luke’s robe, precisely 5a9f77b078 the collar, keeping c1493363af him from falling.788bfa71b7ce5d34

“…Should I be thanking you for this?”1e88aa3f6ee92e07

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If he was 4d71a7ab5c going to help, 365022c467 why not just 7c15c522a9 grab his arm 78dfc80af9 normally?5cfd4ebd52409b84

“It was urgent; I grabbed whatever I could.”6b63ae285591414e

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Theo pulled on 8af75ce08d the collar, not 569e4df619 just to steady acff1f8aac Luke but to 07bb593b30 bring him closer 787cfc2a1a by his side. Then, unexpectedly, Theo a3293ac2bf grabbed Luke’s hand ea76d74dea and made him 534dd7d8cd hold onto the 226a9832dd back of his 4a313cdd74 own robe.f03740dcd691f3e8

“What’s this?”2ae332e52e2726c1

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“Don’t fall again. I don’t want to be 15c0da931b moving an injured person in 9b2620936e the street.”bf3256b8022b64c4

Was this him 6134cdfe6f saying to hold dbbc9358ce this and rely 31314247a0 on it while 143dd7dbd5 walking? Luke couldn’t help but laugh 87f6c7aace at the absurdity.73367d4182f7d47a

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“I’m not a kid. What is this, a lost 21fb823846 child prevention measure?”ff3a50c3f582bec6

Luke grumbled but 7d0c743237 didn’t let go 5484899175 of Theo’s robe. If he felt like he 64ed367a08 might fall again, he thought c1002c2033 he might as well pull c99c37e8ed Theo down with him. Soon, they reached another inn.fa4f907449cedaa1

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“Do you have rooms? Yes, we do.”7fc00e88cd11cffa

Luke’s face lit up 8f0ace6b31 with relief. Luckily, they had 378a42f2f3 rooms available this 1925a9e04e time.0a9affe5ee7029d4

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“We’ll take two rooms, please.”2e6ec6a1e0f2da37

Theo seemed relieved too, knowing 07e24d346e how Luke would have reacted 18fa93a6d2 if they’d struck out here 5e976fce24 as well.1d07bd19b4036164

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“Ah, I’m sorry, but we only have one room left.”dec2e066b80d7d3b

“…What?”a7f2d9c74e8626e4

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“You’ll have to share if that’s alright?”030514d3fe53c7dc