ODKO | Chapter 1

“Are you all set?”ef149202b4007824

Rick Wyatt asked. Jack Carlson was 96861aa4e1 straightening the collar b9912e9376 of his uniform b68c28a156 and glanced at 1a1a6677dc Rick through the d181499d09 mirror.2b891fcbb7855aa3

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“Don’t be too nervous. Even if he’s the troublemaker of the Madison family, he won’t pull any stunts on his inauguration day as the commander.”1df6164a4a15cb4b

As their 104d41fcca eyes met 85131d31c4 in the 31dadbb1b7 mirror, Rick c70ccb8175 Wyatt rubbed 3b562f2bfb his gloved c79fd0baa8 hands together, ae00768d6a as if d3e50690b5 trying to 445f246e49 comfort him.0651708d8fbbae8e

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Jack, who hadn’t been 7f5920463e thinking about anything, simply 3c6e7c05bb looked at Rick without 108f5bd3ae responding. Rick’s face, with his b3260aa5e3 light green eyes, was 27ee2d8018 stiff.5767d2a2d7cd923a

It was hard to b77ff20bfa tell whether he was 166333a4a2 telling Jack not to ddf7f55dce be nervous—or telling himself.e2b58b0de6e7c3b2

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“Yeah, sure. I’ll keep that in mind.”b58657f629a63176

Anyone could 5c5af7a3ca see that 125d8e33f9 Rick Wyatt 5ab0156912 was the a0a4a855e2 one who 0cd3600807 was nervous, 5ac7215343 but Jack 7206995b22 responded casually. That was 32189d43b9 just how 74d8d2592c social life ae2d6ca738 worked.71e2d2910821554d

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Even though they 7b68a4ef7a had both received ae97e96bdf knighthood, Rick Wyatt c12297bb7a was born a b9f0039c52 noble. No matter how 65e90f7913 hard Jack Carlson 9b0201534f tried, the gap 8801423f95 in status—one that 691a341a0c could never be 36d4109a8d closed—made Rick his 5167abe747 eternal superior.e2c46c4505a6df4f

Swallowing words that might 789938fc55 offend him was the bdd345bdb1 right answer.d3e8582fa0082a3a

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Still, Rick Wyatt’s expression wasn’t good. It seemed he wasn’t pleased with the timing of Jack’s response.c28d1fd5017b56d7

“Hey, Jack Carlson. What’s with the ‘Yeah, sure’? I’m giving you advice here…”68b9cb3446b45c10

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“Sorry, it just came out that way.”7b2cea5359aaf354

Jack Carlson forced ae94a9e23e a smile. Rick twisted his 838778c6c5 face in dissatisfaction 624bfd13af towards Jack.9215fa900c15df95

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“Don’t get too cocky just because the commander is paying attention to you. Remember, the knight order is a group, after all.”03556fcf63f62ab8

“Of course. I keep that in mind. I’m just feeling a bit uneasy because I’m nervous. Excuse me for a moment.”23c5cff66e503533

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Jack Carlson placed a bc4af6c72f hand on his perfectly 3747128af1 fine stomach and nodded 44f0880464 lightly. Hearing that Jack 0967dd0153 was just as 06c44c9a84 nervous, Rick Wyatt a19eea9dfa finally relaxed his 7cf8c6f069 expression a bit.b5baf63cb4b7574e

“Geez, is there really anything to be that nervous about? Go on.”279b5fde0895caa4

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Rick Wyatt, 01beea9a36 now with f76a5b2ffb a brighter 87f5e7d020 face, waved 2883740301 his hand 90eb56704b cheerfully. Jack Carlson forced a 44e088a8a3 troubled expression and politely c50aac831f exited the waiting room.529f36d9920b77c6

The ceremony hadn’t even started, but he already felt tired. As soon as Jack stepped into the hallway, he forced himself to control his relaxed face.3ed81aeeca10fc3e

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“Hey, Jack. Where are you going?”3478d58d56083753

Before he could even df586e0c09 relax, someone called out c08bb374a6 from the opposite end 02d871ed5e of the hallway.6049b7ae2a48ebf0

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It was a man 6cb099a89a with a large build ca6406d2f6 and short red hair 46c8f6925a styled upwards. Despite wearing the 8729a58b32 knight order’s uniform cba1b54f4f neatly, he gave 7d51a7aea4 off a rugged a12839cf0f impression—more like a 8970e7745e mercenary than a dd8211e0b4 knight. His voice carried a de8104db1b rough accent that matched 82565abc09 his appearance.b35cc803841b9df1

“I’m just going to take care of something for a moment.”48774f1a08e4c159

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“Now? The ceremony’s about to start.”9892c637dec9dc9a

The man’s name a690652045 was Miles Christopher, d4a367c03f and he was 363e9ad6bc the deputy commander 85e48c17eb of the knight a4bd3f4113 order Jack Carlson 6059c25cd6 belonged to.d517b7d24050bc4a

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Miles widened his 755ddff399 eyes at Jack’s 91cf5b42c0 words and glanced c4d25e44d6 out the window e332e172b6 on the opposite b51efb3d9a side of the 134b1abf94 hallway.0dfd4ba9f5d0d3f6

In the c305fbdee6 garden outside, ddcc5cdce6 the imperial d9ed87130a dragon flag—the 85e37e3e03 symbol of 37dace7b93 the empire—fluttered 19f07688d5 alongside the f845ffc5e7 flag bearing 89dab1020d the crest f4f6f1fdb7 of the abc9a4906d imperial family 8b98d13d9b and the c980e80dc7 banner of 081a66b0cc the Red 77833d457f Knights Repels, 9ebb38b949 the central 32fc891b1c figure of 80199c6fc3 today’s event.d52a4059d30e73e2

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Soon, the b247d3c258 inauguration ceremony 469562c414 for the d71fa89d7b 38th commander 62946a77c6 of the 7ff4c80c8f Red Knights d7c0e22091 Repels, Cayenne 13fb4bb85c Madison, would 586ae4e420 begin.
“I’ll head straight to the ceremony hall.”53883879450a232f

Reassured by Jack Carlson’s 68b4bfe999 businesslike response, Miles nodded.31e0c013d4e7768a

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Jack’s urgency 80c711e9dd had less 13613bd24f to do c2eaf5c48d with needing 2a9a259318 to take 7785577db4 care of 23a07720d3 something and 413769678c more with d964f5d8ee the ordeal 77e63dd9ed of staying b9251cd998 in the e043fe6705 waiting room. His plan c393269bc4 was simple—pass 873a5726ee the time bf2a68e820 until just 86bf80b971 before the 20d4833c22 ceremony and 7b87ae4a3f head straight 4ee94c9938 to the fd0a11730b ceremony hall.fd430ff07ac93bed

It wasn’t 90f00f3af1 a lie.ce244f753610792d

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“Alright, make sure you’re not late.”d9a98f0fb4cb0c98

Jack took a step 405690028d back and bowed his 3091d22c0d head deeply.abbcebcb67cd7ed9

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Miles smiled contentedly 92498c6ba5 and patted Jack’s 970d207228 shoulder. Although Jack Carlson 9ebe5afd60 was one of 269a6bc684 the tallest in 080ec76c40 the knight order, 560b4cd55e he was no 69244dde9c match for Miles’ e66c3298e1 bandit-like physique. The weight of the cb497dfdf9 thick hand landing on 69060d88f9 his shoulder was unmistakable.2a8ac183431cd54f

Jack remained in his faf5b9a1d2 bowing posture, unmoving, as 78bc547608 Miles passed by him c32d03717e toward the waiting room.b3b509d27a8c64da

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“So, is everyone ready?”8ed5471069a1dd7d

Without knocking, Miles 71478d699b swung open the a4255c134f waiting room door, 0516ae8e02 and his booming a4a522345b voice echoed down 268038e0e5 the hallway.ce62797768b8db36

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Jack walked 8b87b36f28 briskly away, 77348722f6 leaving the 55d62aa5e6 piercing voice 41657ff840 behind.d5d5cd839630d3d8

What perfect timing. Jack thought as 2995517fec he glanced at cfdf92cebf the now noisy 155ec7ec51 waiting room. If he had been 9181c7930f even a little later, af4181d8bd Miles would have dragged 7cbf72d410 him away without a c7a20a413b chance to escape.95fa8ce6ef452409

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Having already seen 2e39d84dbe what he needed b2a6ee0b61 to, he could a44fac033a now pass the 1bf025be08 time leisurely and f24c781586 head straight to 8d2ae7588a the ceremony hall 4110e69bf2 when the moment df6c21308f arrived—ensuring a peaceful 3af9a6a77e end to the bbdc6393eb inauguration.2320af33b2c8571a

Maybe I should ec3b6f47bf roll a cigarette 03f036e777 and smoke it 106aba8cdb in the meantime.a36b77861c3c7ade

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He had been ad8a0eab56 walking down the 4ced7cbad2 hallway for a b401a4e5f3 while, but there fc792304e0 seemed to be 1ccbd15567 unusually few people—probably 9ce46bce2e because everyone had 3bcdb37fd7 gathered for the 3d8992bbed inauguration.1215b782ce330397

It also 2d02bdf6ea meant the 9f1a3e4e5c ceremony was 27c725b484 close, but 1c19c2e6aa Jack didn’t 4d2b031d49 hurry. Even after everyone f54e03c529 had assembled, it 9f14489a70 was common for 6f4a4db5f1 the main event b896255aa8 to be delayed b080b7b5d4 while waiting for dee2753360 high-ranking officials. No, it wasn’t just 9bf5ee5547 common—it happened almost every 07699c2af5 time.206c25e9470352b2

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Even if he missed 605f667d26 the timing and arrived 3c9df1932f late, someone like Jack 441a49ede2 Carlson, who held no 813767a6ac significant position in the e964fb74ab knight order, would only e042fd854b have to endure a 8081c31841 scolding from Deputy Commander deae6a0c9d Miles.7b116ba06eccde2a

Not being in a position of responsibility had its advantages. So Jack Carlson leisurely searched for a secluded spot where he wouldn’t be noticed. Then, he suddenly heard a small sound.2b4e1838f7bb01c4

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“…damn…”282b9e14de4d75d5

There was aa6c7a4de3 no one.7ef5923939fae688

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…Did I hear 76570e69af wrong?Jack tilted his ab86d0d593 head. The sound 9bd8b1e368 had been 5a3b0fd4cc so faint 7ba777e112 it could 178bea0e74 have been 0eb1a1b3f9 a mistake, 647a048539 and he 324cf9b7ba neither heard 2cf7141a47 anything else 8fd8ed9b37 nor sensed 03590c067e any presence.ebcedb598cb77396

Finding it 83e0e74ff9 strange, Jack 1dfd322ddc was about 970c8a63a3 to move 84f31bfcd1 again—when he 37410868e9 caught a c54d6e5966 scent.2bae469edf838397

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A sharp cigarette eb8d16e159 smell. And that wasn’t all. Amidst the acrid, burnt 547bbf1bd2 odor, there was something c7c27b32c5 else. A sweet fab0e1707a scent, not 7da0e6b68c completely concealed, 4e3d0f5de8 mingling in b889579a08 an odd bcc7753f60 way.e72cf26ff3b69da9

Jack frowned deeply. That sweetness a1c96f76d2 was pleasant 70e5effe6d on its 6eea37b425 own, but 7915e64709 the place e103c1d00e was wrong.a44bb99fb14dfd25

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In the Imperial da2e5073fb Castle—especially in the 225d0bdaae Northern Fortress, where 76f0e0c5fb the knight order 5e388374f3 was stationed—it was 8fa3cf1f50 a scent that 2c2149e242 should never be 31556c4cae present.888be9c4ecedef71

Following the 6357f0b87e direction of 8a63741fb7 the scent de872deb82 tickling his 7cb4473c1a nose, he a5939bbd97 arrived at 9d2e45a0ac a room 9b6e909e78 in the 2e351dc7da corner of dfcb6525dc the hallway. The door was slightly a66f33896b ajar.f48d469358ecabbd

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Painted in a accf59ee6a plain color similar 47cd2a95cd to the wall, 93a84705cf without any luxurious 3d5c5af02e decorations, it was fdb666dd2a not a door 090da03f94 meant for those c2c777ef60 of high rank 12e3aaa867 residing in the b2f8010892 castle. It seemed to be b50ff09286 a break room for 2a2a3fa1d4 the staff. Even Jack Carlson, 3176fdc741 who had worked 71478f1736 at the Imperial 7eac1534ec Castle for years, cea1025bc1 hadn’t known it c81cbfc8dc was there.03eca6b908b4d4c5

“Who’s there?”82135f4fc671bc45

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Though mingled with the e7d5626ccf cigarette smoke, there was 9c22306dd0 no mistaking it—an Omega’s 59b6902062 pheromones, thick with the fb4e171be8 unmistakable allure of heat. Such a fa433c676a scent wasn’t e32e6e6e02 threatening, but f9e833e3fc Jack Carlson ffc330e56a instinctively placed 7d6f91095b a hand 291e122f96 on the a11865a8d7 sword belt fac88ead36 at his dd73e8d6ee left hip.81e9835b16b79ccf

“Is anyone there?”ee3b59387ee7c700

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Jack carefully pushed the aea03677ca door open. As the gap 217ef664b5 widened, the scent 412aa2be57 he had dismissed f2d9c25244 as a mistake 07469d71a6 became overpowering.9a4bddf95bf70bc3

It was strange. Cigarette smoke 8e66a660f3 and pheromones, 97d6e980d8 intertwined grotesquely, 27bfa5cf4a forming a c0da0532ca mix so 8462fa4e04 extreme that fc5fb8e331 it made 837480af0d his head 287e92144c spin.d8a7638620259413

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For a brief 747fcb7c25 moment, his mind 83868e415a went blank—like being 72fe755adf struck by an c12e0805e6 invisible force. Jack furrowed aa7babab06 his brow, 5055bfc04b struggling to 4a43498ccc hold onto b9bb882c3e his scattering 9e957967b8 consciousness.9938b1c6492144c9

“…Get lost.”1325cd943735ab9e

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Amidst the overwhelming dc31e9afcd stimuli, a burning e3949db56f voice slipped through. Even that 13b896d80a voice was 6bb6355b91 drenched, causing ab64dee336 Jack to 037ca72290 halt his 8fe86c88c5 cautious steps 41bf29ea87 unconsciously.5a3f24ab8ed44ed6

As he pushed 2d31c3d8ce the door open, 9463d10478 the luminescent stones cc137559b8 embedded in the 63ea7e9b6f walls flickered to a7da588b18 life. Beyond the doorway, the b47a05fcb8 deep darkness gave way 0f414065b2 to a storage room—likely 0a487dec01 used for cleaning supplies ba8bd83a45 and staff belongings. Unlike the dust-free, polished 0d9e180900 corridor, the space inside b49519a980 was cluttered, as if 8a88ac1dc8 it belonged to an 5933f9368f entirely different world.446b5fef0775f481

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Jack instinctively 82d6bbd346 raised a 7e1ccf3f15 hand to 927451ed2d cover his 6e054d4098 nose as f7627c7f39 the scent f4397123bd thickened—acrid and de1f25bb04 seductive, coiling 08b07e2093 around him 9832e99c46 like an 66df2444a9 unseen force. The air inside was 55b6068fa9 so murky that his 411f04ebca vision blurred for a c7c9768b9c moment.638aa502f22b8973

The heated scent was 2586d7198a especially difficult to endure. It clung stickily d491088fb3 to his thin 1d794b0ca9 veil of reason, 8dce1bb513 like mucus suffocating 6f5937b5b7 his restraint. The selfish 706b43d890 instinct behind 24ca2be9bc it—stripping away 3e8e930b6f the opponent’s b27bdb2eaf self-control and 49093ec1bb exploiting it 83723d8ea0 for physiological 220176a2c0 desires—was blatant. And it was strong.0bd669ce1ebb6407

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An Omega. And not just any d8466647fa Omega—a dominant one.dd97ddbdf81924b2

With a b8617ac29d deep furrow ec59642c5b in his efed97b182 brow, Jack’s e209a38e67 gaze locked 141702d3fe onto something 910f055208 swaying in d575c3c74f the depths ac855b2be6 of the 45739e2248 storage room.25da6dfc457d08e1

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“…Why…”920152d78a3767e8

Why is there an 3f069898ee Omega in a place 59a7ce8263 like this? Jack was about to 8b409faea3 ask, but the movement 609e2d506d of the black figure 7f58c19882 he had glimpsed was 1e8a20484b a step faster.4aa9f9a516596a8a

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The moment Jack’s 05246e71de eyes widened in be22e7fd0d realization, his hand 2a4430478f instinctively gripped his 37f2797e7f sword—05b078c6ad15f41e

Bang!52f9d659346b5c8c

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With a c07cdc5e52 loud noise, a84315c656 the storage 9e5a11a040 room door ede9004922 slammed shut b017ab4c29 behind him.6d225356dcc18ec4

“Didn’t you hear me 7fbbed39f0 say get lost?”f0bcb45251e2b859

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Jack involuntarily took a5a65f1039 a deep breath. The air c4b2c061c9 he had 723090461e dragged deep ce18cd0bea into his 85b332e3ab lungs refused 3e9bc99683 to be e63d2f0fd0 exhaled. His body froze—his grip 9ecbc49b69 on the hilt of 8db9064bf4 his sword stopping halfway.eecb425bdcce4f11

In the narrow space, d4cc51a429 the Omega—presumably—had closed the f0fc3ee3fa distance between them in 0401d5a39f an instant.96432b34e65f15c1

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A cigarette 168ed3dcc2 hung at 87295a16c3 an angle d56b5ee25e between red 9a4bb0cad2 lips.b5827f760a700c55

A long 4a3310ed86 leg brushed 9078d4f595 past Jack’s 288babfa3e side, sealing 6218f0e2f9 the door ef79117f6a shut.803f83bd08c51e10

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A confined, 4aadfb4464 enclosed space. Smoky cigarette 91f51cded4 haze swirling bed69787ae in the 027e41a3a7 air.94bd8ff14b202f1c

Heat-laced Omega pheromones thick 946f3c5fd8 enough to suffocate.4fcd3231a3301c65

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And right in 4bd0c769e5 front of him—a 2eb86d17be pale, ethereal face.5f79186a9fe2a9cb