The soldier who ran to find Luke from afar was gasping for breath. Was the meeting already underway?

No, that couldn’t be. Meetings always started at a set time, and Luke was usually the first to arrive, reviewing the materials to be discussed that day even before the other commanders showed up.

The soldier calling for Luke looked both urgent and troubled. Rather than asking questions on the spot, it seemed better to just follow for now.

“…Let’s go.”

Luke took the lead. A bad feeling gnawed at him. Ever since he had transmigrated, he had always been followed by unpleasant gazes and rumors, but this time, it felt different. Without hesitation, Luke quickly entered the headquarters building.

Under normal circumstances, the commanders’ meetings were held in the conference room on the third floor of the headquarters. There were two main types of meetings held at the headquarters. One was a regular meeting attended only by the unit commanders, and the other was a large-scale meeting convened once a month by the Commander-in-Chief. Typically, the ideas and proposals presented during the regular meetings were consolidated and submitted to the Commander-in-Chief, after which Vail would review them before they were addressed in the large meeting.

Luke ascended the stairs without delay and stopped in front of the conference room door. The uneasy sensation crept up from his feet and wrapped around his entire body. Taking a deep breath, Luke opened the door.

“…”

Inside, every gaze immediately turned to Luke. There were ten seats in total, and every single one was occupied—except for his.

“…Was the meeting time changed?”

He had come early, but seeing all the commanders already assembled like this clearly screamed, "Something’s going on."

“Take a seat, Captain Luke,” a voice came from one side.

Luke stepped into the room and sat in his designated seat, which was the first on the right-hand side, directly across from Theo.

“…Let’s begin the meeting,” Theo said, shifting his gaze from Luke to the documents before him. The atmosphere in the room was tense. Meetings were usually led by Theo, the commander of the 1st Division.

“Wait a moment, Commander Theo. Let’s skip the preamble and get straight to the point,” interrupted Myles Kailas, the commander of the 3rd Division.

“Captain Luke, the meeting time hasn’t changed today. We’ve gathered earlier than planned because of an incident within the military,” Myles said bluntly.

“An incident? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

“Of course not. None of us heard about it until the early hours of this morning,” Myles replied with a scoff, pushing a file to the center of the table and gesturing for Luke to take it.

The document, titled Military Equipment and Weapons Management Log, was one Luke was very familiar with. The Imperial Army managed a wide variety of equipment and weapons, from basic swords and arrows to specialized munitions like gunpowder.

Of particular importance were magical tools crafted from processed mana stones, referred to as magi-tools. These included weapons imbued with mana, portable teleportation circles, and communication devices capable of transmitting messages over great distances. The inventory of such items was meticulously managed.

To ensure proper oversight, each unit alternated assigning members to inventory checks, verifying that the recorded quantities matched the actual stock. The guards stationed at storage facilities also played a key role in this process.

Luke opened the log and scanned its contents. Rows of weapon and supply lists were meticulously recorded, with the quantities checked daily. However, there was something odd: certain dates were marked in red.

“Do those marked dates mean nothing to you?” Myles asked, his tone mocking.

“No idea,” Luke replied flatly.

“Your audacity knows no bounds,” remarked Seth Yulin, the commander of the 5th Division, chiming in for the first time.

“The dates in question happen to coincide with the days your Detached Force members were on guard duty,” Seth added.

“And what of it? Are you saying that standing guard is a crime now?” Luke retorted, closing the log with a calm demeanor. He was starting to understand the source of his earlier unease.

“Standing guard isn’t the issue,” said Winnie Peridlin, the usually quiet commander of the 4th Division, speaking up.

“But it’s peculiar that discrepancies in inventory only occur on days when your Detached Force is on duty. How do you explain that?” Winnie asked.

“Did someone fail to count properly?” Luke replied, recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier that morning—his subordinates bustling near the storage area, murmuring about inventory lists. It seemed likely this was the issue.

“The counts were verified multiple times,” Theo said in a steady voice, his piercing gaze fixed on Luke.

“The items in question are communication magi-tools. Signs of tampering were found in the inventory records on days when your unit was on duty. Do you have anything to say, Captain Luke?”

Luke surveyed the room. Every commander’s eyes were on him, casting him as the obvious villain in this scenario.

“So, what you’re saying is that I ordered my subordinates to steal military supplies?” Luke said with a dry laugh.

“It’s not unheard of,” Theo replied. “In the past, weapons and supplies from the military have been smuggled to foreign nations for profit.”

Theo’s words were true. The Heiner Empire, with its advanced magical sciences, was a powerful force on the continent. Its high-quality mana stones and expertly crafted magi-tools made it a target for smugglers, sometimes even involving insiders within the military.

“And yet, the missing items are mere communication magi-tools,” Luke said, smirking. “If I were working as a spy, wouldn’t I aim for something more impressive?”

“I don’t believe you’re a spy, Captain Luke,” Theo said. “But what if you were passing these tools to certain nobles? Wouldn’t that be plausible?”

Luke locked eyes with Theo. Around them, the tension was palpable. Even the other commanders, eager to jump in, seemed hesitant to interrupt.

“The communication magi-tools used by the military are far superior to civilian versions. They’re durable, efficient, and contain higher mana reserves,” Theo continued.

“So, you’re accusing me of trying to curry favor with nobles by smuggling these tools?” Luke asked with a sneer.

“…You’ve always been ambitious,” Theo replied, his tone sharp.

Luke inwardly sighed. The irony was almost laughable—his supposed ambition was entirely geared toward securing Theo’s rise to power.

“Do you have any proof?” Luke asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

“The dates in the log align with your unit’s duty schedule,” Theo countered, his flawless composure faltering slightly.

“Proof, you say?” Myles interjected, slamming the table as he rose from his seat. “Captain Luke, you’ll regret asking that.”

What now? Luke narrowed his eyes, watching Myles with irritation.

“Bring them in!” Myles barked toward the door.

The door opened slowly, and someone stepped inside.

And what Luke saw was something he hadn’t anticipated at all.