The eastern border region of the Heiner Empire.

The imperial army, the collective military force of the Heiner Empire, was divided into branches stationed in the east, west, south, and north, with the largest concentration of troops located at the central headquarters in the capital. At the eastern branch, soldiers were diligently standing guard at the border as usual.

Not long ago, the tension from the war with the Kingdom of Mambern had been palpable, but now that the likelihood of renewed conflict had significantly diminished, things had relaxed somewhat.

“Good work!”

“Oh, you’re here. Switching shifts?”

“Yes!”

A junior soldier, stiff with military discipline, prepared to take over the guard duty.

“Wait, are you the one on shift today? Wasn’t it supposed to be Kane?”

The mid-level soldier, removing his gear and passing it to the junior, tilted his head in confusion. He recalled that today’s roster didn’t include a junior soldier. Typically, during wartime, it was recommended that mid-level soldiers or higher handle border patrols.

“Oh, Kane was removed from the guard roster this week. That’s why I’m here instead.”

It seemed that with the war no longer ongoing, the rotations were being relaxed to include junior soldiers.

“Ah, right. That incident, huh? Kane got into trouble during his leave for picking a fight with a civilian.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Seriously, it wasn’t even his fault, but because he’s a soldier, we end up taking all the blame. Be careful out there. These days, some civilians are ridiculously sensitive and don’t hesitate to provoke soldiers. If you get caught up in something and word gets back, it’ll be a nightmare.”

“I’ll be cautious!”

The junior soldier saluted sharply, his tension palpable. Finding the rookie endearing, the mid-level soldier handed him a cookie he had secretly hidden in his pocket.

“Well, take care.”

“Thank you.”

The junior soldier, now alone, stared at the cookie with a mixture of hunger and delight. Once he confirmed his superior was out of sight, he eagerly unwrapped it and stuffed the sweet treat into his mouth. Midnight snacks always tasted the best. Worried about being caught, he quickly ate the whole thing in one go.

But perhaps he was too hasty. A sudden blockage in his throat had him pounding on his chest.

Jing—

At that moment, the magical detection orb in the center of the guard zone flickered briefly.

“Phew, thought I was going to die. Huh?”

Having finally caught his breath, the soldier turned his head, sensing something unusual. But when he looked, the orb was already still, glowing faintly in its dormant state.

***

"Philip, here’s next month’s guard roster for the supply depot. Send it to the administrative unit."

"Yes, sir!"

Theo had been up early, attending to administrative duties in his office. Usually, captains like him would draft rosters and send them to the administrative unit, where the staff would finalize the details and compile the master list.

The 1st to 9th Divisions, along with the Detached Force, led by figures like Luke and Theo, were collectively referred to as the "Operational Units." Meanwhile, the Administrative Unit handled military paperwork. This unit was considered less dangerous than the operational forces, and it often became a refuge for soldiers who found active service unsuitable or who had been injured and could no longer serve on the front lines.

"By the way, Captain, I heard you caught a thief at the plaza yesterday," Philip remarked.

"That’s correct."

"The person who got their belongings stolen must be really lucky. Imagine having you there at just the right time."

The members of the 1st Division admired Theo deeply, to the point where soldiers from other divisions teased them, calling them Theo’s fan club.

"There are always guards patrolling the streets. Even if I hadn’t been there, the thief would have been caught."

Philip grinned broadly, seemingly delighted by Theo’s modesty.

"But, what were you doing at Rudrain Plaza yesterday, Captain?"

As Theo’s self-proclaimed fan, Philip was well aware that Theo didn’t enjoy outings. The fact that Theo had gone to the plaza and caught a pickpocket was less surprising to Philip than the fact that Theo had stepped outside at all.

"Oh, that."

Theo put down his pen and drifted into thought. Yesterday, he’d accompanied Luke to the plaza as part of his monitoring duty. While he hadn’t been enthusiastic about going out, he had boldly assured Veil that he would keep a close watch, so he couldn’t exactly back out. In the end, Theo had followed Luke and spent the day with him.

"Captain…?" Philip’s voice brought Theo back to the present.

"Ah, sorry."

Theo lowered his gaze again. "I was accompanying Captain Luke as his monitor, that’s all."

"Ah, I see. That makes sense."

It was no secret in the army that Theo had been assigned to monitor Luke. While the arrangement was highly unconventional, the soldiers mostly saw it as an opportunity for Theo to outshine Luke and crush his pride.

Philip, however, found the situation frustrating. Theo was already busy, and now he had another responsibility on his plate.

"Captain, you really are amazing. You take on tasks that could easily be delegated to subordinates, and you have so much on your plate already. I worry you’ll overwork yourself."

"A soldier doesn’t fall, no matter what. Besides, Philip, do I look like someone who would collapse under pressure?"

Philip laughed awkwardly and shook his head.

"Still, it’s a relief that someone else is replacing you as his monitor."

"…What? Replacing me? What are you talking about?"

Theo’s pen paused mid-air.

"Oh? Captain, didn’t you hear?"

Philip scratched the back of his head, clearly surprised by Theo’s reaction.

"The administrative unit has decided to assign someone else to monitor Captain Luke."

"Why?"

"Well, I only heard bits and pieces, but apparently Captain Luke went to the Commander-in-Chief personally and asked for the change. He requested that his monitor be reassigned."

The color in Theo’s eyes seemed to dim, and his grip on the pen tightened slightly.

"Did he give a reason?"

"Not in detail, but from what I heard, Captain Luke said it wasn’t appropriate for a fellow captain, especially someone of the same rank from the operational units, to act as his monitor."

Theo fell silent, his thoughts churning. Knowing Luke’s personality, it wasn’t surprising that he would make such a request. Luke was prideful, and having Theo monitor him might have felt like an affront. But if he truly hated the arrangement, why hadn’t he said something sooner? When Theo had first informed him of his monitoring duty, Luke had looked displeased but had ultimately accepted it without much resistance.

"I see. You can leave now."

"Yes, sir!"

Philip saluted and left the room, leaving Theo alone with his thoughts.

Well, it wasn’t worth overthinking. Having one less responsibility was a good thing for him, after all. Luke’s whims weren’t new, and it wasn’t as if this decision had been thoroughly thought out on Theo’s part either. Still, something about it didn’t sit right with him.

"…"

After a moment of contemplation, Theo put down his pen and abruptly stood up from his desk.

***

"So," Luke said, narrowing his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the man sitting across from him.

"You're my new monitor?"

"Yes, sir!" Fale responded stiffly, his posture radiating military discipline.

Luke let out a small sigh. He had expected someone from the administrative unit after arguing that it wasn’t appropriate for an operational unit member to act as his monitor, but he hadn’t anticipated that it would be Fale.

"What the hell is the upper command thinking, sticking you with me?"

"Actually, no one in the administrative unit wanted to take the assignment… so I volunteered."

Of course. Luke didn’t even need to hear the details to know how it had gone down. No one wanted the tedious job of monitoring a captain with a less-than-stellar reputation, so they’d all avoided it until it landed on the one guy who’d volunteered.

"If you transferred to the administrative unit, shouldn’t you be trying to settle into your work there instead of jumping into pointless tasks like this?"

Luke grumbled, clearly annoyed. Fale, however, seemed resolute. Ever since that incident—or more specifically, after receiving the reward money Luke had given him—Fale had made a major decision. He had left the Detached Force and applied for a transfer to the administrative unit. With the combined reward money, including Luke’s share, he had been able to secure stable medical care for his ailing mother, who was now showing signs of improvement.

"I just… wanted to repay you, sir."

"What?" Luke’s brow furrowed slightly.

"I wanted to repay you for what you did."

Luke’s eyes widened briefly.

"Captain, go wherever you want or do whatever you’d like. From now on, consider me deaf and blind," Fale said in a hushed voice, as if sharing a secret.

Luke couldn’t help but chuckle at Fale’s earnestness. "So what you’re saying is—"

"Captain Luke."

The sudden voice interrupted him. Turning toward it, Luke saw Theo stepping into the room uninvited, placing himself firmly between the two.

"Oh, good morning, Captain," Fale greeted, hurriedly standing and saluting.

"Morning," Theo replied curtly.

Luke glared at Theo, his brow furrowed deeply. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, but could you give us a moment?" Theo asked, directing his comment to Fale.

"Uh… yes, of course!" Fale quickly scurried out of the room, leaving Luke to silently curse his monitor’s complete lack of awareness.

"Theo," Luke began, his voice laced with irritation. "Why did you request a new monitor?"

"You came all this way just to ask that?"

"Answer me."

Luke couldn’t believe Theo was this upset. Was it because his role had been reassigned without his approval? Was he truly offended?

"Then let me ask you this: why were you so eager to stay on as my monitor?" Luke shot back.

"What?"

"You were keeping tabs on me to hold me in check, weren’t you? That’s why I did the same thing."

Luke shrugged nonchalantly, his expression unreadable. "Who in their right mind would want their rival as their monitor? Sure, you’re probably enjoying the fact that I’m suspended, but let me be clear, Theo—I’m not giving up on the position of Commander-in-Chief."

For the first time, a crack appeared in Theo’s composed expression. His brow twitched, his frown deepening as Luke brushed past him without another word.

"Luke…" Theo called out, reaching out a hand.

But before he could finish, the notification crystals installed throughout the headquarters lit up, accompanied by a sharp, resonating alarm. Both Theo and Luke’s expressions changed in an instant, their military instincts kicking in.

"Red…?"

The crystal embedded in the dormitory wall glowed a deep crimson. That color could mean only one thing.

An invasion. The signal for the outbreak of war.