There had been no chance for Theo to speak with Luke since the war in the eastern regions of Mambern. Not that it was unusual—they had always maintained a certain distance in their relationship.

Yet, when Philip returned from leave with a box of desserts, it triggered a memory of the time he and Luke had visited the square together. And then there was that unfamiliar smile he’d seen on Luke’s face during the last meeting. That expression, so rare and out of place, lingered in Theo’s mind like a fishbone stuck in his throat, refusing to go away and resurfacing whenever he thought he’d forgotten it.

“Leo, Luke’s house is…” Theo murmured, almost entranced, before the thought was abruptly interrupted.

The communication crystal in the Commander’s office began to glow blue and emit a resonant hum. In the Empire’s emergency system, red signaled an invasion or declaration of war, while blue indicated the appearance of wild monsters.

“Commander!”

A soldier from the 2nd Division burst into the office to deliver an urgent report. He hesitated for a moment upon seeing Leo there, but quickly composed himself and saluted.

“Monsters have been spotted near the outskirts of the Twellin Mountains, estimated at intermediate-level or higher.”

The appearance of monsters so close to the capital was a critical and urgent matter. Twellin, as the Empire’s capital, was home to the largest population center. If the monsters descended into the city, the potential loss of life could be catastrophic.

“Awaiting your orders, sir!”

In such situations, the standard procedure was to deploy a rapid-response unit to contain the threat before it escalated into a disaster.

“Dispatch the Detached Fo—” Theo’s voice faltered mid-sentence. Both Sion and Leo turned their gazes toward him.

The Detached Force, known for its mobility and combat capabilities, was the obvious choice for such emergencies. But Luke, who had led the unit, was no longer their captain.

“…Never mind. I’ll go myself.”

“What?”

Theo strapped on the sword resting at his side. The reporting soldier’s eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively glanced at Leo for support. But Leo, equally taken aback, offered no help. He was as bewildered as the soldier.

“Commander, let my unit handle this instead. There’s no need for you to go personally…” Leo stepped forward with an awkward smile, blocking Theo’s path. It wasn’t as though they were dealing with high-ranking monsters; a small squad led by a capable captain would be more than enough. But Theo continued moving without hesitation.

“Sion.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Handle the remaining tasks while I’m gone. And Leo, I want you to find out more about the administrative officer who processed Luke’s retirement application. We’ll discuss it when I return.”

“Wait… Commander, are you really planning to go yourself?”

This was an issue that could be resolved by a captain and a small team of soldiers. But Theo, normally composed and calculating, was acting uncharacteristically. His voice and expression were calm, as usual, but something about his eyes was different. There was a simmering anger, a quiet yet unmistakable intensity that burned beneath the surface.

“Yes.”

His unwavering resolve left Leo with no room to argue. Theo strode out of the office with measured steps, leaving those behind him to exchange uneasy glances. Leo let out a short sigh as he watched Theo’s retreating figure.

“There’s something… off about the Commander.”

Sion, equally shaken, finally spoke up in a hesitant voice. “He seemed… angry. But maybe I’m imagining it?”

“…Hard to say.”

Leo’s reply was curt, but it was clear that Sion wasn’t the only one who had noticed. The shift in Theo’s demeanor had been unmistakable from the moment he learned of Luke’s retirement. Something had clearly changed, and it wasn’t just a matter of responsibility.

***

Luke’s departure from the Imperial Army sent shockwaves through its ranks. Despite Fale’s efforts to discreetly process his retirement application, it was impossible to keep it entirely under wraps. As a mid-ranking member of the administrative division, Fale’s actions naturally drew the attention of some higher-ranking personnel, who quickly became aware of the situation.

From there, the rumors spread as expected. Those in the administrative division passed the news to others, and it wasn’t long before the entire army was abuzz. Even if they hadn’t started talking, the truth would have come out eventually.

“He ran away.”

“Ran away?”

“Think about it. He got knocked out of the running for Commander. After everything he did to antagonize Captain Theo—no, Commander Theo—he must have been scared of retaliation and bolted.”

“If that’s the case, it’s pathetic… Maybe he just left out of shame? After all that noise he made and still failing in the end?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

On his way to headquarters, Fale overheard a group of soldiers standing guard gossiping enthusiastically about Luke. It was no surprise; the rumor had already spread far and wide. What was striking, though, was their tone—gleeful and mocking. Even the title "captain" had been replaced with "that guy." Fale found himself thinking that if ordinary citizens ever learned how the Imperial Army truly operated, they would never look at it with the same admiration again.

“What are you doing? The Commander is waiting.”

“S-sorry!”

Fale, momentarily distracted by the gossiping soldiers, quickly resumed his pace after being chastised by Sion.

“Go on in.”

After bowing his head to Sion, Fale turned to face the massive doors. Just standing in front of them sent a chill down his spine. He remembered the nerve-wracking experience of entering the captains’ meeting room during the embezzlement incident, but this was the Commander’s office—a far more intimidating setting. Swallowing hard, he knocked.

“Enter.”

Hearing the voice from inside, Fale cautiously opened the door.

“Good day, Commander. This is Fale, mid-ranked soldier from Administrative Division Two.”

Fale stood at rigid attention, his voice stiff with formality as he saluted with all his might. Theo, who had been reading a document, turned his gaze toward Fale, returned the salute, and gestured to the seat in front of him.

“Sit.”

“Yes, sir.”

Theo stood and moved to sit opposite Fale. Despite having spoken to the Commander only twice before, Fale felt like the very air in the room was pressing down on him. The atmosphere of the office and the overwhelming presence of Theo Redrick were almost suffocating.

“Sorry to pull you away from your duties.”

“N-no, it’s fine!” Fale stammered, unable to fully suppress his nervousness.

“You’ve surprised me.”

“Pardon?”

“When I heard someone from the administrative division had processed Luke’s retirement, I wasn’t sure who it might be. I didn’t expect it to be you. I thought you disliked Luke.”

“Ah…”

Fale swallowed hard, his mind racing. He needed to be careful. Publicly, he was seen as a victim of Luke’s manipulations during the embezzlement incident—a poor subordinate forced to steal supplies under the orders of a cold and ruthless captain. That was the image everyone had of him.

For someone like him to secretly and willingly handle Luke’s retirement paperwork? It was bound to raise eyebrows. Whatever happened, he couldn’t let Theo suspect that he had been repaying a personal debt to Luke or honoring the man in any way.

“Well… I thought it was better for me if he left, so I processed it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Commander. Since Captain Luke was retiring, I figured it was best for everyone involved.”

Theo seemed to find the reasoning plausible enough and nodded slightly.

“Do you know why Luke retired? Especially so suddenly?”

Fale hesitated. He had asked Luke the same question when he visited his house.

"After trying so hard and still failing, I just got fed up. At first, I didn’t care, but what if I lost it and turned the military upside down in some petty revenge? Can’t let that happen, can I?"

Luke had answered so nonchalantly back then, claiming he was stepping away because he couldn’t stand staying after losing to Theo. If Fale hadn’t come to understand Luke better, he might have believed that excuse. After all, it sounded perfectly in line with the selfish, power-hungry image most people had of Luke.

“That… I’m not sure if it’s my place to say, Commander. But Captain Luke mentioned he felt too humiliated to remain in the military after losing his chance at the Commander’s position. He said he couldn’t stand it.”

It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either. Fale chose his words carefully, recounting only what Luke had explicitly said while omitting any suspicions he had about deeper motives.

“…”

Theo didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t nod, didn’t speak—just sat in silence for a moment.

“Do you know Luke’s address?”

“Pardon?”

“When I inquired with the administrative division, they mentioned that Luke didn’t register his private residence as his address.”

It was standard procedure for soldiers living off-base to register their home address, but Luke had always lived in the dormitories since joining the military. It made sense that he hadn’t updated his records with his personal residence. Moreover, once a soldier retired, they were considered a civilian, and military records would no longer track them. Even for the Commander, accessing a retired individual’s personal information wasn’t allowed without due cause.

“Well…”

“If you know it, I’d appreciate it if you shared it.”

Fale hesitated again, his hands clenching tightly in his lap. After a moment of inner conflict, he finally opened his mouth to speak.