NoveLight ™
Twellin’s 15th District Guard Station.
Throughout the Empire, security posts were set up to maintain order and handle citizens’ complaints. Typically, the guards stationed at these posts dealt with petty crimes like pickpocketing or civil disputes.
“And why exactly am I here again?”
It was the first time in his life that Luke had been detained at a guard station.
“I’ve told you already! Headmiller Shipping filed a complaint against you. They claim you destroyed one of their ships.”
Luke was stunned into silence. Strictly speaking, the ship wasn’t destroyed. It had been collateral damage in the process of defeating a monster. Sure, maybe he had gotten a little carried away, trusting in the ship’s quality, but no one got hurt in the end. What was a measly ship compared to that?
“Damn capitalism.”
“What was that?”
“I’m saying, as I’ve told you multiple times, the damage was unavoidable because I was fighting the monster. There were plenty of witnesses who saw me kill it, weren’t there?”
The guard hesitated at that, coughing awkwardly.
“If that can be verified, you’ll be released.”
“Then please hurry and verify it.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the authority to handle monster incidents.”
Luke stiffened instinctively.
“You probably don’t know this, but all monster-related incidents are automatically transferred to the Imperial Army.”
Of course he knew that. He knew it painfully well. How had he forgotten? In the Empire, the military held jurisdiction over all monster-related matters. Even independent mages could fight monsters, but legally speaking, all authority still belonged to the Imperial Army.
It was a glaring misstep on his part. The reward for killing the monster also came from the military. He had completely overlooked this fact in his greed. It was even more shocking than the time he realized he hadn’t managed to leave the capital yet.
“The military will be here soon. If your claim holds, you’ll get the reward, and the complaint will be dropped. In the meantime, fill this out.”
Luke swallowed hard as he read the form placed before him.
“Wait, are you serious? The military is really on their way? From where?”
“From where else? Did you forget this is the capital? They’re coming straight from Imperial Army Headquarters.”
“Damn it.”
Luke ran his hands through his hair with a groan, startling the guard.
“Actually, I didn’t kill the monster. I was bluffing. Got scared after hearing about the report.”
“What are you talking about? Most of the witnesses said a silver-haired man killed the monster.”
“Come on, am I the only silver-haired person in the Empire? There must have been—”
“There was only one silver-haired passenger on that ship: you.”
“...I’m actually a woman.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and just fill out the form.”
Luke bit his lip, cursing under his breath. The guard was starting to look at him suspiciously. Earlier, he had been full of righteous indignation, bragging about how he’d saved innocent lives, but now he was backpedaling. It was all very suspicious.
“They say beautiful people can’t be normal… Guess it’s true.”
The guard shook his head as Luke continued his one-man act.
“The Imperial Army personnel just arrived!”
Luke’s jaw dropped. The guard left the room, muttering for Luke to finish writing as he went to greet the military.
“...I’m screwed.”
How had it come to this? He had left the military just days ago, determined never to look back. He was supposed to be on his way to a peaceful, new life. Then a monster got in his way, and now his insufferable former coworkers were about to show up.
There was no way they wouldn’t recognize him. Luke’s retirement had already spread across the entire Imperial Army. To be seen like this—detained in some district guard station—was humiliating beyond words. All he’d done was kill a monster and save some citizens. How had it gotten this complicated?
Luke jumped up and approached the window. Pulling back the curtain, he had a clear view of the guard station’s front gate. The guards who had gone to greet the military looked unusually stiff. The tension in the air was so palpable that Luke could feel it from here.
“What’s with them?”
It didn’t take long for Luke to figure it out. Leading the group of soldiers, surrounded by a handful of men, was none other than the Imperial Army Commander-in-Chief—Theo Ledric.
“...Huh?”
For a moment, Luke thought he must be seeing things. Had he been so fixated on the novel’s ending that he was now hallucinating Theo? But the frozen guards, the sharp presence, and that painfully handsome face—all of it told him this was real.
“What the hell is he doing here? Why is the Commander-in-Chief dealing with this personally? At most, they should’ve sent a mid-level officer!”
Luke gripped his hair again, grimacing. If this kept up, he really was going to go bald.
“Wait, this isn’t the time for that.”
This wasn’t the moment to wonder why Theo was here. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he and Theo came face-to-face. One was the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, and the other was the “criminal” who broke a ship and claimed to have killed a monster.
“That’d be so embarrassing I might actually die…”
Luke had already exited the stage. He had given Theo the ending he deserved as the protagonist and had no reason to get involved with him again.
Luke peeked around the hallway corner just in time to see Theo entering the building. Without wasting another moment, Luke grabbed his backpack from under the desk and threw on his robe. It was still damp from the earlier fight with the monster, but it would have to do.
There was no way he would face Theo like this. His only option was to escape. The witnesses’ testimonies would confirm he killed the monster, so the complaint would likely be dropped.
“Time to run.”
Luke slipped out of the room. The building was large for a district guard station, which meant there was bound to be a back door somewhere.
“Ah, Commander, we weren’t expecting you…”
“My apologies for the lack of notice.”
“Not at all!”
Hearing Theo’s voice nearby, Luke reacted instantly, ducking into a side corridor. Peeking out cautiously, he saw Theo talking to the guards with his usual calm, impassive expression.
Overly diligent as always.
Luke smirked faintly. He waited until Theo and the guards moved toward the room he’d just left before sneaking down the corridor. Following the faint breeze of fresh air, he soon found the back door.
Once outside, Luke paused to scan his surroundings. Pulling his hood low, he spotted a few guards patrolling near the perimeter. They’d probably notice soon that he was missing, so the front gate was out of the question.
“I’ll have to jump the wall.”
The guard station was heavily fortified, with tall walls surrounding the premises. Still, they weren’t insurmountable. Years of leading the Detached Force had honed Luke’s agility, and he prepared to scale the wall when—
“You there.”
A familiar voice froze him in his tracks.
“You don’t look like a guard. Who are you?”
Luke couldn’t turn around. He tugged his hood down even further, desperately hoping Theo wouldn’t recognize him.
***
Theo received the monster report from the 2nd Division’s sentry only a few hours prior.
“A mid-tier monster near the southern coast of the capital?”
“Yes, sir! The Situation Room detected energy consistent with a mid-tier monster, and unfortunately, it appeared near one of the regular shipping routes. There’s currently a passenger ship at risk of being stranded!”
Shipping routes were carefully established over many years, based on research and experience, to avoid monster habitats. It was rare for a monster to appear in such areas, especially one of this magnitude. Clearly, something was amiss.
Recognizing the severity of the situation, Theo immediately channeled his mana into the Empire’s military communication crystal to issue orders. His recipient: the 5th Division.
“Seth, organize your unit immediately and head for the southern coast. Protect the civilians at all costs.”
But not long after issuing the command, Sion came bearing unexpected news.
“The monster has been eliminated?”
“Yes. By the time the 5th Division arrived, the monster had already been dealt with. It seems there was a mage or someone capable of using mana aboard the ship.”
That was sheer luck. Even though the 5th Division had been deployed quickly, it was a relief that someone capable had been on the scene.
“Once the person responsible for defeating the monster contacts us for the reward, make sure to get a detailed account of the situation. Monsters appearing on shipping routes is an extremely rare occurrence.”
“Ah, well… About that… The individual in question has apparently been detained by the local guards. The station just sent word.”
“Detained? For what reason?”
Sion scratched his head awkwardly.
“It seems their methods for eliminating the monster were… a bit extreme. The ship was completely destroyed, rendering it unusable.”
“The shipping company filed a complaint, then.”
“Yes,” Sion confirmed with a nod. Typical. Even though a mid-tier monster had been eliminated and countless lives saved, the company was more focused on its financial losses than on the fact that no one had been harmed. Gratitude was clearly too much to expect.
“Dispatch the 1st Division to the guard station. Protect the individual who defeated the monster and gather information on the situation.”
“Ah, Commander… The 1st Division is currently engaged with another monster subjugation operation.”
“They still haven’t returned? I sent them out earlier.”
“Well, without the Detached Force, operations are taking a bit longer than usual…”
The Detached Force had always been a critical unit in the Imperial Army. On foreign battlefields, their unmatched mobility allowed them to strike at key enemy positions, disrupting strategies. In monster-related incidents, they were the first to arrive and launch preemptive strikes, minimizing casualties and controlling the battlefield.
With that force now gone, operations had inevitably slowed, and the army was struggling to adapt.
“…I see.”
Theo’s expression hardened slightly. This wasn’t a matter for junior officers. At the very least, someone senior needed to handle it. After a brief moment of contemplation, Theo reached his decision.
“Then I’ll go myself.”
“Pardon?” Sion blinked, startled.
“I happen to have finished my work early today, so I have some free time.”
That’s only because you’re absurdly efficient at handling paperwork, Sion thought, though he wisely kept it to himself. By now, he’d accepted that their young, determined Commander-in-Chief was unstoppable when he set his mind to something.
“I could use some fresh air anyway.”
There were countless other officers who could have been sent in place of Theo. But his reasoning was as simple—and stubborn—as always.
“…Understood,” Sion said, resigned. There was no stopping him now.