The Imperial Army was organized with its headquarters situated in the capital, surrounding the royal palace, and four regional branches distributed across the vast territories of the Empire. This system was established under the principle of ensuring that no part of the Empire, regardless of how remote, lacked access to the Empire's formidable military power.

Captains like Leo and Mile were typically dispatched to oversee and manage these regional branches. Since all four branches were military organizations under the Commander-in-Chief, one of Theo’s responsibilities was to keep a close watch on their activities.

Regular inspections of each branch were scheduled once a year, but the Commander-in-Chief had the discretion to conduct surprise visits at any time. Unlike the capital, where the influence of the royal palace and prestigious noble families was most pronounced, the provinces often experienced corruption fueled by powerful and influential local figures. Among such incidents, there had even been cases where a branch commander colluded with local families, accepting bribes and illegally selling monster carcasses.

“Sion, I plan to visit the western branch for an inspection soon. It would be best to notify Calon in advance.”

“Yes, Commander. Understood.”

Though surprise inspections were intended to uncover such issues, Theo’s purpose this time was not surveillance. His goal was simply to gather information regarding the mysterious mercenary mage.

“What’s this?” Theo asked, his gaze fixed on a box placed on his desk.

“Oh, it’s a gift from the royal palace. It contains tea leaves from the western continent, apparently a rare commodity,” Sion explained.

“From the royal palace?”

“Yes, it was part of a gift from the Welharun delegation that recently visited. The quantity was substantial, so His Majesty wished to share some with you personally.”

Welharun, located on the western border of the Heiner Empire, was another major power that maintained a reasonably amicable relationship with the Empire.

Theo nodded, thinking he should express his gratitude to the royal family later. He gently fingered the elegant silver ribbon wrapped around the luxurious box.

***

"Luke!"

A booming voice called out from outside the greenhouse. Stepping out, Luke found himself face-to-face with Chess, the village head.

“What brings you here?”

“It’s about the Swendy flowers. Do you think I could get them by the end of this week?”

Luke narrowed his eyes, the look on his face suggesting he’d figured something out.

“Is it for your wife’s birthday? Judging by the rush, it seems you might’ve forgotten.”

“Why are young folks like you so sharp?”

Chess flinched, looking at Luke as if he were some kind of ghost.

“Please, I’m counting on you. Your greenhouse is the only place in the village that grows that rare flower.”

The Swendy flower. A luxurious lavender bloom with heart-shaped petals, it was once a popular gift exchanged between lovers and married couples to express affection.

However, times had changed, and the flower had become notoriously difficult to cultivate. Swendy flowers thrived only in soil that was both fertile and untainted, conditions that had become exceedingly rare due to monster corruption and industrial development. Within Herba—indeed, throughout the Empire—it had all but gone extinct, until Luke began his greenhouse.

“It might be difficult to have them ready by the end of this week… They’re quite finicky,” Luke said, rubbing his chin.

“I’ll double your payment!”

Luke, unconvinced, tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“I’ll talk to the merchants’ association and secure an exclusive deal for your flowers to be the centerpiece of the upcoming Coneinium Square festival. How’s that?”

“I’ll make sure your wife is delighted,” Luke replied with a sly smile.

“Young man, you’re so mercenary!” Chess laughed heartily, throwing up his hands in mock surrender.

In truth, Luke had become something of a celebrity in the village. Over the past eight months, he had completely revitalized the once-abandoned and desolate greenhouse left behind by a departing noble. The villagers had been amazed by his success.

Not only that, but Luke’s personality—playful yet polite, and always the first to lend a hand when the village needed help—had endeared him to everyone. It was nearly impossible to find someone in Herba who didn’t like him.

“Oh, by the way, if you have time, stop by Ruben’s. The old lady baked a bunch of bread for you again.”

“Will do.”

“How on earth did you get so close to that prickly old lady?”

Luke chuckled awkwardly. If he had to explain, it all went back to his early days in the village. Shortly after moving in, he had saved Ruben’s grandson and grandmother during a monster attack. To the two of them, Luke was nothing short of a savior.

Thinking about it now, the memory still made him uneasy. If he had been just a little slower, the soldiers dispatched from the western branch would have seen him fighting the monster. That would have led to a bureaucratic nightmare—transferring the kill, reporting to the branch, and potentially even being dragged into an investigation. Worse yet, if any of those soldiers were well-informed about headquarters, there was a chance someone could have recognized him.

And if he had run into Calon, the Kyleum branch leader, things would have been truly disastrous. It was pure luck that their brief encounter had involved Luke disguised with a cloth over his face.

“Looks like the soldiers are here again,” Chess muttered, gazing off into the distance. Following his line of sight, Luke spotted two uniformed soldiers questioning villagers.

“Still investigating that mercenary rumor, huh?”

Luke cleared his throat with a conspicuous cough.

“Hey, you catching a cold?”

“No, just… something in my throat.”

“Well, I’ll leave the flowers to you.”

“Of course.”

Waving, Chess disappeared into the distance. Luke lingered for a moment, his gaze fixed on the soldiers.

“Well, well. Slacking off on the job, are we?”

The soldiers who had been questioning villagers earlier were now lounging under a large tree.

“If only I could report that dereliction of duty. Back in my day, that would’ve been unthinkable,” Luke grumbled, shaking his head as he turned back to his greenhouse.

He had important guests arriving later and needed to finish his work by midday.

“Well, I suppose their slacking off works in my favor. But if Theo caught them… Oh, he’d definitely…”

Luke smirked, imagining Theo giving the soldiers a long-winded lecture about the spirit of military duty. However, his musings were abruptly cut short.

“…Wait,” he muttered, suddenly stopping in his tracks.

Did I just say Theo’s name out loud? Feeling awkward, he ruffled his hair vigorously.

“Captain!”

A familiar voice called out from where Chess had stood earlier. Startled, Luke turned to see someone he hadn’t expected but was glad to meet.

“Phael,” Luke said, a faint smile forming as he recognized the visitor.

Phael grinned broadly, bowing repeatedly.

“Why are you here so early? Weren’t you supposed to arrive this afternoon?”

“There was an earlier boat, so I took that instead.”

Luke had written to Phael after settling in, sending a short note to let him know he was doing well. In response, Phael had expressed a desire to meet, leading to today’s reunion.

“You must be tired. Come inside,” Luke said, ushering Phael into the house.

Entering the luxurious residence, Phael looked around nervously before sitting stiffly in the parlor.

“So, how did you manage to take time off work?”

“Oh, I applied for extended leave. A long-term vacation.”

“Long-term?”

Luke’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Actually… I’ve been promoted to senior staff in the administrative unit!” Phael announced, his face glowing with excitement.

Luke’s eyes softened. It made sense—Phael had always been more suited for administrative work than field operations.

“Congratulations. So you used your promotion reward leave to take a break, huh? How’s your mother doing?”

“She’s much better now. With my pay raise, we can have a doctor visit her at home every month.”

The news brought a rare warmth to Luke’s expression.

“And how are you, Captain? I was surprised to hear you’d settled in Kyleum.”

“I’m doing well. This is my hometown, after all.”

Phael nodded slowly. Though Luke’s response was brief, his relaxed demeanor spoke volumes. There was no need to probe further.

“This is my first time in the west, and it’s so different from the capital,” Phael said, breaking into a smile.

Despite the eight months since their last meeting, their conversation flowed easily. They chatted over coffee, catching up on various topics.

“Oh, by the way, there’s an interesting rumor going around in the west these days,” Phael said casually.

“What?”

“On my way here, I met some soldiers. They were all talking about a faceless mercenary mage.”

Clink—

Luke flinched, visibly startled by Phael’s words. The room fell silent as Phael studied Luke’s reaction, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

“I think the name was… Sebastian?”

Luke’s hand trembled slightly as he held his teacup, a detail that didn’t escape Phael’s sharp eyes.

“…Is it you, Captain? Are you Sebastian?”