"Yeah, I don't think Theo is the kind of guy who would kiss soone he doesn't have feelings for. He's always been careful about everything. There's no way he would do sothing like that. But still... I only asked just in case. I never expected such a clear answer."
"S-So, what you're saying is... you l-like ?"
Without a mont of hesitation, Theo nodded. The warmth of his arms wrapped around Luke's waist felt more distinct than ever.
"Liking ... You don't an as a comrade or a friend, but...."
"Luke, no matter how precious a comrade is, would you kiss soone who's just a friend?"
Of course not. He couldn't even imagine doing sothing like that to Fail or Leo, people he considered close.
Back when Leo had misunderstood and spouted nonsense, Luke had thought it was ridiculous. But now, seeing the truth unfold before him, his mind went completely blank.
"Luke."
"Huh?"
He was so flustered that his voice cracked. Theo, clearly amused, lifted the corners of his lips and gently brushed Luke’s earlobe with his fingers.
"Your ears are red. Cute."
"...Are you ssing with ?!"
Luke suddenly yelled, pushing Theo away as he quickly slipped out of his grasp. Huffing, he stomped down the stairs, clutching his ears tightly in case Theo tried to tease him again.
It was the start of another noisy, yet strangely different, day.
Lately, Mile had been in an exceptionally foul mood. Even the mbers of the 3rd Unit were treading carefully around him, trying not to provoke him.
And everyone knew why. They knew exactly when his mood had started plumting—and who was responsible.
Ever since Luke returned to the Imperial Army as a collaborator, Mile had changed. Even if it wasn’t just the 3rd Unit, most of the soldiers must have noticed it too. They just didn’t dare to say it out loud. After all, it was an open secret that Mile not only disliked Luke but outright despised him.
"How could you submit a subjugation report like this?!"
Mile was shouting at the top of his lungs again in his private office. He swung his arm, flinging the stack of reports into the air. The officer serving as his adjutant in the 3rd Unit was sweating profusely, bowing his head repeatedly.
"Rewrite it and bring it back to by today."
"T-Today, sir?"
The adjutant, crouched down on the floor picking up the scattered docunts, looked up in shock. At any mont, they could be deployed on a mission against monsters. Even if that didn’t happen, there were still training schedules. Being ordered to rewrite the report and submit it by the end of the day was no different from being told to stay overti.
"Obviously! Try taking this garbage to Loena and see how she chews out! And in the end, these reports will go to the Commander. Do you expect to present this kind of trash to him?!"
Hearing his carefully written report dismissed as "trash," the adjutant's face darkened significantly.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Even taking into account how irritable Mile had been due to Luke, he had always been an arrogant, vain man. On top of that, he was the perfect example of soone who bullied the weak and fawned over the strong. If anything, he was outright despicable.
Now that he held the position of Captain, the only superior he had left within the base was the Commander—Theo. Because of that, he went to great lengths to curry favor with him, while treating his subordinates with disdain.
He had done the sa when Veil was the Commander before. But now, Theo wasn't just the Supre Commander; he was also the heir to the Duke of Redrick. That status seed to hold even greater appeal to Mile, making him even more eager to ingratiate himself with Theo than he had been with Veil.
Technically, unit captains were supposed to write the subjugation reports themselves. Of course, under certain circumstances, they could delegate the task to adjutants or soldiers, but only if they had a legitimate reason, such as an excessive workload or injuries.
However, Mile had realized early on that he was terrible at paperwork. He had started casually pushing the task onto his adjutant every now and then. And as ti passed, he had begun openly forcing them to do it.
"Why aren’t you answering ?"
"Y-Yes, sir... understood."
The adjutant weakly saluted before exiting the office. The mont the door shut, Mile let out a long, frustrated sigh.
Lately, just being in the base was suffocating. Watching the other soldiers act so disciplined in front of Luke made his blood boil.
And that wasn’t even the worst of it. He had recently heard an unbelievable rumor. Word was spreading that people had seen Leo, Dylan, and Loena gathered around Luke in the dining hall, all sharing a al and laughing together as if they were having the ti of their lives.
Leo being there wasn’t surprising—he was always like that. But Dylan, who had once been part of the 3rd Unit, and Loena, who was usually so rigid... what the hell were they doing?
But more than anything, it infuriated him that Luke seed to have gained the Supre Commander’s trust.
"What the hell happened in Calum that made the Commander suddenly start backing him?"
Mile shook his head, recalling how the two had once been at odds, constantly at each other’s throats like oil and water.
Whatever the reason, one thing was clear: Theo had ward up to Luke, and Luke was now handling major missions alongside him.
Mile had secretly hoped that it would be the 3rd Unit, not the 7th, that was included in the investigation team. That way, he would have had more opportunities to prove himself to Theo. If he could distinguish himself in battle, he would surely gain the Commander’s recognition. But the thought that Luke might be the one to receive that honor instead made his skin crawl.
"That bastard is obviously using this chance to score so achievents. No way... he’s not thinking of re-enlisting, is he?"
Mile muttered to himself, shuddering at the thought. Words had a way of becoming reality, and the very idea made him sick.
If Luke rejoined the military, Mile would be forced °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to watch this sa nightmare play out over and over again. It was enough to make him feel like he would die of sheer frustration.
He had never liked Luke from the very beginning. While Mile had struggled and clawed his way up the ranks, Luke had skyrocketed to the top, effortlessly securing the position of Captain. No matter how dangerous the battlefield was, he would cut down monsters with ease and return victorious, earning endless accolades.
It was enough to drive Mile mad with inferiority.
Grinding his teeth, Mile’s thoughts shifted from cursing Luke to wondering how he could get rid of him.
Just then, the adjutant he had sent away earlier returned, knocking hesitantly before stepping inside. There was no way he had already finished rewriting the report. Mile shot him a questioning look.
"The Commander has summoned you, sir."
"The Commander? ?"
"Yes, sir. He sent word through Sion, asking you to co to the indoor training hall."
The training hall? Why there? A flicker of doubt crossed Mile’s face. It was rare for the Commander to summon a unit captain personally—let alone in a training hall. But since it was a direct order, refusing wasn’t an option.
Even on the way there, Mile kept racking his brain for an explanation but ca up with nothing. When he finally stepped inside, the first thing he saw under the overhead lights was a tall man standing alone.
"Commander. Captain Mile of the 3rd Unit reporting as ordered."
Theo glanced at him briefly before resuming his task of tending to his sword. It was a training sword, so it wasn’t lethal, but proper maintenance ensured it would last.
For so reason, the atmosphere in the hall felt unsettlingly cold. Theo always had a sharp gaze under his dark hair, giving off a naturally intimidating air. But this was different.
Feeling a sudden tension, Mile instinctively stiffened.
"I know you’re busy with work. Sorry for calling you out of nowhere."
"Not at all, sir. No matter how busy I am, if the Commander personally calls, I should co running."
Mile forced an easygoing smile, but Theo remained unreadable. The training hall felt strangely unfamiliar today.
Thud.
As Mile waited for Theo to speak, sothing hit the ground by his feet—a training sword. It was the one Theo had been tending to. Picking it up, Mile still couldn’t shake his confusion.
"I've been spending too much ti on paperwork, and my body’s getting stiff. I need a sparring partner. Will you oblige ?"
Mile, who had been on edge, imdiately relaxed and smirked. So that was it. Theo could have chosen any captain, but he had picked him.
"Of course, sir. It’s an honor."
Gripping the sword tightly, Mile felt a surge of excitent.
He was too pleased to notice Theo’s subtle smirk.
And soon, he would realize just how wrong he had been.
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