"Philip, don’t you think sothing’s off lately?"
“Pardon?”
Milo, a senior mber of the 1st Division, approached Philip during a break in training. Philip had been resting, catching his breath, when Milo struck up the conversation.
“Doesn’t the Captain seem… a little strange?”
“Captain Theo, you an?”
“Yeah.”
Their gazes naturally shifted to Theo, who was busy supervising a sparring session, even stepping in to duel so of the more active recruits.
“What exactly do you an?”
“Well, how should I put it… It’s like he’s pushing himself harder than usual.”
“Hmm…”
Both n stared at Theo, their expressions mirroring each other’s contemplation. Now that Milo ntioned it, there was sothing noticeably different. Theo was always serious about training, but lately, his focus and intensity had gone up a notch. It almost seed like he was exerting himself unnecessarily.
“Now that you ntion it… He has been acting a bit odd.”
Philip, who often served as Theo’s aide and spent the most ti with him, nodded in agreent. Milo’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Really?”
“Yes. Just the other day, during the captains’ training session—rember that? I was there, handling so tasks, and I saw him spar with Captain Luke.”
The captains’ training was a rare event where the division captains gathered to spar with one another. It wasn’t unusual for Theo and Luke to end up paired together—it had beco almost a tradition. Besides, Luke’s suspension had ended about a month ago, so his participation wasn’t surprising.
“But honestly… it was sothing else.”
“What do you an?”
“Well… I don’t know if this is the right way to put it, but it felt like they were genuinely trying to kill each other.”
Philip shuddered as he recalled the scene. Captains rarely took sparring sessions too seriously. These training sessions were ant to test each other’s skills, observe attack patterns, and offer advice—not to determine a victor at all costs. If that had been the goal, the entire training ground would’ve been obliterated by now.
Normally, even when Theo and Luke sparred, they would only turn up the intensity slightly more than the other captains. But on that particular day, the sheer force of their magic, the clashing of their swords—it was on a completely different level.
“What?!”
Milo’s voice rose in shock, prompting Philip to wave his hands frantically in an attempt to downplay the situation.
“Oh, I just an… they were both very serious about it, that’s all.”
“Well, I suppose they’re both competing to be the next Commander-in-Chief. No wonder things got a bit heated.”
“Probably so.”
The peace negotiations with Mambern had entered their final stages. With this agreent, the Heiner Empire’s prestige had reached new heights, while Mambern had fallen even further.
Everyone in the Imperial Army knew by now about Veil’s decision to step down as Commander-in-Chief once the matter with Mambern was resolved. The news had spread like wildfire, and it had left the ranks buzzing with speculation. After all, a change in leadership was no small thing. But the real cause of the unrest wasn’t just Veil’s retirent.
The real question was: who would beco the next Commander-in-Chief?
The leading candidates were Theo and Luke, and most of the soldiers supported Theo. He was widely respected for his integrity and ability, leaving little to criticize. However, there were still so who speculated that Luke might take the position. His accomplishnts as the captain of the Detached Force, coupled with his role in exposing the Harnus family’s corruption, made him a compelling contender.
That said, Theo’s significant contributions to the victory over Mambern had swayed the majority, leaving little doubt in the minds of most soldiers that he would be the next Commander-in-Chief.
“What about you? Who do you think it’ll be?”
“? Obviously, Captain Theo!” Philip exclaid, practically recoiling in disbelief that Milo would even ask. A self-proclaid Theo superfan, Philip’s loyalty was unwavering. Milo just laughed and nodded, clearly amused.
“Milo, Philip. Break ti’s over.”
Theo’s booming voice rang out from a distance, prompting the two to scramble to their feet in a flurry.
***
A eting room filled with division captains. Today was the day of the regular eting, and under Theo’s direction, the discussion was lively and intense.
“Isn’t it a bit premature to withdraw troops from the Eastern Branch Headquarters?”
“But the peace treaty is already in its final stages. Keeping forces there is pointless now.”
The captains let out a collective sigh, watching yet another sharp clash between the two. It had beco a routine occurrence.
“Didn’t we get blindsided last ti because of that overconfidence?” Luke retorted sharply, striking at Theo’s pride.
“This is a formal agreent being processed according to proper diplomatic procedures. Such remarks are inappropriate in this setting.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. We can withdraw the troops after the treaty is fully signed.”
“The prolonged deploynt in the eastern region has exhausted our soldiers. It’s our responsibility to take that into account.”
It wasn’t unusual for Luke and Theo to butt heads during etings. But today, the argunt dragged on longer than usual, their gazes locked like swords clashing. Even the other captains, who often intervened to diate, found no opening to interject.
“Furthermore, keeping an excessive number of troops in the Eastern Branch might be seen as a threat to the peace treaty.”
“The Empire has every right to take reasonable precautions.”
“Enough!”
Leo, who had been watching the exchange with growing frustration, slamd his hand on the table. Known for his carefree and laid-back personality, he had no qualms about interrupting.
“We get it. Both your points are valid. So why not just compromise?”
All eyes turned to Leo.
“Theo’s right—it’s not good to overdo it. But Luke also has a point—there’s no harm in being cautious. So let’s withdraw half the troops currently stationed in the east. Rotate the remaining soldiers on a three-shift schedule to ease their fatigue. Sound good?”
The two n fell silent, seemingly considering the proposal.
“You’re both smart enough to have co up with this yourselves if you weren’t so worked up. Let’s cool it, yeah?”
“…Fine. Let’s proceed with Leo’s proposal. Any objections?” Theo asked, his tone curt.
The captains slowly nodded in agreent. Thankfully, it was the last item on the agenda, and the eting concluded without further conflict.
“As you all know, there will be a eting presided over by Commander Veil in a week. Don’t be late,” Theo reminded them. Everyone nodded as they rose from their seats, fully aware of what the upcoming eting signified: it would be Veil’s final assembly and the announcent of the Empire’s next Commander-in-Chief.
Luke was the first to leave the room, but Leo quickly caught up to him.
“Captain Luke, I’ve been curious—how’s your hand?”
Leo gestured toward Luke’s right hand, causing him to flinch. The wound was severe, worsened by the dark magic that had seeped into it, leaving the healing process frustratingly slow.
“It’s nothing. Just a small injury from the barracks.”
Luke’s vague excuse didn’t seem to interest Leo much, as he simply nodded without pressing further.
“Well, next week should finally put an end to your never-ending rivalry.”
Leo’s comnt made Luke stop abruptly. He turned his gaze out the window, his expression unreadable.
“Soon, one of you will be the next Commander-in-Chief.”
“…Yeah.”
It was finally happening—the mont Luke had anticipated since realizing he’d been reincarnated into this world. The position would almost certainly go to Theo. No, it had to be Theo. While Luke was a skilled and accomplished soldier, the traditionalist council would never pick him. Even if Veil’s intentions were unclear, Luke knew Theo was far better suited for the role.
Once Theo assud the position, Luke planned to leave the army entirely. He was done with this exhausting routine.
“Luke?”
“Ah, I’m coming.”
Still, a strange uneasiness gnawed at him, as though a thorn was lodged in his chest. It was a feeling he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried. But as Luke resud walking, he pushed aside the discomfort, burying it deep within himself.
No matter what, his mission hadn’t changed: see the story through to its happy ending and disappear quietly.
Ti flew by, and at last, the mont Luke had long awaited arrived. During the general assembly, Commander Veil officially announced Theo Ledric as the next Commander-in-Chief.
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