Last night, Luke had barely managed to sleep, thanks to Theo’s unexpected arrival. Tossing and turning, even quenching his thirst with a glass of water had felt like an insurmountable task. After finally waking up, he had breakfast prepared by Phael, during which he received so unexpected news.
"Didn’t the Commander say he ca here on business for the Kyleum branch?"
"That’s right. Why?"
"I noticed him heading up the back mountain earlier."
Phael casually ntioned that he had seen Theo climbing the back mountain through a window, instead of heading toward the plaza. Luke, who had been busily scooping up his soup, froze mid-motion. Theo had claid that he was here to investigate the Faceless rcenary. The mountain Theo was heading to was the very site where Luke had first dealt with a monster after arriving in this village. It was also where he had rescued Reuben and his grandmother.
Luke had fabricated a story about a rcenary—one with no face and no na—claiming that the one who had saved Reuben and his grandmother was not him, but this imaginary figure. After all, the grandmother had been unconscious from the start, so as long as Reuben kept quiet, there shouldn’t have been any issues.
At first, Reuben had seed hesitant about lying for soone he barely knew—soone who had just moved into the village. However, driven by a strong sense of gratitude, he promised to keep the secret. Besides, his grandmother was notoriously terrifying. She was so fearso that even soldiers conducting post-incident investigations had been chased off by her fiery temperant. Her reputation was well-known in the village, which reassured Luke that their secret would remain safe.
Yet, a sense of unease gnawed at him. He had a bad feeling, as though Theo was going to doggedly pursue this matter. What was it about this supposed rcenary that warranted such persistence? Annoyed, Luke pushed himself away from the table and stord toward the back mountain. His stomach ached from running imdiately after eating, but the sight that greeted him made him groan in frustration: Theo was crouched down, talking to Reuben.
Theo spoke cryptically, saying things like, "I think we’re going to keep crossing paths" and "Let’s get to know each other better."
Then he shifted the conversation to the point.
"As I ntioned yesterday, I’d like you to help with the investigation of the unidentified monster you encountered."
"I told you, I’m not interested."
"And I told you, I’ll find another way."
Another way? Luke silently stared at Theo, scrutinizing him.
"Monster subjugation is under the jurisdiction of the military. If a civilian takes on a subjugation, they’re required to report it through proper channels. But what about you? You haven’t followed a single one of those procedures."
"True, it might go against protocol, but it’s not illegal."
The regulations surrounding monster subjugation were still murky. For lower-tier monsters, rcenaries could handle them without needing to file detailed reports. However, the system had nurous flaws, including cases where people falsely claid rewards for subjugations they didn’t carry out. Luke wasn’t the only one who found the process tedious or had personal reasons for bypassing it. If stricter laws had been in place, he wouldn’t have dared to act so boldly.
"Are you trying to use that to threaten ?"
"Those five incidents you handled involved high-tier monsters, didn’t they? You’re well aware that the military treats those cases with the utmost seriousness."
Luke remained silent, which Theo took as confirmation. The ache in his stomach from running too soon after eating was becoming increasingly irritating.
"Because of that, the Western Division is currently stuck. Those five monster cases are unresolved, left in limbo because they weren’t properly handled."
Theo added that a dedicated investigative unit had been ford solely to track down the person responsible for these subjugations.
"You might say it’s not your concern, but the fact remains that your actions have caused tangible harm to the military. If I choose to raise this issue, it won’t simply be brushed aside."
Luke’s jaw dropped. If he summarized what Theo was saying, it boiled down to one thing.
"So, you’re saying the Imperial Army plans to hold an ordinary, powerless civilian accountable for damages they’ve suffered?"
"Can soone who single-handedly defeated five high-tier monsters really be called ‘powerless’?"
Does that even matter right now? Luke bit his lip hard, so hard that the area where his teeth pressed turned stark white. He felt cornered. While he hadn’t broken any laws, the military’s claim that his actions disrupted their operations could create significant complications.
The Heiner Empire’s military held imnse power. It was said that the empire’s magic corps was the cornerstone of its strength, enjoying absolute trust from the royal palace.
With a bitter laugh, Luke let out a scoff of disbelief. Yet Theo didn’t so much as blink, waiting patiently for Luke’s response. His deanor was far from that of soone resorting to threats.
"Why are you going this far? I’m not a soldier anymore, and we weren’t exactly on good terms to begin with."
Of all people, Luke never expected Theo to cling to him so persistently.
"I want to know you better."
When Theo spoke without hesitation, Luke flinched. Again with those kinds of remarks. First yesterday, and now this. The words were incomprehensible and didn’t even seem to be a proper answer to the question. Was the reason for wanting his help with the investigation really just "to get to know better"?
And Theo was the sa man who once said:
"It seems principles and duties as a soldier an nothing to you. You’re just soone who thinks achieving accomplishnts to climb to the top is all that matters."
Theo had voiced this during their last war against mbarn, his disappointnt with Luke written all over his face. He had already judged Luke as a man blinded by ambition and power, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. And now he wanted to “get to know” him? What was Luke supposed to say? "Oh, thank you. That’s so thoughtful of you." Not a chance.
"So, what’s in it for you? You already know exactly what kind of person I am. Knowing better won’t bring you any benefit."
Luke turned his head away, unable to et Theo’s unwavering black eyes. His stomach still felt uncomfortable from the rushed al, and his irritation spread through his whole body.
"That’s for to decide. And it’s not the only reason. As I said yesterday, I can’t spare many Western Division personnel, and to resolve a situation that’s still unclear, we need soone of your skills."
"…How very noble of a soldier to accept help from a civilian without wounding his pride."
Luke crossed his arms and let out a dry cough, though there was a faint satisfaction in his voice. Perhaps being called "skilled" had boosted his mood. As Theo watched Luke, he found himself reminded of a white, wide-eyed cat he had once kept at the family estate.
"So, what’s your answer?" Theo asked.
"Fine! I’ll do it, alright?" Luke snapped.
Given the threat of the Imperial Army applying pressure, he didn’t really have a choice. If he was going to get tangled up with the military either way, it was better to help Theo wrap up the investigation quickly and be done with it.
Theo’s lips curved upward at the answer he had been waiting for.
"Then let’s start right away—"
"Hold on. That’s not happening. I’ve got things to do first," Luke interrupted, holding up his hand to stop him.
"I need to tidy up my greenhouse before we go. You can either wait or go ahead without ."
Without waiting for a response, Luke began trudging down the mountain. He didn’t expect Theo to follow, but to his surprise, the man stuck close by his side all the way down. On the way, they encountered Reuben’s grandmother, who unleashed a barrage of scolding on them before they finally made it back to the house.
"You have a greenhouse?" Theo asked.
"Yeah."
Luke headed to the back of the house, Theo trailing after him. When Luke opened the large greenhouse doors, the sight inside was nothing short of breathtaking. A dazzling array of colorful flowers and ticulously cultivated herbs spread out before them. Back when Theo first visited Luke’s house, he hadn’t known what this building was for, let alone imagined such a vibrant scene within.
Curiosity about how Luke spent his retirent had lingered in Theo’s mind, but he hadn’t expected anything like this. He stood there, surprised, as Luke moved to shift so items around. Without thinking, Theo stepped forward to help, picking up a piece Luke had been carrying.
"You grew all of this yourself?" Theo asked.
"Of course." Luke replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "These are like my kids, you know."
"It couldn’t have been easy."
"It wasn’t, but I can read and manipulate mana. That helps."
Luke explained how he used mana to create an optimal growing environnt and occasionally employed spirit magic to monitor and maintain the plants’ condition. Theo nodded, impressed by the ingenuity.
"You’ve always been clever," Theo remarked.
"Sohow, you make complints sound like insults," Luke retorted as he stacked the items in one corner and walked toward another section of the greenhouse. Theo, unbidden, followed quietly. Despite his imposing figure, clad in black, he didn’t seem out of place in the greenhouse—a contrast that was sohow fitting. Luke shook his head briefly, as if still processing Theo’s presence here.
Luke knelt in front of a cluster of vibrant white flowers with lush leaves and began examining them carefully. Theo stepped back, watching as sunlight filtered through the greenhouse glass, casting a gentle glow on Luke’s silver hair. For a mont, the scene felt surreal, the shimring flowers and Luke’s radiant hair blending into one.
"Don’t just stand there gawking. Co take a look," Luke said, throwing a sharp glance at Theo. Luke’s piercing gaze hinted at his discomfort with Theo hovering silently. Not that he understood why Theo had chosen to follow him instead of heading to the Western Division branch in the first place. He was too tired for another round of verbal sparring and decided to let it slide.
Theo walked over slowly and crouched down beside him. Up close, the flowers were even whiter than they had appeared from afar—almost srizing in their purity.
"Well?" Luke asked, still inspecting the flowers. "What do you think? Different from the usual scenery filled with soldiers, right?"
Theo looked at the flowers for a mont before shifting his gaze back to Luke’s profile.
"Yeah. They’re beautiful."
"Right?" Luke’s face lit up with smug satisfaction.
At that mont, the greenhouse door creaked open, and Phael stepped inside. Concerned when Luke hadn’t returned to the house, he had co looking for him. What he found stopped him in his tracks: Luke and Theo, crouched side by side in the greenhouse. It was a sight Phael couldn’t have imagined even in his wildest dreams.
What… was this? Phael gulped, swallowing his disbelief, and quietly backed out the way he ca. For so reason, he felt that disturbing the scene would be a bad idea.
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