The soldier who ran to find Luke from afar was gasping for breath. Was the eting already underway?
No, that couldn’t be. etings always started at a set ti, and Luke was usually the first to arrive, reviewing the materials to be discussed that day even before the other commanders showed up.
The soldier calling for Luke looked both urgent and troubled. Rather than asking questions on the spot, it seed better to just follow for now.
“…Let’s go.”
Luke took the lead. A bad feeling gnawed at him. Ever since he had transmigrated, he had always been followed by unpleasant gazes and rumors, but this ti, it felt different. Without hesitation, Luke quickly entered the headquarters building.
Under normal circumstances, the commanders’ etings were held in the conference room on the third floor of the headquarters. There were two main types of etings held at the headquarters. One was a regular eting attended only by the unit commanders, and the other was a large-scale eting convened once a month by the Commander-in-Chief. Typically, the ideas and proposals presented during the regular etings were consolidated and submitted to the Commander-in-Chief, after which Vail would review them before they were addressed in the large eting.
Luke ascended the stairs without delay and stopped in front of the conference room door. The uneasy sensation crept up from his feet and wrapped around his entire body. Taking a deep breath, Luke opened the door.
“…”
Inside, every gaze imdiately turned to Luke. There were ten seats in total, and every single one was occupied—except for his.
“…Was the eting ti changed?”
He had co early, but seeing all the commanders already assembled like this clearly scread, "Sothing’s going on."
“Take a seat, Captain Luke,” a voice ca from one side.
Luke stepped into the room and sat in his designated seat, which was the first on the right-hand side, directly across from Theo.
“…Let’s begin the eting,” Theo said, shifting his gaze from Luke to the docunts before him. The atmosphere in the room was tense. etings were usually led by Theo, the commander of the 1st Division.
“Wait a mont, Commander Theo. Let’s skip the preamble and get straight to the point,” interrupted Myles Kailas, the commander of the 3rd Division.
“Captain Luke, the eting ti hasn’t changed today. We’ve gathered earlier than planned because of an incident within the military,” Myles said bluntly.
“An incident? I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“Of course not. None of us heard about it until the early hours of this morning,” Myles replied with a scoff, pushing a file to the center of the table and gesturing for Luke to take it.
The docunt, titled Military Equipnt and Weapons Managent Log, was one Luke was very familiar with. The Imperial Army managed a wide variety of equipnt and weapons, from basic swords and arrows to specialized munitions like gunpowder.
Of particular importance were magical tools crafted from processed mana stones, referred to as magi-tools. These included weapons imbued with mana, portable teleportation circles, and communication devices capable of transmitting ssages over great distances. The inventory of such items was ticulously managed.
To ensure proper oversight, each unit alternated assigning mbers to inventory checks, verifying that the recorded quantities matched the actual stock. The guards stationed at storage facilities also played a key role in this process.
Luke opened the log and scanned its contents. Rows of weapon and supply lists were ticulously recorded, with the quantities checked daily. However, there was sothing odd: certain dates were marked in red.
“Do those marked dates an nothing to you?” Myles asked, his tone mocking.
“No idea,” Luke replied flatly.
“Your audacity knows no bounds,” remarked Seth Yulin, the commander of the 5th Division, chiming in for the first ti.
“The dates in question happen to coincide with the days your Detached Force mbers were on guard duty,” Seth added.
“And what of it? Are you saying that standing guard is a cri now?” Luke retorted, closing the log with a calm deanor. He was starting to understand the source of his earlier unease.
“Standing guard isn’t the issue,” said Winnie Peridlin, the usually quiet commander of the 4th Division, speaking up.
“But it’s peculiar that discrepancies in inventory only occur on days when your Detached Force is on duty. How do you explain that?” Winnie asked.
“Did soone fail to count properly?” Luke replied, recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier that morning—his subordinates bustling near the storage area, murmuring about inventory lists. It seed likely this was the issue.
“The counts were verified multiple tis,” Theo said in a steady voice, his piercing gaze fixed on Luke.
“The items in question are communication magi-tools. Signs of tampering were found in the inventory records on days when your unit was on duty. Do you have anything to say, Captain Luke?”
Luke surveyed the room. Every commander’s eyes were on him, casting him as the obvious villain in this scenario.
“So, what you’re saying is that I ordered my subordinates to steal military supplies?” Luke said with a dry laugh.
“It’s not unheard of,” Theo replied. “In the past, weapons and supplies from the military have been smuggled to foreign nations for profit.”
Theo’s words were true. The Heiner Empire, with its advanced magical sciences, was a powerful force on the continent. Its high-quality mana stones and expertly crafted magi-tools made it a target for smugglers, sotis even involving insiders within the military.
“And yet, the missing items are re communication magi-tools,” Luke said, smirking. “If I were working as a spy, wouldn’t I aim for sothing more impressive?”
“I don’t believe you’re a spy, Captain Luke,” Theo said. “But what if you were passing these tools to certain nobles? Wouldn’t that be plausible?”
Luke locked eyes with Theo. Around them, the tension was palpable. Even the other commanders, eager to jump in, seed hesitant to interrupt.
“The communication magi-tools used by the military are far superior to civilian versions. They’re durable, efficient, and contain higher mana reserves,” Theo continued.
“So, you’re accusing of trying to curry favor with nobles by smuggling these tools?” Luke asked with a sneer.
“…You’ve always been ambitious,” Theo replied, his tone sharp.
Luke inwardly sighed. The irony was almost laughable—his supposed ambition was entirely geared toward securing Theo’s rise to power.
“Do you have any proof?” Luke asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
“The dates in the log align with your unit’s duty schedule,” Theo countered, his flawless composure faltering slightly.
“Proof, you say?” Myles interjected, slamming the table as he rose from his seat. “Captain Luke, you’ll regret asking that.”
What now? Luke narrowed his eyes, watching Myles with irritation.
“Bring them in!” Myles barked toward the door.
The door opened slowly, and soone stepped inside.
And what Luke saw was sothing he hadn’t anticipated at all.
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