Luke, caught off guard by Fail’s straightforward question, seemed visibly flustered.
In truth, ever since Sion had briefed him and he arrived here, he had run into several familiar faces along the way. The emotions he could read from their gazes were always twofold: curiosity and wariness.
“Why did former Captain Luke come back?”
“It doesn’t seem like a reinstatement, though. Whatever it is, only the higher-ups would know. Still, it feels off seeing the guy who ruined the headquarters' atmosphere walking around like nothing happened.”
“I still remember running twenty laps around the training field because of him... Ugh, my knees still ache just thinking about it.”
Voices murmuring in every corner. Their remarks, seemingly unfiltered, pierced straight into Luke’s ears. As he chuckled to himself, memories he had long since buried began resurfacing one by one.
Luke had never been a welcome figure here. Just as few people appreciated a villain in a story, it was natural that few of his comrades would favor him, who had played the role of the villain.
During his entire military career, he had lived as if driven solely by ambition, stopping at nothing to climb to the position of Commander-in-Chief. Trust and cooperation with his comrades had always taken a back seat to his personal safety and reputation.
Though he had only acted that way to fulfill the role of guiding the protagonist, he couldn’t share this reason with anyone, and thus, understanding was not something he could expect.
Fail was the only person who knew the truth: that Luke wasn’t truly selfish or ruthless but rather someone overly considerate of others. Even then, Fail hadn’t been told outright—he had discovered it purely by accident after getting caught up in the events.
Had that not happened, Fail would likely have behaved like the rest of the squad. Perhaps he, too, would have criticized Luke’s actions without hesitation.
Even if fate had unfolded that way, Luke thought he would have been saddened but ultimately accepted it. After all, his decision to embrace the villain's role was entirely his own choice.
For that reason, he didn’t particularly care. Whether he was criticized, ridiculed, or disrespected by subordinates ignoring the chain of command, or even lacked a single close companion, it didn’t matter. If he had valued those things, he wouldn’t have chosen to play the villain in the first place.
Yet a thought crept into his mind: if most people still saw him in the same light after all this time, what about Theo?
As the character who had clashed most fiercely with him as a villain, Theo had witnessed Luke’s most unrestrained displays of ambition.
“You really are that kind of person, aren’t you?”
“For you, principles and the duties of a soldier don’t matter at all, do they? As long as you rack up achievements to secure the Commander-in-Chief’s position, nothing else matters to you.”
Theo had said as much to him once. While it could be considered the perfect compliment for a villain, Luke had felt an inexplicable emptiness at that moment.
Despite acting purely to ensure that people would no longer suffer from the horrors of war, all he received in return were contempt and reproach.
But was that truly all there was to it? If it had been someone like Leo or Mile making such comments instead of Theo, would he have felt the same hollowness?
“Captain?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
If Theo were to look at him again with those scornful eyes and say the same words, Luke thought it would leave him not just a little sad but utterly devastated.
“Living as a villain and now becoming a coward... how pitiful.”
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Luke muttered under his breath, almost like a sigh, before returning to his task, his hands busily moving once more. Fail, watching him with a worried expression, didn’t speak until Luke finally finished filling in the blanks.
“There. It’s done.”
“Yes.”
“Good. You’ve got work to do too, so I’ll stop holding you up. Besides, your comrades might start worrying if you stick around me for too long.”
As Luke dragged back his chair to stand, Fail suddenly grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“Um... Captain!”
“Hmm?”
“Earlier, you mentioned wondering if the Commander-in-Chief thought the same as everyone else about you...”
Luke nodded and sat back down.
“Well, to be honest, I used to think the Commander didn’t particularly like you...”
Luke didn’t object. That assessment was probably accurate, after all.
“...But after seeing the Commander with you at Calum, I started to realize something. I might have been completely wrong about that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just...”
Fail pondered for a moment, humming softly as scenes from Calum played vividly in his mind: Theo personally taking care of a half-asleep Luke, carrying him back drunk and tending to him, and even promising to take responsibility for Luke’s injured hand.
Then there was the way Theo’s gaze lingered on Luke as he sat quietly in the garden.
“It’s hard to explain... but I don’t think the Commander dislikes or despises you like everyone else does. If anything, it felt like the opposite...”
“Really?”
Luke tilted his head, surprised. He didn’t seem convinced.
“Yes. And earlier, you mentioned that your relationship had improved and that he’s been saying and doing unusual things... I don’t know the details, but I don’t think you need to worry too much about it.”
“Are you trying to comfort me? This feels strange. Am I really at the point where I need consolation from you because of Theo?”
“Oh! I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Fail quickly lowered his head, apologetic, but Luke let out a chuckle and gently ruffled Fail’s hair.
“Just kidding. Thanks.”
“...I just wish everyone could know that you’re actually a good person, Captain. But I guess there are circumstances beyond your control. Still, maybe you don’t have to let it weigh on you so much... at least not when it comes to the Commander.”
“I’ll think about it. Now, go get to work.”
Luke tousled Fail’s hair a little harder this time before leaving the administrative division, feeling slightly lighter.
With his tasks for the day completed, he turned to head back to the ducal estate. But as he walked absentmindedly, he realized he had somehow ended up in front of the training hall. It seemed his feet had led him to the place he was most familiar with.
The sight of the training hall made thoughts of Theo resurface, and irritation began bubbling within him. Just then, something flew through the training hall window with a sharp whizz.
Luke deftly dodged the flying object, catching it with one hand.
“A practice sword?”
Why had this been thrown? As he stood there, puzzled, the training hall door suddenly flew open, and someone rushed out in a panic.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Sion entered the office with a polite bow.
“Commander, I’ll arrange for lunch to be prepared.”
Theo, who had been reviewing various documents, finally looked up. A quick glance at the clock told him it was nearly 2 p.m. Sion, tired of waiting for him to emerge for lunch, had clearly taken it upon himself to step in.
“It’s ready. Let’s head to the dining hall today for a change.”
“Oh, yes.”
Typically, commanders ate in private quarters, but Theo occasionally chose to join his subordinates in the dining hall. He valued these rare opportunities to interact directly with those he didn’t often see.
As he chatted casually with Sion, they made their way to the dining hall. Upon arrival, Sion excused himself, saying, “Please wait here for a moment,” before darting inside.
Theo chuckled helplessly. No matter how often he told Sion to stop fussing, it always happened the same way.
“Do you think he might actually return?”
A voice carried from the back courtyard of the dining hall. Theo was about to move on, not wanting to eavesdrop, but the mention of a familiar name made him freeze in his tracks.
“Well, I wouldn’t know. But if it’s that lunatic Luke, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Theo’s steps faltered.
“How thick-skinned must he be to come back? Mile, didn’t you say you saw Luke boarding the military vessel when you went to meet the Commander? Did you notice anything?”
“Nope. I nearly fell over when I saw him, to be honest.”
Theo quietly approached, his footsteps muted.
“Anyway, having to deal with that bastard’s face again for a while...”
“There’s no doubt he’s up to something. Damn, what if he came back just to get revenge on me?”
“No way. Didn’t Luke himself say not to bring up what happened back then?”
“I don’t care. We need to figure out what that bastard’s real agenda is. There’s no way he just waltzed back in without some dirty plan. I mean, why would someone come back to a place where nobody welcomes him? How many layers of steel does his face have?”
As Theo saw Mile and Seth talking, his expression grew cold and severe.