Someone suddenly bolted out from the direction of the noise, sprinting straight to the opposite side. Just from a glance, it was clear they had seen the two men and decided to flee. Luke instinctively began to channel magic into his hand but stopped himself. He decided against it, fearing Theo would scold him yet again, and instead opted to use his legs.
Luke was a man who had once led the most agile unit in the army. Known for his incredible speed, he always came in first in the running competitions held at the quarterly division tournaments. His victories were so consistent that Mael, a fellow officer, once threw a fit, demanding that Luke be banned from participating in future events.
Luke sprinted in a straight line, quickly closing the distance. The figure ahead, draped in a cloak, radiated an air of obvious suspicion.
"Where do you think you're—!"
Before Luke could finish his question, he reached out to grab the figure’s shoulder. His hand slipped, however, only managing to snatch the edge of the cloak. As the hood fell back, a cascade of black, voluminous hair was revealed.
Luke’s eyes widened in surprise upon realizing the fugitive was a woman. Perhaps startled by his reaction, the cloaked woman stumbled, her steps faltering as though she might fall.
"...Ah."
Fortunately, she didn’t tumble to the ground. Luke swiftly caught her by the waist, steadying her just in time.
"Luke!"
Theo called out from a distance, running toward them. Meanwhile, Luke let go of the woman, who now stood nervously between him and Theo. She fidgeted with her long hair, tied back into a half-up style, her gaze darting between the two men, clearly unsure of what to do.
"Um... uh..."
Now that he looked closer, Luke could see she seemed a little frightened.
"My brother! Where is my brother?!"
Her voice suddenly rang out, sharp and desperate. The mention of a brother was news to both Luke and Theo, who exchanged glances.
"Your brother? What do you mean?" Theo asked cautiously, but the woman stepped back, her wariness flaring up once more.
"Don't play dumb! My brother started working with you people, and ever since, he hasn’t come home..."
"Wait... Are you saying your brother is missing?" Theo inquired, his voice steady but concerned.
"Yes?" The woman blinked, her eyes widening as though she had just realized something was wrong. Luke, watching the exchange, began to piece things together. This woman had been searching for her missing brother, desperate enough to spy on the building they had just been investigating as a suspected smuggling hideout.
Luke and Theo shared another glance. Both instinctively knew her situation was likely tied to the case at hand.
"Can you tell us more about your brother?" Theo asked gently, but the woman remained cautious. She seemed to realize they weren’t involved in anything nefarious, yet it was only natural for her to hesitate when speaking to strangers about such a personal matter.
Luke nudged Theo in the side.
"...You can trust us. I’m a soldier."
"A s-soldier?" she stammered.
"Yes." Theo pulled out his imperial insignia from his pocket, showing it to her. Though Theo clearly preferred to avoid openly revealing his military affiliation during this investigation, the possibility that this woman might hold a critical clue made it a necessary step.
Citizens often harbored mixed feelings about soldiers, but in dire situations, they instinctively trusted those who served the nation. The woman, now visibly more at ease, followed them to a small restaurant nearby. It was essential to move away from the area and settle into a place where they could have a proper conversation.
Over the course of the meal, they learned her name was Angela, and that her younger brother, Bruce, who was five years her junior, had gone missing about a week ago.
"My brother recently started working in the mines. It’s hard for young men to find such jobs in Podina because the town has so many skilled miners. But thanks to some kind people, he was given a chance to learn the ropes," Angela explained, a faint smile crossing her lips as she recalled her brother’s happiness. However, her expression quickly darkened.
"But not long after he started, he stopped coming home regularly. His face grew more haggard, and he lost a lot of weight..."
At first, Angela had thought the work was simply taking a toll on him, but as her brother’s condition worsened, she decided to secretly follow him one day. She described how Bruce left the house and met with several men before entering the building Luke and Theo had just been investigating. There, he changed into different clothes and gathered equipment before heading off somewhere with them.
She hadn’t noticed anything particularly alarming at the time, but the narrow alleys made it difficult to follow without being spotted, so she eventually gave up. That was the last time she saw him.
"It’s been a week since then... He hasn’t come home once." Angela’s voice trembled as she recounted how she had spent the past week frantically asking around for information and keeping an eye on the building, though it had appeared deserted until today.
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"Excuse me... You’re soldiers, right?" Angela’s voice broke as she clung to Theo’s sleeve. "Please, help me find my brother..."
"We will. I promise." Theo’s response was firm and unwavering.
Angela was clutching Theo’s sleeve, but it was Luke who responded first. Before Theo could utter a word, Luke’s calm voice cut through the tension.
“Don’t worry. He’s really good at what he does.”
Theo shot Luke a glance. When someone maintaining composure and exuding confidence said, “Don’t worry,” it had a strange way of calming people down. That was human nature. Luke didn’t bother with any elaborate reassurances, simply stating that they would find her brother as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
That kind of demeanor, effortlessly instilling trust, caused Angela’s face to brighten visibly. Theo silently observed the interaction, realizing the subtle power in Luke’s words and attitude.
After asking Angela a few more questions, they sent her off with a firm reminder not to do anything dangerous and to leave her brother’s rescue in their hands.
“You think she’s unrelated?” Theo asked as he watched Angela’s figure disappear down the street.
“Not at all,” Luke replied, shaking his head. The list of smuggling organization bases Theo had brought from the Western Division clearly identified the building they’d just inspected. It was disguised as a supply depot for miners, but everything about it screamed suspicious.
And now, someone who had been frequenting that very place had suddenly gone missing? It was impossible not to suspect foul play involving criminals.
“It looks like the smugglers employed Angela’s brother as a miner on the surface,” Theo said thoughtfully, “but the problem is that abandoned hideout.”
“Theo, about that,” Luke began, stroking his chin with a serious expression. His furrowed brow and pursed lips were the picture of deep contemplation. Theo, familiar with Luke’s habits, patiently waited for him to finish his train of thought.
Luke unconsciously bit his lower lip—a gesture Theo recognized from their military meetings back in the day. Whenever Luke was immersed in strategic planning, he’d often make that same expression. Watching him now, Theo was struck by a fleeting illusion that they were back in the capital’s headquarters, discussing strategy in the briefing room rather than sitting in a run-down eatery.
As Theo studied Luke’s face, he reached out and gently tugged at Luke’s lower lip with his thumb, breaking the other man’s habit.
“Your lip is going to bleed.”
“Oh... right.” Luke blinked, startled by the unexpected contact. He quickly reined in his pounding heart, forcing himself to focus again.
“Right, we assumed earlier that they’d abandoned the building and moved to a new base.”
“Exactly.”
“But think about it. Does that make sense? The Kyleum branch wouldn’t have been sloppy enough to alert the smugglers about the investigation. Knowing Calon’s personality, he would have been methodical and cautious. Could the smugglers really have noticed the investigation?”
“You know Calon well?” Theo’s question was abrupt, almost out of place in their discussion.
“Uh, not really. I’ve only heard things. They say he’s meticulous, detail-oriented, and gentlemanly.”
Luke shrugged, his answer a collection of secondhand impressions. Still, he recalled how Calon had gone out of his way to show kindness to him when Luke, disguised as a civilian, had dealt with a high-level monster shortly after moving to the West.
At Luke’s final word—"gentlemanly"—Theo’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“Did you know,” Theo began, “that Calon’s personality is so similar to mine that people call him ‘Theo of the West’?”
Luke blinked slowly, his expression clearly saying, “And why should I care?”
“Hey, is now really the time for this kind of chatter?” Luke snapped, realizing he’d fallen into Theo’s rhythm again. For some reason, ever since their reunion, conversations with Theo always ended with Luke discovering he’d been skillfully led by the man.
“Back to the main point,” Theo said, smirking.
“Right. What I’m saying is, I don’t think they abandoned their base because they noticed the military’s movements.”
“But you saw it yourself. There wasn’t a single trace of activity in that building.”
“And Angela said she hasn’t seen anyone there for a week either.”
Luke nodded, acknowledging Theo’s point, but continued, “What if they didn’t move their base but had two from the start?”
Theo’s eyes widened slightly.
“Angela told us, didn’t she? Her brother went into that building to change clothes and gather equipment before heading off somewhere. That sounds exactly like what a miner would do before work.”
Luke’s explanation flowed effortlessly, as though he’d been formulating this theory from the moment Angela shared her story.
“In that case, their other base must be...”
“In a mine,” Luke concluded.