Chapter 27: Chapter 27

“Hey.”

Luke waved his hand casually in one direction.

“Captain.”

Standing there was Fale, his face clouded with unease. Judging by his uniform, it seemed he had come straight from work. Unlike Luke, who greeted him with an easy smile, Fale looked as though he were on the verge of an emotional outburst, his expression tightening noticeably.

“I’m not your captain anymore. Well, whatever. Come on in.”

Luke led the hesitant Fale into the house.

“Excuse me…”

Fale hesitated at the doorway, as if stepping into Luke’s home was something he’d never imagined in his life. He lingered awkwardly until Luke, sharp as ever, snapped at him for just standing there.

“Here, it’s nothing fancy. Drink this.”

Luke set a glass of juice in front of Fale, but he just stared blankly at the mug. The atmosphere grew awkward, and a heavy silence settled between them.

“You’ve got something to say, don’t you?”

Luke’s words caused Fale to flinch.

“Is it true? Did you really submit a retirement application…?”

“Yeah.”

Luke answered without hesitation, unsurprised by the question. He had already expected Fale to bring it up.

After packing up his things at the dormitory following Theo’s inauguration, Luke had stopped by Fale’s room. The owner hadn’t been there, unsurprisingly, given the celebratory banquet. Luke had left behind a short note:

I’ve decided to retire. Here’s my address. Feel free to visit sometime.

“I almost fainted when I read your letter.”

“Well, good thing you didn’t.”

“Why… why would you do that? Don’t tell me…”

Fale’s lips trembled as if he wanted to say more but couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought.

“Are you asking if it’s because I didn’t become Commander-in-Chief?”

Few people were as easy to read as Fale. As expected, his eyes quivered in response, making Luke marvel once again at how someone with that personality had managed to survive in the military.

“Well, that’s part of it. Theo became Commander-in-Chief, so you can imagine how much gossip there would’ve been about me. Just thinking about it already makes me tired.”

“Do you really mean that’s the only reason…?”

“Fale, my goal was to become Commander-in-Chief. But I lost to Theo, and I have to accept that.”

Even though Luke had retired, he wondered if it was necessary to continue projecting his villainous persona. Still, considering Fale was staying in the military, it felt more appropriate to maintain appearances. There was no need to break character by saying, I’m not actually such a bad guy.

“It’s not like I can stage a coup, right?”

“Captain! Don’t even joke about that!”

Of course, Luke had neither the intent nor the capability to pull off something like that, but the joke seemed to work. Fale, who had been staring at the floor dejectedly, suddenly looked up, startled.

“I mean, after trying so hard and failing, it’s annoying, you know? At first, I didn’t care, but what if I went all crazy, flipping the military upside down for revenge or something?”

It wasn’t uncommon in stories for villains to lose their grip on reality and go on a rampage when their ambitions were thwarted. Not that Luke had the slightest intention of doing anything like that.

“I… I don’t think you’re that kind of person, Captain.”

Their gazes met midair. Fale’s eyes spoke volumes—confusion, disbelief, and at the same time, a glimmer of trust buried deep within.

Fale had been with the Detached Force for quite some time. Though the job wasn’t suited to him, he had endured the grueling work primarily for the money. To him, Luke had always been a strong but cold, self-centered commander who showed not an ounce of compassion.

At least, that’s what he used to think. If it weren’t for the embezzlement incident, he might have continued believing that. In fact, everyone—both commanders and soldiers—had viewed Luke the same way.

“But you helped me, Captain. You didn’t look the other way. You stayed until the end…”

Now, Fale understood that appearances weren’t everything. Beneath what no one had cared to look at, Luke had hidden another side of himself.

“Thanks for saying that, but it’s fine if you remember me as the jerk of a captain.”

Luke reached for the box he had pushed aside earlier and pulled out the document he had looked at in the morning. He handed it to Fale.

“This is why I called you here.”

“A… retirement application?”

“Yeah.”

Luke explained that he had obtained Veil’s signature before the inauguration and that the process was already in motion. However, for the application to be officially recorded and to clear the position for a new captain, the document needed to be submitted to the administrative division.

“You work in the administrative division now, don’t you? Handle it for me.”

If Luke were to deliver the application himself, it could create the very commotion he had worked so hard to avoid. By involving Fale, he could ensure his retirement stayed as quiet as possible.

“So you really are retiring…”

“Yes.”

“…I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Fale carefully tucked the application into his jacket, while Luke, who hadn’t touched his juice until then, took a sip.

“So, what will you do now?”

“Me? I’m going to relax.”

“…What?”

“More precisely, I’m leaving. This place.”

Luke smiled without elaborating. From there, their conversation flowed easily. Fale shared mundane updates, like his mother’s improving health and how his digestive issues had cleared up since moving to the administrative division. For the first—and likely last—time, they had a relaxed, pleasant chat.

“Take care. And don’t forget to process my paperwork as soon as you get back.”

“Yes, sir.”

Luke even walked Fale to the door, firmly reminding him not to lose the document on his way.

“Captain, may I ask where you’re planning to go?”

“Hm, not sure yet…”

“Oh, never mind! If it’s uncomfortable to share, forget I asked. I shouldn’t have pried. I’ll be going now.”

Seeing Luke hesitate, Fale quickly backpedaled, clearly worried he had overstepped.

“Fale, I’ll write you a letter when I settle somewhere.”

“….”

Fale bit his lip, nodded, and turned away. Luke stood at the door, watching as his former subordinate’s figure gradually receded into the distance. Just as Fale was about to disappear from sight, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and ran back toward Luke.

“What? Did you forget something?”@@novelbin@@

“No, sir…”

Catching his breath, Fale stood tall, straightened his posture, and raised his hand in salute, fingertips touching his brow.

“I’m sorry for everything. And… thank you. Truly.”

His eyes glistened with unshed tears. What a terrible soldier he was, Luke thought with a small, helpless smile.

“I told you, I’m not your captain anymore.”

Even so, Luke couldn’t help but reach out, gently patting Fale on the shoulder as the younger man’s tears fell freely.

***

The temperature in the Commander’s office seemed to drop several degrees. At Leo’s words, Theo felt a chilling sensation creep down the back of his neck.

“What… did you just say, Leo?”

“I just heard it from the administrative division. A staff member there processed Captain Luke’s retirement application today. You didn’t know?”

As Theo processed Leo’s statement, his eyes quickly turned to his aide, Sion.

“Ah… I see no one was informed. Well, the thing is…” Sion hesitated before finally explaining everything. Luke had expressed his intent to retire and secured Veil’s signature just before his resignation. As Veil’s aide at the time, Sion had been privy to the process. He had assumed it was common knowledge, not realizing that none of the captains—let alone the general soldiers—had been informed.

“That’s why the documents I handed you earlier included the vacancy for the Detached Force captain.”

Theo immediately rummaged through the stack of papers on his desk. Sure enough, just as Sion had said, there was a document detailing the vacancy left by Luke’s retirement. The reality of the situation started to sink in, piece by piece, with Leo’s report, Sion’s confirmation, and now the evidence right before his eyes.

“……”

A memory from Veil’s final meeting resurfaced in Theo’s mind. After Veil announced his successor as Commander-in-Chief, the meeting room erupted in applause. Theo, however, had been watching Luke.

Luke had sat there, his face blank, seemingly distant. He didn’t look resentful, nor did he appear sad that his name hadn’t been called. Instead, he looked… detached.

Afterward, when everyone had left and Theo and Luke were the only ones remaining in the room, Theo had seen it clearly. Luke had smiled at him.

At that moment, Theo’s mind had gone blank, leaving him unable to say a single word.