hotmtlnovel Chapter 17
Chapter 17
A voice from afar caught their attention, and both of them naturally turned toward its source. To their surprise, the face they saw was both familiar and unexpected.
“Captain Leo?”
“I wasn’t sure from a distance, but it really is the two of you.”
Leo Luit, the captain of the 7th Division and one of the candidates mentioned alongside Luke and Theo for the position of the next Commander-in-Chief. Unlike the other two, Leo had a flamboyant personality, his striking blond hair and even more striking features making him stand out as a free-spirited figure in the imperial army.
“What brings you here? Did you take leave?” Theo asked, sounding genuinely curious. Leo, however, made a dramatic face of disappointment.
“Theo, you don’t care about me at all, do you?”
“Did you resolve your family issues?”
“Oh, as expected, Luke knew.”
The Luit Marquisate was a household as famous as the Redrick Duchy in the empire. The Luit family had produced many exceptional soldiers, with two of its members even serving as Commander-in-Chief in the past.
With so many strict and uptight individuals in the family, Leo was occasionally summoned to the estate and forced to deal with familial matters. That was likely why he hadn’t been present during Luke’s trial.
“And how exactly did you know about that?” Theo asked.
“Who wouldn’t? If the 7th Division’s Leo suddenly vanishes, it’s obvious he’s been dragged back to his estate. Everyone in the army knows that. Well, everyone except you, Theo.”
Leo burst into laughter at Luke’s remark, clapping his hands in agreement.
“Right, my family is full of old tigers. But what are you two doing here? This is a pretty fresh sight. Care to explain?”
Of course, to the countless passersby, it was nothing unusual. But to anyone even remotely connected to the imperial army, the sight of Luke and Theo together in a lively, sweet-smelling street was bound to be strange. These two, widely regarded as rivals vying for the top position, standing side by side like they were out on a casual date? Unthinkable.
“Well, to put it simply...”
Luke gave a quick summary of the situation: Theo had been assigned to monitor him during his suspension, and Luke happened to be going out today, so Theo had tagged along. Naturally, Luke left out his true motive—his plan to wear Theo out and make him quit the surveillance duty.
“Oh, I see. Well, that explains it. Still, it’s pretty funny to see the two of you walking around together like this. I almost thought you were on a date or something.”
“That’s crossing the line.”
“That’s crossing the line.”
Luke and Theo spoke almost in unison, their faces identically stern as they rebuked Leo.
“Well, since we’ve run into each other, how about I join you?”
“Aren’t you supposed to return to duty soon?” Theo asked, his tone slightly wary. Luke, meanwhile, was too busy accepting another piece of pave chocolate from the tasting booth to notice.
“Well, I am, but so what? The empire won’t collapse if I’m a little late.”
“Leo, you should be careful about making such remarks in public.”
“See? Theo is as scary as ever. What about you, Captain Luke? Can I join you?”
Luke hesitated. After all, his goal for today was to exhaust Theo and make him quit. If this free-spirited and noisy guy joined them, it might actually speed things up. Besides, he was already running out of ideas for what to do next.
“Fine.”
“This is a busy street filled with civilians. Using magic recklessly could have hurt someone.”
Luke glanced at the crowd around them. Sure, there were a lot of people, but still.
“You really think I can’t control my magic that well?”
“And that man is just an ordinary thief. Your attack would’ve severely injured him.”
“Are you seriously worried about some thief who steals other people’s belongings?”
“I’m telling you to avoid unnecessary actions.”
Theo’s words weren’t entirely wrong, but they still annoyed Luke. After all, his plan hadn’t been all that different from Theo’s approach.
“Fine, Saint Theo.”
“Even as a soldier, you need to know your limits. When will you learn that?”
Luke furrowed his brows but said nothing. Theo hefted the subdued thief onto his shoulder with ease.
“I’ll hand him over to the nearest patrol. You two head back to headquarters.”
With that, Theo strode off, leaving Leo and Luke behind. Leo, sensing the tension, approached Luke cautiously.
“Let’s go, Luke.”
“Yeah.”
Still irritated, Luke followed Leo as they walked side by side through the streets, now bathed in the red glow of the setting sun.
“You know, some things never change,” Leo said abruptly as they exited Rudrain Plaza and entered a quieter street.
“What doesn’t?”
“You and Theo. You’re such perfect rivals. It’s like you were made to clash.”
“...”
“Well, you are competing for the position of Commander-in-Chief, so it makes sense.”
Leo grinned, but Luke didn’t feel like smiling or responding.
“Don’t worry. I’m rooting for both of you. Just as long as it’s not me. I’m not interested in such a bothersome position.”
Yeah, everyone saw them as rivals. Two people competing for the top spot. And, of course, Theo was the protagonist destined to take that spot, while Luke’s role was to antagonize him, driving the story to its happy ending.
Luke had never forgotten that setup, nor did he intend to. But for some reason, today felt... different. Was it because he’d spent the entire day outside, constantly at Theo’s side?
“You’re right, Leo.”
“Hm?”
“That’s the best way to describe my relationship with him.”
Maybe he’d gotten a little too complacent during his suspension. Perhaps it was time to abandon this “Exhaust Theo” project and refocus on the bigger picture.