I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 103 On Orcs

To be honest, John really didn't want to meet or even talk to Conrad, that backstabbing king.

After all, this guy is known for his quick thinking and cunning, no less so than Dormammu.

When talking to this kind of person, one needs to consider many things, otherwise the other person will see right through them in no time.

But whether it was for that damned mission, or to find out why Wolf had taken action against him by taking advantage of the fact that the other party was currently a henchman of the Prime Minister.

And through this conversation, he could use the other party to send an ambiguous signal to the conservative group behind him that he could be won over by them, thereby creating more room for his own growth.

All of these factors combined meant that John had to have a serious talk with this legendary spy.

"Please come in, Major John. Lieutenant Wendy, you can wait with me in the reception room for a moment."

The captain, who was leading the two men to the conference room, said this with a smile.

"!"

Seemingly surprised that the other person could call her by name, Wendy's pupils immediately contracted. Just as she was about to ask how the other person knew, John, who stood calmly to the side, slowly spoke under the unknown captain's smiling yet somewhat cold gaze:

"Wendy, listen to him."

"...Yes, Battalion Commander!"

Seeing the unwavering look in John's eyes, Wendy realized that she probably couldn't change the captain's mind.

Therefore, she didn't say much, but while the lieutenant turned around to lead the way, she quickly gave John several tactical hand signals for 'warning,' 'ready to fight,' and 'support can be provided.'

After signaling to John that she could come to his aid at any time, Wendy gave him a worried look at the last moment, and then silently followed the captain toward the reception room.

"Squeak!"

As the conference room door was slowly pushed open, John soon saw Conrad's thin figure.

Unlike when John encountered Conrad on the street an hour earlier, Conrad had now taken off his dark blue suit and put on a black and gold Imperial Air Force uniform, with a military cap bearing the Imperial emblem on his head.

The other person's golden hair was still loose, and he was standing sideways in front of the open window of the conference room.

A pair of blue eyes gazed into the distance at the night sky, which was now filled with countless stars.

He seemed to be thinking about something, his gaze was somewhat unfocused, and his slender figure was half hidden in the shadow of the bookshelf next to him.

Half of it is exposed to the light emitted from the glass lampshade in the center of the room, giving it an indescribable sense of mystery.

"Hmm? It's Major John. We meet again!"

Conrad slowly came to his senses upon hearing the sound. He turned around slowly, looked at John at the door, and gave a standard smile that was almost anthropomorphic.

It seems they had already guessed that John and Marshal Dormammu had finished discussing the mission.

However, Conrad didn't ask John why he had come. Instead, he went forward, pulled out the chair for the head of the table, sat down, and then smiled and gestured to John:

"Please take a seat, Major John. What would you like to drink, black tea or coffee?"

"Coffee bar, thank you."

John didn't stand on ceremony with the other party, but casually replied, then pulled out the chair at the end of the table and sat down, looking at Conrad across the long conference table.

This guy is really interesting.

Seeing John's outrageous behavior, Conrad was not angry at all. On the contrary, he felt that the young commander was a wonderful person.

If it weren't for his political stance, he would actually be quite willing to make friends with the other person.

After all, there are very few interesting people in this world.

It's a bit of a pity...

Conrad pondered for a moment, then picked up the communication device on the table and gave a few instructions to his subordinates. Afterward, he placed his fingers interlaced on the table and, feigning nonchalance, smiled and asked John:
"Major John, you don't seem surprised to see it's me?"

"It's not that I'm narcissistic, but I actually have a pretty good memory. If I had met that person before, I should have some impression of them. But in my memory, I don't recall ever meeting them anywhere else besides today."

"So, aren't you going to explain this to me?"

“When I was studying at the First Military Academy of the Empire, I saw the achievements of Colonel Jet on the front lines. Out of interest, I inquired about the Sleif family and thus saw your picture.”

Meeting Conrad's ambiguous gaze, John chuckled and offered the reason he had prepared beforehand:
"However, because so much time has passed, I did not recognize you when we first met. It was only after I learned about this support mission from Marshal Dormammu that I suddenly remembered it."

"I am deeply sorry that I did not recognize you at first glance. Also, thank you for giving me directions earlier, Major General Conrad."

"That's it..."

Conrad remained noncommittal to John's answer. His intuition, honed by years of intelligence work, told him that John was most likely lying.

However, he didn't expose the other man's thoughts. Instead, he smiled and posed a question to Major John in front of him:
"Major John, what are your thoughts on this support mission in Faoken Bay?"

“Obeying orders is a soldier’s duty, so I don’t think my opinion matters, Major General Conrad.”

"Is that so? But Major John, I recall that in the battle records of the Western Front, when you first carried out a patrol mission and thwarted an Allied plot, you didn't seem to follow your superior's orders either."

Conrad suddenly realized he had unconsciously used interrogation techniques and couldn't help but frown slightly, but he quickly added with a smile:
"Of course, I'm not criticizing you. On the contrary, I admire your bold behavior."

"So, if Major John has any ideas about the Empire's front at Faoken Bay, why don't you just tell me and let me hear them?"

"I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Farok Gulf front, you brilliant commander. How about we just have a casual chat, like friends?"

Chat?

I think you're deliberately trying to provoke me and find out if Dormammu has any backup plans.

So you're trying to gather intelligence to give to Wolf so you can get promoted and make a fortune, right?
Unfortunately, your idea was exactly what I predicted.

And the one who truly weaves the trap is not you, but me, John Maslow!

John chuckled inwardly, but outwardly feigned humility and said:

"Since you are interested in my views, I will naturally share my knowledge without reservation. However, my understanding is crude, and I hope you will not mind if I say anything that may be laughable."

"It's alright, please feel free to speak."

"First of all, I personally believe that our decision to attack Faoken Bay was correct. After all, the threat posed by the southern orcs to the Empire has existed since the founding of the Empire and continues to this day."

"If we can take Faoken Bay, it will definitely boost our morale significantly, which is the first advantage."

"Secondly, compared to other colonies or dependent states, Faoken Bay is not only geographically crucial, serving as a necessary passage for the Allied naval fleet's offensive, but if we can capture it and establish ground forces there in advance, we can effectively intercept or even annihilate the Allied fleet attempting to retaliate against us."

"Furthermore, Faoken Bay is rich in resources, especially minerals. It not only has a large mithril mine, but also two magic stone veins. If we can occupy it, it can provide the empire with a lot of resource benefits and effectively enhance the empire's power. This is the second benefit."

"I'm sure Major General Conrad is already aware of the above two points, but in my opinion, there is a third reason why the Empire must take over Faoken Bay."

"The third point is related to the orcs. Only after taking over Faoken Bay will the orcs within the Empire's current territory truly be willing to submit to the Empire and fight for it."

John spoke with absolute certainty.

"Huh? How do you say this?"

Conrad frowned slightly. He was indeed aware of the first two of the three points John had raised, but the third one seemed utterly absurd no matter how you looked at it.

After all, Faokon is just a bay, not the ancestral homeland of the orcs.

Moreover, even if this place truly holds some special significance for the orcs, shouldn't the orcs hate the empire even more for defiling their sacred homeland after it has been conquered?

How could they possibly willingly submit to the empire?
Is John Maslow kidding me?
Conrad was filled with doubt, and his gaze toward John became uncertain.

Now, he's starting to doubt whether he's misjudged the situation.

Very well, Conrad couldn't resist falling for it after all.

After all, the more cunning a person is, the more likely they are to fall into unexpected predicaments.

As a result, they are deceived by others and fall into a trap set in advance by the other party.

Furthermore, unwilling to admit their defeat, the shrewd other party will try every means to use their intelligence to actively make amends for the person who created the lie, thereby helping the other party turn the lie into an even more solid cage.

Ultimately, he trapped himself in it.

Moreover, unlike the common Ponzi schemes that involve getting something for nothing, the trap he meticulously constructed on the road was not entirely a lie.

But it is indeed true.

Therefore, John was not afraid at all that the clever Major General Conrad would not fall for his trick!

"Speaking of which, this matter involves a secret intelligence, which I only overheard by chance. I initially thought it was just a joke, but after seeing that the Prime Minister was willing to deploy the Third Navy and even the Seventh Air Force to support him in order to take over Faoken Bay, I knew that the intelligence I had learned was true."

After a slight pause, John, under Conrad's scrutinizing gaze, slowly uttered a sentence that caused the other's pupils to shrink:
"Major General Conrad, have you ever heard of the 'Sage' spell?"

……

Still writing, will post when finished.

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(End of this chapter)