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

Chapter 147 Backlash and Deceivers

"In my opinion, the source of this intelligence is not important. What is really important is how you choose to act, Colonel Galil."

Meeting Galil's suspicious gaze, John slowly curved his lips into a smile, then uttered a sentence that made Galil fall into deep thought on the spot:

"I, or rather the Empire, have never been the enemy of the Shadow Orcs."

"Although it may seem unconvincing for an invader like me to say this, it is indeed the truth. After all, it is not the empire that has recently risen to power that has truly persecuted the Shadow Orcs for thousands of years."

"On the contrary, it is the Saga Kingdom that you have always regarded as a faith and worshipped and relied on. After all, as a Shadow Beastman, you must know more about the situation and experiences of Shadow Beastmen in the Saga Kingdom than I, an outsider, do you?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Galil did not refute it, but fell into a long silence.

Because he knew very well that what John said was not a lie, but the truth.

Despite the fact that the Shadow Orcs sacrificed countless lives and sweat for the Saga Kingdom, they were always excluded from the Orcs.

The ancient tribes called them descendants of filthy demons with blood of evil.

The new generation of orc tribes, on the other hand, regard them as traitors who have abandoned the honor of the orcs because of the death of the Great Sage a thousand years ago.

In order to gain glory and wash away the sins left by their ancestors, the Shadow Orcs have to receive teachings from their parents and elders from the age of five.

Be loyal to the kingdom, and die for the king of the tribe.

They used their lives and loyalty to obtain that vague sense of glory and recognition from their orc brethren who clearly belittled and disregarded them, yet needed them to sacrifice themselves on the front lines during the war.

In fact, he was sold to the Kingdom of Brown when he was young and forced to become a circus performer.

Unlike the vast majority of his compatriots who had always lived on this land, Galil had a lot of contact with cunning humans and, during his subsequent journey back home, witnessed countless humans, some cunning and some kind. In his exchanges with them, he learned ideas that could never have been passed down in Saga's kingdom.

A question lingered in my mind about the plight of the Shadow Orcs.

However, due to his lowly status and knowing the stubborn nature of his people, he never mentioned this matter to any of them.

Instead, he often thinks about this when he is alone.

However, they have never been able to come up with a definitive answer.

Galil had thought that this problem would be solved after he led the Shadow Orcs in the war against the Empire, gaining unparalleled glory through the Shadow Orcs' fearless sacrifice.

He would then be able to hear the true answer from the noble king as an orc warrior.

Therefore, he has always strived forward with this goal in mind.

Prior to this, Galil had never imagined that he would be able to learn the inside story in advance.

He never imagined that this problem, which had troubled him for half his life, would be revealed to him by an imperial commander who was both an enemy and an invader of the kingdom.

And he was a prisoner of war.

Logically speaking, given his current lack of voice, the other party has no reason to lie to him.

However, the other party's answer was so shocking that even this Shadow Beastman, who was different from his people and had a more open mind, was stunned upon hearing it.

If this news were to reach the ears of the rest of the tribe, given their stubborn nature and short-sightedness, they would likely dismiss it as a completely unbelievable lie.

After all, if what John Maslow said is true, then the Shadow Orcs' sacrifices and struggles over the past thousand years in an attempt to gain glory and recognition are all part of the story.

Wouldn't all of this become a history of humiliation?
Not only have they forgotten their own heritage, but under the brainwashing education of the Saga Kingdom, they have become like fools, serving their family's former enemies.
Galil didn't even dare to think about it any further, because he understood that if he believed John Maslow's explanation, it would be tantamount to denying the Shadow Orcs' past history.

They even turned against the respected king.

He must not make a decision rashly before truly confirming the authenticity of this intelligence.

This is an event that could significantly impact the future of the Shadow Orcs, and it also relates to the truth behind their being scorned by the various Hordes.

He must not remain suicidal as before; he must survive.

Moreover, we must find a way to learn the true history of the Shadow Orcs from them!
Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in Galil's eyes, and then he spoke in a deep voice to the cunning Imperial commander before him:

"I'm curious why you're telling me this. I ask myself, as someone who tried to assassinate you but failed and was captured, I shouldn't deserve such leniency from you."

“Well, from a normal combat perspective, I would not be so merciful to an enemy, but as I said before, the Shadow Orcs are not our enemies. In addition, there is indeed some connection between our ancestors. As descendants of these old friends, I find it really hard to ignore the lies fabricated by the Saga Kingdom and continue to be manipulated by them.”

John paused slightly, then turned to Galil meaningfully and said:

"Of course, you can also interpret it as me wanting to see those who are good at manipulating people's hearts one day being turned against by the puppets they control."

"After all, nothing in this world is more dazzling and eye-catching than the destructive flames ignited by the emotion called 'revenge,' isn't it?"

"...Although it may be offensive, I must say that your cruelty and kindness have truly opened my eyes."

Ignoring Ignila's dangerous gaze, Galil uttered these words with a mocking tone, but he quickly composed himself and spoke with focused concentration:

“Mr. John Maslow, as a prisoner, I am not in a position to question you, but if you truly have a heart of mercy for the Shadow Orcs, as you claim, then could you please tell me the real reason why we are not Orcs, but descendants of Drow Elves?”

"After all, only if you provide enough information can I, as a prisoner, fulfill my duty as a pawn and ignite the flames of revenge you desire within the Saga Kingdom, isn't that right?"

"Or is it that the reason you dare not explain the reason to me is simply because what you said before was nothing but baseless lies that cannot withstand scrutiny and will be exposed, so you are deliberately being evasive?"

Having said that, Galil stared directly into the eyes of the cunning human before him, trying to provoke him into revealing the answer he truly sought.

He knew that, given the other party's cunning, they would not be so easily provoked.

But he also knew that the other party would not refuse his request to explore.

This is a tacit understanding shared among cunning individuals.

"Colonel Galil, your provocation is far too simplistic. Do you really think I'm such an impatient fool? I must say, that's quite disappointing."

John chuckled to himself, surprised that this orc, known for his simple-mindedness, had learned human cunning.

However, the other party's behavior actually gave him more confidence in his plan. He wasn't afraid of the other party trying to learn more information; rather, he feared that the other party was stubborn, which would only make his plan more difficult to implement. So John shook his head with feigned helplessness, pondered for a while, and then spoke under Galil's gaze:

"Okay, you win. You've convinced me, so I don't mind telling you the reasons behind it."

"Actually, the answer is very simple; it lies in the ears."

John pointed to his own round ears, then to Galil's gray, pointed ears, a playful smile curving his lips:

"Colonel Galil, haven't you noticed that the ears of the Shadow Orcs are completely different from those of humans, orcs, or even monsters?"

"Humans generally have round ears, orcs retain the characteristics of their respective groups in terms of ears due to their racial differences, while monsters are all kinds of strange, some even without ears."

"But no creature has the sharp, long, pointed ears of a Shadow Orc."

"Well, that's not entirely accurate, since there are two types of beings that have these ears, and this feature has become one of the defining characteristics of their respective races. Those two types of beings are called..."

Meeting Galil's narrowed pupils, John softly uttered the two names:
"Elf and Drow!"

"Crack!"

Just as John uttered those two words, a bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the dark, overcast sky.

It's as if those legendary creatures who once lived on this land in ancient times have perished and vanished in the long river of time, leaving only a faint remnant of their will.

The moment they heard their true names being recited, they were all moved, and with their last strength, they displayed proof of their existence under the thunder, accompanied by John's recitation.

"Boom!"

The muffled thunder rumbled and spread, resounding through the heavens and earth, and seemed to crash into Galil's body, causing his blood to surge uncontrollably for some unknown reason.

Along with the ugly, centipede-like demonic patterns that clung to the surface of his body, they also began to surge and churn.

It was like the bloodline power within him, diluted to the point of being imperceptible after nearly a thousand years of reconciliation with the orcs.

At this moment, having received the call of the true name, it began to stir and spread again, attempting to expel all the mortal enemy bloodlines within the inheritor's body with its holy and solemn silver moon blood.

This strange change within his body instantly caught Galil's attention. He immediately and subconsciously manipulated his magic, attempting to suppress the backlash of this demonic bloodline by following the techniques his ancestors had learned from the orc sages, in order to prevent himself from being affected and turning into a monster that only knew how to kill.

But then he suddenly remembered the 'truth' John had told him earlier, and with the magic suppressor and the magic-suppressing nail binding him, the magic he could control was extremely weak, making it impossible to achieve the original suppression effect.

Therefore, after a brief hesitation, Galil gave up on suppression and instead, with a mix of trepidation and anticipation, allowed the ominous silver-gray power to continue to grow.

He wanted to test whether the so-called demonic blood was really as rumored, capable of driving people mad.

If he ultimately doesn't become corrupted by the blood of the demons as rumored, and is able to maintain his sanity.

Does that mean that what John Maslow said was not a lie, but the truth about the Shadow Orcs?
They are the descendants of the noble Drow elves.

Is the so-called descendant of demons a lie fabricated by the orc sages to enslave them and make them willingly die for the orcs?

If that's really the case, then perhaps he should consider calling on his people to seek true glory!
Slowly suppressing the thought that could be described as treasonous, Galil remained outwardly calm and instead spoke with feigned disdain:

“Mr. John, your answer doesn’t seem very convincing. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to distinguish races just by listening. Besides, in my opinion, what you’re saying has quite a few flaws.”

"After all, as far as I know, besides elves and dark elves having pointed ears, a group of monsters called goblins in Morno Continent also have similar characteristics. According to what you're saying, doesn't that mean we have some connection with goblins?"

"That's a novel way of putting it, but unfortunately, goblin ears are quite different from those of elves and dark elves. Goblin ears are pointed horizontally, while elf ears are vertical. The former resembles wildly growing branches, while the latter is like leaves."

"The biggest difference in bloodline between the two is height. Goblins are usually no taller than 1.3 meters, which is enough to refute your claim, given your height of nearly two meters."

"Moreover, it is well known that goblins generally do not have an intelligence level exceeding that of a 15-year-old intelligent being, and they are even less capable of mastering human language."

"In conclusion, the possibility of Shadow Orcs possessing goblin blood is almost zero."

John calmly delivered his prepared remarks, followed by a composed smile.

In fact, the game does not explicitly describe the pointed ears of the Shadow Orcs. It simply states that under the Curse of Corruption, these cursed orcs, when they reproduced, had their offspring, due to the curse of the Dark Elf souls, resulting in most of them uncontrollably undergoing bloodline mutations.

For some reason, they retained this ear feature similar to that of dark elves.

Since the game's background doesn't provide detailed explanations, John didn't delve into it further.

As a player, no one in the world understands the game's lore better than John.

Although due to his time travel, he had less knowledge of the deeper history of the divine era in this world.

But the information and secrets he currently possesses are enough for this fraudster to exploit the information gap and completely outmaneuver these natives.

As for the Shadow Orcs truly being the offspring of Dark Elves and Cursed Orcs, please, the probability of that is less than one in ten million, how could he possibly have encountered such a possibility?

If that's the case, then wouldn't he possess the power of my imagination and be invincible?
It's best to keep such impossible things to yourself; saying them out loud will only make you a laughingstock.

John shook his head inwardly, dismissing the absurd idea, and then looked at Galil, whose breathing had become rapid for some reason and whose magical runes had begun to move as if trying to break free from his body's restraints.

Seeing the strange flicker in the other person's eyes, he knew clearly at that moment.

His plan to sow discord had already succeeded more than halfway.

Next, all he had to do was utter that one sentence: the seed of doubt that he, the fraudster, had fabricated.

It will plant a seed in the other person's heart, and after you release them, let them try to explore the Dark Elf ruins that have long been sealed by the royal family of the Saga Kingdom, except for the abnormalities caused by spells and soul curses, which correspond to the uncontrollable sense of familiarity and belonging.

And it continued to grow and spread until it formed a colossal tree called 'Revenge'.

This would allow John to completely dismantle the cohesion within the orc army, seize the Falcon Bay, and even completely overthrow the Saga Kingdom!
And that's exactly what he did.

Therefore, meeting Galil's flickering gaze, John parted his lips slightly and uttered the condition he relied on most, and one that no Shadow Orc could refuse:
"Furthermore, unlike the royal family of the Saga Kingdom, I am happy to help the Shadow Orcs remove the corruption curse from you and help you return to your true form."

"So, Galil Drow, what is your answer to my condition?"

……

(End of this chapter)