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

Chapter 162 Son of the Ocean
"Lieutenant Ian is currently in a coma due to overexerting the spell. After all, summoning thirty-two adult-sized deep-sea demon whales from the deep sea through the spell, even with the use of a magic amplifier, was indeed too much of a burden for the lieutenant."

After regaining his composure, Bob explained the situation to John, then, as if remembering something, smiled slightly and added to John:
“But John, you don’t need to worry too much. Before this, I personally ordered a professional medical team to examine and treat Lieutenant Ian. The current diagnosis is that apart from excessive magic consumption, there are no other symptoms.”

"Once Lieutenant Ian wakes up, I will have someone notify you as soon as possible. At that time, since you two are both descendants of Xianqin, you can meet and catch up."

"Yes, Marshal Bob."

John did not refuse upon hearing this, but nodded with a smile.

But contrary to his outward appearance, his heart was filled with hesitation and trouble at this moment.

In fact, he didn't really want to have much interaction with this future admiral.

After all, as a member of the original protagonist group in the game, the Ian Grant he knew was, to some extent, mentally unstable and prone to madness due to undergoing a memory stripping surgery.

The other party's world-weary and depressed personality also makes them exceptionally difficult to deal with.

Even in the game's storyline, Anna, as the leader of the main characters, relies heavily on her talkative and chatty nature.

She successfully conveyed her own belief in saving others to him, and through years of continuous battles, she moved Ian with her consistent words and deeds, which finally made him a complete ally.

According to the game's background description, Ian's twisted personality in the game is most likely related to the fact that he underwent a memory stripping surgery.

But John couldn't be sure what state Ian was in before he was taken in for the transformation.

If the other person's true personality is consistent with their modified state, then John feels that for someone like himself who is good at using tricks to scheme against others and considers himself despicable and shameless.

Trying to win people's hearts by imitating Anna's righteous rhetoric would be quite difficult.

"In short, let's wait until this future admiral wakes up, and then think about how to win him over."

"Also, speaking of which, so far, I've essentially snatched two members of the main character group ahead of time?!"

"If this trend continues, won't I have to recruit all the main characters into my own group?"

After all, excluding himself, there were only twelve core members of the Allied Special Operations Department in the game, and now he had forcibly taken one-sixth of them.

Moreover, they are respectively the Marshal of the Allied Forces' future core Army assault force and the Admiral of the Navy with the strongest naval combat power.

It could almost be described as kicking the Allied Special Operations Department in the groin right from the start.

Although Serbia's current stance is unclear, based on John's understanding of them, after witnessing everything in Bahamut, unless they encounter the female protagonist Anna, they are unlikely to have any intention of joining the Allies.

And since Ian has not been captured yet, as long as I can win this war, even if I can't persuade him with words, this future admiral should not have any thoughts of defecting to the enemy.

Honestly, if there were any reborn individuals among the Special Operations Department members, they probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night after learning these two pieces of news.

"No, even putting aside the absurd notion of reborn beings that are impossible, having personally annihilated the Allied Seventh Legion, I'm afraid I'll now become one of the top-ranked figures on the Allied assassination list!"

"Perhaps even, the One-Eyed Hunter Olko might have to set up a special operations department ahead of schedule because of this, sigh..."

The more John thought about it, the more dizzy he felt.

Right now, he could almost foresee that after his victory in the Battle of Faoken, he would have to be on guard against assassins sent by the Allies every day.

Once this damned war is over, I must apply to Dormammu to become a government official in the capital, Eleno!
No matter what!

John made a silent vow, but showed no sign of it on the surface. He continued to discuss the detailed plans for the subsequent operations with Bob, and inquired about how many Raider naval and land combat troops the Third Navy could provide to assist in achieving victory in the ground war, while ensuring naval firepower suppression.

Having received a concrete answer, John, after hearing Wendy's message through the communication device that he had safely returned with his men, immediately resigned from his post as Marshal Bob and went to Starry Coast to arrange the subsequent garrisoning and battlefield cleanup of Horseshoe City.

……

In the evening, inside the central enclosed medical bay of the battlecruiser HMS Horst.

The young man had a handsome face, his body was immersed in a green therapeutic solution, he wore an oxygen supply device in his mouth, his shoulder-length hair was parted in the middle, and the left and right sides were black and blue respectively. There were three gaps behind his ears that resembled fish gills, and his fingers had very short, flesh-colored, semi-transparent membranes at the base.

His originally peaceful expression suddenly turned ferocious, as if he had just had an indescribable and terrifying nightmare, and his eyelids began to tremble violently uncontrollably.

His breathing became increasingly rapid, and finally he suddenly opened his eyes wide from inside the medical pod.

Looking at the green repair solution enveloping him, Ian initially didn't understand the situation. However, after glancing out of the corner of his eye at the friendly forces in Imperial medical unit uniforms who were quickly approaching him because of his strange behavior, he immediately realized that he was currently in his own treatment room.

"Crack!"

Under the operation of these high-ranking medical officers, whose ranks were all higher than his own and who were clearly there specifically to serve His Excellency the Marshal.

The medical pod's hatch slowly opened, and the previously cool solution was gradually drained. After the hatch opened, the officers quickly took out various medicines and syringes, and then injected them into Ian's body without saying a word.

As the injection, imbued with a large amount of magic and enhanced vitality, was injected into his body, Ian, who had inexplicably felt his limbs getting cold, suddenly felt his body gradually warming up again.

Seemingly after confirming through real-time monitoring that Ian's condition was fine, a slender man dressed in an Imperial Medical Corps uniform, wearing a military cap and colonel's epaulets, smiled and asked him:
"Welcome back, Lieutenant Ian. How are you feeling? Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

"Reporting to Colonel Cambert, apart from some exhaustion, I do not feel any discomfort."

Looking at the officer before him, revered by countless allies as the 'Hand of Life,' who had saved countless soldiers with his professional healing skills, Ian quickly and respectfully replied, "Exhaustion is normal. After all, your use of the magic amplification device this time far exceeded what a normal person should be able to handle. If it weren't for the strength of your merman bloodline and the relatively low consumption of your unique spell, anyone else would probably have died on the spot."

"It's normal for young people to want to perform well after gaining the Marshal's appreciation, but they should always act within their capabilities. After all, life is only once and should be cherished. Therefore, I hope Lieutenant Ian can be more cautious in the future."

Cambert offered a gentle reminder, but his gaze kept darting back and forth between Ian's nasal cavity and pupils. Only after confirming that there was no bleeding from the other's nose and that the pupils were not dilating uncontrollably did he give a reassuring gesture to his subordinates who were ready to provide emergency care.

After glancing with slight curiosity at the other's unusual ears and cheeks, Cambert smiled and spoke to the slightly nervous Ian:

"Alright, don't be so nervous. You're a hero this time, and you've perfectly completed the mission assigned by the Marshal. If nothing unexpected happens, Lieutenant Ian, you should be promoted soon because of your outstanding performance, and we should have many more opportunities to deal with each other in the future."

"However, instead of chatting with a boring person like me, I think you should be more interested in meeting that amazing genius major."

It was as if he was thinking of the dazzling achievements of Major John Maslow, who, under the instruction of Field Marshal Bob, had already spread throughout the Third Navy, and how he had used his amazing command skills to annihilate the Allied Seventh Army and the Orc 101st Division.

Even Cambert couldn't help but inwardly marvel at his genius, then, meeting Ian's tense yet expectant gaze, he smiled and nodded:

“That’s right. After noticing that you were showing signs of waking up, I had already sent someone to inform Lord John in advance. He is currently waiting for you in the temporary meeting room, and it seems that he has something to talk to you about.”

"So, Lieutenant Ian, you can now tidy yourself up for the upcoming conversation."

"Yes, Colonel Cambert!"

……

"So, Frank's remains have been found?"

Meanwhile, in the mess hall where senior officers on the HMS Horst dined, John, who was enjoying the elegant music played by the military band and experiencing the treatment of a senior officer arranged by Bob, raised an eyebrow and put down his knife after hearing Wendy's report to him.

He waved for the military band to stop playing, and took a towel from Lunepo, who had been holding a tray like a attentive waiter, to wipe his mouth. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Wendy, who was constantly glancing at the food on the table and swallowing hard, and said in a low voice:
"The opponent was a respectable adversary. Although out of respect for honor I should arrange for his remains to be returned, considering the current disadvantages of our army, I am afraid I should make use of his posthumous value, even though I am unwilling."

John paused slightly, then seemed to recall the scene where he used the corpse to intimidate Leon, causing the latter to vomit blood on the spot but having no choice but to obediently withdraw his troops. A sinister smile immediately appeared on John's lips.

Then, under the gaze of Lunepo, who had somehow developed the same smile, he gave the order to Lieutenant Wendy, who was drooling with desire:

"Lieutenant Wendy, have someone inform our Colonel Samuel and have him arrange for a few ice mages to freeze the enemy general's body. Oh, and remember to have it stored properly; I'll need it later."

"Yes, Captain!"

"...What kind of bullshit captain are you? How many times have I told you to call me Major, you idiot!"

John, who was initially in high spirits because of the victory, suddenly had veins bulging on his forehead upon hearing this.

Before Wendy, the pig-headed squad leader, could realize something was wrong and try to escape, he immediately grabbed her cheek.

Ignoring the other party's pleas for mercy, and under the curious gaze of the military band and the mocking look of Lunepo who seemed to see through everything, he delivered a merciless iron hand strike with a ferocious expression.

Then, I was about to give this stupid, forgetful subordinate a good beating so he would understand what real official authority was and never dare to call me "captain" again.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a guard walking towards him at the restaurant entrance, as if he had received a special instruction.

John, realizing that he had achieved the real goal of this meeting, immediately stopped his playful banter with Wendy and also suppressed his smile.

Ignoring Wendy's resentful gaze, John, having learned from the guard that Ian Grant would arrive at the restaurant in three minutes, immediately instructed Lunebo to take Wendy to complete the notification mission and head together to the restaurant where the officers of the Magic Battalion 1 were located to continue the victory celebration that Bob had hosted for him.

He then dismissed the surrounding military band and signaled the soldiers serving as waiters to remove the plates in front of them and serve some refreshments, preparing for the first real meeting with his familiar yet unfamiliar comrade-in-arms.

"Tap, tap!"

About a minute or two later, accompanied by hurried footsteps, John saw a tall, slender figure with long, two-tone hair appear at the restaurant entrance, which had been empty.

He seemed a little nervous; even though they were dozens of meters apart, John could hear his rapid breathing from the other end.

But looking at the other person's heterochromatic eyes, and at the tension and astonishment in their eyes, John, who could clearly see the 'Warning' word above their head through the analytical spell, knew...

The so-called tension is nothing more than a facade put on by the other party.

Sure enough, how could I possibly subdue this troublesome son of the ocean so easily?

However, I had already made preparations for this, and if nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to complete the initial psychological warfare.

Of course, the premise is that this guy won't see through you, and you need to control the pace of the conversation!

Thinking of this, John felt much more confident.

Then he smiled at his comrade-in-arms, who appeared nervous but was actually incredibly calm, and said:

"Lieutenant Ian, please have a seat. To be honest, I've been looking forward to this meeting for a long time."

……

(End of this chapter)