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

Chapter 21 Warrant Officer John has great wisdom!

"Hmm? Colonel Jet, you have a plan? Why don't you just tell me?"

Upon hearing Dormammu's inquiry, Colonel Jett stopped keeping him in suspense and instead smiled as he revealed the solution he had come up with on the spot:

"Yes, General. Actually, my method is very simple: 'joint operations'."

Yes, a joint operation, how come I didn't think of that?
Dormammu suddenly realized.

Joint operations typically occur when a mission requires a large number of personnel, but due to unforeseen circumstances, there is a lack of senior officers to lead it. In such cases, two commanders of the same rank need to temporarily merge their respective teams and participate in the mission together.

Although it was ostensibly composed of a commander and a deputy commander, everyone in the army knew that the deputy commander did not play a significant role in joint operations and received relatively few merits.

After all, this position is mostly reserved for aristocratic children with powerful backgrounds who come to the military to gain prestige.

However, out of consideration for appearances, the Imperial Military Affairs Department euphemistically called it a joint operation.

However, compared to the previous overreaching decisions made by Dormammu, the joint operation was undoubtedly in accordance with the military's internal regulations.

If we apply this to John, even if Dormammu's political enemies wanted to stir up trouble, they wouldn't be able to find any fault with him under this reason!

This method clearly meets Dormammu's current needs perfectly!
"I understand, Colonel Jeter, your suggestion is excellent. So, what are your thoughts on the choice of a lieutenant?"

"As for the lieutenant, I think that this person must first have considerable intelligence and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Only in this way can he keep up with Warrant Officer John's quick thinking. Otherwise, he will only become a burden to Warrant Officer John."

"Secondly, this deputy general must possess considerable combat capabilities. After all, the chaos in Bahamut town is well-known. If a team has two commanders who need soldiers to protect them, it will undoubtedly increase the difficulty of the mission."

"That's right, that's how it should be."

Colonel Jet spoke eloquently, and Dormammu nodded unconsciously upon hearing this.

Clearly, Jet's statement had won his approval, and through Jet's hard work, he vaguely guessed that he already had someone in mind for the position of adjutant in this joint operation.

However, considering fairness, Dormammu added to the group:
"Colonel Jeter's words are exactly what I wanted to say. So, if any of you here have outstanding talents who meet these qualifications, please speak up. As long as their abilities are suitable, I will consider them."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's minds immediately became active, and they couldn't help but recommend their confidants to Dormammu.

Clearly, he wanted to use this joint operation to make connections with Warrant Officer John, who was destined for great success, in order to pave a smoother path for his own career.

Therefore, even the colonels who were not usually in the limelight began to swallow their pride and apply.

In an effort to succeed, he even went so far as to expose embarrassing stories about other recommenders, trying to prove that his subordinate was the most outstanding one.

Suddenly, the entire command post became unusually noisy, as if it were in a vegetable market.

However, just as everyone was belittling each other and trying to grab the opportunity to participate in this mission by putting each other down,

The next second, Colonel Jeter's voice suddenly rang out from the arena:
"Ahem, speaking of which, I do have a suitable candidate on my side, and I believe that compared to the people you all recommend, this subordinate of mine might be more suitable to carry out the mission with Warrant Officer John."

"After all, whether it's me, my subordinate, or Warrant Officer John, we all come from the Imperial First Military Academy. So, in terms of tactics and commands, my subordinate should be able to cooperate with Warrant Officer John better than the others, right?"

"General, you should be well aware of this, shouldn't you?"

"You mean... yes, that's true."

Upon hearing Colonel Jet's words, Dormammu seemed to recall something, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

If he wasn't mistaken, the soldier Jet mentioned, who also came from the Imperial First Military Academy like John, should be the last descendant of the special Binot family.

Similarly, the other party was also someone on whom His Majesty the Emperor placed high hopes.

While his abilities are indeed impressive, his shortcomings are equally obvious.

In addition, his personality, which was criticized by many high-level officials.
Is it really appropriate to involve the other party in John's mission?

Thinking of this, Dormammu couldn't help but feel a little worried.

But when his gaze fell upon the puzzled John, and considering the two miracles the young man had performed, a possibility seemed to dawn on him. His gaze instantly hardened, and without further hesitation, he made his decision:

"In that case, Colonel Jeter will be in charge of selecting the deputy commander for this joint operation. Also, if anyone has any objections, you may discuss them with Colonel Jeter after the meeting."

"I think he will give everyone a satisfactory answer."

After saying that, Dormammu didn't waste any more words. He gave John, who looked completely bewildered, a meaningful look, and then changed the subject, starting to discuss the post-war governance of the rest of Walden with everyone.

The meeting officially ended two hours later. John, who maintained a stiff smile throughout, was escorted out of the command post amidst praise from the imperial high command.

He shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each of the officers who had come forward to greet him, and expressed his intention to visit these respectable officers when he had the opportunity.

After dealing with these scoundrels, John used the excuse of going to the toilet to make a quick getaway.

They then arrived at the vicinity of a wide, deserted river behind the camp.

He sat on the grass by the riverbank, staring blankly at the rushing river before him. The fake smile he had maintained vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented sense of depression and despair.

He's so stupid, really.

He knew perfectly well that Colonel Jeter, who had ruined his plans to switch jobs, wouldn't be spouting anything nice.

But he still foolishly chose to believe.

They also fell into the enemy's trap and were forced to accept this mission that was certain to kill them.

If I had known this would be the outcome, then I would have refuted the idea when that old geezer Dormammu forced me to speak.

He said he would never pretend to be something he'd never do.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

There's no need to directly confront the most dangerous being in the game.

This leads to a situation where one can only watch helplessly as they walk towards death.

At this moment, John had no doubt that his bad luck had perhaps been maxed out by the hateful god the moment he traveled through time.

Otherwise, he couldn't think of any other reason to explain his current situation.

"Damn it! All I want is to live, why, why is it so hard!"

John slumped dejectedly on the grass, staring at the azure sky above with despair in his eyes.

But after a long silence, he suddenly sat up and slammed his fist into the grass, gritting his teeth.

Since it has already happened, there is no point in regretting it.

Although he didn't understand why his flawless plan kept failing, sitting and waiting to die was never John's style.

Moreover, he also knew the direction of the script; in other words, no one knew better than him how to deal with the current difficulties.

John believed that if he used his brilliant mind, everything could turn around.

Even the freedom he longs for is not impossible to achieve. "Let me think about it, let me think about it carefully."

John's eyes flickered as he kept thinking about the intelligence he had gathered about Sellviya.

Try to find a way to deal with this irritable dragon girl from the limited background information about her in the game.

But the more John thought about it, the more desperate he felt than ever before.

The reason is simple: the other party's background is undoubtedly a fatal factor for him, a commander whose identity has now been confirmed as an 'imperial lackey'.

She witnessed her parents being slaughtered by imperial nobles as a child, and was sold by slave traders to a madman at the Imperial Research Institute during her childhood, where she underwent inhumane magical modification experiments. The friend she finally made in prison died in front of her in order to help her escape.

If John had experienced such blows from family, himself, and friends...

Having endured such suffering, he would surely harbor the same deep hatred for the empire as Serbia.

Even though that nobleman who killed innocent people and claimed credit for them has now been ordered to hang himself because his crime was exposed, the emperor has now officially ascended the throne.

The illegal magic modification experiment was also ordered to be abolished by the imperial authorities.

The original policy of classifying people by race within the empire has now been completely banned, and the system has been uniformly changed to citizens.

But there is no doubt that the hatred that has been building up against Serbia will not diminish.

Given the other party's extreme personality, it is quite normal that he would become increasingly hostile towards the empire because he was unable to kill his enemies.

After all, it was this deep-seated hatred for the empire that led Serbia to abandon everything and join the Allied forces after meeting the female protagonist in the game.

Therefore, it is clear that if John really went to Bahamut Town as the so-called commander-in-chief of the joint operation to carry out the so-called suppression mission and face this monster dragon girl directly...

Without a doubt, the other party would kill him immediately.

Faced with the terrifying force of the enemy—capable of withstanding bullets and overturning or crushing an armored vehicle—John felt that all he could do was pray that he could survive with a relatively intact corpse under their claws.

Damn it, isn't this a dead end, you bastard!

John grabbed his hair in frustration, sighing inwardly.

Just as he was hesitating about whether he should take advantage of the mission and run away with the bucket,

Suddenly, after catching a glimpse of two small flowers growing close together on the shore, a mischievous idea instantly formed in his mind.

Wait a minute, it seems unnecessary for me to go head-to-head with that violent dragon girl, right?

After all, this is a joint operation, isn't it?

Wasn't that muscle-bound freak Jet supposed to send him an assistant? He could have just let that unlucky guy draw the fire!
"Yes, you're a loser, a complete loser!"

John, whose rationality had taken over, widened his eyes instantly, his face filled with ecstasy.

He, who considered himself to be the smartest person in the world, had found a way out of this seemingly hopeless situation!
Although this decision doesn't seem very friendly to the guy whose name and gender are unknown, and who is about to become his deputy.

But Warrant Officer John, who considers himself despicable and shameless, is not the kind of hero who would sacrifice himself for so-called justice.

If he feels guilty afterward, he might burn some paper money for the other person during holidays or help look after their family; to him, that would be considered an act of kindness.

Moreover, the other party may not actually die.

After all, given the terrifying combat power that Jet had previously displayed, someone who could be recruited by the other party must not be someone as weak as him.

However, none of that matters now. He needs to come up with a suitable reason to avoid going to Bahamut and to arrange for his lieutenant to lead a group there alone.

Otherwise, when the supervisory forces investigate, he will certainly be charged with dereliction of duty and brought before a military court, where he will ultimately face death.

Hmm, a rationale, a reason...

I've got it! The strategy of encircling the towns!
Why can't we just explain it by using the policy of surrounding towns?

In this way, I would have a good reason to split up with that unlucky guy, with him going to Bahamut Town as a scapegoat to draw the fire of that violent Serbian dragon girl.

He could then travel directly to the rural areas surrounding the town to gather intelligence and investigate the influence of local royal nobles on the Bahamut town area, thereby justifying his actions.

In this way, all I need to do is wait for Serbia to initiate a conflict with the troops led by that unlucky guy, which would lead to the failure of the mission, and then I can shift the blame to the other side.

That way, he would not only avoid being killed but also avoid being implicated. On the contrary, he could escape unscathed and, incidentally, get a good slap on that muscle-bound bastard, Jet.

This is how to retaliate against the other party for ruining my job-hopping plans!

This also lowers Dormammu's opinion of him, thus achieving his initial goal of lying low!

It was a perfect decision that killed many birds with one stone!

Genius! I must be a genius to come up with such a plan!

"Hahaha, my strategy is flawless, the advantage is in my hands, victory is just a piece of cake for me!"

The more John thought about it, the more perfect and flawless his plan seemed. Feeling incredibly wise, John excitedly jumped up from the grass.

However, in his emotional state, he forgot that he was sitting next to a river.

As a result, he staggered and immediately fell uncontrollably into the river ahead, his pupils shrinking to their limit.

He suddenly remembered something.

That is, he can't swim at all!
"He died before he could even begin; this is truly the end for him!"

As John looked at the river that was about to make intimate contact with his handsome face, a thought involuntarily popped into his mind.

He was caught off guard and didn't have time to hold his breath to reduce choking on water and prepare for calling for help.

An inexplicable pull from behind forcibly stopped him from falling into the river.

Immediately afterwards, John felt a tightness around his neck and was uncontrollably thrown to a safe area behind him.

John was overjoyed and grateful to have his life saved. Without even tidying himself up, he immediately got up to thank the unknown kind person.

"Phew, I'm saved, thank you..."

However, just as John looked gratefully at the kind person in front of him, his smile froze the moment he caught a glimpse of the girl's hair color behind her.

It was a head of beautiful, long silver hair, which was being gently blown by the spring breeze and shone with a captivating luster under the afternoon sun.

But even in this dreamlike scene, John didn't feel any of the excitement that a romantic story should have.

Instead, it made him feel an unprecedented chill from the bottom of his heart.

It made him realize the malice the world held towards him, this unlucky guy.

……

(End of this chapter)