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

Chapter 112 Departure
John assumed that after his actions, the other four people besides Barnapo would sign the application form.

After all, these four idiots went so far as to pretend to be stupid in order to avoid participating in the support mission, clearly they were terrified by Faoken's support mission.

Apart from Barnapo, who was informed in advance by Olaf and knew he couldn't escape, the others probably didn't receive any subtle warnings from their superiors.

Therefore, it is normal to have the hope of extricating oneself from the situation under normal circumstances.

But John knew very well that of the thousand magical soldiers Dormammu had assigned to him, only those below the rank of squad leader could be slightly replaced.

There are simply no replacements for the mages with the rank of lieutenant or higher.

After all, Dormammu spent an entire night selecting these magical soldier officers, and they represent the maximum number of casualties the Seventh Air Force could accept.

Unless these officers make a major mistake or attack their superiors, there is virtually no possibility of replacement.

If John were to be replaced, the replacements would likely be less capable than the current candidates.

Therefore, even after discovering that these five people were just as eccentric as Wendy, despite his inner lament, he didn't immediately turn his back and leave. Instead, he used the application form to play a game of 'retreating to advance' in order to demonstrate his benevolence as a superior.

He had planned to wait until these four idiots finished signing their application forms, only to have them ruthlessly rejected by their respective superiors.

He will then step forward to say that he has done his best, but the command headquarters disagrees, thus positioning himself in the same camp as everyone else.

He wanted to win over a group of people so that these five idiots would obediently follow his orders after the mission began and work together to win this troublesome war.

But to his surprise, these five idiots seemed to have suddenly come to their senses. In the end, they didn't sign any of the papers. Instead, they came out to him and apologized for what had just happened.

To be honest, this surprised John, and it also meant that his prepared follow-up measures were no longer needed.

However, John could accept this result.

Although he had no idea what happened in the meeting room after he left.

However, judging from the five people's behavior before and after, it is enough to prove that these five people are not as stupid as he expected.

So, after silently changing his opinion of the five men as "idiots" in his mind, he accepted their apology.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the group, he instructed the newly recruited General Wu Hu to organize the tactical arrangements for their respective companies, as he would need to unify them later to facilitate subsequent combat command.

After successfully winning over General Wu Hu, John returned to his residence and made additions and modifications to the original economic development plan for Longan Territory.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and soon it was time for John to lead his troops and follow Conrad to the nearest port to board the ship and set sail for Faoken.

However, upon waking up, John did not immediately gather the troops. Instead, he walked to the area where the original 14th Squad, now the 1st Battalion Guard Unit, was stationed.

Next, he needs to make pre-battle arrangements for a special person here.

"So, if I understand correctly, you mean I'm free from now on?"

Inside the tent, after John finished explaining that the 1st Battalion was about to depart for Faoken to participate in a support mission and would not be able to take her, this special prisoner, Serbia, dressed in a long red dress, didn't even glance at John, nor did she pause her flipping through the storybook. She spoke with a somewhat impatient tone:

“John Maslow, if you really have nothing better to do, you can go on a date with that monster Leia, or take your people back to Dragon Eye Territory to farm your land. Stop messing with me. I’m already annoyed enough by being watched by that woman Leia every day in this damn tent. I don’t have time to play word games with you!”

"Besides, what kind of bullshit Falken support mission is this? Can't you tell a joke that's even realistic? Do you really think I'd treat you like a fool who's willingly going to his death?"

"Or is it that you feel a sense of accomplishment from using such unfunny jokes to toy with me, a prisoner you've arbitrarily imprisoned? Hmm?"

Serbia gave a disdainful sneer.

What kind of bullshit Falken Bay support mission is this? Any idiot would know not to accept such a mission, so she didn't believe that this cunning and treacherous guy in front of her would be stupid enough to accept such a near-death mission.

It's highly likely they're just playing with her!
"Although I really want to say this is a joke, it is indeed true. I am indeed about to leave for Faoken, which is why I came to tell you about my arrangements for you in advance."

"Marshal Dormammu's original suggestion was for me to hand you over to Major General Jet for custody. After all, your strength is indeed beyond that of ordinary people, and you did participate in the Allied organization's assassination plan. Although it was stopped before any serious incidents occurred, there are still doubts about your position."

"Given your past, which is difficult to mention, it's understandable that Marshal Dormammu suggested that I arrange things for you this way."

"However, I felt that this decision was somewhat inappropriate, so I declined."

Looking at Serbia, who was furrowing his brows and rapidly flipping through a storybook, as if trying to dispel the frustration in his heart.

John also felt a bit of a headache.

Without this support mission, he was very confident that he could have recruited this future Red Dragon War God into his ranks through continuous persuasion.

Even if we don't expect them to become our help, we can at least maintain a good relationship.

Unfortunately, the order from the Ministry of Military Affairs was issued at the very moment.

John knew he had to part ways with this powerful teammate he hadn't yet managed to recruit.

Based on my actions in Longyan Territory at this stage, I have only barely managed to dispel the other party's hostility.

He wasn't sure if taking Serbia to Faoken would lead to a betrayal during the mission.

If reality were like a game, where you could see someone's level of affection and loyalty...

So he can still take a gamble.

If you play the hero and save the damsel in distress at the right time, you might even gain some goodwill.

But there aren't so many "what ifs" in the world. Just like his perfect plan was disrupted by various unexpected events, he could only accept it.

John sighed silently, then turned to Serbia, who had somehow put away her storybook and was now staring at him expressionlessly, and told her about his plans for her:
"After careful consideration, I have decided to have you stay in Longyan Territory as a local government official, working with Glenn to help me implement subsequent economic revitalization policies for Longyan Territory."

"After all, you have certain governance abilities, and the policies I left behind are very detailed. You just need to read them a few times to understand them. If nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to handle this job."

“If you perform well enough in governing the town, I can use that as collateral to petition His Majesty the Emperor for a pardon for you when I return.” “Isn’t that a win-win situation for both of us?”

"...It is indeed a good choice, but only if you can come back alive. But John Maslow, can you really walk back alive from that damned war?"

Serbia stared calmly at John, his wine-red pupils filled with barely suppressed rage.

At this moment, the scenes she had recently witnessed in Longyan Territory began to surface in her mind.

The long-lost smiles on the faces of the people, the vitality and energy that she had never seen before in the Empire, the Allies, or even in any other country in the world, the people striving for happiness.

It would be a lie to say that Serbia was not moved by this.

Her recent actions made her realize that the conversation in the tent that day was not just a lie fabricated to brainwash her.

Rather, it means the other party actually intends to do that.

This is also the key reason why she has felt irritable and depressed in recent days.

If John Maslow were a despicable man who deceived her with lies, she could still continue to be hostile to him, and even try to kill him, by claiming he was a villain who oppressed the common people.

But the fact that Longyan Territory began to improve like never before under her rule proved that those were nothing more than her malicious speculations about John Maslow.

This also made her doubt her own judgment, and for the first time she began to seriously consider whether she really wanted to stand by the other party as an observer to witness the ending of that so-called game.

But just as she was hesitating, John Maslow suddenly came over and told her that he was going to Faoken to die.

This sudden news not only left Serbia in disbelief, but also filled them with anger at being fooled.

She certainly had reason to be angry, since the other party had chosen her, a dangerous half-dragon, under the pretense of needing someone to observe and record the game's ending.

But now, just when she had finally convinced herself to face this promise squarely.

The other party, who was the one who proposed it, broke the agreement first.

This behavior is undoubtedly a slap in the face to her.

Because, without realizing it, she had already taken that damned promise seriously!
However, she managed to suppress her anger and kept convincing herself that she couldn't stop the other party from dying even if he wanted to. Besides, this guy was just an imperial dog, so why should she care about his life or death?
Instead of wasting time on that, it would be better to celebrate regaining one's freedom.

Yes, since this idiot is about to go and die, I should be happy that he's no longer holding me back!
However, no matter how much Serbia tried to persuade herself, when her eyes fell on the other person, she couldn't help but feel anger boiling in her chest.

But she also knew she had no right to question him, much less any reason to do so. So, taking a deep breath and suppressing the inexplicable anger in her heart, she stared directly at him and said:

"I have no problem letting you arrange for me to become a government official, but considering that you most likely won't be coming back this time, I want to ask you for Mephisto Dragon's exact location in advance. As long as you tell me where that beast is, I can guarantee that I will not take the initiative to be an enemy of the Empire in the future, how about it?"

"Mephisto is currently in a village called 'Gooseberry Village' at the foot of the Astra Mountains in the Kingdom of Brown. He is currently using the alias Tracy Prandtl and works as a barefoot doctor. Once you arrive, you only need to ask about Dr. Tracy to find him."

Seeing that Serbia agreed, John did not refuse, but readily revealed the specific information about the other party's enemy.

He had assumed that Serbia would be very pleased to see his cooperation.

To his surprise, after hearing the details of his enemy, the other party did not show any excitement or relief at having avenged his great enemy; instead, his face became even uglier.

It was as if she didn't want to hear his quick answer at all.

This truly surprised John, and even puzzled him.

Could it be that I said something wrong?

However, this is definitely the correct address for Mephisto's current seclusion, since he has been using this identity throughout the story and has been living in seclusion for over twenty years.

Mephisto, the genius and madman in charge of the forbidden experiments, was finally captured by the main characters and killed by the enraged Serbians, disappearing from the world forever.

So the intelligence is definitely correct, but why does this woman's face look even worse?
Could it be that she's getting her period?

John fell into deep thought as he pondered whether drinking more hot water would be effective in relieving the half-dragon's emotions.

Wendy's anxious voice came through the communication device in her ear:

"Captain, the team has assembled and we should set off. Major General Conrad has been asking me where you are since you haven't arrived yet. I just made up an excuse by saying I was going to the bathroom, but I don't think I can hold out for long. You'd better come back soon!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

She replied to Wendy through the communication device, then looked at Serbia in front of her, whose face was inexplicably cold as ice, as if someone owed her ten thousand dollars.

John had no time to ponder the reasons. Instead, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice to the other person:
“I have already told you Mephisto’s exact location. According to my intelligence, he is unlikely to leave anytime soon, so you can confirm whether it’s true or not once you get there.”

"As for Longan Territory, if you have any questions, you can ask Glenn. That kid's talent in internal affairs is about the same as mine. I've also applied to Marshal Dormammu for him to be in charge of economic revitalization. As long as he doesn't do anything stupid, there shouldn't be any major problems with the development of Longan Territory."

"Finally, Serbia, I sincerely hope you can find your own path for the future."

"Well then, goodbye, if we really have the chance to meet again in the future."

After saying that, without checking Serbia's expression, John, whose ears were constantly bombarded by Wendy's anxious urging, waved to her and then quickly activated the magic bag behind him.

Then, under the silent gaze of Serbia, it quickly flew towards the location where the troops were gathering in the distance.

In the blink of an eye, with a barely perceptible sigh, it completely disappeared into the horizon.

"Whoosh!"

……

4000 words, that'll count as two updates. I'm too tired to write anymore, going to sleep now. I'll continue writing after my afternoon nap. That's all~
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(End of this chapter)