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

Chapter 138 There's a murderous aura!
"Captain, what do we do next? Should we launch a direct attack on the enemy?"

In the darkness, in front of the blue vine forest, looking at the dark enemy army in the distance through the magic eye, Wendy's face showed no fear, but rather her eyes were full of excitement.

Before this, Wendy had never imagined that someone could be as daring as Captain John.

He dared to play the violin in front of an enemy army of tens of thousands of men with only two soldiers.

What's the difference between this arrogant behavior and directly slapping the enemy commander?
That's practically suicide!
If it were anyone else, she would definitely think that the person who did this was crazy.

But if it's Captain John, then Wendy thinks she might need to re-evaluate her understanding.

After all, Captain John is right no matter what he does.

Even if the captain asked her to take on an army of tens of thousands of men single-handedly right now, Wendy felt that the captain must have made a well-thought-out plan and had absolute confidence before asking her to do so!
After all, that's Captain John!
What tune is the captain playing now? I've never heard it before.
The melody is quite cheerful and fun, though it's a bit out of place on the battlefield.

"Don't worry, just play with him."

John, who was playing the famous erhu piece "Horse Racing" that he had learned in a university club in his previous life, immediately spoke casually without changing his expression upon hearing this.

He was speechless and dared not complain about the indescribable blind trust Wendy had in him at such a crucial moment.

At this moment, his eyes were looking through the Demon Eye into the distance at Leon, who was staring at him with a look of astonishment.

He knew that after seeing that he had pulled off such a bluff, given Leon's suspicious nature, the other party must already be having a mental breakdown.

And he began to frantically try to figure out his real purpose in doing so.

And that's exactly what he wanted. To deal with a smart person like Leon, you have to do something so unusual that it's almost unbelievable that you'll make him ignore the simplest, yet most correct, answer.

And they constantly use their own imagination to find suitable reasons for the enemy's absurd behavior.

However, in reality, John wouldn't have taken such a big risk to do this if he hadn't really had no other choice.

After all, even he couldn't be completely sure that Leon wouldn't have a sudden lapse in judgment and choose to test the waters by having someone fire artillery at him.

He is currently only about 60% certain of the success rate of this empty city stratagem.

They are also prepared to evacuate at any time.

He imitated the Prime Minister's move this time simply to see if he could use the Empty City Stratagem to lure the Fourth Independent Division into his pre-prepared ambush zone.

They wanted to eliminate as many enemy troops as possible to prepare for subsequent battles, and never intended to die.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Leia along this time.

With the assistance of his strongest fighter, even if Leon were to test the waters by firing a cannon, he could easily avoid being killed by a single shot thanks to Leah's technique of stripping away all things.

Seeing that things were not going well, she picked up the magic bag she had prepared in advance, picked up Leia and Wendy, and ran away together.

Of course, doing so would allow the 4th Independent Division to retain most of its manpower and successfully withdraw from the battlefield, which would put the 1st Division under greater pressure in subsequent battles.

In more serious cases, it could even become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

It was with this in mind that John decided to take the gamble. If he got caught, he could simply run away with his men and figure out a solution later.

"However, it seems that this unexpected move is much more useful than I expected?"

Through the magic eye, one could observe Leon's expressions shifting between confusion, sudden realization, and deep thought, like the ever-changing faces in Sichuan opera.

John, whose legs were taut and ready to pounce at any moment, and who was hiding behind her shouting "Leah, save me!", straightened up instantly, and the music he played became even more captivating.

Wendy, who was listening to the otherworldly art, couldn't help but start nodding and swaying her head rhythmically to the music. Her relaxed and carefree appearance made it hard to imagine that they were in a battlefield where a fight could break out at any moment.

"Om~"

……

What exactly was John Maslow's purpose?
Was he truly fearless, or was he merely feigning innocence? As someone who had thwarted the Roxie Plan, was John Maslow really the kind of fool who would expose himself without any real confidence?

But if he really had ambushes around him, why didn't he immediately send them to attack, and instead played a strange tune that he had never heard before?
"..."

Listening to the inexplicably cheerful melody drifting through the air, Leon's eyes were filled with surprise and uncertainty.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that he was beginning to have trouble understanding the rising star of the empire who shared the same bloodline as him.

John Maslow, this guy really is as the intelligence said, a being that cannot be fathomed by common sense!
Leon, his brow furrowed, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. But after much deliberation, he decided that it was best to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

Wait until the other person finishes playing the piece, and then see what they plan to do.

Then we'll try to find a way to counter it.

This is the safest solution he can think of at the moment.

Moreover, putting everything else aside, the piece the other party played was indeed very charming; while the melody was stirring, it was also full of joy and enthusiasm.

This piece would be much more suitable if it were played in a folk tavern rather than on a battlefield.

The melody of the first part, in particular, gives one the feeling of thousands of wild horses galloping before one's eyes.

So, is this a piece he composed recently after arriving in Faoken, adapted from a piece about centaur cavalry?
What incredible talent!
Listening to the wondrous melody he had never heard before, Leon, who was listening intently to the music, couldn't help but nod slightly, tapping his fingers lightly to the rhythm, and remarking with appreciation:
"Elegant, truly elegant! I never imagined that someone from a military academy would have such talent in music. In this respect, I am indeed inferior to him!"

"Damn it, what's going on! Major General Leon, are you really going to just let that damned John Maslow laugh at us like this?"

Unlike Leon Lee, who carefully appreciated the beauty of the music, the seemingly cheerful piano music sounded to Damon as if it were the mockery of a demon from hell, causing him to feel an inexplicable anger rising in his heart.

Especially after thinking about how his younger brother Kenny had died tragically at the hands of that human ahead, without even a complete body left behind, this rage surged up to the point that it almost consumed his reason.

This drove him almost mad. His eyes turned red, and he immediately led the Star Chaser Cavalry to charge at the damned murderer ahead and avenge his third brother.

But before he could act, as if sensing his thoughts, Leon, who had been quietly admiring the magnificent art, glanced at Damon and then added with a light laugh:
"Major General Damon, do you also want to die at the hands of Major John, just like Colonel Kenny?"

"!What do you mean?"

Damon's pupils contracted, and the anger in his heart instantly subsided by more than half. Instead, he looked at the human major general in front of him with a sense of surprise and uncertainty. The man's intelligence was comparable to that of Roxie.

He did want to avenge his brother, that's true, but that doesn't mean he wanted to die.

Rather, what he wanted was safe revenge.

Although I'm reluctant to admit it, ever since I witnessed that terrifying explosive magic that instantly devoured thousands of elite Rangers from the 101st Division, I've realized that...

He had begun to feel a genuine fear of these extraordinary beings, the magical soldiers.

Otherwise, in the past, he would have been shocked to see these three humans daring to humiliate him in this way on the battlefield.

To defend his honor, Damon would undoubtedly charge forward without hesitation and try to kill all his opponents.

But now, even if they don't want to admit it at all.

But when he saw the mage standing to John's left, with short, chestnut-brown hair, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Damon then realized that he was no longer the brave and fearless first warrior of the Morning Star clan.

"That's just the surface meaning, Major General Damon. You can't possibly not understand the deeper meaning behind the music that this exceptionally intelligent Major John played on the battlefield where our two armies are clashing, can you?"

Leon glanced disdainfully at the mindless, foolish orc in front of him, then looked with unprecedented complexity and amazement at the figure in the distance who was still immersed in the performance, as if he could withstand a thousand troops by himself.

Then, with a tone of deep emotion, he uttered words that made Damon's pupils constrict to the extreme:
"His piece is filled with murderous intent towards the Morningstar Clan. Is it that you truly cannot hear it, or that you have heard it but simply refuse to admit it, Major General Damon Morningstar?"

……

I'm too exhausted to write anymore, everyone. It's already 5 AM, and I just can't continue writing the new chapter. I've been dozing off the whole time. I'll stop here for today. Six chapters, 15,000 words—that's already 7:30 AM by normal standards. I'm really at my limit. Let me sleep a bit before I start writing again.
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(End of this chapter)