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

Chapter 166 New Teammates and Revelry
"You've even tried to poach people from me? What a sly little devil, huh?"

Ten minutes later, in the command room of the battlecruiser HMS Horst, Bob chuckled and shook his head as he listened to his subordinates recount what had just happened in the upscale restaurant.

However, after recalling the other party's earlier statement that he considered the conservatives as insects hindering the empire's progress and that he would hang all of these insects on streetlights.

He couldn't help but be genuinely amazed by the young major's courage and boldness.

All I can say is, he's only 24 years old, isn't he?

He's really energetic when it comes to getting things done, much better than this old guy like me.

It seems that although Dormammu lost to himself in love, he gained an exceptionally outstanding successor?

Such character is indeed suitable; perhaps I should consider Duke Ostan's suggestion.

Bob's mind raced, but after a moment's hesitation, he turned to his deputy, Roderick Dalton, who was also the commander of the 1st Raiders Naval and Land Operations Regiment, and gave the order:

"Colonel Roderick, send someone to deliver Ian Grant's personal file to Major John Maslow's room later. Also, inform the 6th Marine and Naval Operations Division of the Raiders in the Empire to halt the purge of the Grant family."

"Yes, Marshal!"

Upon hearing this, Roderick immediately saluted in response, and then quickly left the command room under Bob's gaze to carry out his mission.

"Speaking of which, Cambert, what do you think of Major John?"

After Roderick left, Bob, sitting in the captain's chair, suddenly asked Cambert, who was standing behind him, this question.

“A very outstanding young man, although he may be a bit rash in his actions. But I personally believe that the current reformists need a newcomer like Major John who is both capable and daring.”

Cambert expressed his opinion respectfully.

In fact, he had already anticipated that Marshal Bob would suddenly summon him and ask about his impressions of the Air Force major, after learning that the 1st Division currently had a total strength of only a little over three thousand men.

Although John demonstrated remarkable command skills and brilliant tactics in this war, ultimately, their ground forces on the Faoken battlefield are still far weaker than the enemy's.

Moreover, after news of the Allied 7th Legion's defeat and the death of its commander spread during the Battle of Horseshoe Territory, both the Allied forces and the Kingdom of Saga would immediately send reinforcements to Faoken and attempt to regain control of Faoken's ground forces.

In other words, the crisis of this war is far from over.

The real challenge is yet to come!
This was true for both John, who was trying to seize control of the ground in Faoken Bay, and for their Third Navy.

In contrast to the near-complete state of the Third Navy, the 1st Army Division that John is currently leading is in a truly appalling state, with only about 3600 men left.

Considering the fighting capacity of the Independent 3rd Division stationed in Mad Fang City, which was almost merely a number of men, and Dolan's cowardly nature, Cambert also understood that the troop support John could get from the Independent 3rd Division would probably be very limited.

In addition, given the potential disloyalty within the 2nd and 4th Divisions, the challenges John, as an ally, faces are certainly formidable.

Therefore, in addition to providing support for the Raiders' land and sea combat forces, the enemy needs more reinforcements.

As the commander of the special medical unit, he was undoubtedly the best candidate.

As if confirming Cambert's guess, the next second, Bob's voice slowly echoed in the command room:
“Cambert, it has been seven years since you joined the Third Navy by order of His Majesty William. Seven years is not a short time.”

"So, I think it's time for you to take off those medical gloves that bind you, pull out the blade that's been sealed away, and use the blood and screams of your enemies to sharpen it to its sharpest point again, isn't that right?"

"Indeed, as you said, Your Excellency Marshal, in fact, I have been waiting for this day to come since I joined the Third Navy. Therefore, I am happy to step back into the battlefield, and my subordinates should feel the same way."

Cambert slowly widened his narrow, slit-like eyes, and the smile on his face gradually turned ferocious.

It was as if the beast known as the Plague Chief, which had long been bound within this body, had torn away all his previous gentle pretense and begun to awaken anew, revealing the former magnificence that had gradually been concealed by the passage of time.

At this moment, his gentle and pleasant demeanor began to fade rapidly, replaced by a chilling aura that made people's hearts race just by looking at him from afar.

It was as if the person standing in this command room was not an ordinary human, but a super-ranked fire mage who had mastered the 'Plague' spell and had devoured the lives of tens of thousands of people with a wave of his hand, like a monster!
He immediately looked at Marshal Bob, who had somehow turned his chair around and was now scrutinizing him with an indescribable air of authority. Under Bob's gaze, he knelt on one knee with practiced grace, placing his right hand on his left shoulder, and spoke slowly to him with a tone full of respect and excitement:

"Your Excellency Marshal, I swear in the name of the former commander of the Imperial Special Operations Medical Corps and the holder of the Plague Spell, that I, Cambert Stanworth, will work with Colonel Roderick Dalton to spare no effort in assisting Major John Maslow to complete the Imperial ground war plan in Faoken and to completely annihilate all enemy forces that attempt to hinder the advance of the Imperial army!"

"Let glory and victory return to our great empire!"

"Never break your promise!"

……

Meanwhile, John, who was completely unaware that two super fighters and two elite units were about to join his side, did not immediately incorporate Ian into the 1st Division after he had invited Ian. Instead, he left Ian in the Third Navy, intending to take him to Elenor to report back after the Battle of Faoken.

After all, while the opponent's Mermaid Song technique is very powerful in naval battles, it is not very effective in ground battles.

After today's invitation, Bob, who understands John's purpose, will certainly not leave this special talent, who has the ability to influence the course of naval battles, on his original destroyer. Instead, he will most likely place him on the HMS Horst as a trump card, and use him at the crucial moment of the subsequent naval battle.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the future admiral, he handed him a collection of Maslow's quotes that he had prepared in advance, telling him to read them when he had free time.

Having completed his persuasion plan, John went directly to the officers' mess hall where the 1st Magic Battalion and the 1st Army Division were holding a victory celebration banquet.

"Squeak!"

As John approached the wide-open dining room, the strong smell of alcohol immediately filled his nostrils, and he could hear the chatter and boasting of the crowd.

The next scene that came into his view was officers of all ranks from the 1st Magic Battalion and officers from the 1st Division, drunkenly arm in arm.

It seemed that the continuous battles had accumulated too much pressure on these officers, and after the victory at Tiema Mountain, the tension that had been building up due to the fighting was completely released at this banquet.

At this moment, most of the people had taken off their heavy military uniforms and were only wearing a thin shirt. Many male officers, who could not stand the hot and humid weather of the tropical region, were even bare-chested and chugging beer that the Third Navy had specially provided for war heroes.

What surprised John the most, and could even be described as unbelievable, was...

At the very center of this raucous banquet was Iguodala, whom he had always considered the most shy.

At this moment, he was only wearing a pair of white shorts, and his whole body was flushed as he stood on the dining table, holding a wine barrel that was bigger than his head, and kept pouring wine into his mouth amidst the cheers of the crowd.

"Thirty seconds, thirty seconds left! Lieutenant Iguodala, keep it up, you're about to break Lieutenant Miles' record!"

"Ten seconds left!"

"Gudong, Gudong!"

"Oh!"

Amid cheers from the crowd, the drinking contest was over. Iguodala, now so drunk he was swaying slightly, tossed the empty barrel behind him. Then, under John's silent gaze, he put one hand on his hip, pointed his right hand to the sky, and shouted angrily:
"Who else!"

"Lieutenant Iguodala is awesome!" Everyone exclaimed and applauded in agreement, while Miles, with a sly grin on his face, blew a sly whistle at the 'King of Beers' Iguodala.

However, it seems that he drank too much. Iguodala, who wanted to jump off the table, lost his footing and almost fell to the ground.

But out of his mage instincts, he instinctively used flight magic the moment he fell, but in his intense drunkenness, he was completely unable to control his direction.

After knocking over several unfortunate officers from the 1st Division, he coincidentally came across Martha, who was wearing a dress she had kept hidden away, but with a resentful expression. She was fiercely cutting a steak with a knife while muttering to herself, as if she were venting her anger on some unapproachable superior. She was completely unaware of the danger approaching.

Then, he opened his mouth uncontrollably, and immediately, to the other person's bewildered expression, a large amount of alcohol sprayed forward like a water gun.

"vomit!"

"..."

Martha, covered in vomit, abruptly stopped cutting her steak.

Her expression first became somewhat blank, then turned to astonishment when her gaze fell upon the plate covered in foamy wine. After feeling the sour, foul-smelling liquid dripping down her cheek, her face instantly turned ashen.

Finally, looking at Iguodala on the table, who was covering his mouth and staring at him with terrified eyes, he immediately unleashed an unprecedentedly piercing roar:
"Iguodala, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!!!"

"Excuse me, Brother Lünebo, help me!!!"

Iguodala's screams and Martha's roars echoed throughout the restaurant, but were quickly drowned out by the laughter of the crowd.

"Two idiots."

Seeing Martha, covered in vomit, begin her frantic pursuit of Iguodala, Lunepo, leaning against the wall and swirling a glass of red wine, couldn't help but mutter something under his breath, though a slight smile inexplicably crept onto his lips.

Knowing that Martha wouldn't be too ruthless towards her comrades no matter how angry she was, he didn't stop the two from deliberately playing around to liven things up.

But then, as if sensing something, he turned to look at the two female officers, one with chestnut hair and the other with silver hair, standing apart from the other officers of the Magic 1st Battalion.

After their eyes met in mid-air, they were separated by a silver-haired female officer named Leia Binott.

Recalling how the two of them had been sitting together in a corner, quietly drinking and talking since the start of the banquet, while secretly observing his and the other four company commanders' subtle movements.

Considering the delicate relationship between one of them and the battalion commander.

Seemingly understanding something, a glint of light flashed in Lünebo's eyes.

He then gave a rare, friendly smile and raised his glass in a gesture toward the two of them.

He only slowly put down his glass after Leia looked away and started talking quietly with Wendy again.

But then he felt cold sweat forming on his back, which felt sticky.

Lünebo couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
As expected of a descendant of the Binot family, even without releasing any killing intent, he made me, a high-ranking mage, feel this pressure.

If it were a direct confrontation, I'm afraid that before I could even take flight, my opponent could take my life in the blink of an eye!

Furthermore, among the battalion commander's elite troops, besides this descendant of the Binot family, there was another soldier named Siegfried who could meet these conditions.

Although the other party was unable to attend the banquet here due to insufficient military rank, they were having a blast with the other soldiers at another banquet.

However, given the other party's abilities and the battalion commander's ability to recognize and utilize talent, it will probably not be long before the other party is promoted from soldier to officer.

They might even be able to jump several ranks through future merits and become equals with the five battalion commanders' most important subordinates.

"Truly, it's amazing..."

Lunepo couldn't help but marvel inwardly. While wondering how the battalion commander had managed to recruit these two powerful individuals, he couldn't help but glance at Barnapo, who was sitting alone at a table at the edge of the banquet, quietly drinking water.

Looking at the other person's calm and composed face, and recalling the past few days, the old-fashioned Captain Guban had always been strict with himself, never drinking a drop of alcohol or participating in the revelry since the start of today's victory celebration.

Even though he was quite puzzled by the other party's almost ascetic lifestyle, Lunepo couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Although he didn't understand the meaning of this machine-like, inhuman life, Barnabo's ability to strictly adhere to his own beliefs, his willpower and resolute attitude were enough to make Lunebo admire this comrade-in-arms who was eccentric but exceptionally reliable.

However, just as the restaurant was filled with chaos and laughter, a crisp and steady footstep sound from the restaurant entrance drew everyone's attention.

Upon seeing the newcomer, everyone instantly sobered up and subtly alerted their colleagues who hadn't yet noticed their boss's arrival.

Even Samuel, who had been beaming as he received the flattery of his four colleagues, instantly stopped smiling upon catching sight of John. He then gasped and, like his colleagues, quickly put on his uniform. At the same time, they all quietly instructed their deputies to have their officers immediately tidy up their appearance and not be disrespectful.

Upon seeing John walk expressionlessly toward the center of the banquet, everyone in the room became tense and solemn.

The once noisy banquet fell silent in an instant, and everyone's eyes turned to the figure. The only sound in the air was the dull thud of Imperial military boots on metal plates.

"Tap, tap!"

Under the anxious gazes of the crowd, John slowly walked onto the stage that had been hastily pieced together from tables. Looking at the vomit left by Iguodala on it, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

He wanted to reprimand everyone for their foolish behavior, but after glancing at their trembling silence, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He then glanced disdainfully at the sticky ground and walked over to a relatively clean table to sit down.

Then, with a helpless expression, he spread his hands at everyone, and then said in a playful tone:

"Gentlemen, as this is a victory celebration for the 1st Division and the 1st Battalion, am I, as their commander, not even entitled to a beer?"

"They were so lively at first, but after seeing me, they all wilted like frostbitten eggplants. Your cold attitude really hurts me. After all, I always thought that I was a very easy-going superior in your eyes."

"But as it turns out, I seem to have been too presumptuous?"

"Sigh, maybe I should just leave now, so I won't stay here and get in your way?"

"!"

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, but then seemed to understand something. Their tense bodies relaxed again, and smiles returned to their faces.

But soon, after exchanging glances, everyone rushed forward with their glasses, and then, surrounded by John, began a new round of revelry under his helpless gaze.

"Oh!"

……

(End of this chapter)