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

Chapter 239 John the Greyhound, A Tribute

Early morning, in the bedroom of the city lord's mansion in Stargazing City.

"...Hmm, an unfamiliar ceiling."

They didn't drown?
It seems I'm actually quite lucky.

Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling above him, John slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with confusion.

At this moment, his memory was still stuck on the image of himself struggling at the bottom of the sea and finally despairing and waiting to die.

However, if I remember correctly, when I was about to suffocate, it seems that a woman whose face I couldn't see saved me from the bottom of the sea.
Although the other party's appearance was affected by the bubbles and darkness, making it somewhat unclear, the other party's appearance was not very clear.

However, she must have been a very beautiful woman.

Especially that kiss.

It's simply a dream come true...

Recalling the images that lingered in his mind before he lost consciousness, John suddenly felt a sense of loss for some reason.

This emotion was so intense that he even felt his right hand begin to go numb.

It was as if the regret of missing out on his dream goddess had materialized, and his right hand was being suppressed by an indescribable terrifying thing, making it impossible for him to move even an inch.

Ok?
What the heck is this big head with hair the same color as an old coconut, pressing down on my arm?

John was puzzled, John was bewildered, John realized.

Then, with a livid face, he raised his left hand, which was now wrapped in bandages, and without hesitation pressed it down on the head of the pig-headed squad leader, who was lying on his bedside, using his arm as a pillow, fast asleep, and whose fat face, squeezed by the pressure, wore a foolish smile as if he were having some kind of happy dream, with clear drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

After mercilessly unleashing his iron fist at Wendy, that idiot, Major John, in a fit of rage, unleashed a war cry:
"Wendy Brown, how could you use a patient's hand as a pillow and sleep so soundly without a care in the world! At least show some respect for the patient's fragile body, you damn bastard!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Captain, let go! Wendy knows she was wrong!"

Wendy's beautiful dream was shattered by the excruciating pain in her head. She immediately screamed and begged for mercy, looking at John, who was furious, with a mixture of surprise and pain.

Then, when her gaze fell on John's thin lips, as if she remembered something, her eyes began to wander unconsciously, and her face gradually turned rosy.

This guilty look, as if he had done something wrong, was instantly noticed by the astute Major John, whose eyes sharpened and whose tone grew increasingly dangerous:

"Wendy, you bastard, what kind of trouble did you cause me while I was unconscious?"

"No, Captain! I've been taking care of you the whole time you were unconscious these past two days!"

Upon hearing John's question, Wendy immediately pouted in dissatisfaction, then said in a resentful tone:

"I haven't slept a wink for the past two days taking care of the unconscious captain. I even have dark circles under my eyes. How could I possibly have the energy to yell at others and vent my frustrations? Captain, you really don't trust me at all, do you?"

"Take care of me? Your idea of ​​taking care of me means using my arm as a pillow, pressing it so hard it's almost necrotic, and then sleeping like a log, drooling all over yourself? You call that taking care of me?!"

"Oh dear, I was so sleepy because I hadn't slept in so long, and I just fell asleep without even realizing it. Besides, Captain, your arms are so soft and slender, completely different from my stiff arms. They're really comfortable to use as a pillow. And then, I just unconsciously used them as a pillow, hehe!"

As if savoring the feeling of falling asleep peacefully with her head on John's arm, Wendy, having discovered a new continent, showed no remorse whatsoever on her face, but instead wore a smug smile.

Soft? Thin?
It feels very comfortable to use as a pillow?

!

John, however, automatically interpreted Wendy's words as mockery.

The corresponding image also automatically appeared in my mind:

Wearing a crop top, Wendy, whose muscles were bulging to the point of bursting, was seen easily doing bicep exercises with a 300-pound dumbbell in one hand.

Then, looking at him with a disdainful expression, at the man who was wearing a tight-fitting suit and struggling to lift a hundred pounds with one hand, he said in a low voice:

"Captain, are you even capable? You can't even lift this little bit? You're such a pushover!"

Isn't it too thin?
Is it a greyhound?

Thin dog?

"Bastard!"

This humiliation, stemming from the last vestige of a man's dignity, instantly turned John's face flushed crimson, his cheeks turning the color of a red duck.

Even as Wendy looked on in confusion, he grabbed her chubby cheeks with both hands, ignoring her cries for mercy, and pulled hard while speaking with a ferocious expression:

"Who are you calling a 'slender dog'? Huh? I think you have absolutely no respect for your superiors. Believe me or not, I'll put you in solitary confinement later, you despicable bastard!"

"Ouch, Captain, stop pulling my face! It really hurts! And you just woke up, so if your emotions are too volatile, you could easily faint again. Calm down, please calm down, Captain!"

"You big idiot! Today I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't tolerate!"

John's furious roar echoed throughout the room.

However, just as he was about to give this pig-headed squad leader some torture from his superiors so that he would understand what the price would be for humiliating his superiors.

Whether it was Wendy's bad luck coming true or John's inherently unlucky nature, just as he was about to transform into a muscular hunk and unleash a merciless iron fist on the pig-headed squad leader...

Just as he stretched out his foot to get out of bed, he suddenly felt a violent wave of dizziness wash over him.

He immediately lost control and fell headlong toward Wendy, whose pupils were constricted.

"Pfft!"

A dull thud echoed from inside the room, but the scene John had anticipated—his nose bleeding from hitting the stone slab—did not occur. Instead, he felt a soft, yielding sensation, and smelled a scent that he couldn't quite describe, a scent that felt strangely familiar and comforting.

This is……

Just as John was lost in thought, Wendy's soft voice slowly entered his ears:

"Captain, you should get up. After all, if others see us like this, they might mistakenly think you're sexually harassing your adjutant."

Although I don't dislike this feeling.

Lieutenant Wendy wrapped her arms around John's upper body, using herself as a human shield to protect the captain from further injury as he had just woken up. However, her face was inexplicably flushed red, almost as if it could bleed. She silently added this to her mind.

"!"

Upon hearing this, John belatedly realized what was happening and hurriedly reached out to prop himself up.

He was about to apologize to his loyal squad leader. But when he saw Wendy, who had turned her face away at some point, her cheeks as red as apples, and her eyes looking at him with a strange fluttering, he was unconsciously lost in thought.

"Squeak!"

"Commander, we heard you were awake, so we..."

Upon receiving a report from the communications officer stationed at the ward entrance that his battalion commander had successfully awakened under Lieutenant Wendy's care, Miles, one of the Five Generals, quickly flew over with his colleagues, intending to make a good impression on the great Battalion Commander John as soon as possible.

However, the moment he pushed open the door and stepped in with his right leg, he saw the scene inside.

He was like a goose with its throat being choked, and his words came to an abrupt halt.

He then stared blankly at Lieutenant Wendy, who was lying on the ground with her cheeks so red they looked like they could bleed, and then at the military commander, who was supporting himself on Lieutenant Wendy's body and gazing at her with 'affection'.

Miles was astonished, Miles pondered, Miles suddenly realized.

Then, Miles, whose cheeks were inexplicably covered in cold sweat, immediately withdrew his right leg and muttered in confusion:
"Huh? That's strange. Why is this room so dark? I can't see anything. Hmm, if no one's here, the battalion commander must have gone out with Lieutenant Wendy. I'll come back later!"

"Oh!"

After saying that, Miles slammed the door shut without hesitation, leaving John and Miles stunned inside.

After closing the door, Miles turned pale and stood firmly in front of it, his chest heaving violently, his expression filled with terror.

It was as if behind the door lay some indescribable terror, and if it were allowed to emerge from within, the world would be destroyed.

He leaned against the door, almost limp, his blue eyes trembling uncontrollably, his heart screaming in despair.
That's it, I'm doomed, I'm definitely going to die this time!
This actually thwarted Commander John and Lieutenant Wendy's plans to develop a relationship.

Even if they weren't going to be treated unfairly now, they probably would be!
After realizing the magnitude of his mistake, Myerston immediately felt like he was doomed.

The idea that only by being the first to appear before a waking superior and pledge loyalty can one become the superior's most trusted subordinate, and that flattery will always lead to promotion in the workplace more effectively than doing anything actual.

It's all bullshit!
Having exposed the secret romance between his superior and subordinate, and already blacklisted by the battalion commander, he's afraid he won't get a single merit in the future!
Thinking of this, Miles was overcome with grief, and immediately looked up at a 45-degree angle, a single tear filled with regret streaming from the corner of his eye.

He's so stupid, really.

If only I had known about the relationship between the officer and Lieutenant Wendy, if only I had known that the two of them would be playing games in the hospital room.

So he would never be the first to get involved in this mess.

But now, it's all too late!

"Miles, what are you doing out here? Where's the battalion commander? How is he?"

Outside the door, Martha looked at Miles, who seemed to have lost his parents and was extremely sad. She couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Don't ask me, I don't know anything, all I want right now is to die!"

Miles muttered blankly, but soon, looking at his four puzzled colleagues, an idea quickly formed in his mind.

Yes, expand the victim group.

If enough people know about this, then even the battalion commander won't be able to make things difficult for himself!

The saying "the law does not punish the masses" perfectly illustrates this point!

That's right, that's exactly what we'll do!
Let's drag these four unlucky guys down with us first. If we're going to be unlucky, I can't be the only one!
Miles chuckled inwardly, then, meeting the puzzled gazes of the crowd, he immediately spoke mysteriously in a low voice:

"Actually, it's like this. Just now, I saw the battalion commander and Lieutenant Wendy in the room..."

"Oh!"

"Ow!"

However, before Miles could finish speaking with a mysterious expression, the door was suddenly kicked open from the inside, and Miles, who was leaning against the door, was sent flying like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, he disappeared into the sky with a violent scream.

"Huh? I think I just heard Miles shout. Did you guys hear it?"

Behind the door, John, still in the kicking motion, scratched his ear in confusion. Then, looking at the door that he had kicked so hard that it had burst open, and then at his right leg, which was now entangled with a large number of spell circuits—clearly sixteen reinforced spell circuits—he fell into deep thought once again.

Seriously, when did I become so strong?

And it seems I didn't cast any enhancement magic, so what are these sixteen enhancement spell rings?

Also, when did I acquire so much knowledge about magic?

Could it be that my belated system has finally gone live?
As John felt the vast ocean of magical spells and their usage methods suddenly appear in his mind, along with a number of spells so numerous they could almost be called a library, he was filled with unprecedented confusion.

Before he could even figure out what was going on, he was drawn to the sound of footsteps approaching his ears and instinctively looked toward the main gate in front of the courtyard.

"Tap, tap!"

Accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps, Hawke, along with all members of Squad 14, Leia, Siegfried, and officers of the rank of colonel or above from the other three divisions, rushed in from outside the door.

Upon seeing him, everyone's faces lit up with surprise and excitement, and their eyes even welled up with tears.

Surprisingly, they didn't utter a single word. Instead, after exchanging glances, they silently elected Hawke as their undisputed representative.

As if sensing everyone's gaze, Hawke straightened his collar and military cap, and walked towards John with his head held high amidst the envious or complicated looks of the crowd.

It finally stopped two meters in front of John.

"Snapped!"

He first gave John a perfect salute, one that even the royal guard of honor couldn't find fault with, then took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and loudly proclaimed to John:
"Reporting to the commander, under your command and with the valiant fighting of our army, the Allied Forces have been completely annihilated. Furthermore, according to our scouts, the enemy commander, Roxie Sancaster, after leading his remaining troops to retreat from the Cangyuan Ancient Forest battlefield, departed yesterday at noon aboard a merchant ship of the Morning Star Clan at the northern port of Faoken!"

"Therefore, our army's campaign in the Hohhot rainforest ended in victory, and it was an unprecedented and great victory!"

After a slight pause, Hawke slowly rose, placing his left hand behind his back and his right hand on his left shoulder, in accordance with Norman Empire cultural etiquette—a gesture signifying the utmost respect for the person before him—and spoke with a broad smile:

"Finally, please allow me, on behalf of everyone, to offer my highest respect to you for leading the troops to victory!"

"Also, welcome back, esteemed Commander John Maslow!"

"despair!"

……

(End of this chapter)