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

Chapter 266 A surge of murderous intent rises, misunderstanding resolved, old friends return.
"Tap, tap!"

Mad Fang City, inside the council hall of the city lord's mansion.

Looking at the familiar display before him and hearing the chimes of the clock he had left behind, Irias, who had returned to this place after many years, felt no nostalgia. Instead, his face was filled with gloom and complexity.

In fact, before officially arriving at Faoken Bay, he had anticipated the battle situation in the bay.

For example, the Imperial forces had already been defeated by the enemy's warships and the orcs, and could only retreat to Madfang City to hold out.

Or perhaps even Mad Fang City has been lost, with only a fraction of the main force remaining, and even the Third Navy has been wiped out in this difficult naval battle.

But he never expected that before he led the reinforcements to arrive.

The friendly forces located in Faoken Bay, far from being annihilated due to the seemingly hopeless disparity in troop strength, successfully launched a counterattack against the Bloodhowl Legion in this almost desperate situation.

Furthermore, despite the enemy's warships outnumbering their own by nearly ten times, they successfully destroyed almost two-thirds of the enemy's warships.

Not only did it force the renowned Crimson Sun Crown to retreat with his remaining troops in defeat, but it also successfully killed a true Grand-rank powerhouse in this battle!
Even though this Grand-rank expert only recently achieved his advancement, and his cultivation method differs from that of humans, he did so by taking a shortcut.

But ultimately, the opponent is a Grand-level being.

It was even ranked 149th in terms of combat power by the White Tower!
Even compared to his peak, he's not much weaker.

Yet this powerful figure, whom even he struggled to deal with, was successfully buried by a young major named John Maslow, whose resume only indicated the strength of a mid-level mage, through a scheme.
"Simply appalling..."

Recalling the report he had just received from the front-line troops, Irias's eyes flickered.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that the intelligence report Dormammu had given about the Battle of Walden was missing.

Perhaps it wasn't, as he had previously thought, a ploy to promote this rising reformer and establish him as a new military benchmark for reform, thereby suppressing the conservatives.

That document, which appears to be a showy piece with a lot of exaggerated embellishments, is actually very likely a realistic report!
After all, John Maslow, leading a weak force, has managed to achieve a series of unprecedented miraculous victories in the meat grinder-like Faoken Bay, against all odds.

Moreover, the commanders who fought against them were not unknown figures, but rather two rising stars among the Allied forces and a well-established general whose command abilities were no less than those of Dormammu, who was hailed by many as the 'White-Haired Demon General'.

But even with so many disadvantages, John Maslow not only did not lose, but instead annihilated nearly four enemy army groups with a force of less than two divisions, whose fighting strength ranked only as a third-line force in the Empire!

This kind of achievement, so terrifying that even a marshal wouldn't dare to dream of it, has now been presented to everyone by the opponent, who is only a major.

At this moment, Irias could already foresee the scene when this earth-shattering news reached the capital, Elena, and His Majesty William held a council to bestow honors upon it. He imagined the reformers mocking the conservative members with smug faces, and even spitting phlegm at their political enemies with their heads held high.

Of course, compared to this event that happens every year but where the positions of both sides have reversed this time, there is only one thing that Irias cares about more at this moment.

That was the whereabouts of his good-for-nothing son.

Thinking of this, Irias's expression turned ugly.

At the same time, I also felt a little regretful.

Although in his eyes, his son Dolan had never truly helped the family in any way, and instead often caused a lot of trouble because of some foolish ideas, he always had to step in to clean up the mess.

Sometimes he even wished he could strangle this good-for-nothing son who disgraced the Beat family and, apart from being extravagant, had not inherited a single bit of his talent.

But when he thought of his deceased wife's dying wish that he take good care of Dolan, he could only comfort himself, thinking that being a bit useless was fine, since the Beatrice family was already as solid as a rock thanks to the hard work of his ancestors and himself.

As long as his good-for-nothing son doesn't go to His Majesty William's throne to defecate, or molest His Majesty William's most beloved First Princess.

So even if the other party causes a huge mess, he has plenty of ways to patch it up for them.

The reason he sent Dolan to Faoken Bay to carry out the Prime Minister's plan was not only because he was annoyed by Dolan's cowardly appearance every day, but also because he wanted to try to change his son's timid and cowardly personality by sending him to the battlefield, and to try to activate the bloodline of the Beate family that he inherited.

In order to ensure that no mistakes would be made, in addition to appointing Tony Leila, a member of the vassal family of the Beat family, as the commander of the 1st Division and his disciple Edgar Thorne as the commander of the 2nd Division, he also personally paid for enough military supplies to equip his useless son with enough supplies to equip three army groups.

In Irias's view, with such abundant war resources and Edgar's talent, as long as the Saga Kingdom does not launch a large-scale attack with the Blood Howl Legion, and Dolan obediently follows his arrangements and does not take the initiative to lead troops to their deaths,

Then the other party's safety can be absolutely guaranteed.

And with just a little pressure, they were able to escape by warship after the Third Navy was destroyed.

Retiring gracefully after achieving his goals is not a problem at all. At that time, he can also take the opportunity to have his son relinquish the lieutenant general rank that the other party dislikes, and instead arrange for the other party to get married. He can then carefully educate his future grandson to prevent him from becoming a disgrace to the family like his father.

But Irias never expected that the situation in Faokeng would change so dramatically in just two months, so much so that the contingency plans he had left behind were of little use.

It has even escalated to the point that his mentally challenged son, the product of his love with Flora, is now in a state of uncertainty, his fate unknown.

The thought of dying peacefully decades later, and his soul arriving at the River of Souls, only to be met with his wife's utterly disappointed gaze and her tearful questioning of why he had failed to protect their son, is unbearable.

Even Irias, a Grand Rank powerhouse, couldn't help but feel a sharp, agonizing pain in his heart.

The frenzied killing intent in his eyes was almost materializing into flames, annihilating everything in his field of vision.

However, just as Arias was grappling with the fact that his son was 'dead,' he was losing patience and could no longer wait.

He planned to immediately lead his army deep into the western kingdom of Saga, preparing to unleash a horrific massacre on all the surrounding orc tribes.

This is used to release the murderous intent and anger in one's heart.

The next second, accompanied by a series of crisp footsteps, and then, under Irias's suppressed gaze, the door in front of him was slowly pushed open, and a figure walked in.

"Squeak!"

"Major John Maslow, Battalion Commander of the 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Division of the Imperial First Air Force Army, and Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Allied Legion in the Faoken Theater, has led his troops to join forces with the National Defense Forces supporting the Faoken battlefield, as ordered by the Imperial Ministry of Military Affairs. May the glory of the Empire be with you, Commander of the Irias Legion!" "...You are John Maslow?"

Looking at the black-haired youth in front of him, who was travel-worn but had an exceptionally upright posture, Irias showed no emotion. After glancing at the other man a few times, he didn't beat around the bush with this major who was about to become a legend.

Instead, he directly and bluntly stated to the other party:
"Major, I need you to tell me in detail all the inside stories of Lieutenant General Dolan's disappearance on the battlefield, without any omissions!"

Before John could react, Elias ignored his internal injuries and forcefully unleashed his domain, completely enveloping John.

My eyes were suddenly filled with a large number of geometric lines, which seemed chaotic but inexplicably had an indescribable beauty.

At the same time, the blue pupils at the point where the lines converged were staring intently at the black-haired youth in front of him, their eyes cold and cruel.

With the enhanced perception spells from his newly activated Grand Domain, despite his injuries, he could detect any attempt by the other party to utter even half a lie in an instant.

Although his intuition told Arias, based on his years of experience, that the mysterious disappearance of his good-for-nothing son was most likely related to the major in front of him.

But at least, before learning the truth, he was willing to give this genius, who was highly regarded by His Majesty William, a chance to explain:

“John Maslow, you’re a smart man, so I think you should understand why I’m here. So don’t try to test my patience. Now tell me the truth: is Dolan Beatt dead or alive? Right now!”

"!"

Feeling the furious gaze of Arias, and the terrifying will contained within that Grand Domain that pressed down on his body like a mountain, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

Realizing the extent of the Marquis's affection for Dolan, John immediately and without hesitation revealed the truth:

"Lieutenant General Dolan is still alive!"

"..."

Arias's breath hitched, but he didn't immediately dispel the domain. Instead, he stared at John expressionlessly, waiting for the other to continue explaining.

However, John could sense that the power of the Grand Domain pressing down on him was rapidly decreasing. Although it still clung to his body like the Grim Reaper, the suffocating feeling was gone, and he could speak freely.

So he immediately gave the other person a wry smile and said:

"To be honest, I didn't expect things to develop to this extent. It can only be said that everything came from an uncontrollable accident. Due to some force majeure, Lieutenant General Dolan and Lieutenant Colonel Toby returned to the Empire a month ago from the port of Golden Lion Territory by cargo ship."

"According to the intelligence sent by my subordinates, the cargo ship's destination is the No. 1 military supply port in Kingfisher Territory in the southern part of the Empire. Based on the cargo ship's normal sailing speed, you should only need to wait about thirteen days to find out that Lieutenant General Dolan and his companion have arrived in the Empire."

"The reason I didn't report this matter to my superiors is very simple. If the Ministry of Military Affairs knew that Lieutenant General Dolan had chosen to abandon the army and desert out of fear, he would definitely be punished by the Ministry of Military Affairs after the desertion was exposed. He might even be sent to a military court for trial."

Seeing that Irias's expression remained unchanged, as if his words of goodwill had not swayed him at all, and that he was still staring at him calmly, John couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how difficult the other party was to deal with.

He then added:
"Of course, the reason I cleaned up Lieutenant General Dolan's mess was not because I wanted to curry favor with the Beatrice family, nor did I have any intention of currying favor with them. Rather, it was because I had secretly made a deal with Lieutenant General Dolan before he led his deputy in a strategic retreat."

"The details of the transaction are related to the development of minerals, but they involve trade secrets and are not related to military intelligence. Therefore, please allow me to keep this matter confidential to you. If you are interested, you can ask Lieutenant General Dolan for details after you reunite with him."

"That concludes all I know, and my answer to you regarding Lieutenant General Dolan's strategic retreat. Commander, do you have any further questions?"

"..."

Irias didn't speak. Through the perception of the spell and the analysis of the frequency and tone of John's words, he had already determined that the young man in front of him was not lying to him.

But he knew very well that sometimes even telling the truth didn't necessarily mean it was true.

After all, telling the truth in fragments and deliberately avoiding discussing the troublesome facts is itself a form of lying.

This technique was probably already second nature to someone as brilliant as John Maslow.

However, he didn't care about these details, because once he was certain that John hadn't lied in his first sentence and knew that his good-for-nothing son was still alive, nothing else mattered to Irias.

Even if Dolan's decision to become a cowardly deserter was due to the actions of the young man before him.

But as long as his son is alive, he can accept anything.

After all, he had already prepared for Dolan's death before he chose to apply for the Holy Revenge Order.

The current outcome is a pleasant surprise for him.

Although the aftermath will be quite troublesome, especially given the attitude of the conservative party, it is a truly headache-inducing problem.

However, it seems that today's reformers have barely earned the right to bet on them, haven't they?

Thinking of this, Irias immediately gave John a deep look, and then silently withdrew his domain, releasing the shield and control over this space.

But then, he dropped a bombshell that left John speechless:
"Major John, I am satisfied with your answer. Although your actions have caused me a lot of trouble, I can understand it."

"However, compared to my attitude, I think you are more interested in the thoughts of the commander of the 1st Division of the 1st Air Force Group Army. After all, judging from your report on your studies at the First Military Academy, you two are old friends."

"Furthermore, eavesdropping outside the door is not the behavior of a gentleman. Even if it is out of concern for a junior, your behavior is still somewhat presumptuous."

"So, having committed such an offensive act, don't you intend to say anything to me about it, Major General Ram von Eisenbloud?"

"!"

……

(End of this chapter)