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

Chapter 281 [7K5] The True Form of the Young Demon General is Revealed, Factional Strife Emerges and He Falls into Prison
Unlike Leo, who was visibly shocked, John was not surprised at all.

After all, considering Bruno and the other man's attitude towards him, the seemingly useless information that Alafia had previously thrown out at the banquet, his own memories of living in the orphanage, and the treatment and organization that Dormammu had given him during the Battle of Walden, which was completely inconsistent with the treatment and organization of a warrant officer.

Based on all these clues, he had already vaguely deduced Dean Celestina's true identity.

Therefore, after hearing the truth from the members of the Children of Ash, he only lowered his eyes for a moment before remaining silent.

The reason he showed this behavior was a complex expression of respect for the dean's long-standing act of concealing his true identity.

"..."

After delivering the message, the two guards only glanced at John for a moment before saluting Dean Celestina, who looked helpless.

Then, just as it had appeared, it retreated silently.

"Tap, tap!"

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the brightly lit study fell into a deathly silence.

Leo looked at the dean, then at John beside him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately fell silent.

It was as if the worldview I had always held was being challenged like never before by the lies called 'deception'.

Celestina, however, didn't look at Leo, but instead looked at the silent John in front of her, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness and helplessness:
“Before this, I never imagined that the factional struggles in the Empire would escalate to this extent, to the point that even Diana would use such a direct action to put pressure on you as the eldest daughter of the Castor family.”

Finally, Celestina couldn't help but sigh, her eyes filled with worry.

Upon hearing this, John did not speak immediately, but instead gently stroked the cold "Obsidian Heart" medal with his microscopic eyes.

After using his magic eye to check and confirm that no listening or reconnaissance spells had been set inside the medal, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly.

He then calmly addressed the dean:

"Your Highness, I am not surprised by this. Moreover, compared to me, a mere newly promoted lieutenant general, His Majesty William is probably under much more pressure."

"Of course, if we look at it from another angle, Her Majesty the Queen deliberately awarded me this medal in her capacity as the eldest daughter of the Caster family. Besides being a warning, it also carries a hint of recruitment."

"After all, someone like me, who comes from humble origins but has repeatedly achieved great feats on the battlefield and is not bound by a marriage agreement with a reformist noble, still has some value to the conservatives, doesn't he?"

"Although I have no interest in joining those factions that are nominally fighting to protect the country but are actually corrupting the empire for personal gain."

"Moreover, in the Battle of Faoken, I seized power and mobilized troops, and completely thwarted the conservatives' goal of destroying the Third Navy. This has already caused a lot of dissatisfaction among conservative factions. Even if I really defect, I will not be able to be given important responsibilities in the end."

"Therefore, whether it is out of gratitude for your and His Majesty William's kindness to me, my political stance, or my considerations for my future development, it is clear that I have absolutely no chance of joining the conservative camp."

"You are just as good at calculation and thinking as before."

Looking at John, who had so succinctly analyzed her current situation in just a few words, Celestina felt a surge of relief, but even more so, heartache, and a hint of self-reproach in her voice:
"I regret that I couldn't stop William from including you in the first batch of Command-type Magic Soldier Training Program. It forced you, who always preferred peace and quiet, onto this perilous path."

"Otherwise, you might have become a world-renowned scholar and mage by now, thanks to your talent. It's all my fault."

"Please don't say that, Dean. After all, the reason why fate is called unpredictable is that its operation is beyond human control."

Looking at Celestina's guilty face, John shook his head, then spoke calmly:

"Furthermore, I have never regretted joining the army, which gave me, as a civilian, the opportunity to see a wider world."

"My experience studying at the Imperial First Military Academy, and my interactions with other noble or commoner students, gradually made me realize that the only thing that can change the current state of internal and external troubles of the Empire most quickly is military force, not academics."

"And I am very fortunate that His Majesty William chose this future for me, even though it involves life-and-death trials, numerous potential crises, and even being caught up in the vortex of factional struggles."

"But protecting the Empire is an unwavering belief for every citizen of the Empire, and joining the army is the best way to achieve this goal."

"Moreover, often the things people are best at are not actually what they like, but rather what they hate the most."

"This is evident from my current record of being promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in the shortest time in the history of the empire, isn't it?"

At this point, a proud smile appeared on John's face, and he nodded slightly to Celestina, whose expression was slightly surprised, his tone full of sincerity:

"Therefore, I do not resent Your Majesty, nor will I hold a grudge against you, because I know very well that both you and Your Majesty have extremely high expectations of me. The only difference is that they are looking at it from different angles."

"Therefore, I feel nothing but gratitude towards you and His Majesty, and this is not an empty word."

"...I'm really glad you think that way."

After John revealed his feelings, Celestina was filled with mixed emotions.

At this moment, she finally realized that John in front of her was no longer the fragile child who was tormented by illness and needed her constant attention and care, fearing that he would quietly leave her if she neglected him.

Instead, he unknowingly grew into a general named John Maslow, a man of strong character, capable of overcoming all difficulties, and willing to fight and strive for the future of the empire.

That's truly amazing.

Celestina looked at John, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes, before she seemed to remember something.

She glanced at Leo, who was silently watching everything from the side, his eyes flickering, then paused slightly before smiling and asking John:

“Speaking of which, John, I haven’t asked you about your battle in Faoken yet. I heard that in this battle, you not only killed General Frank of the Kingdom of Victoria, but also defeated the sole heir of the Eye of the Sky family three times in a row. It’s truly amazing. Would you mind telling me more about the details of the battle?”

"If you're interested in these things, of course you can."

John was somewhat surprised to hear that Dean Celestina, whom he remembered as someone who always loved peace and disliked battlefield combat, was actually asking about his combat experience.

But considering the way the other person had glanced at Leo earlier, he vaguely guessed what might have happened.

However, he didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, he followed the other person's topic, took out the map of Fauken that he always carried with him, unfolded it on the table, and, based on the many marks he had drawn during the battle, began to recount his experiences in the battles against the Seventh and Fifth Legions in a manner that was almost like a lecture.

As John narrated, Leo, who had been listening silently, also developed an eerie, cold expression, but his eyes began to brighten.

Furthermore, an unusual magical fluctuation began to emanate from his entire body.

Although John sensed this, he didn't rush to ask Celestina's question, seeing her smiling expression. Instead, he continued to explain his tactics under her gaze.

Just as John finished recounting the destruction of the Seventh Legion and arrived at the Battle of Chokepoint, Roxie used Orion's phase teleportation spell to reach the rear of his own main force. However, he was attacked by a horde of monsters in the lightning ambush zone he had designed, and had to forcibly activate teleportation to evacuate at the cost of the collapse of his unique spell circuit.

At this point, Leo, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up.

His voice was a little hoarse, but exceptionally clear:
"...The pre-set positions in the lightning ambush zone have problems. If the length of the lightning rods is changed, and the original grid structure is replaced with four triangular structures, and conductive iron cables are added to the ground, and magic soldiers are added to spray a large amount of magic-enhanced magnesium powder at the enemy troops at low altitude when the enemy forces are forcibly teleported, the instability of space can be enhanced by the explosion of the magic-enhanced magnesium powder."

"By simply adding 84 more magic soldiers and spraying them on an area with a radius of five meters around the enemy's location, the original spatial chaos effect can be increased by 64%."

"Given the enemy's super-ranking mage and the energy consumed by the previous phase teleportation spell, this amplification is just enough to forcibly interrupt the enemy mage's teleportation effect with a one percent difference, thereby achieving the complete annihilation of this force!"

"!"

John's explanation came to an abrupt halt, and he immediately turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Leo.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

What the boy just said was a minor, potentially flawed aspect of his tactics that he discovered during his post-war analysis.

But this child, who doesn't even look like an adult, almost perfectly explained and optimized his tactics just by his explanation and the data he provided.

This is no longer what is called genius, but rather, a strategic intuition akin to that of a monster.

This feeling, this sensation that made him feel like he was back in the game when he fought that monster Hartmut, caused him to lose control of his unprecedented vigilance and a chilling feeling.

They look so alike!
So, who exactly is this kid...?

"..."

The boy looked like a doll with a cold expression, but his eye sockets had been strangely covered with a large number of patterns resembling fish gills, which were made of demonic dog markings. However, they did not have a soft appearance like normal circuits. Instead, they had an indescribable metallic texture, making him look even more unusual.

At that moment, the figure of the boy in front of him suddenly overlapped with the figure in John's mind—a short man who always wore a demon mask with bared fangs.

John's eyes gleamed with unprecedented excitement, then he ignored Celestina's complicated gaze beside him.

He walked step by step to Leo, squatted down, looked directly at the boy in front of him, and activated his magic eye and analysis spell at the same time, releasing the immense magical power he had just gained from reaching the rank of high-level mage.

Immediately, under this oppressive aura that would subconsciously instill fear not only in ordinary teenagers but even in lower-ranking mages, they were overwhelmed.

He asked the other person in a cold, deep voice:

"Kid, who exactly are you?"

Despite the oppressive aura emanating from him, Leo braced himself and raised his head to meet John's gaze without fear.

His eyes held a coldness beyond his years, and a strange gleam of having found his "kindred spirits."

“…Leo Breuer, I want to join the army. My ‘calculations’ can make your plans more perfect and minimize the losses of your ‘pieces’ in the game, General John Maslow!”

"..."

John looked into those eyes, and at that moment, he seemed to see two figures.

A former player who, in order to win against Hartmut, could calculate everything and was even willing to abandon all human emotions.

The other was the one who had put unprecedented pressure on him, and even made him doubt his own intelligence several times, and whom he regarded as a nemesis.

Like, so similar!
Whether it's those eyes or that appearance that's like a monster devoid of emotion.

This boy named Leo looks exactly like Hartmut!
Suddenly, as if remembering something, John abruptly withdrew his imposing aura and turned to look behind him.

She had gotten up from the chair at some point, and was clearly wearing an extremely simple nun's habit, with an exceptionally slender figure.

But now, illuminated by the stage lights behind her, she seemed to be bathed in light, like a guide holding a torch to show the way to the lost in a forest shrouded in thick fog, Dean Celestina nodding and smiling.

Then, suppressing his excitement and hope, he asked the question he had been waiting to ask:
"Dean, what is this child's real name?"

"Hartmut Eisner, who has been integrated into the Empire, is now the sole bloodline heir of the 'Demon General' Eisner family, who was uprooted by the Demon King for plotting the assassination of the Demon King's only daughter."

Meeting John's incredulous gaze, Celestina sighed softly, then slowly revealed the reason for hiding Leo's real name:

"His true identity is too sensitive and could be easily discovered and exploited by those with ulterior motives. Of course, most importantly, I fear that his existence will displease His Majesty the Demon King."

"Therefore, in order to protect the child's safety, I had to conceal his real name and instead name him Leo Broil. I hope you can keep this a secret, John."

"!"

Upon hearing this, John felt as if a thunderbolt had suddenly struck his heart, and the hairs on his body involuntarily stood on end.

My mind became clearer than ever before. It was connected! Everything was connected!
No wonder that in the original work, after the Imperial New Army reforms and Hartmut appeared as one of the Twelve Protectors, Trolowski, the former Demon King, had a rapidly deteriorating relationship with the Perus royal family.

If Hartmut inherited the bloodline of the family that was the true culprit in the assassination of the Demon King's only daughter, then all of this would make sense.

After realizing the reason behind everything, John felt both excited and worried.

The exciting point is that, now that the two strategists, Zhuge Liang and Feng Chu, have been eliminated, he has finally welcomed an epic new strategist. Moreover, the other party's potential for development, unique techniques, vision for controlling the battle, and even the upper limit of his own strategy are undoubtedly far superior to the former two.

Unlike the ingenious schemes and tactics used in small-scale battles, once Hartmut has safely grown into the stage that John is most familiar with, the opponent can lead a single legion, or even multiple legions, into battle on the battlefield.

And even when facing Roxie, or even that 'ordinary' Allied commander, he is absolutely confident that he can hold his own, or even gain the upper hand!

This was clearly his biggest gain since arriving in the capital, Elena, and without a doubt!

What worries John is also the other party's identity and abilities. What if Leo Breuer's true identity is revealed and becomes known to Trolowski, the Demon King?

Even if he mediates and protects the royal family that killed the only descendant of the former Demon King, it will surely cause dissatisfaction from the other side.

It could even escalate to the point where, in the original storyline, the Demon King's faction, due to Trolowski's death during the Allied Special Operations Department's attack in the Infinite Sky War, and the subsequent alteration of his will by that 'ordinary' commander, leads the Demon King's army to mistakenly believe that the person who killed the previous Demon King was the Empire's strongest Grand Priest, the 'Star-Controlling High Priest'.

He mistakenly believed that his purpose was to seize control of the Demon King's army, but the 'truth' was exposed by the allies. Driven by the impulse to avenge the previous Demon King, he embarked on a path of treason.

If Leo's true identity is exposed, then based on John's understanding of Trotsky, even if he tries to persuade him, it will inevitably lead to this Demon King becoming estranged from the royal family.

In more serious cases, it could even lead to a repeat of the original storyline, causing the Empire to lose a staunch ally force for nothing.

Just thinking about it gives me a headache...

John's eyes were filled with complex emotions as he looked at his younger self, Hartmut, who had somehow canceled the spell and was now looking at him with a nervous expression.

But after a long silence, he turned to Celestina and said in a deep voice:
“I understand, Your Highness. I will keep Leo Broil’s true identity a secret and will not tell anyone. I swear to you on this in the name of the commander of the 303rd Independent Division.”

After saying that, John turned to look at Leo, who was staring at him expectantly, but did not give him the answer he was looking for.

Instead, he addressed the other party in a purely strategic tone, as if conducting a strategic assessment:

"The talent you just displayed is a treasure that the empire desperately needs, but it is also a double-edged sword that can tear apart all bottom lines, including yourself."

"As for this, I think you, who can feel the forced stripping of emotions every time you use the Eisner family's unique technique, and often experience cognitive errors or even emotional loss afterward, should be well aware of the flaws in this power, shouldn't you?"

"!"

Leo's pupils constricted to their limit instantly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Clearly, even someone as intelligent as him couldn't have predicted that John would be able to see through the truth in such a short time.

Furthermore, the other party's understanding of his unique techniques was even clearer than his own!
It was as if, under those peculiar black eyes, all secrets would be laid bare.

It's simply like a real monster!

At this moment, Leo, who had been completely seen through by his opponent, broke out in a cold sweat, and his body tensed up to the extreme.

But compared to his subconscious wariness, his gaze toward John became more fervent than ever before.

He's still a kid, unable to even hide his inner emotions.

You are still far from the demon general I remember, Hartmut.

John couldn't help but shake his head inwardly as he watched Leo staring at him with an excited expression, as if he had spotted a target to chase.

"Stay by His Highness's side."

In the end, John made a decision that surprised everyone:
"His Highness will teach you what things cannot be measured by 'calculations' but must be protected, what things can be sacrificed and given up for victory, but what things you must never touch even if you can win."

"Until you learn these things, your abilities are more dangerous than any enemy force, and what I need last is this kind of instability!"

"But……"

Leo, looking unwilling, wanted to continue arguing.

"No buts."

John abruptly interrupted, then, seeing the other person's astonished expression, he slowly began to speak:

"Obeying orders is a soldier's duty. If you really want to join the army and demonstrate your abilities, then you should obediently follow my instructions and complete them excellently!"

"Of course, you can also choose to give up, choose to give up this test, become a defective product in my eyes, and find a path that belongs to defective products. But I believe that with your self-esteem and pride, you certainly won't accept such an imperfect, or rather flawed, result, right?"

"..."

Looking at the silent Leo, and noticing the flicker in his eyes, John immediately understood that this brilliant commander with boundless potential had taken his words to heart.

Therefore, he did not speak again. Instead, he put away the map on the table, walked to the door, and took down the military cap hanging on the coat rack by the door.

He then straightened his military uniform before looking at Dean Celestina, who was gazing at him with a look of satisfaction.

Or rather, the empire's eldest princess—Annora Perus.

He gave the other party a standard, exemplary imperial military salute, then said in a deep voice:
“Your Highness Anora, it is late, so I will not disturb your rest any longer.”

"Regarding the subsequent application of the Faokenling to be affiliated with the Royal Chamber of Commerce, I will consult you another day... under the identity of 'John Maslow' from the Beacon of Hope."

In closing, John deliberately emphasized his name and the orphanage.

This shows that regardless of his current status, what he seeks in this place, which he calls 'home,' is always guidance and peace of mind that transcends political calculations.

John then turned and left, but before leaving, he left the cold "Obsidian Heart" medal on the shoe rack.

Then, in the light autumn rain, he stepped out of the orphanage in his imperial military boots.

"Tap, tap!"

"..."

In the study, Anora turned her gaze away from John as he walked away. She first glanced at the medals John had left on the shoe cabinet, then looked at Leo beside her, who had lowered his head at some point, but seemed to have found his purpose in life.

He couldn't help but let out a long and heavy sigh.

The dark and silent night reflected in her azure eyes like ink spreading out.

It made it impossible for her to recognize the mark she had once painted out of kindness.

Ultimately, it will become the most elegant and magnificent backdrop in the imperial panorama.

It will still become a place that will be called a wound and a failure.

But as John said before, the trajectory of fate is never something that human power can change.

The so-called future is even more unknown.

Only the slightly chilly autumn rain in the courtyard, spewed out by the cumulus clouds, continued to create noise, constantly disturbing Anora's worried and uneasy thoughts.

"Clap!"

……

Meanwhile, after leaving the Hope Beacon Orphanage, John called over Carrie, who was crouching on the roof, holding a scimitar and intently scanning her surroundings.

Then he called Bruno and the others, and they prepared to take a car back to the Imperial Hotel to rest.

This return trip to his old haunts brought him unprecedented surprises, and could even be described as shocking.

Although some happy troubles arose, the final result was quite good.

Before he left, John realized that with the wisdom shown by his adoptive mother Anora and her background as a princess, she was capable of guiding Leo on how to cultivate his values.

Of course, while John was entrusting Anora with training this young prodigy, he did not intend to simply let him fend for himself. Instead, he planned to wait until the soldiers returned to Elena after their leave in twenty days.

At that time, he will bring his two protégés, the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick, and have these genius candidates, who are well-versed in Maslow's words and can be called benchmark Maslowist warriors, educate and influence him, the future hellish AI commander, with the love of the people.

And strive to cultivate him into an outstanding successor of Maslowism.

Despite the fact that the other party was extremely difficult to deal with, stubborn to the point of almost matching his own temper, and possessed wisdom and intelligence far exceeding that of ordinary people.

John also knew that progress in cultivating this kind of mindset would likely be quite slow.

However, just as he had never imagined that two genius cadets would emerge from his unit.

If I were to nurture him like this day after day, I might actually be able to correct this demon general's values.

"In general, the future is bright, but the road ahead is tortuous and the journey is long and arduous!"

John couldn't help but sigh in the back seat of the car.

However, just as he was about to take out a cigarette from his pocket, light it, take a puff, and carefully review the day's events in his mind...

The next second, he was surprised to find that the car he was in had stopped for some reason.

Before he could even ask Bruno, who was in charge of driving, what had happened...

Immediately afterwards, someone knocked on his car window.

"Boom, boom!"

With a puzzled expression, John slowly rolled down the car window, only to see a young man holding a black umbrella, wearing a black and blue Imperial Prosecutor's Office uniform, with a thin face and slicked-back blond hair, who was smiling at him.

And whether it was his imagination or not, John inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity about this person.

However, before John could ponder the prosecutor's reason for stopping him, the next second, the prosecutor's words made John's pupils shrink instantly:

“Lieutenant General John Maslow, just half an hour ago, we received a tip from an informant.”

"The other party has filed a formal complaint alleging that you have repeatedly attempted to defect during the campaign."

"Therefore, for the sake of your reputation and to prevent the leakage of core imperial intelligence, please immediately terminate your trip and come with us. Thank you for your cooperation."

……

(End of this chapter)