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

Chapter 301 Astounding Wisdom, Intertwined Fates

"So, you mean that the reason that person who framed someone and has already been dealt with last time did that was because he was connected to the Emmentault family?"

Inside the Binot family manor, he listened to the Royal Guard Captain, Kevin, report on the latest investigation results regarding the dress trap incident.

Leia slowly stopped her daily routine of maintaining the family heirloom sword, turned to look at the solemn-faced man, and her emerald eyes were filled with calm:

"you sure?"

"Specific witness testimonies and physical evidence are still under investigation and evidence collection. Although most traces have been erased, based on the intelligence provided by the Ravenbeak Squad, this matter seems to have some unclear and ambiguous connection with Count Emmentault..."

Kevin paused slightly, then realized that his words seemed somewhat inappropriate.

In addition, given his understanding of Count Binott, a man of few words and ruthless nature, if the other party truly believed that he was the mastermind based on the information he provided, it wouldn't be long before a horrific assassination attempt would occur in Eleanor.

Concerned about this trend, Kevin quickly added:
"Of course, it is also possible that my analysis is flawed. Therefore, I hope that Earl Binot can give me some more time and not act rashly, so that I can investigate the truth and the whole story. Once I have evidence, I can report this matter to His Majesty William, who will then make a decision."

"In that case, Earl Binott, you won't need to damage your relationship with Earl Emmentault over this matter..."

Before Kevin could finish speaking, Leia interrupted him:
"So, if I understand correctly, you mean that all the current clues indicate that the mastermind behind that incident is related to the Emmentault family, but there's no evidence, which is why you can't report it?"

"Well... based on the intelligence gathered by the Crow's Beak unit, that is indeed the case. However, I will do my utmost to investigate this matter further and will certainly give you a satisfactory answer in due course."

“Very well, I understand. You may leave now, Captain Kevin.”

Having received the answer, Leia didn't press further. She simply nodded silently and then directly told the other party to leave.

Then he picked up a cotton cloth soaked in magic maintenance solution and began wiping the blade.

"..."

Although Kevin was inclined to say something more to prevent the valiant Earl from doing anything surprising.

Faced with the other party's order to leave, he could only nod helplessly in agreement. He then left the manor with trepidation, intending to report the day's events to his superior and let his superior decide whether to inform His Majesty William.

"bass!"

Shortly after Kevin left the manor, Leia stopped her daily maintenance of the ancestral sword and instead sheathed it. A glint of light flashed in her emerald eyes the moment the blade was sheathed.

In fact, after hearing Kevin's report...

The exceptionally intelligent Lieutenant Colonel Leia, for the first time in a long time, used her extraordinary wisdom to analyze the matter and arrived at a definite conclusion:

Count Jek Emmentalout, a core member of the Conservative Party, is a suspect (X).

Count Jek Ementrout is the mastermind behind it all (√)!
Therefore, as long as he kills this extremely annoying old man who is plotting against John from behind, the conservatives will not dare to openly cause trouble for John anymore!

Of course, I must plan this assassination carefully, and I must not reveal my identity. Moreover, it must be done cleanly and efficiently!

Otherwise, if the truth is discovered and His Majesty William has to solve the problem for him, that would be a minor issue. But if it leads to John being noticed by the Conservatives and listed as their number one assassination target, then this good thing will turn into a bad thing.

"But here's the problem: I'm certainly good at assassinations, but this kind of work that requires thinking is completely unsuitable for me..."

Thinking of this, Leia couldn't help but frown, and a troubled look appeared on her face for the first time in a long time.

Normally, in this situation, she would only need to talk to Major Wendy, and she would be able to come up with a flawless plan from the other's astonishing wisdom, which far surpasses her own.

At worst, she could still find Lieutenant Hawke and Lieutenant Mia, who inherited Major Wendy's wisdom, to refine the next steps of the operation.

However, since John had previously given all members of the Magic Camp a holiday, these strategists are no longer in the capital.

Currently, the only wise people she can trust and seek help from are John, Dormammu, and Jet.

She knew the first two points even without consulting them: if she revealed her intention to assassinate Zeke Emmentalout, she would be met with a ruthless rejection. Moreover, given Marshal Dormammu's strict nature, he would surely berate her for her recklessness and might even blame John for not disciplining him properly as his subordinate.

She didn't want John to be scolded by his old boss because of her.

As for asking Major General Jet for help, it was indeed a good suggestion, but considering that the other party, who was an expert assassin, almost caused the annihilation of his entire army due to negligence when carrying out an assassination mission on the Walden battlefield.

From a professional standpoint, Leia felt that even if she asked her former boss for help, he probably wouldn't be able to come up with any brilliant solutions.

Most importantly, given the other party's rigid personality.

The other party might turn around and report this to Marshal Dormammu, and things would turn out the way she didn't want to see.

"Ugh, so annoying!"

Leia, increasingly distressed, couldn't help but mutter to herself. Just as she was feeling irritable and unsure of what to do, she caught a glimpse of the novel she had placed aside, and she paused in surprise.

This novel was a gift that Wendy bought for her before she left for her hometown. It's called 'The Phantom's Biography' and is a semi-fictional novel.

Leia knew a little about Lucas, the protagonist of the story.

The other party was a legendary assassin master from among the many legends of the empire.

Not only does he possess extraordinary martial prowess, but he also has an almost astonishing level of intelligence. He is extremely adept at manipulating people's hearts and minds. Because of his humble origins, he is able to manipulate countless nobles at will, making him a subject of heated discussion among the people for hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, during his final attempt to impersonate a nobleman, he made a tiny but fatal mistake, which led to his exposure by the nobleman and his execution by hanging, thus ending his legendary life. It is truly a pity.

Although the story is so ancient and its authenticity cannot be verified, the existence of the legendary assassin Lucas remains a mystery.

But this does not prevent the public from admiring and yearning for this kind of legend of ordinary people breaking through class constraints.

However, compared to the legendary life that people yearn to achieve, Leia believes that Wendy's reason for giving her this novel had a deeper meaning.

After all, strategy is what she's least good at.

In addition to possessing the same martial prowess as her, Lucas in the book also possesses extraordinary intelligence.

"So, the reason Wendy gave me this book is perhaps so that I could learn from Lucas's wisdom and thus become a wise and brave all-around general?"

"!" The sudden burst of inspiration made Leia instantly enlightened.

At that moment, her extraordinary wisdom awakened, and her expression became visibly excited:
Yes, that must be it!

Otherwise, why would Wendy, who always tells herself that only by abandoning love and constantly improving her own strength can she become a true Maslowian warrior and thus John's most trusted person, give herself this kind of fantasy novel?

There must be a deeper meaning behind Major Wendy's words!
"Wait, if I remember correctly, Lucas's specialty is framing others? Shifting the blame for his assassinations onto others to achieve his own goals?"

"Could it be that Wendy gave me this book because she had foreseen my current predicament days ago and was subtly offering me strategic assistance in a precognitive way?"

"!"

In an instant, Leia, having figured everything out, was shocked, but what followed was an unprecedented sense of amazement.

She never imagined that even though she had overestimated Wendy's extraordinary wisdom as much as possible, she still greatly underestimated the other party's strategic abilities.

He was able to foresee the predicament he would face several days later, and used this seemingly insignificant but surprisingly effective method to help him find a plan for assassination.

One can only say that he truly deserves to be called a Maslow's Hierarchy warrior.
While this precognitive ability is slightly weaker than John's, it is enough to reveal Major Wendy's talent!
Thinking of this, Leia couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

When she first received the book, she thought it was a book Wendy had bought on purpose to subtly guide her away from romantic relationships and instead focus on improving her own strength.

So that she would be fooled by the other party into becoming a fool who only knows how to become stronger, and thus become the loser in this fierce emotional battle.

Unexpectedly, the other party had been considering her interests from the very beginning.

"Wendy was clearly doing this for my own good, yet I've been so cynical about her. I guess I'm still far from being a true Maslow's Principle warrior; I really need to reflect on that!"

Leia murmured to herself, feeling guilty, but soon she put aside the shame she felt for her sordid speculation about her comrade and her eyes were filled with an unprecedented determination.

At this moment, with Wendy's prompting, she clearly knew what she needed to do next:

"That is, to continue the assassination plan. However, unlike the simple assassinations of the past, this time, I need to frame the Allied forces for this assassination!"

"To make everyone mistakenly believe that the person who assassinated Count Zeke Emmentault was an Allied assassin!"

That's right. In this way, he could not only avenge the other party's ambush of John last time, but also easily extricate himself from the situation, and even help the Empire gain an advantage in the ongoing peace negotiations.

That's killing three birds with one stone, a truly brilliant strategy!
The price paid was nothing more than the mind of a good-for-nothing nobleman.

Even if some clues were later revealed, it was all thanks to the arrangements made in advance.

At that time, I'm afraid I won't even need to ask His Majesty William for help; His Majesty William will be very happy to take the initiative to help me clean up the mess.

In this way, John should not be angry when he finds out; on the contrary, he will look at him differently because of the strategy he has shown.

She might even praise her own brilliant wisdom, which might make him fall for her!
"!"

It was as if I could picture John gazing at me with eyes full of adoration.

Even though the image only appeared in Leia's mind for a moment, she couldn't help but start breathing rapidly, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably due to excessive excitement!

But she dared not let her imagination run wild, for she feared she would lose control of her longing and impulsively draw her sword and storm into the Emmentault family, wreaking havoc.

This would only ruin her future, which should have earned her John's praise, and cause the situation to spiral out of control.

"Phew, calm down, Leia. You need to calm down. Only by suppressing your impulses and letting reason guide your power can things develop as expected and ultimately achieve perfection!"

Just like what Lucas did in the novel.

And you, who possess greater strength than your opponent and have Lieutenant Wendy's support, can certainly achieve that level as well, can't you?

Leia silently convinced herself.

And feel your heart pounding louder and louder with excitement and anticipation.

She suddenly realized that she had only one mission left tonight, and that was:
"Kill Zeke Emmentault and frame the Allies!"

Leia murmured, her eyes flashing with a fierce light.

……

"Kill Zeke Amentrout and frame the Empire for it?"

Meanwhile, in a hotel room in the capital of Elena, Anna listened to the mission instructions relayed to her by her own spies, but her heart was filled with disappointment.

According to intelligence, the target family's estate is located in the southern suburbs of Elena.

It is in the exact opposite direction to the old aristocratic area in the north where the Binott family is located.

And if she follows these instructions to carry out the assassination plan and successfully completes it...

Even if she quickly annihilates it using her own technique of equality of all things, and secretly travels to the Binott family to investigate the truth of her origins.

So, in the back and forth, the time she spent was quite astonishing, which could easily arouse suspicion from others.

This undoubtedly signaled the complete failure of her plan.

However, considering that his mission was specifically assigned by General Olko, and that the other side had also sent professional spies to assess and rate his first assassination attempt during the mission, he was not satisfied with the fact that the mission was specifically assigned by General Olko.

If we were to reject it, it would only arouse suspicion and dissatisfaction from higher-ups.

Therefore, Anna could only suppress her regret and calmly reply to her own high-ranking spy, who was ostensibly an assistant but in reality a monitor:
"Anna Sprint received. In the name of the everlasting light of Victoria, I will carry out this assassination mission brilliantly!"

……

(End of this chapter)