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

Chapter 308 Intertwined Probing, Mayer's Backup Plan
Maye never expected that she would be faced with a beautiful girl who suddenly bumped into her.

In her memory, John was always a gentleman and gentleman.

Instead of displaying the gentlemanly manners he should have, he dodged the attack with a quick movement, then ignored her bewildered expression and fell straight forward.

As a mid-level mage, Meyer naturally has the ability to control her body and avoid this state.

But when she thought about how she was currently playing the role of an ordinary orc girl, she forcefully suppressed her instinct to use magic and let her body crash to the ground.

"Boom!"

A dull sound rose from the street.

The sensation of her face hitting the ground was even more painful than Meyer had anticipated.

If I had to describe it, it would be like being walking down the street when suddenly a muscular boxer jumps out and punches you right in the face.

As the victim, Maye felt dizzy and lightheaded, and also experienced an unprecedented soreness.

Even her nostrils began to gush hot fluid uncontrollably at that moment.

"Damn it, why did it have to turn out like this?!"

With a pained expression and her hand covering her chin, Maye was completely bewildered.

She couldn't understand why, after regaining her memories from before her rebirth, the world didn't develop according to her will, but instead opposed her at every turn.

Something is wrong, very wrong!
This shouldn't be happening!

What exactly is this for!
But the reborn sage quickly suppressed his emotions and began to silently comfort himself.

It's alright. Although the poor orc girl's plan to have a romantic encounter with the Empire's newly promoted lieutenant general has failed, at least she has kept his attention. She can use Plan B to lure John to take her for treatment under the pretext of being injured, thereby completing her test.

Given John's kind nature, he certainly wouldn't let an injured orc girl just lie on the street, would he?

So the final winner will definitely still be me, Maye Sistana!

Just as Maye, with her nose bleeding profusely, was brainwashing herself and putting on a pitiful, tearful appearance, trying to attract John's attention with her beauty so she could carry out the next step of her plan.

However, when Maye turned to look at her side, she was shocked to find...

John, who had been standing beside her, didn't even glance at her once, but instead took a ruthless step.

He simply brushed past her as if nothing had happened!

"?"

When I type this symbol, it's not that I have a problem, but that I think you have a problem.

Seeing a beautiful orc girl fall to the ground while trying to avoid you, even bleeding profusely from her nose, you not only didn't go to comfort her, but you also pretended to be indifferent and continued walking forward.
Don't you have any compassion at all?

Are you really still the elegant gentleman I know, John Maslow?
The series of defeats ignited an unprecedented rage in Maye, who instinctively forgot her pretense and couldn't help but call out to John, who was about to continue on his way:

"Hey, you human in front, stop right there!"

"?"

Upon hearing this expected remark, John slowly stopped, then looked expressionlessly at Mayer behind him, whose face was filled with anger, and said calmly:

"busy?"

"Something's wrong! Of course something's wrong!"

Maye rolled over and got to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose. She stormed up to John, glaring at him, her chest heaving with anger. But she forced herself to remain calm and spoke as gently as possible:

"...Sir, do you have nothing to say to me about your ungentlemanly behavior of letting a lady fall to the ground and get injured?"

"I don't think I did anything wrong."

"?"

Seeing Maye's astonished expression, John slowly and deliberately spoke:

"First of all, the collision at the corner just now was not something I deliberately staged, but an accidental event. In order to ensure that I would not be attacked unexpectedly, I chose to dodge out of self-preservation when you bumped into me, which is perfectly reasonable."

"While I feel sorry for you falling face down, I don't think I need to feel guilty about a responsibility that has nothing to do with me."

"Secondly, I was quite surprised that you didn't instinctively brace yourself with your hands when you fell, but instead allowed your face to collide with the ground. After all, this is very rare for a normal person."

"Perhaps your poor condition is due to overwork, or it may be due to other factors, but in general, these are all your own problems and have nothing to do with me."

"As a concerned passerby, all I can do is advise you to seek treatment from a professional doctor as soon as possible."

"This concludes my response regarding your accidental fall and subsequent injury. I hope you are satisfied?"

"?"

Hearing this cold, almost heartless reply, Maye was not only shocked, but also incredulous.

At this moment, no matter how unwilling I am to believe it.

She has also come to understand one thing.

That is, the black-haired, black-eyed man in front of you could be anyone.

But the other person was definitely not the John Maslow she remembered, the one who would rush to help even an injured stray cat.

Because the guy in front of me, who has no mercy, is a complete bastard who is selfish to the extreme!
Upon discovering the 'truth,' Mayer felt as if she had been struck by an unprecedented blow to her spirit, and she even felt somewhat dazed.

She suddenly regretted coming to John for help alone.

After all, now that she has regained her memories of her past life, she knows how strong her bond with John was and how many difficult years they went through together.

Through those experiences, they achieved a resonance between their souls, becoming inseparable like family.

But now, the only person who knows all of this is herself.

Neither she nor John had ever met.

And that true hero whom she once admired and deeply cherished.

Under the influence of the unknown, it became a completely different entity.

In terms of their stance, they became enemies she had to eliminate.

The gap between her memories and reality created a sense of disconnect that caused Maye deep pain, but even more so, it left her feeling lost. At this moment, she no longer knew how to move forward.

"..."

Overwhelmed by a deep sense of loss, Maye's once vibrant and upright white fox ears drooped down without her even realizing it.

Her forlorn figure made her appear exceptionally pitiful for a moment.

John, watching this scene, was not only surprised but also puzzled.

Because Maye's current expression of existential doubt, as if his romantic feelings had shattered, was completely different from what he had expected.

Having served as an Allied general in the game, he was intimately familiar with Olko's brainwashing abilities.

He naturally understood that now that he was considered a major threat by the Allies, he would be subjected to shameless smear campaigns and would be accused of all sorts of fabricated crimes in order to intensify the hatred of his department members and thus enhance the sacred nature of the assassination.

Therefore, logically speaking, for Mayer, who had read the intelligence about his own "misdeeds," had received Allied training, and passed the test to become a qualified agent, this should have been a good opportunity.

The other party must have already defined themselves as villains.

No matter how selfish you are, the other party would never show such behavior that is completely inconsistent with the norms of a secret agent.

So, did Olco not smear himself?
Or is the reason due to Maye, that foxy girl?

Or perhaps this is a ploy by the other party to lure you in?
By acting strangely to arouse curiosity, one can lower their guard in subsequent interactions and ultimately fall into the other party's trap.
"!"

In an instant, John, who had seen through the 'truth', suddenly realized what was going on, and a look of seriousness flashed in his eyes as he looked at Mayer.

He truly hadn't expected that Mayer, who had only recently joined the Allied Special Operations Department, would possess such high-level intelligence skills, to the point that he had almost been fooled by her.

If he hadn't already seen through everything, he might have actually fallen into their trap.

It's no wonder they're members of the main characters from the original work; even though they were formed a year earlier, their talent still managed to shine through.

It's truly amazing!
"But unfortunately, I have already seen through everything. No matter how you play the role, your fate has long been firmly in my control."

"Therefore, without a doubt, the ultimate winner is still me, John Maslow!"

Lieutenant General John murmured to himself as he faced the 'genius' agent Mayer.

……

"I'm not satisfied! I'm very dissatisfied!"

After a long silence, Maye, slowly emerging from her complex emotions, replied, suppressing the bitterness and disappointment in her heart. Her silver-blue eyes stared intently at John Maslow, this newly promoted Imperial Lieutenant General devoid of compassion, and she coldly questioned him:
"You keep saying you chose to hide in order to protect yourself, but your actions indirectly caused me to fall and get injured. You didn't even offer a simple apology or a word of comfort. Instead, you pushed all the blame onto me."

"How could I possibly be satisfied with your insincere answer, which didn't even reveal a shred of concern!"

Maye glared at John, her eyes revealing a complex emotion that was hard to decipher, but it quickly transformed into unwavering resolve:
"I need you to apologize for those offensive words you just said, no matter what, otherwise I will not let you leave!"

Finally, as if remembering something, Maye glanced at the crowd that had gathered around her, and before John could speak, she added with a half-smile:
"Furthermore, at this crucial time when the Empire and the Allies are engaged in peace negotiations, as the newly promoted Lieutenant General of the Empire, General John Maslow, I think you wouldn't want to attract the attention of the Conservative Party's high command because of such a small conflict, would you?"

"…who are you?"

John's expression changed drastically, becoming colder than ever before.

His right hand instinctively reached inside the oversized trench coat, but in an instant, he realized something was wrong.

Because the magic gun that should have been in the holster at his waist had vanished.

Is it possible...

Seemingly understanding something, his eyes were fixed on Maye, who was rubbing his red nose in a slightly disheveled manner, but whose gaze was full of cunning as he stared at him.

As if to answer his inner doubts, Maye immediately tugged at her collar with a grin, revealing not only her ample, snow-white skin, but also the black gun butt that John was most familiar with.

"Using force against a lady is strictly prohibited. Therefore, to prevent you from misjudging my identity and taking any extreme actions, I have to take some precautions in advance. I'm sure you can understand that."

"As for me, well, to put it simply, you can think of me as a professional fortune teller, not some suspicious person. And the reason I took the initiative to approach you is actually quite simple."

"That is, I intend to use some special intelligence to make a deal with you, nothing more."

In a few words, Mayer changed his identity to that of a prophet.

This is Plan C, which she just came up with.

Although the initial Plan A, a chance encounter, failed due to John's avoidance, Plan B, which was made to save the day, also failed due to the changes in John's personality in his past and present lives.

But based on previous experiences and the character John has shown,

For Maye, who has lived two lives and whose actual age in both her past and present lives adds up to forty-six, after a brief moment of thought, she was certain that John was now a cruel elite who championed egoism.

People with this personality type are usually more astute and suspicious than others.

Attempting to manipulate her through emotions and moral norms will not be effective at all, as her previous failures have already proven.

Only tangible, visible exchanges of benefits can truly make the other party feel valued.

Revealing one's identity proactively leaves room for the other party to speculate, thus preventing them from making a rash move against you before they fully understand your background.

Instead, out of caution, they would proactively reach this 'cooperation' and then test them during the cooperation process. Only after confirming their identity and purpose would the other party make a final decision to kill or let them go.

"But unfortunately, those two scenarios are simply impossible."

After all, I, Maye Sistana, am a reborn being who foresaw the future, and I am also an intimate being who spent countless nights with John.

It's fair to say that in this world, no one understands John Maslow better than I do.

In subsequent negotiations, I only need to reveal a few secrets known only to John himself, or give some prophecies about the future, and let him verify them.

The combination of his own secret being exposed and the accurate prediction of the future creates an impact that would shock and amaze John, making him drawn to his own mystery.

That will be the crucial moment for me to correct John from the wrong path!
In John's words, he was completely overwhelmed by the dragons and had no idea how he could possibly lose!
"Although, it's unclear whether John still keeps this strange verbal tic to himself."

Thinking of this, a faint sadness suddenly welled up in Maye's heart.

But outwardly, her expression remained unchanged. Instead, she stared intently at the figure before her, who would show an unprecedentedly warm smile when they met, but now had a fierce glint in her eyes.

The smile on her face didn't fade; instead, it grew even stronger, and her voice held a touch of playfulness.
"So, my dear Mr. John Maslow, what is your choice?"

……

(End of this chapter)