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

Chapter 309 Meyer's Deal, Exposed Rebirth
Half an hour later, in the conference room of the Empire Hotel.

Looking at Maye, who had been surveying her surroundings with an expression of amazement ever since entering the hotel, as if visiting some ancient ruin that should have been destroyed by war, John slowly suppressed his doubts, poured himself a cup of coffee, and then went straight to the point:

"Let's talk, lady who calls herself a prophet. I'm very interested in the chance encounter you deliberately arranged on my route, and the so-called deal you mentioned."

It wasn't a calculated move, but a genuine chance encounter.

To be honest, I didn't expect to run into you on the way back.

Maye thought to herself, but on the surface she still pretended to be completely at ease.

Instead, he followed John's example and poured himself a cup of coffee, taking a sip.

She had intended to project an air of sophistication, but the moment the bitter coffee entered her mouth, she felt as if it had bitten her tongue, and she almost spat it out with a crooked mouth and bulging eyes.

But feeling John's calm yet slightly mocking gaze across from her, she managed to suppress her urge to vomit.

After silently complaining a few times about the Imperials' bizarre eating habits, he then spoke with feigned nonchalance:

“It’s very simple. We have some intelligence that is very important to the Empire, and Lieutenant General John happens to have several hostages that I need. Therefore, I intend to exchange this intelligence with you. I wonder if you are interested?”

After saying that, before John could speak, she added:
"The hostages I want to exchange are not important to you, but are just people who are not important to the Empire. The reason I want to ransom them is simply because I have made some deals with the organizations behind them. Please don't overthink it."

"In addition, to demonstrate our strength, I can offer you some free intelligence."

As Maye recalled her memories of her past life, she interlaced her fingers and slowly uttered a piece of news that would shock the entire empire:
"In fact, the reason why Duke Ostan's condition deteriorated so rapidly was not due to the Allied forces, but to the factional struggles within the Empire."

"To be precise, someone secretly poisoned that gentleman, which is why his hidden injuries have been slow to heal and have led to new complications."

"Furthermore, I can also reveal to you that the real poisoner is not an outsider, but rather a member of the Ostan family!"

However, John was not shocked at all by Maye's bombshell revelation.

After all, as a player, he not only knew the inside story of Ostan's deteriorating condition, but also knew that the real culprit was none other than the first in line to inherit the Ostan family—Iver Ostan.

However, in my memory, wasn't this information something I stumbled upon during the mid-game when the Special Operations Department went to the Principality of Ostan to support the Allied factions?

The truth has been revealed at least four years ahead of time, so Maye shouldn't know it at all.

"Something's not right with this fox-like girl."

John's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned shock. Then, in an icy tone, he spoke:

"Madam, do you even realize what it means to openly slander a member of the Imperial Noble Family? I advise you to think carefully before you speak!"

"Don't be so formal, just call me Maye, Maye Sistana. By the way, that's my real name. What do you think? Doesn't it sound pretty good?"

Maye ignored John's threatening words and introduced herself before changing the subject:
"As for whether the intelligence I just mentioned is slander or fact, as long as you persuade the Empire's surveillance forces to conduct a thorough investigation of the Ostan family, they should be able to find some clues soon."

"Although the other party's methods were quite covert, and most of those involved were secretly executed, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever, especially when it comes to something as important as poisoning a duke. There will always be people who prepare a way out for themselves."

"And it was through this unpredictable human nature that we were able to uncover the truth."

"Of course, if you want to know the true identity of the mastermind and the relevant evidence, then I can't tell you these things for free. You will need to pay some fees for them."

"After all, mutual benefit is the basic principle of doing business."

"..."

Seeing John fall silent across from her, Mayer's smile grew even wider.

At this moment, she clearly realized that John, who was in front of her, must be in a state of unprecedented shock under the intelligence she had provided through her foresight.

They constantly speculated about their true identity, such as being from a foreign intelligence organization supported by the state of Amaka, or a mysterious group loyal to a neutral power, and so on.

But no matter how hard the other party racks their brains, they probably would never guess that the reason they know this secret information is simply because they are a reborn person!
After all, this is a top secret that no one but himself knows!
Looking at John, who was clearly 'shocked' but pretended to be 'calm', she saw him in front of her.

Having successfully manipulated the legendary commander before her, a man who strategized and won battles from afar, Maye felt an unprecedented thrill and excitement. Even her rosy lips couldn't help but curl upwards at this moment.

"..."

In fact, considering the many strange behaviors the other party had previously displayed, and the sense of familiarity that shouldn't have appeared in their attitude towards me, I was quite certain.

He had some vague guesses about the 'Mayer' in front of him.

But that idea was so absurd that even he thought it was unlikely.

"After all, isn't the idea of ​​a reborn person a bit too outrageous?"

But if Maye wasn't a reincarnated individual, how could she, as a player, know secret information that transcends time?
But Maye's words just now implied that there was an organization behind her.

Therefore, if we extrapolate from this information, does it mean that there is indeed a reborn person in the world, and that this person even established an organization beforehand?

As for Maye, she was a member developed by the other party and not a true rebirth.
In an instant, a flood of thoughts surged through John's mind, making him feel as if his heart was in turmoil.

But looking at Maye in front of him, who was exactly the same as he remembered, yet inexplicably different, he was a different person altogether.

He stopped speculating and, after a brief moment of thought, decided to maintain the status quo and see what his old teammate was really up to.

"...Let's talk about the collaboration you proposed earlier." "I didn't expect you to be uninterested in the real culprit. That's quite surprising. But considering that the current situation can't be changed, and even if we get the evidence, we can't influence the future direction of the reformists, it's understandable that you don't care about the truth."

Seeing that John hadn't fallen for her trick, Maye felt a little disappointed.

After all, with such a bizarre shift in the timeline, there wasn't much information about the future that she knew that could actually be used for exchange in the present.

She had originally planned to give up Iver's information in order to persuade John to give up Ian, who was supposed to have fled to the Kingdom of Brown after the defeat in the Battle of Faoken Bay and was later included in the Special Operations Department's candidate list.

John's decision not to pursue the matter further has actually thwarted her plan.

But it doesn't matter. Besides this information, I know a lot more about the future, and there's bound to be one that will catch their attention.

For example, the Duke of Mosilis's plot to usurp the throne, and the fact that the other side had planted a large number of spies in various factions of the nobility as early as eighteen years ago.

As a staunch member of the Imperial Reform Movement, John certainly couldn't refuse this intelligence, which could significantly influence the future direction of factional struggles within the Empire.

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in Meyer's eyes:
"Speaking of which, Lieutenant General John, you must already be aware of the impending factional strife that is about to erupt in the Empire. And I happen to have some crucial intelligence here that could influence the future direction of the factional strife in the Empire. I wonder if you would be interested?"

"...What intelligence? Want to talk?"

"The reason why critical intelligence is critical intelligence is naturally due to its mystery and criticality, and I believe that we have demonstrated our sincerity and proved our strength in the conversation just now."

"So, it's your turn to show your sincerity now, isn't it?"

Looking at John's stern face, Maye, who considered herself to know him better than John himself, immediately realized that she had aroused John's interest. So, with a slight smile, she stated her demands:
"I need you to transfer a lieutenant currently serving in the Third Navy to leave the Navy under the pretext of carrying out a secret mission, and let him return to his family's territory."

"In addition, our organization has left behind the son of an old friend in the town of Bahamut. According to our previous intelligence, he was captured by you after the assassination failed and is currently under your house arrest. Therefore, we hope that you can release him secretly in your personal capacity. We will send someone to pick him up afterwards."

That's right, the two people Mayer was referring to were Ian and Serbia.

Although the Special Operations Department has been in a state of special training since its establishment and rarely communicates with the outside world.

All intelligence was obtained through personal distribution by Olko.

Therefore, Mayer was completely unaware that Ian had been promoted to lieutenant colonel for assisting the Third Navy in destroying 67 warships during the Battle of Faoken Bay, and that Serbia had been promoted to general for leading the Red Dragon and Sea Dragon Tribe Legions to join the Empire.

That's why this seemingly absurd request was made.

Meanwhile, Mayer, who was still unaware of the situation, believed that Ian and Serbia, as former members of the Special Operations Department, were the only two from the Empire who possessed extremely high talent and were not members from their own countries.

Currently, both of them harbor hatred and hostility towards the Empire.

In Maye's view, as long as she could persuade John to release the two men from the constraints of the Empire, given her familiarity with them, she could easily win them over with just a few words and make them part of her side.

Although this required her to inform John of the potential dangers facing the Empire in advance and have him assist the Empire in eliminating these dangers ahead of time.

But as someone who has lived two lives and inherited the wisdom of generations of orc sages, Maye knew even better that the crisis she had raised was something that John, who was currently outnumbered and outmatched, simply could not resolve.

Therefore, the deal she described was a trap from the very beginning.

Once the agreement is reached, only she can benefit from it.

"But unfortunately, as someone who cannot see the future, John, you are destined to be unable to see through the trap hidden behind my deal."

"Although it is regrettable that I have to use a scheme against you, since we are on different sides, I have no other choice."

"And when you lose in the factional struggle, truly realize the corruption of the empire, and are completely disillusioned with this hopeless country."

"When the time comes, I will take you back to the home that is rightfully yours."

"Let's wait patiently until then..."

Maye murmured to herself, looking at John, who was 'devoting himself' to the empire without realizing that he had given his loyalty to the wrong person, and a resolute look flashed in her eyes.

Alright, the case is finally solved. Meyer really is a reincarnated person!
Upon hearing Maye's terms, John instantly knew the truth.

Because, apart from that, he simply couldn't imagine any other reason that could explain the other party's motives in demanding Ian and Serbia from him.

Although he was puzzled as to why Mayer seemed completely unaware of the fact that one of them had become an Imperial Lieutenant Colonel and was about to take up an important position in MI5, while the other had become a newly promoted Imperial General.

But considering that the Special Operations Department might not have been established for long, he could roughly guess the reason for this lack of intelligence.

This fact is indeed somewhat disconcerting.

However, with a player like myself appearing, it doesn't seem so strange that another reborn orc sage would appear in this world.

Of course, compared to the shock of discovering that his old teammate had come to this world with memories of his past life, John was currently troubled by something else:
"The question is, should I confront this idiot about her flawed behavior, which inadvertently reveals that she is actually a reincarnated person?"

Looking at Maye, who was smiling smugly in front of him, John couldn't help but feel a complicated emotion.

But after a brief moment of thought, he quickly made a decision.

……

(End of this chapter)