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

Chapter 320 Reluctant Surrender, An Unexpected Answer, The Lost Truth

Does the other person know my name?
No, that's not the key point. The key point is, how did the other party know about Sally?
Those who knew about Sally should have been silenced by him back then!
How did the other party know all of this?

"!"

Upon hearing John pronounce Sally's name, Mark felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation.

The already fragile rationality began to crumble even faster at this moment.

A large amount of cold sweat kept pouring from his body, soaking his clothes and making him feel an unprecedented chill.

In fact, Mark's attitude toward his sister, who was born several years ago when his mother had an affair with a bard while his father was fighting on the front lines, has always been quite complicated.

She could hardly believe that her gentle, elegant, and loyal mother could do such a thing.

When he learned of this at the age of sixteen, he wanted to personally draw his sword and kill this bastard child to prevent her existence from becoming a stain on the family in the future.

But under his mother's persistent pleas and even threats of suicide, he finally had to give up the idea.

Instead, he personally executed those who knew about the matter, including his mother's lover.

This illegitimate child, named Sally by his mother, was secretly arranged by him to be raised in a monastery within the family territory under the guise of a friend's illegitimate child, where the nuns raised him.

Out of fear that his mother would secretly go to the monastery, thus exposing the family's scandal.

Therefore, after finishing the numerous courses his father had assigned him, he would often go to the monastery to check on his mother and prevent her from doing anything foolish.

But unexpectedly, through this long-term companionship, he witnessed Sally grow from a wrinkled baby who could only cry into a lovely young girl who would call him "Brother Mark" every time she saw him and then run over to him with a look of surprise and jump into his arms.

The murderous intent he felt towards the illegitimate offspring of his family gradually faded away, replaced by a complex emotion that even he himself could not describe.

Is it that the other person's existence insults the father's wisdom and destroys one's own respect for the mother?
Or perhaps you pity the other person for the tragic fate of never being able to become a member of the Johnson family because of their mother's mistake, and being forced to live their entire life in carefully crafted lies, unable to know the truth?

Or is it simply a dependence that has formed silently because of long-term companionship, without the person even realizing it?

This led to her becoming a weakness that shouldn't exist in the first place?

Mark had no idea about this.

But at that moment, he only knew one thing, and that was...

Before this monster who seemed to see through everything and was extremely adept at manipulating people's hearts, no matter how he tried to resist, it was all in vain.

After a long while, Mark's hoarse voice slowly echoed in the room.

"...What do you want to know from me?"

"Hmm? I thought you would ask me how I knew about this. I have to say, your cooperative attitude really surprised me."

John raised an eyebrow; he really hadn't expected the other party to be so cooperative.

In fact, he learned about Sally Cocolia not from anyone else, but from Mark.

In the storyline, Mark was ambushed by an Imperial dwarf swordsman disguised as a child during the Special Operations Department's second assassination attempt. He was stabbed through the heart from behind and lost his chance of survival on the spot.

On his deathbed, the other person told him about Sally and asked him to take care of her.

It's a small side story within the main plot, and also a little trick that the game's writers deliberately set up to enrich the main characters' personalities.

John had originally planned to shift the blame onto the unfortunate Hassan in order to create the illusion that the Empire's agents were ubiquitous, and thus put psychological pressure on Mark.

This will force the other party to submit completely.

Unexpectedly, before he could even launch a psychological attack, the other party displayed an unprecedentedly submissive attitude, which interrupted his pre-planned thought process.

So, was it the fame brought about by his great victory in Faoken that made the other side realize the reality?

Although this news meant that he would inevitably encounter a lot of assassination attempts in the future, which was not good news for him, it had a good effect at the moment.

Is this a stroke of luck amidst misfortune?

John, having quickly deduced the truth from Mark's behavior, pondered deeply.

However, on the surface, he calmly tapped the back of his hand, briefly organizing his thoughts before slowly speaking:

"Considering your cooperation, there is no need for me to continue concealing this. That's right, we have agents within your allies, and we have spies in your Johnson family, as well as in other noble families of earldom and above."

"And the length of their infiltration is beyond your imagination, which is why I know that your mother, known for her fidelity and kindness, secretly had an affair with a bard five years ago while Earl Johnson was away fighting on the front lines, and gave birth to Sally Cocolia, this impure daughter."

"Oh, and I even know the real reason your mother had an affair. How about it, interested...?"

"enough!"

Before John could continue, Mark, on the other end of the line, snapped and interrupted him, clearly exasperated.

He wanted to angrily rebuke the other party for humiliating him like this, but after feeling the other party's seemingly calm but actually 'cold and murderous' eyes.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and forced a smile onto his face, trying to maintain a calm tone as he spoke:

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency John, but I have no interest in knowing about such things."

"And I believe that the reason you didn't have me executed directly, but instead made an exception and gave me the opportunity to be interrogated, was not because you wanted to humiliate me for your own amusement by using the Johnson family's scandal, was it?"

"So, please state your conditions. What do you want me to do for you to be lenient and let that child go? Respected General John Maslow?"

"He should have killed this bastard who shouldn't have been born for the sake of the family's honor, but he kept the secret because of his brotherly and sisterly affection and protected his birth mother's reputation for fidelity. He only made himself sink into the hell of moral struggle and guilt towards his father. I have to say, Mr. Mark, I'm starting to admire you for your spirit of sacrifice."

John didn't give an immediate reply, but instead offered a half-hearted compliment before speaking:

"Therefore, considering the unbreakable bond between you two siblings, and out of humanitarian considerations, I am not unwilling to accept your request."

"Of course, since it's a transaction, there must be a price to pay."

After a slight pause, meeting Mark's tense gaze, John smiled slightly and then presented his conditions:
“I can spare Sally Cocolia, and even you, and your other companions, and let you return to the Allies. Anyway, for the Empire, losing seven less valuable prisoners is no loss.”

"In return for my freedom, I need you to be my eyes and ears, and to provide me with critical intelligence from the Allied Special Operations Department at the appropriate time."

"Oh, by the way, before you were put on trial, your companions had already pledged allegiance to the Empire at my urging and voluntarily accepted the master-servant bond I imposed on them."

"So, what's your answer to that, Mark Johnson?"

Meeting Mark's incredulous gaze, John spoke meaningfully.

In fact, he was lying to the other party.

Of course, it cannot be entirely called deception.

After all, he had said similar things when he interrogated the others earlier.

Knowing that his comrades had defected, and under the pressure of the information he had provided that was ahead of its time, the rest of the people he was interrogating ultimately chose to surrender, unsurprisingly.

The only difference was that they both believed they were the last ones to surrender.

Therefore, in fact, it seems there is no difference?

John muttered to himself.

Those guys actually all switched sides to the Empire?

Those damned traitors!
Upon learning the result, Mark couldn't help but angrily curse these peasants for being utterly disloyal. But then, thinking of the interrogator John Maslow and his own predicament, he suddenly felt relieved.

Indeed, after all, they were facing a devilish monster, and even someone who prided himself on having almost no weaknesses had his vulnerabilities exploited by the other side.

How could the rest of his companions, who had never received any special training in counter-interrogation, possibly withstand this monster's deadly interrogation?
Could it be said that from the moment they saw John Maslow, their fate and that of their companions had already been decided?

How utterly despairing...

Mark sighed inwardly, but feeling the devilish gaze emanating from the other side, a gaze that seemed to control one's very being...

Realizing that he had no other choice but to lower his proud head in the face of this all-powerful devil, he could only helplessly reply in a hoarse voice:
“If this is your condition, then, Lord John, I am willing to offer you my loyalty.”

"I'm willing to become your spy planted within the Allied forces!"

"despair!"

……

After successfully recruiting Mark and seven other members of the Allied Special Operations Forces as spies, John didn't waste any time and went straight to asking them about Anna and Royce.

Upon learning that the two were also in the Special Operations Department and had participated in the assassination mission, but had not been captured by Trolovsky for some reason, John understood that it must be Anna's damn protagonist aura at work. Otherwise, he simply couldn't believe that Anna, on an assassination mission, could evade Trolovsky's senses when he was facing a being with full magical power, whose sensory range could almost cover the entire Eleno and who could see every clue.

"I can only say that he is indeed the protagonist of the game. His luck is truly extraordinary."

Although he didn't know exactly how Anna had evaded Trolovsky's detection, now that she hadn't been captured and the members of the Special Operations Department had been arrested...

So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Special Operations Department was already aware that the plan had been disrupted.

According to the principles of the Special Operations Department, it is highly likely that the other party, along with Royce and the disguise-savvy Margaret, have taken the opportunity to escape from Eleanor under the arrangement of their superiors.

In other words, his plan to capture the female protagonist of the game has essentially failed.

It's impossible that Anna, after discovering the mission had failed, planned to play a dirty trick and launch another assassination attempt while Trolowski was dealing with the issue of the magic source.

Did they even target themselves?
Haha, such a good thing is best left unsaid.

The probability of this happening is probably that Bella would encounter the other party, and then the two sisters, unaware of the truth, would start a fight. Moreover, the possibility that Anna has now realized that there are doubts about her own background is even lower!
"It does contain a degree of fantasy."

John chuckled and shook his head, dismissing the absurd possibility from his mind. Then he looked at Mark, who had been freed from his restraints and was now looking at him with the loyalty of a dog, bound by a master-servant contract.

After a moment's thought, he asked the question that concerned him most:
"Mark, are you clear about the true purpose of the Special Operations Department's assassination attempt in the Empire?"

"Regarding this infiltration and assassination plan, One-Eyed Hunter only told us publicly that this operation was to frame someone and thus instigate infighting between the two parties in the Empire in advance, without revealing any deeper purpose."

"But as a member of the Johnson family, I obtained some secret information in advance from the family's intelligence network."

Mark paused slightly, a hint of hesitation creeping into his heart.

After all, if this matter were exposed, he, as the leaker, and even the entire Johnson family would likely be destroyed.

But seeing John's gaze and feeling the throbbing pain in his heart caused by the surgical procedure, and realizing he had no other choice, he had no choice but to suppress his emotions and honestly say:

"As far as I know, the reason why the Special Operations Department would risk coming to Elenor to carry out an assassination at this moment is not only to incite factional strife within the Empire, but also because of a deeper motive related to a secret experiment recently conducted within the Allied forces."

"But because the content of this experiment was a top secret within the Allied forces, even my family did not have the authority to know about it."

"However, Captain Anna, who comes from the Sprint family, may know something about this that I don't. After all, compared to the Johnson family's awkward position in the Kingdom of France, the Sprint family is a true noble family in the Kingdom of Loran."

"And since she is the only genius who has inherited the family's unique techniques, if Lord John wants to know the inside story, try to capture her and interrogate her. Perhaps you can get the answers you want from this lady."

Secret experiment?

And it was top secret.

This didn't seem to happen at this point in the original work.

Is it a butterfly effect caused by myself?
John frowned slightly, a sudden unease rising in his heart.

He always felt that the so-called secret experiment might have unexpected changes.

"Sure enough, we should have Hassan send agents to investigate. If we don't find out what the Allies are up to right now, it might leave unresolved problems for future purge plans once the factional strife officially begins."

After some deliberation, John made a decision immediately.

Only then did he turn his attention back to Mark. After a moment's thought, under Mark's tense gaze, he made arrangements for the future fate of the seven newly recruited agents:
"Two days later, I will send someone to escort you out of the Imperial Hotel under the pretext of delivering Allied assassins. At that time, I will arrange for people to attack the transport convoy in advance, so as to create the illusion that Allied agents raided the convoy to rescue the assassins, thereby helping you escape and return to the Special Operations Department."

"Of course, considering Olco's personality, you will inevitably be subjected to severe interrogation. However, when I signed the master-servant contract, I already applied an enhanced high-level anti-mental detection spell to your minds."

"As long as the interrogator in charge of the interrogation is no higher than a super-ranked mage, it will be impossible for them to discover the spells within your bodies."

"Of course, you'd better not expect anyone on the Allied side to break this contract for you."

"After all, not to boast, but in fact, as the top graduate with a perfect score from the Empire's First Military Academy, I consider myself to have a certain level of expertise in the study of spells."

"Besides, I don't really like being betrayed, so you should understand what I mean, right?"

“...Mark Johnson understands that in the future, I will prove my loyalty to you through my actions, Your Excellency John Maslow.”

"Very good, now you can leave."

"Yes."

"Squeak!"

Watching Mark's worried figure leave, John slowly suppressed his smile only after the door closed. He then looked out the window at the night view of Eleanor, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

Just as he was pondering for a moment, intending to pick up the communication device to call Bruno, and then through him contact Jet, who had already returned to Walden, to inform him that he needed to contact Hassan to assign some tasks.

A knock came from the previously closed door.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Enter!"

"Squeak!"

As the door was slowly pushed open, John was greeted by an unexpected figure.

"Leah? What brings you here?"

John couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise when he saw the strong girl dressed in casual clothes.

Before he could even ask her with a smile how she had been these past few days, Leia's words made him freeze in place.

My heart was filled with disbelief.

"John, you're right. I think I really do have a sister."

Leia spoke to John with a serious expression.

At the same time, she subconsciously recalled her conversation with Head Maid Lorian this morning.

During her conversation with the head maid who had raised her, Leia learned that in the massacre of the Binot tribe, besides her, the eldest daughter of the direct line, there was also a collateral descendant girl who was three years younger than her.

According to blood relations, the other party should be considered her cousin.

However, because her sixth uncle loved freedom and disliked being restrained when he was young,

Not only did the other party refuse the marriage arranged by his family, but he also eloped with the second daughter of a small family from another country.

This caused my cousin to nearly die several times at birth due to the conflict between the two unique magical bloodlines within her. In desperation, she returned from the distant continent of Amaka and, for the sake of her daughter's life, chose to bow to her family and seek the help of Leia's father in an attempt to resolve the problem.

Although the family's higher-ups were extremely dissatisfied with their sixth uncle, who only enjoyed the family's privileges but abandoned his responsibility as a Binot heir upon reaching adulthood, and whose elopement even made the Binot family a laughingstock among the great nobles, he could almost be called a disgrace to the family.

However, under Leia's father's decision, the family members put aside their prejudices and reluctantly agreed to help their cousin, who had a tragic fate, carry out the bloodline separation.

However, before the family could report the matter and obtain permission from His Majesty Perus XII, who was on the throne at the time, the massacre of the clan occurred ahead of schedule.

Amidst the attack launched by those bizarre, ghost-like terrifying assassins, only Leia survived by being pushed into the secret chamber left by her grandfather by her father.

My cousin, who was suffering from illness, was able to escape the pursuit by hiding in a well thanks to the desperate resistance of my unreliable sixth uncle.

After the imperial troops repelled the assassins and organized a search for the Bignott family, she and her cousin were successfully rescued. The enraged emperor also dispatched a large number of elite troops to protect the Bignott family.

However, unlike her, who was the only direct descendant of the Pinot family and had two Grand-ranked warriors by her side at all times, her cousin, who was still an infant at the time, was neglected because the doctor diagnosed her with a bloodline conflict and said she would not live much longer.

When everyone remembered to check, they discovered that the other person had mysteriously disappeared at some point.

However, after mobilizing a large number of mages to search based on the traces left by the thief, they only found the body of a long-dead baby girl on the riverbank in the suburbs of Eleno.

Therefore, this cousin named Juliana Binott was officially declared dead.

This is the truth behind Leia being identified as the sole survivor of Binot.

But after the previous encounter and the fight with that girl, the pull from the power of bloodline, and the tenacity that only the Binot bloodline could display during the fight, made him feel the pull.

Combined with her cousin's mysterious disappearance and 'death', Leia suddenly understood the truth of everything.

Similarly, an unprecedented anger arose:

"John, I need your help. Help me find my cousin Juliana Binot, no matter what!"

Leia looked at John with a serious expression and spoke with a firm tone.

……

(End of this chapter)