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

Chapter 57 Baron Micah was utterly horrified.
"Wow!"

Fifteen minutes later, led by Baron Micah, who was dressed in baronial robes and carrying a longsword, a group of 2000 fully armed guards arrived near the western walls of Bahamut.

"!"

Although I had heard about the strength of the Imperial Magic Soldiers before.

But after actually seeing the scene, which was transformed into a bottomless crater as if struck by a meteorite by the magic soldier's explosive magic, they realized that...

Even Baron Micah couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine at this moment.

Unlike the weak baronies, the Hardman family has a history of over five hundred years.

Although he is currently only a baron, he is significant in terms of both the size of his territory and the extent of its development.

Among the baronies of the Golden Rose Kingdom, it is enough to be ranked among the top ten, and it is much stronger than the average viscounty.

Therefore, in the construction of the city walls, the town of Bahamut did not cut corners at all.

Not only was sturdy marble chosen as the base material, but the walls were also coated with a large amount of cement infused with anti-magic materials.

The spells cast by ordinary mages cannot even leave a mark on the city walls.

Even the seemingly impeccable anti-magic walls couldn't withstand the explosive magic of the Imperial Magus Soldiers in front of them for even a second before turning to ashes.

Given such terrifying power, it's no wonder that the Golden Rose Kingdom formed an alliance with other kingdoms to fight against the Empire.

After all, if the Empire continues to cultivate magical soldiers with such great effort, it probably won't be long before other countries have no other fate but to become colonies of the Empire!

Baron Micah sighed inwardly, then composed himself.

He suppressed his panic and tension, took the megaphone from his trembling secretary Tom, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly towards the distant Imperial army:
"I am Baron Micah Hardman, the lord of Dragon Eye Territory. Why did the Imperial Army suddenly attack my territory? I need your commander to come out and answer me immediately!"

Baron Micah's voice echoed continuously through the speakers.

Micah thought that after hearing his words, John Maslow, who led the Imperial Army, would take the initiative to negotiate with him.

He learned of the Allied defeat by chance and reluctantly handed over his military command, and unwillingly brought the other party back to the Baron's mansion.

When the first step of the assassination plan is completed.

However, the scene he had envisioned did not appear; instead, there was only deathly silence.

?

What's the situation?
What is that young upstart John Maslow up with?

Why is there no reaction at all?

Could it be that the speaker volume was too low and the other party didn't hear me?
Or should I shout it again myself?
Baron Micah looked at the unmoved Imperial army in the distance with some confusion, feeling a sense of bewilderment he had never felt before.

Meanwhile, Leia, on the other side, was also deep in thought.

Because things didn't turn out exactly as she had expected.

She had clearly launched the attack according to the warrant officer's orders, but why didn't the hidden allied forces appear? Instead, an old geezer who called himself 'Micah Hardman' came instead.
This clearly contradicts the mission intelligence provided by Warrant Officer John!
Leia frowned in confusion, becoming more and more perplexed as she thought about it, until she even started to get a headache.

Just as she hesitated about whether to step forward and negotiate with the old man in place of Warrant Officer John, her mind inexplicably recalled the words Warrant Officer John had given her before they set off:

"I need this force to go to the town of Bahamut and engage the town's ostensible garrison, but not to wipe them out completely. Instead, I need to keep them in a state where they can win but choose not to."

"This will attract the attention of the main force of the Fifth Army Corps, making them think of trying to unite with other troops to capture this decoy force alive."

Wait, the surface garrison?

Didn't this old geezer who calls himself Micah Hardman lead two thousand soldiers?
Although they all seem to be weaklings who can't even use magic, doesn't that perfectly match the garrison army that Lieutenant John mentioned on the surface?

"!"

Upon realizing this, Leia suddenly understood.

A formula instantly formed in her mind. Micah Hardman = Noble (X)

Micah Hardman = Allied lapdog (√)
So, what Warrant Officer John really wanted to accomplish was to deliver a heavy blow to these Allied lackeys, without killing them outright.
"To be able to predict even the enemy's movements in advance, Warrant Officer John is truly a genius!"

Leia murmured in amazement, her green eyes immediately replaced by determination.

Now that her goal was clear, she had nothing to hesitate about.

There's only one thing she needs to do now, and that is:
"All troops, listen up! Open fire on the enemy forces ahead immediately! Magic soldier squads, deactivate your explosive magic, load your armor-piercing rounds, and cripple them!"

"Yes!"

"Bang bang bang!"

……

"What on earth is John Maslow up on? Why hasn't he come out to negotiate with me yet?"

Meanwhile, Baron Micah on the opposite side was filled with confusion and doubt.

However, just as he was trying to get someone to replace the loudspeaker with a bigger one so that he could re-identify himself,

The next second, the sound of gunfire from the air made his pupils shrink instantly.

Without a second thought, the instant he saw the flashes of light from the bullets ahead, he instinctively activated the magic items on his body and immediately lay down on the ground.

"Puff puff!"

Almost the instant he lay down, bullets hurtling towards him rained down on the bewildered guards behind him.

The orange-yellow bullets tore through the armor of the crowd with imperceptible speed before penetrating their fragile flesh.

Crimson blood splattered, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air.

The dull thud of the body falling to the ground, devoid of warmth, struck Baron Micah's heart like a heavy hammer.

He felt an unprecedented sense of dizziness that began to run uncontrollably through his brain.

But hearing the dense gunfire in the air and the cries of the guards before they died, he dared not get up from the ground.

Instead, he shrank back in fear, praying incessantly to God, trying to keep the terrible bullet away from him.

Tom, who had turned pale as if he had just realized what was happening, screamed loudly, urging the guards to step forward and protect the Baron.

Under the cover of a wall formed by the flesh and blood of the guards, the esteemed Baron Micah was finally freed from his humiliating prostrate position.

He was helped along and fled in a panic to the back of the group.

"Hoo, hoo!"

Baron Micah, still somewhat shaken, looked at the Imperial soldiers firing deadly bullets at the guards, feeling an unprecedented sense of absurdity and anger.

He couldn't believe that the young punk opposite him would actually dare to have someone shoot him.

Shoot him, this true nobleman?
How could he! How dare he?
Isn't he afraid of being boycotted by nobles from various countries afterward?
What a lunatic!

Yes, this guy is a complete damn lunatic!
Baron Micah cursed inwardly.

But more than anything, it was fear.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that he had overlooked a crucial issue.

That was John Maslow, the guy whom Rocky, the undefeated military genius, was willing to swallow his pride to devise a sniper plan against.

How could the other party be an ordinary person?
The other party is a monster just like Roxie!
It might even be more terrifying than the other side!
……

After reviewing everyone's feedback, and having reread yesterday's chapter, I realized it was a bit padded. Therefore, I've decided to revise yesterday's two chapters, which I expect to finish before midnight. This chapter has also been slightly adjusted from the initial version, hence the later update. I apologize for the delay. Furthermore, I will explain the revisions in tomorrow's chapter comments. Interested readers can review them tomorrow!
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(End of this chapter)