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

Chapter 60: Warrant Officer John is the Best Commander

"Captain, under your brilliant command, we not only successfully wiped out the Allied forces ambushing the other three villages, but also seized their communication devices and discovered a large amount of supplies in their stronghold!"

Back at the camp, Wendy, who had led the entire 14th squad back, was reporting the battle situation to John with a smug look on her face:
"Actually, when we first took down the first stronghold, I originally planned to lead my team to immediately attack the next target. However, while I was arranging for Sergeant Charlie to seize the enemy's radio, he discovered a hidden cave in the enemy camp. After clearing the collapse, we found a lot of jewelry and a large amount of high-denomination Penny coins (the currency of the Golden Rose Kingdom, with an exchange rate of 1 Penny = 0.75 C)."

"Considering that you will definitely need to spend a lot of money to govern Longan Territory in the future, this money will come in handy. So, in the subsequent offensive operations, I took the liberty of having the team members control the range of the explosive magic."

"When we attacked the other two enemy strongholds, we indeed found varying amounts of supplies in their camps, which is why we were delayed for so long and are only now returning."

"In addition, on the way back, I also did a rough count of these supplies. Converted into our Imperial currency, the value of these spoils of war is about 8 D. However, considering that most of them are jewelry and jewels, the actual value may be a little more."

"How was it, Captain? Wendy did a great job this time, didn't she?"

After reporting on the mission, Wendy looked at the captain in front of her with a proud expression, her big eyes blinking back and forth, her face clearly showing her desire for praise.

Ok?
Surprisingly, this time, instead of any mishaps, they even managed to seize a batch of supplies.
Sure enough, I knew it! How could someone be so unlucky as to choke on even cold water?
And even if Wendy really does have a villainous nature, she can't possibly continue to do so!
Upon hearing Wendy's report, John was overjoyed, and his previously anxious heart finally settled down.

Considering that this guy had indeed done a great job, the usually 'serious' Warrant Officer John immediately broke into a genuine smile, and then generously praised Wendy, his trusted confidante:
"Well done, Wendy! I knew you, as my right-hand woman, would never let me down!"

"Hehe, Captain, you flatter me. After all, we're all working for the Empire!"

Seeing that the captain recognized her so much, Wendy immediately raised her head even higher, her nose almost pointing to the sky.

She also glanced haughtily at Hawke behind her, who was watching her with envy.

He became increasingly smug.

Hmph, did you hear that, Hawk? The captain just admitted that I'm his right-hand man. Do you know how much weight those four words carry?
So don't even dream of being Warrant Officer John's number one follower.

After all, the captain and I have formed an unbreakable bond!
How could someone who came later possibly understand?
So, I advise you to just accept reality, hmph!
"What's with this idiot grinning like that? Did staying up all night on a mission make him stupid?"

John was filled with doubt as he looked at Wendy, who was tilting her head back with a silly grin and making strange humming noises.

But considering Wendy's past foolish behavior, he didn't delve into it further.

Moreover, his dear vice-captain had brought him 80,000 D worth of spoils this time. Even if the other party was just being foolish, or even if the other party wanted him to personally warm the other party's bed, he wouldn't be unable to relax his already flexible moral bottom line for the sake of money.

The thought of how much more his retirement money had increased thanks to Wendy's efforts made John couldn't resist the urge to go and inspect his spoils. He no longer cared about wasting time chatting with Wendy and immediately set off to check on his prize.

So he immediately spoke to the lucky vice-captain in front of him in a friendly manner:

"Wendy, you've been working through the night, you must be exhausted by now, so put the reports aside for now and go to your tents to rest."

"After all, only by getting enough sleep can we have a healthy body, so that we, as soldiers, can fight better for the empire, right?"

"!"

He actually cares whether his subordinates are tired?
In the past, none of the commanders cared about the health of their soldiers; they treated them like cattle and horses, using them to the point of death.

After all, those who become magic soldiers not only have combat power far exceeding that of ordinary people, but their stamina is also monstrous.

Therefore, when carrying out missions on the battlefield, it is almost common to go three days and three nights without sleep.

Indeed, Captain John is the best commander in the world!

Upon hearing John's words, Wendy was deeply moved, and the fatigue she had felt from repeatedly using magic seemed to vanish completely.

Of course, resting is out of the question.

Although he knew that Captain John was concerned about him, if he were to slack off at this time, how could he demonstrate his status as Warrant Officer John's number one follower?

So Wendy immediately and without hesitation refused:

"Thank you for your concern, Captain, but Wendy isn't tired. I think I can continue to cooperate with you on missions."

Finally, as if remembering something, Wendy glanced sideways at the group of people behind her who had grim expressions, and then spoke to her teammates with a 'gentle' expression:

"Besides, I believe everyone shares the same thoughts as me, right?"

Although Wendy's tone was very calm, her dangerous gaze and the cold smile on her lips said it all.

The members of Squad 14 naturally knew the consequences of offending this mad vice-captain, so they immediately shook their heads vigorously and shouted back:
"That's right! Captain, we're not tired, we can continue the mission!"

No, are you guys serious?

If I'm not mistaken, Charlie, aren't your eyes so bloodshot they're about to burst from overusing blast magic?

This is what you call not being tired?
John looked at everyone in silence, and couldn't help but sigh.

Before Wendy, who was beaming with pride, could ask for praise again, he immediately slammed a ruthless iron hand onto her head.

Ignoring the other party's pitiful wails, he spoke with a forced smile to this stupid vice-captain who only caused him trouble:

"Wendy, I think you've been getting a little too cocky lately. You're not even obeying my orders anymore, are you?"

"Why drag others down with you if you don't want to sleep? You're creating unnecessary competition, you're a complete scab! You bastard, show some respect for personal wishes!"

"Wow, Captain, I know I was wrong! Please stop! It hurts so much! My head feels like it's going to split open!"

"It's better that it cracked; you should suffer a bit to learn your lesson!"

John glared fiercely at the despicable scab deputy captain, then, meeting the expectant gazes of the crowd, he waved his hand and said:

"All members of Squad 14, listen up! Your mission is complete. It's rest time now. I order you all to get back to your tents and sleep immediately. Anyone who dares to disobey will be prepared to wash the squad members' smelly socks for a month!"

"Long live the captain!"

Upon hearing John's words, the group, who had been fighting hard all night and were now almost exhausted, were overjoyed.

After shouting, before the furious Vice-Captain Wendy could stop them, everyone scattered like birds and beasts, disappearing from the spot in the blink of an eye.

"They've only been fighting all night, are they really that tired? I think they're just trying to slack off. How dare they call themselves proud Maslowian warriors! No, Captain, maybe I should... Ouch, Captain, why did you hit my head? That hurts!"

Feeling the force on her head, Wendy immediately covered her head with tears in her eyes, then looked at her captain with a resentful expression.

She was clearly always thinking of the captain, yet he still punished her. Wasn't that completely ungrateful for her good intentions?

Captain John is such an idiot!
"Why are you glaring at me? If you glare at me, I'll beat you up too, Wendy. You're not taking what I just said seriously at all, are you?"

John glared at the scab Wendy with annoyance, then, without waiting for her to explain, pushed her toward the tent:

"Get out of here and rest. Don't give me that 'competitive race' act. I still have a mission to give you when you wake up. Resting is so you can complete the mission better, so don't push yourself anymore. Or is it that Sergeant Wendy has some kind of peculiar fetish for washing other people's smelly socks?"

"How could that be? I'm a clean girl, how could I have such a strange fetish? Captain, you just like to bully me!"

Upon hearing that John actually suspected her of having unusual hobbies, Wendy immediately panicked and tried to prove her innocence.

"What do you mean by male or female? Even if you are a super LGBT person who is a combination of 97 genders, in my eyes, you are no different from any other soldier."

John chuckled coldly, ignoring the foolish vice-captain's attempts to explain. He grabbed the man's chubby face and, disregarding his complaints, began to pull him roughly.
"You bastard, don't even think about getting any special treatment under me. Let me tell you clearly, that's absolutely impossible. When it's time to punish, I'll punish you without hesitation. Don't think that just because you're the deputy captain of the squad, even if it's a police dog, it'll get a punch from me if it does something wrong!"

"So, do you understand now, you idiot Sergeant Wendy?"

"Captain, you're being too domineering! Besides, I'm not stupid at all. I'm the 10th in my grade! Although I can't match your grades, I'm still very smart!"

Outside the tent, Wendy glanced resentfully at the captain in front of her, but looking at the neat bed inside her tent, the fatigue washed over her again, making her feel drowsy.

However, she suppressed the urge to yawn, instead raising her hand to give John a standard military salute, and then cautiously probed at him:

"Well, Captain, am I going to rest now?"

"Hurry up and go, do you expect me to help you take off your clothes, Sergeant Wendy?"

"Captain, why do you think that? Do you really think Wendy is an idiot?"

"if not?"

"Captain John is so mean, Wendy doesn't like you anymore!"

Wendy puffed out her cheeks angrily, intending to slam the tent flap shut, but after thinking for a moment, she mustered her courage and spoke to John:

"However, although you, Captain, are always up to no good and always like to tease Wendy."

"But in my opinion, Captain John, you are the best commander in the world, and I believe that the rest of the 14th Squad think the same way."

"Although I feel a little embarrassed, I still want to say that being able to be a soldier under you, Captain, is truly the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me, and I am very grateful to have met you, Captain."

"So, if you need me, Captain, please give me your orders at any time, and I will follow your instructions without hesitation!"

"...What are you babbling about? Too much nonsense, I can't be bothered to listen. Get out of here, get into your tent and go to sleep right now. If you keep dawdling, I'll make you wash socks next month!"

"I'm so angry! Captain, you're such a big idiot!"

Seeing that she had finally mustered the courage to speak her mind, only to be fooled by the captain's feigned ignorance, Wendy's face immediately turned red with anger.

She was too lazy to talk to this clueless captain anymore. After glaring angrily at John, the angry Sergeant Wendy zipped up the tent flap without saying a word.

The force was so great that sparks flew from the zipper; clearly, the lovely Sergeant Wendy was furious.

Lucky?
This word sounds somewhat heavy...

Outside the tent, I could hear Wendy angrily pounding her pillow coming from inside.

John, who had been standing silently for a long time, couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Feeling a strange burning sensation in his chest, a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

He thought he could stay out of it, but after hearing Wendy's heartfelt words of approval for him, the imposter commander, he was overcome with an uncontrollable surge of emotion.

He immediately realized that he was just trying to deceive himself.

If he sits idly by and lets the story unfold as it does in the game, when the empire is destroyed, will he really be able to abandon these soldiers who believe in him and watch them die in front of him, just as he has imagined?
John couldn't be sure what he would become in the future, but what about him now?

That scenario is probably impossible, right?

Damn it, if I had known things would turn out this way, I would have been better off making a mistake when I transmigrated, crippling myself and retiring.

Mingming initially only wanted to retire peacefully and live a decadent life as a wealthy man.

Why is it that things seem to be moving further and further away from his original intention?

Is this fate?

John strolled around the camp, feeling a strange mix of emotions. He lit a Red Bird cigarette and took a puff, a bit of a headache in his head.

At this moment, the excitement he had felt about the expansion of his pension vanished without him noticing, replaced by an unprecedented sense of frustration.

"hiss!"

At the edge of the camp, John inhaled the scent of burning tobacco in the air, a unique experience created by the wonderful chemical reaction that mingled with the fresh fragrance of the mountain forest.

Listening to the faint sounds of soldiers organizing their weapons and talking, John, bathed in the midday sun, gazed with a flicker of his eye at the lush green forest in the distance.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled the pungent smoke from his mouth, then threw the cigarette butt, which had somehow burned out, into the pile of cigarette butts on the ground below, and stomped it out.

His face regained its usual calm, and he turned and walked back towards the camp.

Looking at the adorable team members yawning as they walked out of the tent one after another.

At that moment, John knew clearly that he probably needed to readjust his retirement plans.

"Everyone, listen up! Organize your equipment and prepare to march. Destination: Bahamut Town!"

……

This chapter isn't suitable to be written separately, as the pacing of the two chapters would be difficult to maintain. Therefore, after consideration, I've decided to combine them and release them together. So, there will only be one update today!
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(End of this chapter)