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

Chapter 78 I have a dream

After saying this, as if remembering something, John turned to look at Leia, who had a bewildered expression, smiled slightly, but his tone left no room for argument:

"Leya, you can go out first. I need to have a proper talk with Ms. Serbia. It's not convenient for you to listen."

"..."

Leia, however, did not heed his advice. Instead, she hesitated and looked at Serbia, who was kneeling on the ground. Seeing this, John immediately understood and shook his head with a smile.

"It's alright, she can't touch me, don't worry."

"..."

Leia didn't speak, but simply frowned.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her eyes lit up, and then, to John's surprise, she stepped in front of Serbia and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Crack!"

A chilling dislocation sound suddenly rang out from inside the tent, and Serbia, who had already been kicked and coughed up blood, turned deathly pale in an instant.

But Leia ignored the man's horrific state and thoughtfully looked at his legs. Just as she was about to dismember them as well, John hurriedly stopped her:

"That's enough, that's enough. Don't worry, Leia, I also have my trump cards."

"..."

Leia tilted her head, intending to suggest that this guy was dangerous, as he could still easily kill an elite army soldier even with his hands removed.

But after realizing John's identity, she seemed to understand something. She suddenly understood and stopped insisting. Instead, she saluted John amidst his dry laugh and Serbia's resentful gaze, and then obediently walked out of the tent.

"...Although there were some unexpected events, Ms. Serbia, let's now return to our previous topic, shall we?"

Looking at Serbia's cold expression and wary eyes, John couldn't help but sigh.

Well, after that little incident, the goodwill he had painstakingly cultivated through his words was completely wiped out. However, knowing that Leia was also concerned about his safety, John didn't complain.

Shaking his head, John calmly sat back in his chair, a smile on his face, and asked the other person:

What are your thoughts on the point I just made?

"...As the founder of the country, isn't it only natural for the emperor to exist?"

Although he was puzzled as to why John Maslow, an Imperial officer with a treacherous and cunning nature, would choose to discuss such dangerous political remarks with him, Serbia dismissed any further thoughts due to his curiosity and doubts.

She looked at the imperial lackey in front of her with a hint of sarcasm, her tone playful:
"What, Commander John, are you trying to brainwash me with that divine right of kings theory so that I'll become the empire's loyal dog? First of all, the era of gods is long gone and doesn't apply to the present. Secondly, do you really think that someone who has experienced hell since childhood would still have any gratitude towards gods and monarchs?"

The Age of Gods?

Why haven’t I heard of it?

And the game's background doesn't mention anything about this.
Looks like I'll have to find some time to look into it later.

John was greatly puzzled upon hearing this word, especially considering that since his transmigration, he only had fragmented memories of his time studying at the academy.

My memories of life before the age of fifteen are mostly blank, with only a few scattered fragments related to my life in the orphanage.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that his perception of the world might be slightly off, and that his body, created in the game, seemed to have some secrets that he was unaware of.

However, he knew this wasn't the time to dwell on these issues, so he suppressed his thoughts and instead chuckled as he addressed Serbia:

"Why would you think that? Do you see me as some kind of rigid imperial soldier?"

if not?
Even if you are just a warrant officer, your outstanding performance is not a reason for Dormammu to value you so highly.

Moreover, with your godlike strategies, you thwarted the Allied forces' plans multiple times. You single-handedly turned the tide of a war that the Empire should have lost, and Dormammu's fate of execution.

If you're not a confidant secretly trained by Emperor William, not a damned imperial loyalist, do you think you're actually an Allied agent?
Serbia sneered inwardly; she would never be deceived by the lies of this imperial lackey.

John saw through the other's thoughts and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself, but on the surface he remained completely calm.
"It seems you have a deep-seated stereotype about me, but that's not important. Oh, by the way, although I know your background, it seems I haven't introduced myself yet, which is a bit rude."

“My name is John Maslow. I was born in a remote town in the Kingdom of Brown. I became an orphan because of the war between the Kingdom of Saga and the Kingdom of Brown. By chance, I was adopted by the Third Orphanage of the Empire. Later, I was adopted by the Empire’s Commander Training Program.”

"Under the gracious grace of His Majesty the Great Emperor William, I was fortunate enough to enter the Imperial First Military Academy and graduated with top honors. As for what happened afterward, I'm sure Ms. Serbia is already aware of it, so I won't go into details."

"And for you, my current life experience can perhaps be described as extremely lucky, well, maybe?"

"So what are you trying to say? Are you using your lucky life to mock me, a poor person, to satisfy your desire to show off?"

Hearing the other side's Versailles-like remarks, even Serbia felt a surge of anger and even some resentment, something they hadn't felt in a long time.

She certainly had reason to feel resentment—resentment at the injustice of fate, resentment that heaven had placed all the suffering upon her, resentment that she, who had struggled so desperately for revenge, had now fallen before an imperial lackey she loathed most.

That's exactly what John wanted to see.

Seeing that the future war dragon god was genuinely aroused by the bait he had deliberately thrown out, he realized that...

John then realized it was time to proceed with the next step of his psychological manipulation plan.

So, while gathering his thoughts, he subtly moved his chair back, creating some distance between himself and the dangerous half-dragon, and shrugged at him, feigning a helpless sigh:
“Ms. Serbia, I thought that you, who have experienced countless tragic events, would be able to understand the true meaning of what I have told you. But I did not expect that you, like others, only focus on the surface of things. I must say, this is truly regrettable.”

"...What exactly do you mean? Speak your mind or get to the point!"

Serbia looked on with suspicion; her patience was wearing thin with that damned John Maslow.

Rather than listening to John, this damn winner in life, boast about his shitty life, she now even somewhat wished she could go back to enduring Leia's silent, torture-like interrogation.

At the very least, it would make her feel less inferior.

However, under her impatient gaze, John suddenly pointed at her, then at himself, and said something that made Serbia fall into deep thought:

"Haven't you ever thought about why our lives have such drastically different outcomes, even though we are all human beings living in our own countries?"

"And do you really believe that the influence is caused by some invisible and intangible so-called fate?"

"..."

Serbia fell silent, and considering John's earlier question, which could almost be described as outrageous, she suddenly seemed to be deep in thought.

Soon, as if she had grasped a key point, she suddenly widened her eyes and looked at the smiling John in front of her with a look of astonishment, as if she could hardly believe that this guy would come up with such a rebellious idea.

But that shock was quickly replaced by silence, followed by undisguised mockery.

But before Serbia could even mock the other party's overestimation of their abilities, John's voice slowly reached her ears:

You might think I'm arrogant, or you might laugh at my overestimation of my abilities.

"However, back when I was studying at the First Military Academy of the Empire, long before I became a soldier of the Empire, I realized this and a blueprint for the future that I longed for was born in my heart."

"Or rather, a dream."

"Yes, I, John Maslow, have always had a dream."

John said this to Serbia with a smile.

……

(End of this chapter)