You Bastard Set Me Up!

A mission? What mission?

John was instantly filled with question marks.

But looking at the other Empire higher-ups around him, all lowering their heads to stare at their teacups as if terrified of being called out by General Dormammu...

At that moment, John immediately realized something.

His little bout of absentmindedness had somehow dragged him into a massive mess.

Yet faced with Dormammu's "death glare," John understood that he had to come up with a suitable excuse to muddle through.

Though he had no idea what these people had been discussing just now, judging from Colonel Kode's report, it had to be related to postwar matters in the Walden Region.

As everyone knew, whenever postwar governance was involved, waving the Empire's banner and shouting slogans could never go wrong.

And as a first-rate corporate workhorse in his previous life, John was more familiar with this kind of empty rhetoric than anyone!

Thinking of that, John immediately gained much more confidence. His heart stopped racing, his hands stopped trembling, and under Dormammu's expectant gaze, he slowly rose to his feet, cleared his throat, and said:

"Ahem. General, regarding this mission, I believe my personal opinion is not important. What matters is that while carrying out the mission, we soldiers must treat the preservation of the Empire's honor as our foremost objective."

"At the same time, we must unwaveringly follow His Majesty the Emperor's principle of consolidating the Empire's current territory."

"Through strict military discipline, we must let the Empire's people understand that the Empire's army is a shield that protects the people, not a mob that tramples upon them."

"We must always uphold this style: treat friends with the warmth of spring sunlight, and fight enemies with the mercilessness of winter winds."

"Only then can the Empire's people take deep pride in being members of the Empire. Only then will they show warm, approving smiles upon seeing the Empire's army instead of fear. Only then, when facing enemy forces, will they bravely take up arms to resist these thugs in defense of the Empire's land rather than stand by coldly."

"Therefore, I believe that whether we are governing the Empire's existing cities or cities acquired in the future, we must always refrain from infringing upon the people in the slightest. With orderly military discipline and regulations, we must make the people feel secure and acknowledged, causing them to support our army of their own accord. Only then will they understand and appreciate the Empire's radiance and take pride in being citizens of the Empire."

"Only in this way can the Empire continue to grow stronger, can the Empire's glory never fade, and can we ultimately achieve the goal of unification."

"That concludes my personal views on postwar governance in the Walden Region. My insights are crude, and I hope the General will not blame me."

After delivering a long string of empty platitudes as though reading from a company speech draft from his previous life, John gave a slight bow to the Empire higher-ups around the conference table, who looked as though they had just heard a heavenly scripture and were completely dumbfounded.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

After a brief pause, the sound of applause suddenly rang through the command post.

Looking toward the sound, everyone was shocked to discover that the person applauding was none other than General Dormammu at the head of the table.

At that moment, Dormammu stared fixedly at John beside him, his eyes filled with undisguised shock and delight.

It could even be called amazement.

In truth, John's speech had indeed stunned him.

In his view, John's speech could practically be sent directly to the Imperial Political Department and listed as essential ideological reading for newly enlisted Imperial soldiers.

Honestly, if he had not known John's background and personally witnessed this Warrant Officer's talent for command...

Dormammu would have suspected that John Maslow was a top propaganda talent secretly cultivated by the Imperial Ministry of Culture.

Could it be that compared with fighting, John was actually more suited for internal affairs?

If that was the case, then this young man had many more paths available to him.

After all, his old friend had complained to him more than once in letters that the Imperial Political Department currently lacked suitable talent.

Should he recommend John to him later?

Thinking that, Dormammu could not help but fall into deep thought.

Meanwhile, although the others did not entirely understand John's speech, once they saw their superior begin applauding, the remaining higher-ups of the Seventh Air Force quickly came to their senses. They hurriedly joined in, repeatedly voicing all kinds of praise.

For a time, the command post, which had originally been filled with oppressive tension, became remarkably harmonious.

"Warrant Officer John, I must admit that your speech truly surprised me. Your ideas regarding internal affairs and regional governance even make me feel inferior."

"Although I know it is somewhat harsh to have an outstanding officer carry out difficult missions one after another, as the saying goes, the capable must bear more responsibility. Since Warrant Officer John has already demonstrated through his speech his views on postwar governance in the Walden Region, I believe that only you are suitable to personally carry out the governance mission in Bahamut Town."

"Of course, considering the scale and chaos of Bahamut Town, a force of thirty soldiers would clearly struggle to suppress and govern the town. Therefore, Warrant Officer John, in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Seventh Air Force, I will temporarily appoint you as the highest commander of an Independent Combat Force."

"I intend to merge the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 14th companies of the former 6th Mage Soldier Battalion into this Independent Combat Force. At the same time, I will select six hundred outstanding soldiers from the Army's non-established units to join them. Together, they will form a small force of seven hundred and twenty men, better enabling Warrant Officer John to complete the suppression and governance of the Bahamut Region."

After saying that, without waiting for John to react, Dormammu turned his gaze toward Olaf at the far end of the table.

"Major Olaf, do you have any objections to my orders?"

"No objections, General!"

Olaf straightened his chest and responded with a loyal expression.

Although Olaf was somewhat frustrated that John, his subordinate, had taken the command authority that should have belonged to him...

Once he considered that John was also bringing him honor, and that with John's talent and the General's favor, it was only a matter of time before John was promoted, received a raise, and became his superior...

Olaf's lingering dissatisfaction instantly vanished.

The way he looked at John became friendlier than ever before.

He had already decided that after the meeting, if John came to ask him for additional troops, he would pretend to be troubled by the request, but in the end, he would still quietly stuff a few extra men into that force for him in a personal capacity.

As for why he would not report it to the General... ahem, official business and personal favors were not the same thing!

Why handle matters officially when he could sell someone a favor?

As for the possibility that John might botch things after taking on this hot potato...

Heh, had everyone forgotten that General Dormammu himself had just said he felt inferior to Warrant Officer John's governance principles?

One had to know that although General Dormammu was ostensibly only the Commander-in-Chief of the Seventh Air Force...

In reality, the old man was a renowned all-rounder within the Empire.

Internal affairs might not have been his most dazzling specialty, but he was not someone any random nobody could compare themselves to. How could a person capable of making the General feel inferior possibly be an idiot who dared take on a mission without even understanding the situation?

The reason Warrant Officer John was so bold was surely because he had the confidence to complete the mission.

So this investment of his would not merely avoid losses—it would make him a fortune! Hahahaha!

Olaf was feeling immensely pleased with himself. At the same time, the people nearby seemed to realize what had happened as well. They all looked at Olaf in the middle of the room with envy, each of them grinding their teeth in frustration.

They secretly resented the fact that this fellow, who could only open wine bottles with his ass, had somehow landed such an outstanding subordinate for free. He had done nothing, yet he would still get to ride John's coattails and gain merits.

Damn it, what kind of absurd luck had this bastard Olaf stumbled into?

However, unlike everyone else's envy or smug satisfaction, after hearing Dormammu's arrangements for him...

John froze where he stood, and an uncontrollable ringing filled his ears.

What the hell?

Bahamut Town?

Wasn't that the town where members of the protagonist's party were located in the game's backstory?

So he was about to go head-to-head with the protagonist's party?

Th-this... wasn't this completely wrong?

Right in the middle of a perfectly ordinary day, why was he suddenly going to run before the protagonist's party and court death?

Dormammu, you bastard, you set me up!

No. He had to refuse. He absolutely had to refuse.

What kind of mission was this? This was practically suicide!

"General, I..."

Realizing that things were going badly, John was just about to find an excuse to decline when Colonel Jett beside him suddenly stood up and said to Dormammu in a grave voice:

"General Dormammu, I do not believe this is appropriate."

!

John froze, then immediately rejoiced.

He had not expected Jett, that bastard who had ruined his attempt to switch jobs, to actually step forward and argue against Dormammu on his behalf now.

All he could say was that although this guy had the standard appearance of a villain...

He was actually a genuinely good person?

Looks like I wronged you, Jett. From today onward, you're my brother from another mother and father!

I promise that after I join the Allied Forces and capture you alongside the protagonist's party someday, I'll definitely help you get a chance at bail!

John looked at Colonel Jett with a moved expression, but upon hearing Jett's objection, Dormammu raised an eyebrow and looked at his loyal subordinate with slight confusion.

"Oh? What do you find inappropriate, Colonel Jett? Go ahead and say it. I will consider it as much as possible."

"I naturally have no objections to your judgment. After all, everyone here has witnessed Warrant Officer John's excellence. However, General, it seems you have forgotten that Warrant Officer John's current rank is insufficient for him to command so many soldiers."

"If word of this decision reaches the Political Department, it may bring unnecessary trouble to the Seventh Legion. At the same time, it may also have an unnecessary impact on Warrant Officer John's record."

"!"

Colonel Jett gave his reminder in a grave tone. Upon hearing it, Dormammu instantly came to his senses and inwardly lamented his own oversight. How had he overlooked such a crucial matter?

In fact, John's current rank of Warrant Officer was only considered that of a junior commander within the Empire's establishment. Even within the Army's structure, he could command at most three hundred soldiers at one time.

Outside the special circumstances of non-main forces collapsing, superior officers dying in battle, and no one remaining to command the troops, John, as a Warrant Officer, was normally prohibited from leading more than three hundred soldiers in combat. Otherwise, it would be considered overstepping his authority.

Although overstepping authority was not considered a major matter in the military, as long as one had a superior's permission and the matter did not reach the Political Department or the Military Affairs Department, everyone could simply pretend nothing had happened.

But ultimately, Dormammu had assigned the mission to John not only because he wanted John to solve this hot potato, but more importantly because he wanted to use it to recommend talent to the higher-ups, allowing John to formally enter the Empire's upper circles and gain more room for advancement.

However, because Dormammu had been inflexible in his youth, he had made quite a few enemies within the Empire.

If his political enemies learned of this overstepping matter and made a major issue of it, then his plan to build John up would likely come to nothing. Even if John himself earned countless merits for the Empire, he could still be quietly sidelined by the higher-ups through the schemes of Dormammu's enemies.

That would completely cut off John's future political career, and without question, that was something Dormammu absolutely did not want to see.

Therefore, after Jett pointed this out, Dormammu immediately understood and admitted his oversight.

"Indeed, I was careless. Though it is regrettable, it seems that I should select someone else for this mission. My apologies, Warrant Officer John..."

No, no, no! Please don't apologize. I can't thank you enough!

Seriously, as long as you don't make me go court death in front of the protagonist's party, I'd kneel down and polish your shoes for you!

Seeing Dormammu looking at him with an apologetic expression, John's heart was filled with joy.

But he did not dare reveal even the slightest hint of it. Instead, he put on a helpless expression, waved his hand, and said:

"You are too kind, General. As a soldier, obeying military discipline should naturally be my foremost objective. The reason I did not speak up earlier was precisely because I am not qualified to carry out this mission."

"Of course, I have complete faith in the abilities of all the officers here. Even without me, I am sure you will be able to complete it excellently."

Complete it, my ass. The person staying in Bahamut Town was Selvia Reinhart, the strongest combatant among the protagonist's party!

And she was a female Half-Dragon.

Although she was still in her juvenile stage and could not fully transform into a dragon, and although she was merely the leader of an underground faction with no real fame at the moment...

John, who knew the plot well, understood that this woman's combat power had already reached missile-level. She was the kind of existence who could truly take on a thousand enemies alone.

What was more, dragons were naturally tough, inherited the Veil Technique by birth, and possessed an innate resistance to magic.

And in the game, her personality was extremely volatile. She was the type to draw her blade and kill someone at the slightest disagreement, basically a bomb that could explode at any time.

If the danger rating of the game's heroine was seven, then in John's mind, Selvia's danger rating had absolutely reached the full score of ten!

She was the person John least wanted to face in the early stages of the story.

Therefore, upon learning that he would not need to confront that violent dragon girl directly, John was almost happy enough to burst into song and thank Colonel Jett for his help while he was at it.

But just as he began considering what he should give this fairly reliable fellow as thanks later, Colonel Jett gave a mysterious smile the next second. Then, under John's horrified gaze, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Just as I expected, John, you truly are a competitive man. Since that is the case, I will stop beating around the bush. In fact, I have thought of a way for you to accept this mission openly and legitimately. What do you think? Happy now?"

"Of course, there is no need to thank me. As your senior and superior, helping you achieve your wish is something I ought to do. After all, our goal is to make the Empire great again, isn't it?"

Happy, my ass!

Jett Slaifute, you bastard! You actually dared set me up!

I'm going to kill you!