This Old Man Was No Good Person Either!

This Old Man Was No Good Person Either!

"Clatter! 'Seventh Army, Sixth Battalion of the Empire Mage Corps, No. 14 Mage Soldier Mobile Squad leader, Warrant Officer John Maslow, reporting to all officers. May the Empire's radiance be with you all.'"

"No need for such ceremony."

Inside the command post, Dormammu sat in the seat of honor. Watching John, neatly dressed and earnestly saluting him with respect, he could not help but smile.

Though he had always been known throughout the Empire for being rigid and stern, Dormammu himself felt that he was actually rather good at adapting to circumstances.

To him, as long as the objective could be achieved, the process did not matter.

That much could be seen from how John had altered his mission without authorization, yet instead of punishing him, Dormammu had rewarded him.

Thus, he personally did not care much for such cumbersome etiquette.

Of course, that might also depend on who was doing it.

After all, when it came to John Maslow, the young man who had surprised him twice, Dormammu always unconsciously gave him a little more favor and expectation.

At that thought, the smile on his face grew even broader. Before the astonished eyes of the Seventh Legion's senior officers around him, he rose and beckoned to John.

"Come, John. Sit beside me. No need to be restrained. Once the meeting begins, if you have any opinions, speak to me directly."

"...Yes, General."

Facing everyone's gazes, some envious and some jealous, John felt his scalp tingle.

Yet faced with the enthusiastic invitation of his direct superior, he did not dare refuse. He could only force a stiff smile and sit down beside him at Dormammu's gesture.

After John took his seat, for some reason, he suddenly felt the command post fall into a brief, deathly silence.

From Olaf, the battalion commander seated at the far end, he could even make out an expression that seemed to say, You lucky bastard, you stepped in dog shit and somehow got the General to value you this much.

Honestly, I really don't want this kind of honor at all.

What difference was there between this development and carving the words "I am the Empire's number-one lapdog" onto my forehead?

Once the Allied Forces defeated the Empire, wouldn't I definitely be dragged out and shot as some diehard Imperial loyalist?

And it would be the kind where they emptied an entire machine-gun belt into me.

Damn it, Dormammu, you old bastard, you weren't a good person either. And here I was trusting you so much before!

John's heart was filled with tears he could not shed, but he could feel Colonel Jett's encouraging gaze on his left and Dormammu's appreciative gaze on his right.

Even though he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, John could only put on an outwardly calm and composed demeanor.

As though he truly were that ambitious young Empire's Hero.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, it is time to begin today's meeting."

Seeing that no one objected to his decision, Dormammu did not waste any more time. He interlaced his fingers atop the conference table, then turned his gaze to the adjutant behind him and spoke softly.

"Major Kode, begin your report on the current situation in the Walden Region."

"Yes, General."

The adjutant named Kode answered solemnly, then stepped before everyone and reported with his chest out and head raised.

"Thanks to Warrant Officer John's surprise assault yesterday, after the Allied Forces lost the restraints of the Anti-Magic Device, our Mage Soldiers launched an offensive and have now completely driven back the Allied Forces' three legions. We have also successfully occupied three towns and seventeen villages within the Walden Region."

"Though remnants of the Allied Forces are still active within the region, judging by the current efficiency of our clearing operation, we should be able to wipe out all remaining enemy troops within roughly three days. As for this operation in the Walden Region, according to currently available data, our forces have seized sixteen intact magic devices and captured approximately two thousand Allied soldiers, including fourteen officers. The highest-ranking captive is a brigadier general. The exact number of enemy troops killed is still being calculated."

"Our Mage Soldier casualties currently stand at 1,342, of whom 876 have died, while 466 have suffered light or severe injuries. Among those killed were thirteen low-ranking commanders and one mid-ranking commander."

"The unit that suffered the heaviest losses was Captain Baronov's Thirteenth Battalion. All seven companies were wiped out, and an application has been submitted to headquarters for new personnel to rebuild the battalion."

"In addition, the casualties among the non-organic Army units sent by the Imperial Army Headquarters to provide support are still being counted. The figures are expected to be completed by 3:50 this afternoon, and I will report the specific casualty numbers to you immediately at that time."

"At present, after our forces captured..."

"..."

Listening to Colonel Kode's rolling, emphatic report beside his ear, John gradually began to feel drowsy beneath the naturally hypnotic effect of the man's classroom-teacher style of speaking.

But reason still forced him to restrain the urge to yawn. Instead, he stared blankly at the conference table before him.

His mind began wondering what sort of dinner the mess hall would prepare tonight.

Beef stew with potatoes? Or perhaps a roast meat set meal?

Of course, it would be great if there could be a bowl of noodles.

After all, in a certain sense, Imperial bread could give bullets a run for their money in hardness.

Just two days of these meals had already caused his jaw muscles to start developing uncontrollably again.

If this staple-food style continued, then Colonel Jett, with his perfect jawline, would undoubtedly be a glimpse of John's future.

While John silently grumbled to himself, Dormammu, seemingly oblivious to Warrant Officer John's wandering mind, was discussing postwar arrangements for the Walden Region with the Empire's senior officers around the table. They appeared to have run into some difficulty.

Everyone had their brows tightly furrowed, each lowering their heads to stare at the teacup before them as though they could make flowers bloom from it.

At the head of the table, Dormammu's expression also shifted between light and dark.

Just as he was preparing to randomly choose some unlucky bastard and forcibly assign the task to him, he suddenly noticed John beside him, whose expression remained calm.

Seeing John's bored face, as if it were saying, You can't even solve such a trivial matter—how will you shoulder great responsibility for the Empire in the future? Dormammu's eyes immediately lit up. He then smiled at the bewildered John.

"John, judging from your expression, you seem very interested in this task?"

(End of Chapter)