Can't Hear It, Do It Again!

"Tap, tap."

Inside the Imperial Army camp, John strode swiftly, his face so gloomy it was frightening.

At that moment, he had no time to worry about the little tail following behind him. His mood had sunk to rock bottom, and all he wanted now was to find that muscle-brained bastard and make him immediately abandon that damned deputy appointment plan.

Yet when he finally reached the Black Eagle Special Forces' resting area, he received the worst possible news from the guard stationed outside the tents:

"I'm sorry, Warrant Officer. Colonel Jett received orders from the general thirteen minutes ago and has already led his troops out on a mission. He likely won't be back anytime soon."

As if recalling the colonel's instructions before departure, the guard paused, then added to the livid John:

"Oh, right. The colonel also said that if you came to visit, I was to tell you that the personnel list needed for your mission has already been finalized and submitted to the general. If you have any questions, you may discuss them with the general."

"...I understand. Thank you for passing that along."

"You're welcome. May the Empire's glory be with you."

"..."

John forced a stiff smile and nodded at the guard, then turned and left without hesitation.

He was furious now. He could vaguely feel the veins at his temples throbbing nonstop.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to eat Jett alive.

That bastard had clearly calculated that even if John went crying to Dormammu, he still wouldn't be able to change the current situation. That was why he had pulled the rug out from under him.

After all, John wasn't an idiot. Back in the command post, Dormammu had made his decision the instant he heard the information about the person Jett recommended.

There was no way John would believe that the old man hadn't guessed that this so-called deputy was the girl calling herself Laiya Binote.

So those two bastards, one old and one young, were cut from the same cloth.

Even if he went to that old bastard Dormammu and asked to replace her, he would probably just come away with his nose in the dirt.

I knew neither of those two was any good!

Isn't everything completely screwed now?!

After realizing that the survival plan he had painstakingly devised had once again collapsed under those two men's schemes,

John immediately became like an ant on a hot pan, so anxious that he could neither sit nor stand still.

If he accepted the appointment and later dumped the blame directly onto Laiya, his plan could still proceed.

But when he thought about how Laiya had just helped him, only for him to turn around and shove the poor girl in front of that dragonwoman to die in his place,

just imagining it made John feel guilty.

He felt that the word "trash" was made for people like him.

Whenever it was time to show kindness, he always unconsciously held something back; whenever it was time to do evil, he was always timid and hesitant.

In short, he was useless at achieving anything and excellent at ruining everything.

Damn it, think, John! Smart as you are, you'll definitely come up with a way to have your cake and eat it too!

John rubbed his aching temples. His body moved forward instinctively while his mind kept sorting through the information he had gathered, trying to find a way that would keep Laiya from dying while allowing him to survive this mission safely as well.

Just as John was racking his brains over this, a loud recitation suddenly reached his ears, interrupting his thoughts:

"As soldiers, our foremost objective must be to uphold the Empire's honor!" "At the same time, we must steadfastly follow His Majesty the Emperor's guiding principle of consolidating the Empire's current territory!"

"..."

Wait, why does that sound so damn familiar?

Hearing those strangely familiar words, John abruptly stopped and looked around in confusion.

Only then did he realize that, at some point, he had arrived at the resting area of the 14th Squad.

More precisely, he had arrived near his own tent.

And in the open space directly ahead, he saw an incredibly familiar figure: his dear vice-captain, Wendy Brown.

The words he had just heard had come from Wendy's mouth.

Somehow, she had gotten hold of a little green booklet, with something apparently written inside it.

She was currently reading from it aloud, while before her stood the members of the 14th Squad. Around them, a crowd of other Imperial soldiers had also gathered.

They were all watching the 14th Squad members in the middle with curious and puzzled expressions.

"Keep reading! You think you can become Mage Soldiers with voices that quiet? I can't hear you! Start over!"

Wendy held the little green booklet and loudly berated the soldiers, her round face brimming with pride and self-satisfaction, as though she were carrying out some sacred duty.

After hearing Wendy's scolding, the members of the 14th Squad did not feel ashamed in the slightest. Instead, as though they deeply agreed with their vice-captain, they began reciting even more forcefully. Their faces reddened and their necks bulged as they shouted, making the place look like a gathering of some strange cult:

"As soldiers, our foremost objective must be to uphold the Empire's honor!"

"You bunch of trash, haven't you eaten? I can't hear any loyalty to the Empire in your voices! Start over!"

"As soldiers..."

"I can't hear you! Start over!!!"

The more Wendy scolded them, the more excited she became. Her round little face had turned bright red. Just as she was proudly savoring the pleasure of lecturing the soldiers,

the next second, a hand landed on her little head, wrapped in chestnut hair. As the merciless iron grip suddenly tightened, her brows furrowed, and she instinctively wanted to turn around and drive an elbow into the bastard who had attacked her.

But after hearing the incomparably familiar voice by her ear, her entire body instantly froze in place, and beads of cold sweat began to form on her forehead.

"My dear Vice-Captain Wendy, could you explain exactly what you're doing right now?"

Looking at the idiotic subordinate before him, whose wandering eyes and guilty face practically screamed the words "I'm guilty," John gritted his teeth.

(This chapter ends.)