The Empire's Chrysanthemums

"Buzz!"

After taking the members of this "merchant caravan" prisoner, John and the others set off once more toward Stone Village.

Inside the slowly moving jeep at the center of the convoy.

Feeling the vibrations produced by the vehicle's movement, John was in such a good mood that his earlier displeasure had vanished.

He was currently staring unblinkingly at his "ally," Reddick, beside him. Seeing that the other man remained tense all over, sitting bolt upright as though awaiting torture.

After considering Reddick's state, he felt that rashly probing topics related to the Allied Forces in such a stifling atmosphere would probably only arouse his suspicion.

Therefore, he decided to start with everyday conversation first and help him relax.

With that thought, John immediately cleared his throat twice, then spoke with a smile.

"Ahem, by the way, Mr. Reddick, when I was inspecting things earlier, I noticed quite a few elderly people and children in your caravan. That's somewhat unusual for a merchant caravan. Are they your family, or members of the merchant association?"

Here it comes!

This damned demon really does want to interrogate me!

Reddick's heart tightened, but fortunately, he had anticipated this situation before getting into the vehicle. He calmly produced the excuse he had prepared.

"Ah, it's like this, Warrant Officer John. The elderly people and children in the caravan are actually some unfortunate souls I took in along the road. I'm a rather kind person, and I can't bear to see others suffer, so I thought I'd save whoever I could. That's why I took them into the caravan. I'm not familiar with any of them, so please don't misunderstand."

Kindness?

A profiteering merchant from the Kingdom would show kindness? And while carrying a pile of gold, no less?

Weren't you afraid there might be bandit informants among them who would wipe you all out in one fell swoop?

Reddick, Reddick. As a soldier of the Allied Forces, how could you make such a low-level mistake in your cover story?

Only because you ran into friendly forces could you get away with it. If it had been any Imperial interrogator, you could probably declare a restart right on the spot.

Once I successfully switch sides, if you brat don't send me a few pounds of gold, I won't let this go!

Listening to that answer riddled with holes, John could not help shaking his head inwardly.

At this point, he was eighty percent certain that Reddick was no merchant at all, but a genuine "friendly."

Yet on the surface, he did not press further. Instead, he actively covered for Reddick and immediately replied with a smile.

"Indeed. Seeing these ordinary civilians oppressed by the Allied Forces, I sometimes can't bear it either. But I find it difficult to help them as generously as you do. Your kind character truly earns my admiration. That is something I really ought to learn from you."

"You flatter me, Warrant Officer John. It's simply what I should do. After all, doing good deeds and accumulating virtue also helps build the caravan's reputation, making our goods more popular!"

After confirming that he had survived the demon's opening round of interrogation, Reddick did not relax in the slightest. Instead, he became even more nervous.

He knew this was merely the appetizer to the other man's interrogation. The real trouble was still to come!

Sure enough, the moment he said that, the damned Imperial demon raised an eyebrow and spoke to him.

"I see. Your wisdom is truly astonishing. No wonder you have amassed such wealth. It seems I need to remember that well. Also, I'm rather interested in the goods your caravan sells. Would it be convenient for you to tell me about them?"

"There's nothing inconvenient about it, though I may disappoint you. Our caravan sells only common goods, things like jewelry and accessories. We also do some clothing business."

"If you're interested, once you have time, I can have someone tailor some clothes for you as a gift. What do you think?"

"Really? Then I'll thank you in advance for your kindness."

John smiled faintly, then spoke in a deliberately troubled tone.

"But unfortunately, as a soldier of the Empire, I can normally only wear this uniform. I rarely have the opportunity to go out in casual clothes. I have to say, such restraints really are somewhat unpleasant."

"And I have sometimes imagined that if I hadn't joined the military and were merely an ordinary civilian, perhaps I could travel with a merchant caravan like you, Mr. Reddick, and experience the sights of other places—for example, the Victoria Kingdom. I've heard it's the home of tulips. Now that it's spring, it is the perfect time for tulips to bloom. If one could walk together with a loved one through that golden sea, just imagining such a scene makes one's heart stir, doesn't it?"

After saying that, John gave Redek a meaningful look.

He felt that the meaning concealed in his words was already very clear.

As an Imperial citizen, he longed for the Golden Tulip of the Victoria Kingdom.

Besides representing friendship in its own floral language, the Golden Tulip was also the national emblem of the Victoria Kingdom.

Wasn't that clearly saying that he intended to defect to the Allied Forces?

No matter how foolish Reddick was, John felt that beneath his sincere gaze, the man should be able to understand what he meant!

That's right, I'm friendly forces. I'm your friendly forces, Comrade Reddick!

Quick, respond to me with the code phrase. I swear I'll offer my loyalty to the great Allied Forces!

John looked at Reddick with eyes full of anticipation. He could barely wait to hear him speak the Allied Forces code phrase, "Tulips Are One of a Kind," and complete their rendezvous.

Sure enough, I knew this damned Imperial dog was frighteningly vigilant!

Even though I already passed the first test, this guy was still deliberately steering the topic toward the Allied Forces.

He was obviously forcing me to admit whether I had any connection to the Allied Forces!

The moment I showed approval for those damned tulips, this demon would definitely decide that I intended to betray the Empire and use that to charge me!

Simply shameless and despicable. Fortunately, this master is naturally intelligent and won't fall into your Imperial dog's verbal trap!

Reddick inwardly cursed the Imperial dog for being sinister and cunning, but his mind raced as he hurriedly replied.

"Indeed, the sea of tulips is quite a beautiful sight, but that is only relative. In my opinion, the Empire's chrysanthemums are also very good—no, they far surpass Victoria's tulips."

"After all, the beauty of tulips merely floats on the surface. It is a shallow, ignorant kind of beauty. The Empire's chrysanthemums, however, are not only beautiful on the outside, but also possess profound meaning and rich sentiment. They are worthy of being deeply remembered and cherished by every Imperial citizen."

"Therefore, compared with tulips, I personally prefer the Empire's chrysanthemums."

After saying that, Reddick looked at John uneasily, trying to judge from his reaction whether his answer had aroused the damned Imperial dog's suspicions.

This idiot really didn't understand what I meant!

Seriously, how did this guy become an Allied Forces spy? His professional ability was outrageously terrible.

He was simply a stupid pig!

Seeing that Reddick's answer was completely beside the point, John immediately felt exasperated.

But he also knew that no matter how useless Reddick was, he was currently the only person in whom John could place his hopes of switching sides.

He had to communicate properly with him in order to gain contact with the Allied Forces' higher-ups and carry out his grand plan of switching sides.

Thus, John suppressed the irritation and anger in his heart and answered with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Yes, I also like the Empire's chrysanthemums. Very, very much. It seems that Mr. Reddick and I have quite a few things in common. I'm sure we have many topics to discuss."

"But let us set aside the subject of flowers for now and discuss something more practical. For example, the business activities you intend to conduct during this trip to the Victoria Kingdom—how about that?"

(End of Chapter)