"Something feels off. Rather than the smell of paperwork—how should I put it—he reeks of oil. The smell of the battlefield."
'Sharp as ever.'
I admired inwardly. Perhaps thanks to her [Mana Detection] ability, her intuition was nearly at the level of a wild animal. To smell blood on an administrative officer who was nothing but polished on the outside.
But I couldn't say here, "Actually, that bastard is an enemy spy." If I did, the fiercely loyal Hanna would immediately draw her pistol, run to the next compartment, and put a hole between his eyebrows. I couldn't lose my precious asset manager.
I picked up my teacup with feigned composure.
"Well, of course. He was a friend who served on the Eastern Front, wasn't he? He must have had his fill of grease."
"If that were the case, his hands are too soft. For a man who's only twirled a pen, his eyes are far too calm. Above all else..."
Hanna placed her hand lightly on my thigh, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't like that you gave him the role of 'vault keeper,' Colonel. Such clandestine work... was originally my role, was it not?"
Ah, so that was it. A snicker escaped me.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Mayer]
[Status: Jealousy, Wariness, Need for Recognition]
[Emotion: Believes she should be the one to share the Colonel's deepest, dirtiest secrets.]
She was jealous that I had shared my slush fund—arguably my most dangerous secret—with a newcomer who had just rolled in. Cute girl.
I set down my teacup and snatched her waist, pulling her onto my lap.
"Kyah?!"
"Don't be stupid. He's just a calculator. Nothing more than a machine that punches numbers and manipulates ledgers."
"But you're different."
"What... is different?"
I answered, lightly biting her earlobe.
"A calculator manages my money, but you manage my body and life."
"Ah..."
"And above all."
I pushed my hand between her thighs. Warm, soft flesh wrapped around my fingertips.
"I wouldn't put a calculator on my lap, would I? Right?"
Hanna's face flushed instantly. The wariness that had been standing sharply on end until moments ago melted away like snow.
[Status: Blind Affection]
"That's not fair, Colonel... always brushing it off like this... haht?!"
Clack!
The train lurched. A powerful vibration traveled up from her bottom and struck her spine.
"Hnnn...!"
Hanna gripped my shoulder tightly.
My hand slid on, unbothered. The soft flesh of her thigh beneath her skirt filled my palm.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Mayer]
[Emotion: Excitement, Anticipation]
Her underwear was already soaked. There had been a reason she'd been squirming on my lap since earlier. The train's vibrations had been continually stimulating her sensitive spot.
"You're awfully ready, Adjutant."
"Th-that's... because the Colonel... is right in front of me..."
Without hesitation, I pushed aside her wet panties. Then I unbuckled my pants.
"Then, let's finish before the train stops."
"Ah, wai—!"
Without hesitation, I grabbed her waist and pulled her down onto me.
Squelch-.
"Haaaaaah-!"
Narrow, burning membranes swallowed me whole in an instant. Hanna threw her head back and let out a cry of pleasure.
"Mmph, mmm...!"
Hanna belatedly clamped her hand over her own mouth. The compartment walls were thinner than expected, and attendants or other officers could pass through the corridor at any moment.
Hanna's pupils shook. The tension of having to remain silent only made her inner walls contract even more tightly.
Clack! Clack!
Every time the train passed over the rail joints, our bodies bounced together. Even without me actively moving my hips, the train's vertical motion and vibrations naturally stabbed into her deepest parts.
"It'd be trouble if you made noise, Adjutant. If this were the battlefield, you'd be summarily executed for giving away our position."
I whispered mischievously, deliberately thrusting my pelvis up to match the rhythm of the train's heavy swaying.
Squelch, squelch. Clack.
Wet friction sounds mixed precariously with the sound of the train wheels. To swallow the moans threatening to burst out, Hanna gripped my shoulder as if trying to bite into it.
"Mph, mmph! Mmmmmgh!"
Veins stood out on her pale nape. A mixture of pleasure, shame, and the immorality of possibly being discovered made her insides grip me like a living creature, refusing to let go.
I pulled my palm away slightly and instead covered her plump lips with my own.
"Haah, mmgh...!"
Hanna's thighs squeezed my waist as if to crush it.
*
Arthur's compartment felt too cramped to be called first class.
It wasn't so much that the space itself was small, but rather because of two heavy bags placed at his feet.
Click.
Arthur double-locked the door and perfectly drew the window curtains before lifting one of the bags onto the bed.
'This weight is insane.'
He carefully unfastened the bag's buckles. When the leather flap opened, the dim compartment was momentarily bathed in golden light.
"Ha..."
A hollow laugh escaped Arthur's mouth.
Gold coins.
And not just genuine gold coins stamped clearly with the Imperial eagle. Lumps of gold forcibly melted together to erase identification numbers, and gemstones of unknown origin were packed tightly between the leather linings.
'At this point, it's not embezzlement; it's pillaging. He squeezed Suasong dry and turned it into a rag.'
Arthur picked up a single gold coin and held it to the light. The corners of his lips rose on their own. He had obtained evidence that could sever war hero Max Jaeger's head in a single blow.
And immediately upon contact, at that.
But Arthur—no, Imperial Army First Lieutenant Aiden Hunt—had no intention of immediately calling the military police or submitting an anonymous tip to the press.
'Why did he entrust this to me?'
He began to analyze calmly. Max Jaeger was no fool. Judging by his track record in Rosenheim and Suasong, he was closer to a meticulous and cunning opportunist. Would such a man hand over his greatest weakness whole to a replacement officer he'd met for the first time today?
'Is it insurance, or arrogance?'
A trick to make him an accomplice, or perhaps he was intoxicated by his status as the Empire's hero and a single letter of recommendation from Falkenheim, confident that the officer before him was his hunting hound.
Either way, striking now was a bad move. It was obvious whose words carried more weight: a war hero's or a mere first lieutenant's.
'I'll gladly become the hunting hound.'
Launder it perfectly, manage it thoroughly. The moment that bastard becomes drunk on this gold, these accounts will become decisive evidence to cast him into the abyss.
Arthur pushed the bag of gold under the bed.
That was when.
A strange vibration was felt from the neighboring compartment beyond the wall. An irregular, rhythmic vibration different from the train's shaking.
"......."
Arthur stopped what he was doing and stared at the wall. The soundproofing was imperfect, so faint but clear sounds carried through. A suppressed woman's moans and the sound of flesh slapping.
'Rolling around with his adjutant, is he.'
He was flabbergasted.
Entrusting a bag that could become his lifeline to the next room, while he himself enjoyed pleasure with a woman. There was no caution to be found even if he washed his eyes and searched.
'The nerve of him.'
*
Clack, clack.
Soon after.
In the corridor leading to the train's dining car. I clicked my tongue, sizing up Hanna's condition as she stood beside me.
"Adjutant, manage your expression. Are you trying to brag?"
"Ah... my apologies."
Slightly flushed cheeks, likely from the heat of moments ago. Eyes brimming with more vitality than usual. A languid yet light rhythm in her gait.
From her entire being, an undeniable sense of satisfaction emanated.
"I am making my expression as solemn as possible... is it strange?"
Hanna pressed her lips together and put on a deliberately serious expression. But to my eyes, it looked even more dangerous.
"It's not strange; it's practically an advertisement. That the hero of Suasong devoured his adjutant."
"Surely not. I've merely absorbed a bit of the Colonel's cologne, that's all."
I sighed shortly and pushed open the heavy door to the dining car.
Squeak-.
"You're late, Colonel."
Major Seraphina greeted me, elegantly swirling a wine glass. Her gaze locked onto Hanna, tucked under my arm.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Jealousy]
"I was delayed by an urgent report. The situation on the battlefield changes by the hour, doesn't it."
I replied brazenly and took the seat of honor. Hanna naturally sat to my left, the adjutant's seat, facing Seraphina diagonally.
"Hmph. I never see you show up on time."
Erika clicked her tongue and set down her wine glass.
[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]
[Status: Annoyance, Alienation]
[Emotion: Detects the strangely flushed atmosphere of the two and instinctively feels displeased.]
Next to her, Major Frederica sat at the corner of the table in a perfectly upright posture.
She spread the napkin on her lap with considerable elegance. But the moment her eyes met mine, she flinched so hard that the water in the glass she held sloshed.
"......!"
Clack!
The train shook belatedly.
Seraphina looked at Frederica with a cold gaze.
"...?"
Erika gave a brief puzzled look, and Hanna's brow furrowed for a moment before smoothing out.
[Name: Frederica von Kessel]
[Status: Memories of the tank's interior revive with every clattering vibration.]
"Are you unwell, Major? You look pale."
"Ah, no. It's just... the train's suspension... seems softer than Car 101's..."
Frederica hurriedly raised her glass, avoiding my gaze.
"I doubt it. It's the Empire's latest model, after all. But well, it must be hard to match the 'grip' of Car 101, the Major's beloved steed. I tuned it personally, after all."
"Pfft!"
Frederica coughed as if choking at my double entendre. Water streamed down her chin, soaking her uniform collar.
"You should be careful."
I naturally handed her my napkin. The moment my hand touched hers, her body flinched.
"Th-thank you... Colonel."
Erika's golden eyes narrowed at the sight.
"What? Since when were you two so... close? Just because he fixed your tank a few times, you act like you're a married couple or something."
"Let's call it comradeship, Captain Erika. Crossing the line of death together naturally creates a strong bond."
"A strong bond, you say...."
Seraphina narrowed her eyes and cut in. A subtle tension entered the fingers gripping her wine glass.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Suspicion, On Guard]
Just as the atmosphere was turning hostile, Erika crossed her arms and sneered.
"Anyway, Colonel Jaeger is quite popular. Subordinates everywhere to fix your tanks and nurse you through the night."
The air above the dining table froze.