The Imperial Capital of Eisenburg, the Imperial Palace Grand Banquet Hall.
Beneath a dome ceiling twenty meters high, the empire's most renowned nobles and high-ranking officers held their breath and stood in formation. The light of the chandeliers reflected off the marble floor, blindingly bright.
I walked in the very center of it, upon the red carpet.
On the dais, Ferdinand IV sat upon a golden throne.
"Combat Group Commander Max Jaeger."
Together with the chamberlain's booming voice, I came to a halt.
Emperor Ferdinand IV rose from his seat and personally walked down from the dais. It was an unprecedented honor.
"Raise your head."
I slowly raised my head.
"You have made the impossible possible and elevated the dignity of the empire. How could words ever fully express such merit?"
The Emperor's eyes swept over me.
"Therefore, I remove the label of 'wartime exception' from you."
Since my rank insignia was already that of a lieutenant colonel, there was no need to separately remove or attach one.
"Lieutenant Colonel Max Jaeger of the Imperial Army. From this day forth, you are a formal lieutenant colonel of the empire, and my most trusted commander."
I put on a deliberately moved expression, took the Emperor's hand, and bowed deeply.
'Captivating Eloquence.'
"It is an undeserved honor. All of this was only possible because Your Majesty's radiance reached the very front lines. I was merely swung as Your Majesty's sword."
[Skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' satisfies the Emperor's pride.]
"Hahaha! Splendid! Your eloquence is as outstanding as your tactics!"
The Emperor laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.
"Tonight's banquet is for you. Enjoy yourself to your heart's content!"
*
After the banquet ended.
Against the backdrop of the dazzling night streets of the Imperial Capital Eisenburg, I walked, listening to jazz melodies drifting from afar.
The title of war hero was quite convenient. I had secured a terrace seat at a luxury restaurant that was supposedly fully booked.
And the woman before my eyes was….
"……."
Major Seraphina von Reinhardt.
She seemed to have dressed up with determination today.
A midnight-blue dress that elegantly revealed her figure. Her silver hair was styled bewitchingly, surpassing her usual neatness, and a thin silver choker sparkled against her pale skin.
Above all, what stood out most was her makeup.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Anxiously wondering if the two hours and thirty minutes invested in makeup and outfit selection will impress Max.]
[Emotion: Nervousness, anticipation, slight embarrassment.]
Imagining her fretting over lipstick in front of a mirror, I let out a snicker.
"Why are you smiling, Lieutenant Colonel."
"Because you are beautiful. Is it not a waste to leave such beauty upon the battlefield?"
"You truly are…."
Seraphina sighed and took a sip of wine.
"Still… I'm relieved. I thought a busy man like you wouldn't even have the time."
As the meal was nearing its end, Seraphina dabbed her lips with a napkin, setting the mood.
"Max."
"Yes?"
Calling me by name all of a sudden? She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"From now on… drop the formal speech."
"What do you mean…."
"You are officially a lieutenant colonel now, are you not? And I am a major."
Her fingers pressed firmly against the tablecloth.
"The tags of wartime exception and acting rank have been stripped away. You are now my rightful superior. There is no longer… any reason for you to speak formally to me."
In the past, she had been my superior. But after being saved by my abilities and becoming dependent on my touch, our relationship had reversed.
And with my meteoric promotion, I now stood firmly above her in rank as well.
'Status Analysis.'
[Hidden Desire: To be clearly subordinate to Max.]
There was no reason to refuse. No, making it clear was better for the future, too.
"…Got it, Seraphina."
Seraphina's shoulders flinched.
"A soldier's duty is to follow orders."
"……Yes, Lieutenant Colonel."
We both knew that it wasn't entirely about a soldier's duty.
"Let's go."
I stood up and offered her my hand.
*
The suite where Seraphina was staying.
The door closed, and a brief silence followed.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Slight intoxication, sexual arousal, minor instability in mana circuits.]
[Emotion: The desire to appear as the perfect woman to Max Jaeger.]
"Will you wash up first? Or…."
"No."
I cut Seraphina off.
"I don't feel like waiting."
I strode up to her. The scent of champagne and her body wafted from her midnight-blue dress.
Seraphina lifted her head to find my lips. The kiss was hasty. She fumbled to take off my jacket, while I slid my hand behind her to find the zipper of her dress.
Ziiip—.
With a soft friction sound, the dress slid down to the floor.
"Haah…."
A silk slip adorned with black lace and a garter belt. Lavish, lewd underwear befitting noble ladies of the imperial capital wrapped around her alabaster skin.
"You've certainly come prepared."
To think that woman called the Ice Witch had blushed while putting on a garter belt in front of a mirror for tonight.
"I thought… you would like this."
I lifted her into my arms and headed for the bed. The finest mattress gently accepted our weight.
"Turn over, Seraphina."
"…Yes."
She turned over and lay face down, docile as a lamb. Propped up slightly on her hips, holding the headboard. Her white thighs squeezed by black stockings and a garter belt were brazenly exposed.
I sat on the edge of the bed and placed my hand on her back.
'Tuning Touch.'
[Skill 'Tuning Touch (Lv.2)' activates.]
[Reconstructing the target's bio-energy.]
I felt her mana beneath my palm. I skillfully tuned her mana.
"Hnng… ugh…!"
Without hesitation, I tore the black stockings and pushed the lace panties aside.
Her pussy was already soaking wet.
"I'm putting it in."
"Yes…! Hurry…!"
Shhlup—!
"Aaaaaaaaah—!!"
Seraphina's head snapped back.
The tightness of her inner walls gripping me was excellent. I grabbed her hips and rammed into her roughly.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
'Tuning Touch.'
[Amplifying the target's senses.]
"Haaaahnn! Ah! Ah! L-, Lieutenant Colonel…! Uaaaahnn!"
Forgetting all decorum befitting a proud major, she howled like a beast. Beads of sweat formed on her white back, glistening under the light.
I brushed aside her sweat-drenched silver hair clinging to her spine and whispered in her ear.
"Does it feel good, Major?"
"Yes… Yesh…♡"
I asked mischievously.
"What feels so good?"
"Uugh…."
Seraphina hesitated before answering. The tips of her ears burned red.
"Your cock…♡ The Lieutenant Colonel's…♡ magnificent cock…! I love it…! Ah-huuk♡!"
I increased the speed of my thrusts. The headboard struck the wall with loud thuds.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: On the verge of orgasm.]
[Emotion: Perfect satisfaction, absolute submission to Max Jaeger.]
[Hidden Desire: To bear this man's child.]
Can't have you getting pregnant yet.
'Pregnancy Control.'
I gripped her hips as if to crush them and poured hot semen deep into her womb.
"Krrrrugh…!"
"Kyaaaaaaaah—♡!!"
She rolled her eyes back and convulsed. While my cock twitched and ejaculated, her inner walls squeezed and squeezed, as if unwilling to let a single drop escape.
I savored that ecstatic sensation and pressed my lips to Seraphina's shoulder.
*
The next morning, the Grand Strategy Conference Room within Eisenburg Imperial Palace.
The air was heavy, cigar smoke thick. The empire's greatest luminaries were gathered here: the Field Marshal, the Grand Admiral, the Air Force General, and even Emperor Ferdinand IV.
"……Therefore, this officer believes the best course of action is to deploy two additional cavalry divisions to the Eastern Front to secure the supply route."
The tedious briefing of the white-haired Army General came to an end.
I clicked my tongue inwardly, seated at the very end.
The general who had just finished his presentation was still drenched in nineteenth-century romanticism. Charging on horseback across a battlefield riddled with machine guns. Was he out of his mind?
But I kept my mouth shut. For a twenty-something officer who had just received his lieutenant colonel's insignia to shout "You are all wrong" in front of generals old enough to be his father would be suicide.
'I am an invisible man. I am a folding screen. I'll sit quietly, eat, and leave.'
My goal was simple. To not stand out, to nod along appropriately, and to pocket the reward money the Emperor offered before leaving.
"General Werner. I have heard your opinion. Cavalry…… how romantic."
"Thank you, Marshal!"
"But we are not at a poetry recital. While the Republican dogs race down highways in tanks, are we to be left scooping horse dung?"
"Wh-what do you mean……."
"We need new blood. Not parrots reciting from dog-eared textbooks, but men who have smelled the real battlefield."
The Field Marshal's golden eye slowly swept across the round table. The old generals averted their gazes. And where that gaze stopped was, naturally, me, stuffed into the farthest corner.
"Lieutenant Colonel. Say your piece."