The jeep’s rattling died down, and the familiar smell of dust pricked at the tip of my nose. We were on our way back to regimental headquarters after completing a two-week special mission. Perhaps because I had grown used to the stillness of the mana spring, the resounding drill commands and training noises coming from the parade ground felt especially loud.
As we passed through the main gate, the sentries standing at the guard post turned their gazes toward us. Their eyes were full of blatant curiosity.
“…Hey, isn’t that Lieutenant Jaeger, the 3rd Platoon commander? Is he returning from a mission?”
“And next to him… Corporal Hanna? Why’s her atmosphere like that? She looks like a completely different person.”
Pretending not to hear, I stopped the jeep and got out.
“You worked hard, Corporal. For now, return to the platoon and rest. Unpack and get yourself in order. Stay on standby so you can come whenever I call.”
“Yes, understood, Lieutenant. Loyalty!”
Hanna saluted and headed toward the 3rd Platoon barracks. I turned on my heel and headed for the company command barracks. The report came first.
As always, a sentry stood in front of the company command barracks. Recognizing me, he gave a brief salute, and I answered with a light nod before stepping inside.
“Come in.”
A cold voice greeted me first. Inside the barracks, Seraphina was, as usual, studying the operations map. Even at the sound of me entering, she did not turn around.
“Lieutenant Max Jaeger, reporting my return as ordered. Loyalty.”
“The result?”
Only then did she turn. A uniform without the slightest disorder, silver hair like a snow-white field, and blue eyes that shone coldly like gemstones. Without avoiding her gaze, I quietly activated my newly enhanced skill.
“It was successful. Corporal Hanna’s mana awakening was completed stably.”
‘Status Analysis.’
Her information unfolded before my eyes.
[Using skill ‘Status Analysis (Lv.3)’ on ‘Seraphina von Reinhardt.’]
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Captain]
[Status: Satisfaction with the report, suppressed fatigue]
[Emotions: Trust in Max Jaeger’s competence, anticipation and impatience regarding the results]
[Hidden Trait: Mana Overload - Chronic internal injury. Currently slightly worsened.]
[Hidden Desire: Wants to be freed from this damned pain.]
“You’ve done well, Lieutenant Jaeger. Were there any particular problems?”
“No, there were not. It proceeded smoothly.”
I gave a concise report.
“Good. Corporal Hanna will continue to remain with the 3rd Platoon. I’ll leave her training and management entirely to you. Raise her into the regiment’s finest special asset.”
“Understood.”
At my answer, Seraphina gave a short nod. As if the report had ended with that, she immediately turned and walked back toward the massive operations map. However, her shoulders were trembling faintly. I could feel the impatience she was trying so hard to hide but could not. It was probably because of the worsening [Mana Overload] displayed in the status window.
I quietly saluted, turned, and left the company commander’s office.
And just before stepping outside the door, I briefly stopped. Unable to suppress my curiosity, I decided to try the final function of [Status Analysis].
‘Check sexual experience.’
The system window flashed and displayed new information.
[Sexual Experience]
Kissing: None
Sex: None
Oral Sex: None
Anal Sex: None
Other: No sexual experience, no romantic experience
“……”
For a moment, I held my breath. The five [None] entries floating in the information window were rather striking. Her private life was a blank slate.
Was Seraphina’s nickname the Ice Witch? The rumors that she let no man get close and surrounded herself with iron walls were not wrong in the slightest.
Why? The question occurred to me, but I already knew the answer. Amid the terrible pain caused by [Mana Overload], romance or sex would never have entered her mind. And she could hardly show her greatest weakness to someone else.
As I thought this and that about Seraphina, I soon made my way out of the command barracks. Forcing the thoughts away, I headed toward the 3rd Platoon barracks. My return report was finished, so now it was time to look after my platoon.
*
The open space in front of the barracks was as noisy as expected. Unfortunately, however, it was not a crowd waiting to welcome me. Beside several large military trucks, all kinds of supply crates were piled up like a mountain. From the look of it, the special supplies the regiment commander had mentioned to me had arrived. The platoon members were clamoring like children at the sight of high-quality goods they had never seen before in their lives.
“Wow, these combat boots are something else. Look at the soles! I could stick my feet in a stream and not get my socks wet!”
“These field rations even have dried fruit in them! Damn, does this mean we don’t have to chew on hardtack that tastes like sawdust anymore?”
“If it weren’t for the Lieutenant, when would we ever get top-grade supplies like this? The guys in the next platoon are going to be green with envy!”
The men who spotted me stopped what they were doing and came rushing over. At the center of them was Sergeant Gunther, boasting a bear-like build. He shouted in his characteristically booming voice.
“You’re back, Lieutenant! Corporal Hanna returned safely to the barracks!”
“Good. You worked hard.”
I patted Gunther on the shoulder and stepped into the barracks. Even though I had been away for two weeks, the barracks were clean without a speck of dust. Judging by the state of internal management, it seemed the men had maintained discipline quite well even in my absence.
When I sat down, Corporal Kurt quickly read the room and brought a canteen, placing it before me. An information window appeared above his head.
[Name: Kurt]
[Emotions: Reverence toward the Lieutenant, impatience to have his own merits acknowledged, competitive urge to flatter before the others do]
‘Still a noisy bastard on the inside.’
I smirked and took a sip of water.
“So, did anything happen while I was gone?”
“Of course not! We proceeded exactly according to the training plan you arranged, Lieutenant, without the slightest deviation. Now the guys from the other platoons don’t dare pick a fight with our 3rd Platoon! How dare they, when we’re the 3rd Platoon!”
Gunther proudly puffed out his chest as though it were his own achievement.
“Well, the atmosphere in the 2nd Platoon has been no joke lately.”
Kurt chimed in from the side.
“The 2nd Platoon… You mean Lieutenant Stahlberg’s platoon?”
At my question, Gunther nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. From what I hear, while you were away on your special mission, Lieutenant Stahlberg got chewed out by the Captain something fierce.”
That Lieutenant Stahlberg did? By Captain Reinhardt? It was a story that piqued my interest.
“What happened? Tell me in detail.”
At my question, Gunther glanced around once, then lowered his voice and began to speak.
“The Gray Forest reconnaissance mission that we were originally in charge of was apparently carried out by the 2nd Platoon instead, but it seems their results were terribly lacking. Not only did they come back without even stepping on an orc’s shadow, they returned with casualties as well. They say the Captain hit the roof.”
It was then.
An irritated voice came from the entrance of the barracks.
“You’d better stop there, Sergeant Gunther.”
When I turned my head, a female officer with flame-red hair tied into twin tails stood there with her arms crossed, glaring sharply at us.
It was Lieutenant Erika von Stahlberg, commander of the 2nd Platoon.
“It’s not proper to talk so carelessly about someone else’s platoon.”
She spoke while trying to appear calm, but the faintly reddened tips of her ears fully revealed the embarrassment she felt inside.
“Well now, look who it is. Did your guilty conscience bring you here? The subject of the rumors has made her appearance in person.”
At my light teasing, Erika’s face flushed in an instant.
“W-who’s the subject of the rumors! I was just coming back after checking the terrain of the next operational area and happened to! Truly happened to stop by, that’s all!”
She cleared her throat and changed the topic.
“So, did that great special mission of yours end well? From what I heard, you took a corporal with you.”
“It was nothing special. I merely carried out the regiment commander’s orders directly.”
“…The regiment commander’s? Directly?”
At the words that I had received orders directly from the regiment commander, Erika’s expression stiffened faintly. A complicated mixture of agitation and jealousy flashed through her eyes.
Seeing her like that, I let out a small laugh. She had not changed at all since our academy days.
This girl was a classmate of Max Jaeger—the man I had possessed—from the Imperial Central Academy. Since our cadet days, she had considered me her rival at every turn and clashed with me, a persistent ill-fated connection. Outwardly, she was prickly and prideful, but in truth, she was a hard worker who wanted to have her abilities acknowledged more than anyone else.
“W-what on earth does anyone even see in a guy like this, giving him important missions all the time…?”
Ignoring Erika as she kept grumbling, I used my skill.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Using skill ‘Status Analysis (Lv.3)’ on ‘Erika von Stahlberg.’]
[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Lieutenant]
[Status: Unable to stop caring about the achievements Max Jaeger has once again made]
[Emotions: Burning rivalry toward Max Jaeger, and a very slight curiosity]
[Hidden Trait: None]
[Hidden Desire: Wants to be acknowledged by her father, a great soldier. And absolutely does not want to lose to Max Jaeger, of all people.]
‘…She wants to be acknowledged by her father, huh….’
The contents shown in the status window explained her sharp personality perfectly. She was probably struggling to live up to the expectations of the prestigious Stahlberg family and escape from the shadow of her great father.
‘…But why does her rival have to be me, of all people?’
I then tried using the same function I had used on Seraphina.
‘Check sexual experience.’
[Sexual Experience]
Kissing: None
Sex: None
Oral Sex: None
Anal Sex: None
Other: Absolutely no sexual experience. Not even romantic experience.
“…Pfft.”
In the end, I could not hold back and burst into laughter. First Captain Seraphina, and now this girl too. Why did all the capable women in this world live so far removed from romance? Well, considering the identity of the [Harem Overlord Integrated Pack], it made sense. Yes, virgins were a matter of great importance. There was nothing bad about it from my perspective, so I decided to let it be.
Meanwhile, Erika’s eyebrow twitched when she saw me laugh.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“No, it’s just that you’re the same as ever. You haven’t changed at all.”
“The same as ever? What’s that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on me right now?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly in anger.
“Don’t get too full of yourself just because you succeeded in one mission. War isn’t fought on luck alone. Just you watch how I crush your 3rd Platoon in the next training exercise!”
With those words, Erika abruptly turned around and rushed out of the barracks as if fleeing.