“…Very well, Lieutenant Jaeger. I accept your proposal.”
At her consent, I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
“Then… what should I do now?”
“First, please sit in a comfortable position. And where is the pain the worst right now?”
I asked as if I had been waiting for this. After hesitating for a moment, she wrapped her left hand around her right arm.
“…My arm. From the fingertips of my right hand to my upper arm, the pain is like being stabbed with an ice pick… and it won’t stop.”
“Understood.”
I slowly approached Seraphina. A shadow fell over her as she remained seated in the chair. Her complexion was pale, her lips pressed tightly together without a hint of color. A single bead of cold sweat ran down her forehead.
As I stood close to her left side, I caught a faint body scent mingled with the clear fragrance of shampoo. She was sitting with her posture straight, but her right arm was trembling ever so slightly, and the line of her shoulders and neck was rigid.
“Excuse me, Captain.”
I gently wrapped my hands around her right hand. The skin beneath my fingertips was ice-cold, unlike when she had been having the seizure.
‘Touch of Attunement.’
Ding—
[The skill ‘Touch of Attunement (Lv.1)’ has been activated.]
I could feel her mana beneath my palm. The mana spread throughout her body as if frozen solid was still in a precarious state, like blades of ice. It was enough to send a chill down my spine just by sensing it.
Once again, I imagined sending a small, warm stream of water through Seraphina’s hand. Through it, I intended to widen the spring I had created earlier.
‘…The spring I melted is gone. No, it’s not gone—it’s frozen over again.’
I had known it was only a temporary measure, but I had not expected the effects to vanish this quickly. The limits of a level 1 skill were clear.
“Ugh….”
Even with my hand touching hers, Seraphina’s fingers began to spasm again. The pain had returned. I focused on the skill once more. This time, I poured in more mental strength than before.
[Stabilizing the target’s bioenergy.]
Once again, a warm stream flowed into her fingertips. This time, I did not stop at merely creating a spring like before. I concentrated my consciousness and pushed that stream all the way into the inside of her wrist. The spring that had frozen over again melted, spreading out over a slightly wider range than before.
“Haa….”
A breath escaped Seraphina’s lips, both labored and relieved. Her trembling fingers stilled, and a faint flush returned to the back of her hand, which had been bloodlessly pale.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Mana backflow seizure has calmed again. Suppressed fatigue.]
[Emotions: Despair over the recurring pain, extreme relief and dependency toward the stability that has returned once more.]
‘For now, the urgent fire is out.’
But this was not enough. Without letting go of her hand, I spoke in a calm voice.
“As you can see, Captain, this is nothing more than a temporary measure. With my power, stabilizing the flow up to the area around your wrist is the limit.”
“That alone is… enough.”
Seraphina answered in a trembling voice. But I shook my head.
‘Charming Speech.’
[The skill ‘Charming Speech (Lv.3)’ has been activated.]
“No. This is like trying to plug a small crack in a massive dam with a single finger. There is no telling when it might burst again. A more fundamental measure is necessary.”
“…Are you saying there is a way?”
Hope crept into her voice. I did not miss that opening.
“The biological resonance attunement method I use becomes more effective the larger the area of contact, and the closer it is to the source of the pain. Your pain, Captain, originates from your entire arm. In other words, I must stabilize the flow not only in your fingertips, but throughout your entire arm.”
I deliberately cut myself off and observed her reaction. As if she had immediately understood the meaning of my words, she swallowed her breath. Her gaze swept back and forth between my hand and her own arm.
[The skill ‘Charming Speech (Lv.3)’ is affecting ‘Seraphina von Reinhardt.’]
[She has begun to waver between the effects of the procedure and her sense of shame.]
“Of course, I will not force you. If you find it unpleasant, at any time—”
“…No.”
Seraphina cut me off. She closed her eyes for a moment as if hesitating, then opened her mouth as though she had made up her mind.
“…Continue, Lieutenant.”
“Understood. Then, excuse me.”
I undid the buttons on the sleeve of her right arm. Her pale, slender wrist was revealed. Slowly, I rolled up her sleeve. The snow-white skin hidden beneath her military uniform came into view. It was smooth skin without a single scar.
While continuing to hold her hand with my left hand, I pressed the entirety of my right palm against her forearm.
“Hngh…!”
When my cold hand touched her, her shoulder flinched. Unlike before, her skin was hot as a lump of fire. Perhaps because of the mana backflow, there was no in-between. Either she was freezing cold because of the frozen mana, or burning hot because of the mana backflow in the midst of a seizure. It was one or the other.
I activated the skill through both hands at once.
‘Touch of Attunement.’
This time was different. Two streams flowed in from both sides and merged inside her arm. It was a flow incomparably more stable and powerful than before. The glacier of mana that had been frozen solid began to melt visibly.
“Haa… ah….”
A deep sigh escaped Seraphina’s lips. As if a gentle energy were spreading outward from the places my hands touched, the rigid line of her shoulders softly relaxed. Her skin, which had been like a lump of fire, also began to cool down slowly.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Pain caused by mana backflow is rapidly easing.]
How many more minutes passed? Slowly, I removed my hands from her arm. Once the procedure was over, Seraphina remained silent for a while. She simply stared blankly down at her right arm, from which the pain had disappeared. It seemed she could not even gauge how long it had been since she had felt such peace.
“…Thank you.”
At last, she spoke. Her voice was filled with sincerity.
“This should allow you to endure for a few days. However, since it is not a fundamental treatment, the seizures will return.”
I deliberately spoke coldly. In order to control her completely, this relationship could not end as a one-time occurrence.
“The flow must be corrected periodically.”
“…Understood. Then, whenever the symptoms worsen, I will receive the procedure you described.”
“That is a wise decision, Captain.”
After finishing with a salute, I left the command tent.
‘It’s done.’
*
Several days passed.
“Lieutenant Jaeger, Corporal Hanna! The company commander is calling for you!”
A messenger came running over, panting for breath. Hanna, who had been organizing her gear beside me, looked at me with a tense expression. I nodded wordlessly and took her with me to the company command tent.
Inside the tent, Seraphina was sitting at her desk, waiting for us.
“Lieutenant Max Jaeger, Corporal Hanna Meyer. Reporting as ordered.”
When we saluted, Seraphina, with a stiff expression, lightly tapped the file folder on her desk.
“The final report on the Gray Forest Operation has been submitted. I called you here to announce the rewards and commendations regarding it.”
First, she gave a short nod toward me.
“Lieutenant Jaeger, your flexible judgment and bold command were the foremost contributions to this operation. I have personally submitted a recommendation for your reward to the regimental commander, so it will be conveyed separately. If you safely complete this operation as well… you may look forward to it.”
‘You may look forward to it, huh.’
The meaning of those words was clear. Captain. It meant I might rise from platoon leader to company commander level less than a year after being commissioned. It was an astonishingly rapid promotion.
“I will live up to your expectations, Captain.”
I answered in an unwavering voice.
Seemingly satisfied with my response, Seraphina turned her gaze to Hanna.
“In the report on the Gray Forest Operation, the achievements of one particular soldier were emphasized multiple times. It stated that she provided decisive information that determined the course of the operation and prevented casualties among our forces.”
At Seraphina’s voice, Hanna’s shoulders flinched. Without realizing it, she gulped down a dry swallow.
“Corporal Hanna Meyer.”
“Y-Yes! Corporal Hanna Meyer!”
“You distinguished yourself in the Gray Forest Operation, and by consistently providing timely advice to your platoon leader, you contributed to the 2nd Company, and by extension the entire regiment, achieving great results. Therefore, you are hereby specially promoted to sergeant. In addition, on top of your existing position as leader of the 3rd Squad, you are formally assigned the role of ‘Special Detection Soldier.’”
“Eh… Eeeeh…!”
Hanna’s shoulders trembled. Her large hazelnut-colored eyes looked back and forth between Seraphina and me as if she could not believe it. It seemed the words “special promotion” had not yet been properly processed in her head.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Hanna Meyer]
[Rank: Corporal -> Sergeant (Special Promotion)]
[Status: Extreme shock and joy over sudden special promotion and assignment, unable to properly grasp the situation.]
[Emotions: Boundless gratitude and awe toward the lieutenant, a sense of burden regarding the honor bestowed upon her.]
[Hidden Desire: She wants to become the lieutenant’s most loyal subordinate and remain by his side forever.]
I chuckled inwardly. Looking at that innocent face, she still had no idea just how impressive the thing she had done was, nor how important she would become from now on.
Ignoring Hanna’s reaction, Seraphina continued.
“In addition, in recognition of your contributions to this operation, you will receive a special bonus.”
She took a thick envelope from her desk drawer and pushed it in front of Hanna. The envelope landed on the table with a heavy sound. Hanna’s gaze cautiously turned toward it.
“In commendation of your achievements in this operation, you are being awarded a special bonus. It is equivalent to one year of your salary. I hope it will be of some help to your family.”
“O-One year…!”
Hanna’s eyes widened in shock. For her, a girl from a rural farming family, one year’s salary was an enormous sum she had never touched in her life.
“I-I only did as the lieutenant instructed! Such an excessive reward is…!”
“There is no need to think of it as excessive, Sergeant Hanna. It is merely the rightful compensation for the merit you earned.”
Only then did Hanna, overcome with emotion, raise her hand in salute.
“Thank you, Captain!”
Seraphina gave a short nod, looking satisfied. Then, after briefly catching her breath, she spoke in a voice even lower and more serious than before.
“Lastly, keep one more thing in mind.”
The air inside the tent grew subtly heavier.
“Your [Mana Detection] ability is an extremely important strategic asset to the 7th Regiment. Security is absolutely essential. From the enemy, and from our own allies as well. Understood?”
“…Y-Yes! I will keep that in mind!”
Hanna answered loudly.
“Good. Then you may leave.”
“Loyalty!”
Hanna and I saluted and left the command tent. As soon as we stepped outside, Hanna stopped in place as if the emotions she had been holding back were welling up. Covering her face with both hands, she began to sob quietly.
“Lieutenant… thank you. Truly… thank you so much. It’s all… thanks to you.”
The sight of her crying with her shoulders shaking was completely different from the confident figure she had shown inside the tent just moments ago. Without a word, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
And that night, the bed in my tent had no time to rest from creaking.