After finishing my visit to the 3rd Squad barracks, I returned to my own quarters.
The tension drained from my body as I closed the door and stepped into the familiar room.
And after waiting just a short while, the system message appeared without fail.
*Ding—*
[Inspection response perfectly executed.]
[Experience points acquired as reward.]
And then, right after that...
Right after that...
'Huh?'
Is that it?
It was supposed to go off in sequence—Level up! New skill points acquired!—but nothing came.
I clicked my tongue in displeasure. I had a rough idea why.
'So one achievement isn't enough anymore, is it.'
It was only natural. The higher your level, the more experience it takes. Early on, just killing a few orc squads would level you up, but it seemed that time had passed.
'It means I have to accomplish something more difficult.'
Pacing restlessly, I sat down on the edge of my bed. I raised the silver flask in my hand and poured it into my mouth. The same one Erika had tossed to me before she left. A searing heat, as if my esophagus was burning, rose along with a dizzying intoxication.
*Gulp.*
The whiskey slid down my throat.
*Knock, knock.*
Just then, a cautious knocking sound came from the door.
"Lieutenant... It's Hanna."
"Come in."
*Click.*
The door opened, and Hanna appeared with a shy face, the remnants of moisture clinging to her. The scent of soap rising from her fair skin overtook the smell of whiskey.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Meyer]
[Status: In a state of extreme excitement and anticipation, thirsting for the Lieutenant.]
"You're quick."
"Of course... I couldn't keep you waiting."
Hanna smiled shyly and slipped between my legs. I slid my hand under her shirt and firmly grasped her buttocks.
"Hnng...!"
"If the system won't give me a reward, I'll just have to extract it elsewhere. Isn't that right?"
Though she likely didn't understand my muttering, Hanna simply nodded, drunk on my touch. Her pupils were growing unfocused.
"Yes... Lieutenant... Please, take it all... take everything..."
I chuckled softly and activated a skill.
'Touch of Attunement.'
[Skill 'Touch of Attunement (Lv.2)' is activated.]
[Amplifying target's pleasure.]
"Ahhng...!"
Hanna's waist arched like a bow. Even though all I did was grasp her buttocks, the skill's power was absolute.
"Haahk! G-guh...! Lieu-Lieutenant... my head, my head feels so strange...!"
Overcome with pleasure, Hanna writhed, rubbing her thighs together and desperately clutching the waistband of my uniform pants.
I laid her down on the bed. When I grabbed her slick thighs and parted them, her love juices, already flowing like honey, were soaking the bed sheets.
"Do you want it?"
"Y-yes, yes...! Please, Lieutenant... put it in...!"
Hanna clung pitifully to my waist. Without delaying any longer, I aligned my cock with her tight entrance.
*Squish.*
"Haahng...♡"
I grabbed her hips and roughly pounded into her. With each thrust, her cervix gaped, welcoming my glans.
*Slap, slap, slap.*
That night, the sound of flesh slapping together did not cease until late.
*
A few days later. The regimental operations conference room.
All the officers of the 7th Regiment, myself included, had assembled in the regiment headquarters conference room. The atmosphere was solemn, yet charged with an undercurrent of anticipation and the thrill of victory.
Amidst this, Regiment Commander Karl von Dietrich stepped onto the podium. His eyes gleamed, far more elevated than usual—no, with a glint of greed.
"Attention."
At his single word, the conference room fell dead silent.
"I'm sure you've all come expecting today's rewards and merit assessments. Things like medals, promotions, or prize money."
The regiment commander looked around the room, his lips twisting into a smirk.
"But regrettably, there is nothing I can give you here today."
The officers stirred. Their bewildered expressions were evident.
"Because..."
The regiment commander pulled a letter with the red imperial seal from his chest.
"Our achievements have surpassed a level that a mere regiment commander can reward and dismiss."
The imperial missive fluttered this way and that with the commander's gestures.
"It is a personal letter from His Majesty the Emperor. The 7th Regiment... has received the imperial command to return to the capital and participate in a triumphal ceremony."
—*Waaaaaaaah!!*
No sooner had the commander finished speaking than a thunderous cheer erupted, threatening to lift the roof off the conference room.
"...A-a triumph in the capital?!"
"It's unbelievable! An honor one might receive once in a lifetime, if at all!"
"His Majesty himself will commend us! This is glory for the family! No, a celebration for the entire lineage!"
Forgetting all decorum, the officers grabbed the shoulders of those next to them and made a racket.
And they had every right to. It wasn't just a unit return. It was a triumph.
To cross the heart of the empire, to receive the cheers of citizens, to enter the imperial palace and be commended directly by His Majesty. The highest honor a soldier could enjoy.
"As soon as frontline duties are handed over to the follow-up units, we will board the train to the capital. Promotions and medals will be discussed there."
—*Understood!*
The officers' answering shout echoed throughout the conference room.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Karl von Dietrich]
[Status: Savoring the greatest moment of his life, trembling on the verge of realizing his ambitions.]
[Emotions: Pride in his subordinates, tension and anticipation regarding the imperial audience.]
[Hidden Desire: To use this triumphal ceremony as a stepping stone to gain a star and seize a key position in the central military command.]
The old fox was already painting a brilliant entry into the political world inside his head.
"Now, dismissed! Everyone return to your units and begin preparations for movement."
*
Three days later.
With a rhythmic vibration, the scenery outside the window quickly slipped backward. The desolate ashen forests and muddy front lines were already a past likely residing only in memory.
What filled the space instead was an endlessly stretching golden plain, the acrid smoke of the black steam locomotive racing across it, and, far beyond the distant horizon, a colossal silhouette beginning to reveal its majesty.
The indisputable heart of the empire.
The capital, Eisenburg.
A place where steam billowing from hundreds of chimneys shrouded the city like clouds, and levitating airships floated leisurely across the sky.
"*Woooow*..."
Gasps of admiration burst from inside the carriage. The 3rd Squad members, who were nothing short of country bumpkins, were practically glued to the windows, speechless.
"Hey, look at that! That building looks to be way over 10 floors, doesn't it? How does it not collapse?"
"Idiot, they say it's built with magic. Anyway, those things flying around over there, are those women riding them?"
The soldiers contorted themselves every which way, busy trying to peer outside.
Presently, the city's scenery that unfolded was so drastically different from the front lines.
Citizens with glossy complexions, splendid clothes without a speck of dust, and the festive flags filling the streets. When I opened the window, instead of gunpowder and the stench of blood, the smells of well-baked bread, cheap perfume, and greasy coal smoke rushed in.
"It's different from the battlefield, isn't it?"
At my question, Hanna spun her head around. Her hazelnut-colored eyes were sparkling.
"Yes! It's really... like a dream. To think we could spend time in a place like this..."
Hanna unconsciously hugged my arm tightly. The soft sensation of her breasts pressed through the uniform.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Meyer]
[Emotions: Overwhelmed, admiration, and deep trust in Max.]
I smirked and gazed out the window. The splendid skyscrapers and peaceful scenery.
*Screeeech!*
With a long braking noise, the train began to slow. The massive dome-shaped platform of the central station filled the view.
*
The capital, Eisenburg. Our accommodations.
To be precise, a suite room, no less, in a luxury hotel prepared for Imperial Army officers.
I sprawled out on the goose-down bed, so fluffy it felt like my body was being sucked in. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed gently.
"...This is civilization."
"Lieutenant! Hot water comes gushing out!"
Hanna's excited voice carried from the bathroom.
Outside the window, the nightscape of Eisenburg unfolded. The distant sound of streetcar horns and the heavy machinery noise from the factory district. It was hard to believe that just a week ago, I had been struggling with rat infestations in a trench.
That's when it happened. I spotted a moving green dot on the minimap.
"Who could that be."
Probably that recruit who frequently runs errands for the company headquarters... what was his name, Private Erich?
*Knock, knock, knock.*
A rhythmic knocking. Knocking on the door without even announcing rank or name. Has his military life already gone lax?
"...Lieutenant Jaeger, it's me."
Oops.
When I opened the door, Serafina stood in the hallway, in an impeccable dress uniform.
"Loyalty! I greet the Company Commander!"
Her flowing silver hair, her jewel-like blue eyes. A touch of light makeup enhanced her cold appearance.
However, I sensed her eyes soften minutely the moment they met mine.
"Sorry to disturb your rest, Lieutenant. But it's an urgent summons."
"Is it the Regiment Commander?"
"Yes, you and Private Han..."
She was just at that point.
*Squeak.*
The sound of the bathroom door opening. Serafina's gaze shifted over my shoulder, toward the bathroom.
"Lieutenant! I'm short on towels, maybe... Kyaahk!"
Hanna, just emerging from the bathroom, shrieked and cowered. Steam rose from her freshly washed body, and her moist brown hair cascaded down over her shoulders.
Water droplets clinging to her nape and collarbone, and her flushed cheeks.
Most of all, the very situation itself: a young female soldier emerging from her squad leader's bathroom.
Hanna's mouth fell wide open, and Serafina silently swept her gaze over her.
A silence descended.