That night, as promised, I found my way to Seraphina's room.
Knock, knock.
There was no answer, but the door was unlocked.
Upon entering, I saw Seraphina sitting on the edge of the bed, a subtle fragrance filling the air.
"…You're late."
"I took a roundabout route to avoid prying eyes."
I locked the door and approached the bed.
'Status Analysis.'
[Emotion: Anticipation for treatment with Max Jaeger.]
[Hidden Trait: Mana Overload - Unstable internal injury.]
An unstable internal injury. I suppose I just need to loosen it up a bit.
"I'll begin, Captain."
'Hand of Tuning.'
[Skill 'Hand of Tuning (Lv.2)' is activated.]
[Stabilizing the target's bio-energy.]
Warm energy flowed from my palm and traveled up her body. Seraphina exhaled sharply and rested her forehead on my shoulder.
"Haah… Ah, nngh…."
"Perhaps due to travel fatigue, you are somewhat unstable today."
"I-is that so… hah…."
"It's alright. Please relax. Your clothes… are in the way."
"Understood…."
After a few buttons popped open, her jacket fell to the floor with a light thud, followed by her shirt sliding off.
And upon the exposed skin beneath, an unexpected sight greeted my eyes.
'Ho?'
I had assumed it would be the same bulky, standard-issue type as always.
Before me was black silk lingerie adorned with delicate lace.
Unable to tear my eyes away, I watched as Seraphina's face flushed crimson. She averted her gaze and mumbled.
"…D-don't misunderstand. My issued goods were worn out… I urgently procured these since I was coming to the Capital. Th-this was all they had."
Anyone could see it was clearly chosen with painstaking care. However, I nodded with feigned ignorance.
"Is that so? The merchants of the Capital seem to have excellent taste. It suits you very well, Captain."
"…Shut up and just get on with it."
[Emotion: Explosive shame, yet the compliment is not entirely unwelcome.]
I smirked and reached my hand behind her back.
Click.
Once the hook came undone as well, the black fabric slid powerlessly down.
"Hngh…."
Seraphina hunched her chest as if embarrassed. But I caught her arms and gently spread them apart.
A snow-white body. Flawless, smooth skin and voluptuous breasts swelling upward. The pink tips at their peaks were already stiff and hard.
'Hand of Tuning.'
[Heightening the target's senses and inducing faint pleasure.]
My palm glided up her slender waistline. I firmly grasped her ample breast.
"Nnh, haah…! Lieutenant, your hand… it's too…"
"It can't be helped."
"…Haah."
I slowly pushed her down onto the bed. Her silver hair fanned out like a fan across the soft mattress.
"Please spread your legs, Captain Seraphina."
"……."
She bit her lip and slowly parted her thighs to either side. Even to the naked eye, her panties were visibly soaked.
"I shall begin."
I burrowed between her legs.
*
The next morning.
I exited the hotel and climbed into a waiting vehicle. The sedan glided forward with the rhythmic sound of its engine.
After driving along the wide roads of the Capital for a while, the car stopped at its designated destination.
Screech.
The Stahlberg Estate.
It was closer to a fortress than a house. The killing intent radiating from the sentries guarding the main gate was no less than that of frontline troops.
The interior of the mansion, which I entered under the butler's guidance, was rugged yet practical. Weapons actually used on battlefields were displayed here and there. A solemn atmosphere.
Erika's steps, walking ahead of me, gradually slowed.
"…Father is a strict man. Don't make any mistakes, Jaeger. I don't want to get scolded because of you."
Erika spat the words without even turning around, but the end of her voice trembled faintly.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]
[Status: Extreme tension, instinctive fear of her father]
[Emotion: Withdrawn, urge to flee]
"Don't worry. Cleaning up your messes is my specialty."
"Y-you little…!"
Erika whipped around, but I simply chuckled and shrugged. As we bickered, we arrived before the massive door to the study.
The butler who had been guiding us opened his mouth heavily.
"His Excellency is waiting. Only Lieutenant Jaeger may enter."
"…What? What about me?"
"The young lady is ordered to wait."
Erika bit her lip and stepped back. I checked my appearance once more and opened the heavy oak door.
The room was dark.
Only the crackling light of the fireplace illuminated the spacious room, and in its center stood a massive desk and a man.
Ludwig von Stahlberg.
A pillar of the Empire and the pinnacle of the military. A man even called the Legend of the Northern Front.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Ludwig von Stahlberg]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial High Command]
[Rank: Field Marshal]
[Status: Pragmatic interest in a new chess piece, evaluating with intimidation]
"Loyalty! Lieutenant Max Jaeger, reporting as summoned, Your Excellency."
I saluted with precision. The click of my boot heels echoed through the study.
But no answer came.
The man behind the desk merely flipped through a stack of documents, a thick cigar in his mouth.
I swallowed dryly.
[Skill 'Indomitable Mind' is active.]
[Suppressing unnecessary emotional agitation and inducing optimal thought processes.]
Without the skill, my legs would have been trembling too hard to stand.
Had a minute of that silence passed?
"…So it was you."
Field Marshal Ludwig slammed his documents shut and raised his head.
"Erika did something foolish, I hear."
Straight to the point from the first word.
"Misjudging enemy forces during a retreat-blocking operation and getting isolated? There are limits to how much one can tarnish the Stahlberg name."
He stubbed the cigar out in the ashtray. The red ember crumbled.
"Yet you saved the girl. And after completing an infiltration mission at that, independently judging the situation."
"I was lucky."
"Luck?"
Ludwig snorted.
"I read the report. Detonating the enemy gunpowder depot, ambushes using the terrain, and even sniping the enemy commander. Each was a thoroughly calculated tactic. …Which is precisely why the word 'luck' suits you the least."
He leaned forward. Under that pressure, I felt as if my entire body were being crushed.
"Speak honestly, Lieutenant. Did you save my daughter, or did you seek to place my household in your debt?"
A critical question. The wrong answer here could tangle up my entire military career. Given the weight of his name, shallow displays of loyalty or camaraderie wouldn't work.
I raised my head and looked him straight in the eye.
'Captivating Eloquence.'
[Skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' is activated.]
"To be frank, it was the latter."
Ludwig's eyebrows twitched.
"An Iron Cross medal can be bought at a market stall. But a debt… no, a bond with the Ducal House of Stahlberg is a value that cannot be purchased with money, is it not?"
I curled the corners of my lips slightly.
"I merely made an investment. Because Lady Erika von 'Stahlberg' is worth that much."
The moment I finished speaking, suffocating silence fell. Only the firewood in the fireplace crackled and flared.
A moment later.
"…Investment. Bond."
The corners of Ludwig's lips twisted upward.
"Impudent. Are you saying my daughter is an investment target?"
Contrary to his words, his eyes began to gleam.
"But you're not wrong. Blind loyalty can be erased by a single bullet on the front lines."
[Skill 'Captivating Eloquence' is influencing 'Ludwig von Stahlberg'.]
['Ludwig von Stahlberg' highly evaluates your honesty and greed as ambition.]
"You and I seem to speak the same language."
The tension eased. Ludwig steepled his fingers under his chin and regarded me with interest.
"…The so-called nobles and bourgeoisie of the Empire are all fools. Obsessing over money and bloodlines, yet failing to see what truly matters. And the army that should set all this straight is too busy playing hero."
He blew a puff of his cigar smoke into the air.
"And yet a rat of a commoner orphan, popping up from who-knows-where… sees right through the essence of things."
"You flatter me."
"Don't play modest. My eyes don't lie, Lieutenant. That look in your eyes… it doesn't befit a soldier. It's the gaze of a hunter eyeing prey, or a businessman balancing his ledger."
I smiled inwardly.
"On the front lines, one cannot afford to be choosy about means and methods. To survive, one must do whatever it takes."
"Good. I like you very much."
Ludwig rapped his fingers on the desk a couple of times.
"That's why I called you here. It's not just because of my daughter, Erika. She is merely a bonus."
His gaze sharpened.
"The Capital is a dirtier place than the front lines. Instead of bullets, slander flies; instead of shells, backroom schemes erupt. To survive here, you need allies. Allies bound by clear, mutual interests."
I could guess what he was getting at.
"Not as a Field Marshal of the Imperial Army, but as the head of the Stahlberg household, I make this offer."
He drew a ring engraved with his family crest from a drawer. He tapped it lightly as he fixed his gaze on me.
"Join my faction. I'll let you bark when you need to bark, and bite when you need to bite."