[The skill 'Weapon Proficiency (Lv.1)' is active.]
[Correcting the turret traverse speed and aiming error of Tank No. 4.]
Krrr-rack—!
The manual traverse handle spun like mad. Thanks to the cheat skill's correction, it was far more precise and faster than normal.
"Kyaaaah!"
Centrifugal force crushed us as the turret rotated violently. Frederica's body was thrown toward me. To keep her from bouncing away, I wrapped my remaining arm tightly around her upper body.
Grab.
"……!"
My grip inadvertently seized her ample left breast. Through the thin tank top, a heavy yet soft sensation spread across my entire palm. Flesh so elastic that my fingers sank into it. She looked immature on the outside, but she had been hiding something like this within.
"C-Colonel... th-that place...!"
Frederica twisted her body in shock. But far from removing my hand, I instead put strength into all five fingers.
"Stay still! Do you want to fall?!"
I pretended to shout while brushing her earlobe with my lips.
'Tuning Touch.'
[Inflicts weak pleasure on the target.]
"Hah…!"
Without removing the hand kneading her breast, I stopped the traverse handle with my other hand.
'Good, she's calmed down.'
"Now. Coaxial machine gun, fire!"
Rattle-rattle-rattle!
At my command, the gunner pulled the trigger. The bullets severed the waist of a Republic army combat engineer who had been clinging to the side of the tank.
"Kuaaack!"
Along with the scream, the noise of scratching on the tank's outer wall vanished.
"Front, twelve o'clock! Distance one hundred fifty meters! Second-floor window!"
I turned the handle without rest. At the same time, I lowered my right arm and pulled out a heavy 75mm high-explosive shell with one hand. A weight that an ordinary loader would struggle to lift with both hands.
[The skill 'Weapon Proficiency (Lv.1)' optimizes the loading motion.]
The cheat skill made that impossible movement possible.
"Hngh…?!"
Frederica squeezed her eyes shut. The cold steel shell sliced through the wind, grazing past her ear.
Clang!
I rammed the shell roughly into the breech.
"Loading complete! Fire!"
Kwa-boom!
The main gun spat fire. A heavy recoil shook the vehicle. Matching that impact, I squeezed Frederica's breast hard once more.
"Kyaaang!"
A sound indistinguishable between a gunshot cry and a moan burst from her lips.
And.
"Kuaaack!"
"Damn! Did that ruin the line of sight?!"
Along with the screams of Republic soldiers, the red dot on the minimap disappeared.
"Amazing...."
The sergeant sitting in the gunner's seat muttered. The enemies were bursting apart even though he couldn't see them.
"Next is left, nine o'clock!"
I continued turning the turret.
"Now! Fire!"
Boom!!
Every time the main gun spat fire. Matching the recoil, I blatantly caressed her inner thigh.
'Tuning Touch.'
"Haaaah!"
Frederica's body bent like a bow.
[Status: Confused state mixed with battlefield tension and sexual pleasure.]
Her reason as a tank commander and her instincts as a woman were tangling into a mess. But even in the midst of that, she didn't forget her duty.
"Hit...! Target silenced!"
She shouted while panting on my lap. Even in the pitch darkness, she was determining hits solely from sound and the hull's vibrations. Truly befitting a genius armored officer.
"Well done, Major. A truly excellent sense."
I whispered, nipping her earlobe lightly as a sign of praise.
"Nngh...! N-next... next is...!"
"Rear, six o'clock. They're fleeing. Hose them down with the machine gun."
"T-turret traverse!"
Krrr-rack—!
Rattle-rattle-rattle!
Every time the coaxial machine gun fired, her ass bounced rhythmically against my groin. My rigid member rubbed stickily against the crack of her ass.
"Hah, ugh... n-no... it's touching there...!"
"Focus. If we let them get away, we die."
I snapped coldly and flicked her hypersensitive nerves once more with [Tuning Touch].
Zing.
"Kyaaack!"
Along with her scream, the last red dot disappeared from the minimap.
Silence fell.
Only the engine's idling sound hummed, reverberating inside the turret. In the darkness thick with gunpowder smoke, two ragged breaths intertwined.
"Is it... over...?"
Frederica asked in a trembling voice.
"Yeah. Total annihilation."
Only then did I let go of the handle. But I didn't release the arm wrapped around her chest and waist.
"Ah...."
As the tension of battle faded, only then did she vividly realize the situation she was in.
Sitting backward on her superior's lap, legs spread, rubbing her ass against him. And on top of that, an embarrassing hand was tightly clenching her breast over her sweat-soaked tank top.
"C-Colonel... please stop now...."
She tried to twist free, but I instead tightened my arm, pressing her deeper against me.
"Stay still. Safety hasn't been secured yet."
"B-but aren't all the enemies dead...! And this is... too much...!"
"Too much what?"
I pretended not to know, blowing hot breath against her ear.
"This was a tactical measure, Major. I couldn't leave you to die panicking."
"That's... but... your hand...!"
"Ah, my apologies. The recoil was severe, you see."
I slowly removed my hand from her breast. Before fully letting go, as if reluctant to part, I pinched her nipple hard.
"Ah-huh...!"
Frederica jumped off my lap in surprise the moment my hand fell away. But there was nowhere to escape inside the cramped turret. She hurriedly scanned her surroundings. Fortunately, none of the tank crew were paying attention to us.
[Emotion: Shame, relief, and unconscious yearning for the intense stimulation felt just now]
It was then.
Cheee— static.
"...Ah, aah! Can you hear me? Battalion Commander! The comms encryption unit, repair complete!"
The radio operator's voice came through the headset. The dead intercom and radio had come back to life.
Frederica hurriedly adjusted her clothes and put her headset back on.
"Th-this is Tank 101! Receiving you loud and clear. Report!"
She feigned a deliberately calm voice, but the slight crack at the end was unavoidable.
Soon after, reports from each unit poured in.
[Static— This is 2nd Company Commander Erika. Situation resolved. Completely cut off and crushed their retreat. No survivors.]
Erika's voice, slightly heated from combat.
[This is 1st Battalion Commander Reinhardt. Outer city blockade complete. Not a single rat escaped. Are you safe, Colonel?]
Seraphina's composed voice.
[This is Gunther! Sewer sweep complete! We had some trouble reeling them in!]
It was perfect. The enemies who had entered at 2200 hours according to Antoine's confession had been perfectly annihilated by the operation we had prepared in advance.
[And Colonel...]
Gunther continued.
[Here, we found the enemy leader.]
The leader.
"Bring him."
I gave a short order and removed my headset.
"Major, let's get down."
"Ah, yes...!"
Frederica jumped in surprise and went out the hatch first. I could see her legs trembling. And the sight of her aide supporting her as she nearly stumbled getting down from the commander's seat.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Frederica von Kessel]
[Status: Weak legs, sexual afterglow, realizing reality]
The aide asked with a worried expression.
"Battalion Commander, are you alright? Your face is extremely red."
"Ah, no! I-it's the engine heat... Yes, the engine is too hot...!"
Frederica fanned herself hurriedly, making excuses. I smirked at that and leisurely descended from the turret.
When I came down, Gunther and the company members had a middle-aged man kneeling, bound with rope. A man in a dress uniform covered in dirt.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Andre]
[Affiliation: Republic 2nd Corps (Political Commissar)]
[Rank: Colonel]
[Status: Fanaticism, sense of defeat]
[Hidden Trait: Agitator—possesses a gift for mesmerizing people with words]
'A dud.'
I licked my lips. I thought he was a big fish because he wore colonel's insignia, but he was a political officer with no operational authority and nothing but a loud mouth. These kinds of guys would bite their tongues under torture rather than spit out information. He probably didn't know any tactical information to begin with. Rather, keeping him alive would be a headache, as he'd only incite trouble at the POW camp.
"Cowardly Imperial bastards. To think you had prior intelligence and ambushed us. Was there a traitor among us?"
Andre glared up at me, grinding his teeth.
"A traitor? How disappointing."
I replied perfunctorily and drew my pistol from my waist.
"I'll just say our intelligence is superior."
"Arrogant! Don't think you've won just because you've taken Suasson. You have not won today. You've merely inserted yourselves into a massive gear."
"Rather philosophical for last words."
Click.
I pulled the slide and chambered a round, but Andre didn't bat an eye even when staring down the barrel.
"Your Empire goes against the flow of the times. The specters of absolutism and dictatorship have reached their end."
A low, sinister voice.
"Can't you see? What you've touched."
"……."
"The United Kingdom, that island nation. The United States across the ocean. The massive Federation of the East... How long do you think they will remain silent?"
Andre's eyes blazed fiercely.
"The entire world will surround you! Suasson is only the beginning. Your Empire will be torn apart, burned, and collapse from all sides! It is the inevitable course of histo—!"
Ta-ang!
The gunshot split the night sky. A dark red hole pierced Andre's forehead. His mouth hung open mid-tirade, his head tilting back. His body collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
"He talked too much."
I clicked my tongue, looking around. The soldiers all flinched and looked at me.
'So he could mesmerize people with words, huh....'
As expected of a political officer, his eye for international affairs was accurate. The nonsense he spewed was the late-game scenario of [The Empire's Heart], and the inevitable future proven by Earth's history. In other words, it meant a world war.
"C-Colonel... what that bastard just said...."
Gunther asked with an uneasy expression. The soldiers also seemed agitated. No matter how many consecutive victories they had, the frontline soldiers could instinctively sense that the Empire was becoming diplomatically isolated. Andre's final words had touched that anxiety precisely.
That's why I deliberately shrugged as if it were nothing.
"Don't mind it. It's the losers' usual line."
'Captivating Eloquence.'
[The skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' is activated.]
"A soldier's duty is simple. To crush the enemy before your eyes and secure victory. To be loyal to the Empire even in death."
[The skill 'Captivating Eloquence (Lv.3)' dilutes the soldiers' anxiety.]
"Ah...! That's right! As expected of the Colonel!"
"Hahaha! All bark and no bite, that bastard was."
The soldiers' expressions brightened instantly.
"Clean this up. Hang the corpse in the square. Let the citizens see clearly what becomes of losers."
"Yes sir! Understood!"
I turned my back on the corpse. My steps were light, but the calculator in my head began spinning busily.
'There's less time left than I thought.'
As that bastard said, the hands of the world war clock are turning. To avoid being swept away by that massive wave and drowning.
I need to pick up the pace.