Chapter 10
The medical officer who had examined Corporal Hanna reported matter-of-factly.
"Lieutenant. To complete the awakening safely, she needs to enter the mana spring a few more times."
At those words, Hanna's face went deathly pale. The medical officer studied her pallid face for a moment before turning toward me.
"But repeating the process indiscriminately is dangerous. Corporal Hanna's body is not yet ready to withstand a sudden influx of mana."
She added in a stiff tone.
"First, she needs sufficient rest, along with physical conditioning to make her body capable of withstanding mana. If the vessel is weak, it will break before it can hold what's inside."
"Understood."
I gave a brief reply and led Hanna out of the examination room.
The next morning, I took Hanna to a small clearing at one side of the facility. It was a patch of packed earth that served as a makeshift drill yard.
"You heard what the medical officer said. Mana control requires not only mental strength but a strong body. If your body is the vessel for mana, then you need to train that vessel first."
From that day on, I put her through basic physical conditioning. Push-ups, sit-ups, and bodyweight squats. The most basic exercises.
"Your form's breaking down, Corporal. Straighten your back."
I said this while holding Hanna's ankles as she did sit-ups on the ground. Her ankles trembled faintly within my palms.
"Huff, huff…."
"One… Two…."
She looked up at me while sweating profusely, her damp hair clinging to her cheeks. Drops of sweat fell from her chin and darkened the ground.
Every time she raised her upper body in time with the count, her face came right up to mine. Her hot breath carried the scent of her sweat-soaked body. Perhaps because she had begun to change after absorbing mana, a faintly sweet fragrance mingled with it.
Each time she raised herself, the front of her uniform top sagged downward. Through the loose gap between the buttons, I caught glimpses of the outline of her undergarments, soaked with sweat and clinging to her skin, and the faint glimpse of skin beyond them. The soft curves of her collarbone and cleavage repeatedly entered and vanished from my field of vision.
She knew where my gaze was directed, too. Each time she raised her upper body, her eyes met mine, but her gaze gradually began darting anxiously between her chest and my eyes.
['Status Analysis (Lv.2)' is being used on 'Hanna Meyer'.]
[Emotion: Shame caused by the lieutenant's gaze]
After checking the status window, I gave her an order.
"Your gaze is wandering, Corporal. You need to focus."
Her shoulders flinched. Even so, she moved desperately for a while, but soon reached her limit. At some point, Hanna's concentration wavered and the strength in her abdominal muscles suddenly gave out. Her upper body thudded backward.
"Hah, hah…!"
Her chest heaved heavily as she panted. The outline of her nipples stood out through her sweat-soaked top.
This training continued for several days. We worked on her physical strength in the mornings, then ate lunch and dinner alone together in the empty dining hall. We gradually grew accustomed to this routine. At first, she had done little but shrink back in embarrassment, but as time passed, she quietly completed each training session.
Finally, the day came for her to enter the spring again. I led her toward the same cold cave as before. The area around the emerald-green lake was still suffused with dense mana.
Hanna hesitated in front of the spring. As if remembering what had happened last time, her cheeks were flushed, and despite wearing her uniform, she drew in on herself as though she were naked. She glanced at me and moved her lips, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Um, Lieutenant… Do I really have to take everything off?"
"…There's no helping it. That's the rule."
Hanna bit her lip at my answer. To spare her at least that much embarrassment, I turned my back. For a long while, I heard the rustle of clothing behind me. At last, Hanna's voice reached me.
"…I'll go in."
There was a splash. I immediately turned around. Given the dangerous situation last time, I had no choice. Hanna was already submerged up to her neck, covering her chest with both arms. Her face above the water was rigid with tension.
['Status Analysis (Lv.2)' is being used on 'Hanna Meyer'.]
[Emotion: Continued shame, slight relief that the lieutenant turned away, some fear, and a sense of duty to see it through]
Soon, the mana in the spring began reacting to her.
"Ngh…! Ugh…!"
It was better than last time, but she still writhed in pain. I gave her as much general advice as I could.
"Your breathing's off! Focus again!"
"Don't try to force the power down. Don't think of it as blocking a river; think of it as opening a channel for the water to flow through!"
Hanna followed my instructions as closely as possible. Perhaps because of that, she did not lose consciousness as she had last time. When she soon staggered out of the water, I kept my back turned and held out a towel behind me. After hesitating for a moment, she carefully accepted it.
Time passed in this way at the mana spring facility. Soon, the day came for her to enter the spring for the third time.
By then, even the cold cave and emerald-green lake had begun to feel familiar. Hanna no longer asked for my permission, either.
Instead, she glanced at me before hiding behind a large boulder.
I stared at the boulder behind which she had disappeared. The rustle of fabric, the scrape of a buckle, and the faint sound of her holding her breath stirred my imagination. A moment later, she cautiously revealed herself from beside the rock.
She was naked. She covered both breasts with her right arm and the pussy between her legs with her left hand. It was an attempt to conceal her most sensitive areas somehow. But that only made the other curves of her body stand out more—the narrow waist, the softly rounded curve of her buttocks, and the smooth lines of her thighs.
She could not meet my eyes and walked with her head bowed, taking tiny steps. The extreme shame in her movements was unmistakable.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Meyer]
[Emotion: Overwhelming shame, intense awareness of the lieutenant, responsibility to control her own body]
She entered the mana spring toe-first. After briefly hunching her shoulders at the cold water, she soon submerged her entire body and let out a sigh of relief. The water concealed her body.
The third time passed in much the same way.
And the changes became clearly visible from the fourth time onward.
By then, the air inside the cave felt familiar. Hanna took a deep breath in front of the spring, turned her back to me, and began unbuttoning her uniform herself.
I did not avert my gaze. The smooth curve of her back, her narrow waist, and her firm buttocks shaped by training were fully visible to me. Her combat uniform and snow-white cotton undergarments fell to the floor one after another. When her completely naked body was revealed, she glanced back at me over her shoulder.
Our eyes met.
Her pupils shook as though an earthquake had struck. Her cheeks instantly turned bright red. She flinched and turned her head away, but she did not hurriedly flee into the water.
Instead, she consciously straightened her hunched shoulders and walked slowly, but proudly, into the spring.
[Name: Hanna Meyer]
[Emotion: Overwhelming shame, intense awareness of the lieutenant's gaze on her, defiant resolve not to run away]
That day, she endured the mana for far longer than before.
*
I had heard that bodily changes caused by the influence of mana were common.
Perhaps because of that, Hanna changed day by day as she absorbed mana. Her skin, which had already been smooth, took on a jewel-like luster, and confidence began to emerge in her eyes, which had always wavered anxiously.
Our relationship changed as well. More precisely, it deepened. The mana spring facility had only the bare minimum of amenities, but thanks to that monotony, we had more time to spend alone together.
That evening, we were sitting across from each other in the empty dining hall without a word. I absentmindedly raised my head, then paused with my spoon when I saw Hanna across from me. It felt like more than just an improvement in her skin. Her jawline had subtly grown more refined, her features had become sharper, and her figure looked much more pronounced.
She had been beautiful to begin with, but was she becoming even prettier? I was thinking that when Hanna set down her spoon and hesitantly parted her lips.
"Um, Lieutenant… My body has felt strange lately."
"What's wrong?"
"It always feels like my body is hot… and I have trouble sleeping at night. It's as though something is boiling inside me…."
'Status Analysis.'
[Status: Stabilization phase of mana circulation within the body. Growing pains caused by rapid changes. Instinctive arousal caused by an unknown energy.]
I answered based on [Status Analysis].
"It's a natural phenomenon—the growing pains that come as your body accepts mana and nears completion as a vessel. You're almost there, so endure it a little longer."
"Yes…."
Hanna nodded as she answered. A strange blush had bloomed across her face.
[Emotion: Strong awareness of the lieutenant, gratitude for the lieutenant's help and advice, anxiety about whether things will go well]