A Skill for a Difficult Superior

Seraphina pushed the pile of documents aside and rose from her seat.

"Let's talk outside for a moment, Lieutenant."

Without even glancing at Hermann, she jerked her chin toward me. I gave a brief nod and followed her.

We left the bustling supply depot and stopped beneath the shade of a tree in a clearing a short distance away. Sunlight pouring down overhead shattered into fragments among the leaves.

"…It's not a particularly important question. There was simply more I wanted to discuss with you about the operation."

Seraphina began, then asked,

"First… yes. How was the soldier with the Mana Detection ability? Corporal Hanna Meyer. Did she make proper use of her ability in actual combat?"

This was Hanna's first operation since awakening at the 7th Mana Spring. It was only natural for Seraphina, as her commander, to check on Hanna's performance.

"Corporal Hanna performed flawlessly. Without her, it would have been impossible to break through the enemy's magical traps. She detected every threat without error, and her detection range was considerable."

"I see."

Seraphina replied briefly. Her status window shifted slightly.

[Emotion: Satisfaction at the company operating smoothly, high trust in Max Jaeger]

Seraphina continued with another question.

"How did you use that new-model mana round? Did you fire it yourself?"

Since it was important ammunition as well, she seemed intent on confirming the details. I answered truthfully.

"The method was to fire it through a sniper rifle, just like a standard shot. However, I wasn't the one who fired it."

"Then who did?"

One of Seraphina's eyebrows rose slightly. Apparently, she found it surprising that I, the platoon commander, hadn't fired the important round myself.

"Private Klaus from 3rd Platoon fired it."

"Private Klaus…."

She repeated the name to herself for a moment. It was probably not a name she remembered. Even the records listed Private Klaus as an ordinary soldier with nothing noteworthy.

"Was there a special reason?"

Seraphina asked why. But I couldn't answer truthfully, because the information had come from the [Status Analysis] skill. I offered a plausible lie.

"…Private Klaus is a soldier I've been keeping an eye on. During shooting practice, Klaus displayed better firing posture and breath control than the other soldiers. In particular, Klaus had excellent eyesight and was often assigned observation duties. I judged Private Klaus to have a talent particularly suited to sniping, and I had already begun actively using that ability during our previous reconnaissance mission."

"……."

After I finished speaking, Seraphina stared at me. Her lips were pressed tightly together, as though she had nothing to say. After a brief silence, she opened her mouth.

"……Again? Fascinating. First Corporal Meyer, and now Private Klaus. You clearly have an unusual eye for spotting soldiers' talents. That alone would be no easy feat, but to put those talents to immediate use in the field and actually succeed…."

Seraphina swept her gaze over me for a moment, impossible to tell whether it held admiration or suspicion. I met her gaze calmly.

"You're too kind. I merely did what any commander should do."

"No need to be modest, Lieutenant."

She shook her head and continued. Her voice had lowered slightly.

"Most commanders can't even do something so basic. Even I… sometimes miss a great deal."

Her gaze briefly turned toward 2nd Platoon's barracks before returning.

"In any case, I'll make a separate record of Corporal Meyer and Private Klaus. I'll assign them official posts and arrange training suited to those roles."

Then Seraphina said,

"I'll handle that new-model ammunition personally as well. I'll see that it can be issued straight from the regiment to your platoon."

I widened my eyes slightly. The company commander personally handling supply matters was a considerable favor.

"…Thank you. It'll be a great help to the platoon members."

"It's only the proper reward for the accomplishments you achieved."

It seemed our conversation had come to an end.

"You can go now, Lieutenant. I should get some rest too."

Seraphina turned and started to walk toward the barracks. It was then.

"……!"

Her shoulders suddenly stiffened, and her body trembled ever so slightly. A bead of cold sweat formed on her forehead and fell. She tried to keep walking as though nothing had happened, but her legs seemed to give out, and she immediately staggered.

"Kgh…!"

She instinctively reached for the tree beside her. As though trying to endure the pain, the veins stood out on the back of her pale hand. By then, her face had gone as white as a sheet.

"Captain…?"

I instinctively used [Status Analysis].

[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]

[Status: Struggling to suppress extreme internal pain.]

[Hidden Trait: Mana Overload - Chronic internal injury. Currently in the midst of an attack]

'This is….'

[Currently having an attack]. The pain from her already severe [Mana Overload] had grown even worse. At this unexpected development, my eyes narrowed.

"Are you all right?"

"…No. I merely felt dizzy for a moment."

She tried to answer nonchalantly, but her condition was clearly anything but fine. Her hand unconsciously clutched at her chest.

"Kgh…!"

Her body staggered again. I hurried over to support her. The arm I touched was cold as ice.

"Captain, this is…."

Before I could say anything, Seraphina snapped at me.

"…Let go."

Her voice was hoarse. She eventually put strength into her arm and tried to wrench herself free of my grasp.

'Charismatic Speech.'

"In this condition, it's dangerous. You need to go to the infirmary."

Ding—

[The skill 'Charismatic Speech (Lv.3)' affects 'Seraphina von Reinhardt'.]

[The rationality and sincerity behind your proposal begin to penetrate her wariness.]

Her blue eyes shook violently. For the briefest moment, the strength seemed to leave her body, and she appeared to lean against me. But that was an illusion.

"I said… let go…."

She squeezed out the last of her mental strength and forcefully shook off my hand.

Ding!

[Persuasion failed!]

[The demand directly conflicts with the target's core values. The target's resistance nullified the skill's effects.]

[The negative effects incurred upon a failed persuasion are greatly reduced.]

In the end, a sharp warning chime announced the failure.

'Status Analysis.'

[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]

[Status: She has barely weathered the Mana Overload attack. Serious strain has accumulated in her body.]

[Emotion: Desperate to keep her secret from being discovered, wariness toward Max Jaeger at its peak.]

She flatly refused. She clearly had no intention of revealing the deadly secret of [Mana Overload], and the wariness displayed in her emotional state was unmistakable. She was reluctant to go to the infirmary as well. Her weakness would remain on record there.

'Damn it.'

I swallowed a curse. This was the first time [Charismatic Speech] had failed since I used it to demand pay from Sergeant Gunter. It meant Seraphina's pride and determination to protect her secret were strong enough to smash through the skill's mental interference.

'…Can't be helped.'

I took a step back. Any further approach would be pointless.

Leaning against the tree, she panted and steadied her breathing. After several deep breaths, she barely managed to straighten herself. Some color returned to her pale face, but she couldn't hide the cold sweat beading on her forehead.

"…Pretend you didn't see anything, Lieutenant."

At last, she spoke. Her voice still trembled faintly, but there was no mistaking the gravity behind it.

"It was only battle fatigue catching up with me. It's nothing."

She spoke while looking straight into my eyes as though nothing were wrong. But I could see the anxiety roiling deep within those blue eyes.

[Emotion: Extreme shame at having shown her weakness, faint relief at having nevertheless kept her secret, wariness toward Max Jaeger at its peak]

"…Understood."

I gave a short answer and saluted. She said nothing, merely looked at me one last time before abruptly turning away. She wasn't staggering like before, but her gait was somehow unsteady.

Only after her back had disappeared completely did I let out the breath I had been holding. The scene from moments ago and her status window kept replaying in my mind.

'So serious strain has accumulated in her body….'

Though the attack seemed to have subsided, I couldn't let my guard down. The phrase [Serious strain has accumulated in her body] especially bothered me. How long could she keep going like that? One day, she would inevitably reach her limit.

That woman was carrying a ticking time bomb inside her, one whose second hand was spinning faster and faster.

How could she command a battlefield in that condition? An attack like today's could happen again at any time. What if it happened during a battle? The thought alone was horrifying. It could put the entire company at risk.

And that woman was my direct superior.

"Fuck."

The curse escaped me on its own. Nothing in this damn world was ever easy. I shook my head, trying to dispel the distracting thoughts. There was nothing I could do for now.

If I acted rashly, I might only hurt Seraphina's pride and ruin our relationship completely. In the long run, it would be better to maintain my position as a capable subordinate who protected her secret and gradually repair our relationship.

'…No, wait.'

That's when something flashed through my mind. I remembered the list of skills I'd seen when I leveled up after what happened with Hanna not long ago. One skill from that list—one I'd dismissed as useless and skipped—came back to me.

'[Touch of Tuning].'