Chapter 4
Thus, several more days passed. The third platoon had become an entirely different unit. Rumors spread like the wind, and the soldiers began to fall in line behind me.
Late at night, after all the training was over, I collapsed onto my bunk in the barracks, utterly exhausted.
Just then, a familiar sound rang in my ears.
Ding-
[You have succeeded in establishing discipline in the platoon and securing complete command authority.]
[You have gained experience as a reward.]
[Your level has increased to 4!]
[You have acquired 1 new skill point!]
'Oh.'
I grinned. My fatigue vanished in an instant. All that hard work had paid off.
[Skill points available: 1]
[Choose one of the options below to receive a reward.]
1. [Enhance an existing skill]
2. [Acquire a new skill]
This time, things were slightly different. To familiarize myself with them, I briefly checked each option.
There was nothing much to it. [Acquire a new skill] let me choose a new skill, just as before, while [Enhance an existing skill] strengthened a skill I already possessed. It was exactly as written.
Now it was time to think. When I was promoted last time, I had chosen [Status Analysis] over [Bullet Time].
What about this time?
Two skills were shimmering in the [Acquire a new skill] list.
The first was the skill I'd seen before, but had reluctantly been forced to give up.
1. [Bullet Time (Bullet Time)]
Detailed description: When the skill is activated, you enter a state of super-acceleration in which you perceive the flow of the world around you, excluding yourself, at 1/10 speed for up to 3 seconds. It can be used once per day. The number of uses increases as your level rises.
The second was a skill I had never seen before.
2. [Charismatic Speech (Charismatischer Sprecher)]
Detailed description: During conversation, it subtly influences the other person's unconscious mind, making them pay closer attention to your words and receive them more positively. It grants a bonus to all verbal interactions, including persuasion, negotiation, and command. Its effect is maximized when making a proposal related to a desire the other person is hiding. The effect grows stronger as your level rises.
Both were abilities I desperately wanted.
[Bullet Time] went without saying. It was the ultimate survival skill, one that would guarantee my survival even if a battle broke out tomorrow.
[Charismatic Speech] was also an unparalleled ability for a commander. It would have let me bring the third platoon under control far sooner than a week, and would have been useful for winning over a difficult superior officer like Seraphina.
But I hesitated. I had learned something from my experiences over the past week.
More important than physical strength or eloquence was information.
'…If I'd known what that bastard Kurt was thinking from the start, things would've been much easier.'
Until the fourth day, I had no idea what he was plotting. Even when I used [Status Analysis], all it revealed was that he was harboring dissatisfaction. Then, on the fourth day, it revealed that he was inciting the men to shirk their duties.
If my [Status Analysis] level had been higher, I would have seen through him immediately.
I shifted my gaze to the first option, [Enhance an existing skill].
[Would you like to enhance the 'Status Analysis' skill?]
Without hesitation, I pressed the floating 'Yes' button in midair.
[The level of the 'Status Analysis' skill increases. (Lv.1 -> Lv.2)]
[You can now identify the target's [Emotion] status and discover [Hidden Traits].]
I felt the sensation of the skill being enhanced seep into my mind.
'Shall I try it?'
I immediately used the newly enhanced skill on myself.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Max Jaeger]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: First Lieutenant]
[Status: Satisfaction from accomplishing a goal, slight fatigue]
[Emotion: Calm on the surface, but deep-seated anxiety about survival and uncertainty about the future]
[Hidden Traits: Transmigrator, Harem Overlord All-in-One Pack, Minimap, Strong Mind, Status Analysis (Lv.2)]
"Huh…?"
I let out an incredulous laugh. A skill that could even see through my anxiety and uncertainty. The emotions [Strong Mind] had forcibly suppressed had surfaced. Reading them directly... gave me a very strange feeling. To be frank, looking into my own mind wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.
I shook my head to dispel my distracting thoughts. The skill's performance was what mattered. I could now see emotions and hidden traits. It even showed that I was a 'Transmigrator' and had downloaded the 'Harem Overlord All-in-One Pack,' along with the skills I had received as special bonuses.
But I felt that this alone wasn't enough. I was an anomaly, after all. I needed other people to test it on. As luck would have it, I saw two soldiers patrolling outside the barracks window. Two green dots were also moving slowly on the minimap.
I approached the window and looked outside. First, I fixed my gaze on the soldier in front and activated the skill.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hans]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Private]
[Status: Boredom from patrol duty, drowsiness]
[Emotion: Longing for and concern about his younger sister left behind in his hometown]
[Hidden Traits: Perfect Pitch]
'…Perfect Pitch?'
I nearly let out a hollow laugh. It was a trait completely useless on the battlefield. [Emotion] was at least more useful. On the surface, he looked like nothing more than a sleepy new recruit, but inwardly, I could see that he was desperately missing his family. I could definitely see more information than before.
I immediately shifted my gaze to the soldier following behind him.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Friedrich]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Corporal]
[Status: Dissatisfaction with a junior, jealousy toward the comrade promoted before him]
[Emotion: Anger and helplessness over his circumstances, impatience to distinguish himself]
[Hidden Traits: Born Gambler]
This time, it was somewhat interesting. On the surface, he was a veteran soldier silently making his rounds, but inside, jealousy and impatience were boiling over. The Born Gambler trait, combined with those qualities, could make him a time bomb that might go off at any moment—or someone who could save the day at a decisive moment.
'Fascinating.'
I'd only looked over two people—or three, counting myself—and it was already fun. This went beyond simply viewing information. It was more like stripping people naked and peering into their desires and weaknesses.
From the looks of it, Hans would crumble easily if I appealed to his love for his family and his emotions, while Friedrich would throw away even his life if I stirred up his ambition for glory. It was useful information in all sorts of ways, not just for command.
'This is really something...'
*
The next day, I headed to the company command tent with the weekly training report in hand. I casually returned the salutes of the soldiers I encountered on the way and entered the command tent. Captain Seraphina was standing before the operations map, studying something intently.
"First Lieutenant Max Jaeger, reporting the third platoon's weekly training results."
There was a soft swish as her uniform shifted. She took her eyes off the map and turned, her body tracing a graceful arc. Her taut uniform followed the elegant curves of her narrow waist, and cold blue eyes emerged between cascades of silver hair.
"Go ahead."
Her voice was cold yet clear. I began my report without delay.
"We exceeded all of the weekly training goals: physical conditioning, marksmanship, and mastering squad-level tactical maneuvers."
Seraphina's brow twitched faintly. Without even looking at the report, she stared straight at me. I met her gaze and quietly activated the skill.
'Status Analysis.'
['Status Analysis (Lv.2)' is being used on 'Seraphina von Reinhardt'.]
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Captain]
[Status: Satisfaction from confirming the changes in the third platoon, high opinion of Max Jaeger]
[Emotion: Cool on the surface, but inwardly surprised and intrigued by results exceeding expectations]
[Hidden Traits: Mana Overload - Chronic internal injury. The mana within her body is running wild beyond her control, causing excruciating pain. She is suppressing it with sheer willpower, but it is fated to gradually worsen unless a fundamental solution is found.]
'…Mana Overload?'
I swallowed dryly. It was completely unexpected information. What had originally been displayed for Seraphina as 'suppressed fatigue' was now written in far greater detail—and it was beyond anything I could have imagined.
It was [Mana Overload]—and, what was more, a chronic internal injury.
[Mana Overload] was one of the debuffs in [Heart of the Empire: Chronicle of the Eagle]. It was a rare trait—and a curse—granted only to a tiny number of hero units in the game.
In a word, it was a god-awful trait. Characters who possessed it periodically took damage over time as their health decreased, had a chance to suffer status effects, and received major debuffs to their stats. On top of that, it came with all sorts of other disadvantages.
[Mages afflicted with Mana Overload cannot escape the pain even in their sleep. Their dreams often burn with flames of uncontrolled magical power.]
In an instant, the in-game description of [Mana Overload] came to mind. It caused pain like thousands of tiny needles stabbing along one's veins at the same time, while a prickling discomfort spread throughout the body, disrupting sleep and concentration. As it worsened, the pain would burrow into the internal organs, twisting them and causing an ache deep in the bones. In the end, sufferers either became incapable of using mana or were reduced to a shell of a person.
In other words, Seraphina was suffering excruciating pain even now, as the mana in her body ran wild of its own accord.
She was suppressing that with sheer willpower...?
I looked at Seraphina's face again. What caught my eye was her skin, white to the point of pallor. Her nickname, the Ice Witch, wasn't simply something she had been born with. She was probably devoting every nerve to suppressing the pain and controlling her body.
"I've been hearing quite a bit about you, Lieutenant."
Watching her speak without the slightest change in expression, I felt almost awed.
But I showed nothing and waited for Seraphina's next words. Even knowing this, there was nothing I could do about it. Not for now.
I replied as calmly as possible.
"You're too kind."
"They say you whipped the third platoon into shape in a week. I even heard you frightened them by bringing up the Eastern Front."
"It was a necessary measure."
"Yes, the method is irrelevant. As long as the results are certain."
Seraphina gave a short nod, apparently pleased with my answer.
"I've seen your ability firsthand, so I'll give you your next assignment."
"Just give the order."
She spread a map across the desk.
"Recently, a reconnaissance squad from our army went missing in the Gray Forest. Starting tomorrow morning, your third platoon will conduct a search-and-reconnaissance operation in that area to determine the cause."
The Gray Forest. It was one of the places where fighting with the orcs had been fiercest. Though fighting had ebbed for now, it remained dangerous territory where small units from both sides still clashed.
"Understood."
Her eyes wavered faintly at my immediate answer. The enhanced [Status Analysis] did not miss even that fleeting emotional change.
[Emotion: Satisfaction at my compliance as expected, slight relief that I had not noticed her pain]
"Be careful. There's a good chance this wasn't simply a case of getting lost."
"I'll keep it in mind. Loyalty!"
With that, I left the tent.
At dawn the next day, the third platoon began marching toward the Gray Forest.