Is That Your Type?

"Lieutenant! We're short on towels, do you happen to have any… Aah!"

Hannah had just come out of the bathroom, while Seraphina stood at the door. I was awkwardly standing between them. The two women's gazes met in midair.

It was silent.

I habitually brought up [Status Analysis].

'Status Analysis.'

[Target: Seraphina von Reinhardt]

[Emotion: Slight embarrassment, subtle displeasure, a detached comparison of Hannah's physical attractiveness, and a slight possessiveness toward Max.]

'Hmm….'

She wasn't about to explode with jealousy or start citing military regulations. Perhaps she had already guessed at my relationship with Hannah. Or perhaps it was because Seraphina was the one who needed treatment from me.

Or maybe she had considered the objective value of Hannah's [Mana Detection] ability.

Perhaps that was why Seraphina's gaze was so complicated. Even her status window showed [subtle displeasure] and [comparison of physical attractiveness].

"I-I'm sorry! Company Commander! I was just…!"

Hannah bowed with a crestfallen expression. Seraphina sighed briefly and shook her head.

"Enough with the excuses, Sergeant. The regimental commander is looking for you too. Get ready, quickly."

Seraphina snapped coldly, then gestured toward me with her chin.

"And you, wait outside first. …I need to have a word with you."

"……."

I obediently followed Seraphina into the hallway, and she leaned against the window. The amber light pouring from the gas lamps outside illuminated her silver hair, creating strange shadows.

I felt restless. It was a kind of unease unlike anything I had felt on the battlefield.

[The skill 'Iron Mind' is active.]

[It suppresses unnecessary emotional agitation and induces the most efficient thought process.]

"Sergeant Hannah is… a capable soldier."

She spoke first.

"That's right. Her detection ability is our unit's lifeline."

"Her ability… Yes, abilities are important too."

She slowly turned her head and looked at me. Her eyes felt especially cold.

"But what I just saw was rather… primal to be explained as a simple superior-subordinate relationship."

Her tone was sarcastic. My heart sank.

[The skill 'Iron Mind' is active.]

[It suppresses unnecessary emotional agitation and induces the most efficient thought process.]

Phew….

I drew a deep breath and activated the skill. Whether it was war, women, or anything else, my skill was ultimately the thing I could rely on most.

'Status Analysis.'

[Target: Seraphina von Reinhardt]

[Status: A slight crack in her pride, slight self-deprecation]

[Emotion: Comparison, anxiety, possessiveness]

Well, I could call this jealousy, couldn't I?

"…Is that your type, Lieutenant Jaeger? …So you prefer obedient, cute younger women…."

Seraphina muttered anxiously.

"Did I presumptuously intrude between the two of you?"

It was a dangerous question. If I answered incorrectly, it could create an irreparable rift in our relationship.

So instead of answering, I slowly approached her. Without hesitation, I reached out and covered the back of her hand resting on the windowsill with mine.

Flinch. Her shoulder jerked, but she didn't pull away.

'The Touch of Attunement.'

I felt cold mana through the back of her hand. It wasn't frozen solid like before, but its flow was still unstable.

[It stabilizes the target's vital energy.]

Seraphina's body relaxed in an instant. Her brows softened, and her lips parted slightly.

"…Your pulse is fast, Captain."

As Seraphina reflexively yielded to the sensation, I spoke.

"You were aroused by what you just saw. That's bad for the mana reflux."

"Answer my question… Ngh."

As I attuned the subtle mana at the pressure point on her wrist, she bit her lip and swallowed a moan.

"The one who caused it saying that… How shameless… Haaah…."

Even as she continued to snap at me, Seraphina gradually yielded to my touch. I smiled faintly and wrapped my right arm around her waist.

[It heightens the target's senses and induces faint pleasure.]

"W-where are you touching…? Hngh…?!"

"Doctors have to be shameless if they're going to save their patients."

Her body trembled.

"……Nngh. Jaeger… stop…."

I gently moved the hand along her waistline, my fingers deliberately reaching toward the full curves above and below. The feel of her body was utterly satisfying.

"Your condition isn't good. Tonight…."

"……I-I understand, so stop…."

"Say it properly. Seraphina, Captain."

Her blue eyes were hazy. She panted heavily and lightly grasped the hem of my clothes. She knew better than anyone that she had had no choice to begin with.

"……Please, I'm asking you."

Her lips trembled.

"Tonight too… treat me, Max. …I'll be waiting."

Her tone was commanding on the surface, but her words were almost a plea.

I nodded in satisfaction.

"Of course, Captain."

Soon, the door to the room clicked open. Seraphina hurriedly pulled away from my arms and straightened her disheveled uniform.

"I-I'm all ready!"

Hannah burst out of the room. Perhaps she sensed the strange atmosphere between us, because she opened her eyes wide and looked back and forth between us.

"Uh… are you two all right? Your faces are a little red…."

"…It's because it's hot."

Seraphina cleared her throat and walked down the hallway ahead of us.

"Let's go. The regimental commander is waiting."

Her steps were a little quicker than usual.

[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]

[Status: Full-body relaxation from rapid mana stabilization, tingling in the lower abdomen.]

[Emotion: Anxiety, an instinctive sense of crisis regarding Hannah, and anticipation of Max Jaeger and the treatment.]

*

The temporary regimental command post on the top floor of the hotel.

Led by Colonel Karl von Dietrich, the senior officers had gathered with champagne glasses in hand. They all wore satisfied expressions. Their first day in the capital seemed to have gone quite satisfactorily.

"Oh, the heroes have finally arrived!"

The regimental commander greeted us with exaggerated gestures. His gaze passed over me before settling on Seraphina and Hannah standing behind me.

"Hmm! Are you Sergeant Hannah Meyer, the one mentioned in the report? You've been through a lot."

"S-Sergeant Hannah Meyer! Reporting!"

"At ease, at ease. This isn't the battlefield."

The regimental commander nodded in satisfaction, then whispered in a voice only Major Helga could hear.

"Major, make sure you keep an eye on her so the classified information doesn't leak. Especially make sure she doesn't let the atmosphere of the capital make her careless."

"Understood. I'll keep a close eye on her."

Major Helga understood immediately and approached Hannah. To anyone watching, it looked like she was simply looking after a capable soldier, but in reality, she was ensuring the secret was kept absolutely safe.

"Captain Seraphina, you've worked hard too. Go mingle with the officers over there. They're particularly interested in your mana bullet ability."

"Understood, Colonel."

Seraphina and Hannah naturally blended into the crowd. The regimental commander then sidled over to me.

"There were too many eyes around, so I didn't get to greet you sooner. Do you like your room? I specifically ordered that you be assigned one with a good view."

"I'm deeply honored, Colonel. Compared to the damp trenches, it's heaven itself."

"Hahaha! That's the spirit. You deserve it."

The regimental commander laughed happily and patted my shoulder. Then he lowered his voice and whispered discreetly.

"You… are going to be rather busy. Quite a few people seem eager to meet you personally."

"Me?"

"Yes. In particular, this name will be hard for you to turn down."

The regimental commander pulled a gold-embossed envelope from inside his uniform and held it out to me. A red wax seal marked the center. The crest engraved on it was one no Imperial soldier could fail to recognize.

"…The House of Stahlberg?"

"That's right. His Grace the Duke of Stahlberg, one of the Empire's military heavyweights, has invited you."

I grinned.

"It would be the greatest honor."

It couldn't be otherwise. The strongest connection in the Imperial military had practically come to me of its own accord.

I glanced to the side. Erika stood sulkily among the officers. Her red hair, which normally would have annoyed me, seemed dazzling today. But the moment our eyes met, she whipped her head away and fled the conference room as though running from me.

'Cute.'

I carefully tucked the gold-embossed envelope into my inner breast pocket and left the conference room. As I walked down the hallway leading to the balcony, cold night air tinged with the acrid smell of coal brushed my cheek.

And, as expected, I saw a familiar silhouette in one corner of the hallway.

She was pretending to casually look out the window, but I could see her shoulders stiffen when my footsteps drew near.

"An invitation from the House of Stahlberg. What an honor."

When I lightly waved the gold-embossed envelope, Erika spun around.

"D-don't get the wrong idea! I wasn't the one who called you. Father read the battle report and simply said there was an interesting little rat, then summoned you."

A little rat, right to my face. But her face was red as a radish, making it an obvious lie.

'Status Analysis.'

[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]

[Emotion: Considerable tension, pressure from her father]

"An interesting little rat… The Commander-in-Chief has a rather coarse way of putting things."

"F-Father is a soldier's soldier, after all! And what you did in the Ashen Forest was… well, it was kind of rat-like."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Better to live as a rat than die as a lion on the battlefield."

I whispered in a low voice.

"Don't worry. I won't make you lose face in front of His Grace the Duke. If anything… I'll make him proud that you were the one who brought me."

"W-who says I'm taking you anywhere…! Ugh, you're seriously the worst!"

Erika flushed bright red and pushed me away. There was no real force behind her hand. She huffed and ran off down the long hallway as though fleeing.

I watched her red twin tails disappear into the distance and chuckled.