Chapter 51
That night, as promised, I went to Seraphina's room.
Knock, knock.
There was no answer, but the door wasn't locked.
A faint fragrance wafted through the room, where I saw Seraphina sitting on the edge of the bed.
"…You're late."
"I took a slight detour to avoid prying eyes."
I locked the door and approached the bed.
'Status Analysis.'
[Emotion: Anticipation of Max Jaeger and the treatment.]
[Hidden Trait: Mana Overload - Unstable internal injury.]
Unstable internal injury. I just had to ease it appropriately.
"I'll begin, Captain."
'The Touch of Attunement.'
[The skill 'The Touch of Attunement (Lv.2)' is activated.]
[It stabilizes the target's vital energy.]
Warm energy flowing from my palm coursed up through her body. Seraphina exhaled raggedly and rested her forehead against my shoulder.
"Haa… Ah, ngh…."
"Perhaps it's the fatigue from travel, but you seem somewhat unstable today."
"I-is that so… Hngh…."
"It's all right. Relax. Your clothes… are in the way."
"All right…."
After the buttons popped open one after another, her jacket dropped to the floor, followed by her shirt.
Then an unexpected sight caught my eye on the skin now revealed.
'Oh?'
I'd expected her to be wearing the usual plain, standard-issue undergarments.
But what lay before my eyes was jet-black silk lingerie trimmed with delicate lace.
When I couldn't take my eyes off it, Seraphina's face flushed bright red. She looked away and mumbled.
"…D-don't get the wrong idea. The issued ones had grown worn, so I just hurriedly bought this while we were in the capital. I-it was all they had."
Anyone could tell it had been chosen after careful consideration. Still, I deliberately pretended not to notice and nodded.
"Is that so? The capital's merchants must have excellent taste. It suits you very well, Captain."
"……Be quiet and get on with it."
[Emotion: Explosive embarrassment, though she doesn't entirely dislike the praise.]
I grinned and reached behind her back.
Snap.
Once even the hook came undone, the piece of black fabric slid helplessly down.
"Hnn…."
Seraphina shyly drew her arms in to cover her breasts, but I took her arms and gently spread them open.
A snow-white naked body. Smooth, flawless skin and full, proudly jutting breasts. The pink nipples at their tips were already stiff.
'The Touch of Attunement.'
[It heightens the target's senses and induces faint pleasure.]
My palm glided up along her slim waist and closed firmly around one of her full breasts.
"Ngh, haa…! Lieutenant, your hand… too…"
"It can't be helped."
"…Hngh."
I slowly pushed her down onto the bed. Her silver hair fanned out across the soft mattress.
"Spread your legs, Captain Seraphina."
"……."
Biting her lip, she slowly spread her thighs to either side. Even to the naked eye, it was clear her panties were wet.
"I'll begin."
I moved between her legs.
*
The next morning.
I left the hotel and got into the waiting car. With the steady rumble of its engine, the sedan glided forward.
After driving along the capital's broad roads for a while, the car came to a stop at its designated destination.
Screeeech-.
The Stahlberg estate.
It was closer to a fortress than a home. The killing intent radiating from the guards protecting the main gate was no less intense than that of frontline troops.
Guided by the butler, I entered the estate. Its interior was plain but practical. Actual weapons once used on battlefields were displayed throughout. The atmosphere was solemn.
Erika's pace gradually slowed as she walked ahead of me.
"…My father is a strict man. Don't make any mistakes, Jaeger. I don't want to be scolded because of you."
Erika snapped without turning her head, but her voice trembled faintly at the end.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]
[Status: Extreme tension, instinctive fear of her father]
[Emotion: Intimidated, with an urge to run away]
"Don't worry. Cleaning up the shit you make is my specialty."
"Y-you bastard, seriously…!"
Erika spun around, but I merely smirked and shrugged. Still bickering, we arrived before the door of a huge study.
The butler guiding us spoke in a solemn voice.
"His Grace is waiting. Only Lieutenant Jaeger may enter."
"…What? Me?"
"The young lady has been ordered to wait."
Erika bit her lip and stepped back. I straightened my clothes once more, then opened the massive oak door.
The room was dark.
Only the crackling firelight illuminated the spacious room, and at its center stood a massive desk and a man.
Ludwig von Stahlberg.
A pillar of the Empire and the pinnacle of its military. He was a man so legendary that he was called a legend of the Northern Front.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Ludwig von Stahlberg]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army High Command]
[Rank: Field Marshal]
[Status: Pragmatic interest in a new chess piece, appraising him with intimidating scrutiny]
"Salute! Lieutenant Max Jaeger. I have come in response to Your Grace's summons."
I gave a crisp salute. The click of my combat boots' heels rang through the study.
But no answer came.
The man behind the desk merely flipped through a stack of documents with a thick cigar between his lips.
I swallowed dryly.
[The skill 'Iron Mind' is active.]
[It suppresses unnecessary emotional agitation and guides me toward the most efficient course of thought.]
Without the skill, my legs would have been shaking so badly that I could hardly have remained standing.
A silence lasting what felt like a minute passed.
"…Is that you?"
Marshal Ludwig closed the documents with a snap and raised his head.
"Erika did something stupid."
He got straight to the point from his very first words.
"To misjudge the enemy's size and become isolated during a mission to cut off their retreat. That's an unforgivable disgrace to the Stahlberg name."
He ground out his cigar in the ashtray. The red ember crumbled.
"But I hear you saved the girl. And you did it after completing your infiltration mission, based on your own assessment of the situation."
"I was lucky."
"Lucky?"
Ludwig snorted.
"I've read the report. The secondary explosion using the enemy's powder magazine, the ambush that exploited the terrain, and even sniping the enemy commander. Every one of them was a thoroughly calculated tactic. …In other words, the word that suits you least is 'luck.'"
He leaned forward. I felt as though the pressure of his presence were crushing my entire body.
"Tell me honestly, Lieutenant. Did you save my daughter, or were you trying to put my family in your debt?"
An important question. If I answered incorrectly here, my entire military career could go awry. Given his reputation, clumsy appeals to loyalty or comradeship would never work.
I raised my head and looked straight into his eyes.
'Captivating Speech.'
[The skill 'Captivating Speech (Lv.3)' is activated.]
"To be honest, the latter."
Ludwig's brow twitched.
"An Iron Cross can be bought even at a market stall. But a debt owed by the House of Stahlberg… no, a claim on it—isn't something money can buy."
I lifted the corners of my mouth slightly.
"I merely made an investment. Lady Erika von 'Stahlberg' is worth that much."
When I finished speaking, a suffocating silence fell. Only the firewood in the fireplace crackled as the flames flared.
After a while.
"…An investment. A claim."
The corners of Ludwig's mouth twisted upward.
"Arrogant, aren't you? Are you saying my daughter is an investment opportunity?"
Contrary to his words, a sharp light began to gleam in his eyes.
"But you're not wrong. Blind loyalty disappears after a single bullet on the front line."
[The skill 'Captivating Speech' affects 'Ludwig von Stahlberg'.]
['Ludwig von Stahlberg' regards your honesty and greed highly, interpreting them as ambition.]
"You and I may get along rather well."
The atmosphere eased. Resting his chin on his interlaced fingers, Ludwig regarded me with interest.
"…The Empire's aristocrats and bourgeois are all idiots. They obsess over money and bloodlines, yet fail to see the things that matter most. And the army, which ought to set all this right, is busy playing at heroes."
He blew smoke from his cigar into the air.
"And yet a rat who came out of nowhere, a commoner orphan… seems to see straight through to the heart of things."
"You flatter me."
"Don't bother being modest. You can't fool my eyes, Lieutenant. That look in your eyes… it doesn't belong to a soldier. It's the look of a hunter stalking prey—or an entrepreneur balancing the books."
I laughed inwardly.
"At the front, we can't afford to be choosy about our means or methods. If you want to survive, you have to do whatever it takes."
"Good. I like you very much."
Ludwig tapped the desk with his finger twice.
"That's why I called you. It isn't only because of my daughter, Erika. She was merely a bonus."
His eyes gleamed sharply.
"The capital is dirtier than the front. Slander flies instead of bullets, and backroom schemes explode instead of artillery shells. To survive here, you need allies. Allies bound to you by clear mutual interests."
I had a pretty good idea what he was about to say.
"I am making this proposal not as the Marshal of the Imperial Army, but as the head of the House of Stahlberg."
He took a ring bearing the family's crest from a drawer. Tapping it lightly, he fixed his gaze on me.
"Join my faction. I'll give you something to bark at when you need to bark, and something to bite when you need to bite."