Bound for the Imperial Capital
After finishing my visit to the 3rd Squad's barracks, I made my way back to my own quarters.
The moment I closed the door behind me and stepped into the familiar room, the tension drained out of my shoulders.
And after waiting a little while, the system message arrived right on schedule, as punctual as ever.
Ding—
You have flawlessly handled the inspection inquiry.
As a reward, you gain EXP.
And then, one after another…
One after another…
'Huh.'
That's it?
Normally, a Level up! You have gained a new skill point! cascade should have followed in rapid succession.
I clicked my tongue, the taste of it bitter. Roughly speaking, I had a good idea why.
'So a single achievement isn't enough anymore, is it.'
It only made sense. The experience required to level up grows with each level. Early on, beating back an orc company or two had been enough to raise my level—but apparently those days were over.
'Meaning I have to pull off something harder.'
I'd been pacing the room, but now I sat down on the edge of the bed and tipped the silver flask in my hand straight into my mouth. The very one Erika had tossed my way before she left. A searing heat scorched its way down my throat, and a spinning dizziness washed over my head.
Gulp.
The whiskey slid down my throat.
Knock, knock.
A cautious knock sounded at the door.
"Lieutenant…? It's Hanna."
"Come in."
Click.
The door opened, and Hanna appeared with a still-damp face and a shy smile. The scent of soap rising from her porcelain skin covered the smell of whiskey.
"You came quickly."
"I couldn't… keep you waiting, sir."
Hanna smiled bashfully and burrowed in between my legs. I slipped my hand beneath her shirt and squeezed her ass hard.
"Nngh…!"
"If the system won't pay out a reward, I'll just have to collect it somewhere else. Right?"
She clearly couldn't make sense of my muttering, but Hanna simply nodded, drunk on my touch, her eyes slowly melting.
"Yes… Lieutenant… Take everything… everything…"
I smirked and activated my skill.
'Touch of Attunement.'
Touch of Attunement (Lv. 2)
Amplifying the target's pleasure.
"Aahng…!"
Hanna's back arched like a drawn bow. I'd done nothing more than grab her ass, yet the skill's power was absolute.
"Hh—ahh! Ngh…! L-Lieutenant… my head, my head's going strange…!"
Overwhelmed by pleasure, Hanna ground her thighs together and clutched desperately at the front of my uniform trousers.
I laid her down on the bed. When I caught her damp thighs and spread them apart, honey-thick nectar was already flowing freely, soaking the bedsheets.
"You want it?"
"Yes, yes…! Please, Lieutenant… put it in…!"
Hanna clung to my waist, pleading pitifully. Without making her wait any longer, I pressed myself against her narrow entrance.
Shluk.
"Haaah…♡"
I gripped her hips and slammed into her roughly. With every thrust, her cervix fluttered open and swallowed the tip of me.
Slap, slap, slap.
That night, the sound of flesh striking flesh continued well into the late hours.
A few days later. The regimental operations room.
The officers of the 7th Regiment, myself included, had all assembled in the regimental headquarters conference room. The atmosphere was solemn, yet laced with a quiet anticipation and the giddy thrill of victory.
Into that setting, Colonel Karl von Dietrich stepped up to the podium. His eyes gleamed brighter than usual—greedily so, almost.
"Attention."
At that single word, the room fell dead silent.
"I'm sure you've all come here today expecting commendations. Medals, promotions, prize money—things of that nature."
The Colonel swept his gaze across the assembled officers, twisting the corners of his mouth upward.
"But regrettably, there is nothing I can give you here today."
The officers stirred, confusion plain on every face.
"And the reason is…"
The Colonel drew out a letter bearing the red seal of the Imperial House.
"Because the achievements we have earned have surpassed the level where a mere regimental commander can reward them at his own discretion."
The imperial letter fluttered here and there, following the Colonel's gestures.
"It is a personal missive from His Majesty the Emperor. The 7th Regiment… is commanded to return to the Imperial Capital and attend the victory parade."
—Waaaah!!
Barely had the Colonel finished speaking before a roar erupted, loud enough to shake the room off its foundations.
"A-a victory parade in the Imperial Capital?!"
"Impossible! That's an honor most men see maybe once in a lifetime!"
"His Majesty will praise us personally! This is an honor for our houses—no, a blessing upon them!"
The officers, forgetting all decorum, grabbed the shoulders of the men beside them and babbled excitedly.
And who could blame them? This wasn't a simple return to garrison. It was a triumph.
Marching through the heart of the Empire, showered with the cheers of the citizenry, entering the Imperial Palace to receive praise directly from His Majesty. The supreme honor a soldier could ever enjoy.
"As soon as our forward duties are handed over to the follow-up units, you will board the train for the Capital. Promotions and decorations will be discussed there."
—Understood, sir!
The officers' response rang through the entire room.
The old fox was already picturing his glittering advance into the political arena.
"Dismissed! Return to your units and begin preparations for departure."
Three days later.
With the steady rhythm of the rails beneath us, the scenery beyond the window blurred past. The desolate Ashen Forest and the mud-choked front line had already become a past that belonged only in memory.
In their place stretched endless golden plains, over which a black steam locomotive trailed its acrid smoke—and far off, beyond the horizon, a colossal silhouette had begun to reveal its grandeur.
The beating heart of the Empire, in name and in fact.
The Imperial Capital, Eisenburg.
A place where steam belched from hundreds of smokestacks, wrapping the city in clouds, and airships drifted leisurely across the sky.
"Whoaaa…"
A gasp burst out from inside the passenger car. The country boys of 3rd Squad were plastered against the windows, utterly speechless.
"Hey, look at that! That building's gotta be ten stories at least, right? How's it not collapsing?"
"You idiot, that's built with magic. And those things flying around over there—those are the ones the ladies ride, right?"
The soldiers twisted their bodies every which way in their scramble to see out the windows.
The cityscape unfolding before us could not have been more different from the front. Citizens with well-fed, glowing faces; splendid clothing without a speck of dirt upon it; and festival flags filling the streets. When we cracked the windows open, the smell of fresh-baked bread, cheap perfume, and greasy coal smoke swept in where gunpowder and blood had been.
"Quite different from the battlefield, isn't it?"
At my question, Hanna's head snapped around. Her hazel eyes were sparkling.
"Yes! Truly… it feels like a dream. To think I get to spend time in a place like this…"
Hanna unconsciously clung tight to my arm. Through my uniform, I could feel the soft press of her full chest.
I chuckled and gazed out the window at the ornate high-rises and peaceful scenery.
Screeeech—!
A long, squealing brake noise, and the train began to slow. A grand domed central station platform filled my vision.
Lodgings in the Imperial Capital, Eisenburg.
More precisely, a suite—of all things—in a luxury hotel reserved for Imperial Army officers.
I lay sprawled across a goose-down bed so plush I half-feared my body would sink clean through it. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed gently above me.
"…Now this is civilization."
"Lieutenant! The hot water comes pouring right out!"
Hanna's excited voice drifted from the bathroom.
Beyond the window, the night view of Eisenburg stretched out before us. The distant blare of streetcar horns and the dull rumble of machinery from the factory district. It was hard to believe that only a week ago I'd been wrestling rats in a trench.
That was when I saw it—a single green dot moving on my Minimap.
"Who could that be."
Probably that young private who was always running errands for company headquarters. His name was… Private Erich, wasn't it?
Knock, knock, knock.
A brisk, regular knock. Not even announcing himself before rapping on an officer's door—had his military discipline already gone to rot?
"…Lieutenant Jaeger, it's me."
Oh, for heaven's sake.
I opened the door to find Seraphina standing in the corridor, her dress uniform immaculate.
"Sir! Company Commander reporting."
Rippling silver hair and jewel-like blue eyes. A hint of makeup made her cold features all the more striking.
But the moment our eyes met, I sensed her gaze soften—just barely.
"Sorry to disturb your rest, Lieutenant. But I have an urgent summons."
"From the Colonel?"
"Yes. You, and Private Hanna—"
That was as far as she got.
Click.
The sound of the bathroom door opening. Seraphina's gaze swung past my shoulder, toward the bathroom.
"Lieutenant, we're running out of towels, could you— Eeeek!"
Hanna, fresh out of the bath, shrieked and hunched into herself. Steam rose from her just-washed body, and her damp brown hair spilled down over her shoulders.
Droplets clinging to the nape of her neck and her collarbone, her cheeks flushed pink.
And above all—the situation itself: a young female soldier stepping out of her platoon leader's bathroom.
Hanna's mouth fell wide open, while Seraphina silently looked her up and down.
A heavy silence filled the room.