Serafina's Command
Persuasion failed!
The demand directly conflicts with the target's core values. The target's resistance has nullified the skill's effect.
Beep!
A fresh system message flashed across my vision, accompanied by a shrill warning tone.
Gunter's head snapped up.
"...I can't do it, sir."
His voice was low and unyielding.
"Back home, I have... a sick mother and young siblings. My pay is... their medicine and their bread. Even if it's your order, sir... that much I cannot give up."
I swallowed a groan and activated the skill.
Status Analysis.
State: Intense internal conflict resolved — Resolution
Emotions: Deep disappointment, sense of betrayal, wariness toward his superior
Gunter's condition had transformed dramatically. Where a vague, unthinking loyalty had lived mere minutes ago, disappointment and betrayal now churned, edged with open suspicion.
Damn it. Did I push too hard?
It was an unmistakable failure. In one stroke, I'd learned both the limits of the skill and its dangers. This was no miracle cure-all. Used carelessly, it was poison — the kind that could shatter a relationship beyond repair.
There was still a chance to salvage things. I rose from my chair and took a step toward him.
"I'm sorry."
Gunter's eyes went wide at the unexpected words.
"...Sir?"
"I said I'm sorry, Sergeant. What I just did crossed a clear line."
I activated Charming Speechcraft once more.
Charming Speechcraft is influencing Sergeant Gunter.
Your apology and sincerity are being conveyed with compelling force.
The wary fire in Gunter's eyes wavered. The skill was taking hold, seeping in beneath his defenses. I seized the opening without hesitation.
"That order a moment ago was a test, Sergeant. I wanted to know whether my NCO was a puppet who obeys blindly — or a true soldier who understands what he believes in and what he must protect."
I rested a hand on his shoulder.
"You passed with flying colors. Even before an unjust command from a superior, your will to shield your family never bent. That kind of steel is exactly what I want to see in you — and in every man of 3rd Platoon. It's soldiers like you I want beside me in the fight."
It was a lie. But Charming Speechcraft lent the lie weight. Every flicker of my eyes, every note of my voice, every gesture was dissolving his suspicion bit by bit.
Beep—
Sergeant Gunter is beginning to trust your words.
His internal conflict is dissolving, transforming into deep respect and loyalty toward you.
Status Analysis.
State: Relief from the resolution of a misunderstanding; deeply moved
Emotions: Trust and loyalty toward his superior; profound gratitude that his convictions were recognized
The status window had flipped a full one-eighty yet again. Disappointment and betrayal were gone without a trace, replaced by loyalty and trust.
"I'm... I'm just an ignorant brute, sir. All I ever knew was swinging my fists. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you had such deep intentions."
I exhaled a breath of relief. The crisis had been navigated successfully, and I sent Gunter on his way.
Alone, I slumped heavily into my chair. Without Strong Mind, I'd have been drenched in sweat by now. Charming Speechcraft was undeniably powerful, but the risk of failure loomed just as large. Bungle it halfway, and all I'd earn was irreversible resentment.
I need to use it far more carefully.
Word of our victory spread through the entire regiment within days.
"Did you hear? About 3rd Platoon. Those trash-heap bastards."
"Ah, the ones who were always stirring up trouble? What the hell did they pull this time?"
Whenever I stood waiting my turn in the mess line, snippets of murmured gossip from soldiers of the other companies drifted over.
"Trouble nothing. They pulled off a monster of a mission. Blew the orcs' altar to pieces in the Ashen Forest and hauled the missing scouts home without a scratch, so I hear."
"What? Those guys? Don't feed me garbage. Even our company's elites hate going in there."
"It's true, damn it! And you know what's even more insane? Not a single death. The whole unit came back."
That remark drew audible gasps from the soldiers listening nearby.
"...Insane. What the hell happened out there?"
"I heard the new platoon leader is no joke. Supposedly he led from the front, tracked down the shaman's altar himself, and ambushed it."
"Now you're just talking nonsense."
But the doubting soldier was soon won over.
"Word is he got fast-tracked and landed the Iron Cross barely six months after commissioning."
"Seriously? What an extraordinary officer. I'd ask for nothing more than to serve under a commander like that."
"Shh! Watch your mouth. Our own officers might be listening."
I pretended to hear none of it and focused on my meal. The rumor had its share of embellishment, but it was broadly accurate. That was how gossip always worked. I finished eating and headed back to my barracks, mentally rehearsing the training schedule as I strode along — and the moment I rounded a corner, I collided with someone.
"S-sorry, sir!"
It was Corporal Hanna.
"No harm done. Something the matter?"
"I— Lieutenant, sir! Um..."
She fidgeted in front of me, twisting her fingers together at a loss. I silently activated the skill.
Name: Hanna Meyer
Race: Human
Rank: Corporal
State: Continuously self-conscious about her own perception since the mission
Emotions: Deep gratitude toward the Lieutenant; confusion over an unfamiliar sensation
Hidden Trait: Mana Sense (on the verge of awakening)
On the verge of awakening, huh.
It seemed that day's experience had done something after all. Hanna finally seemed to muster her courage and spoke.
"About what happened in the Ashen Forest last time. You remember... when I told you I was sensing something strange, sir?"
"Of course I remember. It was critical intelligence."
Color bloomed across her face at my words.
"You mean it? I kept worrying that I'd just been spouting nonsense — that I'd only confused you, Lieutenant."
"Not at all. Thanks to you, we completed the mission without a single friendly casualty. That's your credit, Corporal Hanna."
When I said her name and gave her shoulder a light pat, her cheeks flushed crimson.
"N-no, sir! I only... you were the one who trusted me, that's all..."
Head bowed, she couldn't finish the sentence. I looked at her and spoke gently.
"That wasn't mere imagination. It could be a special talent — one that belongs to you and no one else. If you ever feel that sensation again, don't hesitate. Report to me immediately. I'll help you hone it through training."
"Yes, sir! Understood, Lieutenant!"
Hanna saluted, her face radiant with emotion, her eyes sparkling. I sent her off and resumed my walk to the barracks — but I didn't make it far before another soldier came running toward me.
"Lieutenant Jäger! The Company Commander is asking for you. She says to report to the command barracks immediately."
Well then. That was quick.
I turned on my heel and headed for the company command barracks. When I knocked, a voice like ice drifted out from within.
"Enter."
Inside, Serafina stood alone, studying the operational map. She spoke without so much as turning around.
"I read the report thoroughly, Lieutenant Jäger. You exceeded my expectations."
"I was merely fortunate."
"Fortunate? Don't spout that false modesty in front of me."
"...It won't happen again."
She turned to face me. Sapphire eyes, glinting cold as gemstones, swept over me from head to toe.
"You saw through a spatial transference trap, engaged an enemy at platoon strength including the orc shaman, completed the mission with only two light casualties — and rescued the missing scouts on top of it all. Is this truly the command of a lieutenant commissioned barely six months ago?"
A sharp question. I produced the answer I had prepared in advance.
"It was not my command alone that achieved it. I had a subordinate who provided the decisive intelligence."
"Intelligence?"
One of Serafina's eyebrows arched, ever so slightly.
"Corporal Hanna of 3rd Platoon. During the reconnaissance, she complained of unexplained nausea and discomfort. She said a particular direction felt distinctly... unpleasant."
I paused, watching her reaction. She said nothing, waiting for me to continue.
"At first I dismissed it as simple nerves. But without fail, enemy traps kept turning up in the directions she pointed to. She even sensed the aura emanating from the shaman's altar, far beyond our reach. That's what let us avoid every ambush and strike at the heart of the enemy position."
When I finished, Serafina's gaze sharpened to an edge I couldn't compare with anything before.
"...An unpleasant aura. That symptom — I feel as though I've heard of it somewhere."
"As have I, Captain."
I wove a plausible mixture of truth and fabrication.
"It brought to mind a rare collection of case studies I once read in the Imperial Central Academy library. The reactions shown by individuals born hypersensitive to mana when exposed to faint mana currents, or to the residue of malevolent shamanic rites. It matched the early symptoms of what's called Mana Sense precisely."
A flicker of surprise crossed Serafina's glacial expression. I didn't miss the opening and secretly activated the skill.
Status Analysis.
Name: Serafina von Reinhardt
State: Deep deliberation over Max Jäger's report; wariness and astonishment at his insight
Emotions: Extreme surprise and strong suspicion; discomposure at a subordinate whose knowledge exceeds her own
"...So you're telling me that, in the field, on the spot, you identified an ability this rare and put it to use in the operation? And you expect me to believe that?"
Serafina's voice was thick with doubt.
Charming Speechcraft.
Borrowing the skill's power, I answered in a voice that didn't waver a hair's breadth.
"The situation was desperate. I had no choice but to gamble on the possibility."
I pieced together the most credible story I could.
"Her reaction resembled the descriptions from that book far too closely. The signs were too unmistakable to simply brush aside. If they were genuine, I judged it to be information on which the entire platoon's survival hinged."
Serafina's blue eyes narrowed. The suspicion hadn't fully dissolved, but the density of wariness behind it was thinning.
"What was the title of this book?"
She fired the question like a shot. I'd anticipated it — a half-baked lie would never pass here.
"I don't recall the exact title. It was part of a battered collection of papers I stumbled upon in the underground archives during my academy days. Something crude like Case Studies of Supernatural Ability Manifestation on the Battlefield, as I remember."
I improvised with as much plausibility as I could muster. Keywords like the underground archives and old papers would make precise verification impossible. For a long moment, she stared at me as if trying to see straight through me. A chill silence stretched between us.
Emotions: Strong suspicion shifting into reasonable inference. Focus is moving from the truth of the information to its practical utility.
Got her.
I cheered inwardly. Rather than weighing the truth of my words, she had begun weighing the practical value of the information itself. That was what a capable commander looked like.
"Fine."
Serafina finally spoke.
Charming Speechcraft has been successfully applied.
Captain Serafina trusts your explanation.
Her suspicion has transformed into a positive assessment of your capable insight.
The taut air between us shifted by a fraction. I seized the instant and activated the skill once more.
Status Analysis.
State: Intense strategic deliberation; reevaluation of her subordinate's worth completed
Emotions: Lingering strong suspicion converted into practical interest and a faint scholarly curiosity
The way she looked at me changed by a subtle degree. The wariness drained away from those blue eyes that had been firing interrogating glares. Serafina leaned back slightly in her chair and let the tension ease from her stiff shoulders. Then she moved to the heart of the matter.
"If that soldier's talent is real, this is no mere tactical asset for a single company — it's a matter with the potential to change the strategy of the entire regiment. Formal verification is required."
"What procedure do you have in mind?"
"Send Corporal Hanna to the regimental medical unit at once. The physicians there should be able to conduct a mana-reactivity test."
She added:
"You will lead this personally. Absolute security is non-negotiable."
"Understood, Captain."
I snapped a salute and left the barracks.
And the following day, I took Corporal Hanna with me to the medical unit.