Strange Sounds from the Medical Ward

Strange sounds were drifting from the medical ward.

The medical detachment was the cleanest building on base, tucked away in a far corner of the compound. The moment we stepped inside, the sharp smell of antiseptic stung my nose.

Hanna, standing beside me, fidgeted endlessly, picking at the sleeve of her uniform.

"U-um, Lieutenant… is it really serious enough that I had to come all the way to the medical ward?"

"It's not serious. It's special, Corporal."

I said it in a tone meant to soothe her.

"You have nothing to fear. This is just a simple examination."

We headed toward the inner consultation room. When I pushed open the door, a woman looked up from the stack of papers she had been sorting.

She was sweeping honey-sweet blonde hair over one shoulder in a neat braid. The white coat draped over her uniform lent her an air of quiet intellect. Warm brown eyes traced a gentle curve.

"Oh my—Lieutenant Max."

She recognized me and smiled.

"Please tell me you haven't gotten yourself hurt again."

Captain Elise von Kleist. A noble-born talent and a highly capable medical officer. Every time I'd ended up in her care, it was her gentle hands that patched me back together.

I quietly activated Status Analysis.

I returned her greeting with a crisp salute.

"It's been a while, Captain Kleist. No injuries this time—Captain Reinhardt's orders. We're here on a brief errand."

"Captain Reinhardt, you say?"

Elise's expression turned curious, but it quickly gave way to her characteristic gentle smile as her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gaze shifted to Hanna.

"Does this have something to do with the soldier beside you?"

I explained on her behalf.

"This is Corporal Hanna Meyer from my platoon. She's here for a mana response examination."

"A mana response examination?"

Elise's eyes went wide. She looked back and forth between Hanna and me, and a flicker of discomfort crossed her face.

"But that's… officially a special procedure reserved for priests and mage cadets. For an ordinary soldier, the protocol would be—"

"This is being conducted under Captain Serafina's direct authority. Here is the order."

I pulled the paperwork Serafina had prepared for me in advance from my breast pocket and handed it over. Elise read through it carefully, line by line, then looked up at Hanna with unmistakable astonishment.

"…I understand. We'll need a little preparation—please wait just a moment."

Elise led us into the inner examination room. It was a small space with a single cot and an assortment of medical equipment. She seated Hanna on the bed and spoke.

"For an accurate measurement, I'll need you to remove your top. The mana measurement crystal has to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠make direct contact with your skin."

"Wh-what? My, my clothes…"

Hanna's face flushed scarlet. She looked helplessly back and forth between her two superiors, her hands clutching the front of her uniform with the faintest tremor.

"But… you'll be watching, Lieutenant…"

Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's whine. Undressing in front of a male superior officer was something she could hardly bring herself to imagine. Elise clearly recognized the problem too, and shot me a troubled look.

"Lieutenant, perhaps you'd be more comfortable waiting outside for a moment—"

"…No."

But I said it firmly.

"This examination involves classified security matters. The Captain has ordered me to personally oversee every step of the process."

I wove in the lie with practiced ease. Serafina, of course, had said nothing of the sort—but a small stretch of authority was a fair price for steering the situation exactly where I wanted it.

I turned my gaze to Hanna. She looked like a small, frightened animal.

Charming Speechcraft.

Activating the skill, I spoke in the softest, most trustworthy voice I could muster.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Hanna. This is simply an important step in confirming the special talent sleeping inside you. As your commander, I have a duty to be there beside you in that moment and to protect you. Don't be anxious. Nothing will go wrong."

There was a strange power woven into my voice. A power that soothed anxiety and swept doubt away.

Ding—

The effect was immediate. Hanna hesitated, then began to move, slowly. She drew one deep breath, and with trembling fingers started undoing the buttons of her uniform one by one.

Her skin emerged bit by bit. Her body had been forged by training, yet rather than hard muscle, it carried a smooth, supple line. The gentle swell of her chest was wrapped in a plain, standard-issue cotton bra without a single decoration. At last the final button came undone, and she hesitantly parted her uniform jacket to either side. When she at last removed her bra as well, Hanna bowed her head low, arms crossed over her chest. From the nape of her neck to the tips of her ears, she had turned scarlet.

Elise, who had been watching the scene with an awkward expression, cleared her throat lightly a couple of times and then opened the silver case beside her. Inside lay a transparent crystal orb the size of a fist.

"Now, let's begin."

Elise approached Hanna, crystal in hand.

"Would you lower your arms from your chest for just a moment?"

Hanna bit her lip and lowered her arms. Her hidden chest was left utterly defenseless. Full, rounded peaks traced soft curves, and at their crest, pink nipples stood pertly erect—half from shyness, half from the chill.

"Ahem, ahem…"

Elise cleared her throat awkwardly to break the tension, then carefully brought the crystal toward Hanna's left breast.

"It may feel a little cold."

"Hnng…!"

Hanna's shoulders hunched at the icy touch. A moment later, the once-colorless crystal began to shimmer faintly. At first it seemed as if tiny motes of light, fine as dust, were drifting within it—then, before long, the entire orb suffused with a soft but unmistakable blue glow.

"…Good heavens. It's real."

Elise's brown eyes brimmed with astonishment. She spoke without tearing her gaze from the crystal.

"I can hardly believe it… such a mana response from an ordinary soldier. …Corporal Hanna's talent is genuine. An exceptionally rare case."

"Are you certain?"

Elise explained further.

"I'd only ever read about it in theory. Among common soldiers, the odds of such a talent manifesting are one in tens of thousands… no, rarer still. In all my years of service as an army physician, this is the first case I've ever seen."

She turned to me with eyes alight with excitement and curiosity.

"But how on earth did you know, Lieutenant? A talent like this—across the entire Empire, you'd be lucky to see one or two born in a century…"

At that moment, Hanna gave a small moan and shivered. Only then did Elise snap out of it, hurriedly draping a clean sheet over Hanna's body.

"I'm sorry, Corporal. I got a little carried away…"

"It's all right…"

Hanna curled herself up beneath the sheet. I stepped over to her and laid her discarded uniform jacket back across her shoulders.

"The examination seems to be finished. May we head back now?"

"Ah—yes, of course. I'll compile the report and deliver it to the Captain right away."

Elise gave Hanna one last smile.

"Don't worry too much about it, Corporal Hanna. This is a blessing, not a curse. If anything feels strange with your body from now on—or if you're ever curious about anything—come see me anytime."

"…Thank you."

Hanna answered in a small voice.

A few hours after sending Hanna back, I made my way to Serafina's quarters. When I knocked, a voice answered from within.

"Enter."

Serafina was seated at her desk, waiting for me. On it lay the report Elise had sent over.

"I've received the report. It was true."

Status Analysis.

"…Lieutenant Jäger. You have surpassed my expectations. On top of your victory in the Ashen Forest, you've unearthed a talent of extraordinary value. I never imagined you possessed the ability to see through a person's hidden gifts, beyond mere battlefield courage."

"You honor me, ma'am."

"I will report this achievement to the Regimental Commander personally. But there is a more pressing matter."

She held out another document.

"Corporal Hanna must be specially managed from this point forward. I am delegating all authority over her training and protection to you, Lieutenant Jäger."

"…To me?"

"Yes. You were the one who first discovered her talent, and you are the superior she trusts most. You are the obvious choice."

"Understood."

I gave a brief reply and left the company commander's office.

And a few days later, I was summoned to the Regimental Commander's office. The regimental headquarters was a stone building of an entirely different caliber from the temporary barracks. My boots rang hard against the floor the whole length of the corridor.

Standing before the door to the commander's office was a woman. Jet-black hair pinned up neatly, and a spotlessly pressed uniform bearing the insignia of a Major. Arms crossed, she swept me from head to toe with sharp grey eyes.

Status Analysis.

The commander's aide. So that was why she carried herself with such commanding presence.

"Lieutenant Max Jäger?"

"That's correct."

"We've been expecting you. Go in."

She said it curtly and opened the door for me. Inside, the commander sat behind a massive oak desk and greeted me.

"There you are, Lieutenant Jäger."

"Sir! You called for me, Regimental Commander!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Have a seat."

The white-haired old general smiled benevolently at me. Colonel Karl von Dietrich, commander of the Imperial 7th Infantry Regiment. A veteran of a hundred battlefields, seasoned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the bone. Even sitting quietly behind his desk, he radiated an unmistakable weight of authority.

Status Analysis.

Colonel Dietrich tapped my report lightly and continued.

"I've heard plenty about your exploits. Destroying the orc shaman altar, rescuing the missing scout teams, and now… unearthing a soldier with mana-detection talent. Each one of them is a considerable achievement."

"You give me too much credit, sir."

"No need for false modesty. What you've accomplished has lifted the morale of the entire regiment."

He gestured to Major Helga standing beside him. Helga set a single document down on the desk.

"This is your reward recommendation. If it were up to me, I'd pin another medal on your chest—but you received the Iron Cross and your promotion barely two weeks ago."

The document Helga handed me detailed my name alongside the full record of my accomplishments in the operation. And beneath it, in the commander's own hand, lay his recommendation.

"In its place, we've decided to grant you a monetary reward. It comes to roughly half a year's worth of your salary. Furthermore, arrangements have been made for your platoon—the 3rd Platoon—to receive priority on new supplies. You can expect waterproof combat boots and new-model body armor within the month."

"Thank you, sir."

Inwardly, I wanted to shout for joy. I could now buy my platoon's loyalty without spending a single coin of my own. The commander gave a satisfied smile and clapped me on the shoulder. But this was merely the prelude—the real business was coming.

"And… there is one more special mission I have for you."