Awakening at the Seventh Mana Spring

"To awaken, one must enter the spring without clothing."

"And… there's one more special mission I'd like to entrust to you."

The regiment commander held up a report. It was about Corporal Hanna Meyer.

"A mana-sense aptitude… a truly rare talent. With gifts like this, what matters most is providing the right environment the moment the bud begins to sprout. A newly awakening body can absorb the purest and greatest volume of mana."

His gaze settled on one corner of the map. An area far behind the front lines.

"There's a 7th Mana Spring in the rear of our sector. It's the strategic mana supply point assigned to the regiment. Take Corporal Hanna and go there. The spring's pure energy will do a great deal to stabilize her talent and hasten her awakening."

"Understood, sir."

"Security is everything at that facility. You will escort her personally and see the procedure through."

The regiment commander's eyes settled on me once more.

"I trust you'll handle this one as cleanly as the last, Lieutenant."

The next day, I climbed into a jeep with Hanna, just the two of us. The road toward the rear passed without incident—though the same could not be said for Hanna, who fidgeted the entire way. She sat in the passenger seat, staring fixedly out the window.

Status Analysis.

"Opportunities like this aren't given to just anyone, Corporal."

Hanna flinched and whipped around to look at me.

"There's no need to be so tense. This is both a reward and a chance—given to you."

"…But sir, I still don't really understand what it is I'm supposed to be able to do."

"That's exactly why we're going—to learn. The pure mana of that place will teach you how to use the power sleeping inside you."

After hours of driving, the mana spring revealed itself deep within a vast expanse of rock. The entrance was sealed by a massive steel door, and arcane sigils had been carved into the cliff face at every turn.

Heavily armed guards appeared almost immediately.

"Identification confirmed!"

After verifying the regiment commander's orders and my credentials, the steel gate groaned open with a resounding boom. Escorted by the guards, we passed inside—and the interior was a world entirely apart. Faintly glowing mana crystals studded the cold cavern walls, and the very air shimmered with a concentration of mana so dense it raised the hair on my neck.

As we walked, one of the guards recited the precautions.

"The mana spring is a pure wellspring of life—and the source of a raging torrent of energy. Awakened individuals can receive its power, but if the unawakened are exposed too heavily, they risk mana poisoning, and in severe cases, death. Lieutenant, you must remain at least a set distance from the spring itself."

We soon arrived at an enormous cavern. The ceiling of the cave had been opened to the sky, and starlight poured down onto a lake glowing a brilliant emerald at its center. This was the mana spring.

The guard turned to Hanna.

"Before entering the spring, you must remove every article of clothing on your person."

"…I'm sorry—what?!"

The abrupt instruction left Hanna flustered, her face flushing a deep scarlet.

"It is standard protocol to exclude all artificial elements that would obstruct the pure flow of mana. Imperial combat uniforms in particular are treated with trace mana resistance—fatal to the awakening process."

With that, the facility attendant turned on his heel and vanished into the far reaches of the cavern. Only Hanna and I remained in the great chamber. Silence stretched between us. Hanna, utterly at a loss, kept stealing glances at my face.

"…Lieutenant. I…"

I turned my back to her and spoke.

"Corporal Hanna Meyer. I'll keep watch from here. There's no telling what might happen to you in there, so I won't go far."

At my gesture of consideration—whether or not it was truly consideration—Hanna seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then, from behind me, came the rustle of fabric and the clicks of buckles coming undone. Her breathing sounded oddly, disproportionately loud in the stillness.

I leaned against the cold cave wall and closed my eyes. But I didn't need to look to picture it all on my own.

Splash.

A small sound of water. Hanna must have entered the spring.

"Haaah…"

Before long, a heated moan drifted across the water. It was hard to tell whether the voice was racked with pain or drowning in pleasure.

"Nngh… hngh… ah!"

But I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quickly revised my thinking. The cry that followed was unmistakably one of pain. In the end, I couldn't bear it any longer, and I turned toward Hanna.

And the sight that unfolded before me stole the breath from my lungs.

Moonlight and the blue glow of the mana crystals shimmered across the surface of the water. And at its center stood Hanna. Slender shoulders and back, the graceful curve from her narrow waist swelling into generous hips. Though her body was tempered by training, there was nothing about it that wasn't unmistakably feminine.

Her soaked brown hair clung to the nape of her neck and her shoulders, and her entire body was wreathed in a faint emerald radiance, like the spring itself made flesh. It looked as though the spring's mana was forcing its way into her body. She trembled violently, arms crossed over her chest—writhing in pain.

I activated my skill at once.

The (DANGER!) flag glared out from the status window, unmistakable.

If I leave her like this, she could succumb to mana poisoning—or her mind could simply break.

Taking care not to drift too close to the spring, I shouted with everything I had.

"Corporal Hanna! Get a hold of yourself! Focus on my voice!"

At the sound of my voice, Hanna's eyes finally opened. Unfocused pupils turned toward me. Only then did she seem to realize I was watching her—her face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flooded first with shock and shame, then twisted once more as the pain crashed over her again.

"Breathe! Deep in through your nose, slow out through your mouth! Picture the power raging inside your body. Imagine gathering it below your navel—into your lower belly!"

Hanna's expression changed as she listened. Her face was still contorted, but there was something new in it now—the look of someone trying to seize hold of something.

A long stretch of time passed, and the violent light enveloping Hanna gradually subsided. The tangled torrent of mana that had coiled around her body began, at last, to circulate through her like a smooth, gentle river.

"Haah… haah…"

Soon Hanna lay utterly spent, floating limply on the water's surface. With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a face flushed crimson, she murmured:

"…Thank… you, sir… Lieutenant…"

With those words, she lost consciousness. Fortunately, she had collapsed at the very edge of the spring, and I hauled her out onto the bank. I stretched out my arms and supported her beneath her armpits and behind her knees. Her skin slid smooth and supple against my palms—burning hot to the touch, like a brand.

Only after I had carefully laid her down on the stone floor did her body come fully into view.

Droplets of water had pooled in the hollow of her collarbone and now trailed down over the soft swell of her breasts. Her nipples stood rigid from the cold. The hair between her thighs was dark and thick, water seeping into the crease of her slick, glistening folds. A scorching surge of desire rose unbidden from the pit of my stomach—but the skill caught hold of my reason.

Suppressing unnecessary emotional agitation. Directing the user toward the most efficient course of thought.

It was like a bucket of ice water dumped over my skull—the surging impulse subsided as if it had never been. Though my trousers remained stubbornly heavy. Apparently even Strong Mind could do nothing about that.

I stripped off my uniform jacket and draped it over Hanna's drenched body. Then I carried her, carefully, to her room.

The next morning, I made my way to Hanna's quarters. I knocked lightly, but no answer came from within.

I hesitated a moment, then—on the off chance something was wrong—carefully turned the handle. The door wasn't locked. With a creak, it swung inward, and there was Hanna, fast asleep on the bed, my uniform jacket draped perilously over her upper body like a blanket.

I set the tray of soup and bread I'd brought from the mess hall down on the small table beside the bed. At the faint sound, Hanna's eyelids fluttered open. The instant her eyes met mine, they flew wide, and she yanked the jacket up over her bare chest in a panic.

Status Analysis.

I absorbed the information and spoke.

"Don't move. You've got a fever."

Hanna started violently at my words. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Head bowed, face burning, she muttered in a voice barely bigger than a mosquito's whine.

"I'm… sorry. And… about yesterday… thank you… truly, sir."

I answered offhandedly.

"Eat. You need your strength back."

While Hanna ate, I brought up the matter at hand.

"There's a mana examination today. We need to assess the effects of your exposure to the spring yesterday."

"A… a mana examination, sir?"

Perhaps because of her memories of entering the spring, Hanna's body gave a small shiver.

Once she'd finished her meal, I took her to a small clinic within the facility. Inside, a medical officer in a white coat was waiting for us. While I waited outside, she seated Hanna in the examination chair without expression and ran a battery of precise tests with several pieces of equipment.

After a while, she peered into a glowing crystal plate and reported in a clipped tone.

"Lieutenant. Corporal Hanna's body has begun transforming into a vessel that receives mana. But it is still unstable. To complete her awakening safely, she will need to…"

The officer paused, then delivered her conclusion.

"…enter the mana spring several more times."

The blood drained from Hanna's face.