129: A Butler's Regret

July 9, 2022 – 3 minutes read – 527 words

Finally, the mountainous region has been completely annexed by the Kingdom!

After serving as the stick to the Third Army’s carrot, the Eighth Army is returning to the capital.
The Third and Fifth Armies are going to stick around for various reasons, but my army’s tasks have been completed.

That being said…

“How did they run up a bill of 5 gold coins at the bar?” Pat

I regret saying I would buy the drink.
Somehow 300 soldiers had guzzled down 5 million yen ($37,000) in alcohol.
That was 16,667 yen ($123) per head.
Well, they had suffered under the guilt of being the cruel unit, so if it helps them get back to normal, I guess it’s worth it.

After our safe return, I needed to report to His Majesty.

“Lieutenant Colonel Snake, you and your soldiers have undergone a rough situation.
You are all allotted five days of leave, rest well.” King

“Thank you for the consideration.” Pat

After the audience was over, I got to announce the reward to my men.

“Everybody! You all get a five day vacation, courtesy of His Majesty! Take it easy!” Pat

Then the soldiers all left to enjoy their time off.
But I had a new issue to tackle, in my mansion.

“So, what’s with these guys?” Pat asks the butler

There are currently three men tied up with ropes in my entrance hall.

My butler explains that apparently they broke into the mansion last night, that marks them as quite skilled.
Normal spies are captured well before getting into the mansion proper, but these were able to knock out a guard and enter the house.

“How badly was the guard injured? Did he need more than a potion? Is he still recovering?” Pat

“Not that badly, he’s on light duty out of an abundance of caution, but he claims he was back to full health after the potion.
It seems that the three were apprehended by your tame beast.” Butler

“Hmm? Pi-chan got them?” Pat asks as he glances at Pi-chan

Pi-chan took the chance to slither over the floor to me, I rewarded the action by stroking the snake’s head.

“Did Pi-chan catch them?” Pat

When I uttered the question I was inundated with images of the event.
I saw Pi-chan knocking down one of the spies with her tail before wrapping up the other two.
It’s like I could hear the bones break of the two that were constricted.

Crazy, is my pet able to telepathically send me information?

“Yeah, that’s great Pi-chan! Tomorrow, we can go to the forest for an all-you-can-eat buffet!” Pat

I turned my attention back to the butler at this point.

“So, anything from the interrogation?” Pat

“We tried, but they wouldn’t reveal anything.” Butler

“I can’t do all the interrogations myself, I can spend this one teaching you, are you up for it?” Pat

“Uh, well.
Do you really think I can handle your style?” Butler

“You’ll get used to it quicker than you’d expect.” Pat

My butler seems a bit apprehensive, but he can’t say no.

“Oh…” Spy

I heard a small sob from one of the spies.