I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 4: Banquet of Deadly Poison and the Man Who Won’t Bite ④

From here on, it was just wasted time. The poison had already begun taking effect in Lord Grien.

“Yo-u bwastard, what awre you saying…”

Just as he started to say this, Lord Grien suddenly covered his mouth.

“Whazz?!”

“Your speech is becoming slurred. Soon you won’t be able to walk. Finally you’ll lose consciousness and die. To ensure I finished you off, I had you drink ten times the lethal dose.”

While foaming at the mouth, Lord Grien clung to the back of his chair.

With bloodshot eyes, he looked around wildly, and then his gaze fixed on Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“Wh–whuhh… why’sh she all’right?!”

“Obviously. What kind of superior officer would make his cute subordinate drink poison? Ridiculous.”

I said this and began preparing to leave.

“Don’t forget the tableware we brought. I borrowed the best set from battalion headquarters. If I don’t return it, it’ll be deducted from my salary.”

“W-waishhh…”

While knocking over chairs with a clatter, Lord Grien glared at me with a desperate expression.

But it didn’t matter anymore. This guy was a dead man.

“There’s no antidote for that poison. You’ll have a short remaining life, but you’ll have the pleasure of thinking about why you lost.”

Lieutenant Meinen, I’ve avenged you.

I opened the door and called the soldier who had been waiting outside. This guy had been eavesdropping on what was happening inside. The information that there were House Grien informants among the rank and file seemed to be true.

“The execution has been carried out. Please call the military doctor to confirm the time of death.”

“Yes sir!”

The soldier saluted with a surprised face and immediately went down the stairs.

Lord Grien, who was being treated as a dead man, had his face bright red with anger, but he seemed to have no strength left in his body.

Being half-poisoned and suffering was the most pitiful state, so this way he could die easily. I had at least that much mercy.

I called out to the unsettled Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“Don’t worry, you didn’t consume any poison. Stop looking dazed. We’re on duty.”

“Y-yes! Lieutenant!”

She saluted crisply, then asked me anxiously.

“Is it really okay?”

“I’ll explain later. I won’t tell that gentleman over there.”

I grinned and turned my back on Lord Grien.

“If you meet Lieutenant Meinen in hell, tell him to pay his bar tab. He’s a scoundrel who made me cover the whole amount even though we promised to split it.”

“Y-You bwastardzz……!”

Lord Grien was now crawling on the floor, apparently having no strength left to move.

Soon the military doctor came running up the stairs, so I left the scene to him.

“Please take care of the rest.”

“Y-yes.”

The military doctor nodded with a tense expression and helped Lord Grien to his feet.

“I’ll witness your final moments. Come to the bed.”

“Am… am I r-really gonna… die…?”

You’re going to die. I killed you.

But it was a finished matter.

“Let’s go, Second Lieutenant Crimine.”

“Yes.”

We closed the door and decided to wait in another room until death was confirmed.

* * *

Lord Grien’s death was confirmed that evening. Since his heart wouldn’t stop even after he lost consciousness, it became quite late.

As unwelcome guests, we received the death certificate and promptly set out for home.

“I really didn’t eat any poison, right?”

Since Second Lieutenant Crimine was still worrying excessively on the way back, I smiled wryly.

“Of course not. There was no poison in those cookies.”

“Eh?!”

Second Lieutenant Crimine stopped in her tracks.

“W-wait a minute, Lieutenant! Then how did you poison him?!”

“Don’t you understand? What did he consume there—the cookies and tea, right?”

“Ahh?!”

Second Lieutenant Crimine’s eyes went round.

“Could it be the battalion’s poison tea leaves? That most convenient one?”

“A slightly quieter voice would be better, Second Lieutenant. There doesn’t seem to be a tail, but it’s better to be cautious.”

“S-sorry.”

Second Lieutenant Crimine chased after me while lowering her voice.

“But Lieutenant, isn’t that cheating?”

“I never said a word about the cookies containing poison. Since the duel method was to make the opponent drink poison, it’s his fault for not being wary of the tea.”

Strategists tend to drown in their own schemes, and he became obsessed with that obviously suspicious assortment of cookies.

There was probably also the fact that he had been looking down on our Ceremonial Battalion after the previous two battles. It was uncharacteristic of him to engage in such an honest, fair fight.

While remembering my friend’s smile, I suddenly stopped.

“Lord Grien in his prime would have easily seen through such a simple trick. He was apparently quite sharp. But age and fear of death dulled his judgment.”

“Um… what would have happened if he had seen through it?”

“I would have smiled wryly and challenged him to a different contest. Actually, I had prepared two more boxes. Traps that would almost certainly let me survive even if I failed.”

“That many?!”

Seeing the surprised Second Lieutenant Crimine, I smiled wryly.

“After all the trouble I went to in preparation, it was decided with just the first box. I feel like an idiot for requesting expenses for three boxes. The battalion commander is going to give me grief.”

The remaining two boxes cost a hell of a lot of money.

Second Lieutenant Crimine questioned me with great interest.

“By the way, what methods were…?”

“There’s a mushroom that only woodcutters and hunters know about. I hear it’s extremely delicious.”

It was a mushroom called [Hotei-shimeji] in my previous life. When I searched, I found similar ones existed in this world too.

“This mushroom is harmless, but if you drink alcohol with it, you get incredibly drunk. The alcohol is the real weapon. If I only took one sip while making Lord Grien drink more, he would collapse first. After that, it would be easy to finish him off.”

“That’s not something a human being would do. As expected of you, Lieutenant.”

That’s not a compliment, is it?

Second Lieutenant Crimine pressed further.

“And what was the other one?”

“If I tell you more, my reputation will drop even further, so I refuse.”

“That won’t happen! My evaluation of you, Lieutenant, is higher than anyone else’s!”

Really?

“Well, we need to get through the forest before sunset. Let’s hurry.”

“Wait, Lieutenant! What was the last one?”

“Try to guess.”

I started walking briskly with a mischievous smile.