My Useless Tamer Skill Tamed the Emperor novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Search

The captain came back at noon with twenty men and an order sealed in red wax.

"Search the tower," he said.

Hinata stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"For what?"

"A man."

"Which man?"

"The night watch saw a man at your window after dark." The captain's face was blotchy, and he kept touching the empty loop on his belt. "And my spare key is gone. If either one is in this tower, I will find it."

"You're welcome to look."

He pushed past her.

Soldiers poured in behind him and tore the tower apart.

They turned over the cot, slit the mattress, shook out the blankets and ripped the tack box open.

They pulled out the leather strap with the brass buckle and held it up.

"What's this?"

"A bridle strap," said Hinata. "I'm a tamer. I have a lot of tack."

The captain squinted at it.

He sniffed it, and for a moment his lip curled.

Then he flung it down.

Sumi had been lying quietly in the corner through all of this, watching, with his chin on his paws.

When the captain moved toward the little iron stove, he stood up.

The soldiers froze.

The panther walked across the room with his tail low.

He lay down in front of the stove, all two hundred and seventy kilos of him, and looked at the captain through half-closed eyes.

Hinata's mouth went dry.

The spare key was wrapped in a rag behind the loose brick at the back of that stove.

She'd hidden it that morning.

She hadn't told him.

"Move it," said the captain.

"He doesn't like being moved," said Hinata. "He's sulking. You've wrecked his bed."

"Move it, or I will have it moved with spears."

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