I had to resort to gestures, hand signs, and body language just to give Kyle a rough explanation of the Messenger of Love spell.
When I told him it was a type of communication magic, Kyle nodded as if he understood, but his expression still showed he was only halfway there.
“Doesn’t this thing come with a manual?! Give me a manual!”
Even when you buy an electronic device, they include an instruction manual, don’t they? They should hand one out with this too. Not that I ever actually read those manuals—I usually just tossed them aside—but surely someone would find it useful, right?
[Beginner’s Guide is being provided!]
Looks like it’s expensive enough to warrant some extra help since the system stepped in directly.
“Your Highness, a guide should pop up—”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Kyle had already drawn his sword.
That thing isn’t something you can just cut down, though… Not that I blame him. If some unknown window suddenly appeared in front of me, I’d be on edge too.
His expression was unnecessarily serious.
[இ௰இ]
“Calm down. It’s just a guide.”
“…….”
“Read it. It’ll come in handy when we’re apart.”
“…….”
Kyle still didn’t lower his guard completely, but at least he put his sword back in its sheath. Then, stiff as a board, he stared at the floating window for a long while.
“…Is this what it feels like when I talk to the system? This is weirdly unsettling.”
After about ten minutes had passed, I got bored of waiting. Figuring I should at least show an example, I decided to send a message.
[Your Highness. You’ve read the instructions, right? If you press the things in front of you, you can send a message.]
If I can get him to use this properly, I might even be able to communicate when I’m in hamster form! Finally, I’ll have something resembling basic rights!
Just then, a reply arrived.
[ㅁㅁ23ㅅ]
“…….”
……What the hell?
I frowned and stared at the bizarre string of characters Kyle had sent.
Peeking through the window, I caught a glimpse of him moving his arms in a deadly serious manner, as if he were facing some never-before-seen demonic beast.
That… that’s…
“The legendary eagle-typing method, huh.”
Watching someone like him fumble around like that… Honestly, it’s kind of cute.
[Your Highness.]
[0333]
What even is that?
Should I suggest to the system that they add an emoji feature or something? …No, wait. He can’t even use the basic functions properly yet—how’s he supposed to figure out emojis?
After what seemed like an eternity of painstaking effort, Kyle finally sent a message without any typos.
[Shu.]
It’s just one single character, but I still felt a wave of emotion. Well done, truly.
I swiped the messenger window away and took his hand, pulling him along.
“Keep practicing when you have time. For now, let’s go. The sun’s up, and we need to get through today’s schedule.”
“You seem awfully familiar with this.”
“Well, it’s similar to what I used in my world. It’s modern technology, basically.”
Kyle nodded with a vaguely puzzled look on his face.
“It’s going to take some time to get used to.”
“But you learn fast, so I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon.”
“Hmm.”
“After breakfast, I need to visit the lab. What about you, Your Highness?”
“It’d be best to investigate the Tower…”
After eavesdropping yesterday, I had managed to glean some vague information about the Tower Masters.
“The Hollow Soul,” “The Drowned,” “The Undertaker,” and even “The White Wraith.” They, the Emperor, and the Heart of Winter all seemed to be connected. That meant I had to find evidence of their involvement at the Tower.
As I was seriously pondering where to start digging for more information, stroking my chin in thought, Kyle shook his head and snapped me out of my contemplation.
“I’m going to look for an escape route.”
“……What?”
“It’s best to prepare for the worst. I’ll find and memorize the shortest routes leading outside from both the lab and our quarters. Also, I need to check if that bastard has trapped us here. If he has, then I need to figure out how to break out.”
Well, no matter how much information we gather, it won’t mean a thing if we can’t make it out safely. As expected, when it comes to survival strategies, there’s no beating him.
I nodded lightly to show I understood.
“If I have time left, I’ll search around the lab’s vicinity. That way, if anything happens to you, I can get there quickly.”
At his words, I quickly checked Kyle’s estimated time of death.
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. 2 days remaining until estimated time of death.]
……It decreased again.
But at least it’s not today, which means today’s plan is safe to proceed.
With a serious expression, I responded,
“If the plan changes, you have to tell me. If I’m not with you, at least send a signal through the Messenger. Got it? I need to know whether or not you’re in danger.”
As Kyle led me toward the dining hall, he suddenly asked in a curious tone,
“Can you really check that kind of thing in real time? It seems less like you’re predicting the future and more like you’re checking a report.”
“Ah, well…….”
Shit.
I shut my mouth, realizing I had said too much.
Just then, Nox, who had been waiting for us in the dining hall, walked over and pulled out a chair for me.
“What’s the topic of conversation that has you two so engrossed?”
Why’s he being so damn considerate?
Instead of sitting, I guided Kyle into the chair first before taking the seat beside him.
“Couples enjoy themselves no matter what they do. Not that you’d know, being eternally single.”
“I’m married to magic.”
“Must be nice to have a partner.”
Now then, what will we be discussing today?
He’s definitely going to try extracting as much information as possible from me, especially after what I did yesterday.
We’re not exactly on friendly terms without reason, after all. The weight of that fact was pressing down on me.
To gain precise, useful intel—particularly something beneficial to the North—I’d have to reveal secrets of my own.
The problem was, I didn’t really have any grand schemes to speak of, so the information I could share was rather limited……
“As long as they don’t find out about my Deviation Interference rate, it should be fine.”
I let out a deep sigh.
My mouth felt as dry as if I’d been chewing on sand.
Though my body had recovered from fatigue, the constant mental exhaustion must’ve taken its toll—I had no appetite at all.
“Shu. You’re not hungry?”
“Yeah, a bit… I mean, just….”
Mumbling a half-hearted response, I shifted my gaze to the food in front of me.
I always think this, but calling this a breakfast is misleading—it’s practically a feast.
There probably wasn’t a single living person here who actually prepared it, yet somehow, all this extravagant food appeared every morning.
And for a breakfast, the dishes were way too rich.
Back in my world, I would just grab some cereal, almond milk, or an energy bar. Even in the North, I only ever had a bit of warm stew at most.
“You’re not eating enough, that’s why you keep losing weight.”
Kyle stood up, walked over to me, and, leaning down slightly, gently took hold of my elbow.
He guided my arm up onto the table and then placed a fork into my hand, spearing a piece of food with it.
It was, at least, one of the milder ingredients on the plate.
……Fine. Since he went through the trouble, I guess I’ll eat it.
I grumbled internally, but in the end, I gave in and took a bite.
Seeing that, Kyle let out a quiet, pleased chuckle.
Nox, who had been watching us the whole time with a broad smile, swirled the deep blue liquid in his glass and spoke in a jovial tone.
“How sweet. The Grand Duke is quite the devoted man.”
Without a single change in expression, Kyle calmly responded,
“Naturally. But only to one person.”
“Then losing them would be a disaster.”
“Which is why I’ll protect them—no matter what it takes.”
“How amusing.”
Nox narrowed his eyes as he let out a soft chuckle.
“Watching you cling so desperately makes me want to steal him away even more.”
I couldn’t just sit back and listen to this nonsense any longer.
“That’s a terrible habit, you know. A terrible habit. Why mess with people who are doing just fine on their own? Ugh, whatever. I’ve eaten enough, so let’s head to the lab. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest.”
“You do look thinner. I swear, your face looks even more hollow than when we first met, kid.”
“And whose fault do you think that is? Yours, obviously. If you’d stop making my life difficult, I’d live a long and happy life.”
Grumbling, I shot back at him before briefly taking Kyle’s hand and letting go.
“……If something happens, you know what to do. No exceptions.”
Kyle gave me a soft smile before pressing his lips firmly against my forehead.
“I know.”
***
“Actually, I’m a hamster.”
“…….”
I just blurted it out.
Honestly, this was probably the biggest secret I had.
And the more shocking the revelation, the more compelled Nox would be to balance the scales by sharing one of his own.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Never seen a hamster before?”
“You’re not a hamster right now, though.”
“Technically, I’m a northern field mouse. When I was younger, there wasn’t much difference between us and hamsters. This is just a transformed human form. It’s like magic, in a way.”
“Magic, huh….”
Nox circled around the lab table where I was perched, deep in thought.
Every now and then, he cast me a gaze filled with curiosity.
“So, when you first arrived in this world, you were a hamster?”
“If you want to be specific, yeah. But since I can turn into a human, it’s not like it was that inconvenient.”
I deliberately left out details like the time limit on my transformation or how that restriction had loosened after coming to the Tower.
There was no need to hand over information that could be used against me.
As long as he knew I was a hamster, that was enough.
“I’d like to see it.”
“I decline. Respect my basic rights, please.”
“Why would a hamster have rights?”
“Because, unfortunately for me, I used to be human.”
“Ahahaha.”
Nox burst into loud laughter.
He looked genuinely entertained.
Was that funny to you, you damn wizard?
“I expected a shrinking spell or some kind of transformation magic, but out of all possible creatures, a hamster? No, a northern field mouse? Pfft— Hahaha. You mean the ones that are so weak they’re constantly on the verge of extinction?”
“Can you please stop calling me a mouse? That’s extremely rude to the mouse in question.”
“But you just said you were a person.”
“Well, I am a mouse sometimes.”
Nox stared at me, unimpressed.
What? What.
It can go either way, okay? It’s up to me. You got a problem with that?
Then, with a shrug, Nox finally dropped his own secret.
“I can control anything that has a heart.”
“The Heart of Winter… is that what you mean?”
“I have no idea where you even heard that term, but yeah. The more perfectly made a heart is, the less it can resist my command.”
Then, as if bestowing a great favor upon me, he added,
“And I plan to gift it to Lorenz Serena Meinhardt.”
