Kyle stuffed me into his coat and began weaving through the storage room and the packed seating area. I peeked my head out and watched as he rummaged through the inside of a box tucked away in the lower shelves. Dust that had settled there for ages scattered into the air, illuminated by the dim northern light. Naturally, I blinked my eyes against it.
Still, dust was dust, and while it wasn’t much of a concern, the sheer amount of it irritated my nose enough to make me rub at it.
Kyle pulled out my old hamster cage from the storage room. Holding it under his arm, he lifted me up and examined me closely, his face sporting an expression as if he had just discovered some great and mysterious relic. The old cage had turned a bright, unnatural shade of yellow from aging. The gold bars reflected the ambient lighting, giving them a deceptive luster.
‘Right. This bastard…’
I recalled my first impression of Kyle. Back then, I had thought he was nothing more than a lunatic obsessed with keeping me as a pet.
I kept my eyes open, raised a fist, and lightly pounded against his body.
— Smack. Smack. (Speak honestly. You missed me when I turned human again, didn’t you?)
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Let’s go back. You’re covered in dust. I’ll clean you up first.”
— Smack! (I’m gonna die from this!)
“You’re exaggerating.”
Kyle chuckled lowly and left the storage room.
Though the clothes he wore had turned almost gray from accumulated dust, he didn’t seem to care in the slightest. If anything, he looked more concerned about properly handling my old cage.
‘Seriously, the level of indifference this guy has is off the charts.’
After putting everything back in place, Kyle returned and effortlessly perched me atop a pile of books stacked on a desk.
I leaned against the thick stack, watching as he meticulously wiped down my old hamster cage.
— Smack. (Just shut up and do it.)
“Almost done.”
— Sigh. (Finally.)
“There, all done.”
My eyes were completely glazed over by that point.
I followed Kyle like a baby chick following its mother, trudging along until he finally placed me inside the hamster cage. I sat there with a blank expression, staring at nothing in particular.
Well, what could I do? Even if I had reverted to my small body, it wasn’t like I had any grand ambitions in mind.
“Here, Shu. Look at this. It’s your running wheel. You used to love this thing.”
A small fragment of nostalgia stirred within me. The very thing I had once spun on like an idiot after returning to human form was now right in front of me again.
“See? This too. Remember how you used to shake this bell so enthusiastically?”
— ……
“There’s even a sand bath. You were so chubby back then that you barely fit in the tunnel.”
— Tsk… (Fucking hell…)
It was a memory I would have rather erased.
I sat inside the cage as Kyle gently shook it with his hand, then stretched out my legs, my expression sullen.
He admired me as if he had just unearthed some precious treasure, showering me with praise and delight. Part of me wanted to scoff at the ridiculous display—who the hell gets this emotional over a hamster?
But, well… after a moment, I got a little caught up in it myself. I ran a few rounds on the wheel and even rolled around in the sand bath.
The knock at the door came just as I was finishing my fifth round in the sand.
“Your Highness, the imperial couple will be arriving soon.”
“Oh.”
Kyle gave a short reply and withdrew his hands from the hamster cage. I pressed up against the transparent walls, listening in on the conversation between him and his servant.
“Is everything ready for the banquet?”
“Yes. Everything is proceeding without issue.”
“What about the high nobles?”
“The pests have been removed.”
“Hmm.”
Kyle nodded in satisfaction.
I had no idea what had gone down, but judging by the servant’s phrasing, it sounded like the unwanted high nobles had been completely tossed out, courtesy of Kyle himself. Not that I particularly cared to see them either.
“Shu.”
Kyle bent down and scooped me up, cradling me in his hands. I lifted my head slightly, meeting his gaze.
“There’s something I need to take care of. I’ll be back soon. It might get a little noisy, but bear with it. I’ll make it quick.”
With that, he gently placed me back inside the hamster cage, pressing his face close to the entrance as if to say goodbye.
I could guess his intention—it was probably supposed to be a warm, affectionate gesture.
So, naturally, I kicked him in the face.
— Smack! Smack! (I’m not your mom! Don’t just shove your face in like that!)
Thankfully, Kyle seemed to understand the meaning behind my tiny foot strike. He pulled away, his expression a mix of disappointment and resignation.
“Still as prickly as ever.”
That one little remark somehow made me feel guilty.
As always, his knights were waiting for him outside. His side profile, illuminated by the corridor light, was unshakably composed and unwavering. It was the face of someone who had shouldered great responsibilities for a long time.
‘Honestly, if he weren’t such a hardcore hamster otaku, he’d be damn near perfect.’
Then again, it’s not like I had any complaints. If someone’s going to be too perfect, they might as well have a flaw that makes them a little more human. In this case, that flaw happened to be his bizarre obsession with me.
As I curled my tail and idly groomed myself, Kyle and his servant left the room.
The door clicked shut behind them, and silence filled the space once more.
I sat in the cage, rolling a peanut between my paws, reflecting on everything that had led to this moment.
It had been about a month since I decided to stay here.
The season was winter, and the calendar marked December. In Blake’s territory, winter meant the grand banquet was approaching, which was also why Belial and his wife had come to the estate.
Ah, right. Belial and Sen are married now. With the capital in chaos, they hadn’t held a formal ceremony, but Sen mentioned in her letter that they had made their vows.
She also wrote that Belial occasionally lashed out at his subordinates, but since he still got his job done well, it didn’t seem to be an issue.
More than anything, considering how little time had passed since the emperor’s death, swift stabilization was crucial. A firm grip on power was necessary, and fortunately, that was what Belial excelled at.
However, the one currently sitting on the imperial throne was Belial’s uncle. This was partly because Belial’s body hadn’t fully recovered and partly because if he ascended the throne too suddenly, it could trigger political unrest.
‘Well, either way, Belial will take over soon enough.’
When that time came, I’d make sure to take my fair share from the capital. After everything we had done, it was only right.
Thinking about it, my ties with Belial, Sen, Kyle, and the others had lasted a long time. Back at the first grand banquet, I never imagined I’d become so entangled with them.
I had once thought of Belial as nothing more than an enemy, yet now, he had become the strongest ally of the North.
— Tsk. (This is no time to be worrying about that.)
Kyle was making new plans.
He had mentioned that once winter passed, he intended to push further north. His goal was to seize the Ice Tower and, beyond that, suppress the remaining mage factions in the region to expand his influence.
He hadn’t completely ruled out coexistence, but given how the northern mages constantly sought to invade the territory, the final decision after long discussions was to push them even further north. The safety of his land was the top priority.
Because of this, the Blake knights were undergoing harsh training while also managing the ongoing castle restoration. Kyle himself was personally inspecting the territory while making time to wield his sword.
At the same time, I had been assisting with reports on the Drowned Corpse, Hollow Wraith, and Undertaker. Looking back, Kyle barely had any time to rest.
‘Guess I should help out a little.’
Even in a hamster’s body, there were things I could do.
Sure, my body was an animal’s, but my mind was still human. Reading documents, letters, and scribbling out signatures was nothing for a hamster veteran like me—it was as easy as cracking open a sunflower seed.
I hopped off the swing and effortlessly climbed out of the hamster cage. At this point, scaling glass walls was no challenge for me.
‘Just wait. People will have no choice but to admire the fact that Kyle’s lover is this competent.’
— Tsk. (Let’s see now.)
I crawled onto Kyle’s desk and scanned the documents spread across it. The letters looked twice as big as usual, but reading them wasn’t an issue.
“There are supply issues with the materials needed for repairing the fortress walls.”
Kyle had mentioned this before.
Naturally, it was approved.
I balanced the quill on my back like a pack and marched toward the signature line.
Then, wiggling my hips, I began writing his name.
It was an absolutely magnificent signature.
That is—until ink came pouring down onto it.
“………”
Less than ten minutes after picking up the pen, I stared at the disaster that was now Kyle’s desk, smiling faintly.
I’m screwed!
What’s the point of having human intelligence when my body is still an animal? My body! Why did I have to swing the pen around like that after signing properly? I may be the size of a rodent now, but my strength was still absurd.
First things first—I needed to clean up. The inkwell had tipped over, and black ink was now spilling out, threatening to ruin the other documents.
Dragging my feet, I trudged over to grab something to wipe it up with. This whole situation made me feel like a kid who had broken a plate while their parents were out.
But, of course, things didn’t go as planned.
My hands were too small to properly grip the handkerchief and wipe up the ink. Worse yet, my back paws had apparently stepped in it, leaving a trail of tiny footprints wherever I walked. To top it all off, black stains had started to seep into my fur.
This is bad!
Panicking, I tried to shove the documents out of harm’s way—only for an entire stack of papers to slide off the desk and crash onto the floor.
Nothing was going right.
— Screeeeeech! (Systeeeem!)
Give me back my human rights!
Hurry!
