The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

He thought he had to protect him.

Of course, it was because he liked him. That was true. It was also because he was weak. That was true as well. No matter where he came from or when he planned to return, the fact remained that he was now a person of the Blake territory, someone Kyle cherished.

That was why, even when he faced a situation where his shoulder could be pierced through, Kyle Blake did not step aside.

The reason was simple. Because he shouldn’t. He didn’t even need to adjust his grip on his sword—just leaping back would have been enough to avoid injury to his shoulder or neck.

But the result would be devastating.

The monstrous bird was folding its wings and diving straight down. At the end of its trajectory were Shu and Sen. Neither of them were experienced in battle. They would undoubtedly be injured.

Kyle couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen.

‘I can take responsibility for at least your life.’

No, he had to take responsibility.

Kyle was someone who understood duty. And Shu had stepped into this deadly situation for no one’s sake but his own.

So he had to protect him.

That much was already decided before they had even entered the forest. In fact, he found a strange sense of satisfaction in this responsibility.

He would sacrifice his shoulder to save Shu’s life.

Kyle shifted his weight slightly and thrust his left shoulder forward. He couldn’t block the attack with his sword, but if this was all he had to endure, it was a worthwhile trade.

However, the expected injury never came. His body was unharmed. Instead, it was the eagle that had been wounded.

A burst of blue light exploded at close range. It happened without any warning.

The monstrous bird was struck violently and sent flying before it could even let out a proper scream. Belial swiftly put an end to its life. Using the information Shu had provided in advance, he sliced cleanly through the core—located from the tail feathers to the heart—with his sword.

Wuuuuung.

Kyle suddenly felt a strange energy pulsing from his wrist. He lifted his free arm.

‘Just carry one with you as a charm. It looks similar to my bracelet, doesn’t it?’

It was the bracelet Shu had given him. A simple leather strap with a small blue gemstone. The gem was glowing, reacting to something.

“…Hah.”

He didn’t even need to ask. He already knew. This had to be that guy’s doing.

It was always like this. Beyond surprising—it was downright absurd. At the end of every unbelievable, ridiculous incident, Shu was always there.

So this time, too, it had to be him. He had somehow pinpointed the core’s location, even though it varied among creatures. And now, he had blocked an attack that was meant for Kyle. As if that wasn’t enough, he had already slipped away and hidden himself.

Truly, it was nothing short of a miracle.

“Where did he run off to this time?”

What would a clever Shu do?

Kyle, feeling rather amused, began to guess his intentions.

Shu had definitely realized that Kyle was fighting to protect him. And he would have taken great care not to become a liability.

‘That means… he must have turned back into a hamster.’

Kyle nodded to himself.

If he used his bow, he might accidentally hit an ally, so he wouldn’t intervene recklessly. Instead, he would hide his own body—his greatest weakness—and wait for the battle to end. A smaller form was easier to conceal, so there was no reason for him to stay human.

Still, he wouldn’t have gone far. Shu treated Kyle’s safety as if it were his own life. He would be hidden somewhere safe—close enough to intervene, yet not in the way.

That meant…

“Shu, come here.”

Kyle knelt down on one knee in the overgrown grass and held out his palm.

Sure enough, from amidst the blades of grass, his little companion peeked out. His blue eyes shimmered as he looked up at him.

—Chik.

Kyle couldn’t understand what he was saying. But there was no hesitation in his response.

“It’s fine now. The sun will set soon. Let’s go rest.”

And so, the tiny life he had sworn to protect with all his heart crawled into his hand.

***

A day passed in the forest.

One unusual thing was that Kyle spent the night camping in a tree. He didn’t light a fire or lay out a sleeping bag. Instead, he told Shu that it would be better for him to stay in his hamster form overnight, as it would be more comfortable.

[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time of death: approximately 161 days remaining.]

[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time of death: approximately 1 day remaining.]

Kyle sat perched on a tree branch, sword in hand, dozing lightly. If he had tied himself down with a rope, he could have slept more deeply, but that would hinder his ability to react to an ambush.

From inside his front pocket, I tilted my head and asked.

—Chik. (Is this really a safer way?)

Of course, he couldn’t understand my words, but he seemed to grasp the emotion behind them.

Kyle spoke in a low voice.

“Lorenz will definitely attack at night. He’ll assume we’ve stopped to rest since we’re exhausted from hunting the beasts. Especially since you and Sen aren’t experienced in combat.”

—Chik. (You’re right.)

“This isn’t the time to stay grouped together. It’s no different from serving ourselves up as easy targets. It’s better to regroup once morning comes.”

Now that I thought about it, that made sense. When I nodded in agreement, Kyle gave a faint smile and continued speaking.

“There’s no better time to cut someone’s throat than when their guard is down. Starting tomorrow, they’ll set up traps throughout the forest and just wait for us to walk into them.”

—…

“The method doesn’t matter. As long as they kill us, that’s enough.”

His words sent a chill down my spine.

Power makes people cruel. No, it simply forces them to be honest about their true nature. Even siblings, born of the same parents and raised together all their lives, were no exception.

Was it better to die of starvation or to gorge yourself on something far too large, letting your stomach burst instead? Humans were still difficult for me to understand. And frankly, I didn’t want to. What was the point of understanding a villain’s perspective?

I wouldn’t live by instinct alone.

The difference between humans and beasts, in the end, was that humans chose to remember values they wished to protect or achieve, even if it meant suppressing their instincts and desires.

That’s why—I wanted Kyle to win. Not Belial. Not Lorenz. Just Kyle.

Because at the very least, he was doing his best to survive. And he wouldn’t forget what it meant to protect something as a human.

—Chii… (How did it come to this…?)

Yeah. I really didn’t know when I started to care so much about this.

Kyle must have mistaken my sigh for exhaustion.

“Get some sleep.”

His voice was gentle.

“I’ll keep watch.”

It was strange. At those words, the tension I had honed to a sharp edge unraveled. I found myself leaning against him.

His steady heartbeat. His warmth. The unfiltered kindness in his voice. It all felt so reassuring.

‘Well, I should sleep anyway.’

I had to help him again tomorrow. Not just standing idly by, but guiding him to the enemy’s weak points and protecting him when necessary. That alone was enough to make me feel motivated.

My eyelids grew heavier. As I gave in to sleep and burrowed into his warmth—

“Wait.”

The peaceful atmosphere shattered in an instant.

Kyle swiftly set me down on the tree branch and whispered urgently,

“Do not move from here.”

Then, gripping his sword, he leapt down from the tree.

Kyle immediately called for the knights who had been standing by nearby. Within moments, two knights emerged, drawing their swords and positioning themselves at his sides.

The air grew suffocatingly thick with bloodlust.

They stood firm, refusing to let even an ant slip through, as they slowly approached the thicket where they had sensed movement. Their intent was clear—whatever was in there, they would cut it down without hesitation.

And then, from the pitch-black darkness, something emerged.

“……”

Kyle’s eyes flashed, and his sword slashed through the air. But at the same time, the other party swung a long blade, and the sharp clang of metal colliding rang out.

A sword.

That meant the figure in the darkness was not a beast or a monster.

“Step out.”

Kyle’s voice was chilling.

Instead of a reply, a silhouette walked forward from the shadows. As pale moonlight spilled over him…

“Prince Belial.”

Kyle didn’t bother to hide his hostility. His clenched teeth ground audibly.

One after another, more figures appeared—Belial, his three personal knights, and finally, Sen, holding a dagger at the ready.

“You couldn’t even wait a single day before coming to stab me in the back?” Kyle sneered.

“…Hah. The way you snatch my words right out of my mouth is almost impressive.” Belial scoffed, his voice dripping with venom. “Then again, if you and I both perish here, who stands to gain the most? Looks like I placed my trust in a beast.”

Belial’s knights pressed closer to him, their killing intent flaring to match the Blake knights’ aggression.

In the blink of an eye, allies had turned their blades against each other.

I stared at Sen, slightly taken aback. I had expected her to step in and stop this. But instead, she wore the most resolute expression of all.

“Why did you try to ambush us?” she demanded.

“We did no such thing,” Kyle growled.

“We never left this area. What exactly do we stand to gain from betraying you in this situation?”

“Mutual destruction.”

“You’re only half right. So? What’s your proof that we attacked you?”

“A small blade was thrown from this direction. It carried killing intent—so strong that even a seven-year-old could tell.”

“So you assumed it was us?”

“No. To be precise, we were tracking the attacker when we ran into you.”

Kyle’s gaze flickered between Belial, Sen, and the three knights surrounding them protectively.

He took a moment to count their numbers.

Then, realization dawned in his eyes. His voice was grim.

“…Idiots.”

“……”

“A wounded man.”

Kyle’s voice trembled with anger and despair.

“The knight who injured his shoulder in battle earlier—where is he?”