Contrary to his fears, Kyle didn't kill anyone. When he saw the eerie, glittering blade, he (the protagonist) trembled, thinking Kyle was truly going to strike down three men with a single blow. Yet, Kyle managed to subdue the thieves using only the flat of his sword.
No, to be honest, it was more like utter domination.
―... (Hey....)
Kyle utterly ground the three men into the dust. Two of them instantly fainted from beatings clearly fueled by personal grudges, while the third fell to the ground, trembling like an aspen tree.
Apparently, Kyle hadn't allowed him to faint. He controlled his strength with ghostly precision as he continued to beat him… Was he venting his anger?
"Who sent you?" Kyle demanded, pressing his blade to the thief's throat. "Tell me the mastermind, and I'll spare your life."
"I, we're just, just looking for something to make a quick buck..."
"Worth some money, you say?"
It wasn't entirely wrong, but it was perplexing. The thieves had heard a rumor about a 'woman'—was their intention to abduct or assassinate her? But facing Kyle, they simply looked like utter fools. These were men who wouldn't hesitate to rob a weaker individual. What made them seem even more pathetic was their complete lack of a plan; they were purely impulsive. Compared to other nobles, the Grand Duke's chambers weren't as heavily guarded, which must have made them seem like an easy target.
"Did no one instigate the kidnapping of the demon beast?" Kyle asked grimly. "This is your last chance to speak."
"That, that, that's..." The thief managed to pull himself up and look at him (the protagonist). Don't look at me for help, you hamster thief.
"...Was it a demon beast?" That's right. They had heard a rumor that the Grand Duke had hidden a woman, but instead of a woman, they found a hamster—a hamster who had apparently forgotten all about almonds. They must have been utterly confused.
Kyle's eyes quickly scanned the study. Among the disorganized papers, a few concerned the administration of Blake's estate, and then there were the macadamias... My snack. At least, Kyle was convinced these men weren't professional or organized. He then raised his blade. The vicious momentum, threatening to slice the thief's throat at any moment, made him (the protagonist) nervous, let alone the actual thieves.
"That's it, it's a—" Thump. The masked man, who had just been getting to his feet, violently collapsed. Thanks to this, he (the protagonist), quietly tucked away in the corner of his house, jumped, startled.
No, he was surprised! Even if he had to fall, why right in front of his nose? He'd made eye contact with the fainting man!
"Cashews." Kyle reached into the hamster's house and carefully lifted him up. "Are you okay? You must have been very surprised."
―Taken.... (Hey....)
"Don't worry now. The festival is just around the corner, and they don't seem to be trained assassins, so I'll put them in a dungeon instead of killing them. Because of the guests coming from Hwangseong..."
Kyle nodded briefly. "Yes, everything should be quiet. I don't want anything troublesome to happen."
―Taken. (Not that.)
"When this important work is finished, I will dispose of them in the wilderness."
―Gee. (Because he knew.)
Can you put down your blade and tell me? Please, clean up the fallen men. What kind of mindset is it to fuss over a hamster without first cleaning up such a gruesome scene? No matter how much they say they are the current criminals of hamster theft.
―.... Perhaps it was because he had become a mouse, or perhaps his liver had shrunk to the size of a mouse's. His heart leaped at the slightest sound. 'He didn't know. In his original world, a kitchen knife was his only tool.'
A blade for slashing people or demons felt different from this daunting presence. To stand firm before such a fierce blade, one needed a truly strong heart. And all workers were weak. It wasn't because he was a coward.
"Your Highness!"
―Taken! (Mr. Wai!)
Suddenly, the door swung open, and armed guards rushed in. Apparently, they had rushed in at the sound of an intruder.
Are all people in the North so bold?! They'll break the door down!
The fur on his whole body stood on end at the loud noise. He quickly slipped out of Kyle's palm. It was a reflexive action. Perhaps the hamster's habits had truly taken hold, and his body was moving uncontrollably before he knew it. Regardless, he wanted to avoid loud noises and situations where so many people were staring at him. What could he do? His MBTI started with I.
"Cashews!" As Kyle nudged the fallen men with his foot, he jumped off the desk. After running about seven hundred laps on the wheel, this was a mere stepping stone.
He quickly scurried to the floor and went to the bottom of the bookcase. 'Because he was small, he could fit in this kind of place.' He felt comfortable, free from the gaze of people who looked terrifyingly big. Okay. If one wanted to take a break, one needed one's own space, complete with ceilings and walls.
"Let's all get out!" Wow, that voice was loud. He thought it shook the very foundations.
He crawled deeper and deeper into the darkness. It seemed difficult to clean in here, and a few lumps of dust hit his face.
"Hey, Your Highness?"
"Everyone should leave." Kyle's voice held a chill that was almost like death. If they didn't leave within ten seconds, he felt Kyle would start a sword dance.
The soldiers squeezed out all the strength they truly didn't have. In the blink of an eye, they dragged the fallen men away. Suddenly, the door closed, and it became quiet.
Kyle thought about it for a moment, then came closer to him. "Come out, Cashews. It's dangerous there."
No, think about it, the hamster house is more dangerous. Thieves broke into it an hour ago?
"Come on, I'll be here for a while." He whispered in a desperate voice.
Kyle's arm slipped in, but it wasn't enough to reach him in the depths. He touched Kyle's finger with his front paws and looked at his outstretched hand.
The five fingers groping the floor looked pathetic. So he placed something small from the corner into Kyle's hand. ... But why did he feel so comfortable here?
[Hamsters love dark places!]
A system window appeared in front of him. They were nocturnal animals, after all.
He watched the hand slip away with a soft agreement. Kyle was silent for a moment, but this time something else came rushing towards him.
―Taken! Squeak! (No, you madman!)
What Kyle held out was a blade. Of course, the blade was in its sheath, but as long as he knew what it was, it was natural to be terrified. Padduk! He shuddered and hid in a deeper corner. The dust that had been rolling around was sticking to his fur, and he was becoming a lump of dust.
"Please, come out, Cashews. I was wrong."
Was this the crazy Northern Archduke from earlier? What was he so desperate about?
"Shall we sleep together today? I have to wash him, and I'll do whatever you like. I won't leave you alone."
―.... He wasn't overwhelmed by the last words.
But, honestly, he was lonely. Apart from the hamster house, which was like a playground, the study was bigger than the studio he used to live in. Even a human would have felt it was large, but now he was a hamster, not even a handful...
Above all, it was true that Kyle's death was once foreseen in the novel. It had only been a few days, but he truly wanted to save Kyle, and not just because of the miracle progress. Besides, people who liked animals weren't bad people.
He stepped out from under the drawer, avoiding Kyle's blade. Kyle threw down his blade in apparent disgust and carefully hugged him.
"Well thought."
Wasn't that the ruthless Northern Archduke persona? If you looked at his face now, there wasn't a trace of it. The Northern Archduke was colder than anyone else, but he was warm to his hamster, right...?
Kyle dusted off his body and headed for the bathroom. Then he put warm water in the sink to wash him.
'Good....' It felt like he was in a hot spring. Should he put a towel on his head? But could he wash like this? Rodents shouldn't be bathed in water. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his body.
[Northern voles love water!]
Is that so? That's good.
After that, Kyle brushed his fur several times and laid him down on a cozy towel. It was a skillful hand, making him think Kyle had done it many times before.
He lay down as if he was getting a full body massage. He was a true hamster whisperer.
"It looks like he's falling asleep." He forced his eyes to close.
He wanted to enjoy this drowsiness a little more. Kyle kissed his stomach and headed to his bedroom. He quietly lay down by Kyle's bedside, enjoying the feel of the white towel wrapped like a swaddling cloth.
'Here it goes... ... heaven?' As he rolled over on the soft sheet, Kyle placed the treadmill beside him. What was this? What was this? Kyle probably thought he liked it and placed it there.
He looked at Kyle, then at the wheel, with a dumbfounded expression, and then kicked the running wheel with his foot. The pink running wheel was running smoothly, as if it had been greased with polish. ... What was this? Maybe it was because he was used to it, but he felt a little more stable.
"I'll be back for a while, so stay quiet. Cashews." Kyle stroked him with his index finger and walked out of the bedroom. Since there had been such a mess earlier, there must be quite a lot of work to be done right now.
'The Northern Grand Duke's job is not for everyone.' After all, it was overtime.
As he spun the wheel with his feet, he was awakened by a flashing thought. This was a great opportunity, wasn't it?
He quickly called the system and checked the number of laps left.
[787/1000]
'This was enough.'
Now he could do about 200 more laps while eating almonds. He quickly jumped on top and started spinning the wheel.
Druruk. Druruk. Drrr.
It had a sense of stability. He couldn't turn it any better than this anymore. It wasn't normal for the running wheel to be supported so firmly.
He was excited and spurred himself on.
[864/1000]
...
[958/1000]
...
[990/1000]
Finally, with 10 laps left.
"Cashews." The door opened and Kyle entered the room.
He quickly flew over the towel-covered sheet. He pretended that nothing had happened, acting like a poor hamster who had suffered a great deal.
Fortunately, Kyle confirmed that he was fine... He didn't seem to notice that the wheel was still spinning, or rather, he didn't see it because his eyes were full of him. Anyway, Kyle left a message that he was going to wash up and went into the bathroom.
He sighed deeply and looked at the spinning wheel. 'This had to stop for the count to go up.'
He sat in a daze and watched the frenzied wheel, and only when it stopped completely did he carefully climb back on.
[999/1000]
[1000/1000]
Finally, when the 1000 laps were completed, the system window flashed at the same time with a strange fanfare.
'What, what was it...?'
[You've learned 'Import'!]
[Miracle Numbers Increased!]
[Current miracle value 5.0%]
[Do you want to use 'Import'?]
'Now? Here? Could he use it...?' He pressed the [YES] button with his small paw.
Then, the same light emitted from the system window enveloped his body.