[We have entered the realm of abnormality.]
[We are looking for an appropriate figure due to inappropriate intervention...]
[Quests will not be granted while the intervention exists. Shop usage and number values can be checked.]
[Good luck! (ෆ꒳´ෆ)]`
I sat on Kyle's palm and looked down from the system window, then surveyed the spacious room. The room we were to stay in was so vast that I thought it occupied half of that floor. It seemed to double as a study with bookshelves on both sides, a living room, and a bedroom with a fireplace. The entire space was well-maintained, yet it felt as if no one had stayed there often.
'It looks like a well-decorated studio. No, it's more like a model home?'
It wasn't until Kyle entered the room that he carefully examined my complexion, looked at my earplugs, and seemed a little furious.
"Is this?"
— Jijik. (Why?)
"... When did you get it?"
— Chii. Steam. (I bought it on the way here.)
"Shockingly cute..."
Kyle looked at me with an eager gaze that seemed about to kiss me. Of course, as soon as he got close, I slapped him on the lip.
Do you want to come this far and tremble? Be patient, somewhat!
— Take! (Come to your senses!)
He lowered his eyes and smiled, as if he understood my dissatisfaction. "You are so cute, I can't help it. So that you don't have to worry. Even if it's like this, if you have the courage to go outside, you can listen quickly..."
Kyle's expression darkened as he seemed afraid to speak. He quickly pulled me to his chest and squeezed the handle of his sword.
Knock.
The sound of a pulseless knock on the door broke the thin silence. The person behind the door knocked and said nothing. Kyle also quickly picked up his sword, but he didn't open the door first.
"Who is it?"
The door rang again. Knock. It was a little more relaxed and smaller than before. Feeling kind of eerie, I lowered myself and fell face down on Kyle's palm.
Kyle, who was thinking about something, seemed to think of something similar to me. He sighed. Apparently, Knox had said earlier, 'I'm sending a servant.'
"Let them in."
When Kyle's order was issued, the door opened. Two pale women in white shirts and long black skirts walked slowly in. In their hands, they carried clean cloths, a bowl and a kettle with ice, as well as firewood and various castle necessities.
The servants said nothing. They just looked hunched over, but without any discernible reason, they placed the items they brought on the table and left without looking back.
I stared at them. Their gait was awkward, like wooden dolls with stiff joints, and their eyes were unfocused. Moreover, they were dressed too thinly for this castle, and their exposed skin had no blood color at all. Above all, the blue light that leaked out through their shirts. The softly spreading light must have come from the part where their hearts were located.
'Are they all dead?'
This time, Kyle expressed the same opinion as me. He looked at the items and muttered softly. "I don't feel any life at all."
Kyle remained stiff until the servants closed the door and moved completely away from the room. Then, he looked at the items with suspicious eyes. They were trivial items. The people who brought them were suspicious, but there was no fault in the items themselves. Moreover, they were just necessary for the current situation.
After thinking for a moment, Kyle laid a handkerchief on the rug and put me down on it. After asking me to stay quiet, he brought firewood, put it in the fireplace, and started a fire. It felt like the chill in the room was gradually dissipating.
He put ice cubes in the kettle and brought them to a boil. From a small cupboard, he took out a glass and a small spoon, then took the warm water, scooped it up little by little, and held it out to me.
"Your body must have frozen. Drink it."
I had earplugs, so it wasn't very cold from the middle. He was the one who was truly cold. Even now, the tips of his ears were reddish. However, I didn't think he would back down until I drank warm water. I sighed, took the water Kyle gave him, and drank it. It was just right because it was blown on and cooled down.
"Just a little more."
(Is it just me?)
"After melting your body, I will drink it too. Hurry up."
Every time I drank water, Kyle looked at me with a look that seemed about to die of loveliness, and with his index finger, he gently stroked my forehead.
Hey, there's a person in a hamster. He is also a mature man in his twenties.
But Kyle's kindness and tenderness towards me weren't bad, so I obediently did exactly what he told me to do. After sharing water, we prepared to go to sleep. Before I knew it, the night was getting deeper.
Kyle, who carefully opened the curtains on the large window, carefully examined the fire in the fireplace, and then placed me in the center of the bed. He didn't forget to cover me with a blanket. Then he sat on the floor next to me and leaned back with his sword lightly hugged.
'This is your posture again...'
It was the same in the Imperial Castle. When the same situation unfolded then, my heart was complicated. But there was one thing that was different between then and now.
(I'm by your side.)
Did Kyle understand what I was saying, or did he not? When I saw that faint smile appear on his beautiful face... maybe, without knowing it, he too had a knack for understanding hamsters. It may be unknowing.
I slept soundly under his cover, and before I knew it, I realized that morning had come, and I slowly lifted my heavy eyes. I didn't even dream and I think I've slept soundly, but my body felt strangely sluggish.
'No matter how much I opened the fireplace, is it because it's cold...'
I grunted and 'called'. As the bed tilted, I closed my eyes. Kyle turned his head slightly.
"Shu."
"Your Highness, please get a good night's rest..."
Shirts and pants, which are basic clothes when 'fetching', were too thin to wear in this room. I shuddered, and Kyle let go of his sword and turned to pull me into his arms. He skillfully pulled the blanket with his arms, wrapped it around him, and hugged him without a break.
"I slept a little."
"I really slept a little."
"I'm worried about you. My clothes are too thin."
"Yes. I was going to ask her to make me a few more warm clothes. Let's get some rings later."
"Yes."
I didn't know what the 'realm of abnormality' the system was talking about, but as soon as I became a human, I realized it. The stigma of being influenced by Knox kept coming up with pain that could not be ignored. I tried to keep it hidden as much as possible, but it was impossible to deceive Kyle's eyes. He stiffened his face and put his hand on my shoulder, letting his magic flow quite familiarly.
"Be patient. I'll tell the wizard to release you soon."
"That's how it should be. I think I'm particularly sick today."
"I wish I had been sick instead..."
"What are you talking about? If something happens, you have to fight. Save your magic power for two years. You don't know when or where you're going to fight."
Kyle nodded with a look of apology, then took off his cloak and wrapped it around me. Due to the height difference, the heavy cloak was slightly dragged to the floor, but it was warm and more comforting to hold on to.
I stared at his face and tilted my head slightly. This kind of idle contemplation, I knew in my head, wasn't the time to do anything, but I just found him so lovely. So, the moment I was about to kiss him...
Grumble.
"..."
It's like an innocuous camouflage!
My face turned bright red. No, no matter what. How could my stomach rumble so loudly exactly one second before a kiss? Crossing life and rat life, like human rights, I became an eight-legged person who gave me a dog...
"Fufu."
Fortunately, His Highness the Grand Duke's good humor did not waver even in this situation.
"Yes, I haven't eaten much proper food since yesterday, so I'm hungry. Let's go out to eat something."
"... Yes."
Did he feel a sense of regret in my voice? Kyle bowed his head and lightly kissed me on the cheek. The warm yet smooth breath touched the edge of my jaw and seeped in, making my heart ache as it warmed the spot.
"Let's go."
When I opened the door, I saw two servants standing a few steps away. Yes, they were the servants who had brought my things. They saw that we had appeared, and then they climbed ahead, their heads down. Without any conversation, they just walked ahead.
Tap, tap, tap.
Following that unnatural gait and climbing up one floor, I came to a spacious restaurant. As if waiting for us to come, Knox waved his hand lightly at the end of the long table. It was as if he were meeting an old friend.
"Didn't you get any bad luck the night before? Both of you."
"Yes, well, thanks to you who didn't do anything special."
Knox's light gesture caused the servants to withdraw. Soon, a white cart full of food was dragged in. It was hot food carried by people who had no life. Where on earth did that food come from? I guess it was me. It was full of strange things, but I didn't even have the energy to bet on it.
The food was served for three people, but I waited for a while.
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. 34 days left from the estimated time of death.]
Good. It doesn't seem to be poisoned.
I nodded, and Kyle took a bite of the food as a test. His tray, which was confirmed to be non-poisonous, was replaced with mine. Knox was not upset that he was being suspected. He just looked at us with excitement.
I cut the chicken cutlets with a new fork. It was as if it was made after it was made. As if it was the first time I had seen it, there was not a single scratch on the tableware. The smooth plates and glasses, so clean they reflected my face, felt like props used for childhood play.
Dead people with blue breasts were watching us, and the meal was delicious. And Knox was smiling the whole time.
That's how the first morning at the Mage Tower began.