The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

A Hamster Without Clothes Goes a Thousand Miles (1)

[‘Summon’ can be used once a day starting from 00:00.]

[Currently, the duration of ‘Summon’ is 30 minutes.]

[The location of ‘Summon’ is not specified, so it is automatically assigned to the nearest location.]

[Good luck! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ)]

My vision went dark for a moment, but it quickly returned.

I had a slight headache, but it was a relief that it was only for a short amount of time. …The problem was that that was the only thing I could think of as a relief.

As expected, ‘Summon’ was a skill for turning human. According to the information provided by the system, there was a time limit of 30 minutes, and it could only be used once a day.

It didn’t matter anyway.

The real problem was different.

“…”

I looked down at my body in disbelief.

“Insane…”

There was nothing.

I had no clothes on.

I was currently completely naked.

This was insane. Truly insane. God, how could you…

[๑‘͡o_‘͡o๑;;]

At that moment, I felt a presence without even having the time to think about anything.

Click—

Have you ever felt so frightened by the sound of a bathroom door opening? For 30 seconds, stiff and rigid, I thought about everything a human being could do.

And there was only one conclusion I came to.

‘Run.’

If I got caught here, it was over. I didn’t want to die as an unidentified pervert who fearlessly invaded the study of the grand duke without even having underwear on.

I wasn’t just a suspicious person, I was a suspicious pervert! I was more unfortunate than in my previous life. Beyond feeling miserable, I felt humiliated. I’d rather be a hamster.

‘…Clothes! Where are my clothes?!’

I forced my arm through a black shirt I found hanging from a chair and hurriedly got out of the study. It didn’t even cross my mind to take pants. And in the first place, it seemed that the size was too big.

…But really, how could you not give me a set of clothes!

“Guards!”

Some time later, Kyle’s shout was heard from inside the study. I ran as much as I could, the hem of my shirt flapping. It was the first time in my life that I had run so hard.

“Ha, hah…”

I gulped down deep breaths and pressed myself close to the curved hallway.

At the rate things were going, you should’ve let me possess a chameleon or a cheetah! Making me run on that damn hamster wheel so many damn times, was that all practice for this moment?!

I called the system and vented out my anger, but soon the guards came from the opposite corridor. I looked up just in time to see Kyle leaving the room.

“It’s gone.”

His voice was so cold that it sounded eerie. If you senselessly asked about what was gone, it wouldn’t be strange even if he said ‘your life’ and neatly separated your head from your body.

As the soldiers panicked before his murderous aura, Kyle roared.

“Cashew is gone!”

…Was that more important than an intruder?

“If you’re talking about Cashew… then, th-that mouse… mmph—”

“Did you see the beast get out?”

“No. However, the door was half open. I don’t know how it happened, but…”

I listened to Kyle’s voice as if possessed, even though I knew I had to run away.

Even if I ran out now, I think I’d be caught by his sharp ears. It was best to stay close to the wall and hold my breath.

“It’s not there. It’s gone.”

“I will close all the doors and windows of the castle and look for it. It’s small, so it couldn’t have gone very far, Your Highness.”

“Call the mages of the division. They should be on the top floor of the west tower.”

“…Pardon? The guests?”

“Even though it’s still young, isn’t it a beast? I don’t know if it has a mana stone, but I have to look for a trace.”

Kyle gritted his teeth and said.

“They can name the price. No, say you’ll give double of what they ask for.”

“U-understood! By the way, Your Highness…”

A knight who joined belatedly took off his overcoat and seemed to be holding it out.

“Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”

…I’m sorry. Bring His Highness a new shirt. I’m going to have to wear this. Even if he’s dying from the cold, I can’t go around naked.

[↓ᏊꈍꈊꈍᏊ↓]

Oh, so what? You want me to steal a pair of pants to wear and get caught on the spot? What, hm? Why? Is this your first time seeing someone not wear pants for fashion?

I ignored the irritating system and cautiously ran to the other side of the soldiers.

‘It was nice till the point I turned human…’

Climbing the stairs barefoot, the soles of my feet were so cold that I couldn’t even feel them. Not only my legs, but my hands and ears were also tingling.

‘How on earth do people live in this cold castle?’

Was this a place made for people to live in? I blew out a breath, squeezed myself between some cleaning tools, and waited for a while.

“The windows! Close the windows first!”

“Even if the beast doesn’t have intelligence, would it just fall through the window?”

“Hey, don’t you know? If something happens to it, we all die.”

Okay. The hamster in question wouldn’t throw itself out the window, but that was a good attitude to have. It’s human life to never know when, where, or what will happen. Take my current situation for example. 

“Find it later, just close the windows and doors first! If it doesn’t get out, there’ll be a chance!”

“I will ask the guests for their understanding.”

“Sen, where the hell did they go? They’re the fastest on their feet.”

“You think they’re slacking off in an unused room again?”

“Haa!”

People rushed past. It was a relief that they didn’t notice me as I hid myself between a broom and a mop because of the emergency.

‘Anyway… What should I do now?’

I had run out wearing a shirt, but I didn’t have a plan.

[‘Summon’ will be disabled in 20 minutes.]

‘Does that mean I’ll go back to being a hamster?’

[You can change the location of ‘Summon’ within a radius of 10m!]

Was that the problem right now? The castle was in a complete uproar, but tada, I was actually doing well at home the entire time! I can’t say that. It’s suspicious, too suspicious!

I pressed my throbbing temple and let out a deep sigh. I should’ve been happy that I’d become the human I longed to be, but my worries piled up like a mountain.

“By any chance, was I a pretzel in a previous life…”

Even if my fate was twisted, it’s way too messed up.

By the way, the duration of the human state was too short. It was 30 minutes. The remaining 23 hours and 30 minutes were meant to be lived as a hamster.

[The duration of ‘Summon’ gets longer as you increase the miracle value!]

What the heck.

Once I go back to being a hamster, I’ll have to go somewhere that’s easily visible to people. If I’m lucky, someone will pick me up, but otherwise, I’ll have to find my way back on my own.

It’s not that I really want to return to being a hamster companion, but even if I went back and forth between a hamster and a person with the current miracle value, it was a series of hardships to survive, never mind changing the situation.

No matter how much I knew the contents of the original work or how much the system helped me, what was the point? If I was unlucky enough to get kicked by a boot, it would literally be a trip to the underworld.

[‘Summon’ will end soon!]

I had finally become a human being, but 30 minutes passed without me being able to fully enjoy it. I could die from how much of a pity it was.

Come to think of it, there was something about the northern festival even in the original story. Was it at this time that the heroine Serena, who was orphaned and poor, met the second prince, Belial, after being possessed?

And the accident that caused the relationship between Belial and Kyle to become even worse than enemies at this time, what was that again…

—- Squeak. (Time flies so fast.)

Thirty minutes passed while I was in the middle of my worrying.

Enveloped in blue light, I returned to normal… No, no. What kind of thoughtless remark was that? I’m a human being by nature. Not a hamster.

Ahem, let’s try that again.

Enveloped in blue light and returning to a hamster, I bit onto the black shirt that had fallen on the floor and dragged it with my mouth. Since I could become a human once a day, I thought that I should wear it when it happened… 

‘Are these expensive clothes?’

I’m sorry. Just spare me a set. Wouldn’t a shirt be far cheaper than any of the lavish furniture that was crammed into my three-story house anyway?

“The beast is gone? Wasn’t it being kept in a cage?”

“Well, it seems to have broken out of it. I don’t know the details either. It just happened.”

“What about the mages?”

“They couldn’t find it. They said they couldn’t feel the flow of mana at all.”

“…Does that even make sense?”

Well, since I changed into a normal hamster instead of a beast when possessing it, it would make sense to not feel the flow of mana. 

I felt a little sorry for the mages who were excitedly barking up the wrong tree, but I didn’t worry too much because I knew the grand duke would give them plenty of money.

“You said it was about the size of a little mouse, right? Then I guess it couldn’t have gone far. It probably would have avoided everything and gone to a dark and quiet place… I’ll look around this way. Will you look at the other side? Check carefully to see if there are any unclosed windows or doors.”

After stuffing the clothes into a corner of the storage room, I curled up between some items when I felt someone approaching me.

Yeah, I didn’t know who it was, but let’s get caught tactfully like this. Then, I can help myself and get taken to Kyle without even needing to go around the castle.

“Here you are.”

I lifted my head and looked at the maid who had just happened to find me.

However.

‘Huh?’

She had calm brown hair and clear green eyes. There were constellation-like freckles dotted on her nose and cheeks. Even though she was wearing glasses that covered half of her face, I could instinctively tell.

‘This person is…’

[Serena.]

It was Serena, the heroine of the original novel. It was the same face I’d seen in the system window.

‘…We’re meeting here like this?’

I looked at her with a complicated mind. Why was the person who should have originally been with Belial in the capital in the north… 

‘Ah.’

After thinking that far, I realized that she couldn’t be possessed because I was the one who had possessed someone.

Then, was she a different person from the original Serena?

Maybe the story had changed, and now her name might not even be Serena. Because ‘Serena’ was the title of the person who had been appointed as a lady of the imperial family. This was something I had vaguely expected beforehand.

“Sen! Did you find it?”

Behind her, I heard a maid’s voice. I stayed still for a moment, then quietly climbed onto her carefully outstretched palm.

‘Alright, I’ve decided on you.’

Since her fate changed because of me, I should at least return this level of compensation.