The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

The cause of the attack was a pack of starving wyverns.

It wasn’t uncommon for ravenous beasts to descend near the territory after enduring a long winter.

However, the damage was too severe for that to be the only reason.

Not only had the castle been partially destroyed, but there were also significant casualties. It had already been an hour since Kyle had personally intervened, yet the shelter remained eerily silent, filled only with uneasy tension.

“I’ve never seen wyverns like that before…”

A voice trembling with fear snapped me out of my thoughts. Feeling my way through the darkness, I quickly stepped forward and wedged myself between the murmuring survivors.

“How were they different from normal wyverns?”

“Ah, you’re the beast scholar… the one close to His Highness the Grand Duke…”

I nodded, urging him to continue.

“Wyverns are considered among the lower-ranked dragons. They’re vicious and tend to move in packs, but they’re not particularly difficult to hunt. However…”

The man swallowed dryly, his clenched fist trembling.

“When the knights’ spears pierced their bodies… their blood reeked of something terrible. And everything their blood touched—the spears, the ground—corroded and rotted away.”

“T-They were also the biggest wyverns I’ve ever seen!”

“Their beaks were sharper, too…”

I unconsciously held my breath.

Giant wyverns, foul-smelling blood that corrodes anything it touches—even in death, their very presence brings decay.

“Drake…”

It was a monster wyvern from the game I had developed.

I quickly pulled the beast encyclopedia from my inventory and flipped through the pages frantically. Again and again, I reread the entry on wyverns.

Everything they had described was true. These weren’t the usual wyverns of this world. Just like with the swamp goats before, another anomaly had occurred.

“…Ha.”

A dry, hollow laugh escaped my lips.

What the hell am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to carry the weight of this guilt?

***

Fortunately, the Blake Territory was stronger than I had expected. The people who had spent the night trembling in the shelter, unable to sleep, wiped their tears and began rebuilding the next day.

They were resilient.

Even though the castle walls had crumbled, their homes lay in ruins, and they had lost their loved ones, they knew how to contain their grief. All of them. They were people who worked today so they could survive tomorrow.

I rubbed my dry eyes and looked toward Kyle, who was directing the knights from afar.

He looked noticeably worn out. It had taken a long time for the chaos to subside, meaning he hadn’t rested for even a moment. He had likely stayed up all night. He probably hadn’t even had a sip of water.

I glanced down at the cookie crumbs left in my palm. I had eaten something in a hurry, but in all the chaos, I wasn’t sure how many I had even managed to buy.

My miracle gauge was barely holding at 20 percent now. By the time I came to my senses, I had already used a significant amount.

But I had no other choice. I couldn’t just disappear from the shelter, and if Kyle came looking for me once everything settled, I had to be there. So this was the only option.

[Reload will be deactivated in three minutes.]

“Even after all that, there’s only three minutes left?”

I let out a hollow chuckle and stepped back inside the castle. A bright light engulfed me, and when I opened my eyes, I was back in the familiar study.

[(。﹏。*)]

The system flickered in and out of existence, as if hesitating to speak. I watched it for a moment before rolling onto my side and exhaling deeply.

I need to focus on what I can do. One step at a time. If I rush, I’ll only make things worse. I learned that the hard way, standing at death’s door.

“Yeah… slowly…”

I curled up inside my sleeping chamber and tried to drift off.

All I wanted was for tomorrow to come quickly.

***

The castle was still bustling the next day.

It would probably remain hectic for several more days. Kyle hadn’t returned to the study last night, which only proved how busy things were. I had no way of knowing whether he had come looking for me in my room.

“Don’t worry. He’s fine.”

Muttering to myself, I pulled back the bowstring.

My arms and the taut string trembled in unison. Even though I had drawn with all my strength, my aim wavered uncontrollably. When Kyle had helped me, it had been so easy.

“Ugh…”

Sweat dampened my palms, and the arrow slipped from my grip. With a soft ting, it missed the target entirely and plopped weakly to the ground beside a nearby tree.

Maybe I just lacked talent. Maybe I had zero athletic ability.

It was probably both.

Swallowing my frustration, I reached for another arrow.

I must have shot at least twenty arrows by now, but I had barely hit the target a handful of times. Still, every day, alongside the people returning to their daily lives after the disaster, I continued to draw my bow.

It had already been a week.

At first, I had tried using Reload to help with the recovery efforts. But after witnessing the systematic precision with which the people, who had endured similar crises before, moved, I quickly realized I was only getting in the way. So, instead, I silently returned to my archery practice.

Thanks to that, I had improved quite a bit. But to be honest, I was still far from being any real force. I was only landing about half my shots. I guess practicing just two hours a day wasn’t enough to see dramatic improvement.

“Six shots. You’ve improved.”

As I was wrapping a bandage around my hand, a voice from behind made me turn abruptly.

Kyle was standing there, gazing straight ahead as he murmured.

“…Aren’t you busy?”

“The recovery efforts are well underway. They’re in the final stages now, so there’s no need for me to be there constantly.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I came by yesterday too.”

“What?”

I had no idea. Not even the slightest clue.

Mouth agape, I quickly rifled through my memories from the previous day. Had I done anything embarrassing? Did I talk to the system out loud? Punch the air for no reason?

[o(°///°)o]

I ignored the system, which was acting like it expected something, and forced a sheepish laugh. That thing had been getting weirder by the day.

But what exactly had His Highness been doing, sneaking over to watch me in the middle of his busy schedule?

“You could’ve said something.”

“I didn’t want to distract you.”

Kyle murmured as he gently took my hand. Even with his feather-light touch, I instinctively flinched, my brow furrowing.

Well, that was only natural. After a full week of practicing without any real technique, my hands were swollen, red, and stinging. I healed quickly, but wounding the same spot over and over every day meant it never had a chance to fully recover.

“Ugh…”

“Shh.”

Kyle soothed me as he applied a salve over my entire palm.

It was a thick, murky-colored substance, stored in a small round tin. It smelled like dried and boiled herbs—not exactly pleasant. But as Kyle carefully spread it over my wounds, even blowing on it to ease the sting, I didn’t mind at all.

As he wrapped my injured hand with a white handkerchief, I looked up at him, studying his face.

He still looked exhausted.

Of course, before using Reload, I had checked on him through Cashew Nut. Even in the midst of all this chaos, Kyle had been stopping by every morning to make sure I ate properly. He had been too busy to kiss me goodbye, though.

“Don’t overwork yourself. Rushing won’t make you improve any faster.”

“I know that. But…”

“A wound needs time to heal and strengthen before you can build on it. If you keep forcing your hands before they recover, of course, your progress will be slow.”

His gentle voice eased the tension in my body.

I glanced down at my hand. It had already been neatly treated. Just moments ago, even the slightest touch had been painful, but now there was only a dull ache, and I could clench and unclench my fingers without discomfort.

Meanwhile, Kyle busily tidied up the bows and arrows I had used. Then, taking my uninjured hand, he gave it a slight tug.

“If you’re not too busy, why don’t we stop by somewhere?”

“Where?”

“The market is back up. They’re selling that duck dish you taught them and some quilted clothes as well.”

“Oh.”

I quickly checked the system window.

I had about 30 minutes left.

‘…A quick visit should be fine, right?’

Even aside from Kyle, I was curious—had they mastered the cooking technique I showed them? How were they selling the clothes? How much progress had been made on repairing the fortress? How were the people doing?

Honestly, I wanted to see for myself. Just for a moment. That wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Clearing my throat, I lightly clasped his hand in return.

“Alright. Just 30… No, 20 minutes.”

“Alright.”

He smiled.

A tired yet handsome man smiling—it made him look even better. I wouldn’t say I had a preference for sharp, chiseled features, but come on. When a face like his was right in front of you, it was hard not to drool a little.

As we walked toward the market, I reflexively swallowed.

Kyle glanced down at me and asked, “Are you hungry?”

“…Uh. Yes!”

Damn, he was sharp.

His lips twitched as if suppressing a laugh, his expression unwavering. Embarrassed, I picked up my pace.

“Should’ve eaten first, then.”

“Oh, come on. There’s street food. We can just eat that. Wow, there’s a lot of good stuff! Oh, look, skewers!”

I blurted out whatever came to mind, trying to cover my embarrassment.

Stopping in front of a stall grilling golden-brown monster meat, Kyle pulled out some money to pay.

With a skewer in hand, I took a big bite and looked around at the bustling market.

The people’s faces looked much brighter than they had a few days ago. There were still broken structures and unfinished repairs here and there, but it seemed like the recovery efforts had gone smoothly. Even the funerals must have been held already.

As I stood there absentmindedly, skewer in hand, Kyle spoke.

“The memorial service is tomorrow.”

It will be a long night, he added.

His voice was calm, steady. But somehow, that only made it feel even sadder.