MTLNOVEL 57
“Everything will be fine.”
Sen’s voice was quiet but firm.
“As long as he has ambition, he’ll endure. That’s what it means to dream of becoming Emperor.”
… I was talking about Kyle, but you’re worried about Belial, huh?
She was trying to stay calm, but deep down, she must have been shaken. Given the situation, she had left Belial in charge of the banquet hall and come out, but in her heart, she must have wanted to stay by her side.
Sen’s eyes told me as much. The way her clenched fists trembled with anxiety, the way her gaze kept flicking toward the direction we had come from.
But Sen didn’t want to let that show. And I wasn’t the type to pry into something someone wanted to keep hidden.
We walked a few more steps in awkward silence.
“Let’s hurry to my room. Once we meet up with the nearby Blake Knights, His Highness Kyle will be here soon. Not much longer now.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. And when we get there… can I borrow some of your clothes? Moving around in this dress is a real pain.”
“Sure. And also—”
Rustle.
A sound came from the bushes beyond Sen’s shoulder as she limped forward. It wasn’t just the wind.
“If I give the signal, run.”
“…Shu?”
“I’ll turn into a hamster right away. I’ll buy you some time, so don’t look back—just go.”
If someone had been lying in wait here, their target could be me. That would actually be a relief. I had a way to escape, and in the meantime, Sen could flee to the palace annex.
Lorenz was after Belial, but if he had the chance, he’d also try to weaken Kyle’s faction. Despite having legitimacy, he had no real authority. So instead of building his own power, he seemed to be trying to bring down others.
“You’ve been found out. Why not come out already?”
I shoved Sen hard toward the palace annex and shouted.
She understood the signal instantly and ran without looking back. Meanwhile, I forced down the fear creeping up as I faced the now violently shaking bushes.
Only three men emerged. They must have been advance scouts waiting for the right moment. Their killing intent wasn’t overwhelming, which meant they weren’t the main force. Maybe they thought I was easy prey because I didn’t look like I could handle a sword.
‘Honestly, even two of them would be more than enough.’
Still, I wasn’t trembling or panicked. I had a trick up my sleeve.
“Why are you trying to kill me? Once I go north, I won’t have any reason to come back.”
Not only that—once this was all over, I’d be going back to my original world. What did it matter who became Emperor? As long as Kyle survived, that was all I cared about.
“The order was to capture you alive.”
So their goal was kidnapping. That was even worse.
They must have thought I was Kyle’s weak spot and planned to use me to control him. A classic Lorenz move.
It was a cowardly tactic, but if it worked, it would be effective. If I were taken, Kyle wouldn’t just sit still.
“You guys have no chance of capturing me. What a shame. If you fail, won’t your prince start getting suspicious?”
I sneered, and the soldiers scowled.
“You think you can escape from us?”
“Look at this scrawny bastard!”
Scrawny? Okay, sure, I don’t have any muscles because I never work out. But scrawny? That’s just rude.
Still, instead of getting angry, I grinned.
“So you’re not denying the prince gave the order?”
Judging by how they handled things, they weren’t his inner circle. More like disposable lackeys who’d crumble under pressure.
Judging by their movements, this wasn’t some small operation. Things were going to get messy.
“What are you waiting for? He just needs to be alive, so grab him!”
I glanced down at my tailcoat with a grimace. Kyle had this custom-made for me. It bothered me to just leave it behind. Would I have time to come back and retrieve it later?
But my thoughts didn’t last long. The men drew their swords and rushed toward me with deadly intent.
And then—
“Shu!”
Kyle’s voice rang out from a distance.
He must have been worried about me and hurried to finish things on his end before following.
‘Just my damn luck…’
Of all times, why now?
I wanted to avoid a situation that would make things even more suspicious.
But I had no choice. The moment Kyle appeared, the men turned their swords on me.
Kyle hesitated, likely realizing how dangerous this situation could become if he acted recklessly.
“See you later, Your Highness.”
I didn’t miss my chance.
If I wasted time here and Kyle got hurt because of me, that would be unacceptable.
I had already decided to save him. The least I could do was not become a burden.
The moment the sword thrust straight toward me, grazing my hair—
[‘Reload’ has been lifted.]
Beyond the flash of white light, I caught a glimpse of Kyle. His gaze, though filled with shock, seemed to carry a desperate yearning.
***
He disappeared.
Again.
And right before my eyes.
It wasn’t the first time I had faced something incomprehensible. Shu often did things that defied all logic as if they were the most natural things in the world.
— “No one rented a carriage, nor was a horse borrowed for travel to the imperial capital.”
— “There’s no record of a young man named Shu in that village.”
— “Your Highness, on the day the Magus Scholar arrived in the capital, there was a strange rumor circulating among the Casternet Merchant Guild. Have you heard it? Apparently, a pervert in a strawberry-patterned sweater came to retrieve an item. He had left some clothes and a coin pouch, but the branch that originally received the items…”
— “Where exactly does the Beast Scholar sleep? He’s never in his room at night.”
There were far too many oddities. And yet, Shu always claimed to be on my side.
Kyle believed the sincerity in those words. Rather than the endless trail of doubts, he chose to believe in the person standing before him.
But when he finally grasped where all these suspicions were pointing—
For the first time, Kyle felt true confusion.
‘…No way.’
That flicker of doubt spiraled into countless scenarios. Some were the worst possibilities imaginable. Others were ridiculous enough to laugh off.
“…”
Kyle picked up the abandoned clothing from the ground. Lost in thought, he kicked aside the crumpled men lying at his feet and moved forward.
Shu’s suspicious nature was one thing, but something mattered far more—
He had to confirm, with his own eyes, whether Shu was safe.
***
The moment I turned back into a hamster, I called for the Nut Shop. Thankfully, the system had a fresh stock of new products ready.
‘Good job, system.’
They looked pretty useful.
NEW! [Soft Walnut-Shell Ointment | Costs 3% Miracle Points | Heals any wound completely! No scars!]
NEW! [Pine Nut Painkiller Persimmon Roll | Costs 1% Miracle Points | Numbs all pain for 20 minutes.]
Sen didn’t even have the energy to change clothes. She sat slumped against the wall of my room, carefully pouring water over her wounded leg and dabbing it with a handkerchief. Her face contorted in pain.
‘…A painkiller won’t be enough.’
The wound might leave a scar. The ointment would be better.
I grabbed a walnut—no, the Soft Walnut-Shell Ointment—which was as big as my hamster-sized body. Waddling over to Sen, I held it up.
“Shu?”
— Squeak. (Wait.)
I had spent 3% of my Miracle Points, and the thing was only the size of a single walnut. If it didn’t work, I was not going to let this slide.
I twisted the walnut shell open, revealing a translucent ointment inside, and dunked my tiny arms into it. Then, I climbed onto Sen’s knee and started applying it to her wound.
“Where did you get this?”
— Squeak. (Trade secret.)
“You know I won’t understand that, right, Shu?”
— Squeak. (Then just stay still.)
Dipping both hands into the ointment, I diligently patted it onto the cut.
A tired smile appeared on Sen’s face. She seemed like she wanted to stop me and apply it herself but ended up watching, finding my efforts adorable.
“At least you got away safely. That’s a relief. Are you hurt anywhere?”
— Squeak. (No.)
“Will His Highness Kyle be coming soon?”
— Squeak. (Probably.)
Oh, right. Kyle might walk in at any moment. I should go hide again.
Once I confirmed the ointment was evenly applied, I pressed the walnut shell into Sen’s hand. The job wasn’t completely done yet, so it would be better for her to hold onto it.
Thankfully, the 3% Miracle Point Ointment worked like a charm. The wound, which had still been bleeding slightly, began to seal up as if it had never been there.
It would still take some time to heal completely, but it was far better than waiting around with some basic herbal paste.
“It’s really healing…”
Sen muttered in awe as she suddenly lifted me up.
“Shu, you’re amazing! Is this magic? Like how you turn into a hamster?”
— Squeak! (Put me down. I need to go back inside.)
“The more I learn about you, the weirder you get. Am I dreaming right now? No, this is real. But it’s still so weird!”
— Squeak! (You can be amazed all you want, but I need to hide before Kyle shows up!)
“Hey, do you have more of this? If you sold it, Shu, you’d be filthy rich—”
At that moment, the door slammed open without a single knock.
— Squeak… (I’m so screwed…)
Kyle stood at the entrance, staring at us.
His hair was disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, and he held a blood-stained sword in one hand while panting heavily.
He looked like a vengeful ghost fresh out of hell.
Even I felt a chill run down my spine.
Kyle’s piercing gaze locked onto me and Sen before he finally spoke.
“Where is Shu?”
“Uh… well…”
That was not the kind of look that would let things slide. His expression held certainty.
He knew.
He knew I was here.
‘Ah.’
So the moment had finally come.
I had prepared for this.
Even so, an icy dread crept down my back.