The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

We camped overnight on the freezing ground and set off for the mine the next day.

The knights seemed satisfied with how smoothly the journey was going, their expressions bright. They were even eager to assist me with my equipment and explain various things along the way.

“Watch out for goblins.”

Before entering the cave, I cautiously advised James. He tilted his head, as if finding my words strange.

“Goblins don’t come down this far. They usually gather in groups in the canyons of the snowy mountains. As long as you don’t provoke them, they won’t attack first.”

I hesitated for a moment, considering how much to reveal, then finally spoke.

“There could be a variant.”

James looked at me with a perplexed expression.

I understood. It would be hard to believe right away. He had likely never seen goblins stray beyond their habitat before.

However, he didn’t dwell on it for long before nodding. His expression was utterly serious. It seemed he had decided to trust me. More precisely, he trusted Kyle, who had chosen me.

Earning someone’s trust isn’t easy.

It was another moment that made me realize just how remarkable Kyle truly was.

I gazed at his back for a moment before reporting that the other soldiers had safely hidden the horses in a secure location.

“Let’s move in.”

His low voice carried a grave weight. The knights straightened their stances, tension evident on their faces.

“Receive fire from the mage. Move in pairs. The rest, just follow the given instructions. Be careful not to touch the walls recklessly.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The knights responded crisply to James’ command.

Naturally, I moved with Kyle. Since he had drawn his sword, my role was to light the surroundings with a small lamp infused with magic.

The air inside the cave was cold and damp. The ominous, chilling darkness lay thick in every corner, making it hard to believe that precious gems were hidden within this mine.

Crunch. Crackle. Crack.

Something, whether stone or ice, kept breaking underfoot with every step. Even that sound felt unsettling, and I shivered involuntarily.

Of course, I couldn’t let fear consume me. I raised the lamp higher. The green flame, flickering like leaves, burned steadily, illuminating the path ahead.

“Do you see anything?”

At Kyle’s question, I shook my head and answered briefly, “No.”

I was currently using the human tool Eye of Truth, but I hadn’t seen anything unusual so far. In truth, Eye of Insight would be more effective for detecting beastly presences, but it would be inefficient to turn into a hamster this early.

“At least there don’t seem to be any variants. We can keep going.”

“Good.”

The absence of mutated goblins was reassuring.

We advanced cautiously, illuminating our surroundings. We avoided touching the cave walls as much as possible, wary of potential explosives.

Before long, we arrived at the site of the explosion.

The cavern opened up into a space large enough to accommodate ten people in formation, resembling a plaza. The explosion had likely widened the passage.

Those holding lamps instinctively raised them high. I was no exception.

At that moment, a knight behind me suddenly inhaled sharply in alarm.

“Your Highness!”

It wasn’t just him. One by one, unease and confusion rippled through our group. The lamps, lit with magic, had all abruptly gone out.

The mage spoke in a tense voice.

“…There’s interference with mana.”

Kyle growled.

“Defensive formation. Stay close together.”

The knights swiftly regained their composure and took their positions in the darkness. The intent behind their actions was clear as they adjusted their grips on their swords, standing with their backs to one another.

They had formed a protective ring around Kyle—and by extension, me. Rather than treating me as part of their formation, they were placing me at its center, shielding me.

“Shu. Half a step closer.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I pressed myself tightly against his back. I could feel James positioning himself on my right.

It didn’t wound my pride. This was reality. Just because I had trained with them for ten days didn’t mean I could match knights who had wielded swords their entire lives.

Instead, I had other tasks that only I could accomplish. Adjusting my glasses, I scanned our surroundings.

And then…

“I see something.”

I spoke softly, and Kyle immediately tensed, his voice firm as he asked,

“What do you see, Shu?”

My eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, carefully examined the walls of the vast chamber.

“I see light. No, it’s too faint and small to call it light… more like scratch marks. Now that it’s dark, I can finally see them. They’re blue. A familiar color… Where have I seen it before?”

James spoke in a flat voice.

“It’s invisible to us.”

“Pardon?”

“To us, it’s nothing but complete darkness.”

“…Ah, could it be—”

I quickly removed my horn-rimmed glasses. Instantly, the surrounding darkness swallowed everything, and I could feel my pupils dilating in response to the sudden loss of light.

“…A beast core. Your Highness, I think they used an explosive made from a beast core.”

“You were reading the traces of the core. Understood.”

Kyle nodded before asking,

“Are there only scratch marks? Any clusters of light that could be more explosives?”

“Not at the moment. Given that there’s no particularly bright spot, it seems like there was only one explosive… Oh? Wait a moment.”

I placed a careful hand on Kyle’s shoulder and spoke cautiously.

“May I step forward a little? I see an area without any scratch marks.”

Kyle grasped my hand on his shoulder and began to walk forward with me at a slow pace.

One step, two steps, three steps.

I pursed my lips slightly and blew away my bangs, which had fallen near my eyebrows. Though I hadn’t touched them, they were slightly disheveled.

“It feels like there’s a breeze.”

“A breeze? In a cave?”

Kyle tightened his grip on my hand as if he had realized something.

“It must be a path leading outside.”

Perhaps the one who planted the explosives had used this passage.

I nodded and pointed toward the gaping darkness where there were no scratch marks. I was certain that was the way out.

After asking for Kyle’s permission, I switched places with him and took the lead. Carefully, I traced the wall with my hands as I walked forward.

A faint, eerie blue light flickered at my fingertips before disappearing.

[Beast Core: The source of the “Heart of Winter,” capable of freezing one’s heart.]

Now I understood. The people caught in the explosion had developed the Frost Brand, with the cold spreading toward their hearts. It seemed to be a similar type of magic.

The mage who set up this explosive might have simply wanted to test the power of his magic on living people. That bastard from the mage corps would do something like this without hesitation.

Fucking scum.

Grinding my teeth, I pressed forward, cutting through the darkness.

The passage leading outside was narrow. Even I had to hunch my shoulders and lower my head slightly to walk through, so I could only imagine how difficult it would be for the knights with their larger builds.

The sound of clanking armor was followed by Kyle clicking his tongue lightly.

“It’s cramped.”

“Just bear with it for a bit. You can stretch all you want once we’re out.”

I replied curtly, and Kyle let out a small chuckle, understanding my attempt to lighten the damp, oppressive atmosphere.

Occasionally, cold, damp gusts of wind brushed past my nose before dissipating. Then, tok—a tiny ice fragment hit my glasses.

Crunch.

Just then, I felt something shatter above my head. Reaching out in the darkness, I felt a firm hand gripping something.

Kyle had reached above me and broken off an icicle.

“It was about to fall.”

“I thought you couldn’t see?”

“I can’t.”

“Good instincts, then.”

Instead of laughing at my joke, he muttered in a low voice,

“We need to get out of here quickly. This passage was dug in a hurry—it’s unstable.”

“Agreed.”

We quickened our pace. Just as Kyle had pointed out, I could hear unsettling creaks and rumbles from above, so we moved even faster.

Before long, a stark white light pierced my vision.

It was the exit.

“I’ll go first.”

“It’s too tight to switch positions now.”

In response, Kyle reached out, grasped my shoulder, and pulled me firmly against him.

“Good. The passage just widened a little.”

His voice came from close by, his breath warm against my skin. I was pressed flat against his chest, my hands resting against him.

Without hesitation, Kyle wrapped around me and switched our positions.

The ice surrounding us was cold enough to seep into my bones, making the warmth of his presence stand out all the more.

Even without seeing, I could feel it—his intense gaze burning into my face. It was embarrassing, but I didn’t dislike it.

Kyle stepped forward into the brilliant white light outside.

And at that exact moment, a searing blue flash surged toward him.

“Your Highness!”

The instant I realized something was shooting toward his neck, I didn’t even have time to think. I gathered every last bit of luck I had.

Protect his neck!

Clang!

A burst of blue light exploded near Kyle’s nape, deflecting the incoming attack.

Relief barely had time to settle in—

“Wait, hold on—”

A deafening crash erupted behind us. Something was collapsing.