The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

“This… what the…”

A sound like an explosion had just erupted. Startled, I whipped around.

At the end of the passageway—the very exit we had just emerged from—part of it had collapsed, blocking the path. Aside from James, who had hurriedly followed us out, it seemed the others were now trapped behind the rubble.

But there was no time to go back. That same blue light that had aimed for Kyle’s throat was now hurtling toward us again. This time, there were multiple projectiles.

Kyle swiftly adjusted his grip on his sword and deflected them with remarkable speed. The loud, sharp clang of metal echoed through the air, proof of the sheer force behind the attack.

“Daggers. And magic. James!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

James quickly moved to shield me with the large shield strapped to his back. Fortunately, most of the attacks were focused on Kyle, so there wasn’t much need for him to intervene just yet.

There were only about four or five of those glowing blue daggers, but no matter how many times Kyle deflected them, they kept coming back without pause.

Their razor-sharp edges sliced through Kyle’s cloak and fur lining as if they were cutting through melted butter.

At times, the daggers clashed against Kyle’s armor, spinning violently in place with a harsh kagakak sound. Seeing this, I shouted,

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

I started forward, but James instinctively grabbed my arm, trying to pull me back. However, at that exact moment, a thin blue glow enveloped Kyle’s entire body, and he deflected all four daggers at once. James, seeing this, shut his mouth.

[Current Luck Status ｜ ♣ ×3]

The problem was, Kyle had nearly depleted his luck stat just from that single defense.

I turned to James and asked him to help the knights trapped in the passage. Kyle nodded in agreement and moved in closer to my side.

As soon as James withdrew, I raised my voice and called out to the unseen attacker.

“Stop hiding like a coward and using cheap tricks—show yourself!”

My voice rang out, echoing through the cavern. And then, between those echoes, a low chuckle slipped through.

“I was never hiding.”

Kyle and I immediately snapped our heads upward.

The voice had come from above us—and from behind.

Perched casually atop the jagged ice blocking the cave’s exit, a man sat with an air of complete indifference.

He parted his lips and spoke.

“Hello.”

His appearance was as white as freshly fallen snow. He looked as though he had been sculpted from the very ice that never melted in the North—a chilling presence, as if he himself were the very cold that made this land so barren.

With long, straight white hair, he gazed down at me. His piercing blue eyes seemed to see right through me, making my stomach churn.

“So you’re the one who tore open the rift in the world.”

“I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”

I snapped back at him, and Kyle raised his sword, pointing it directly at the man.

“Who are you?”

“As expected…”

The man’s thin lips curled into a smooth smile.

“I’m the one who left a little gift in this cave. How do you find it, Your Highness? Are you pleased with this offering?”

“…Gift?”

Kyle’s jaw tightened. He looked utterly sick of hearing that word.

The man, seemingly determined to be as insufferable as possible, spread his arms wide.

“Still, I never expected the esteemed Grand Duke to move personally. What a surprise. The Meinhardt imperial princes are all quite impatient, aren’t they?”

Sitting atop the icy rubble, he idly swung his foot, his posture so relaxed it bordered on arrogant.

“Lucky for me. Ah, or is it unlucky for you? Either way, it’d be best if you just died here and saved us all the trouble.”

The moment he finished speaking, the daggers, which had briefly vanished, came streaking toward us once more.

I darted behind a large rock, pressing myself tightly against it, keeping my eyes locked on Kyle.

As expected, the attacks were all concentrated on him. It was as if the enemy had decided that eliminating Kyle first would be the most beneficial course of action. His assault was relentless and unwavering.

Kyle, of course, swung his sword with precision, sending arcs of sword energy flying as he defended himself. But deflecting four or five daggers attacking from all directions at such a furious pace was no easy feat.

This isn’t working!

It was dangerous. If even a single attack slipped through, one of those sharp daggers would pierce straight through Kyle’s vital points. His armor was already beginning to show dents in multiple places.

Growing desperate, I started shouting at the system.

Give me something, anything!

Not an item. I’d have to eat those!

Charging in recklessly with a half-baked plan would only distract Kyle. It was better to stay right here and provide support. Shooting an arrow wasn’t an option either—those daggers were moving too erratically for me to land a precise shot.

Luck stat!

With what was left, I couldn’t even fully block one more attack. The lower the stat, the thinner and weaker my barrier would be.

I couldn’t afford to take risks against those daggers—I needed to refill my luck, and plenty of it.

“There aren’t even any monsters around. How the hell am I supposed to gather luck? Is there another way?”

If I could trade miracle points to refill my luck, I was willing to make that compromise. Kyle was too important to me, and the situation was far too urgent to hesitate.

But the system’s response was unexpected.

[Would you like to forcibly recharge your Luck?]

I brightened immediately. My lips moved without thinking, voicing the words that had only been in my mind.

“What? That’s possible? You should’ve told me sooner.”

Sensing that something was off, the white-haired man narrowed his eyes at me and asked,

“What’s that little thing plotting over there—”

But before he could finish, Kyle lunged at him with a sudden leap, swinging his sword. The man had to hastily dodge out of the way.

“Tch.”

“Don’t worry about him.”

Kyle’s crimson eyes blazed as he pressed forward.

“I’m your opponent.”

In an instant, Kyle had shifted the momentum, driving the man back.

I vaulted over the rock and kept a wary eye on their movements, then quickly whispered to the system again.

“Forced recharge. Yeah, let’s do that. How does it work?”

A system window popped up, devoid of its usual playful tone.

[The life you have gained in this world is composed of countless fragments of luck. In other words, luck is the power that sustains your existence. Therefore, the necessary luck can be substituted with your life force.]

The words sent a chill down my spine.

So basically… if I used my own lifespan, I could charge my luck.

[Choose carefully.]

[Draining life force may cause side effects.]

While I hesitated for a moment, the man conjured another set of five daggers and launched them at Kyle.

With daggers flying from all directions and a rapier honed with magic pressing him back, even Kyle faltered, retreating a few steps.

Despite attacking Kyle relentlessly, the man still glanced in my direction, his lips curving into a strange smirk.

“You’re using a rather fascinating power.”

“……”

“I’m almost tempted to take that little body of yours and slice it in half just to see what’s inside.”

Slice me in half, my ass.

Suppressing a shudder, I whispered urgently.

“Now’s not the time to worry about side effects! That bastard is completely insane!”

I shut my eyes tightly and shouted in my mind.

“Charge a hundred. Right now!”

[Current Luck Status ｜ ♣ ×103]

At that exact moment, the man abruptly changed targets and turned toward me.

Sensing the shift, Kyle reacted instantly. He sprinted at full speed, gripping his sword with both hands as he moved to shield me.

CLANG!

I poured all my luck into defending him.

A translucent barrier, shimmering with a blue glow even stronger than the daggers, spread out in front of Kyle. Rather than just blocking the attack, it actually caught the daggers, holding them frozen in midair.

“It worked!”

But before I could fully register the relief, a scorching heat surged up from inside me.

“…Khugh.”

“Shu!”

Side effects.

A wave of dizziness hit me like a punch. My stomach twisted violently, and the next thing I knew, I was coughing up blood.

It felt like I had swallowed a ball of fire. My insides burned with an unbearable heat, my body convulsing as I doubled over.

Kyle, visibly alarmed, grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.

“What the hell…?”

“I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t about to just sit here and die quietly.”

I wiped my mouth, spitting out the blood that had pooled in my mouth, then glared at the man who had landed before us.

“I know who you are.”

The man’s piercing blue eyes narrowed slightly.

“You know me? Now, that’s interesting. Go on then, little one. Who am I?”

Little? Excuse you, I’m twenty-seven years old and just shy of 180 centimeters. A full-grown man, thank you very much.

I recited exactly what the system had told me.

“The ruler of the Lawless Zone.”

“……”

“The conqueror of the Frost Tower. The one born at the edge of the world. The breaker of order.”

His lips quirked at my words, his expression unreadable.

“And given the way you keep rambling about ‘gifts’ like a lunatic, I’d wager you’re part of the Mage Corps.”

The man remained silent.

I wiped the blood off my lips with the back of my hand and continued.

“The White Phantom.”

“Hmm…”

He took a step forward.

Kyle immediately raised his sword, pressing me even closer to him, signaling that if the man moved any further, he’d strike without hesitation.

But the man merely shook his head, unimpressed.

“You should be careful with that last title. No one who has spoken it lightly has lived to tell the tale.”

His tone was light, almost casual—like he was discussing dinner plans. Yet every word carried a sharp edge, making it more menacing than any direct threat.

“But this is intriguing.”

He pressed his foot against the ground, and with a slight movement, the ice beneath him cracked and shattered.

“Only those from the Lawless Zone would know those titles. The dull-witted Meinhardts wouldn’t have a clue about the North’s affairs. How exactly did you find out?”

His keen observation skills were unnerving.

“Unrecorded titles, an ability that mimics magic but isn’t, and the fact that using it made you cough up blood. And… talking to the air as if speaking to something invisible.”

His eyes gleamed with realization.

“Precognition, perhaps?”

“……”

His insight was razor-sharp. If I answered carelessly, I’d just be handing him more clues.

I chose silence.

The man’s handsome face split into a delighted smile.

“Doesn’t matter. The best part of discovery is figuring things out yourself.”

His eerie smirk deepened.

“So, little one. Even if you want to answer, you shouldn’t. It’d be a shame to spoil my fun.”

As if I had any intention of answering.

I focused on regulating my breathing, trying to ease the throbbing pain in my gut.

But in the end, I couldn’t stop a single muttered complaint from slipping out.

“…You’re a dedicated kind of lunatic, huh.”

That was my official assessment of him.