['Load' can be used once a day at 00:00.] [The current duration of 'Load' is 30 minutes.] [The location for 'Load' is not specified, so it is automatically assigned to the nearest location.] [Good luck! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ)]
Suddenly, my vision went black before quickly returning. I had a slight headache, but fortunately, it was short-lived. The problem, however, was that this brief relief was the only good thing I could think of.
As expected, 'Load' was a skill that allowed me to become human. According to the system's information, there was a time limit of thirty minutes, usable once a day. That wasn't the real issue, though.
There was a much bigger problem.
"..."
I stared down at my body in disbelief.
"Crazy..."
Nothing. No clothes.
Right now, I was completely naked.
Insane. Truly insane. God. How did this even happen...?
[๑'͡o_'͡o๑;;]
At that moment, I didn't even have time to process it.
Squeak.
The sound of the bathroom door opening had never been so terrifying. I froze, my mind racing through every possible human action in 30 seconds.
And only one conclusion emerged:
"Run."
If I got caught here, it was over. I didn't want to die as an unidentified pervert who fearlessly broke into the Archduke's study without so much as a single pair of underwear. He wouldn't just be a suspicious person; I'd be a suspicious pervert! This was even more miserable than my previous life. Not only was it miserable, but it was utterly shameful. Being a hamster was better.
'…Clothes! Where are my clothes!'
I snatched the black shirt hanging from the chair and hastily slipped it on before rushing out of the study. I didn't even think to grab pants; besides, they would have been far too large.
…Seriously, how could they not provide a single piece of clothing?
"Guard!"
A moment later, I heard Kyle's shout from inside the study. I ran as fast as I could, the hem of the oversized shirt flapping around me. It was the first time in my life I had ever run so hard.
"Ugh…"
Gasping for breath, I hugged the wall of the curved hallway, trying to catch my wind.
If this is how it's going to be, they should have turned me into a chameleon or a cheetah! Was all that treadmill training just a rehearsal!?
As I vented my anger at the system, guards rushed in from the opposite hallway. I looked up and saw Kyle leaving the room just in time.
"It's gone."
His voice was so cold it sent shivers down my spine. If I had asked what was missing without realizing, he would have said, "Your life is gone," and it wouldn't have been strange if he'd neatly separated my head from my torso.
As the soldiers floundered in front of his fierce presence, Kyle roared.
"My cashew nuts are gone!"
…Is that more important than an intruder?
"W-what if it's cashews… H-he, the rat… Uh—"
"Did you see the demon beast leave?"
"No. However, the door was half-open. I don't know how it was opened…"
I knew I had to run, but I found myself listening to Kyle's voice as if possessed. Anyway, even if I ran now, I figured he'd catch me with his sharp hearing. It was best to hold my breath against the wall.
"No, it's not here. It's gone."
"I will close all the doors and windows of the castle and search for it. It's small, so it wouldn't have gone very far, Your Highness."
"Call the mages of the division. The ones on the top floor of the West Tower."
"…Yes? The guests?"
"Though young, it's still a demon beast. I don't know if it has any gems, but I'll have them look for traces of magic."
Kyle gritted his teeth.
"Name your price. No, tell them we'll pay double what they ask."
"Oh, I see! By the way, Your Highness…"
I saw a knight who had just joined them take off his coat and offer it.
"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
…I felt sorry for Kyle. Give His Highness the Grand Duke a new shirt. I need to wear this. I'm going to die of cold, and I can't walk around naked.
[↓ᏊꈍꈊꈍᏊ↓]
Oh, what should I do? Should I just drop the shirt and get caught on the spot? Why. Why. Why.
Ignoring the squealing system, I cautiously fled past the soldiers.
'It's good to be human…'
As I climbed the stairs barefoot, the soles of my feet were so cold they felt numb. Not only my legs, but also my hands and ears were tingling.
'How the hell do people live in this cold castle?'
Is this even a place for people? I blew on my breath, snuck myself among some cleaning tools, and waited for a while.
"Windows! Close the windows first!"
"Even if the demon beast isn't intelligent, would it just fall through the window?"
"Hey, you never know? If something happens, we'll all die."
Okay. The hamster in question wouldn't throw itself through a window, but it's a good precaution. You never know when, where, or what will happen. Just like me now.
"Find it later, close the windows and doors as soon as possible! There's a possibility it hasn't left yet!"
"I'll ask the guests for their understanding."
"Sen, where the hell did he go? He's the fastest."
"Isn't he resting in a room he doesn't use again?"
"Ugh!"
People rushed by. I was glad they didn't look at me, hiding between the broom and the mop, due to the emergency.
'By the way… What should I do now?'
I was wearing a shirt, but there was nothing more I could do.
['Load' will be lifted after 20 minutes.]
'Then you mean I'm going back to being a hamster?'
[You can also change the position of 'Load' within a 10m radius!]
Isn't that the problem now? The castle was turned upside down, but voila, I was actually back home! I can't do it. It's too suspicious!
I pressed my throbbing temples and sighed heavily. I should have been happy that I became the person I had looked forward to so much, but I had a mountain of worries.
"Was I a pretzel in a previous life…?"
My frown deepened, twisting my face hard.
By the way, the time for the human condition to be maintained was too short. The other 23 hours and 30 minutes would be spent as a hamster.
[Increasing the miracle value will make the duration of 'Load' longer and longer!]
Ugh.
For now, after returning to my hamster form, I would go around in a place where people could see me appropriately. If I was lucky, someone would pick me up, or I'd have to find my way back on my own feet. It wasn't because I wanted to go back to being a pet hamster, but because if I kept switching between hamster and human with the same miraculous numbers as now, it would be a series of hardships just to survive, instead of changing my situation. No matter how much I knew the original story or how much the system helped me, what was the point? If I was unlucky and got kicked by a boot, it would truly be a journey to the underworld.
['Load' will end soon!]
Now I was human, but 30 minutes passed without enjoying it. It was a shame to lose it.
Speaking of which, the original story also had something about the Northern Festival. Was this the time when the heroine, Serena, who was an orphan and poor woman, became possessed and met the second prince, Belial? And during this time, an accident happened that made Belial and Kyle not even enemies, but what was that…
—Time flies.
Thirty minutes passed while I was thinking about it.
Enveloped in blue, as it should be… No, no, no. What am I doing now? I'm a human being. Not a hamster.
Ahem, again.
I became a hamster in the blue light, and the black shirt I had been wearing fell to the floor. But I could be human once a day, so I thought I should wear it then…
'Is it expensive clothes?'
I'm sorry. Just one shirt. Wouldn't a shirt be much cheaper than the elegant furniture you crammed into my three-story house?
"The demon beast is gone? You said you put it in a cage and raised it?"
"Well, it looks like it broke through. I don't know the details. It just happened."
"What about the mages?"
"They couldn't find it. I don't feel the flow of magic at all."
"…Does that make sense?"
Well, when I possessed him, he would have changed from a demon beast to a normal hamster, so they wouldn't be able to feel the flow of magical power. I felt a little sorry for the mages, who were having a tough time, but I didn't worry too much because the Grand Duke would give them the money without any hesitation.
"You said it's about the same size as a small mouse, right? Then I don't think it would have gone far. It would have taken refuge in a dark and quiet place… I'll take a look around here. Will you search the other side? Check carefully to see if there are any windows or doors closed."
As I was curling up in a circle among some clothes in the corner of the warehouse, I felt someone approaching me. Yes, I don't know who it is, but I'll allow myself to be found. Then I won't even have to roam the castle, and I'll be taken straight to Kyle.
"You were here."
I looked up at the maid who had just found me.
By the way.
'Huh?'
She had calm brown hair and clear green eyes. And freckles like constellations embroidered on her nose and cheeks. She was wearing glasses that covered half of her face, but I knew it instinctively.
'Who is this person…?'
[Serena.]
It was Serena, the heroine of the original work. This was the same face I'd seen in the system window.
'…We meet here like this?'
I looked at her with mixed feelings. Why was someone in the north who should have been with Belial in the capital…?
'Oh.'
As I thought about it, I realized that she wasn't possessed because I was possessed. Then, was she different from the Serena in the original? Maybe the story had changed, and now her name wasn't even Serena. 'Serena' was a title for someone who had been appointed as a woman of the imperial family. This was what I had vaguely expected before.
"Sen! Did you find it?"
Behind her was another maid's voice. I paused for a moment, then gently climbed up onto her carefully outstretched palm.
'Okay. I decided on you.'
Since I've been put through this ordeal, I deserve some compensation.