BL: The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster (Novel Translation)

The 'frost stigma' engraved on my arm had its chilling effect on one elbow and shoulder, but surprisingly, it did not spread beyond that.

It was perhaps natural that I couldn't use one of my arms properly. It would continue like this for the time being.

I accepted that fact with less complaint than I expected. After learning that no matter what, if the cold spread to the heart, I would die, even this felt like a luxury.

Of course, this was a story from my point of view. Kyle wanted to call all the mages in the North and fix my arm right away. Naturally, I didn't let him put it into practice.

As long as Knox had made up his mind anyway, the stigma would not be easily erased. It was right to deal with other urgent matters first rather than taking advantage of the lack of effort.

"That's why...."

I smiled awkwardly and raised my hand slightly.

"Now it's my turn to be questioned, right?"

I sat down on a chair in the center of the training hall and looked at the knights who surrounded me one by one.

Kyle, who stood in front of me, looked disapproving the whole time, but he didn't try to wrap himself around me as much as this situation required.

As if he had only forged this moment, James said directly.

"How did you get to the territory? Shu."

I thought for a moment and then replied with a troubled smile.

"I came through a shortcut. As soon as I saw that I was far from you, I left."

"...Ha, a shortcut."

Another driver, who looked tired, contorted his face as if he found it ridiculous.

"You don't seem to know how we got here. No matter how many shortcuts there are, they can never outsmart us. I don't know if it flew in the sky."

James smiled bitterly from the side.

"Yes. Even if I knew how to fly, it was impossible to come and wait like this."

When I heard that, I looked at Kyle with a trembling expression. How hard had he been pushing that the drivers were like that? It looked like they almost broke through the mountain.

Kyle dropped his pretense. Finally, he sighed and replied.

"I used teleportation magic. Knox... I used the magic circle that the wizard in white had drawn. Speaking of which, the mages seemed to have painted magic circles all over the north and rode them."

The expressions of the knights who thought of the wizard and Nox, who appeared with the mutant goblin, darkened.

Someone asked me in a trembling voice.

"'Knox'? How did you know that name?"

"Could it be that you are inside?"

"Did you infiltrate the north?"

"What is the purpose?"

"Did you come here with space travel magic? Can you use such high-ranking magic?"

"...Wait, wait."

The chaotic questions were messing up in my head. I waved my hand and said.

"One by one. I'll answer them one by one."

"..."

"First. Nox's name was heard directly from the bastard. Maybe it's fake."

"I suppose so."

"Second. It is true that he used teleportation magic. It feels a little different from the 'magic' that people talk about... You can't move freely. It's close to the ability to get out of a crisis at least once, so there are a lot of restrictions."

Despite my lengthy explanation, the knights didn't seem to believe it at all. It wasn't a year or two that he had a conflict with the wizards, so it was understandable.

Judging by the sharp stares, it seemed that the wizards had used spies to induce internal division before.

"But I'm not a mage. It's not even a gang with lawless bastards. That's for sure."

After saying this, I was silent for a moment. There were some excuses that I came up with the help of the system, but listing the information I didn't ask for only increased my suspicions.

So, I had to be a little more tense in order to talk more. I laughed suspiciously, and the drivers continued to ask questions.

"Yes, let's say you returned to the territory alone before us through the magic circle. But how did Knox get away with it? It didn't seem like an ordinary bet. I didn't think I would let it go smoothly."

"That's right. That part kept bothering me. Didn't he kill a group of goblins with his own hands? But you let him go?"

"He showed me a subtle favor... Isn't it spherical?"

"What is the spherical face?"

This is enough.

I took a deep breath and began to come up with the appropriate excuses I had come up with after three days of rolling around on the soft sawdust.

"Well, I mean.... I was actually vaguely aware of their existence. So the wizards were also suspicious of my identity. Maybe that's why they tried to take me away. Just digging up that one is enough to harvest."

"Wasn't he just a demon mathematician? Although his origin was a little unclear...."

"That's right."

"Anyway!"

I cut off their murmur and continued.

"The story is a bit complicated, and I'm afraid of misunderstandings. Anyway, not in a hurry with them. We don't even cooperate. I just want to stop him. You failed to completely beat him, so you couldn't even use your right arm."

James said, as if he had figured something out of my messy words.

"No, that's not a failure. Even though he was branded, he returned to his territory safely. That wizard... Nox must know that you have returned to your territory. Then why don't you come back to catch him?"

He said in a voice that could not shake off hostility.

"You might be able to go south with something more than a pack of goblins. An army of demonic beasts will invade the territory, or if you're unlucky, other mages may come down. Time will be running out to deal with it...."

At that time, Kyle, who had been silent the whole time with his arms crossed, cut off the words and said coldly.

"So, you had to be sacrificed quietly to be safe from the people who would most likely come your way?"

"..."

"I raised the Templars wrong."

Kyle seemed to want to blame him more, but when I made eye contact with him and slowly shook my head, he closed his mouth. Of course, his eyes were still fierce, but he kept silent awkwardly.

Kyle's words also make sense. If you sacrifice one by one for safety, you will cut more and more things. Someone's sacrifice was something that others should not ask for. It's a complicated issue.

But now, the fact that Kyle, who has a close relationship with me, sided with me only caused more backlash from the drivers. Kyle always loses his temper easily when it comes to things related to me. It was necessary to keep a sense of distance.

'Do you feel like you're being in the middle of the night?'

I felt a little sorry and looked at Kyle. Fortunately, he didn't show any signs of sadness. A sigh of relief leaked out.

"I'm sorry. It wouldn't have been easy to come back safely."

At that time, James, who had regained his composure, quickly apologized. At times like this, I realize that he is a person who has a special heart for Youngji and Kyle.

'I'm not a bad person.'

That's it.

Instead of answering, I shrugged my shoulders and answered the knights' questions about why Knox wanted to take me away.

"Well, that's why. From their point of view... It's like a traitor's disciple."

Since they couldn't know the life of an ordinary office worker, I began to spice it up moderately and lay a board that everyone could understand.

The unidentified man, Shu, was actually a magician. However, it was a slightly different power from the magic used by ordinary wizards, so there were not many people who taught it or inherited it.

Shu is the only apprentice of the wizard who lived in seclusion deep in the south, and his teacher had a relationship with the northern wizards in the past, but now they have a different meaning and are at odds with each other.

The knights looked somber when they added that they had lost their family in the village where they had stopped to separate from the group on the way down to the capital, and that they had followed the wizard because of it. When I saw his expression, I felt a little sorry.

Anyway, 'Shu' ended up on the path of a wizard. Unfortunately, he had no talent for magic, and he only inherited a few tricks from his teacher.

"Life force for magic... ?"

"I mean, you're risking your life."

"Is there such magic in the world...."

"No, this is a bit .... magic."

The eyes of the knights, full of confusion, turned to me. Although his vigilance had not completely eased, he still seemed to think that there was a corner of his trust that could be trusted.

"Did you risk your life to come this far?"

I replied sadly.

"I have always risked my life for the North. I didn't spare anything to keep them from destroying the North and to keep His Highness Kyle safe."

"..."

It seemed that the past was passing quickly in their heads.

From being hit by a chandelier that fell to wrap around Belial, to going on a scout with him or going to the Imperial City, to returning to the north after participating in a political dispute.

A simple spy would not do that. Besides, we didn't spend a day or two together. Public opinion was tilting like that.

At this point, I moved my right shoulder to add a slight sympathy mark. I felt terrible pain and chills.

I crouched down and slumped low, and Kyle's feet heaved slightly. He seemed to want to run to me at any moment, but he was reminded that he shouldn't, and he bit his lip and held back.

"This is my Master's will, and my ... It is also a will. When I had nowhere to go, the North became my home."

"..."

"Our common goal is to prevent those wizards from trampling on this land with their feet, so why should we be so suspicious of each other?"

I don't have time to do this. Nox will surely come to me. And Lorenz, who became emperor, would be on his way.

You can't hide the fact that Belial is alive forever. Lorenz will reach out here in earnest in order to obtain the 'Heart of Winter' and to completely eliminate Belial.

At the time of his accession, Lorenz said that he would not be hostile to the North... There's no way he cares about the agreement. Let's believe in those who believe in us.

Obviously, he will try to get rid of Kyle at any cost. What Lorenz wants is absolute imperial power.

"They will make something called the 'heart of winter'. It's similar to the core of the demon beast. It's the crystallization of their power, which takes countless lives. We need to prevent it from being made."

You don't have to trust me forever. After all, after I solve this and that, I'll go back to my original world.

"If you don't like it, please think of it as a temporary alliance. Is it that difficult?"

There was a long silence. Everyone was judging fiercely. It was so serious that it looked serious and gloomy.

I calmly waited for the answer to come back. It was because I knew that someone's trust was not something that could be forced.

Presently, the knights spoke.

"I will believe."

"Me too."

"Yes, me too. To be honest, I don't see him as someone who would lie."

Then Kyle, who had been watching me all along, said,

"I also believe."

It flew into my ears with a little sad sound.