I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain

“I’ve changed my mind. I will continue to dine here.”

 

Upon hearing Yohan’s determined words, I clicked my tongue inwardly. A strange fervor was burning in his violet eyes.

 

Moreover, it was clear where that gaze was directed.

 

‘To think that he would be focused on me when the empire’s finest beauty, Mariel, is right there… But I guess it could happen.’

 

I had done remarkably well, whether it was rescuing him by throwing acorns to the servants or even letting him rub my belly to comfort him. Furthermore, it was mentioned in the original that the sensation of a divine creature calming down the rampant mana was an incredibly exhilarating sensation for wizards. Feeling the pain that tears your skin at ease must be incredible. To Yohan, who had lived in isolation and loneliness until now, my appearance must have seemed like a blessing. In his current state of mind, I must truly be an irreplaceable presence.

 

‘But… Anyway, Yohan won’t need me forever.’ If I review the contents of the original… 

 

In the novel, the duke of Hyrad’s household went to war 14 years ago, but after that, he disappeared. After that, a message urging someone from the Hyrad family to be sent back to the battlefield arrived.

 

‘Naturally, Ella sent Yohan, thinking he was expendable. That’s why she kept Yohan alive until now.’

 

However, something groundbreaking happened when the battered Yohan went to the battlefield. A few years later, the temple developed something called the ‘Soothing Elixir.’ It was a potion that would calm magical power. Unlike Shinsus, which were sold at exorbitant prices due to their scarcity, the ‘Soothing Elixir’ was affordable for everyone.

 

‘In other words, my usefulness is going to end in a few years…’

 

Yohan’s fate, originally expected to succumb to the chaotic mana runaway, took a different turn. Drinking the ‘Soothing Elixir’ provided on the battlefield, he awakened as an archmage. Then, with his tremendous magic, he led the war to victory and returned as a war hero. After confidently becoming the Duke of Hyrad, he ruthlessly disposed of Tezen and Ella. 

 

It was then that he first laid eyes on Mariel and became inexplicably obsessed with her.

 

Well, I couldn’t tell how this would turn out now, considering that even after seeing Mariel for the first time, he didn’t seem particularly impressed…

 

‘Right. Not showing interest is what will make many people live in peace.’

 

I made an effort not to imagine Yohan’s future as a ruthless villain and casually swayed my tail.

 

“Um…”

 

As I was recalling the original plot, Mariel cautiously spoke up.

 

“What is the name of the Shinsu? It’s so cute…”

 

Tezen wasn’t stupid enough to say he called me “Slave.” Tezen was a con artist, capable of navigating crises without hesitation.

 

“I couldn’t think of a good name, so I was considering my options. Could the lady give me one?”

 

“Me? Really? Is it okay?” Mariel blushed, looking delighted.

 

‘Indeed.’ I crossed my arms, looked at Mariel closely, and tapped my foot once. She was indeed dazzlingly beautiful, fitting the role of a heroine.  Moreover, her voice was bright and soft, resembling her mother’s kind and gentle demeanor.

 

‘I wonder what kind of perfect name the perfect heroine will come up with?’ It would certainly be different from the ugly names that Yohan gave me.

 

Mariel pondered while scrutinizing me.

 

“Um, your chubby tail is cute, and your jet-black eyes are so pretty…”

 

‘How much thought is she putting into a good name?’ As her contemplation deepened, my expectations swelled like a balloon.

 

After a while, Mariel blinked her eyes and said with a bright smile,

 

“Blackie! What do you think about Blackie?”

 

Awful.

 

‘Am I some kind of pet? Aren’t I too elegant and dignified for a name like “Blackie”?’

 

I vigorously shook my head but restrained myself from expressing my displeasure too strongly when I saw Mariel’s innocent face. Unlike Yohan, I couldn’t easily deceive Mariel. 

 

‘Why? Well, Mariel is, in any case, the successor of the Medes Duchy, and I am a realistically weak squirrel when it comes to power.’

 

“Blackie, you have a truly excellent talent for naming.”

 

It seemed Ella was weak when it came to power, too, as she smiled wholeheartedly and clapped her hands after hearing the rather mediocre name.

 

“Thank you, Milady. Blackie will be very grateful for the name.”

 

‘What nonsense? Not at all!’

 

“Right, Blackie?”

 

I grumpily puffed out my cheeks and rolled my eyes, but reluctantly nodded my head after. After all, the mark of Hyrad was embedded in my chest, and I couldn’t afford to act like a brat and risk getting sent back to the temple.

 

‘My dream of humanization will be over, since after the potion is developed, the wizards who need me to absorb their mana won’t need me anymore… that’s why I have to finish the transformation through Yohan before that.’

 

For that, I had to stay quietly at the ducal’s mansion while calming Yohan behind the scenes.

 

“Um, then, can I… pet it?”

 

Mariel asked eagerly, as if she were asking too much, and Tezen, as if he were making a generous gesture, extended me towards her.

 

“Of course.”

 

I obediently approached Mariel across the table and stood in front of her.

 

“Blackie.” Mariel carefully lifted my front paw with a delighted expression.

 

“You-you’re so cute… Really, you understand everything.”

 

“Kyung!” I was startled and almost jumped up when she held my paw.

 

‘What, what was that?’

 

I could feel an enormous amount of mana dormant within Mariel after making contact with her. If measured in quantity alone, it wasn’t much different from Yohan’s. 

 

‘Weird… How does she have this much mana when she’s not even a wizard?’

 

Moreover, the mana was perfectly stabilized and had no apparent influence on Mariel. Normally, uncontrolled mana inside a person’s body would cause pain, and it ran havoc, but she seemed undisturbed. 

 

Furthermore, there was no mention of Mariel using magic anywhere in the original novel. Earlier, Mariel had even mentioned that things like being a wizard or a magical being had nothing to do with her…

 

‘It’s strange…’ As an experiment, I decided to absorb her mana.

 

“Keew?”

 

“What’s wrong, Blackie?”

 

A considerable amount of Mariel’s mana flowed into my body, but Mariel seemed completely unaffected.

 

‘Something… something is definitely strange.’ Did I miss something? Was there any mention of this in the original? However, no matter how much I searched in my memories, such a crucial detail had never been explained.

 

Mariel, looking at me as if I were the cutest thing in the world, suddenly took out a golden thread from her hair ornament.

 

“This ribbon around your neck looks uncomfortable… It must be hard to wear, right? Did you dress up for us?”

 

I nodded my head, I was still feeling bewildered.

 

She, who had been staring at me as if enchanted, quickly tied the light golden thread around my ankle.

 

“This is my gift to you, Blackie. I’m really glad I have met you.”

 

Certainly, it was much more comfortable than the bothersome ribbon. And, importantly, it was made of gold, even if thin.

 

“Kyung!” ‘Thank you. Gold is the best.’

 

I lightly tapped my ankle as if expressing my liking. Tezen cleared his throat and spoke.

 

“Well, then, come back now. Lady Medes should start her meal.”

 

It was a clear command asserting his ownership. I sighed inwardly, but the mark on my chest showed Hyrad’s, not Medes’ Duchy. It meant I had to follow Tezen’s orders in the end. Mariel would return after the meal, and Tezen would remain as my master.

 

“Keeew.” I shook hands with Mariel as if expressing regret, and I turned back towards Tezen. 

 

And at that moment, I slipped, perhaps because the water spilled by Yohan was still on the table.

 

“Kyu—!” ‘I-I, I’m falling! What a disgrace for a squirrel!’

 

“—ung?”

 

However, I managed to avoid the embarrassment of falling backward in front of everyone. I felt a warm body temperature against my back and stomach. I could tell whose hands were touching me just by contact, since I could feel the overflowing mana.

 

“Be careful.”

 

Before everyone reacted, Yohan stood up and caught me, covering my belly with one hand.

 

“You almost fell.”

 

While he stared at me intently, he slowly moved the hands that enveloped me to his chest. A warm body temperature filled with mana firmly embraced me.

 

Yohan whispered to me as if sharing a secret; I was still bewildered by his actions.

 

“You almost revealed your belly to others. You shouldn’t show something so precious to just anyone.”

 

“Kyung?” ‘Wh-what? Why are you saying such decadent things?’

 

As if there were only the two of us in the dining room, Yohan and I locked eyes for a moment.

 

“Yohan.” And the one who broke the silence was Tezen.

 

“Thanks for preventing Blackie from falling.”

 

Yohan slowly raised his eyes to look at Tezen. As he remained silent, Tezen continued.

 

“Then, can you give it back?”

 

He confidently extended his hand to Yohan.

 

“My squirrel.”

 

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