Chapter 77
*A Hamster’s Intelligence is Directly Proportional to its Tail*
“Damn it, what is this?!”
The young master grabbed the creature that had jumped on us and threw it against the wall. Thud! Squeak! It fell to the floor with a strange sound.
“That’s…”
It was moving. A living creature? I narrowed my eyes, focusing.
“Is that a puppy? What’s a puppy doing in the laboratory…?”
“No, Young Master. That’s…”
I recognized it. It was the hamster I had brought back!
Zomrat!
“No! Zomrat! Zomrat!”
I rushed towards it. Zomrat, still dazed, scurried into my arms.
“Young Master! This is Zomrat! Our cute little hamster!”
I held Zomrat up for him to see. He took Zomrat and held him in one hand. The hamster, which had been too big for me to hold with both hands, now fit in his palm.
“No! Don’t squeeze him!”
“Does this look like a hamster to you? This tail? This size? Do you even know what a hamster is? A hamster with a tail is called a rat. And this one is as big as fifty hamsters combined. So it’s not even a rat.”
“Give him back! He’s just a bit… sturdy! He’s going through a growth spurt!”
I snatched Zomrat back and held him close. He squeaked and gasped for air, then quickly wriggled free and ran to a corner of the laboratory.
“No! Zomrat!”
“Zomrat…”
I tried to follow him, but the young master stopped me, pulling me into his arms.
“Shall we continue what we were doing? In this atmosphere? I don’t mind.”
Was he going to kiss me? Thankfully, I had a tongue. It was for talking, but having another use for it wouldn’t be so bad.
I closed my eyes and puckered my lips, but he covered my mouth with his hand.
“Estella, didn’t you notice anything strange?”
“Mmmpph…”
I removed his hand.
“You’re teasing me. Playing hard to get.”
“That’s not important right now. That rat… wasn’t a zombie.”
“What do you mean?”
I asked, snuggling closer to him. Hee hee. The foolish young master, oblivious to my scheme, wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Or rather, he held my shoulder and made me look in the direction Zomrat had disappeared.
“When you first brought that rat here…”
“Hamster.”
“Rat.”
Our eyes met. He glared at me, silently telling me to shut up.
“When you first brought it here, it was a zombie. Infected by being near other zombies. That’s why you gave it that ridiculous name, Zomrat.”
“I don’t agree that the name is ridiculous, but yes, that’s right.”
“Did you touch it earlier?”
“I hugged it!”
“How did it feel?”
His eyes gleamed. His gaze was a bit intense, almost scary, so I pushed his chin away with my fingertips.
“It was soft and warm. Small paws. Slightly sharp claws.”
“That’s it!”
He laughed triumphantly and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, still confused.
“Young Master? I’m not very smart, so I have to ask, why are you doing this?”
“You were right, Estella!”
He lifted me up, spun me around, and then put me down. He then grabbed his notebook and hurried towards the corner where Zomrat had disappeared. I picked up an axe that was hanging on the wall as a decoration and followed him.
“You’re not going to kill Zomrat, are you? I’m holding this axe, but I’m not lending it to you.”
“This laboratory holds the key to solving the zombie problem. A way to turn a zombie rat into an ordinary rat! No, even better. That Zomrat looked bigger and stronger than other rats. It was fine even after I threw it. This is a significant discovery. With the elixir, I can…”
The wires in my pocket jingled. He reached into my apron pocket, took them, and threw them behind him.
“Young Master!”
“Use a proper method to enter next time.”
I was so surprised by his words that I swung the axe excitedly. He took a step back.
“Are you serious?”
“…Could you put the axe down? I’m not going to kill anyone. Just catching a rat.”
“Can I enter the laboratory?”
“You’re already inside. And yes.”
“Why?”
I asked without much expectation. I heard a squeaking sound in the distance, and he quickened his pace. I followed, holding the axe downwards.
“Because you’re special.”
He gave me an unexpected answer.
“I’ve decided. You can enter the places I manage. You’re my maid. I’ll tell you with certainty, you won’t be fired.”
“Wow, I like that. A permanent position. Especially when I like my boss.”
We soon found Zomrat. He was running around in a room filled with flasks, beakers, and various liquids. I could see the gnaw marks he had left.
And a phoenix feather was hanging on the wall.
“This is it. I’ll start here. I can finally finish what I’ve been working on for five years. To think my father started it…”
“It’s like inheriting the family business!”
“A bit disgusting.”
“What?”
“That you had the same thought as me. It’s not a good thought. Objectively speaking.”
“Come here, Zomrat!”
I ignored him and picked up Zomrat, who was hiding in a corner. He tried to escape, but I was stronger. I held the dog-sized rat tightly under my arm and looked at the young master, who was examining the labels on the bottles, bent over.
Zomrat’s tail wrapped around my arm. I approached the young master and tugged on his sleeve.
“Young Master?”
“Amazing. Some of these are things I already know, and some are… amateurish. But the ingredients are all rare. I never imagined… I wish my father hadn’t died so early. He would have been a great teacher.”
He didn’t even seem to notice me. I tugged on his sleeve harder. I must have tightened my grip on Zomrat, as he squeaked.
“I’m setting the mood.”
“I know. I’m ignoring you on purpose.”
“Since you’ve already confessed, shouldn’t you at least create a romantic atmosphere?”
“When did I confess?”
He was busy pouring liquids from one bottle to another. My grip on his sleeve tightened with every step he took.
“You just did.”
“Guaranteeing your lifelong employment? Nobles call that a ‘benefit.’”
“Romance novels call it a ‘confession.’”
“So?”
I hugged his waist and climbed onto his back.
“…Estella. You seem to be unaware that this isn’t what you call ‘romantic.’”
“Answer me. Where am I allowed to go?”
I wrapped my legs around his neck and leaned forward so we could make eye contact. My long, black hair fell over my face. He took my hair and wrapped it around Zomrat’s tail. Zomrat squeaked in protest.
“What kind of answer do you want?”
“If I’m allowed to go anywhere you manage, how about here?”
I poked his chest with my index finger.
“Can I enter your heart? That’s the most important thing to me.”
He reached out and pushed me down. I landed on the floor, sprawled on my back, looking up at him.
“You already know the answer.”
His face was slightly red as he said that.
“Of course. I asked because I know.”
Zomrat climbed onto my face and squeaked.
The young master spent the next few days in the workshop. Repairing me didn’t take long, but the elixir was a problem. I busily prepared his meals, since he often forgot to eat when he was engrossed in his work.
After a hectic week, I was on my way to the workshop to nag him, as usual, when I heard it.
“Young Master! Estella! Aaaah! It’s that rat again! And now there’s a bird! Those filthy creatures! Creatures! They’re inside the mansion!”
Head Butler Godora’s screams echoed from the garden. I dropped the snack plate I was holding, grabbed the axe from the workshop, and ran outside.
“Head Butler! What’s wrong? I’ll chop them up!”
“Are you crazy! Estella! Put that weapon down! This is madness!”
He was running around in circles, trying to get Zomrat off his face. Sparrow, still unaware of my existence, was following him, pecking at his feet.
“What’s wrong? Why are you here? You said you didn’t want to disturb the young master and never came to the workshop.”
I pulled Zomrat off his face and added,
“Well, I knew you had a few knights spying on the young master. I even saw you hiding in the bushes. You would have been buried underground if I hadn’t noticed you. I was holding an axe back then too.”
He looked up, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me violently. Zomrat and I were shaken back and forth, looking down at his graying hair.
“This isn’t the time! Bring the young master here, now!”
“Why? He’s in the middle of his research. He’ll sulk for days if he’s interrupted. He’s cute when he sulks, but…”
“Now! Now!”
He screamed.
“Crown Prince Umbram sent a carriage!”