Necromancer Survival

this humiliation.

     No–I was certain about his enjoyment.
The Mage followed with more unreasonable orders, as if he were a drill sergeant during my time in the army.

[Lee-kyung-ie, roll to the left.]

[Now, to the right.]

[Hug my fingers tightly.]

     “……”

     Even though my eyes were tearing up, I did as he asked.
Lastly, the Mage made a circle with his thumb and index finger, and I stuck my head through… He made me do every trick a dog was known to do.

     And, after watching all that, Jo Chan-young said to his guildmaster, genuinely amazed–

[…He’s truly a genius hamster…]

[I didn’t train him.
Lee-kyung-ie understands everything I say.
He wants to stay with me, after all.]

[That’s…]

[Chan-young-ie also knows that hamsters can’t be trained like this.]

[……]

     In the end, Jo Chan-young couldn’t refute those words and stared blatantly at me.
And his eyes were…how should I put it…more passionate than his previous stares? However, he retreated a few steps as he judged that I was following the Mage out of my own will.

[…Then, did Cutie want to wear all those clothes?]

[He prefers to wear clothes.]

[…How strange.
However, I…I suppose I have to trust my eyes even if I can’t fully believe them.]

[Don’t worry.
I’ll take care of him well.]

     When Jo Chan-young stepped back, accepting those words, I was finally placed atop Seo Dawon’s palm.

     I buried my face into his hand, laying face down and hoping that this shame and humiliation would soon pass.
However, my small tears would not stop no matter how hard I tried.
I blamed Seo Dawon inwardly, wiping at my eyes with both arms.

     ‘Seriously… So mean.’

     Was this fun for him? I wanted to curse and shout that out loud.
However, I was simply sad about this entire situation.

     In that way, my brief escape ended in humiliation.
After saying his farewells to Jo Chan-young, Seo Dawon left the room without another word to me.

     After I was held tightly in his hand, I smelled the familiar scent of his private study.

Click–

     “Ah…” When I heard the soft close of the door, I looked through the gaps of his fingers and looked at his office.
Then, seeing the pandemonium–the messy state of his room–I gasped unwittingly.

     As if he had guessed the origins of my surprise, the Mage asked in a derisive tone–

[How was your recent outing, Lee-kyung-ah?]

     “A-Argh…!!”

     He’s humiliated me so much, but his anger has yet to subside?!

     However, I had a lot to complain about as well.
I immediately bit his finger to vent my anger, but Seo Dawon lightly pressed my cheeks together with his thumb and index finger.
Then, looking at my trembling, he continued to speak–

[I ordered a new house that you’re going to live in from now on.]

     As I listened to the Mage, I instinctively searched for the two-story dollhouse I had stayed in, but it was nowhere to be found.

     Then, as I lowered my gaze further to the ground, I saw a familiar wall lying half-broken on the floor.
The house I had stayed in had been badly damaged, as if someone had thrown it into the wall and smashed it.

     I couldn’t tear my gaze away–it was so disturbing and somewhat heartbreaking.
After checking what I was gazing at, the Mage smirked.

[I had thought you were frustrated with the place–maybe it was too small.]

     “……”

[There’s no owner like me, right, Lee-kyung-ah?]

     He was clearly intimidating me.
Though I was frightened by the underlying implications, I finally protested through my trembles.
“You’re not my owner.”

     Seo Dawon smirked at my glares and pulled at my cheeks–

[No? Then you should have followed Jo Chan-young.
What are you saying now after following all my directions?]

     “Jo Chan-young thinks I’m a hamster!”

[It’s not so different with me as well.
You don’t feel particularly like a human.]

     “What….?” I looked up at him, shocked.
The gleam in Seo Dawon’s eyes was darker than I had expected.

     Seo Dawon stared at me and pulled at the maid suit he had personally placed on my body; with one tug from his fingers, the dress tore easily.
All this felt…somehow creepy.
I reflexively covered up my exposed shoulders, but Seo Dawon pressed my hands with the tips of his nails, restricting my movements.

      He looked down at me with an incomprehensible expression and asked in a quietly reproachful tone–

[Why did you lie to me?]

     “……”

[I was going crazy–I thought I’d find you dead.]