[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Four days remain until the estimated time of death.]
As soon as I habitually checked on Kyle’s safety, an ominous message appeared on the system window.
Wait, wasn’t there supposed to be about a month left? Did a digit just disappear from the front? Where did all the time go?
Clenching my fists, I remained still while sitting on the experiment table. Nox, his monocle resting on the bridge of his nose, tilted his head.
“You look absolutely awful. Are you sure you want to continue the experiment like this?”
I answered him absentmindedly.
“Of course. What are we doing today?”
“Kid, I’m going to interfere with your power.”
“That seems like… it would require someone else’s consent more than mine.”
His eyes narrowed slightly behind the lens.
“You’re the one who has to convince them. Aren’t you?”
Ignoring him, I questioned the system instead.
‘That’s not the priority right now. If Kyle only has four days left to live…’
It was undeniably bad news, but that wasn’t all there was to it. The estimated time of death could still be changed—just like before. I had already done it multiple times.
‘That means he’s safe for today, right?’
In other words, something might happen in four days, but until then, he should be fine.
Pausing my train of thought, I hesitated for a moment.
Was it just my imagination? Suddenly, I had the eerie feeling that my voice was spreading outward somewhere. But I hadn’t spoken aloud… was that even possible?
[As long as you don’t act unpredictably, it will be fine.]
The system’s response wavered slightly. The letters trembled minutely in place before settling back into position.
…So it wasn’t just in my head!
[ヽ（≧□≦）ノ]
I jerked my head up.
Nox had somehow gotten much closer and was now looking down at me with a smile. It had a gentlemanly air but carried an unmistakable chill.
When did he get this close? I sharply turned my head away and spoke curtly.
“You were eavesdropping again, weren’t you? I doubt I’ll be able to convince them now, considering I’m rather annoyed.”
“That’s unfortunate. I did my best to minimize my presence.”
It didn’t seem like a lie. Unlike before, the text hadn’t glitched or been replaced with strange symbols.
At any rate, Kyle didn’t seem to be in immediate danger. I firmly instructed the system to notify me the moment his estimated time of death dropped below a single day.
‘I might get distracted with other things and forget. So check it regularly and make sure to tell me. It’s important.’
As I repeatedly emphasized the point, Nox chuckled amusedly and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Day and night, your thoughts are consumed by His Highness the Grand Duke.”
How did he know that? Wait—was he spying on my conversations with the system…? Was he also hearing the thoughts I was sending its way?
I would have to be even more cautious around Nox from now on. Maintaining a neutral expression, I responded,
“Obviously. He’s my lover. Do you not have someone precious to you?”
“Well, I did. But no matter how dear they were, it was only fleeting.”
His voice was thick with weary indifference.
“There’s a realm I wish to reach. But the human body is far too fragile. That’s why I intend to overcome even death itself.”
I instinctively shrank back, trying to create some distance between myself and Nox, who had perched on the edge of the bed.
His glowing blue eyes locked onto me as he continued speaking. This was the secret he had promised to reveal to me today.
“That’s right. I’m already dead. And yet, here I am, still moving. I will do whatever it takes to remain unshackled by this wretched death. Whether that means devouring my own family or plunging countless lands into ruin, as long as I can seize what I desire—nothing else matters.”
He was likely a mage from centuries past, one who delved into forbidden magic like Frost’s Poison. But as with all humans, he would not have been able to escape the death that eventually came for him.
And yet, for some reason, Nox had come back to life. His allotted lifespan had long since run out.
The answer was obvious. He had survived by devouring the lives of others. Just as he had said—he had even used his own family’s lives to achieve immortality.
The Heart of Winter.
For Nox, it was nothing less than his very lifeline. He committed such cruel acts for the simple reason that he wanted to live forever and continue his research into magic.
Is it really possible to be that obsessed with life?
What was so great about living, anyway? The more I learned, the more revolting he became.
I scowled. I didn’t want to speak another word to him. But a promise was a promise—I had to reveal a secret of my own, one of equal weight to what he had just confessed.
“I…”
What should I say? After a brief hesitation, I spoke again.
“I was destined to die. That’s why I came to this world—to change that fate.”
A glimmer of interest surfaced in Nox’s eyes, a strange satisfaction as if he had found a sense of kinship in me.
The feeling unsettled me, and I blurted out,
“But it’s not because I want to live forever! It’s just…! Dying like that would be too meaningless! If I just collapsed and died after suffering my whole life, who would say, ‘Ah, yes. That makes sense’? Of course I’d try to change it if I had the chance—anyone would.”
“Meaningless? Not shocking?”
“Well, yeah…”
What was so shocking about it? Everyone who was born eventually died. That was an absolute, universal truth with no exceptions.
Life and death had always felt the same to me—just tumbling along. It wouldn’t have been strange for me to die at any moment. And even if I did, the number of people who would truly mourn me was well within ten fingers.
Then why had I wanted to return so badly?
The inexplicable feeling sent a slight shiver through me. I had more to say, but when I realized I felt no pain in my throat, I quickly shut my mouth.
Yes, this was enough. There was no need to voluntarily reveal more.
Nox, intrigued, immediately fired another question.
“So, is this body of yours something you brought over from the other world where you lived? You do look rather exotic.”
“Yes.”
“A person who has rejected death once will find it easy to do so twice, three times. Once you realize it can be overturned, death no longer feels like something you must accept. So tell me, kid—do you truly have no intention of living forever?”
I thought for a moment before answering.
“No. I have no intention of living forever.”
The idea might seem alluring in theory, but in reality, it was anything but.
To live forever was to lose everything, endlessly. And if I had to consume others just to maintain that existence, then I wouldn’t want it even if it were handed to me for free.
I meant it completely, and as expected, I felt no pain in my throat. Seeing how unaffected I was, Nox tilted his head, intrigued.
“Brave, aren’t you? A living being unafraid of death.”
He reached out and placed his hand on my chest.
Through his cold touch, he could feel my heart beating slightly faster than normal.
His, on the other hand, was much slower—almost leisurely, like someone in deep sleep.
…His heart is beating? Why?
But he’s dead. He has no need to eat or breathe—so why does he have a heartbeat?
After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to use one of the questions I was allowed for the day.
“I mean, I summoned this body after nearly dying in my world. But why is your heart beating?”
“You hear it as a heartbeat?”
Nox casually grabbed my hand and placed it over his chest.
The quiet rhythm… upon closer listening, it wasn’t so much a heartbeat as it was the sound of clockwork gears interlocking.
The Heart of Winter…
“Yeah. It’s incomplete, but it’s inside me. I don’t mind smart people, so consider this a little bonus.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Did he think I’d be grateful for that?
“So, the reason your group is targeting the North… To be precise, you’re not after the land itself—you need the lives of the people living there.”
“That’s right.”
Because his heart could only be sustained by consuming the lives of others.
That realization suddenly brought something else to mind.
Back in the North, when Kyle and I were reviewing documents, we had come across reports about people disappearing.
A series of missing persons cases occurring all across Meinhardt. It started three months ago, right after Lorenz formally ascended to the throne.
A mass disappearance wouldn’t be an exaggeration. If the reports have reached this level, then the scale must be massive. Some slums were left completely empty, with only traces of their existence remaining—everyone had vanished.
At the time, handling territorial affairs had been the priority, so I had only heard about it in passing…
But entire groups of people vanishing without a trace…
That must have been what happened to Blake Territory in the original story!
After Grand Duke Blake died, even James Russell, who had desperately tried to hold things together, was killed.
With no one left to stop the mages, the castle was abandoned, and the North regressed into the desolate wasteland it had been decades ago.
No matter how harsh and bitter the land was, it had still been home to people.
And from what I had seen myself, the North was far more developed than I had imagined.
There was no way those people had simply fled just because their lord and his proxy had died.
They hadn’t left—they had disappeared. Used as materials for the Heart of Winter.
All for the sake of your damned immortality—how could you justify this?
I had no intention of saving the world, but that didn’t mean I had to sit back and watch it be destroyed like this.
My gaze turned cold as I glared at Nox. My final question escaped my lips like ice.
“The disappearances happening across the Meinhardt Empire.”
“……”
“You’re the one behind them, aren’t you?”
