Nigel blinked in disbelief. That number couldn’t possibly be right, could it? Thinking it might be a mistake, he closed and reopened the window—yet the figure, over forty thousand, remained stubbornly unchanged.
“…What… the hell?”
“Is something wrong, my lord?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Flustered, Nigel stared at Inas’s Status Window again and again. But no matter how desperately he tried, the numbers refused to change.
A level of forty thousand—how was that even possible? The strongest knight in the Magnus Duchy had been level 72. Even the man hailed as the kingdom’s greatest sword, Schumacher, whom Nigel had run into recently by chance, was only level 91.
Nigel had believed in his knight’s strength. He’d expected maybe somewhere in the 80s or 90s… but forty thousand? That defied all logic. Granted, this Status Window itself was already far from normal…
Maybe it was a glitch? But no matter how many times he opened and closed Inas’s window, the result stayed the same. Eventually, Nigel gave up denying reality and opened the Skill Window instead—and that was even more absurd.
Skill List
Combat Skills
Aura Sword — Lv. 100
[Master]
Aura Enhancement — Lv. 100
[Master]
Belfir Kingdom Knight Swordsmanship — Lv. 100
[Master]
Magnus Ducal Secret Swordsmanship — Lv. 100
[Master]
Lemad Kingdom Secret Swordsmanship — Lv. 100
[Master]
…
He flicked through the skill list as fast as he could, but it just kept going. And the content? Absolutely ridiculous.
Nigel hadn’t even known it was possible to master a skill. Inas was the only person he’d seen with that [Master] tag. But every single skill had it. All of them.
And Aura Sword—mastered? As far as Nigel knew, Inas was still at a beginner’s level with it. Even that was impressive, of course—manifesting an Aura Sword at such a young age had earned him the title of Swordmaster, one of only three in the entire kingdom. But he hadn’t reached the level of a master. Nigel was sure of it.
And what the hell was Lemad Kingdom Secret Swordsmanship? Inas had never even been near Lemad. The closest he’d come to Lemad culture was looking at some pottery and paintings. Nigel was sure of that, too.
But all of that paled in comparison to what came next.
…
Meteor Storm — Lv. 100
[Master]
Earthquake — Lv. 100
[Master]
Blizzard — Lv. 100
[Master]
Resurrection — Lv. 100
[Master]
Warp Portal — Lv. 100
[Master]
…
Mastery of high-tier magic that wasn’t supposed to be cast solo. Nigel knew Inas as a swordsman, not a mage. But here it was—magic skills listed in his window as plain as day.
If this window was telling the truth, then Inas… was a mage.
The first thought that popped into Nigel’s head—
He’d been deceived.
Inas had fooled him, and done it flawlessly.
Staggered, Nigel slammed the window shut. His hands, which had been wrapped around Inas’s neck, lost strength, and he collapsed onto the bed, dazed. His hands were trembling.
Inas, flustered by Nigel’s sudden loss of interest, panicked.
“Nigel?”
“Sorry. I’m just… tired…”
“Are you unwell? Do you have a headache?”
“It’s not that. Sorry, I just want to sleep.”
“Nigel…”
“Get out. I’m going to sleep.”
Maybe Inas would kill him in a rage, but right now, Nigel couldn’t stand the sight of his face. The betrayal hit too hard.
Inas, the loyal knight who Nigel had thought told him everything, had lied.
When Nigel had been murdered, it hadn’t even hurt, and time had rewound so quickly it barely felt real. But now, the Skill Window—something he’d come to trust deeply over the past ten days—had shown him the truth.
And all the rage he’d suppressed came surging to the surface.
He ignored Inas, who kept calling out to him, and pulled the blanket over his head.
***
Still furious the next morning, Nigel ignored Inas the entire day. Normally, Nigel would hover around him, obsessively checking him head to toe for any injuries. But now, seeing Nigel behave so differently had left not just Inas, but everyone around them, confused.
Even Georg Ruden, the experienced and usually silent butler who always watched Nigel carefully, finally spoke up.
“My lord. Has Sir Inas perhaps done something disloyal?”
“What?”
“Or… are you feeling unwell?”
“I only ignored him for a day. That’s strange to you?”
“My apologies. I overstepped.”
Georg bowed in apology, but his face clearly said this is not normal. For a butler who was excellent at controlling his expressions, that was saying a lot. It made Nigel feel strange.
Did he really like Inas that much?
Well, yes. Of course. It was a ten-year-long unrequited love. Nigel’s feelings ran deep. Even if Inas had deceived him… even if he’d killed him…
“Ugh…”
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He’d cried so much already, he didn’t have any tears left. Eventually, Nigel, exhausted from crying, stood up. No point in staying here wallowing—nothing would change. He had to act while he still had the energy.
“Bring me Inas.”
“Sir Idenbach has gone out to Count Ludio’s estate.”
“Count Ludio…?”
Nigel recalled a report he’d received before his regression. Around this time, Count Ludio had been involved in an incident and had held a banquet afterward to save face. But if memory served, Inas hadn’t even attended that event. Nigel chewed on his nail for a moment, then asked,
“Did I receive an invitation too?”
“Yes. Would you like to attend?”
“I will.”
Normally, Nigel didn’t attend events unless they were hosted by highly influential nobles. The butler seemed surprised by the sudden change, but bowed respectfully and prepared the carriage. Nigel changed into a light evening suit and headed for the count’s estate.
When he arrived at Count Ludio’s mansion, the crowd stirred slightly. Due to his poor health, Nigel rarely attended banquets unless they were hosted by royalty. This was the first time he’d shown up at the count’s event.
Curious whispers filled the room, though no one dared approach him carelessly. Then a familiar face stepped forward—it was Arthal, the royal court’s grand mage.
“Duke Magnus. I didn’t expect to see you at the banquet.”
“It’s been a while. How’s your health?”
“Quite well. The Hagralsan herbs you sent did wonders, thank you…”
Arthal grinned like a fool, entirely unbecoming of a grand mage. It irritated Nigel. He half-listened to the flattery, then silently opened the man’s information window.
He remembered when Arthal was young—dropping Meteor Storms in war zones and wiping out hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers. Back then, he had been a true force on the battlefield.
Surely someone like that could serve as a good comparison to Inas’s skills. Maybe “Master” wasn’t all that special after all…
Character Info Window
Name: Arthal Ryubal
Class: Grand Mage
Level: 94
HP: 747 / 812
MP: 1,722 / 1,815
<View Stats>
<View Skills>
Skill List
Combat Skills
Fireball — Lv. 88
Ice Arrow — Lv. 75
Thunderstorm — Lv. 80
…
Meteor Storm — Lv. 2
Earthquake — Lv. 5
Blizzard — Lv. 7
Warp Portal — Lv. 12
…
Low.
Nigel clamped his mouth shut, stunned. This was the Arthal—the continent’s top mage—and his skill levels were that low? Far too low.
What the hell is this guy’s deal?
Nigel barely stopped the words from escaping aloud. A skill level of 2 for Meteor Storm? And this was the guy who’d supposedly won wars with a single spell? Pathetic.
Noticing Nigel’s darkening expression, Arthal wisely retreated.
Nigel drove off the onlookers with a glare and made his way to a quiet corner of the hall, folding his arms as he scanned the room. Inas wasn’t in sight. Maybe he’d stepped out briefly.
As Nigel mulled over Arthal’s stats, he couldn’t help but conclude that Arthal wasn’t incompetent. The only reason people still respected a womanizing, money-grubbing mage like him was because of his achievements in that war.
He was definitely a grand mage. And his level was high, too.
So how the hell had he killed hundreds with a level 2 Meteor Storm?
Then… what the hell could a level 100 Meteor Storm do?
Nigel couldn’t even imagine. Still overwhelmed, he kept scanning the hall—until finally, he spotted a man stepping out from the terrace.
It was Inas, chatting with a red-haired boy. The boy’s red hair and blue eyes glowed with admiration as he spoke, and Inas listened casually, smiling.
Nigel burned with fresh jealousy.
Inas didn’t even like banquets. Seeing him not only socializing but enjoying a chat with a kid who looked about sixteen or seventeen was… jarring.
Then a voice near Nigel whispered:
“Isn’t that the boy who solved the missing persons case in Count Ludio’s territory?”
“They say he’s just an ordinary adventurer on pilgrimage…”
“I heard he rescued the count’s daughter. Maybe the count will hire him as a knight?”
“If he’s invited here, maybe the count plans to sponsor him at the very least.”
The moment he heard those comments, Nigel understood the situation. So it was that boy. The one who’d quietly defused what could’ve been a major disaster—again.
He tried not to let the jealousy eat him alive. A noble knight encouraging a kind young adventurer—this was what knights should do. Nothing strange about it.
Besides, Nigel was a duke. That boy was a commoner. There was no comparison.
“…”
But… was there really no comparison?
Nigel opened his own Status Window.
Character Info Window
Name: Nigel Grau Montstein
Class: Duke of Magnus
Level: 3
HP: 11 / 11
MP: 3 / 3
<View Stats>
<View Skills>
A single-digit level. HP and MP even more pitiful than Arthal’s, who was at least an old man. Numbers so low they’d make survival impossible without the backing of a noble house.
Not that those numbers mattered for a duke—but still, seeing it laid out so plainly was mortifying. And unsettling.
Maybe Inas had grown tired of protecting such a weak master?
Nigel had heard stories—of knights so devoted to strength that they’d abandon, even turn on, a weak lord. Inas was a loyal knight, yes—but also a powerful one. Maybe playing bodyguard to a feeble duke wasn’t enough for him.
“Ugh…”
That thought hit like a gut punch.
What if Inas had killed Nigel because he’d grown tired of him—because he wanted a fresh start?
Nigel tried to shove the idea away. That was going too far.
More importantly, Inas had still looked gentle, even when he’d killed him.
First things first—Nigel needed to assess the competition.
And so, he brought up the boy’s Info Window.
Character Info Window
▷ Protagonist
Name: Kay
Class: Swordsman
Level: 24
HP: 124 / 124
MP: 32 / 32
<View Stats>
<View Skills>
There was… a strange word.
