I knew I shouldn’t have accepted that damn quest.
Feeling sick, Nigel unconsciously bit his nails. But before he could do much damage, Inas reached over and stopped him. Nigel glanced between his uneven, chewed nails and Inas’s face.
When monsters began to pour out of Intusnica, Inas would leave for expeditions—sometimes gone for weeks. Nigel, unable to participate directly in battle, would always remain at the estate. Each time, his nails would end up ragged and torn.
Only when Inas was nearby did Nigel’s nails stay neat and clean. The only person who could calm him, comfort him, and truly understand him was Inas.
“You don’t look well, Nigel. Are you all right?”
When he looked up, Inas’s expression was full of concern. Nigel shook his head to say he was fine, but Inas didn’t look convinced.
“Nigel. I’ve been thinking this for a while… maybe you should try leveling up a little?”
The suggestion came out of nowhere. Nigel checked his embarrassingly low Level.
“Level up? What for?”
“It would improve your stamina.”
He had leveled up a bit in the previous loop. His stamina had improved slightly, but the mysterious illness that plagued him hadn’t gone away—it still hurt just the same. He could endure a bit longer before collapsing, that was all. Still, with everything else going on, the idea of hunting monsters sounded like a hassle. He shook his head.
“It won’t make much difference. Everything resets after a year anyway.”
“Even a small improvement could help. You’re not in great health, so every bit counts. Plus, while hunting for EXP, you might come across some useful Skills or Items.”
Come to think of it, there was an Item Window, but Nigel had never really used it. It displayed whatever he personally owned, but he’d dismissed it as pointless long ago.
“What do you mean ‘items drop’? You mean something actually appears?”
“You’ve never experienced that?”
Nigel shook his head. He’d killed a few monsters in the previous loop, but nothing had ever dropped.
“Well, in the last loop, you mostly finished off monsters that others had already weakened. The drops probably didn’t go to you.”
“Why not?”
“Experience and item distribution go to whoever contributes the most. If you deal the final blow on something someone else already killed most of, your rewards are minimal.”
“Ah… I see.”
He’d thought that was just how things worked, since even killing strong monsters barely gave him EXP. Meanwhile, Kay and his party had leveled up easily—it must have been proportional to effort, not “protagonist bias” like he’d once suspected. Rational, maybe. Comfortable, no.
“In that case,” Inas said, “why don’t you try hunting something yourself from start to finish?”
“Me?”
“You can start with something easy.”
He wouldn’t gain much EXP from weaker prey, but at Level 3, even small hunts would raise him several levels. The idea was tempting.
“All right, let’s give it a try.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
Nigel hesitated briefly, then nodded. They hadn’t even eaten yet, but with Inas’s teleportation magic, it wouldn’t take long anyway.
He changed clothes and held out his hand to Inas. Instead of using magic, Inas took his hand and led him out on foot.
Nigel’s face turned red as he suddenly found himself, like in his childhood, walking hand-in-hand with his knight. What made it worse were the looks they got from the butler and aide they passed in the hallway.
His knight was holding his hand—yet not one person looked shocked. On the contrary, their eyes were warm, as if saying, “It’s about time,” or “Congratulations.”
Had he really been that obvious? Surely he hadn’t been that transparent during work? Nigel suddenly felt an intense wave of self-reproach.
The truth was, everyone could tell. When Inas was around, Nigel’s mood soared; when he wasn’t, Nigel grew listless and irritable. For close attendants, it was impossible not to notice.
No one corrected the misunderstanding, so Nigel had no choice but to walk through the garden, face burning bright red.
Were they heading out to ride? But before they reached the stables, Inas stopped. Following his gaze, Nigel’s expression brightened when he saw the white bundle of fur.
“Rhino!”
At the sound of his name, the dog bounded over, tail wagging furiously. Though he looked like a wolf, he was gentle and affectionate, circling Nigel in excitement. Even in his old age, he was always full of energy whenever he saw him.
Rhino had been born in the northern estate, the offspring of a hunting dog mixed with monster blood. Nigel had taken to the weakest pup of the litter and doted on him so much that he grew too tame for hunting, so Nigel brought him to the capital as a companion instead.
It had been a while since Nigel had last seen him—or at least it felt that way, since he’d spent so long away at the estate in the previous loop. Overjoyed, Nigel bent to hug Rhino—only for Inas to stop him.
“Nigel.”
“What?”
“Shoot him.”
Nigel froze. He thought he’d misheard—but Inas’s gaze was unmistakably fixed on Rhino.
“…What?”
“Shoot him. Rhino won’t resist, and his Level’s actually pretty high. With your Level, you’ll gain at least eight or nine levels in one go.”
He hadn’t misheard.
Nigel’s fingertips still felt the softness and warmth of Rhino’s fur, his pure white coat shimmering in the sun. And now—this unthinkable suggestion. He went rigid.
Almost on cue, a translucent window appeared before his eyes.
Rhino
Pet dog of Duke Nigel Grau Montstein.
Born of a wolf-type monster, a Worulf, and a hound. Stronger than normal dogs. Extremely loyal to his master.
Level: 27
Drop Items:
White Fur
Sharp Fangs
Ice Mountain Magic Stone
[Skill] Bite
It wasn’t like the Character Info Window others had—it was formatted just like a monster entry: description, level, and drop list. The sight made Nigel’s stomach twist.
“Ugh…”
Rhino whimpered and licked his trembling hand, sensing his distress. Those dark, loving eyes—he’d always wagged his tail and followed Nigel everywhere, even as a tiny pup. Nigel still remembered when he fit in his palms.
Shaken to the core, Nigel dropped to his knees, hugging Rhino tightly while glaring at Inas.
“Are you insane? You want me to kill Rhino?”
Rhino had been with him since Inas first came to his side—back when Nigel’s mental state was far worse. Rhino had comforted him through it all. Not just Nigel, either; even the fragile pup had thrived on that affection, growing into a strong adult dog.
When Nigel insisted on keeping a wolf-blooded dog in the ducal manor, people said it was a waste of a fine hound. His father disapproved, but ultimately relented—because he knew how much solace Rhino brought his son.
And now Inas was telling him to kill him? Just because he wouldn’t fight back? It was monstrous.
“It’s only data,” Inas said calmly. “Everything resets in the next loop anyway.”
His tone was icy, detached. That chill in his voice made Nigel’s skin crawl. Inas’s cold gaze was fixed on Rhino, who was still gently licking his master’s hand.
“You don’t like Rhino, do you?”
“No. I don’t.”
Nigel tightened his hold protectively around the dog. Rhino, oblivious, wagged his tail even harder, while Inas’s eyes grew darker.
Nigel tried, for a moment, to see things from his perspective—but he couldn’t. What reason could Inas possibly have to hate Rhino?
“Did something bad happen before?”
“No.”
“You just… don’t like dogs?”
“I used to like them, I think.”
“Used to?”
“Now, nothing matters except you, Nigel.”
It sounded sweet at first—but Nigel didn’t fall for it. Nothing matters but you? That meant even his family, anyone else, was expendable. The kind of obsession Inas showed wasn’t love—it was something far more disturbing.
“Have you ever killed Rhino before?”
Inas’s brow twitched upward in mild irritation.
“Not once.”
“…”
“Truly. I’d never deliberately do something that would make you sad.”
Nigel’s doubtful stare didn’t ease until Inas’s expression softened, his voice gentling like one would to soothe a frightened child.
“Nigel, you know the truth now. Even if something dies here, it comes back in the next loop.”
“You really haven’t killed him?”
“Never. Not once.”
“…”
Nigel still looked wary.
“You told me never to lie, didn’t you? I might keep things to myself—but I don’t lie.”
His tone was firm, assured. After a moment of inner conflict, Nigel reluctantly accepted it.
Still… even if Inas hadn’t killed him, they’d known Rhino since they were young. Back then, the two had often bickered like rivals—each trying to monopolize Nigel’s attention. Nigel’s father used to sigh and say, “Those two bastards are worse than dogs.”
Rhino might still dislike Inas, being a dog and all, but Inas was human—and an adult now. Surely he didn’t still harbor resentment over childhood jealousy?
Nigel sighed, exasperated.
“I’m not killing Rhino. I’m going back inside. Don’t ever say something that insane again.”
“Understood, Nigel. I won’t kill him, so please stop trembling.”
“…”
Only then did Nigel realize he was shaking. He must have been more frightened than he thought—scared that Inas would kill Rhino. Even knowing that death wasn’t permanent, murder was something different altogether.
His legs gave out, and he leaned against Inas as they returned to the mansion. Back in the room, Inas closed the door behind them and guided Nigel to sit on a soft couch.
“I just thought of something good, Nigel.”
“…”
Nigel looked at him warily. There was no way whatever Inas was about to say would be good for him. With trust at an all-time low, Inas still managed to look disarmingly gentle.
“Actually, I’ve always wondered what happens to you when I die. But since there’s no one who can tell me, I’ve never found out.”
A cold chill crept down Nigel’s spine. He rubbed his neck.
“…So?”
“Kill me, Nigel.”
As expected—Inas had finally lost his mind.
