Nigel was reading a book in his dream.
He wasn’t actually reading. His eyes were bloodshot as he simply stared, unblinking, at a single point on the page.
The cover of the book in his hands was an eerie black. Strange static—like the noise that flickered across an unstable information window—spilled across the surface like sparks. The noise looked vivid enough to burn through anything it touched, but it faded without leaving a trace.
Strange.
He had never seen this book before, yet Nigel recognized it.
It must’ve been a book he’d seen in some forgotten past. But the contents, packed densely across the pages, were unreadable. There was only one thing he could read:
[SAVE DATA]
The title read Save Data. A language he couldn’t identify, yet he could read it naturally. Was it because of a skill? Or had he heard it once, long ago?
Nigel knew exactly what “save data” meant. A record of moments from this game.
The moment he grasped the meaning, an old memory was forcibly dragged to the surface.
“It’s just a game, after all.”
That calm voice that had always defined the limits.
“You store things here. Though honestly, it doesn’t really matter. Since in the end……”
The voice didn’t finish. The words blurred out. What had he said afterward?
Perhaps the sentence had never been completed in the first place. Meaningless words didn’t require an ending.
Nothing in this world had meaning. Everything was more precarious than a sandcastle on a stormy shore. Everything only won a brief reprieve. Even if rebuilt tens of thousands of times, it would crumble just as many.
Meaningless things in a meaningless world.
The Nigel within the dream trembled without understanding any of it. His shaking fingertips closed the book. He tried to place it back on the shelf—but it slipped and fell to the floor.
“Ugh…”
Letting out a low groan, his face drained white with despair, dream-Nigel bowed his head. Through his vision, a floor stained with someone’s blood came into view. He squeezed his eyes shut and collapsed weakly to the ground.
“Save me, Inas……”
I’m scared.
The Nigel in the dream lifted a hand and clawed at his own throat, gasping like someone who couldn’t breathe. Inas, Inas, he called, like a man who knew nothing and no one else. Suddenly, dream-Nigel raised his head. As the fear overwhelming his face came into view—
The real Nigel slowly opened his eyes.
“Nigel.”
The first thing he saw upon waking was Inas’s face. Unable to restrain the surge of emotion, Nigel reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“……Nigel?”
Inas instinctively returned the hug, then called his name in a puzzled voice. But Nigel had no strength to answer. He only held him tighter as tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks.
The anxiety from the dream seemed to cling to him. Whatever the situation had been, the Nigel inside it had been consumed by despair. And in that desperate mind, the only thought—the only—had been Inas.
He had wanted to see him. Wanted to hold him. Wanted to kiss him. He had been overflowing with longing, yet desolate because Inas wasn’t there.
…What kind of situation had that been? Nigel didn’t know. But if he was this shaken merely by feeling the dream-Nigel’s emotions, then something massive must have happened.
“Inas……”
Nigel rubbed his face against Inas’s cheek and shoulder. Inas, looking troubled, tried to push him back. Nigel clung even tighter, and Inas sighed and whispered softly:
“Nigel. Sir Estora and the physician are here……”
That snapped him to his senses.
Startled, Nigel pushed Inas away. Inas retreated awkwardly, wearing a sheepish smile. Behind him stood Roshan, his expression odd, and Leona, the physician.
“Ah. Um. How long… did I pass out?”
“You’ve been unconscious half a day. Did you have a nightmare?”
Leona asked with a gentle smile. Nigel shook his head reflexively, then nodded.
“Ah, yeah. A little… uh, there was a ghost in the dream.”
“A ghost?”
“Y-yeah.”
“You dislike that sort of thing, don’t you?”
“Mm……”
Leona played along with his flimsy excuse. Her gaze was warm, but Nigel’s chest was tight with anxiety. The last thing he wanted was for his father to hear about him clinging to Inas like a terrified child and slap some ‘conditional Genital Necrosis Curse’ on him again. Even if Inas could lift it, he didn’t want a repeat.
“Don’t tell Father I got scared and hugged Inas. Please.”
“I have no reason to tell him.”
“Understood.”
Leona and Roshan both agreed, but Nigel still felt uneasy. He asked for reassurance several times before finally exhaling. Leona gently soothed him.
“What has you so tense?”
“I don’t want Father worrying.”
“Don’t worry, young master. I won’t say a word. But please lie back down. You collapsed suddenly. You need to rest before I can justify keeping this from him.”
“…Yeah. Right.”
Nigel obediently lay back. His body felt perfectly fine despite the painful collapse. But Roshan, who had been quietly watching him, still looked grim.
“Lady Leona… what exactly is wrong with the young master?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. I’m sorry. It might be best to call a priest.”
“……I suppose.”
Roshan let out a soft groan. He had never been hesitant to summon a priest before—clearly the hesitation stemmed from Nigel being Glarus’s Chosen now.
“If I have to go, I will. But I really do feel fine.”
Nigel spoke lightly, but Leona frowned.
“How can you say you’re fine? You collapsed. Lady Danika said you were in terrible pain.”
“I—I’m really okay… More importantly, where’s Danika?”
“She returned home.”
Roshan replied solemnly. Understandable—collapsing in the middle of an arranged engagement discussion would derail any attempt at smoothing things over. In a twisted way, at least he no longer needed to convince his father otherwise.
“But I swear I’m not hurt. I’m not the type to pretend I’m fine when I’m not.”
“You do insist you’re fine quite often. But… you do look alright now. Let’s discuss the rest later. For now, please rest. Take this medicine first.”
Leona handed him a thick brown liquid. Nigel considered examining it but gave up and drank it down. The taste was vile. Leona watched to make sure he finished, then stood.
“I’ll have them bring a light meal later. It’s fortunate your audience with His Majesty was scheduled generously. You should rest a few more days.”
“Mm. Okay.”
Roshan, following her out, shot Inas a curt look.
“Stay here and watch over him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Inas answered calmly, but Nigel’s face flushed. Roshan paused at the door and sighed when he saw Nigel’s expression.
“Before coming here, His Grace was beyond worried.”
“…Yeah. I figured.”
“Far more than you imagine. If something like this happens again, he may drop everything and come running.”
…No way. Would he really? Nigel wasn’t convinced, but Roshan clearly meant it. He was too serious a man to make careless remarks.
“……Really?”
“Truly. Please take care of yourself.”
“Alright. I will. Tell him I’ll rest quietly today, so not to worry.”
“Yes, young master.”
Roshan finally looked relieved.
As soon as Roshan and Leona left, Inas swiftly climbed onto the bed. The memory of his earlier breakdown crashed back over Nigel. His cheeks burned hot. Even if he had been half-asleep, bawling and clinging to Inas in front of others—at his age—was embarrassing enough. But Nigel’s inner self was an adult.
“Nigel.”
“God, I’ve lost my mind. They definitely saw everything…”
“Don’t worry. Neither of them are the type to gossip.”
Inas comforted him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. What had been mortifying for Nigel seemed delightfully pleasant to Inas. Even when Nigel tried to push him off, he clung stubbornly.
“More importantly, Nigel… are you alright? You collapsed so suddenly. I was worried.”
Nigel studied Inas’s face—then stopped himself from searching for suspicion or madness. He didn’t need to assume every question Inas asked had murderous intentions behind it. He was probably just genuinely concerned.
“I just hurt a little.”
“‘Just a little.’”
“Yeah.”
It probably had something to do with Glarus. But telling him would only make things worse. Inas threatening to kill Nigel and reset everything to fix the situation had been terrifying enough.
“Hey, Inas.”
“Yes?”
Nigel opened his mouth to ask about the dream where he’d married Danika—but hesitated.
The illusion felt impossibly distant, unreal, dreamlike.
Of course it did. Nigel had only ever loved Inas. The idea of marrying someone else was absurd. And yet, he had experienced it. That alone left him unsettled.
Noticing his pallor, Inas took Nigel’s cold hands and gently rubbed them to warm them. His touch steadied Nigel’s heart.
“Have I… ever married someone else?”
Inas’s face twisted into something vicious.
“Ow—!”
Startled, he squeezed Nigel’s hand reflexively. Even without his full Stats behind it, the strength of a seventeen-year-old knight-in-training was considerable.
“I’m sorry. You startled me…”
He released him at once, but a bright red mark was already blooming on Nigel’s skin. Inas cast a healing spell immediately, but the sting didn’t disappear instantly. Seeing Nigel’s teary expression, Inas spoke gravely:
“Should I cut off the hand?”
“…What?”
“The hand that hurt you.”
Nigel let out a bewildered laugh.
“You can kill me, but you can’t hurt me?”
“That’s different. I’d send you off without pain. It’s a necessary act.”
“……”
He had no idea what the difference was supposed to be, but clearly Inas believed in it. Nigel had given up trying to argue about this long ago.
“No, forget it. I asked something weird.”
“Nigel… are you planning on getting married?”
Inas asked with a smile—an innocently pleasant expression that was far more suspicious than open hostility. He was hiding his intentions far too well.
Judging from the situation and the direction of the conversation… If Nigel said the wrong thing here, Danika would absolutely be dead by morning.
Nigel shook his head violently.
“No. No way. Absolutely not. I told Danika I wouldn’t, too.”
“Then why ask? About you marrying someone else.”
He still wore that gentle, unnatural smile. Even so, his hands—mindful of his earlier mistake—hovered just slightly off Nigel’s body, clearly cautious not to hurt him again.
Nigel shrugged.
“I just… thought of it. I figured maybe marriage counted toward Achievements.”
“Only the Protagonist completes Achievements through romance. Don’t waste energy on useless ideas.”
“Alright, alright. I won’t. It was just a question.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I said I won’t.”
It took about fifteen confirmations before Inas finally relaxed his grip on him. And now Nigel’s curiosity stirred.
Inas would never allow him to marry someone else. So then— back when he supposedly married Danika…
Where had Inas been?
