For the time being, Nigel lived just as he had before, exactly as he’d told Inas he would. He handled the affairs of the ducal household, took care of personal matters, and maintained his connections with the royal court and other nobles.
Inas was the same. He didn’t say strange things about “games” anymore, and behaved quietly as Nigel’s loyal knight and right-hand man.
Strictly speaking, Nigel’s daily life wasn’t entirely normal. Unrest had begun to spread through the kingdom—bizarre incidents, confusion in every direction. It was, in truth, the perfect stage to lend credibility to Inas’s earlier claims. Heroes, after all, always appear in times of chaos.
As Nigel had predicted, Kay’s party was constantly at the center of turmoil, solving problems one after another. Even as his own workload grew, Nigel kept an eye on their movements. Everything unfolded exactly as expected—precisely as Inas had told him it would.
Kay, Lana, Axel, and their new companions Primel and Jen, traveled through Selden, Rangini, Orta, Visrald, and Hilmer. They met countless people, overcame the hardships threatening the kingdom, and finally reached the territory of Magnus.
When Kay set out for Magnus, Nigel happened to be there as well—urgent matters had called him home. Monsters had appeared in unusual numbers near the borders, and strange phenomena were spreading—natural disasters of every sort.
If Inas had been willing to share a few more details about the future, Nigel might not have needed to go there himself. But Inas, insisting he mustn’t disrupt the original flow, told him nothing beyond what he’d said at the start. So, by sheer coincidence, Nigel met Kay and offered him aid—and through that, learned the full truth of the incident.
Two days later, Kay and his companions defeated the mastermind behind the disaster and were hailed as heroes of the kingdom.
Everything had happened just as Inas foretold.
And at last, March 27th arrived.
It seemed like any other day—clear skies, warm air. In the south, the flowers were already in full bloom, petals fluttering down in the breeze.
The perfect weather for the ending of a story.
Nigel, under an invisibility spell beside Inas, was watching Kay and Lana return to their hometown.
“……”
When Inas had come to him around noon, he’d said nothing, simply leading Nigel here. Since Nigel had been waiting for this day, he followed silently and watched.
After observing them for a year—sometimes even helping from the shadows—Nigel had grown fond of Kay. The boy who had once been immature now carried himself with the confidence of a young man, and for some reason, Nigel felt oddly proud.
“Lana, I love you.”
The words were trite, perhaps, but pure. Kay’s sincerity filled every syllable. Unaware of their hidden audience, he confessed beautifully, and Lana smiled as she accepted him.
A pleasant breeze blew through the trees, scattering petals around them. White petals whirled like snow as Kay and Lana laughed together, and the world seemed to glow around them.
It was perfect.
The ideal ending.
“Nigel.”
Inas’s hand gripped Nigel’s—ice cold. Nigel turned to look at him, startled. The man who always seemed so composed was trembling—just barely, but unmistakably.
“I’ll see you again soon.”
The same words as before, repeated like a ritual.
Ah.
Nigel understood.
Inas had already told him the truth—again and again, countless times. That eerie repetition, the muttered I’ve said it before, I’ve said it so many times—it wasn’t madness. It was despair.
Nigel didn’t know everything, but he understood enough now to grasp the nature of Inas’s suffering.
Over and over, Inas had watched his explanations crumble into nothing. Each time, Nigel forgot him—forgot everything—and when his eyes opened again, he looked at Inas as if he were a stranger.
Inas was afraid the same thing would happen again.
Seeing that fear in him, Nigel felt a sharp ache in his chest. He loved Inas. Even if Inas killed him—again and again—he still loved him.
It’s all right. We’ll meet again next time.
He wanted to say it.
But before he could, the world fractured.
Soft, rounded edges turned to rigid lines, then to dots—like the world itself was made of pixels collapsing in on themselves. Jagged white streaks sliced across his vision, twisting, disorienting. His stomach lurched.
He turned toward Inas. The man was looking at him with pity—gentle, almost sorrowful. His lips moved. Nigel barely managed to read them.
Shall I kill you?
Was that kindness—or cruelty?
Nigel gave a faint, bitter laugh and shook his head. He didn’t know if Inas understood. Before he could find out, the nausea overwhelmed him, and he closed his eyes.
And the world turned upside down.
***
Quest
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his own room.
He didn’t even need to check the calendar. It was April 14th, Kingdom Year 283.
Still clinging to a sliver of hope, Nigel summoned his butler and asked for the date. But no—just as expected, today was indeed April 14th, 283. Only moments ago, it had been March 27th, 284.
A sharp pain throbbed in his temples. The dizziness returned, and he staggered, pressing a hand to his forehead. Georg Ruden rushed to steady him.
“Are you all right, my lord?”
“Yeah. I’m fine…”
Nigel forced a reply and opened Georg’s Character Info Window. It loaded normally—meaning the past year hadn’t been a dream. Not that he’d believed it was, but… any faint hope that it might have been—that the memories were delusions or fantasies—was now gone.
No more denial. It was time to face reality.
“Shall I call the physician?”
“No. I just…”
He meant to say need to rest, but something else suddenly appeared before his eyes.
A window he’d never seen before.
A quest has been triggered. View now?
YES
YES
What the hell…?
Frowning, Nigel stared at the word Quest, then noticed the two identical options beneath it—<YES> and <YES>.
If both choices meant the same thing, why even offer two? The redundancy felt almost mocking. Irritated, he selected the second YES.
The quest window expanded.
▷ Quest (new!)
Eliminate the Foreign Substance in This World
The world is currently unstable due to the existence of <Inas Idenbach>, a being who should not exist. Remove <Inas Idenbach>, who distorts the normal flow of time.
Reward:
The world’s temporal flow will be restored to normal.
Accept the quest?
YES
YES
“……”
The words stared back at him—nonsensical, impossible.
Nigel went pale. He reread them again and again, but nothing changed. The letters remained fixed, cruelly unyielding.
So the cause of all this—this distortion—was Inas. And to restore the world, he had to eliminate him.
At that moment, Georg caught him by the arm.
“My lord?”
“Why…”
Nigel jerked his hand free, sharper than intended. The butler flinched.
“My apologies, you seemed about to collapse.”
Seeing his worried face, Nigel cursed himself. Snapping at the man who’d served him faithfully all these years—what was he doing? Through the faintly transparent quest window, he stared at Georg’s expression, then covered his face with one hand.
“Ah… I’m just a little on edge. You can go.”
“Should I fetch the physician?”
“No, really. I’m fine. But cancel today’s schedule—I’ll rest.”
“As you wish.”
Though visibly concerned, Georg bowed and left. Nigel had always been frail, even if his health had improved somewhat, so the butler didn’t argue.
The moment the door closed, Nigel collapsed onto his bed, pulling the covers over his head. The quest window still hovered stubbornly in the air, so he shut his eyes instead.
He didn’t even have the strength to think. To plan. To act. All he wanted was to sink into the blankets and die—though even that would probably just reset him to April 14th again.
“Nigel.”
The voice came softly from beside him, almost tender.
Nigel didn’t lift his head, but Inas didn’t care—he reached down, caught Nigel’s arm, and pulled him upright.
Nigel had no choice but to face him.
Or rather, face Inas through the quest window.
To others, Inas was an unyielding knight—fair, cold, sometimes even ruthless. But to Nigel, he was always gentle. Even when he killed him, he’d done it gently.
Now that same gentle face looked at him in quiet worry.
Nigel’s gaze flicked between Inas’s face and the floating window before him.
<YES> and <YES>.
There was no escape. No other option. The quest text stared him down, merciless and absolute—forcing him to choose only one thing.
To accept.
