“Are you all right, my lord?”
“……”
“You… still remember, don’t you?”
Nigel gave a small nod to Inas, who looked visibly uneasy. Inas let out a short breath of relief but quickly returned to watching Nigel with concern.
“I came straight here—did something happen?”
“……”
Did something happen? How was he even supposed to begin explaining this? How could he possibly tell Inas that he’d just been handed a quest telling him to kill him?
As Nigel stood there in stunned silence, Inas reached out and placed a hand on his forehead, examining him with a more serious expression.
“You’ve got a slight fever, Nigel.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s probably from the shock.”
“…I guess so.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it—whatever it is.”
Inas was way off the mark, but since the shock part wasn’t exactly a lie, Nigel didn’t bother correcting him. Not that this was the kind of problem Inas could solve.
“And how exactly do you plan to fix it?”
The question slipped out, impulsive. Inas froze.
Eliminate <Inas Idenbach>, who distorts the flow of time.
Those words flashed behind Inas’s face—so handsome it looked sculpted—as unease flickered in his expression.
So what was he going to do, exactly? He was the root cause of this.
Instead of snapping, Nigel let out a long breath.
“You’re not doing this time-looping crap on purpose, right?”
“Of course not.”
There wasn’t a shred of doubt in Nigel’s mind. Inas wasn’t responsible for this by choice. Honestly, it would’ve been less tragic if he were.
“You killed Kay the second time I remembered. The third time, you just… came back. You’ve been trying different things, haven’t you?”
There was no way Inas would kill Kay without a reason. It might’ve been out of frustration, sure—but Nigel didn’t want to believe that. Thankfully, Inas nodded in affirmation.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“You tried changing things, but nothing worked, did it?”
“Exactly as you said.”
“And now you’re saying you’ll… fix it somehow.”
Nigel had meant to criticize him, but the words came out more like a whine.
He just couldn’t bring himself to rebuke Inas—not him. Not when he’d been in love with him since the very first moment they met.
Sensing Nigel’s softening resolve, Inas leaned in. The sudden closeness made Nigel flinch, but Inas didn’t hesitate.
Chup.
The sound was soft. Inas’s lips touched Nigel’s forehead, gentle and fleeting.
Nigel’s body stiffened in shock.
What the hell was that?!
Inas didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. With a calm expression, he reached up and smoothed the tousled hair from Nigel’s forehead.
“As you said, I’ve tried all kinds of things. You mentioned looking at my Character Info Window, didn’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
Nigel had missed his chance to ask what that kiss had meant. It wasn’t on the lips, just the forehead, and given their history, it felt too ambiguous to question. He gave a begrudging nod.
“It only looks impressive—those numbers mean nothing. They’re just proof of my failures. I started around level 80. But every time I tried and failed, I leveled up more and more… It just kept going like that. Nothing ever worked.”
“……”
“At some point, I… stopped expecting results. Killing Kay was just another attempt. I didn’t really believe it would accomplish anything.”
His voice held a quiet hopelessness. It made Nigel’s chest tighten.
Inas wasn’t just a genius knight by talent alone—it was his dedication, his humility, his refusal to give up that made him exceptional.
So if he had given up…
Noticing Nigel’s anxious face, Inas tried to reassure him.
“It’s okay. That was back when you didn’t remember me. But now you do, don’t you?”
“Inas…”
“No matter what anyone says, I am your knight, Nigel. I’d do anything to protect you.”
“Inas.”
“Please believe in me. I’ll do anything—for you.”
He kissed the back of Nigel’s hand.
Nigel was still sprawled lazily across the bed, while Inas maintained perfect knightly posture—upright, composed, unwavering. The sight of it made Nigel’s heart flutter.
He remembered the past. Inas had never wavered since the day they met.
Even back then—dragged to the Montstein household as if he were sold to pay off a debt, his future decided for him—he’d always treated Nigel with kindness, warmth, and loyalty.
No matter what moment he recalled, Inas had always smiled at him.
How was that possible? Nigel used to wonder, watching the sixteen-year-old boy who would become his knight.
How could he love me like that?
If their positions were reversed, Nigel was sure he would’ve resented him.
When he was younger, that constant affection had been both comforting and suffocating.
Inas was four years older, and back then, the odds of him looking at Nigel with lust were practically zero. Even that kiss earlier—just another expression of affection from someone who had practically raised him.
Of course, during the first and second loops, Inas had kissed him right before killing him…
But Nigel chalked that up to delusion.
He was twenty-three now. Young, yes—but with a fully mature body and a libido that sometimes got the better of him.
If Inas had used poison to numb the pain, then hallucinations would’ve been entirely possible. Most paralytic poisons were known to induce delusions—ones born of the user’s inner thoughts.
Nigel wanted to believe it wasn’t real. That Inas—his knight, the very model of chivalry—would never kiss someone he had no romantic feelings for.
Even if it had been real, he tried not to get his hopes up.
He liked Inas the way he was—glowing, dependable, always leading the way. Even if he’d killed him a few times.
What mattered was that Nigel was still alive. And he believed, with unshakable certainty, that Inas would never truly harm him.
Like he was under a spell, Nigel slowly nodded.
“Yeah. I got it. I believe you.”
“Thank you for your trust, Nigel.”
Once again, Inas kissed Nigel’s forehead, as if it were nothing.
Nigel tensed again. The ominous quest text still hovered between them, obscuring Inas’s face.
“Then please rest for now. Once you’re feeling better, we can talk more.”
“…Okay.”
Nigel nodded docilely.
Truth be told, he was exhausted. His fragile body had clearly reacted to the emotional shock—his limbs felt heavy and limp.
And yet, the quest window continued to blink violently, demanding his attention with every beat.
Still, Nigel ignored it.
He’d ignore it a thousand times over.
Both options were YES, but if he didn’t choose anything, it meant nothing.
Better to die than kill the man he loved.
No matter how long he had to endure this endless loop, he’d never accept that monstrous quest.
Sure, the window cluttered his vision, but that was a price he’d gladly pay.
There was an option to accept the quest and just not do it, but even that felt like conceding to its sick logic.
Once Inas left the room, Nigel lay down and ignored the window. He could feel its flickering light even through his closed eyelids, so he pulled the blanket over his head and forced himself to sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, the quest window was still there, still blinking.
He was about to ignore it—again—when he noticed the text had changed.
▷ Quest (new!)
Eliminate the Foreign Substance in This World
<Inas Idenbach> is ruining everything. Don’t trust him. <Inas Idenbach> is the root of all this. Don’t be fooled. Remove him, and you’ll receive an incredible reward.
Reward:
The world’s normal flow of time will be restored.
YES
YES
Nigel’s face twisted in disgust.
It sounded like a threat.
Was someone giving him these quests? Judging by the tone, it certainly didn’t feel like something randomly generated.
“What a joke.”
Inas, the villain? Seriously? He’d just been caught up in all this.
The fact that they were painting his Inas like some kind of evil mastermind was offensive enough on its own.
He tried to sit up and shake off the haze—but his body refused.
His illness had finally hit full force.
His body, always frail, couldn’t handle the mental strain.
He’d managed to tough it out last time, but now? There was no pushing through it.
Groaning, Nigel called for his butler.
Georg fussed over him and summoned the physician, who diagnosed it as exhaustion. A bit of rest would be enough to recover.
But Nigel’s concern wasn’t for himself.
It was only for one man.
“Inas?”
“Sir Idenbach hasn’t arrived yet.”
Ah. Right.
Nigel blinked slowly.
Last time, Inas had come right away with magic. This time, he must’ve decided to stick to the original timeline and not act out of turn.
It was disappointing not to see him right away—but he let it go quickly.
He quietly ate and took his medicine.
He gave himself a break.
He let himself rest, guilt-free, just for today.
In the past, he would’ve worried about all the tasks piling up for tomorrow.
But now, he more or less knew what was coming. He had a plan.
The quest window kept blinking obnoxiously, but he ignored it.
And just before the day ended, as night fell, the quest changed again.
▷ Quest (new!)
Eliminate Inas Idenbach
If you don’t get rid of <Inas Idenbach>, you may end up repeating this timeline thousands, even millions of times. Remove him and restore the world.
Reward:
The world’s normal flow of time will be restored.
+100 Levels
Title: <Hero of the Kingdom>
YES
YES
Nigel didn’t hesitate.
“That’s stupid.”
So now they were offering rewards. But none of it mattered.
A hundred levels? Please. His knight was millions of times stronger than that.
Hero of the Kingdom? Meaningless.
He was already Duke of Magnus. Titles meant nothing.
He ignored the blinking and slept peacefully.
***
The next morning, he woke to find the quest had changed again.
▷ Quest (new!)
Just Accept It Already
You HAVE to kill <Inas Idenbach>. You think your sanity can handle endless loops like this? You’ll go mad. He’s already insane. You’ll end up just like him. Stop this. Remove him. Live a normal life.
Reward:
Time restored
+100 Levels
Title: <Hero of the Kingdom>
Title: <God’s Chosen>
The Throne
YES
YES
“I said I don’t want it.”
The throne?
What a damn joke.
Even the title of duke was already too much for his frail body.
Becoming king would be a nightmare.
Sure, a small part of him had always wanted to knock that smug king off his throne—but not like this.
And what the hell was <God’s Chosen>?
This wasn’t even the Holy Kingdom of Garten—sure, Belfir had a powerful church, but still.
He didn’t want to end up clashing with the temple just because he got some sketchy title.
But if this wasn’t a scam—if the quest was really from some god… then the implications were terrifying.
Still.
“No way.”
Nigel shook off the absurd thought.
Sure, restoring time might be a god-tier event… but no god would beg like a panhandler, groveling for acceptance.
The desperation in the quest’s tone was plain as day.
Whoever was sending these, they were starting to crack.
If it were Nigel, he’d never show that kind of weakness.
In negotiation, the more desperate party always loses.
He crossed his arms, calm and unbothered.
If they wanted something, they’d have to offer more.
Nigel would simply wait—and see how far this little game would go.
