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Nigel was utterly caught off guard. Anyone would be startled if someone suddenly vanished right before their eyes, only to be replaced by someone who shouldn’t be there at all.
“Wh-Where’s Sir Schumacher?”
“Does that really matter right now?”
The atmosphere turned from cold to downright hostile, and Nigel instinctively flinched. He decided to ask again, this time phrasing it the way Inas seemed to want.
“Then why are you here?”
“It looked like you were in danger, Nigel.”
“Danger…?”
Nigel frowned. Sure, Inas had a point—one wrong word a moment ago and he might’ve lost his head. But still…
“…And how exactly would you know that?”
Inas should still be in the south, only now making his way up to the capital. How could he possibly know Nigel was in danger? Had he been secretly watching him? A dozen unpleasant possibilities flashed through Nigel’s mind, and a shiver crawled down his spine. Without realizing it, he shrank back.
Inas, who’d been silently watching Nigel with a gaze both calm and oddly menacing, smiled. The beast-like ferocity in his demeanor melted away, and in its place stood a well-mannered knight, dressed in dignity like a uniform.
“I simply cast a spell that alerts me if your life is in danger.”
“Without my permission…?”
“My duty is to protect you, Nigel. Even if my responsibilities have expanded lately, your safety is still my top priority. Consider this just an extension of that.”
“Well… when you put it like that…”
He wasn’t wrong. A detection spell was certainly better than constant surveillance. And yet, Nigel couldn’t shake the feeling that he kept getting swept up in Inas’s absurd reasoning. The old Nigel wouldn’t have been this easily swayed. He hadn’t inherited the dukedom of Magnus for nothing.
It was just that… Inas was far more eloquent than Nigel remembered. And the old Nigel had always had a soft spot for the man he loved—he’d often yielded to him. That made it harder and harder to resist.
Right? That’s what it was.
Nigel glanced at Inas’s face. Always sculpted, always beautiful. Eyes that were usually sharp and cold would melt into something soft and puppy-like whenever they looked his way, and every time, Nigel found himself caving.
Still, there had to be a limit. Time to actually listen to what the man was saying. Steeling himself, Nigel cleared his mind.
“So… how long have you been watching me?”
“Since you left the mansion.”
Wait a second. Something didn’t add up. The actual threat only appeared after he entered the house—when Schumacher pulled a dagger. Nigel’s face twisted with confusion, and Inas smiled again, as if anticipating the question.
“The world outside is dangerous.”
“…”
“There are too many threats out there.”
Okay, that was a very broad definition of danger. Was he seriously implying that the outside world was so perilous that Nigel should just stay locked up indoors? And what—every time Nigel stepped out, Inas would sense it? Nigel rubbed his goosebump-covered arms and gave an awkward laugh.
“Well… sure, there’s risk, but I usually bring guards with me.”
“That’s not enough. You can’t trust guards. And there are far too many lunatics out there.”
…Said the biggest lunatic of them all.
Nigel subtly rubbed his arms again.
“Wait, don’t tell me… you follow me every time I go out?”
“Not every time. But it’s nighttime, I didn’t have anything else to do, and it wasn’t your usual hour to be out, so I found it strange. That’s all.”
Nigel was utterly dumbfounded. Inas kept looking at him with that same flawless face, but this time, Nigel felt like he really shouldn’t just let this slide. He sat up straight.
“So… you’re saying you stalked me?”
“Stalked?”
Inas repeated the word. The unfamiliar sound seemed to throw him off, and Nigel blinked slowly.
Stalking. What… does that mean?
“What do you mean, ‘stalked’?”
“You said it, just now. ‘Stalking.’”
“…I did?”
The words felt heavy on his lips. A strange sense of wrongness wrapped around Nigel, thick and disorienting.
Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking. Stalking…
Something was wrong.
He was certain he’d never heard that word before—never even known of it. And yet… he had heard it before. A long time ago. In the distant past…
Suddenly, a blinding blue light engulfed his vision. Hundreds of screens filled the air before him.
<system: Initializing ■■■■■■■■.>
Unfinished, fragmented lines surrounded him.
<system: Insufficient MP.>
A flashing red warning.
<system: Unable to fully overwrite data…>
Incomprehensible phrases flooded his view.
“Ugh…”
A splitting pain tore through his skull. Unfamiliar memories clawed their way into his mind, digging deep. Then, just like slipping into a dream, a vision began to unfold before his eyes—so vivid it felt real.
A sweet, almost suffocating scent filled the air.
Nigel’s limbs lay limp, powerless, but he could tell—he was trying to move. He was struggling. But his body wouldn’t respond. Exhausted, he gave up and opened his mouth with great effort.
“Inas. Stop. Please… stop…”
“Nigel.”
Inas’s voice came from above, just over Nigel’s bowed head. His tone sounded… strangely emotional. Nigel gasped in distress.
“Please… This is madness. The ducal trackers… they’re coming…”
The words spilling from his lips startled Nigel. Trackers from the ducal house? He suddenly noticed the chains stretching across the floor, anchoring him. His wrists and ankles were bound so tightly that he couldn’t move.
His vision blurred, and droplets of water splashed onto the ground. The Nigel in the vision was crying.
“I’m sorry, Nigel. Just hold on a little longer. I’ll kill those fucking stalkers and come right back.”
“No… No, it’s not like that. That’s not what this is…”
“No, I’m right. That bastard’s done this to you fifteen times. Fifteen, Nigel.”
“No, it’s fine. Just leave it. If this keeps up, you’ll die…”
Who? As soon as he thought it, the metallic tang of blood filled the air.
The vision’s Nigel slowly raised his head.
The smell—it was coming from Inas. He was covered in wounds. One eye was wrapped in a bandage, his shirt soaked in sweat and blood, a complete wreck. He looked like he could collapse and die at any moment.
“Inas.”
Seeing him like that, Nigel finally broke down in tears. He muttered helplessly.
“I’m really fine.”
“You’re the one who’s lost it.”
“You’ll die like this.”
Judging from his words, Nigel had been in serious danger, and Inas had taken extreme measures to protect him. It seemed the ducal house didn’t see confinement as protection—and had sent pursuers.
Inas let out a sigh.
“I guess I should learn healing magic next. I was planning to start with paralytic poison, but…”
“Inas.”
“Don’t worry, Nigel. I’ll do better next loop.”
“…!”
Nigel froze. His breathing slowed. Even his tears stopped falling. But Inas continued speaking.
“If I focus on saving skill points, I can pick it up pretty fast—even if it’s not a knight-class ability. I don’t like seeing you cry, so I’ll hurry. Still… I also hate seeing you in pain…”
…
Inas spoke slowly, almost dreamily. And Nigel remained silent the whole time. Inas eventually sighed again, this time looking a little sorrowful.
“I’ll stop saying weird things, so please wake up, Nigel.”
…
“Nigel, your trackers really are coming now.”
“Inas.”
Only then did Nigel respond. It was an eerie reaction. As if he’d only heard that last sentence, and not a word before.
“Give me one last kiss, Nigel.”
“…Don’t say it’s the last. I’d never let you die.”
“You know that’s not true… Nigel.”
Inas’s voice was trembling, like it could shatter and vanish at any moment. So different from the man standing here now. The Nigel in the vision hesitated, then leaned in and kissed him.
“Hah…!”
Nigel gasped and tore free from the illusion.
He’d kissed Inas. For real. Not on the forehead or cheek, but an actual kiss. One where their bodies pressed together, and wet sounds came from their lips…
Unbelievable. He couldn’t even wrap his head around it.
He’d had dreams before, but never even managed a first kiss. There were always limits to his imagination.
But this… this had felt good. Really, truly, deeply good.
Could it be that the kiss he’d remembered having with Inas wasn’t a dying fantasy after all—but something that had actually happened?
The thought hit like a bolt of lightning.
And just like that, the headache that had been splitting his skull vanished completely. In its place was Inas, staring at him with wide, stunned eyes.
“Nigel.”
“…Inas.”
“Are you alright?”
Nigel didn’t respond. Inas gently scooped him up and carried him into the next room, laying him down on a bed. The feel of unfamiliar, slightly coarse sheets grounded Nigel just enough to regain his senses.
…Why does he know the layout of someone else’s house this well? Nigel didn’t bother asking. He already knew what the answer would be.
“I… I think I’ve heard you say that before. That word… ‘stalking,’ or whatever.”
Inas froze.
“You used to say strange things sometimes. Actually, quite often.”
That vision hadn’t been a fantasy. It was faint, but the memory was there. Inas had used words like “stalking” and “stalker” casually.
And not just that—he’d used terms like game, loop, route, stat, HP, MP. Words Nigel could now understand.
He’d heard them often. And forgotten them, every time.
“You’re right, Nigel… But more importantly, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But…”
Nigel looked at Inas, troubled. Despite dying multiple times, the reality of it still felt faint and disconnected. So he’d always assumed whatever Inas had done in previous loops was… manageable. Not that bad.
But maybe he’d been wrong.
Maybe much more had happened than he expected…
Just like the first time he’d died and remembered throwing himself off something—Nigel had made a conscious decision to end his life.
A chill ran through him.
It was his life. He knew himself. He would never give up that easily. So just how terrible must things have been for him to try?
Had Inas really done something that horrible? Or was it all just a tragic misunderstanding…?
He didn’t want to ask. But he had to.
Nigel’s lips moved without sound. His mind was spinning with thoughts, tangled and overwhelming. It took a long time before he finally mustered the courage.
“What… were we to each other?”
…That wasn’t the question he meant to ask. But the words slipped out anyway. And Inas… smiled, as if he’d just heard something delightful.
