Nigel recoiled in horror and stared at Inas. Judging by Inas’s calm expression, you’d think he’d just asked if Nigel wanted a cup of tea, not made that suggestion a moment ago. Nigel flinched and shook his head violently.
“Are you insane?”
“I’m not.”
“No, you are insane. How can you say something like that?”
“Well, I killed you. Fair’s fair in a relationship.”
“I don’t need it to be fair!”
What kind of lunatic measures fairness by who kills who? Their relationship had started as a power imbalance to begin with—what fairness was there to talk about? And besides, if Nigel were the type to hold a grudge over being murdered and wanted payback, he would’ve cut ties with Inas and blown up in anger long ago.
Before trying to reason with Inas, Nigel took a deep breath. Dealing with a madman was harder than dealing with a king who wanted him dead.
“And how exactly am I supposed to kill you? With my attack stats? I’d need a million years.”
“You just need to shoot me once after I injure myself and run out of HP.”
What, seriously—there’s such an easy method? There was no way to be impressed. Instead of being convinced by Nigel’s words like a sane person, Inas was out here dropping disturbingly effective solutions like it was nothing.
But the whole idea of personally repaying death with death—such an extreme act—was impossible for Nigel regardless.
Because Nigel was terrified of blood.
As a child, it had been a paralyzing fear. His weak body, combined with psychological trauma, would trigger seizures or outright cause him to faint.
Thankfully—or unfortunately—he had gradually adapted by tagging along on monster hunts as the Duke of the North, witnessing blood from a distance. Now, at least, he no longer had visceral reactions just from seeing blood. But when it came to injuries or blood from people close to him, he was still sensitive. Especially if it was Inas’s blood.
Kill Inas with his own hands? Not a chance.
“No. Absolutely not…”
Nigel’s face went ghost-white as he shook his head frantically. The suggestion was absurd.
“If you’re that against it, I won’t force you.”
Seeing how Nigel looked ready to faint, Inas finally backed down.
“But think it over, Nigel.”
“……”
“Getting through to Schumacher will be easier if you die once, won’t it? That relationship’s already half ruined.”
Apparently, he hadn’t dropped it completely. He kept pressing. Suggesting someone kill their own lover like it was just another option on the table. Then again, Inas had killed Nigel multiple times before. Killing himself probably didn’t feel like such a big deal.
Still, he probably would’ve been pissed if Nigel refused to kill him out of spite, despite having died at Inas’s hands himself…
Nigel was already exhausted, even though the day had barely started. He sighed and waved him off.
“How could I possibly kill you? I’m never going to do it.”
“Nigel.”
“Inas. What if I do kill you and time doesn’t rewind? Then I’m left alone.”
Inas opened his mouth to speak but fell silent, lips twitching but no words coming out.
“What? Tell me.”
“If… if you were to commit suicide…”
Nigel clicked his tongue. What kind of nonsense was that? Was it worry that he’d be left alone in a situation he couldn’t control—or was it actual concern?
Rather than ask and risk a painful answer, Nigel swallowed the question.
“You know I can’t. I can’t commit suicide.”
Someone as sensitive to wounds and pain as Nigel? He could never go through with it. Inas knew that too.
“Maybe I could get someone else to do it?”
Inas fell silent at that. Apparently, he didn’t like that idea. His reason briefly short-circuited, and the excitement in his face cooled so fast it almost looked like anger.
Scary or not, the original goal had been achieved. Inas seemed unlikely to bring this up again.
“You’re right. That was out of line. I’m sorry, Nigel.”
“…Fine.”
Nigel replied without looking directly at him. He didn’t need to. He could feel Inas’s gaze on him—intense, obsessive, raking over every inch of his body. Nigel bit his lip under that burning stare.
“I’ll step out now. Please rest, Nigel.”
After watching him for a moment longer, Inas finally left the room.
And as Nigel was left alone, something popped up in front of him.
A new system window.
Tip. A simple method of killing is not sufficient to completely remove <Inas Idenbach>.
Using a Relic to eliminate him isn’t a bad idea. It’s a method that has never succeeded before. Wait until he’s completely off guard, then use a Relic to remove <Inas Idenbach>.
The moment he read it, Nigel furiously hurled a pillow at the system window. Of course, it didn’t disappear. He was about to slam it shut when he barely managed to suppress the surge of rage bubbling inside him.
Annoying as it was, this was still information. The kind of information that couldn’t be obtained through normal means.
“A simple method of killing is not sufficient to completely remove Inas.”
That was a sentence that only could have appeared if Inas had actually died several times.
Nigel unconsciously bit his thumbnail. No matter how indifferent Inas seemed to his own death, Nigel hated seeing him hurt or dead. No one in their right mind would enjoy their lover dying.
As Nigel’s expression grew darker, the quest window floated up beside the tip window. A line related to the quest rewards sparkled oddly, drawing his attention.
On the condition that this quest is not revealed to <Inas Idenbach>,
Ensure the survival of an Inas Idenbach with no memory of prior events.
Nigel glanced upward. It was becoming clear that this quest window was somehow monitoring his reactions in real time.
Maybe he could even ask questions and get answers.
But there was no need to reveal his suspicions. If the quest window was intentionally hiding information, it wouldn’t tell him anything. Worse, it might start actively guarding against Nigel if it sensed his distrust.
So far, the quest system had played nice, trying to win him over. But if it ever decided Nigel wasn’t useful, it could start getting in the way. The extent of that interference was unknown. Better to play along—at least until he could confirm more about these uncertain variables. Like earlier, when it had offered a helpful tip, he could extract more intel if he pretended to cooperate.
For now, he’d keep this quest a secret. Having a foot in multiple camps was safer.
“I’ll do it. I’ll go through with it.”
He made himself sound nervous, anxious, and scared—and the quest window stopped shimmering, settling into silence. It really had no idea what he was thinking. Thank god it couldn’t read his mind.
***
The Next Day.
Nigel and Inas teleported to the southern plains of the royal capital. Their goal: monster hunting.
Honestly, Nigel had no desire to travel this far. But compared to the extreme options from before, this was a perfectly normal one—so he’d agreed without protest.
In previous Loops, Nigel had just delivered the final blow to monsters already worn down by others. It gave too little EXP, and leveling up took forever.
This time, Inas would immobilize the monsters with magic, and Nigel would shoot them. More of a drill than a hunt. Yes, there was blood, but—
It cut down the time significantly. The gun Nigel was using now wasn’t the one he originally owned. That one had to be loaded manually and was a pain to deal with. But this one—procured by Inas—was something else entirely.
Damtieu’s Gun
A gun forged with ancient technology, designed to fire magic bullets. It draws from stored mana, firing one shot per remaining mana point. A relic beyond modern reproduction.
Attack Power:
20% of user’s total mana stat (Max: 10,000)
Effects:
+20% Accuracy
+20% Critical Rate
Remaining Ammo:
7/99
Price:
Unmeasurable
In Inas’s hands, it would’ve been a deadly weapon—limited only by its max attack cap. But in Nigel’s hands, its damage was modest. Still, with 99 bullets and accuracy boosts, it was more than enough. Even half-blind from squinting at the blood, Nigel could land a decent number of shots. And as he leveled up, his mana would increase, and so would his attack power.
Nigel checked his Character Info Window.
Character Info Window
Name: Nigel Grau Montstein
Class: Duke of Magnus
Level: 17
HP: 51/51
MP: 63/63
<View Stats>
<View Skills>
Stats
Strength: 9
Mana: 16
Dexterity: 14
Speed: 8
Defense: 4
Magic Resist: 18
Luck: 24
Sure, his numbers were still pathetic compared to others.
Nigel’s body clearly wasn’t suited for combat. Even factoring in level difference, his Strength and Dexterity were nothing compared to someone like Kay.
To be blunt, it was demoralizing. Stats barely budged even after leveling up. While monster kills became easier, the EXP curve slowed everything down. And as it slowed, so did Nigel’s motivation. What was the point of grinding if it hardly made a difference?
But Inas kept dragging monsters over nonstop.
“Do we really have to go this hard?”
Nigel, worn out, finally voiced his irritation. Inas paused, glanced at the monster he’d just caught, then nodded.
“Just a little more, Nigel. You only have to shoot.”
“My arms are sore. You might be fine, but I’m just a regular person.”
“Regular? You’re frail as hell.”
“Exactly, so—”
“But your Level is too low. It’s better than having someone else accidentally kill you in one hit. You should at least match Kay’s team.”
Kay’s team? Nigel’s eyes narrowed.
Kay was probably in the mid-20s by now. Catching up would take all day.
Still, he couldn’t say no. Inas’s tone had just enough bite in it to suggest he wasn’t just saying it for encouragement.
Nigel fiddled with his gun and asked,
“Have I… died to other people a lot?”
“In recent Loops, not so much. But yes, quite a few times.”
“Even Kay?”
“Oh, not just Kay.”
Inas smiled bitterly.
“The King, your vassals, your own relatives—even Georg and Hayes. They’ve all killed you.”
Nigel’s eyes widened. The King or his vassals? Sure, that tracked. The King hated him, and the vassals were always looking for a chance to betray him.
But Georg, his loyal butler? Hayes, someone he trusted almost as much as Inas?
“…Why?”
“When the situation gets desperate, people change. Be careful. The moment circumstances shift, they’ll all turn on you.”
“……”
Still, even if others had killed him, none did it more than Inas. That man probably held the record for most stabbings.
Nigel scowled and nodded reluctantly.
“Yeah, fine… sure.”
He couldn’t deny the threats were real. Might as well keep grinding. He handed the gun to Inas to recharge the mana bullets when they both heard footsteps approaching from the nearby bushes.
