The Protagonist of the Story
Kay had recently learned the word déjà vu.
Déjà vu: when something you’ve never experienced before feels strangely familiar, as if it’s already happened.
Lately, Kay had been feeling that sensation—a lot.
Like when he left town with Lana, or when he fought his first monster and used a standard attack instead of the technique he really wanted to try. When they arrived at their first village and Lana spoke to a child at the entrance. Even when he met Kay for the first time…
All of it felt like things he’d done before. And strangely, all the excitement that should’ve come with the adventure… had already worn off.
“Are you seriously getting homesick already?”
Lana had teased him with that theory, but it wasn’t quite right. Even the hometown he supposedly loved was boring to him now.
Everything felt off. Mind-numbingly dull.
Even just a little while ago.
Originally, Kay should have followed the main road. The only revealed map area is around the main road anyway. But that choice felt unbearably tedious. Like he’d already done it thousands of times.
There was no rule that said he had to stay on the road. So he veered off.
Ignoring Lana’s scolding—“Remember what happened last time you wandered off and everything went to hell?”—and Kay’s muttering—“If we get screwed going this way, it’s all your fault,”—Kay used his sword to slash through the underbrush, slowly forcing a new path forward.
And when he finally broke through the thicket, he saw a landscape he had never seen before.
There, standing in the middle of a plain, was Inas Idenbach.
Even when Inas had helped them in the past, he’d always struck Kay as the model knight. That time, he’d worn the Order’s uniform, a sword at his hip, and looked so cool that Kay had admired him for a split second.
But then, along with the déjà vu, a strange wave of revulsion hit.
Kay suddenly hated him.
The way Inas politely spoke felt fake—like hollow courtesy.
Kay tried to shake it off.
That’s no way to think about someone who saved you.
But even though his head understood that, his gut kept recoiling. Unconsciously, he kept his distance—so obviously, in fact, that even Lana, who was always kind, scolded him for it.
Kay didn’t want to ever see Inas again. And yet now that he had, he was oddly glad. Because the man standing beside Inas was impossible to ignore.
The man holding the gun looked tired, pale, even sickly, but that ghostly complexion and the shadows under his eyes only added to his striking charm.
It wasn’t just that he was handsome. There was something delicate—beautiful—about him. His hair, tinged with a faint reddish-gold, and his vivid crimson eyes looked almost too extravagant to be real.
Kay couldn’t look away.
It wasn’t attraction—not exactly. Sure, the guy was beautiful, but it was more than that. He felt… familiar. So familiar that it hurt. Like nostalgia.
Who is he?
Kay wanted to know more.
He was interested.
Bursting from the bushes, Kay startled Nigel, who stared wide-eyed at him. Nigel, who had been leveling up just moments ago, instinctively checked Kay’s Character Info Window.
Level 26. Slightly higher than in the previous Loop.
Noticing that Kay was looking right back at him through the system window, Nigel hastily closed it, not wanting to seem awkward.
Meanwhile, Kay greeted the man he recognized—Inas—with cheerful familiarity.
“Hello, Sir Idenbach! What a surprise running into you here.”
“…Is it now? What are you doing here?”
There was a strange edge in Inas’s tone. Nigel turned to look. Inas was clearly suspicious—like he was staring down something rotten.
Kay either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He smiled, relaxed, and shrugged.
“Was I not supposed to come this way?”
“It’s not a commonly used path.”
“That’s exactly why I wanted to try it. It seemed fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, fun. What about you, Sir Idenbach? I thought you were busy. What are you doing out here?”
It wasn’t just Inas who sounded snide anymore. Kay’s voice was friendly, but his smiling eyes were sharp—like frozen steel.
“Kay, what’s wrong with you?”
Lana jabbed him in the ribs and whispered a scolding, but Kay just waved her off with a dramatic smile.
“What? I was just curious.”
That bright grin was so innocent it almost made Nigel doubt he’d seen hostility there at all.
What the hell is going on? Unable to watch anymore, Nigel stepped forward—but Inas beat him to it.
“Nigel, these are adventurers. This is Kay, Lana, and Kay. And this man is Duke of Magnus, Nigel Grau Montstein.”
“Oh—! My apologies. I’m Kay.”
With a surprised expression, Kay strode forward and dropped to one knee before Nigel.
Reflexively, Nigel extended his hand, and Kay brushed his lips lightly over the back of it before standing again.
Nigel stared at him in a daze.
This was the same naïve country boy from before? The knightly etiquette he’d just displayed could’ve been lifted straight from a textbook. It rivaled even Inas.
Lana and Axel, equally stunned, quickly followed with greetings.
“I’m Lana. We came from the southern capital.”
“…Axel.”
All three acted like this was the first time they were meeting Nigel—which made sense. Nigel remembered clearly how he’d cheered them on before they entered the ruins to kill Schumacher. They’d been more familiar then, having met a few times. But since time had rewound, everything had reset.
It made sense. Didn’t make it feel any less weird.
Burying the complex mix of emotions, Nigel greeted them again.
“I am Nigel Grau Montstein, Duke of Magnus.”
As he introduced himself, he glanced sideways at Inas. To anyone else, Inas’s face would look blank—but Nigel knew him too well. He could feel the tension simmering behind that neutral expression.
What was going on with him?
Nigel holstered his gun and patted Inas’s shoulder.
“I’ve heard a lot about you three from Inas.”
“Y-you have?”
Kay’s face turned pale as a sheet. He threw a shocked glare at Inas like—Why the hell would you say that?! Lana turned bright red. Axel sighed heavily and covered his face with a hand.
…What the hell did they do?
Inas, catching Nigel’s glance, shrugged casually.
“It was nothing serious. They triggered a monster trap, rolled backwards three times, and landed in a pile of monster dung. The stench was so bad the inn refused them, so I helped them secure a spot in a barn.”
“…That’s not ‘nothing serious.’”
It was the kind of humiliating disaster you’d never forget for the rest of your life— Well, unless time rewound first.
Still, that was traumatic.
Wait… did you set them up?
Nigel looked at Inas suspiciously, but he shook his head. No, he might be a killer, but he wasn’t that petty.
Still, it was pitiful.
And at the same time, a perfect excuse. A good opportunity to bring them into his domain—whether it was to keep an eye on them, help Schumacher complete the Relic, or for some other reason.
The more cards Nigel held, the better.
Plus, Kay kept drawing his attention.
Was it because Kay was the Protagonist? All stories begin with the Protagonist and end with the Protagonist solving everything.
Maybe Kay held the key to ending all of this.
Last time, Kay had hesitated when Nigel invited them to stay. But this time, they looked so miserable that all three of them brightened visibly at the suggestion.
“If you’ve gone this long without a proper bath, why not come to my estate? There’s a large bathhouse used by the knights. You’re welcome to stay a night or two, rest, and clean up.”
It was the perfect pretext.
“Oh—we wouldn’t want to impose, but… are you sure?”
The question was polite, but Nigel smiled, satisfied.
“Of course. The mansion has more rooms than people. It’s no trouble at all to help a few guests. Come, let’s go.”
“Nigel.”
Inas tapped his shoulder. What? Nigel asked with his eyes. Inas leaned in and whispered:
“We came here by teleportation.”
“…Ah.”
They’d arrived directly from the mansion. No carriage. Not even horses.
And Inas, known publicly as a knight, couldn’t exactly cast teleportation spells in front of everyone. Since Nigel had already invited them to walk with him, they had no choice but to walk all the way back.
The royal capital was within sight—it wasn’t too far. Still, there was one problem: Nigel had never walked that far in his life.
“Um… is something wrong?”
Lana, watching carefully, asked gently. Nigel shook his head bravely.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s go.”
“Nigel…”
“I’m fine. I can walk that far.”
I’ve leveled up, he mouthed to Inas, who sighed in resignation.
“…As you wish.”
“Right then. Let’s head out.”
“Thank you. We’ll be in your care for a bit.”
As Kay replied, a party request window popped up in front of Nigel.
[Kay] has invited you to a party.
Accept?
[YES]
[NO]
It had been a while since Nigel had seen a system window with proper, non-hostile choices. It felt oddly nostalgic.
This time, unlike when he’d rejected Inas’s party request, he selected [YES] without hesitation.
A party window opened.
[Kay] – LV.26 – HP: 182/182
[Lana] – LV.24 – HP: 115/115
[Axel] – LV.25 – HP: 149/149
[Nigel] – LV.17 – HP: 51/51
So this is what it looks like. Nigel felt a little impressed—but also confused.
If simply traveling together was enough to join a party, shouldn’t Inas be included too?
He glanced between Kay and Inas before asking,
“Inas is coming with us too, right?”
“Huh? Of course he is,” Kay answered, like it was a weird thing to even ask.
But for some reason, Inas didn’t appear in the party.
Was Kay deliberately leaving him out because he found him off-putting? Or was Inas the one declining?
He couldn’t tell.
Still puzzled, they began their walk to the capital. Not too far—but not exactly close either.
From the middle of the plains, it was a walkable distance… in theory.
Nigel trailed behind, watching his three party members ahead.
So much energy.
Unlike the others, Nigel was already at his limit. His feet hurt. His legs ached. His head was spinning.
They’d only been walking for a few dozen minutes, but apparently even that was too much for his stamina.
He told himself to push through… when suddenly, a small system window popped up.
Status Effect: [Fatigue]
Your HP will decrease as you move.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I haven’t even walked that far!
Nigel stared at the window in disbelief, and someone yanked him forward.
It was Kay.
