Nigel stared in shock at his wrist caught in Kay’s grip. Something that shouldn’t have been there was now firmly in someone else’s hand.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, yeah…”
He gave a vague answer and glanced toward Inas.
Inas’s expression was so murderous it looked like he could kill a man with a single glance. His eyes, sharp as drawn blades, seemed ready to stab Kay right then and there. The instant his gaze met Nigel’s, that deadly energy slipped behind a perfectly composed mask—but it was far too vivid to forget.
“You look really tired. Should I help you walk?”
“No, I’m fine…”
If you try to help, you might actually die. Nigel swallowed hard, tense. He wished Kay would just let go, but the man only looked him over with genuine concern, unwilling to step back.
“Your face is completely pale…”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Even Lana, who’d been walking ahead, turned back at the commotion.
“I’m really… really fine.”
Remembering that terrifying gleam in Inas’s eyes, Nigel reached toward the man standing quietly behind him, trying to keep anyone from dying.
“Inas, give me a hand.”
“Yes, Nigel.”
For some reason, his voice sounded almost triumphant. Why was he just standing there? Was he waiting for Nigel to ask for help first—such a childish, absurd reason… and yet, from the faint but unmistakable flicker of joy on Inas’s face, it seemed that was exactly the case.
The childish man scooped Nigel up effortlessly. Supporting him would’ve been enough, but this was overkill. Nigel wanted to protest but knew from experience that arguing now would only draw attention—and embarrassment—so he kept his mouth shut.
“The Duke seems tired,” Inas said smoothly. “I’ll carry him the rest of the way. The three of you, go on ahead to the capital and hire a carriage. Something comfortable—cost doesn’t matter, we’ll cover it.”
There was no room for refusal. Lana nodded immediately.
“Understood.”
“Lana, why are you deciding that on your own…!”
Kay snapped, and Lana frowned at him.
“It’s fine to help out a little, isn’t it? Come on, Kay.”
She led the visibly displeased Kay away. Nigel watched them go until they disappeared into the distance, then sighed.
“Don’t act like a child.”
“But I’m in a bad mood.”
His tone was unusually curt. Nigel blinked and looked up at Inas’s face. His expression was cold, eyes fixed straight ahead—the direction Kay had gone.
“Inas?”
“I don’t like the feeling I get from him. Something’s wrong. I want to kill him.”
The ominous muttering made Nigel panic. Maybe letting Inas come along had been a mistake. He hadn’t seemed angry before Kay left, so Nigel had let his guard down.
“Inas, calm down… He’s just a kid. He doesn’t have any real power.”
“He’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous or not…”
He doesn’t seem like a threat to you, though. But Inas’s murderous aura didn’t fade. Nigel tugged at him.
“Inas, even if you kill someone, time will just rewind again. Just hold it in for a bit.”
“If I kill and kill and kill again, it’s fine. And besides, one death alone doesn’t reset everything.”
Nigel shivered. He knew Inas was aware that killing didn’t end the Loop—but that bloodthirst still sent chills down his spine. Sure, Inas could kill him because Nigel would come back, but other people? Whether they revived or not, he might not care at all. Nigel’s mouth went dry with fear. He didn’t want to see this version of Inas ever again. Desperate, he grabbed Inas’s arm.
“No, Inas. Killing again and again just means repeating everything all over. You hate being trapped in the same loop, don’t you?”
Inas looked down at him, his pitch-black eyes crashing into Nigel’s like a falling blade. The sheer weight of that gaze stopped Nigel’s breath. Then, with a faint curl of his lips, Inas smiled.
“As long as you’re with me, I don’t mind repeating this world a thousand more times.”
“…I do.”
The quiet murmur snapped something in Inas. His intensity vanished like a flame doused in water. He stared down at Nigel slowly, almost blankly.
“I don’t want to, Inas.”
“Nigel.”
“I don’t want to do this anymore.”
He hadn’t gone through that many Loops, but it already felt like his mind was breaking. No sane person could endure this endlessly. Still, since Inas seemed to be listening, Nigel clung to him tightly and whispered desperately.
“Please, just hold it in. Don’t ruin everything.”
“Nigel…”
“I don’t want to go back again. I don’t want to die by your hands.”
“But you said you loved me.”
Inas’s voice was low and somber.
“You said you loved me.”
“…Yeah, I love you.”
“Then you should die for me. If the one you love asks for it.”
Still holding Nigel gently with one arm, Inas raised his other hand and wrapped it around Nigel’s throat. His hand easily encircled it, strong enough that the slightest squeeze could snap it. Nigel’s body went rigid, not just from the fear but from the invisible pressure radiating from Inas—an oppressive, suffocating force that thickened the very air around them until even breathing hurt, his skin prickling painfully.
“It’s not like you’ll truly die anyway, so why does it matter?”
“I–Inas…”
“Don’t be afraid.”
He leaned in and kissed Nigel, who was trembling uncontrollably. If this had been any other moment, Nigel might have been happy to receive that kiss. But now, it only made his skin crawl. A strangely cold wind blew despite the spring weather, pressing down on him like a weight.
“Ugh…”
His body shuddered. Watching him tremble like someone cast out into midwinter, Inas clicked his tongue.
“Don’t be so afraid, Nigel. I’m not killing you out of hatred. I’m killing you because I love you.”
“That’s nonsense…”
“It’s not nonsense. It’s the truth.”
Sheer madness. There was no logic there at all. Fighting back tears, Nigel pushed at him with trembling hands.
“Stop…”
Contrary to the fear that he might die right then, Inas actually let him go. But that didn’t mean safety—if Inas changed his mind, he could strangle him again in an instant.
“Don’t kill me…”
Inas’s eyes swept slowly over Nigel’s face, then lingered on his tear-streaked cheeks. After a long moment, he sighed softly and brushed the redness beneath Nigel’s eyes with his thumb.
“If you hate it that much, I won’t kill you.”
“You did kill me.”
“That was for your sake. Because I love you.”
“Bullshit…”
“It’s true. I killed you because I love you. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t have.”
“…”
“Don’t you understand my love?”
That was love?
He wanted to believe it, but doubt kept clawing at him.
Did Inas really love him?
At the end of each Loop, before time rewound, there was never any trace of care in the way Inas killed him. It was always a selfish act—a way to soothe his own anxiety and fulfill his own desire.
A one-sided love that disregards the other person is nothing but violence. Maybe what Inas felt wasn’t love at all, just a twisted obsession.
He didn’t want to think about it—but he couldn’t not think about it. When Nigel bit his lip, Inas raised a hand as if to stop him.
If only I could just surrender to this tenderness…
“I won’t kill you, Nigel.”
“…”
“I won’t kill you, Nigel. So don’t cry.”
I’m not crying. He wanted to snap that back, but instead, he looked up at Inas with all the desperation he had left.
“…Can you swear it?”
“I swear, Nigel. In the name of my god—you.”
The vow rolled off his tongue so smoothly it was almost obscene. It made Nigel want to believe, just for a moment. Even now, he could feel himself being drawn in by that gentleness. So he decided to accept it—just one more time. Inas had never broken a promise he made to him, after all.
“….”
Then suddenly, Inas frowned and lifted his head. Curious, Nigel looked in the same direction but saw nothing.
“Seems something troublesome has occurred.”
“What do you mean?”
“Who knows…”
Muttering vaguely, Inas started walking toward the royal capital. Nigel, too tired to question further, leaned against him. His body felt heavy, drained—as if he were coming down with a fever.
It was about five minutes later that Nigel learned what the “troublesome matter” was.
From the distance, he saw Kay riding toward them with the capital guards. They were galloping hard, faces tense with urgency. Before they even dismounted, they shouted out.
“Are you all right!?”
Nigel struggled to lift himself halfway up.
“What’s going on?”
“A massive surge of magical energy was detected in this area! We suspect it may be connected to the evil god Edelta—or one of his ancient beasts or servants—so…”
The guard, speaking in a rush, trailed off when he saw how calm the two men looked. He blinked and dismounted.
“You didn’t see anything unusual?”
“…”
Nigel didn’t know whether it was connected to the evil god Edelta, but he certainly knew the source of that enormous magical power. He glanced sideways at Inas. So that terrifying aura earlier had been powerful enough to alert the royal magi.
“I’m afraid not.”
The man himself lied effortlessly, not even blinking. Because of that, both the guards’ and Kay’s eyes shifted toward Nigel.
“…I don’t know either.”
He had no choice but to lie as well. A sigh escaped him before he could stop it.
