Just imagine having to go see the person you were trying to kill just a few loops ago. It’s absurd—absurd enough to be infuriating. Given that he remembers the last timeline and still chose to side with Schumacher, anyone would see it as a move meant to keep Kay in check.
Well, whatever. If I die here, so be it… Nigel braced himself for death. But fortunately, instead of drawing his sword, Kay just gave a casual shrug.
“You were planning to kill me, weren’t you?”
Kay said it like it was no big deal. But a flash of instinctual unease flickered through Nigel.
Just because he seems indifferent doesn’t mean you can speak carelessly. One wrong word and he’ll kill you.
The Kay standing before Nigel wasn’t some naive seventeen-year-old fresh out of the countryside. He was a jaded protagonist who’d lived through god knows how many lifetimes.
But Nigel didn’t actually have all that much to feel guilty about. He’d never once intended to kill Kay, and honestly, he’d treated him pretty well. So rather than shrinking back, Nigel lifted his chin with pride.
“Come on. You didn’t notice I was trying to keep you alive? I helped you out a ton.”
“Well… yeah, that’s true.”
Even putting aside that offering food, clothing, and shelter didn’t cost Nigel much, he’d still checked in regularly, provided weapons, occasionally assisted with quests, and—most importantly—tried to save Kay every time Inas got bloodthirsty. No one could look at that and say he was planning a betrayal.
“I’ll be honest with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“I wasn’t sure how things would play out, so yeah, I was planning to hedge my bets between you and Schumacher. But in the end, I chose your side, didn’t I?”
Better to just come clean than try some half-assed excuse. He’d already tossed out the worst-case scenario; anything he said now would sound better in comparison. As soon as he laid it all out, Kay stared blankly for a second, then let out a laugh.
“Wow. I mean, it’s not wrong…”
“I don’t even have all my memories—just fragments from recent loops. I’m not like you; I don’t have any real power. I’m so physically weak I can barely lift a sword. Doesn’t it make sense to keep as many options open as possible?”
Kay mulled it over for a moment, then nodded.
“Yeah. Honestly, I’d probably do the same.”
“So you understand?”
“Sure. I mean, you only used me once or twice. I’ve used you before, too.”
Kay flashed him a bright, easygoing smile. The caveat that followed wasn’t exactly comforting, but Nigel let it go. He wasn’t in a position to argue.
“Then let’s head to Schumacher’s estate. If we take this sewer line here… we should be able to exit somewhere near the mansion.”
The moment the decision was made, Kay took the lead. The underground sewer system was a tangled maze, but they made it out with surprisingly little difficulty—again.
“We haven’t been able to leave the capital, and Schumacher’s been dispatched all over the kingdom. He’s probably collected at least three Relic Fragments by now. Maybe even four. Probably not five yet, though.”
“Yeah, probably…”
Unlike Kay, who spoke without a care, Nigel felt uneasy. Kay insisted it didn’t matter, but from Nigel’s point of view, the idea of the two of them meeting didn’t sit right. He had no better plan to offer, but he couldn’t shake the feeling this was a bad idea.
“Are you really sure it’s okay to meet him? Schumacher…”
In a normal playthrough, this would’ve been a life-or-death confrontation every time. Kay may have won most of those fights, but he’d also been killed by Schumacher more than once. Still, Kay nodded without hesitation.
“I told you—it’s fine. I’ve even sided with Schumacher before.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. That time when Inas Idenbach conquered the world.”
“….”
So he had conquered the world once after all—just like he’d offered to do for Nigel before. And apparently, it wasn’t Nigel but Inas who led the conquest. What kind of king was Inas, exactly?
“Inas was the biggest villain that time. Well, most of us were villains, honestly.”
Yeah, a guy suddenly deciding to rule the world definitely doesn’t sound like a good king.
Nigel couldn’t quite bring himself to agree aloud and just let out an awkward hum. He knew intellectually that Inas was a terrible person, but actually voicing agreement was difficult. Not because he still saw Inas as a noble, upstanding knight or anything.
No, it was the image of that same Inas, abandoned and pitiful like a stray dog, that kept replaying in his mind. Nigel shook his head, trying to rid himself of that useless sympathy.
“Then what was I doing during all that?”
“I heard you were sick most of the time while Inas was going nuts.”
“Sick?”
“Yeah. Some said you were locked up in the castle… Honestly, I’m not really sure what happened. I was stuck in an underground prison until the timeline reset.”
Nigel was often sick, but it’s hard to believe he stayed ill for the entire year of Inas’s world conquest. Was he really imprisoned? He was already troubled when he noticed Kay’s gaze. Kay was studying him.
“This is kind of funny.”
“What is?”
“I’ve been watching you for a long time, but I think this is the first time we’ve had a real conversation like this. We haven’t had many chances to talk, sure, but just in terms of time… I’ve probably seen you for centuries.”
“…Centuries?”
“Yeah. Hundreds of years. Do you have any idea how many times we’ve looped?”
Of course not. Nigel shook his head.
“I don’t know the exact number, but in terms of time—it’s been at least ten thousand years.”
“…Ten thousand?”
Nigel stopped in his tracks, stunned.
“Yeah. At the very least. I can’t say for sure. Even I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve done this. There were timelines where the world ended within just three days of the start, so if we go by sheer number of loops, it’s probably astronomical.”
“How could it… The world ended in three days? How?”
“Someone unleashed Meteor Storm-level magic across the entire planet. Wiped out humanity.”
A chill ran down Nigel’s spine.
All of Inas’s skill levels were 100. Every one of them maxed out.
Even Arthal Ryubal, the grand mage from the banquet and a former war hero, only had Meteor Storm at level 2. And with just that, he’d slaughtered thousands on the battlefield.
The higher your level, the more experience it takes to advance. When hunting monsters with Inas on the plains, they used to level up after killing a single slime-like Pokoling. But later, they could kill dozens and see no progress at all. The higher the level, the more enemies you have to kill to keep leveling up.
So if Meteor Storm stayed at level 2 after thousands of deaths, how many people must Inas have killed to get it to level 100?
……
But even then, why? Why keep grinding through pointless loops just to max out a spell like that?
Nigel didn’t know.
And he didn’t want to.
But the answer came naturally.
Inas always preferred killing as a solution. Whether it was tens of thousands or millions dying, it didn’t matter to him. To Inas, this world was just a game. It wasn’t reality. The weight of life here meant nothing.
Kay saw the fear and distrust flickering in Nigel’s eyes—and quietly turned his head away.
***
They finally reached the sewer exit near Schumacher’s mansion. Nigel was so drained he felt like he might collapse any second.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine…”
Well, he wasn’t. So Nigel just gave a sheepish smile. He’d worked hard to level up, but his stats were still pitiful. His current level was on par with a basic soldier trained in martial arts, but his HP was less than half of what others at the same level had. He was born frail, and clearly had no talent for combat.
“Let’s hope Sir Schumacher’s feeling generous enough to fund us.”
“Yeah, let’s hope…”
Kay sighed and helped Nigel up the ladder.
The royal capital at night was cloaked in darkness. Though they’d been on edge about being spotted, it turned out to be an unnecessary worry. With monsters on the rise lately, people rarely ventured out at night. Thanks to that, Nigel and Kay made it to Schumacher’s mansion without drawing any attention.
Nigel stared blankly at the estate, which had no guards or servants in sight. They’d come all this way, but this was his first time visiting a caretaker-less mansion in the middle of the night. He had no idea what to do.
“We’re here, so… should I knock?”
“Let’s just go in.”
Kay opened the door, unimpressed by Nigel’s caution. But the first to greet them inside wasn’t a friendly face—it was the point of a blade.
A sharp sword stopped just short of Kay’s face. Nigel looked at the wielder and smiled awkwardly.
“Sir Schumacher… it’s me.”
They weren’t exactly on warm terms, but Nigel decided to act like they were.
“What’s going on?” Schumacher asked, still on guard. His eyes darted around, clearly searching for someone unseen. Trying to ease his mind, Nigel gave a straightforward answer.
“Inas isn’t here. We’re on the run from him.”
“So you’ve come to your senses.”
Not quite… Or maybe he had, now that he no longer blindly trusted Inas. Nigel stayed silent, and Schumacher seemed to take that as confirmation, relaxing his stance.
“Come in.”
He sheathed his dagger and turned to lead them inside. That’s when Nigel noticed the sword at Schumacher’s waist. Wrapped in cloth, it stood out—especially because he was still wearing it inside the house.
Curious, but saying nothing, Nigel quietly followed Schumacher with Kay.
There wasn’t time to waste on long explanations. If they dragged their feet, Inas might move faster and issue a wanted notice—making it impossible to escape the capital. Their best chance to avoid detection was to move at night.
Unaware of Nigel’s urgency, Schumacher leisurely led them to the parlor and draped a blanket over Nigel’s shoulders.
“Ah, thanks.”
“You look pathetic, Duke. Your lips are blue.”
Schumacher gave him a withering look, then placed his hand on a boiling kettle. He’d never been a mage, but now magic energy sparked from his hand, and steam began to rise from the spout.
Nigel quickly pulled up Schumacher’s Character Info Window.
Character Info Window
Name: Mikhail Schumacher
Class: Heir of Edelta
Level: 92
HP: 3,241/3,241
MP: 1,085/1,085
< View Stats >
< View Skills >
Not much had changed. His class was no longer “Knight,” but now “Heir of Edelta.” But more importantly…
Nigel finally turned his attention to the thing that had been bugging him: the snow-white sword at Schumacher’s waist.
Relics of Glarus (4/5)
A relic once used by Glarus to seal Edelta. Forged from Glarus’s bones. Having contained Edelta for so long, it’s now more aligned with Edelta than Glarus. A balance of divine and demonic powers. Capable of cutting down anything that stands in its way. Also serves as a key to resurrect the evil god Edelta into this world. Currently incomplete—additional effects not yet applied.
Attack Power: 11,323 + 10% of wielder’s Strength
Effects:
(Unapplied) When attacking a god, deals damage equal to 10% of the god’s HP.
When attacking a created being, the first strike always hits and leaves them with 1 HP.
A flat-out broken weapon. Inas had 90 million HP, but this thing could chop it down to just 1 in a single blow.
Sure, Inas had healing magic and could probably recover right away, but if they struck again before he could react…
Then even the supposedly invincible Inas could be killed.
