He couldn’t exactly call this a good thing.
Nigel stared at his inventory with a tangled mix of emotions. Sure, he’d left Inas of his own volition—but that didn’t mean he wanted him dead.
No matter how betrayed he felt, Nigel didn’t want to lose Inas. Even if killing Inas would complete a quest and bring “Inas Idenbach” back in some form, there was no guarantee it would be his Inas. So he couldn’t just blindly support Schumacher.
A lot had changed about Inas, but he was still kind to Nigel. The part of him that loved Nigel the most hadn’t changed. Nigel wanted to be with this Inas.
He knew full well how pathetic it was to still be making excuses for the man. But he couldn’t help it—he was clinging.
He was still wavering, still waiting deep down for Inas to come find him. Maybe not with the same obsessive devotion Inas had, but Nigel was just as fixated. His affection had built up over centuries inside him, coiling tighter and tighter like a swampy mire. It felt like he’d never escape it.
“Your Grace.”
Kay called to him quietly, snapping Nigel out of his thoughts. He turned toward him.
“Yeah?”
“Why were you staring at Sir Schumacher so longingly?”
Kay murmured the question under his breath, but the room was small enough that Schumacher caught it too—he coughed sharply, clearly annoyed.
Wait, what? Nigel hadn’t looked at Schumacher longingly…
He’d just been staring at his item window, thinking of Inas. Then he glanced at Schumacher to clear up any misunderstanding, and their eyes happened to meet. Now Schumacher’s face was flushed red and his brow deeply furrowed.
“Sorry. I wasn’t staring at you on purpose.”
“Whatever… It’s not a crime to look.”
Thankfully, Schumacher accepted the apology without much fuss. Though his neck was still flushed all the way to the collar, he handed over the freshly steeped tea without complaint, so he couldn’t have been too offended.
Nigel took a sip and absentmindedly fiddled with the teacup. This was a terrible time to be making a bad impression, especially when he was about to ask for a favor.
Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but Nigel’s nerves had already gotten ahead of him.
As the Duke of Magnus, bowing his head wasn’t something he was used to. But he had no choice. He was the one who suggested they use Schumacher’s connections for help, after all. Swallowing his pride, Nigel gave a small, shallow nod—just enough to count as a bow.
“I’m asking for your help. Please.”
“I’m still not strong enough to take on Idenbach.”
Schumacher replied gravely. Not that Nigel had been expecting that level of help anyway. If that’s what he’d been after, he would’ve needed to drop to his knees and press his forehead to the floor. Schumacher must’ve misunderstood Nigel’s disappointed expression, because he added—
“But if you can wait a little longer—”
“With his abilities? He could wait a lifetime and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
Kay cut in with a scoff, and Schumacher’s expression darkened instantly.
“What’s with this cocky brat?”
“Don’t fight.”
Nigel leaned forward, physically wedging himself between the two. Despite what they’d said earlier, they clearly didn’t get along. Better to step in before it escalated.
“I didn’t come here to ask you to fight Inas. Honestly, even my own aide would think I’ve lost it. The duchy won’t support me either.”
“They’d think you’ve lost it?”
“What would you think if the Duke of Magnus suddenly vanished with a seventeen-year-old adventurer?”
“…Yeah…”
Schumacher let out a groan as he pieced it together.
To someone who didn’t know the full story, there was no good reason for a sickly noble like Nigel to go on the run with just one young adventurer. The only possible explanations were elopement… or abduction. The former didn’t hold much weight. No one in their right mind would accuse the Duke of Magnus of being someone’s boytoy. That left the latter—unbelievable as it sounded—the more plausible option.
“If I get caught, Inas might kill me too.”
From Inas’s perspective, he was probably just trying to force a reset. He’d already killed Nigel a few times before—there was no reason he couldn’t do it again. Schumacher’s face grew even more serious.
“I need travel funds. We left in a hurry and didn’t bring anything.”
“That’s not a problem.”
Schumacher stood and retrieved a heavy pouch from another room. Nigel opened it and found several 100-rubel gold coins.
A few hundred rubels wasn’t that much for Nigel, but a knight captain’s salary shouldn’t be enough to just toss around money like this.
Nigel raised a brow, and Schumacher frowned.
“I’ve been traveling around a lot lately. I picked up some relics and sold them.”
“I wasn’t planning to question you even if it was from something shady. I came here to borrow money—I’m in no position to be picky.”
“I don’t do anything shady.”
Said the man who was the Heir of Edelta, the one causing chaos across the temples as they scrambled to uncover his identity. He said it with a straight face. Fascinating man.
“Got it. Thanks. I’ll definitely pay you back…”
Nigel reached to tuck the gold into his clothes—only to realize he had nowhere to put it. He was still in his nightclothes. With a sheepish smile, he added—
“Since I’m already asking for favors… Can I get something to wear too?”
“Getting real comfortable with this.”
Well, he was a noble. Giving orders came more naturally than asking for help. When Nigel just blinked silently in response, Schumacher clicked his tongue and walked out, apparently willing to fetch clothes.
Once Schumacher was out of earshot, Kay whispered—
“He’s easy to handle. Kind of a simple guy, really.”
“Don’t say that.”
“But it’s true.”
A man who hadn’t lost his humanity and wasn’t especially cruel, trying to take over the world using dangerous means—it wasn’t something you’d do if you overthought it. Those same methods didn’t just harm others; they were harming Schumacher too.
Still, he was helping them. No need to insult him on top of it. Before Nigel could say more, Schumacher returned with clothes—a slightly worn shirt and pants.
“My clothes won’t fit you, so I brought something a former servant used to wear. The fabric’s a bit rough, but bear with it.”
“It’s fine. Clothes are clothes.”
He said it boldly, but the moment he touched the fabric, Nigel flinched. It was way rougher than expected. He set the clothes aside and immediately shrugged off his top.
“Wha—what are you doing?!”
“Changing. What else?”
“Have you no shame?!”
He did have shame—he just didn’t care enough to feel it when changing clothes. As a noble, having others see you undressed was routine.
“It’s not the time to nitpick.”
They’d taken their time so far, but daylight was approaching. It was summer, after all—long days. Better to hurry.
And he wasn’t even stripping down all the way. Ignoring the outrage, Nigel changed into the clothes Schumacher had brought. Despite calling him shameless, Schumacher couldn’t tear his eyes off him the whole time.
“With that body, you’re planning to escape on horseback with no escort?”
“I’ll be fine. I can push through.”
Nigel opened his Status Window. A while back, he would’ve collapsed already—but he was holding up. Probably because his travels with Kay had helped him level up and raise his stamina.
But even with that reassurance, Schumacher still looked unconvinced.
“That’s not what I meant…”
“What, then?”
Before Schumacher could finish, Kay jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.
“Don’t say weird stuff to someone that innocent.”
Kay’s voice was icy and quiet, just low enough that Nigel wouldn’t hear.
“Cheeky little brat.”
Schumacher shot Kay a look of pure distaste—then glanced at Nigel and lowered his voice too.
“Innocent kids need to know. There are illegal slavers out there, and with a face like that and no street sense—”
“I can protect him.”
“You? A brat like you?”
Schumacher scoffed—and attacked.
It was so fast, Nigel couldn’t even see the move. But Kay dodged it effortlessly, like he’d been expecting it all along. Schumacher’s eyes lit with surprise.
“…Interesting.”
He sheathed his sword with a smirk.
“I’ll come with you—at least until you’re out of the capital.”
“…What?”
“You’ll have a better shot getting out safely with me. Don’t want the help?”
He was the captain of the knights, and he was just going to leave? Sure, in the previous loop, he’d vanished for a while when gathering the relics, but still…
Nigel hesitated, unsure if traveling with Schumacher was the right move.
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
The one who answered was Kay. Schumacher looked at him like he was some insignificant bug. His presence alone radiated the kind of pressure that earned him the title of the kingdom’s strongest knight—but Kay wasn’t some average seventeen-year-old. He’d defeated even stronger versions of Schumacher countless times. With an easy, sly smile, Kay said—
“You’re collecting the Relics of Glarus, right?”
Schumacher flinched at the direct question—and immediately glared at Nigel. Wrong target. Naturally, Schumacher assumed Nigel spilled the secret, but it wasn’t fair.
“I didn’t tell him.”
“Yeah, I didn’t hear it from him.”
Thankfully, Kay backed him up.
“Then how do you know?”
“Inas Idenbach dropped enough hints. I had a good idea of what you were up to.”
Kay blamed it all on Inas in the blink of an eye. So nonchalantly that Nigel was horrified—but hey, better that than being blamed himself. Inas would understand. Probably. Not that he was here.
“That bastard…”
“Even if he hadn’t said anything, I’d still know. I know where the remaining fragment is. I can take you there.”
Kay said it with a smile. Nigel and Schumacher both turned to him in shock. Why was he just giving Schumacher the final piece? Nigel couldn’t guess his intention at all.
Kay still looked like a cheerful, innocent teenager—but something about him sent chills down Nigel’s spine.
His level may be low, but the mind inside him had lived through countless timelines. Who knew what he was really thinking? Nigel had allied with him because it seemed useful—but still…
People only move toward their own benefit. The Kay he’d seen before had also acted for his own idea of justice—his own sense of fulfillment. But this time, there was nothing in it for him.
So what the hell was Kay up to?
If Nigel was confused, Schumacher looked even more troubled.
“Don’t talk nonsense. How could you know that?”
“I’m a prophet.”
Kay answered with bold, smug confidence. Schumacher stared at him, stunned—then turned to Nigel with an expression that said, You poor idiot. At Kay, his eyes screamed con man. At Nigel, they screamed the moron who fell for it.
“Duke. Don’t tell me you’re actually being led around by this brat?”
“I’m not being led around.”
“…”
“I’m serious. We just happened to agree, so we teamed up.”
But just like before, Schumacher clearly didn’t believe a word. Suspicion and concern filled his eyes. Nigel didn’t know whether to be touched or annoyed.
“Don’t look at him like that. I’m not lying. I really do know. Not everything, but enough.”
“…Huh.”
“Let me see the sword. You don’t have to give it to me—just draw it. Let me have a look.”
“Ridiculous.”
Still clearly skeptical, Schumacher unsheathed the blade. He looked like he was hoping to expose a fraud—though that seemed unlikely, given how much Kay knew.
As the cloth unwrapped and the blade of Glarus’s Relic was revealed, Nigel couldn’t help but let out a gasp.
It was stunning—almost impossibly beautiful. A pure white blade, seamless from hilt to tip. Between the guard and the grip, a round hollow space pierced straight through. Etched into the blade were strange characters and patterns that shimmered faintly, like they absorbed light.
Nigel reached toward it without thinking—but Kay stopped him. Only then did Nigel snap out of it. Beautiful as it was, the blade radiated an ominous aura. No wonder it had once sealed Edelta.
“No gem.”
The hollow space was probably meant to hold a gem. Kay ran his eyes over the sword with a knowing smile.
“You’ve got all four pieces. First, you stumbled upon a fragment in the abandoned ruins in Count Ludio’s territory. The second was deep in the Selldom Mines. Third in Rangini. Fourth in Visrald.”
As Kay went on, Schumacher’s calm composure shattered. By the end, all that was left was shock. He stared at Kay, then the sword, then Kay again, disbelieving.
“How do you…?”
“I told you. I’m a prophet.”
No one was supposed to know where Schumacher had found those fragments. For someone who didn’t understand the concept of time loops, Kay’s words would’ve sounded like true prophecy.
Still. Nigel had to force himself not to gape at Kay like he was a born con artist. If Schumacher hadn’t agreed to help, Kay probably would’ve scammed someone else for money. He could definitely pull it off.
