“It’s nothing.”
Nigel yanked the blanket out of Inas’s hands, wrapped it around himself like a shield, and snapped back sharply. His mood had sunk because of his father, but beneath it all was also what Inas had said in that dream. Nigel really didn’t want to believe Inas would ever think something like that, so he chose to avoid the issue entirely.
Inas studied Nigel with a grave, probing look.
“Did the god say something to you?”
“No……”
Nigel wiped the corners of his eyes and stood up.
“Did you hear the news?”
“Yes. I heard that Nigel became the god’s herald.”
Inas’s expression as he answered was unpleasantly sour.
“Inas, have you ever met the god?”
“Yes.”
Nigel had only asked to test him—because the way Inas spoke felt like he was talking about someone he’d actually met. But to hear that he really had? Nigel blinked in surprise. So did Inas also see a god who looked exactly like Nigel?
“What was it like?”
Inas stared directly at him, then let out a long sigh. But he didn’t give any kind of real answer.
“Inas?”
After waiting long enough for his patience to snap, Nigel called to him—and Inas’s brow creased.
“I told you already, Nigel. You didn’t perceive it?”
“……No.”
“Not at all?”
“Not at all.”
Nigel answered like it didn’t matter, but a chill ran down his spine. Either he’d once again failed to understand Inas’s words, or Inas was lying about having spoken in the first place… either way, he hated both possibilities.
“For you to be this unable to comprehend anything… It may be because you’ve become the god’s herald. You belong to Glarus now, so naturally you’ll be affected. And in this loop, you won’t be able to escape it.”
Inas’s fingertips twitched as he spoke in a serious tone—almost like he could barely stand sitting still. Judging by the context, it didn’t look like he intended to use his hands for anything good. Nigel watched those fingers with deep distrust.
“Inas… right now, do you kind of want to kill me?”
“Yes. I want to kill you and turn back time.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like that you’ve become connected to Glarus. I want to sever that connection, but since the other party is a god, I have no method. Other than killing you once and starting over.”
“…….”
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt, Nigel.”
Nigel dragged himself backward on his rear end to get away from Inas’s deadly tone.
“I don’t want to die.”
He was sick to death of dying. And more than anything, he didn’t want to leave this point in time. His father was alive. And soon he’d be able to see his brother.
“I won’t spill any blood. You’ll just fall asleep for a moment and wake up and……”
“I absolutely, absolutely don’t want to die.”
Nigel forced the words out. He didn’t want to die—such a painfully obvious truth—yet here he was, pleading it not to an assassin or an enemy, but to his own knight. It was absurd, but he still made himself clear. Yet the dangerous glint in Inas’s eyes didn’t disappear.
“So the only option is killing me?”
“I’m human, and Glarus is a god. You can’t win against a god.”
You only say “you can’t win” after actually trying to fight. Nigel’s expression grew grim.
“What happened before?”
Inas didn’t answer. He just stayed silent for a long moment.
“Did you talk about it again?”
“Yes. You didn’t perceive my words.”
“This is driving me insane.”
When Nigel snapped in frustration, Inas subtly lifted the sword hanging at his hip. Nigel shot him a look, and Inas—taking the hint—set the sword back down.
“I can’t explain everything, but what’s certain is… the god doesn’t like me.”
Inas gave a heavily condensed explanation. He looked genuinely frustrated that he couldn’t say more, so Nigel placed more weight on the theory that he simply couldn’t hear the explanation.
What were the rules of this restriction? Where did it start and end? Even Glarus didn’t seem entirely free of it.
Nigel anxiously bit his nails.
“Nigel.”
At that moment, Inas reached for him. Nigel flinched reflexively, but Inas simply pulled his hand down to stop him from biting his nails and gently folded it into his lap.
That small, habitual gesture was packed with affection born of countless shared hours. Feeling the familiar warmth of it made Nigel’s eyes sting; buried affection and grief surged up together.
And this was the man he was supposed to erase? To wipe out entirely from this world?
His meeting and conversation with Glarus had put a final, absolute period on the long struggle in Nigel’s heart. Glarus had said to remove Inas completely. To erase him from this world.
Which meant the “reward” involved wasn’t this Inas Idenbach, but the original one.
Yes, that original one might be the true owner of the body, but Nigel didn’t care about real or fake. Only the Inas before him mattered—the one he loved.
If he revealed the truth, Glarus—who might be watching this very scene—would surely become wary of Nigel too. But it was worth it. Inas deserved to know there was a colossal threat looming over him. And Nigel didn’t need a replacement Inas anymore.
“Inas, listen……”
Having made up his mind, Nigel opened his mouth to explain.
“……”
But instead of continuing, his body suddenly froze, like something inside had broken.
No sound came out. His body went stiff, lips and tongue refusing to move.
“Nigel?”
Panicking, Nigel desperately tried to speak, but the harder he tried, the more rigid his entire body became. Not just his mouth—everything. Even breathing grew difficult, and a dizzy fog filled his head.
“Nigel!”
A window split the air between them.
Idiot. Did you really think I’d tell you without any restrictions?
There was no sender name, but it was obviously from Glarus.
His wording alone made Nigel’s blood pressure skyrocket—exactly the opposite of what Nigel needed right now. Before Nigel could even get angry, another window flickered up.
Just so you know—dying won’t sever the connection. Once it’s linked, linking it again twice, three times, is easy. Don’t strain yourself when you’re already weak. Just do as I said. Fighting! 🙂
The moment Nigel finished reading the last line, his suppressed consciousness was violently yanked back up and his breath returned. He coughed harshly and glared at the message. The window flickered, then dissolved like ink in water.
Still shaken, Nigel shoved Inas’s reaching hand away and responded halfheartedly.
“I’m fine, it’s just……”
“What happened? What in the world……”
“It’s nothing.”
“It clearly wasn’t nothing.”
“Don’t ask.”
If things were like this, he couldn’t say anything. All he could do was deflect danger whenever necessary. When Nigel cut him off coldly, Inas’s shoulders twitched.
“Nigel.”
The voice above his head was chilling. When Nigel turned, Inas’s expression was frighteningly cold—shockingly so.
“Inas……”
“Nigel. Look at me.”
Inas commanded. It was unmistakably an order—firm, forceful, brooking no refusal.
Nigel was still stunned by this unprecedented insubordination when Inas reached out, seized his shoulders, and pinned him to the bed. His hands weren’t even that large compared to an adult’s, yet Nigel couldn’t budge. Holding him down tightly so he couldn’t escape, Inas stared straight into his eyes.
“Ugh…!”
A surge of overwhelming force exploded from Inas. It was similar to the power Nigel had felt near the capital before, yet distinct—piercing through him with a different kind of magic. At the same time, Inas’s pitch-black eyes turned the same shade of red as Nigel’s. They were eyes that stripped everything bare.
Nigel writhed, trying to get free, but Inas didn’t release him. In fact, the grip on his shoulder tightened. A cold aura pressed down on Nigel’s throat, threatening to choke him.
Terrified, Nigel began to sweat coldly. His trembling hands clutched desperately at Inas’s.
“I-Inas……”
“……”
Inas finally released him—only to immediately draw the sword from his waist. And there was no question about where that sword was headed. Nigel went paper-white.
“It’ll be better if you die once, Nigel.”
“W-what are you talking about… I told you… I don’t want to die.”
“It’ll be over quickly.”
Just like the first time he killed Nigel, Inas wore a gentle smile. Nigel tried to escape, but Inas caught him faster.
“If that filthy god has laid his hands on you, killing you is the only option. Didn’t Glarus cause some kind of restriction just now when you tried to speak?”
“I… I……”
“It’s alright. I’ll take care of it for you.”
Inas spoke softly—but his unwavering intent to kill made it nothing but the sweet, poisonous coaxing of a two-faced murderer.
“Nothing ever goes well once that bastard touches you. It’s cleaner to just start over.”
“T-That won’t work!”
Nigel blurted out urgently, and Inas lifted the blade from the floor.
“Don’t say unnecessary things.”
“It’s true! Once the connection forms, doing it again is easy—Glarus said so……”
He meant to add “when he was threatening me,” but no more sound came out. Nigel’s face twisted as if suffocating, and Inas frowned.
“Well, if you’ve kept your memories of the past, then continuity has formed. Which means the scheme you plotted last time must also be tied to Glarus.”
“…What?”
“You two must’ve cooked something up together. It appeared in your Achievements. That you’ve been plotting something.”
“N-no……”
“There’s no need to lie, Nigel.”
Panicked, Nigel blinked rapidly. Inas spoke calmly, but Nigel’s mind replayed the image of him beheading a traitor like a vivid hallucination. Something—tears or sweat—slipped down Nigel’s cheek.
“In that case, killing you would be pointless.”
With a regretful sigh, Inas sheathed the sword.
The murderous pressure vanished in an instant. But the terror carved into Nigel stayed—like soot clinging stubbornly to everything after a fire.
Seemingly unaware of Nigel’s state, Inas calmly wiped away his tears with careful fingers. Even though he was the one who’d caused all this.
As the peak of fear ebbed, something else rushed in to fill the void. Anger. Nigel slapped Inas’s hand away, hard.
“Get out.”
“It’s alright. Don’t worry.”
His calm, dismissive tone only enraged Nigel further.
“You tried to kill me. I told you no. Over and over.”
“But I didn’t kill you.”
“You would have!”
Even though Nigel begged him, even though he was terrified—Inas had calmly tried to kill him anyway. If Nigel hadn’t provided a reason, that sword would’ve pierced him again.
“I won’t kill you anymore, Nigel.”
“Get out. I don’t even want to look at you.”
That condescending “I won’t kill you anymore” lit the fuse completely.
Nigel slapped Inas across the face.
