The next evening, a rather lengthy message arrived from the Magnus Duchy. It was a magical transmission from Ruder and Etna.
The words conveyed from afar were filled with worry and concern for Nigel.
Ruder’s message was full of anxious sentiments for his son. He even wrote that if things were too difficult, Nigel should return at once. He seemed worried that perhaps pushing a fiancée onto Nigel had caused an unfortunate outcome.
Etna sent his message under the name of Taren. Because of that, the tone was formal, but it was packed with sincere concern from an older brother. Perhaps to keep Nigel from worrying, he’d also included notes about Rhino and minor happenings around the territory.
It was all quite heartwarming—so much so that it melted the irritation Nigel had felt toward Ruder for suddenly inviting guests and pressuring him into an engagement.
If they were so worried, it would’ve been nice if they’d respected his autonomy just a little more. Nigel could only hope Etna would keep coaxing their father in the right direction.
As Nigel placed the message back into its box, he glanced at Danil, who still hadn’t left. The boy stood there fidgeting under Nigel’s gaze, even though he’d already been told he could go before Nigel began reading.
“Danil.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“Do you have something to say?”
“Um, uh… L-Lord Etna…”
Danil’s face turned beet red. He couldn’t quite get the words out, his lips trembling while his teary eyes fixated on the box the letter had just been placed into. Nigel had a pretty good idea what this was about and awkwardly fiddled with the box.
“Hmm… My father’s message is off-limits, but… would you like to read my brother’s?”
“Y-Yes, please…!”
Danil practically jumped with joy. Feeling a little guilty, Nigel handed over the message.
As expected, there wasn’t a single word about Danil. With each line he read, his expression grew gloomier.
“Is… is that all? Maybe something got left out…”
“With magical messages, they either go through or they don’t. Nothing gets left out in the middle.”
“I-I see… Thank you.”
“If there’s something you want to ask him, I can relay it.”
“Ah… N-No, it’s okay. It’s nothing.”
“You don’t have to be shy. If it’s something I can help with instead of my brother, just say so.”
“N-No, really. I was just curious how he’s doing, that’s all. I’m sorry.”
Danil bowed deeply and retreated. Nigel had been about to send him on an errand—he’d wanted Danil to find out when Inas, who’d gone out earlier to help another knight, would be back.
But now it was awkward to call him back, so Nigel held back a sigh and slipped the message back into the box.
Curious how he’s doing? What a load of nonsense.
A servant who lies to his master as easily as breathing doesn’t inspire much confidence. It had been quite some time since Nigel had allowed Danil close. He wasn’t quite comfortable casting him out, so he merely let him linger nearby.
Why was Danil so obsessed with Etna? And why was Etna allowing it? Danil wasn’t the only one clinging—Etna had taken his hand. Still, for someone who’d shared such a big secret, Etna’s attitude toward Danil was remarkably indifferent.
“…I really don’t get it.”
In the end, it was just a servant. Dismissing the thought, Nigel returned the message to the box and unfolded the invitation beneath it.
It was a letter from the king. Upon hearing that Nigel’s condition had improved, King Roderick had promptly invited him to the castle. The meeting was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. It wasn’t too soon, but considering it would be Nigel’s first audience with the king, the tension was undeniable.
“I haven’t really met King Roderick much…”
And this wasn’t a meeting as a duke—it was as a divine emissary. Nigel opened his Character Info Window.
Divine Mastery
Leaves the user with 1 HP and 1 MP, but completely heals all of a target’s HP, MP, abnormal statuses, and even permanent damage. User will suffer a random abnormal status.
Once he went to the castle, there was a high chance he’d be asked to heal Countess Diaramin. King Roderick had cherished her deeply until the very end, and had long sought a way to heal her legs. Healing her wouldn’t hurt.
What worried Nigel was the random status ailment. There was no telling what kind it would be. That was what made him most anxious. He hoped, at the very least, it wouldn’t be something painful.
Obviously, Nigel hated pain. He’d always been frail, and though he endured frequent suffering, he never truly got used to it. From dull headaches to near-death experiences… he’d felt it all.
The worst pain he’d ever felt was that time… His body had felt like it was being torn apart, blood spraying in all directions…
“Ugh…”
Of course, that wasn’t a memory the current Nigel should have had.
When had that happened? The thick stench of blood filled his nostrils. Even though he knew it wasn’t real, nausea welled up. His vision twisted violently.
But unlike usual, no vision appeared before him. Only the phantom scent of blood and burning surrounded him. And screaming. Unrelenting, crushing agony…
Suddenly, a wave of suffocating panic hit him. He had to get out. Now. He had to escape this place…
“Ahhh!”
And then Nigel went tumbling to the floor.
He must’ve actually stood up while trying to flee the hallucination. But there had been a desk right in front of him. He crashed into it, hard. The result was exactly what one would expect. He’d even hit his head while falling—now he was dizzy.
“Damn it…”
Good thing no one had seen that. The room was dark enough that even if someone had been nearby, they wouldn’t have noticed. It had been a short hallucination, but… when had it gotten so dark? It was just dim when Danil left, but now it was full night.
If someone had seen, he would’ve had to roll around in shame until the next Reset. Relieved by the darkness, Nigel pressed a hand to his forehead and staggered to his feet, only to lock eyes with someone standing in the shadows.
“AAAH!”
Nigel shrieked and fell again in fright. Even in the dark, he could see the pale, ghostly face clearly. Grimacing in pain, he looked up and recognized her.
“…Mother?”
It was Rimera—his and Etna’s mother.
As always, Nigel instinctively checked her Character Info Window.
Ghost of Rimera
Former Duchess of Magnus.
Died young and tragically, unable to rest in peace. Now bound to the mansion in the capital.
Level: 34
Drops:
– Ghostly Garment
– Wedding Ring
Special Reward:
Triggers hidden route <The Duke’s Secret>
Nigel blinked in a daze. Had the description changed?
He couldn’t remember it perfectly, but he was sure it had said more before. Something about her longing for her lost family, maybe.
Rimera beamed at Nigel’s dumbfounded face.
[My child.]
“Yes, Mother.”
[Etna. My child…]
“….”
[My child has come back alive!]
Once again, she wasn’t looking at Nigel. She was overwhelmed with joy at the knowledge that Etna had survived—even though he wasn’t here.
Nigel realized why her description had changed. Her despair hadn’t come from her own death, but from Etna’s. Now that he was alive and well, there was no reason for her to remain in despair.
Apparently satisfied just knowing Etna was alive, Rimera began to dance. Spinning and twirling across the room with ethereal grace. She had no hostility, but also no clear reason left. Her mind was no longer intact.
To her, Nigel might as well not exist.
But that didn’t sting too badly. Over the winter, he’d heard many stories about their mother from Etna. From the sound of it, she had poured every ounce of her love into Etna—so much so that you wondered if there was any left for a second child.
Nigel didn’t miss her. He hadn’t even recognized her face at first—he brought this on himself.
Maybe it would’ve been better if Etna had come instead. If she saw him, she’d be overjoyed. Even if she was a ghost, Etna might be happy too.
Thinking that, Nigel let out a faint laugh. They were family, but somehow, he always ended up second.
While he stood there like a background character, Rimera spun around the spacious room three times. Then, her white chemise fluttering, she vanished. Only then did Nigel come to his senses.
“W-Wait… Mother.”
He didn’t have anything to say. He wasn’t the child she wanted. But still, without thinking, he lit a lantern and chased after her.
The hallway was silent and dark. Rimera was nowhere to be seen.
Nigel opened each door, one by one. But no matter where he looked in the sleeping mansion, she was gone.
Eventually, he reached the study. As he opened the door, he flinched. Only now did he realize—the study in his dream and the one he knew were subtly different.
It was the same room. But the number of books was different. Most of the important volumes were kept in the territory. The current shelves still had plenty of space. They’d only been filled with high-quality books after Nigel became Duke and began living in the capital due to his health.
The study in the dream… had been Ruder’s. Not his.
Nigel raised his lantern.
“….”
He clearly remembered where he’d stood in that dream. He walked over to that spot.
“This is…”
There it was—a book he’d seen in the dream, sitting right there on the shelf. He’d never seen it before, yet it looked like it had always belonged there.
Nigel pulled it out. The cover was an eerie black, flickering with strange digital noise whenever the info window shifted—like sparks.
The book was unnaturally cold, as if it were stealing the warmth from his fingers.
[SAVE DATA]
Save Data.
The stored record of this game.
Shivering, Nigel opened the book.
