“It’s nonsense.”
Inas’s voice, so sure and decisive, echoed in his mind. Inas always spoke with conviction, as if his thoughts were the absolute truth. Maybe this time was just like any other.
But—
“Don’t tell Ruder or Etna about today.”
Did he really say that because he believed Danil’s words were nonsense?
Nigel could have stayed silent. He could’ve glossed over everything and let it pass. A part of him whispered that staying still would be easier.
But Nigel didn’t want to sit there, clueless. His heart beat with anxious unrest. It felt like something he kept missing was wrapped around his ankles, dragging him down. He didn’t want to live with that feeling anymore.
No matter what truth might be waiting.
“Danil said weird things. That’s why I told him to stop.”
“What kind of things did he say?”
“He said I hit him.”
“……”
“And he said you knew about it too.”
“Did he now?”
“Yeah…”
Nigel watched Etna closely as he responded so casually. His face still wore the mask of a kind older brother, but his eyes were unnervingly cold. He knew Nigel was watching him.
An unspoken tension hung in the air as their gazes tangled. And then, Etna slowly curved his lips into a smile.
“Now that I think of it, Nigel—you snuck out of the temple the other day, didn’t you? That was reckless.”
A random scolding, totally unrelated to the moment. Nigel studied him, trying to understand his intent, but nothing became clear. So he played it safe.
“Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“You’d better not. Do you have any idea how worried Father was? I was shocked too, of course.”
“…Sorry.”
“You were always so well-behaved. What got into you? Something happen?”
“No, nothing. It was… just impulsive.”
“Impulsive, huh.”
Etna gave a dry chuckle.
“You snuck out through a secret passage, didn’t you? How’d you find that?”
Nigel glanced away. That felt like the real question. But he had no clue what kind of answer would be best. In the end, he muttered a clumsy excuse.
“Just… by chance.”
“By chance.”
“Yeah, total accident.”
“I see. That so.”
Etna’s voice had a cutting edge. Nigel was sure he’d answered wrong—but he had no idea what the right answer would have been. His excuse was flimsy, after all. The secret passage wasn’t the kind of thing you stumbled on. The mechanism was too complex. So he quietly changed his story.
“Actually… I saw a map in Father’s office once. It was marked there.”
“I see.”
“……”
His mouth went dry. Etna’s gaze was so hot it felt like it would scorch him to ash. It was unbearable.
“Nigel. Do you really not want to become Duke?”
The coaxing tone in Etna’s whisper threw Nigel off balance. Those amber eyes, sharp and cold despite their color, studied him as if trying to decipher his soul. Their locked eyes made Nigel’s skin crawl.
The most precious person in the world— The one he’d looked up to his whole life.
And now, that person felt like a stranger. Like someone he was meeting for the first time. Not family—just some outsider. The way Etna pressed down on him made Nigel’s chest ache, made him want to cry.
You always said you were on my side… That we only had each other left in this world, so we’d be there for one another…
“Nigel.”
Etna pushed for an answer again, with no patience left to spare. Nigel slowly parted his lips.
“I don’t need it.”
“……”
“I don’t care about being Duke. What matters more is you. You’re back, alive…”
“Hah.”
Etna laughed aloud. A hollow, echoing laugh that sucked the warmth out of the room. The air around him turned eerie. Still looking at the floor, he suddenly snapped his eyes up, glaring at Nigel.
“I don’t resent you.”
“…What?”
“You must’ve been surprised. You probably felt guilty. But it’s not your fault. I know how much you regretted it during my funeral. You wanted to change after that, didn’t you? Isn’t that right, Nigel?”
He had no idea what Etna was talking about. None of it made any sense. His words and his actions didn’t line up. Etna’s amber eyes gleamed, wild and mad. Nigel flinched. But even seeing his frightened little brother, Etna stepped in closer with a menacing presence.
“Answer me, Nigel. Isn’t that right?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Then tell me. What do you regret?”
Nigel couldn’t answer. He had no idea what Etna was getting at.
When Nigel just sat there frozen, Etna finally snapped. He yanked Nigel to his feet. Nigel, who’d been bedridden just moments ago, swayed like a sheet of paper in the wind.
“Brother… W-what’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”
“Did you lose your memory or something?”
“What are you talking about? My memory’s fine.”
“Then do you remember attending my funeral?”
He had thought about Etna’s funeral a few times. But never remembered a thing. That entire part of his memory was foggy—either totally blank, or replaced by memories of his mother’s funeral instead. Nigel shook his head.
“I’m sorry… Is that why you’re mad? I just… I don’t remember it. I was sick. Had a fever… I think I couldn’t go…”
“You didn’t go to the funeral of the person you killed?”
“……”
Nigel blinked, stunned. The weight of those words didn’t hit him right away—but once they did, his body trembled violently.
“What… What do you mean?”
“It means you don’t remember anything.”
“I… I never killed you.”
His voice shook with fear as he denied it. Etna grabbed his shoulders hard. His eyes now burned with open rage and hatred.
“You’ve always hated me.”
“Why would I hate you?”
“You did. You were sickly. I was healthy. I had everything you couldn’t. Of course you hated me.”
Etna said it with certainty. But it was ridiculous. Sure, Nigel had felt inferior to Etna before. But enough to kill him? Never. Yet Etna ignored his desperate denial, speaking as if he were stating a proven fact.
“You hated me because I was healthy, and you weren’t. Because I had everything you wanted. You resented me. I pitied you, honestly. Watching you stubbornly try to take what I had—I just felt sorry for you. You were my precious little brother, so I wanted to protect you. I tried to keep those ugly parts of you hidden from others. That’s why barely anyone knew. Just Harold, your attendant… Danil, who you both tormented… and me.”
“……”
“I knew you bullied Danil and kept silent. Because you always came first to me. But you kept pushing your selfishness. Even when I tried to protect you, you saw it as pity and got mad. And when I didn’t give in to your demands, you’d throw fits—open windows, catch a fever, nearly die. So I gave in as much as I could. Like when I showed you the map in Father’s study about the secret passage.”
Nigel had no memory of that. But the revelations didn’t stop.
“The problem happened not long after I showed you that map. I warned Harold to keep an eye on you, but that bastard didn’t do his job. You snuck out through the secret passage. I went after you right away. The route was a bit strange… but I found you in front of some ruins. You were trembling. I approached and—”
“……”
“You pushed me. Right into the ruins. Into the Temple of Eternity. I got trapped. Wandered inside until I finally escaped… only to die soon after, cursed. And then I was bound to the Temple, unable to move on.”
Nigel’s eyes went wide in horror.
He was saying Nigel pushed him? Into the Temple of Eternity? That wasn’t just shocking—it was murder.
To think he was the cause of this entire tragedy… it didn’t seem real.
Etna’s twisted smile deepened.
“It wasn’t completely your will. You were briefly possessed by Edelta’s remnant will. Edelta targeted me and used you as bait. Of course, maybe you were easier to sway because deep down, you hated me…”
“I’m sorry…”
“That’s not what I’m mad about. Like I said, it was an unfortunate accident. I was just grateful you made it out alive. Or I thought I was grateful…”
Etna gritted his teeth and yanked Nigel upright again. Then he took his hand and started walking.
Nigel couldn’t keep up with his large strides—Etna eventually slung him over his shoulder. Nigel’s head pounded with each jolt.
Bang! A door slammed. Etna stormed down the corridor with furious steps.
“B-Brother… Nngh… Brother…”
“Shut up.”
“……”
The harsh voice made Nigel start to cry. He sniffled quietly, but Etna didn’t comfort him.
On the stairs, they ran into Ruder’s aide. Seeing Nigel being carried roughly, the aide gasped. But Etna didn’t flinch.
“Is Father alone?”
“Yes, but Lord Taren, what are you—”
“Doesn’t matter. Go. And don’t let anyone else upstairs.”
With that barked order, Etna climbed the stairs. In no time, he reached the study and threw the door open.
“What is it now?”
Ruder snapped, annoyed as he looked up from his documents. But when he saw Nigel slung over Etna’s shoulder, he bolted to his feet, horrified.
“Etna! What the hell are you—”
“Don’t come closer, Father.”
Etna set Nigel down, holding his trembling body steady with one arm. But when Nigel tried to pull away, something icy pressed against his neck.
The Holy Sword Raul, gifted by Glarus.
“B-Brother…”
“What are you doing, Etna!”
Ruder’s voice, usually so commanding, now trembled pitifully. He staggered, catching himself on the desk.
Etna, calmly pointing a blade at his brother’s neck. Ruder, visibly shaken.
It didn’t feel real.
“Father. I have something to say.”
“Put that thing down first.”
“I’ve received a revelation as Glarus’s Avatar. It’s different from the revelation this child received.”
This child.
That wording felt so wrong. Nigel’s heart pounded like thunder in his ears.
“‘A being wrapped in a lamb’s skin, disguised as a lamb, will lead this world to ruin.’ That’s what the god told me.”
“What the hell are you saying… No, it doesn’t matter. Just drop the sword. Can’t you see he’s terrified?”
“There is no little brother here.”
Etna’s voice was frigid.
“My brother disappeared. Swallowed up by a false thing.”
“What are you… What does that mean?”
Ruder looked completely lost. But Nigel—he understood, vaguely.
A false being, wearing someone else’s skin. Living their life in their place. That was Inas. But Etna wasn’t talking about Inas.
“This isn’t Nigel.”
Etna grabbed his collar. His voice dropped into a venomous whisper.
“This thing is a fake, wearing Nigel’s skin.”
