Nigel had no idea what he was supposed to say. Honestly, the thought “Really? You show up now and expect what, exactly?” flashed through his mind for a split second.
Kay had disappeared for seven whole years—no rumors, no sightings, nothing. Nigel had even pulled the surveillance team stationed near Kay’s hometown because they never found a single trace, leaving only periodic check‑ins.
Seven years was more than enough time to get careless, to forget, to let daily life bury old threats.
And Kay had probably counted on that, waiting in silence so he could appear like this.
Nigel cursed himself for letting his guard drop. No one with a shred of sense would relax with such a clear enemy standing right in front of them.
Even with half the letters on the info window glitching and broken, the numbers were unmistakable. Kay hadn’t been idling for seven years. The six-digit stats alone were absurd—far beyond normal. And besides that…
Kay’s appearance itself felt wildly wrong.
Kay used to be six years younger than Nigel. He should be a boy of thirteen or fourteen now, but the person in front of him looked to be Inas Idenbach’s age.
He wasn’t just stretched taller—his frame was lean at a glance but built like steel underneath. He had already reached a level stronger than the kingdom’s knights in a short time before; his power now, after seven missing years, didn’t even need to be guessed.
Why had Kay come here? And why drag him into some bizarre, pitch‑black space as if abducting him?
In all the memories Nigel had seen, Kay held significant weight. Whenever Inas stirred trouble even slightly, the protagonist—Kay—always became involved. Kay always stood on the side of justice, always blocked Inas.
But the Kay in front of him now radiated a danger Nigel had never seen before. Beneath the mess of neglected red hair, those blue eyes gleamed with a feral madness that made his skin crawl.
When Nigel flinched, Kay grinned and strode toward him. With nothing but darkness in every direction, escape wasn’t an option. As Nigel stumbled backward and fell, Kay laughed aloud.
“Why’re you running?”
“……”
“I’m happy to see you. Guess the Duke isn’t happy to see me.”
Kay sounded genuinely cheerful as he stopped in front of him. In this lightless void, his shadowless, pale figure looked unreal—like an apparition in a nightmare.
Despite the shabby clothes, the glossy boots at the end of Kay’s legs nudged Nigel’s toes. Instinctively—out of sheer habit—Nigel pulled up the item window for the boots.
Boots of Goz
Ancient boots forged with lost techniques, enhancing their wearer. One of seven divine artifacts created by the great mage Goz Myuhan and blessed by the sea dragon Lucimus.
A wearer can walk any distance without ever tiring. Irreproducible with modern craftsmanship; even in their own age, they were unparalleled relics.
Single Effect
Defense +777%
Magic Defense +777%
All Recovery Speed +7777%
Set Effect
All Stats +77%
Price
Unmeasurable
It was insane—so good that Nigel momentarily forgot the situation and felt a surge of greed. Considering how most relics offered only a few dozen percent boosts, these numbers were monstrous.
Looking again at Kay’s gear, what first seemed shabby now revealed edges of equipment—all relics or divine artifacts. Kay already looked strong, but how much of that came from these absurdly powerful items? He wasn’t on Inas’s level, clearly, but could probably crush most people without effort. Nigel really should’ve shoved at least a relic or two into Schumacher’s hands.
“Done staring?”
Kay’s voice—spoken as if he’d been waiting—made Nigel jolt. The moment he tried to pull back, Kay stepped on his foot, pressing down hard. Nigel let out a reflexive grunt, and Kay laughed at him.
“Your Grace.”
“……”
“If you keep your mouth shut like that, I’ll just cut out that useless tongue.”
…What did he just hear? For a moment, Nigel doubted his ears. He didn’t want to talk to him at all, but after dealing with lunatics who always carried out their threats, he didn’t dare risk Kay being the same. He opened his mouth.
“You’re insane…”
“That’s all you’ve got?”
Kay scoffed as if amused. His eyes—mocking, contemptuous—glinted in the dark.
“There’s someone far crazier than me. Didn’t he show you how insane he is?”
“……”
“I should show you what real madness is.”
Kay muttered quietly—then lunged. Nigel had no time to dodge. Kay slammed into him, pinning him to the ground.
“Get off!”
“No.”
Kay’s calm voice came as his hand clamped around Nigel’s throat. Nigel grabbed at his arm, trying to pry the fingers loose, but Kay’s large, scarred hand ignored all resistance and squeezed.
“Ghk—…!”
Nigel’s face twisted as air vanished from his lungs. Kay watched with a delighted smile, like someone enjoying a theater performance.
“Go die.”
The bright smile didn’t match the chilling cruelty in his voice. Kay’s grip tightened further, as if he meant to snap Nigel’s neck outright.
“U… urk…!”
“You disgusting excuse for a human.”
Kay’s smile didn’t match his eyes at all. While his lips curled upward, his gaze—fixed on Nigel as he struggled—seethed with pure hatred.
That Kay could never be on Nigel’s side was obvious, but Nigel had never imagined their reunion would come with such naked malice. Even at the final moment of the previous loop, when Kay had said goodbye, some faint trace of guilt had lingered in the boy’s expression. Nigel still remembered it clearly.
Seven unseen years had swollen that hatred until it now wrapped around Nigel’s throat. Choking, gasping for breath, Nigel clawed at Kay’s hands. Nails scraped flesh, muscles strained—but Kay’s grip didn’t budge. Nigel never had a chance against him in the first place.
But he couldn’t die like this.
Nigel kept fighting to pry the fingers off. Again and again—until suddenly, he realized something.
He couldn’t die.
Kay’s strength was enough to snap his thin neck in an instant. The suffocating pain tightened and tightened, yet there was nothing—no fading vision, no dizziness, not even the precursor signs of passing out. Only pain. Endless pain, but no death.
Forcing himself not to fixate on the agony, Nigel blinked slowly. Once he calmed down, the truth came into focus.
“This is… an illusion.”
“Correct.”
The madness spinning in Kay’s eyes vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by calm as he released Nigel’s throat. Nigel stroked the freed skin. The sensation had been far too vivid for a mere illusion.
“It’s not a complete fabrication. I connected our minds. I can influence you to a degree, but I can’t kill you. Unfortunately.”
Kay explained with polite cadence that didn’t match the viciousness of his words.
Was his hatred so intense he wanted to strangle Nigel even in a psychic illusion? Maybe he now lumped Nigel completely together with Inas—saw them as one entity.
To be fair, even Nigel felt the same. He and Inas might as well be a single mass now. Even their last names matched as brothers.
Still, hatred alone wasn’t enough reason for Kay to reveal himself after hiding so long. What was his goal? The scarlet arrow above Kay’s head continued to glow like a warning beacon.
Just then, an info window appeared before Nigel’s eyes—the first one visible since entering this place. His Foresight had updated.
Foresight Status
Verifying…
Monster Invasion (Complete / Penalty [Fever] applied)
■■■ ■■ ■■ (In Progress)
If the warning for Monster Invasion had shifted to complete, then… monsters had breached the fortress.
Even with sentries posted, total prevention was impossible. How many creatures had slipped inside? How many casualties would follow? Nigel shut his eyes tightly, thinking of those who would die, then forced them open.
“You did this? The monsters?”
“Monsters?”
“They suddenly appeared inside the fortress.”
“And you figured that out with your oh‑so‑wonderful Foresight?”
“……”
Nigel glared instead of answering. Kay chuckled like the accusation was ridiculous.
“It’s just a small greeting. If I get something out of it, even better.”
“A greeting? You summon monsters into a town just for that? Are you—”
“Don’t make such a fuss over a few monsters.”
Kay frowned, annoyed, his tone completely dismissive.
“You placed soldiers anyway. Not that many people will die. Even if they do, well—those people have died at least a few thousand times already. You’re yelling at me over one extra death, Your Grace?”
Kay leaned in, his voice low and threatening. Nigel’s frightened reflection trembled in those blue eyes.
“Talking about it pisses me off. Why can’t I do it? Well? Say it, Your Grace.”
He didn’t give Nigel the chance to say anything. Still perched on top of him, Kay grabbed his collar again, choking him a second time.
“Ghk—!”
“Say it. That bastard tortured me, killed me, tore me apart thousands—no, tens of thousands of times. But this is my first time doing anything. And I’m the one at fault? Did you ever question him like this? I’ve only killed these people once, but Idenbach? He’s killed them thousands of times. You let that slide, but you’re lecturing me? Should I just sit still and get stepped on? Forever?”
“Th‑that’s not…”
The barrage of accusations made his head spin. It was entirely possible everyone on this star had died at least once at Inas Idenbach’s hands.
But Nigel had his own grievances. He’d done everything he could to reduce Inas’s casualties this loop—forcing him to remain too busy protecting the duchy to kill anyone. Inas had barely killed a handful this time, and that was because Nigel pushed him into a better direction.
Nigel couldn’t even prevent his own death at Inas’s hands—was he supposed to be responsible for all the past ones too? He was trying—desperately—to keep things from getting worse.
Kay read the frustration rising in Nigel’s eyes. With a savage grin, he tightened his grip.
“Ghk—!”
“You’re the worst. A cowardly, selfish piece of trash.”
Kay brought his face close—so close their lips might touch—whispering words that never quite reached Nigel’s ears. Nigel saw his lips move but heard nothing. Instead of repeating himself, Kay simply smiled.
“Do you know what I want?”
“What…?”
“I want him to suffer. Forever. To lose everything, never able to recover.”
Kay’s gaze slid down Nigel’s body slowly, deliberately, like he was appraising merchandise. Then he smirked. The hand near Nigel’s neck drifted downward.
“If I take you, he’ll break. If I ruin you, grind you down…”
Thunk.
Kay’s final words were drowned beneath a brutal, crushing impact.
A massive sword had driven straight through the head of the Kay who’d been whispering in ecstasy.
