《How to Raise a Victim》 Prologue Nigel had been in love with Inas for a long time. It was a terrible love that had been around for so long that it was impossible to know when it started. Inas Edenbach was a boy with a genius talent for swordsmanship, as were the rumors heard from the days when he was still a child in the royal capital. He won the swordsmanship contest held in the eastern part of the kingdom with a single damaged sword, and also won against the challengers who came afterwards without difficulty. Unfortunately, the life of the genius boy did not go smoothly. Inas¡¯ father was a nobleman in name only, a baron with a complete decline in his career. The man was the kind of trash who spent time with alcohol and gambling, but he thought that it would be beneficial to raise and sell out the young Inas to other families, and each time he took notice of the money among the great nobles. Most of the money was spent on the gambling table. Inas¡¯ mother was sick because of her husband and eventually died. Even after his wife died, the man still wouldn¡¯t wake up. He got drunk and rioted even at his wife¡¯s funeral, and was given the ugly end of slipping on a bridge. When both of his parents died and he took on their debt, Inas was only 16 years old. If he had been an ordinary sixteen-year-old boy, he would have gone down the wrong path. But Inas had a talent for swordsmanship. The adults who had noticed Inas earlier reached out to him as if they had been waiting. Inas sold himself to anyone who would pay the highest price. The person who paid the highest price to Inas was Nigel¡¯s father Luther, the Duke of Magnus, who commanded the northern part of the kingdom. The contract signed by Inas as a condition for paying off all his immense debts was virtually a slave contract to devote his life to the duke. The reason Luther brought Inas was none other than his son, Nigel. From generation to generation, the Duke of Magnus formed his own knights and went to battle against the north. However, Nigel, the duke¡¯s only successor, was so weak that he could not ride a horse, let alone learn to wield a sword. No matter how sickly he was, he couldn¡¯t abandon his duties, so the duke needed a faithful dog to go to war and give his life instead of his son Nigel. That was the purpose of Inas, which Luther planned and signed. Nigel felt his father¡¯s method was terrible. Buying someone with money to stay with him for life, and nobody else. It couldn¡¯t be done, and he didn¡¯t want it to. He didn¡¯t know how his father brought Inas, but Nigel had no intention of getting close to the boy. Nigel said he didn¡¯t like it, but his father didn¡¯t budge. Nigel wasn¡¯t the type of person who would give up just because his father didn¡¯t listen to him. Nigel was going to cancel the contract somehow and send the boy back. Until he first saw Inas. A swordsmanship genius, with his parents dead, the boy ended up owing more in return for forgiving his debts. From the clues he got, Nigel thought Inas would be a big, sloppy man. However, contrary to Nigel¡¯s expectations, Inas Edenbach was a cool, but surprisingly handsome boy. He was 16, closer to a boy than a young man, but he was still tall enough for the young Nigel to look up. As soon as the boy made eye contact, the boy greeted him with a little awkward but friendly smile. ¡°Hello, young master.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please take good care of me. My name is Inas Edenbach.¡± Inas¡¯ voice was different from Nigel¡¯s imagination. Like a vibrating machine, a harsh voice scratched Nigel¡¯s ears and wrapped around his body. As soon as he heard Inas¡¯ voice, Nigel was shocked. Nigel didn¡¯t say anything, so Inas got flustered. As Luther noticed from the side, Inas knelt in front of Nigel. He looked handsome even from a higher place, but looking closer, he was even more handsome. Nigel looked at Inas as if possessed. ¡°Nigel-nim1.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t like me, I will devote my whole life to you¡­ I will try to be an knight that Nigel-nim likes.¡± It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like him. Rather, it was a problem because he liked him too much. ¡®I like you. I really like this. I like it so much that my chest is weird.¡¯ Nigel couldn¡¯t honestly explain the feelings that came to his mind. Instead, he ran away without looking back. Behind him, Luther cried out, asking what kind of pathetic thing he was doing. Nigel ignored it, ran into his room, and hid in his blanket. Normally, his body was always cold like an ice cube, but his cheeks were burning so hot that day he didn¡¯t know if it would cool down. That night, Inas appeared in Nigel¡¯s dream. In the dream, Inas came to Nigel with a smile and knelt in front of him. The man was compliant, as if he would accept whatever Nigel did. Nigel kissed Inas passionately. When he woke up, his underwear was all dirty. It was the first wet dream he had in his life. For the first time in his life, while dreaming, Nigel suffered a sense of self-destruction. During their first meeting, Nigel fell in love with Inas. It was ridiculous. Nigel had to marry and succeed the inheritance left to him, but instead, he fell in love with a man. A man who his father had bought like a slave. It would be a bad relationship for both Nigel and Inas. Nigel pledged to free him once more. He was not going to see Inas again. But that afternoon, he had to withdraw his decision because of his father, who said, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I will send him to the front lines of Intusnica.¡± The Dukedom of Magnus had always been infested with monsters, and the battle continued without rest. In the battle that took place every few years, even the most seasoned knight would die in the midst of pain. No matter how much Inas was a genius, it was difficult for a boy who had not yet received knighthood to survive. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like him. Just leave it as it is. I can endure it.¡± ¡°Nigel. To be the Duke of Magnus, you must be willing to join hands with people you don¡¯t like.¡± Nigel¡¯s thoughts were invisible to his father. He couldn¡¯t reveal the truth, so Nigel simply nodded. Inas, who became Nigel¡¯s knight, always followed Nigel without knowing what his owner was thinking. The boy who, at first, had only acted friendly out of obligation, slowly opened his heart as he learned more about Nigel. Inas, who knelt in front of a child four years younger than he was because of debts and contracts, gradually became trustworthy. When he came to his senses, Nigel, who had become a duke, and Inas, the knight who supported him, had an inseparable relationship. In public, as well as in private. ¡°Nigel-nim is my benefactor.¡± When Inas talked softly like a dog who listens, Nigel had to do everything he could to keep his heart still. He didn¡¯t want to show his love. Because Inas was too much of an ideal knight to destroy the perfect relationship they had now. Inas, who didn¡¯t know Nigel¡¯s heart, was always loyal to Nigel. Right now, this moment. Until Inas puts a blade through Nigel¡¯s heart. ¡°Ina¡­s? The sword that Nigel had given to Inas was creating a big hole in his chest by Inas¡¯ own hands. Like a lie, the blood poured out, but strangely it didn¡¯t hurt. Perhaps because the pain was all paralyzed, it was as if everything wasn¡¯t real, as if it was just a bad nightmare. Was this a nightmare? With a weak expectation based on escape from reality, Nigel alternately looked at Inas¡¯ face, to his own chest that was pierced with a sword. Inas acted so at-ease that it was unbelievable that he was the same man who put the blade in the chest of the master he had been serving. ¡°Nigel.¡± Inas called Nigel by his name. The times he called him ¡®Nigel-nim¡¯ was like a lie, and the current title was natural. As if he had said it thousands, tens of thousands of times¡­ Nigel¡¯s lips struggled to move. It didn¡¯t hurt, but no voice came out because of his pierced chest. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nigel. See you again.¡± Talking unknown words, Inas pulled his sword roughly. Nigel¡¯s body, which had lost balance, fell weakly like a doll with its cottons bursting and only its cloth left behind. Before falling completely to the floor, Inas hugged Nigel¡¯s waist. Nigel gathered his last remaining power and looked back at Inas. The feelings in Inas¡¯ dark eyes were a deep affection he had never seen, and Nigel started to doubt even as he was dying. ¡°Why¡­¡± Why did you kill me with those eyes? Instead of answering, Inas kissed Nigel. He rubbed the blood-soaked lips unilaterally. It was a short but very shocking first kiss. Nigel tried to push Inas away but failed. He couldn¡¯t get out of Inas¡¯ arms. And as it was, Nigel¡¯s world became dark at once. T/N: 1 I could have changed the ¡°-nim¡± to something like young master, but it doesn¡¯t seem fitting as Inas would continue to use the honorific even when Nigel inherited the duchy. I also can¡¯t take it off completely since it shows the way Inas would switch between treating Nigel respectfully to casually. Feel free to give suggestion for a good replacement of ¡°-nim¡± for adult Nigel ^^ CH 1 It was the morning of April 283 of the kingdom calendar when Nigel woke up again. Obviously, it was June 283 of the kingdom calendar when he died, but when he opened his eyes, his wounds were gone, and time had turned back. To be honest, he thought he was having a long dream at first. To say that Inas killed Nigel, or that the dead came back to life, neither made any sense. But as the day passed, the night of the second day went down, the sun rose on the third day, and on the fourth day, it was only after he confirmed that everything was going on exactly the same as he remembered. Things happened that shouldn¡¯t have happened. Perhaps Nigel was killed by Inas and returned to the past. Even when time seemed to have gone back, Nigel still doubted his cognition. Because he didn¡¯t want to admit that Inas killed him. If the memories that remained in Nigel¡¯s head now were just dreams or delusions, he could ignore those ominous thoughts and simply live happily. Nigel wanted that to happen, because he didn¡¯t want to doubt his beloved Inas. However, the memories of the past¡ªor future¡ªtwo months are too vivid to simply be a dream. So much so that he couldn¡¯t ignore it. If it¡¯s true, what should he do? If suspicious circumstances were detected on Inas, what if the man who pretended to be a loyal knight was actually a spy targeting the Duke of Magnus? That¡¯s terrible. Nigel nervously bit his nails. At the same time, his mind was running. If he really was a spy, let¡¯s send the knights to capture him. Do a thorough investigation to find out who the hell tempted Inas and then destroy them thoroughly. But in reality, the probability of him being a spy was low. Inas took complete control of the army under Duke Magnus in the great battle that took place three years ago. If he was going to do something, he would have to do it in the duchy, not the royal capital. What if he killed him simply out of discontent towards Nigel? The probability of that was also low, but if so, there was still room for conciliation. If that didn¡¯t work, he could go to the Duchy of Magnus and lock him up in a tower, watching over him so he couldn¡¯t go outside¡­ Nigel, who had been thinking up to that point, groaned and shook his head. ¡°Even in this situation¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t imagine killing Inas. Nigel found his soft side laughable, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He couldn¡¯t kill Inas, whom he loved more that his own life, even if he was a traitor. However, that Inas had killed him. Nigel trembled and traced where the hole had formed on his chest. Just imagining his blood made him feel sick. Nigel tried to calm himself down, covering his mouth with his hands. From a long time ago, Nigel couldn¡¯t stand looking at blood or a cross section of wounds. Fear would rush over him, making him feel like he would faint if he were faced with an injured person. After seeing Inas seriously injured one time, Nigel¡¯s fear had only become more intense. That wasn¡¯t the only time he was afraid. When Inas got hurt by an assassin, when he went hunting, or when he got hurt while stopping Nigel from flying to his own death¡­ ¡°No¡­ Hold on.¡± Nigel frowned at the strange memory that suddenly appeared. To say he was going to die¡­ He had never tried to take his own life. Of course, he would say that he¡¯d rather die when he felt tired, but he had never thought of death seriously. So far, Nigel¡¯s life had been smooth without any ups and downs. Moreover, Nigel was not so irresponsible that he would die without choosing a successor. But obviously, he was going to die in the summer¡­ Unknown memories came to mind. The moment when liquid covered his body, unknown whether it was blood or sweat, and everything was hot and disgusting. The muzzle of the pistol in Nigel¡¯s hand was pointed straight at his own head. ¡®Really¡­ It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ With an unbelievably friendly face, Inas spoke calmly without stopping Nigel. ¡®If you want to die, then die. See you next time.¡¯ Looking at his casually smiling face, did he cry, or did he keep calm? He didn¡¯t remember. What was certain was that Nigel then pulled the trigger, and his blood burst¡­ Then darkness came. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± A suicidal delusion, the condition is serious. Why were there memories of death messing up his head? Nigel seriously wondered if he was crazy. If he wasn¡¯t, then that means he had delusions about suicide and being killed by Inas? ¡°I¡¯ve been working too hard¡­¡± Yes, it was all a delusion. He should have listened when Inas told him to rest. Nigel dug himself into the quilt. After a little rest, he¡¯d be able to think rationally. That expectation was in vain. *** What awaited Nigel, who had woken up from sleep, was not the delusions being cleared from his mind, but the outrageous news that Inas had committed indiscriminate murder and disappeared. ¡°Inas wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Nigel threw the materials that his assistant, Hayes, had brought. Hayes picked up the papers with an attitude as if he knew that this would happen. ¡°I also think there is something wrong with the report, but¡­ There are many witnesses, Nigel-nim. At least the part about Sir Edenbach¡¯s act of murder is real.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°Yes, I think so too. Inas-nim is not the kind of person who would kill others without any reason. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something going on.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± Nigel, who shot back sharply, realized that he had lost his temper and covered his face. Hayes cautiously approached Nigel as if he understood. ¡°Calm down and read.¡± Nigel picked up the material that Hayes gave him with trembling hands. Yesterday evening, Inas headed to a small pub in a small town in the southern part of the kingdom. Then he murdered a boy who was bargaining with the owner for the accommodation there. Witnessing him being decapitated, the boy¡¯s party attacked Inas, but to no avail. After killing the rest of the party and most of the witnesses there, Inas set the inn on fire and fled before the guards arrived. The report crumpled poorly in Nigel¡¯s hands. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it either. But Nigel-nim, you must believe it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Hayes¡¯ words, Nigel gave no response. Inas didn¡¯t like murder. He often killed as it was his profession, but he would insist on subduing without killing as much as possible, causing him to get injured often. That Inas, killing dozens of people, starting with a little boy? Even if he¡¯s a commoner, it was impossible. ¡­ That was what he thought until Inas stabbed him in the chest brutally. Inas, who didn¡¯t like murder, is an illusion built up by Nigel¡¯s false faith. In fact, he had laughed casually, thrusting a knife into Nigel¡¯s chest while laughing. Was it Inas¡¯ nature to brutally murder someone? Committing murder for unknown purposes and running away without being judged by the law¡­ Despite his doubts, Nigel ordered Hayes to pursue Inas. At the same time, he tried to gather information to defend Inas in case of an emergency and tried to subdue rumors. There wasn¡¯t much result. As Inas had set fire and all traces were lost, there was no way to identify the boy, and even the reason as to why Inas killed him remained a mystery. A wanted order was issued throughout the kingdom. People gathered to talk about the terrible massacre. And public opinion was against Nigel, who defended Inas Edenbach, deteriorating day by day. He had to let Inas go. But even if Inas was a real killer, Nigel still couldn¡¯t let him go. At least, until he heard a clear explanation from Inas. Sleeping only two to three hours a day and worrying until he had a throbbing headache, Nigel struggled to save Inas. However, Inas did not appear, and Nigel couldn¡¯t find a way to save him. In the end, Nigel, who was overworked under such tension, could not bear it, and fell ill. Hayes locked Nigel in his bedroom, who was still trying to get some work done despite his fever. Falling asleep because of the fever and medicine, Nigel dreamed of Inas. It was a dream in which Inas loved and cherished Nigel and finally stabbed him to death. ¡°Inas¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Nigel.¡± Nigel, who had been muttering in his sleep, woke up in shock at the sound of a voice he could hear too clearly for it to only be a dream. Black hair and with neat features underneath. His eyes were cold, but they became warm when they were faced towards Nigel. It was a familiar face. Inas, who he had been searching for so long, was sitting in front of him. Right next to him, within his reach. ¡°Inas!¡± More than suspicion, fear, or any other emotion, all he felt at the moment was joy. In a situation where pursuers from the kingdom were chasing Inas every second, he was constantly worried that he might have already died. The words of interrogation and sharp, pointed doubts melted away like sugar in boiling hot tea. Nigel warmly reached out to Inas. Inas grabbed Nigel¡¯s hand tightly and pressed his palm to his cheek. The real warmth made Nigel almost burst into tears. ¡°Were you worried?¡± ¡°Of course! What the hell happened, Inas? If there¡¯s anything I can do to help¡­¡± Nigel became speechless. Because Inas had pressed Nigel to the bed and kissed him. His kiss, which he had always dreamed of, was not as smooth and happy as Nigel had imagined. His lips clenched tight, and his tongue invaded his mouth. The smell of blood filled his nostrils as he drew closer to him. Nigel trembled at the sensation of being devoured by him. Once again, a random memory surfaced. Memories of being killed by Inas, far away or in the near future. Numerous deaths have been recovered from oblivion and displayed in his cognition. ¡°¡­!¡± Surprised, Nigel tried to push Inas away, but the man who would normally back down with even the slightest force did not budge. Rather, he forced Nigel to receive his breath. When he finally pulled away after a while, Inas still had a very calm expression, unlike Nigel who was confused and embarrassed. ¡°Nigel, as always, you¡¯re beautiful.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s bullshit? But I¡¯ve always, always, think of you as beautiful. It wasn¡¯t enough for me to come see you every time you fall asleep. I like it when you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Did you come to see me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It doesn¡¯t make sense. How did Inas, who was wanted all over the royal capital, manage to come see Nigel every night? Apparently, Inas was out of his mind. Nigel¡¯s head was spinning. Yes, Inas must have murdered while being in a state of insanity and instinctively ran away. Hallucinations, there¡¯s a possibility he¡¯s been drugged¡­ If it could be proven, then the wanted bounty might be retracted in consideration towards all his services in the past. ¡°Nigel-nim, show me your face.¡± ¡°Now is not the time to be talking so idly like that! Tell me what happened. I need to know what to do¡­¡± Inas raised his index finger and placed it on his lips. Inas frowned at the silence. ¡°Sorry. I tried to come back with some time to spare, but I¡¯m running out of time. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to die alone.¡± ¡°What?¡± He said something crazy. And in the next moment, Inas put a sword into Nigel¡¯s heart. Just like last time, or just like a dream. Stabbed by the blade, Nigel suspected that he was trapped in a terrible nightmare and was unable to wake up. It was supposed to hurt, but it didn¡¯t. Because of that, the current situation felt unrealistic. Even more so than the last time Inas killed Nigel. Inas looked at Nigel with soft eyes, as if dealing with something very lovely. However, the splashes of blood from Nigel¡¯s chest wetting Inas¡¯ cheek awakened him to reality. ¡°Your reaction is cute, my dear.¡± ¡°I, nas¡­¡± ¡°I love you, Nigel. I¡¯ll see you again.¡± See you again. That was what he heard last time. Nigel eyes widened as if he was about to catch something. But before he could think any further, Inas twisted the sword he had thrusted into Nigel¡¯s chest. Again, everything went dark. CH 2 When Nigel woke up again, it was the morning of April 283 of the kingdom calendar. Unlike last time, Nigel didn¡¯t wander around denying what he had been through. He was clearly aware that he had been killed by Inas and that time had returned. However¡­ this time too, he couldn¡¯t accept the whole situation calmly. After waking up, Nigel discovered a very strange abnormality. In fact, saying he found it wasn¡¯t actually correct. That¡¯s because the ¡®abnormality¡¯ was everywhere. Six hours later, Nigel was waving his hand in front of the butler, who looked at him worriedly. In the eyes of others, he must have looked like a lunatic. The concern on the faithful butler¡¯s face deepened. Either way, Nigel reached out and waved his hand, this time in front of the senator1. The senator was concerned about what medication he should take for him to come back to his senses. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy, so you can leave.¡± Of course, a lunatic wouldn¡¯t say he¡¯s crazy. Naturally, neither the butler not the senator believed Nigel¡¯s words. However, Nigel was stubborn, and they eventually obeyed their master and left the room with grim faces. Outside, the butler¡¯s voice could be heard giving an order to the soldiers who were guarding the mansion. Nigel licked his lips and looked at the empty seats after the two had left. The unclosed remained in the air. ¡°Am I crazy?¡± In broad daylight, a senseless fantasy began to appear. Nigel stared at said window with a frown on his face. If he wasn¡¯t crazy, why was he seeing such nonsense? Above the completely unknown sentences, such as HP and MP, there was an additional explanation that floated in front of Nigel. If he looked at those sentences alone, he could understand what they mean. But if he tried to understand the context, he couldn¡¯t fully understand it. If all of that HP were to be reduced, did that mean Georg will collapse? Nigel frowned and pressed . Then a new opened in front of him. Nigel stared at the skill list that still seemed to have no meaning. As he looked around the mansion, the higher the ¡®level¡¯, the stronger the force. Most of the employees within the Duchy of Magnus were similar to or lower than the butler, while most of the soldiers had levels between 30 and 40, and the knights between 50 and 60. Judging from the context, ¡®skill¡¯ seemed to quantify the knowledge of skills that a person had learned. It was assumed that basic swordsmanship literally refers to the basics of swordsmanship. The butler had seen many of the knights of Duke Magnus train, so it was safe to say that arcane swordsmanship remained at the introduction level. As a butler, he must have high abilities in managing the mansion and wine cellar¡­ HP and MP should be as the window said. When he pressed the skill¡ªhe didn¡¯t know what it was just by looking at the word¡ªan additional small explanation window appeared just like in the case of HP and MP. The butler was responsible for managing many things in the mansion. As an experienced butler, it was natural that the skill was high. It made sense. ¡°What makes sense¡­¡± Refuting his own thoughts, Nigel wrapped his hands around his head. Not only did Inas¡¯ actions alone gave him a headache, but he was also even having weird hallucinations. Nigel sighed and recalled the contents of his own status window that he had checked first. If the descriptions in the window are true, then he had, in a word, garbage stats¡­ ¡°No, I don¡¯t have to worry about this crazy game.¡± Even with that said, when he kept looking at it, he had no choice but to be concerned about it. Nigel was again engrossed in testing his bizarre abilities. It wasn¡¯t just people that would cause the to pop up. When he waved his hand in front of an object, something called would appear, and the showed the price and description of the item. There were many antiques in Nigel¡¯s room. Some of the history behind them were familiar to Nigel, but others were completely unknown to him. Nigel frowned in front of the pot which came from the Southern Continent that he cherished. Nigel¡¯s expression wrinkled. 5 rubels, that¡¯s equivalent to the daily wage of a commoner. Nigel bought the pot for 2,000 rubels. 2,000 rubels was not a burden for the finances of Duke Magnus, but it made him sad to think that he had thrown away his money to the ground just to buy a fake. Nigel, who wanted to smash the pot, managed to hold himself back and put it back down. ¡°I better take some medicine for now¡­¡± It would be foolish to be possessed by useless thoughts and destroy a Lemad Kingdom-style pot. Nigel picked up the medicine that the senator had left behind, saying it was good for recovering from fatigue, and ate it all in one mouthful. When he wakes up, he had vague expectations to no longer see any strange fantasies. Laying on the bed and falling asleep, Nigel remembered what happened when he bought the pot. Inas, who usually wouldn¡¯t stop Nigel from anything, advised him not to buy the pot, worrying about excessive consumption. Thinking about the friendly voice at that time, he felt emotional again. ¡°Inas¡­¡± His vision was clouded with tears. Rubbing his chest that had been pierced twice, Nigel burst into tears. Right now, Inas should be in a small estate in the south on behalf of Nigel. It happened before his damn regression. He had about ten days left until he returned from his schedule. Also, Nigel had to do something before Inas came back so that he didn¡¯t die. Preoccupied with complicated thoughts, Nigel fell asleep. *** In the end, until the day of Inas¡¯ return, Nigel was not able to prepare much. Because he was so busy with what was happening. The strange phenomenon continued to show up. After he realized that he could manipulate the window with his own will without having to wave his hand like a lunatic, Nigel started looking around. The mansion he had been poking around was truly spectacular. Nigel had planted people inside other noble families¡¯ households, so he knew that other nobles must have also planted people in his. In fact, some of them he already knew of their identities as spies. However, there were more spies infiltrating the mansion than Nigel had imagined. He knew there would be more than he had managed to figure out, but seeing it in person was quite shocking. Of course, it was entirely thanks to the character information window that he was able to identify spies that he never would have imagined. It would say , so he couldn¡¯t not know even if he wanted to. After filtering out the visible spies, Nigel interrogated them based on the information obtained through the information window. In the end, he confirmed the fact that everything the window told him was all true. The information window told the truth. So, the status window would be able to reveal the identity of Inas. If Inas was a spy, he would be described as a spy, otherwise he would just come out as a knight. That way, Nigel can decide whether to oust Inas at will, or to keep Inas with confidence. Nigel waited for Inas, who had left for the south, feeling impatient, fear, and some anticipation. A week later, Inas arrived at the duke¡¯s residence in the royal capital. The knight who rode on horseback went to see Nigel as soon as he washed and changed himself. ¡°Nigel-nim, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Welcome back.¡± Although they had the relationship of master and knight, they had known each other since childhood, and when there are only the two of them, there was no formality. Thanks to that, he was able to satisfy his self-interest from an early age. With half joy and half excitement, Nigel stretched out his hand towards Inas. There was a time when Inas acted like Nigel¡¯s older brother, so Inas tended to accept his master¡¯s childishness. Nigel clung to Inas as he hugged him. Instead of leaning into Inas¡¯ warmth as usual, Nigel concentrated his mind. Inas¡¯ status window, which he had wanted to check so much, appeared in front of his eyes. T/N: 1 I don¡¯t know if senator is the correct word but based on what I understand from the context, since Nigel is the Duke of Magnus in the north, then the ¡®senators¡¯ would be people who manage smaller territories within the Dukedom. Of course, I could be wrong about this, so feel free to correct me. CH 3 Nigel blinked. Wasn¡¯t that an absurd number? He wondered if something was wrong, so he turned the window off and on, but the number over 40,000 did not change. ¡°Wh¡­ What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing¡­¡± Nigel was bewildered and looked at Inas¡¯ status window again, flustered. However, no matter how hard Nigel tried, the stats in front of him did not change. He was at level 40,000, how was that even possible? The level of the best knight of Duke Magnus was level 72. Even Schumach, who was called the Kingdom¡¯s First Sword, was level 91 when he ran into him not too long ago. He believed in the excellence of his knight, so he thought that the level that would be in the 80s or 90s, but 40,000 was beyond common sense. Although, the existence of this status window itself was absurd in the first place¡­ Was something wrong? However, even if Nigel repeatedly opened and closed Inas¡¯ window, the stats stayed the same. Nigel stopped denying reality and opened the skill window. That part was even more staggering. He quickly swiped the skill list upwards, but it didn¡¯t end. Moreover, but the contents were ridiculous. This was even the first time Nigel knew that a skill could be mastered. Inas was the only person who had mastered his skills. In addition, it was all his skills that were mastered. Especially master at Aura Sword, Nigel knew that Inas was still at the level of a beginner when it comes to Aura Sword. Of course, that was still a great achievement, and thanks to the manifestation of the Aura Sword at such a young age, Inas became one of the only three Swordmasters in the kingdom, but he did not yet reach the level of a master. Nigel was sure of that. Besides, Lemad Kingdom Arcane Swordsmanship? In the first place, Inas had never been near Lemad. The Lemad culture he encountered was only in the form of pots or paintings. Nigel was also sure of that. But that was still nothing compared to the list that followed. A master of ultimate magic1 that were considered impossible to do in the first place. The Inas that Nigel knew was a swordsman, not a mage. However, magic was proudly listed on Inas¡¯ skill list. If this window was true, then Inas was a mage. The first thought that came to his mind was¡­ Deceived. Inas had deceived Nigel. Devastated, Nigel got rid of the window. Naturally, the arms that were wrapped around Inas¡¯ neck lost their strength, and Nigel lied down on the bed. He was so shocked that his hands were trembling. Inas was perplexed to see Nigel who had lost interest in him in an instant. ¡°Nigel-nim?¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just a little tired¡­¡± ¡°Are you not feeling well? Do you have a headache?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Sorry, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± ¡°Nigel-nim¡­¡± ¡°Leave. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± He thought that an angry Inas might kill him, but at this moment he only felt betrayed and didn¡¯t want to see his face. Inas, a loyal knight who he thought would tell him everything, had deceived him. When he was killed, it didn¡¯t hurt, and waking up quickly right after even made it feel unrealistic. The anger that he had suppressed only came rushing in after seeing the truth from the skill window, which he had trusted for ten days. Nigel ignored Inas, who was calling out to him, and covered himself with a blanket. *** Angry to the very end, Nigel ignored Inas the entire day. As soon as Inas came, not only Inas but also the people around him were puzzled at Nigel¡¯s change, who would usually become fretful when he was not sticking to him. As an experienced butler, even Georg, who would usually look after Nigel in silence, spoke up. ¡°Master. Has Sir Inas done anything disloyal to you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Or is it that you¡¯re not feeling well¡­¡± ¡°I only ignored him for a day. Is that so weird?¡± ¡°No. I apologize for being presumptuous.¡± Georg bowed his head and apologized, but the expression on his face said that the current Nigel was very strange today. Nigel felt weird seeing the butler who was so good at managing facial expressions had shown such emotions. Did he really like Inas that much? Yes, of course he liked him. It a one-sided love that lasted for 10 years. Nigel¡¯s love was desperate. Although Inas had deceived and killed Nigel¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The more he thought about it, the worse it felt. He cried all day and had no strength to cry anymore. Nigel got up from his seat, tired of crying. Even if he cried and writhed in his spot, nothing will change. He should move on when he could afford it. ¡°Call Inas.¡± ¡°Sir Edenbach went out to the mansion of Count Rudio.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Count Rudio¡­¡± Nigel recalled the report he had received before he regressed. If it was Count Rudio, he had held a banquet to show off his wellbeing after getting caught up in a bad incident this time around. However, he didn¡¯t think the previous Inas attended the banquet at all. After thinking for a while, Nigel stopped biting his nails. ¡°Did I also receive an invitation?¡± ¡°Yes. Would you like to go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Originally, Nigel would not attend a banquet unless it was held by a powerful aristocrat. Perhaps the decision was quite surprising, as the butler looked puzzled, but then he bowed down politely and went to prepare the carriage. Nigel changed into a light and soft suit and headed straight to the count¡¯s mansion. When he arrived at Count Rudio¡¯s mansion, there was a small commotion. Nigel, who was not in good health, rarely attended banquets unless it was hosted by the royal family. It was the first time he had attended a banquet held by an ordinary count. A familiar face suddenly approached among those who were curious about his purpose for coming but could not approach hastily. It was Artal, the archmage of the royal palace. ¡°Prince2 Magnus, I didn¡¯t expect to see you at the banquet.¡± ¡°It has been a long time. Are you in good health?¡± ¡°Yes. The herbal medicine from Hagra that you sent me the other day was well received. Thanks to¡­¡± The archmage¡¯s grinning face crumpled when he started grumbling about his body. Nigel opened his information window while half listening to Artal. Currently, he was an old man who rubbed his hands and stuck to promising young mages, but when he was young, he had killed hundreds of soldiers at once and at least thousands of soldiers during the war by blasting the ultimate magic Meteor Storm and was the main protagonist who drove them to victory. He was a pretty strong mage¡­ He could certainly compare the level of Inas¡¯ magic. Perhaps [Master] might not be that big of a deal¡­ Low. Nigel shut his mouth at the unexpected stats. He was said to be the greatest mage in the continent, but this was low. Too low. What the fuck was this?3 Nigel barely suppressed the frank emotions that were about to come out of his mouth. An archmage¡¯s skill only at level 2? The man who had won them the war with his magic was in fact so insignificant. Artal glanced at Nigel, who had clenched his mouth shut, and seeming to sense that something was wrong, he backed away. Nigel, who chased away any approaching person with his eyes, went to the corner of the banquet hall and looked around with his arms crossed. Inas seemed to be away for a while. Scanning the banquet hall, Nigel thought about Artal¡¯s level. There was no way Artal was incompetent. It was thanks to the war that these days mages who reveal their wealth and glories were still treated as public servants. Although he looked pathetic, Artal was a real archmage. And a high level one, at that. His Meteor Storm was only level 2, but in war, he managed to kill hundreds of people with one magic shot. So, how powerful would Meteor Storm be at level 100? He had no idea. Confused, Nigel looked around for Inas and finally found the man coming out of a terrace. Inas was talking to a red-haired boy. The boy with red hair and blue eyes showed deep respect for Inas, and Inas casually listened to the boy¡¯s words. He had been engulfed in fear a little while ago, but now Nigel¡¯s heart burned with jealousy. It was surprising that Inas, who didn¡¯t like banquets as much as Nigel, was hanging out with others, and it was also shocking that Inas was having such a pleasant conversation with a boy who was about 17 years old. At that moment, the sound of people talking was heard in Nigel¡¯s ear. ¡°Is that the boy who solved the disappearance case in Count Rudio¡¯s estate?¡± ¡°I heard that he¡¯s an ordinary adventurer who¡¯s on a journey¡­¡± ¡°You said that he saved Count Rudio¡¯s daughter, then wouldn¡¯t the count hire him as a knight?¡± ¡°Since he¡¯s been invited up to this point, he might be thinking of at least sponsoring him.¡± As soon as he heard the story, he understood the situation. Last time, and this time too. He heard that an accident, which almost turned into a big deal, had been solved by an adventurer¡¯s party, and that boy seemed to be the adventurer. Nigel tried not to be jealous. Encouragement towards young adventurers who had done good deeds. Indeed, that was an attitude of a knight who set an example for others. He didn¡¯t have to worry about weird things. In the first place, the boy, who was nothing more than a commoner, was no match for Nigel. ¡°¡­¡± Could he be a match? Nigel opened his status window. Single digits. MP that was pretty much at the lowest and HP which was lower than the archmage, who was now an old man4. Without his family, he had such a low stats that it would be difficult for him to survive alone. Stats weren¡¯t very important for Duke Nigel, but having his horribly low stamina and mana quantified was honestly quite shameful. At the same time, he felt nervous. In fact, maybe Inas got tired of protecting his overly weak master? He had heard quite a few stories of knights who admired a strong master and worshipped him. Inas was a loyal swordsman, but at the same time he was a strong knight. He might not be satisfied with the role of an escort knight for a weak master. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Thinking about it that way, he was terrified. What if Inas got fed up with Nigel and killed him to make a fresh start? Nigel drove the terrible image out of his head. It was an excessive assumption. Above all, Inas still had a friendly face even when he killed Nigel. First, Nigel decided to check the boy¡¯s information window to find out about his opponent. Knowing your enemy is the most basic step in strategy. An information window appeared in front of Nigel¡¯s eyes. There were strange words. T/N: I¡¯ve gone through the 3 free chapters + 1 chapter using a free ticket, so from now on updates will come in 3-4 days at the earliest. It¡¯s a different story if I buy chapters, but I don¡¯t really have the money. Might open for donations later but we¡¯ll see. 1 Papago and google translated the word as cannabis (lol) and anti-magic. Considering the context that these seemed to be special types of magic (think of Comet or Ultima from Final Fantasy 7), I decided to call them ultimate magic for now. 2 Nigel isn¡¯t really a prince (as far as I¡¯m aware) but it¡¯s more of his position as the Duke of Magnus that makes his status kinda equivalent to a prince. It just shows how powerful the duchy is in the kingdom. 3 Here Nigel said ?? ? ?? ???. The word ?? itself is kind a rude way of calling someone (eg. bastard), and I don¡¯t know if adding the ? changes the meaning, but gtl translated the sentence to ¡®what the fuck are you doing¡¯. It didn¡¯t make much sense to me for Nigel to curse the archmage all of a sudden, so I altered the sentence so it¡¯d make a little more sense. Once again, feel free to correct me. 4 This sentence translated weirdly, but basically he was trying to compare how shitty his stats were. Using the archmage as a comparison for HP because I think the general knowledge is that mages have low HP and high MP, and since the archmage is an old man that means his stats isn¡¯t exactly in his prime. Yet Nigel¡¯s own stats is still way lower than that lol. CH 4 It was a very strange word. It shouldn¡¯t be shown here. The protagonist, what was it? In a dictionary sense, it was a word that meant a person who was the center of an event in the story that was created. That was why Nigel couldn¡¯t understand the situation where the word ¡®Protagonist¡¯ was applied in reality. Because protagonists exist only within a story; there could not be a protagonist or supporting roles in reality. That was, the reality that Nigel knew up to this moment. If this was really reality¡­ Words that could not exist. ¡°¡­¡± Protagonist. Reality. Story. Protagonist. Reality. Story. Protagonist. Reality. Story. Words that should have only existed in a fictional world crossed into reality and stirred Nigel¡¯s head. The sharp words that were splintered left a scar on Nigel. The was standing before him in reality. This nonsense, was it possible to call a world that had a protagonist reality? The existence of a protagonist was as if this was not reality, but within a story¡­ Suddenly, a blue window appeared in front of him. An ominous blue, blinding blue window completely covered his field of vision. As if it wasn¡¯t going to show Nigel anything. The blue window flickered quickly. A white, blue light shone so intensely that it seemed to burn Nigel¡¯s eyes and brain. A phantom pain that seemed to burn not only his eyesight, but all the five senses that covered Nigel. Nigel couldn¡¯t stand it and fell to the floor. Without even realizing that doing it, Nigel screamed in pain and grabbed his head. ¡°A, ah. Aaaaakh!!¡± ¡°D, Duke2 Magnus?¡± He heard someone¡¯s startled voice, but he wasn¡¯t in a condition to answer. Phrases, terms, words that shouldn¡¯t exist, they were stabbing and crushing Nigel¡¯s head. Protagonist. This, it¡¯s reality. ¡­ No. This story¡­ Yes, it would be easier if he just forgot about it. Just as he always did. A red window appeared above the numerous windows that filled his field of vision. Nigel let a low groan out of his open mouth. And then, breaking through the many windows, Inas came running. At the same time, the pain that had been crushing Nigel disappeared in an instant. ¡°Ina, s¡­¡± Nigel reached out desperately. But he couldn¡¯t lift his hand and ended up scratching the floor helplessly. Instead, Inas grabbed Nigel in desperation and hugged him, as if he was catching someone who was about to fall off a cliff. ¡°Nigel-nim!¡± A desperate scream. Liking the look on Inas¡¯ pale and worn face from worrying about Nigel, he smiled even as he fainted. *** Nigel, who had collapsed, was still seriously ill. He regained consciousness for a moment, but he had yet to recover from his high fever. Still barely conscious, Nigel felt a hand touching his. He didn¡¯t know whose hand it was, but it wasn¡¯t important to know who it was right now. ¡°Just now, what was¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and get some rest, Nigel.¡± A soft but firm voice, as if slightly angry, whispered to Nigel. It was Inas¡¯ voice. Since he had killed him twice, why was he still being so affectionate? Nigel wasn¡¯t able to figure it out and lost consciousness again. It was still night when he woke up again. The doctor, Hayes, and Inas were all nearby. ¡°Duke. You¡¯ve awakened?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right. How long has it been since I collapsed?¡± Nigel replied with a frown on his face. He looked around the three of them, clutching his head nervously, and then asked Hayes. ¡°How long has it been? What¡¯s the situation outside?¡± ¡°Two days have passed. Outside¡­ Yes, there are some strange rumors going around¡­ But it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem.¡± The way he glossed over it was suspicious. Nigel recalled the recent situation of his relatives, nobles who were rather hostile to him, who were after his seat. There were so many elements to worry about that he sighed. In the first place, he collapsed in a place where all kinds of nobles gathered, so there¡¯s no way it wasn¡¯t a big problem. ¡°Tell me more.¡± ¡°Nigel-nim, you need to rest now.¡± Inas intervened. Nigel glared at Inas, who was concerned about him, with a very strange look, then sighed and nodded his head. There were many times when he almost crossed the line of life and death due to his illness when he was young, so there were many people who opposed Nigel when he ascended as the duke because of his health. Therefore, Nigel¡¯s biggest enemy was not external, but internal, which was his own physical condition. After he inherited the duke¡¯s seat, he went around acting like he wasn¡¯t worried about having to maintain his position, but he ended up collapsing in a banquet hall where everyone was gathered¡­ Of course, most of those with malicious intentions had been trampled, and he had built a solid foundation, so there¡¯s no way his seat would be taken away now. But there were always reckless flies going around. This was a position he did not want, but he had no intention of giving it up as he had devoted his whole life to this unwanted position. It seemed like he would be busy again for a while. ¡°Then how is my body? ¡°There are no noticeable abnormalities. Your health is rather good¡­ Also, no poison nor drugs were detected.¡± The doctor said cautiously. It would have been better to hallucinate by taking poison or drugs, but it was more difficult to find the real cause. Nigel looked back at his condition. ¡®I¡¯m insane no matter how you look at it.¡¯ The information window and the protagonist¡­ it¡¯s just crazy. The doctor must have thought the same thing, but he kept hesitating because it was difficult to say that the person who was giving him money had gone crazy. Instead of asking about the situation, Nigel waved his hand and dismissed everyone. He needed some time to think about it. ¡°For now, I will leave some medicine for you to recover your stamina, so please rest well.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Both the doctor and his assistant left, and Nigel stared at the healing potion. Without fail, the information window of the medicine popped up. He only checked to see if there was any poison, but it would have been better if he had just drunk it without knowing. Amantasa was not an ordinary serpent, but a monster. When he remembered its appearance, his stomach hurt and he couldn¡¯t even consume it. Nigel groaned and pushed the elixir away, but a big, firm hand stopped him. It was Inas. ¡°You leave too.¡± ¡°Drink this first, Nigel-nim.¡± When he was young, Inas had stuck to Nigel and attended to him. At the time, feeding him was always the most important daily routine for Inas, and it continued to this day. The loyal knight stared at Nigel stubbornly. It was hard to refuse¡­ Nigel shivered and swallowed the Amantasa¡¯s Elixir. The taste was so terrible it made him feel nauseous as soon as he took a sip. After putting up with the nausea several times and emptying all the elixir, Inas took out a small piece of paper-wrapped candy from his pocket and put it in Nigel¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­¡± As the hand that had killed him lightly brushed his lips, he got goosebumps all over his body. Perhaps it was because he had been murdered in the same bedroom every time, the mere presence of Inas and him in the same room made the memories resurface. Nigel didn¡¯t want to show a frightened expression, so he lifted his heavy body and raised his chin stiffly to stare at Inas. ¡°I drank it, so leave now.¡± ¡°I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Next time.¡± ¡°It has to be now.¡± Nigel¡¯s eyebrows rose upwards at the blatant disobedience. ¡°You must think I look ridiculous because I¡¯m going crazy, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not crazy, Nigel.¡± Inas answered calmly. That firm trust was somewhat creepy rather than pleasing. Nigel looked at Inas¡¯ eyes, which shone rather weirdly. Something was strange. It¡¯s different from the usual Inas. Today¡¯s Inas resembled the Inas who had pierced Nigel¡¯s chest with a blade. Fear came over him. He wondered, did Inas intend to kill him for a third time? Of course, there were no weapons in Inas¡¯ hands currently, but hundreds of magic were shining in his skill window with the dazzling label of ¡®Master¡¯ on them. Even if it wasn¡¯t by magic, with his strong arms, Inas could easily kill Nigel, who had never held a sword in his entire life, using his bare hands. Thinking that far, anger engulfed Nigel instead of fear. He was angry at Inas for betraying him after saying he would devote his entire life to him. But before that anger took shape and exploded, an unidentified window quickly appeared in front of Nigel. What was a party?3 Nigel read the sentence, trying not to show appear awkward. But he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of the word even after reading it several times. Even the options listed below consisted of characters he had never seen before. YES and NO. But while he was looking and thinking about it, he naturally came to understand what it meant. Yes and no, accept and reject. What the hell was this? He didn¡¯t have time to think long. The window didn¡¯t disappear according to Nigel¡¯s will, but followed and obstructed wherever his sight went. Nigel closed his eyes and made a choice. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but regardless he didn¡¯t want to be mixed up with the current Inas. It was a refusal brought on by instinctual rejection. Finally, the annoying window disappeared and he was able to see Inas¡¯ face. Inas beyond the window had an expressionless face. His heart was pounding because he thought he had done something wrong. Inas calmly observed Nigel¡¯s reaction before opening his mouth. ¡°Nigel. Something quite interesting happened before you collapsed.¡± ¡°Something interesting?¡± ¡°Yes. A system error occurred around you.¡± System error. Whispering foreign words in a quiet voice, Inas drew closed. Nigel¡¯s body stiffened like a mouse in front of a cat. As he stretched out his hands and applied strength, his stiff body slid back slightly. A heavy weight pressed against Nigel¡¯s body, and a large hand struck him on his shoulder. ¡°Ina, s¡­¡± In front of him was Inas with a face he had never seen before. Not the Inas who loved Nigel nor the Inas who killed Nigel, but an Inas who seemed to have completely killed his emotions. ¡°How did you see it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The party window.¡± Inas repeated the words he had never thought other people would say very naturally. T/N: Finally! The big reveal! This is one of the parts that I looked forward to translating lol. 1 Previously translated as ¡®main character¡¯. 2 If you read the previous chapter before it got edited, Nigel was called Prince Magnus. I decided to change it to Duke Magnus to avoid confusion and because I just found ? can also mean duke lol. 3 ¡®Party¡¯ is written in Korean as the loanword instead of using a traditional word for party/group. It¡¯s not that Nigel doesn¡¯t know what a party is, it¡¯s just that the vocab used by the system is unfamiliar to him. CH 5 He didn¡¯t know what to answer. He was unable to immediately understand the current situation. One thing for sure was that Inas can see the information window. Perhaps from the very first time Nigel remembered, or maybe since even before that, all this time. Just as Nigel observed Inas, Inas also observed Nigel. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, do you remember?¡± ¡°Wh, what¡­¡± There was no subject in his words1, but he understood immediately. He didn¡¯t have time to pretend. As soon as Inas spoke, he panicked and his body stiffened. Inas¡¯ eyes, examining Nigel¡¯s reaction, became sharp. ¡°If you can¡¯t remember the previous round¡­ Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°¡­ Inas.¡± ¡°Is it a bug?¡± Inas frowned. And without reciting a spell, a large ice spear appeared behind his back. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give it a try.¡± ¡°What? Wait¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it won¡¯t hurt.¡± Nigel eyes widened and he tried to resist, but Inas was faster. An ice spear lodged itself in Nigel¡¯s head. ¡°See you again, Nigel.¡± Crazy bastard! He wanted to shout that like that. But there was no time to swear, no time to feel pain, as everything went dark once again. *** Nigel jumped up from his seat. He felt his once-pierced head and found that, of course, he was perfectly fine. But Nigel¡¯s mind was shattered and torn apart. ¡°I, Inas¡­ Inas.¡± Nigel trembled with a sense of betrayal and muttered the name of the man who killed him. Now he knew when today was without having to check. It would be April 283 of the kingdom calendar. With his teeth clenched, Nigel jumped up from his seat and pulled a pistol out of a drawer. He had poor shooting skills, but it was better than nothing. Obviously, Inas had a clear understanding of what had happened to Nigel. So he would appear in front of Nigel soon. Inas might be somewhere else now, but it wouldn¡¯t take long for him to get here. Warp Portal. Even magic that transcends space was perfectly mastered by Inas. Not only the Warp Portal, but a lot of other magic, all of them. And indeed, Inas came to Nigel without giving him time to breathe. A man in a uniform and an ankle-length cape proving that he belonged to the Duke of Magnus protruded out of the empty space. Seeing Nigel aiming a pistol, Inas smiled briefly. His handsome face was something he had seen every day for more than a decade, but the look on his face, mixed with faint madness, was unfamiliar, as it was the first time he had seen it. ¡°You really do remember the previous round, Nigel.¡± At the same time, as if finding it very interesting, Inas¡¯ gazed at Nigel. Nigel shuddered without realizing it. ¡°Since when did you remember?¡± ¡°Inas. Inas, you¡­ How can you¡­¡± Nigel¡¯s hands trembled like mad with the sense of betrayal. He wanted to shoot Inas in the mouth, who was speaking nonchalantly, but it was obvious that it wouldn¡¯t make much difference. What with the overwhelming numbers that made other humans look inferior to ants2. Did Inas look down on Nigel as well? The moment he thought about it, a fierce sound resounded from Nigel¡¯s mouth. Even the fear that he might die once again from rebelling like this couldn¡¯t stop Nigel. ¡°Calm down, Nigel.¡± ¡°Shut up. Why did you betray me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t betray you.¡± ¡°You, killed, you killed me¡­¡± Nigel gasped heavily. It was a bad sign. Nigel, who had been weak since childhood, would often faint when he got too worked up. Inas approached Nigel, who had dropped his pistol without realizing it. Unlike his relaxed expression until now, Inas¡¯ face now was full of worry. ¡°Nigel, breathe slowly. It¡¯s okay, that¡¯s right¡­¡± It was ridiculous. Pretending to be worried about him being unable to breathe when he had blown the same person¡¯s head off just a while ago. It was funny how Inas looked like he was genuinely worried about Nigel, which made it even more strange. Nigel pushed Inas away, vowing not to be fooled by his appearance. ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s okay? You, you blew my head off!¡± Inas didn¡¯t even budge. Instead, he gently patted Nigel on the back. The familiar scent emanating from Inas, the touch that had always calmed Nigel, they acted like a drug. His vision was darkened by anger, but soon he calmed down bit by bit. ¡°Let, let go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up, Nigel. I didn¡¯t kill you in the normal sense of the word.¡± ¡°What?¡± He shouted in a fit of rage making his head spun. Inas patted Nigel on the back again. ¡°Listen, Nigel. Murder is completely ending a life. But you returned anyway. Collapsing in banquet hall became something that never happened. Weren¡¯t you having a problem having to deal with it?¡± Inas said as if he knew everything. Nigel was momentarily speechless because what he said was correct. In the meantime, Inas made the decision as if he was drawing a conclusion on his own. ¡°It¡¯s all fine now.¡± That attitude made him even angrier. Originally, Inas was the one who listened to Nigel, not the other way around. This sense of separation that felt different from his previous image was in line with the feeling of betrayal towards Inas. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! But even if you were to ki¡­ kill me, did you really have to blow my head off?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt, did it? And if you remember, you¡¯re afraid of blood. I thought it would be better if you didn¡¯t see any.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s all true, but¡­ He didn¡¯t know whether he could call it being kind or crazy. Perhaps the latter was more correct. His voice as so calm that he would have fallen for it if he had been distracted. Nigel, who had been caught up for a moment, frowned. ¡°If you can make it not hurt¡­ Then do something right now¡­ My head hurts.¡± Although he didn¡¯t pass out, his chest felt tight, his head hurt, and his hands and feet were numb. Inas sighed lightly and placed his hand on Nigel¡¯s forehead. As a refreshing breeze blew past Nigel¡¯s head, his body felt a little lighter. But he wasn¡¯t completely cured. ¡°Do a little more.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be made completely painless.¡± ¡°¡­ Why, what¡¯s going on? Are you killing me?¡± It was only then that Inas looked embarrassed. Nigel felt a little refreshed seeing him be at a loss. Inas let out a low sigh towards the grumpy Nigel. ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ Back then I gave you paralytic poison to completely block the pain. I can¡¯t use that now.¡± Nigel gaped. ¡°Really¡­ Just get out¡­¡± Honestly, he should have said, ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± but he¡¯s a person who could pull someone¡¯s head off like pulling radish, so he held back his mouth. Of course, from his words, it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to kill Nigel again right away, but¡­ It was hard to feel relieved¡­ Nigel hit his chest3 as the situation was funny, absurd, and unfair at the same time. Then Inas took Nigel¡¯s hand and gently lowered it. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Do I look like I can stay calm? I don¡¯t understand. You, really, How many times have you killed me like that?¡± Even if he wouldn¡¯t die¡­ How could he have pierced his chest and blown his head off without hesitation? Nigel bit his lip, feeling upset. It sounded selfish, but it would have been better if Inas¡¯ killing hands were directed at others. Or he would have understood the situation if he had betrayed him or started to hate him. He was still loyal, still cared about Nigel, yet he brought death on him¡­ From Nigel¡¯s point of view, it was simply incomprehensible. ¡°Don¡¯t take death too seriously, Nigel.¡± Inas spoke in an uncharacteristically light voice. As if the whole thing was just a joke. ¡°I love you, Nigel. But your life has no value.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°After all, even if you die, things will reset to its original state.¡± ¡°What the hell are you¡­ What are you talking about?¡± Nigel trembled lightly. A chill from fear crept in and engulfed Nigel. At the same time, he instinctively realized. . That this was a story related to the bizarre situation he saw back then. ¡°How should I say this¡­ I¡¯ve said it dozens of times already, but you¡¯ve never heard it before4.¡± He wanted to shut Inas¡¯ mouth, but at the same time he wanted to keep listening. Like the main character in a scary story, it was a moment when he had no choice but to step in, even though he was afraid of the things beyond the darkness. Inas looked at the nervous Nigel quietly. Inas blinked a couple of times as if trying to shake off his anticipation. With calm eyes cleared of emotions, Inas opened his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s some slight error, but for the most part, I¡¯ve been living in this game world while repeating the time from April 14th to March 27th of the following year.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This world is fake, and you¡¯re just data.¡± Like a guide repeating the same words hundreds of times, words that seemed to have been prepared flowed calmly from Inas. The word ¡®fake¡¯ terrified Nigel. He couldn¡¯t write it off as nonsense. . He vividly recalled the words in the information window that made him feel sick just thinking about it. His stomach felt nauseous. Nigel pushed Inas¡¯ hand away, got up from his seat, and leaned over. He tried to vomit several times, but nothing came out. If he could, he wanted to pour out all his guts to completely erase the words he had just heard. Inas grabbed Nigel who had his head down. Nigel raised his head as if he were being pushed by a strong force. Contrary to Nigel, who was in pain, Inas¡¯ face was filled with delight. ¡°You understand what I said¡­ Nigel.¡± Inas¡¯ eyes sparkled with joy. Prev | Title | Next T/N: LET¡¯S GOOOOO NIGEL FINALLY LEARNED THE TRUTH OF THE WORLD!!! See guys Inas isn¡¯t so bad. I mean he was even thinking of Nigel¡¯s fear of blood when killing him. He¡¯s so considerate Lol anyway yeah Inas is just unhinged. Endless regression does that to a guy I guess. Do tell me if I seem to have made any mistakes like typos and such, or if it feels like there¡¯s some missing sentences. Most of the times I post without proofreading so there¡¯s bound to be mistakes here and there. 1 As in, Inas didn¡¯t specify what he was talking about. 2 If you haven¡¯t guessed, Nigel is talking about Inas¡¯ crazy OP stats. 3 No clue what prompted him to hit his chest all of a sudden. Initially gtl translated it to ¡®Nigel¡¯s heart was pounding¡¯ but then the following sentence wouldn¡¯t make sense. If I have to guess, maybe he¡¯s doing that gesture where you pat your chest as if to calm yourself down. 4 Meaning he tried telling Nigel before but he always got blocked by the system so Nigel never heard him properly. CH 6 It wasn¡¯t the reaction of Inas who would always worry when he was in pain. Nigel¡¯s face contorted in anger at his joyful reaction. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve never understood me until now.¡± Inas muttered darkly. ¡°You never undestood.¡± Nigel¡¯s body shrank back at the angry voice. But what was even scarier was what happened next. ¡°When I talk to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you, to you¡­¡±1 Inas muttered quickly like an unpleasantly low tone. He felt goosebumps at the words that were repeated without end like a broken machine. Those emotionless eyes were scarier than eyes that were glistened with madness. Nigel was a bit terrified and hurriedly grabbed Inas. ¡°I, I understand¡­¡± As soon as Nigel touched his hand, Inas turned his head and smiled brightly. His sudden change of emotion was a bit creepy, but Nigel didn¡¯t show it and just smiled directly. Inas hugged Nigel, drowned in joy. ¡°You finally know. I, I¡­ The fact that I¡¯ve been repeating this damn thing over and over again.¡± No, I didn¡¯t really know anything about it¡­ But Inas¡¯ voice was filled with too much happiness for him to tell the truth. Nigel¡¯s heart shook because he couldn¡¯t symphatize with the current situation and he felt ill at ease with Inas. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but¡­ Nigel kept his mouth shut since he didn¡¯t want to ruin the impression of his beloved Inas. Inas looked at Nigel¡¯s stiff face and pulled both cheeks. As his face drew closer, Nigel was unconsciously startled. Inas whispered low, leaning against his ear as if to kiss him. ¡°Nigel-nim didn¡¯t understand me every time.¡± ¡°I, I would have understoood. It¡¯s not that difficult.¡± As Nigel tried to step back, Inas grabbed him. Nigel couldn¡¯t move as his thick arms wrapped around his body. In the first place¡­ Looking at Inas¡¯ other battle figures, he didn¡¯t even consider resisting. For reference, Nigel¡¯s strength level was ¡®5¡¯. It¡¯s not that he was envious of what he didn¡¯t have, but seeing the gap as if it were between a human and an ant felt somewhat weird. Inas gently soothed Nigel, who had sunk for other reasons. ¡°I¡¯m not calling Nigel a fool, it¡¯s just that there¡¯s a problem with the system configurations. Because it looks like this game was made that way from the beginning.¡± Problems with the system configurations¡­ Nigel was hugged by Inas as he looked at the window shining behind the man. Level 40,000, Inas Edenbach¡¯s information window was still flashing. The moment he was about to ask what a game was4, the corners of Inas¡¯ lips twisted. ¡°Next, you¡¯ll ask me what a game is. You can think of us as being up there on that board.¡± What Inas pointed to was the Aldet which was left alone last night, or on April 13th, to be exact. A board game where the king was symbolyzed by Al and the king¡¯s father was symbolyzed by Det, and using the generals, knights, and soldiers under them to defeat the opponent¡¯s Aldet. ¡®It¡¯s a game that only changes the terminology of real-life chess. I think it was set up separately because there was a dungeon where Aldet was applied in the middle of the story.¡¯ An intangible voice, like an auditory hallucination, popped into his head. It was obviously something that he didn¡¯t remember, but it naturally intervened in his memory. Nigel looked at Inas in confusion. Inas continued his explanation without knowing what was going on in Nigel¡¯s head. ¡°Unlike Aldet¡¯s pawns, which can only move by a fixed number of squares, the characters in games can grow. They can raise their levels, status, and skills, equip gears, defeat enemies, check stories, and defeat enemies again¡­ The world is made up that way. Although, we¡¯re the supporting characters, not the main characters¡­ At best, we¡¯re just the NPCs who guide the main party to the right path.¡± Instinctual resistance surged. It was a similar feeling to when he found the word in Kay¡¯s information window. Inas, who saw Nigel¡¯s face distort, gently touched him. ¡°You don¡¯t believe it, do you? If you¡¯re curious, you can check it out yourself, Nigel. Kay, Lana, and Axel will solve the anomalies in the Seldom Mines in the future. A lot of monsters will come out, and they will get along with the wizard Primel, who they hired as a guide, so they will invite her to the party. After that, they will go to Langini to solve a missing person case and recuit Jen, who helped them with the case. And the five will go through Orta, Visrald, Hilmer, and finally to the Magnus territory. ¡°Are you reading something?¡± The stream of words was like peeping at a book. However, Inas only glanced over at Nigel. Inas smiled when their eyes met. ¡°No. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been through countless times, so I have no choice but to memorize it. If I didn¡¯t intervene in any way, things will follow the set story.¡± Although he didn¡¯t say it precisely, Nigel shrunk his shoulders at the overwhelming time5 he felt from Inas¡¯ words and attittude. He wondered if Inas had experienced what Nigel had gone through countless more times. If so, that¡¯s just insane. Nigel shut his mouth tightly, tired of the current situation and the heavy hour5. Slowly, Inas released the arm that had been holding Nigel. ¡°Nigel, around that time you will go to there to check on the strange incident that is taking place near the Magnus estate. After seeing Kay and the others solve the case, you will guide the way to the last enemy. There, they¡¯ll defeat the last enemy and see the ending in the spring. That¡¯s the end of the story. Then the world will turn around. Back to April 14th again.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°Are you still unconvinced?¡± Inas¡¯ voice asking that question gave him chills. Nigel nodded his head despite thinking Inas was about to hit him on the head at that moment. ¡°Would you believe it? The world where I live in¡­ Being a world of a game or whatever.¡± He couldn¡¯t believe this nonsensical story. At least, not before he confirmed it himself. ¡°Well, you may not believe it. Nigel-nim may have a lot of doubts¡­¡± Inas, who was crazy but still had a sharp sensibility, said after slowly contemplating. ¡°Then take your time to confirm it, Nigel.¡± *** After speaking, Inas said he had to go back to where he was and disappeared as he pleased. Nigel, who was left alone, was very disappointed, but decided to observe the situation as Inas had said. The first thing he did was to meet the boy named Kay. Although Kay was called the in this world, it was not difficut for Duke Nigel to meet him, who was a commoner in status. In fact, he could do more than that if he put his mind to it. Nigel endured the urge to use a violent action and waited for Kay and the others to arrive at the royal capital. Originally, Count Rudio was the one that Kay and his party were supposed to meet after arriving at the royal capital. However, Nigel contacted Count Rudio and intercepted the meeting. The count, who valued the Duke of Magnus more than common adventurers, handed over his word without much thought. The invitation was in the afternoon. Nigel, who had been working all day, got up from his desk neatly, enjoyed a leisurely bath, and got dressed. Since he was only meeting commoners, he could meet them in modest clothes, but he was in high spirits, so he took out his best clothes and even decorated himself with some simple accessories. ¡°You look more beautiful today, Nigel-nim. If you leave now, you¡¯ll be completely bewitching. Where are you going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Listening to his assistant¡¯s silly words, Nigel greeted Kay and his companions as guests, hiding his nervousness. Kay, Lana, and Axel. The three entered the room one after another. As with Count Rudio, all three of them seemed to be nervous because they couldn¡¯t guess why a high ranking aristocrat, who had no relationship with them, would suddenly call them. It was someone other than Kay who came into the room and said hello. ¡°Hello, Duke Magnus. It¡¯s an honor to meet you. My name is Axel. These are Kay and Lana.¡± ¡°Right. Welcome to my mansion. I didn¡¯t call you for some sort of grand purpose, so don¡¯t worry and sit down comfortably.¡± While a servant entered and poured them tea, Nigel observed the three of them unnoticed. Kay was 17 and Lana was 16. The two childhood friends went on an adventuring journey together. Axel, who they met by chance in another village and got involved in their business, was 21 years old. He seemed to be the eldest, so he took the lead in saying their greetings. Nigel offered tea and pretended to drink to check the party¡¯s information window. Kay was the protagonist, and the other two are the protagonist¡¯s companions. Unlike other people, the sparkling sentences proved their significance. According to Inas, Kay will continue to travel with his companions. After going through Seldom, Langini, Orta, Visrald, Hilmer, and finally the Magnus territory and seeing the ending¡­ Time would rewind. Nigel used to write off prophecies and stuff like that as a terrible scam¡­ In reality, he couldn¡¯t ignore the embedded in the information window. He wished he could just dismiss it as absurdly crazy. Now, Nigel¡¯s feelings were closer to half-believing. Prev | Title | Next T/N: Guys! I found out the webtoon is getting an official english tl as I was working on this chapter lol. The official eng title seems to be ¡°Raising a Sacrifice¡±, but I¡¯ll probably the title for my tl as it is right now so that I don¡¯t show up when you google the official name. Just a small info 1 The sentence is ¡®?? ???? ???¡¯ and the word Inas repeated is actually the last word which is ??? (talk/speak). But for the tl I went with the last words he said which is ¡®to you¡¯. Also Nigel was right, that part is creepy as hell. 2 The word ?? translated to skill, but since this is about character stats and after looking at similar meanings, I thought proficiency is more appropriate. Feel free to correct me. 3 ?? translated to barn, and I couldn¡¯t find any other tl to the word so I decided to put dexterity for now as a placeholder. Please tell me if you know the meaning of the word because I really can¡¯t find it :¡± 4 Same with the word ¡®party¡¯ a few chapters back, they¡¯re using the loanword for ¡®game¡¯. 5 He kept mentioning ?? (time/hour) and I genuinely don¡¯t get what he means. Tried looking for other meanings but found nothing. Let me know if anyone figured out what he¡¯s talking about! CH 7 He had to confirm it regardless. As the Duke of Magnus, who stood above others, he was not in a position to believe in nothing but experience, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Nigel decided to support Kay¡¯s party to prove what Inas had said. According to Inas, if the protagonist, Kay, and his group were killed by a monster, time would rewind. There might be a way to kill him right away and check whether he was the , but it was impossible to prove Inas¡¯ prophecy-like words. As Inas said, Nigel would help Kay and his party go on a stable adventure at a level that did not deviate from normal. Nigel was lucky to be able to give that covert support. ¡°I called you here because I heard that you had solved the difficult situation Count Rudio was entangled in. The young lady of Rudio that you saved is also a distant relative of mine.¡± ¡°We just did what we had to do.¡± ¡°There are a lot of people in the world who don¡¯t do what they should be doing. You¡¯ve done a good enough deed. It¡¯s something to be proud of, and it¡¯s enough to be rewarded for. I want to give you a small and humble reward. Seeing the favorable attitude, there was a noticable amount of relief on the faces of the three people who had been imagining all sorts of disturbing thoughts when they came here. Kay, who had the most obvious change in expression among them, shook his head. ¡°No, thank you. We were just doing the right thing.¡± ¡°I heard that you turned down the knighthood that Count Rudio wanted to give you.¡± ¡°I have no intention of becoming a knight¡­ sir.¡±1 ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make the same offer. I heard you guys are on a journey¡­ I¡¯m just trying to give you a little help, so I hope you will accept it.¡± When Nigel winked, a servant brought the rewards that had been prepared in advanced and handed it to him. Kay, who was about to refuse until the end, was startled. The prepared rewards were items necessary for battle, such as weapons and potions. They were good quality items for Kay and his party who are still novice adventurers, but also not expensive enough that they can¡¯t get their hands on them. From the start, he thought they would refuse if he gave them too much, so he prepared the necessary items within an appropriate boundary. At the party¡¯s hesitance, Nigel laughed kindly. ¡°At least take this much. You have a healer, but in battle, they will still be things you need.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll receive it gratefully.¡± When Kay answered, Lana jabbed Kay¡¯s side with her elbow.¡± ¡°Kay!¡± ¡°Ah, what¡¯s the matter¡­ It¡¯s not even money. Besides, they¡¯re not expensive¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, these aren¡¯t expensive items.¡± It was awkward to pretend that he didn¡¯t know about what was going on, so Nigel intervened. Lana closes her mouth with an awkward expression. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mean to give you cheap items, but I couldn¡¯t prepare anything too extravagant because it¡¯s a common sword and staff used by my family¡¯s knights. I want you to accept them until you get better weapons.¡± It wasn¡¯t a big deal. Nigel opened his item window and checked again, leaving the three people to converse with their eyes behind it.2 ¡­ Obviously, he had never ordered it to be manufactured with impurities, but there was something strange with it. As a result, the value had also fallen considerably from the original. The price of this completed sword is only 30 rubels, but originally, the cost of the materials alone exceeded 30 rubels. However, he didn¡¯t know why the blacksmith who had cooperated with the Duke of Magnus suddenly added impurities. It would have been more beneficial for him to take on the work given by the duke faithfully instead of siphoning off the ingredients for nothing. Normally, he would have questioned the officials right away, but now he didn¡¯t feel very motivated. As Inas said, even if Nigel corrected everything, time would rewind. While Nigel was thinking to himself, the three had put their heads together and hesitated for a moment whether they should accept the rewards or not, before finally deciding to recieve it. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll thankfully accept them.¡± ¡°Great. So, when are you planning to leave?¡± ¡°We¡¯re planning to leave tomorrow after finishing our preparations.¡± ¡°Then how about staying here for a day?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Hesitation appeared on Kay¡¯s face, who had been happy the whole time, as if he thought they had already been given too much. Nigel intentionally smiled brighter and softer. ¡°There are many rooms in the mansion. I¡¯m just giving you some of them.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re on a journey¡­¡± A journey3 to the Holy Land of Glarus was the custom for those who dream of becoming adventurers. It was an impossible trip for Nigel, since it forbade luxury and would require him to walk around the contintent on his own two feet. In any case, it was a predictable rejection. Nigel smiled brightly and kindly to make it difficult to refuse. ¡°A day or so should be fine. I¡¯m a bit weak, so I can¡¯t even dream of travelling¡­ I also want to hear about what travellers do. I hope it¡¯s not too difficult for you.¡± ¡°¡­ Tha, thank you.¡± Kay¡¯s face, which fell for the kindness, turned bright red. He was such an innocent child. As soon as the three of them were guided out of the room by the butler, Inas entered the room. He was going to point out the rudeness of appearing from thin air instead of the door, but Inas¡¯ expression wasn¡¯t very good for him to say a word. Inas, walking closer to Nigel, knelt on the floor, took one of his hands at will, and kissed the back. It was a common knight¡¯s oath, but strangely, his face heated up. Inas, who was staring at Nigel while still holding his hand, turned it over and placed his lips on the palm of his hand. The touch of his lips that were gently pressed onto his palm and his hot breath tickled Nigel. Surprised, Nigel shook Inas off with all his might. However, Inas only smiled pretentiously, showing no signs of his dark mood, and didn¡¯t let go of Nigel. ¡°Don¡¯t smile so beautifully. You¡¯ll pass it.¡± ¡°¡­ What nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°I think the flag has already been raised¡­¡± What the hell was a flag4? Nigel tilted his head at the word he had never encountered before despite having had the information window for several days, causing Inas to sigh. ¡°It means that Kay seems to have a crush on you.¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Kay was 17 and Nigel was 23. The age difference is quite long. Nigel hated it, thinking he was being ridiculous, but Inas¡¯ attitude was still serious. ¡°No, Kay has fallen in love with you about a hundred times so far.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Most of the time, I killed him¡­¡± It seemed to be a sincere remark. Although his life was not in danger, a cold sweat ran down Nigel¡¯s back with the foreboding feeling. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see for now.¡± What do you mean, for now¡­ Nigel glared at Inas uneasily. He disappeared on his own for a few days, and then suddenly appeared and said something like that. A knight¡¯s duty was to become the master¡¯s sword. The previous Inas was a model of a loyal knight who gave everything to his master, as if he was willing to give up his life at Nigel¡¯s orders. What he meant was, he was never the type to act like this. If you were going to ignore your master¡¯s words as if they¡¯re bullshit, shouldn¡¯t you just give up your knighthood? Up until now, there had been times when Inas would ignore Nigel¡¯s orders in small ways¡ªsuch as when giving him medicine he didn¡¯t want to take¡ªbut never like this before. Normally, he would have said some harsh words, but it wasn¡¯t so easy now. Level 3 and level 40,000. It was like an ant attacking a human. No, the ant attacking a human might have a slightly higher chance at winning. What could he do? Until now, Nigel had been able to say whatever he wanted because he had the upper hand. If you were weak, then you should stay quiet. Nigel decided to take this opportunity to do some mental training and hold back what he wanted to say. ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s in love with me in the first place.¡± But due to Nigel¡¯s personality, he couldn¡¯t stand it completely. Although he had a firm image of being weak due to his illness, Nigel was also the Duke of Magnus, famous for having a short temper from generation to generation. Shouldn¡¯t he at least hear the reason why he would stab people to death? Despite his slightly sharp voice, Inas¡¯ expression was calm as usual. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a virtue of knights to catch the flies that try to get entangled with their master?¡± The corners of Nigel¡¯s mouth twitched. He wanted to see Inas jealous. It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant answer.5 Instead of pointedly expressing his displeasure, Nigel timidly slipped his hand out of Inas¡¯. Be patient, endure it. Nigel persevered and drew reason. He tried to gather information to make up for the disadvantageous situation in many ways. ¡°In the first place, what is a flag?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of a game term.¡± ¡°Game term¡­?¡± Inas pondered for a moment, finding it difficult to unravel and explain a word he had used so naturally. ¡°Well, it¡¯s necessary for forming some kind of relationship¡­ It¡¯s like a condition.¡± ¡°Relationship?!¡± He had no intention of dating, but what kind of dating condition was he talking about all of a sudden? As if Nigel¡¯s startled attitude was very desirable, Inas nodded his head with satisfaction. ¡°I also think it¡¯s ridiculous, but Kay is the protagonist. Whoever he wants, as long as Kay likes them and there¡¯s a certain level of favorability, they can become a couple in the ending.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that?¡± Was he saying it wanted him to be in a relationship with a 17-year-old who hadn¡¯t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet? Nigel was appalled, while Inas shrugged his shoulders as if to say ¡®see?¡¯. ¡°That¡¯s why I had no choice but to kill Kay.¡± Indeed, he was the protagonist. The person who was the center of the world. Because the game that Inas was talking about was not a simple story that proceeded according to a determined sequence, but could have changes in a wider scale. Of course, Nigel, who would be swept away, couldn¡¯t just take it so calmly. Nigel shook his head, rubbing the goosebumps on his skin. ¡°¡­ I know what you mean, but don¡¯t kill him anyway.¡± ¡°Yes. Now, looking at Nigel-nim¡¯s reaction, it seems like he¡¯ll fail to satisfy the favorability requirement. It¡¯s a relief.¡± It really was a relief. He didn¡¯t want to see Inas killing children. He had intended to secretly talk to Kay before he and his party left¡­ But he thought it would be better to refrain from doing that this time, lest Kay would die without a sound. Nigel, who swept a hand across his chest, looked at Inas with a sudden thought. ¡°By the way, was there a time when Kay liked you¡­?¡± Inas frowned at Nigel¡¯s question. T/N: Idk why but the image of Nigel wanting to be a brat but can¡¯t because he¡¯s too scared of Inas is so funny to me. He¡¯s been a pampered young master for all 23 years of his life so having someone actually defy him to his face like this is probably a culture shock for him lol. 1 From what I understand Kay seem to be speaking informally, before switching to speaking formally, albeit a bit delayed. 2 Papago and gtl translated the sentence to ¡®leaving the three people rolling their eyes behind¡¯/¡¯with the three people rolling their eyes behind him¡¯. I think it¡¯s a Korean expression that doesn¡¯t translate well to English literally. Looking at the context, I think it means that they¡¯re having a silent conversation by gesturing things with their eyes and not literally rolling their eyes in a sassy way lol. And while the party is busy with their silent convo, Nigel decided to check the item window. 3 Actually this word has been tl-ed to ¡®pilgrimage¡¯ by both papago and gtl. I forgot about this bit of information so I thought it was just a regular case of mtl taking a translation literally, so I adjusted the word to ¡®journey¡¯ which kinda fit a rpg game setting. If this word makes any relevance in the future I¡¯ll go back and edit everything, but for now I¡¯ll keep it as journey going forward. 4 Again, loanword. Also Nigel wouldn¡¯t know what it meant anyway since Inas doesn¡¯t mean a literal flag. 5 My boy Nigel probably wanted to hear something like ¡°I killed him because no one can love you except for me¡± or some shit equally ¡®romantic¡¯ and not that he did it out of obligation lol. CH 8 ¡°That has never happened.¡± ¡°Never?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Really, truly never?¡± ¡°I swear it has never happened. I¡¯ve never been in a relationship with anyone.¡± It was a rather serious question, but Inas reacted like it was very absurd. Seeing that he hated it, it seemed that Inas had never been flagged. It¡¯s a great relief. So far, Nigel had persistently sabotaged any relationships with people who might have been deeply in love with Inas. He felt relieved and sad at the same time when Inas said that he had no intention of taking a lover or having a family. He watched Inas with a feeling of only looking at the best delicacy on earth¡­ If he had ever been in a relationship with Kay, Nigel would have lied down right away in frustration. His heart was more at ease. In an instant, the hostility that was aimed towards Kay subsided, and his reason was restored. ¡°Um¡­ But you said that if Kay dies, time will rewind.¡± ¡°For now, it¡¯s fine. You have to kill all five key party members to turn back time.¡± Nigel looked back at what Inas had said. On the 14th of April, the starting point, he couldn¡¯t kill those five people at once. In the future, the party would have to recruit when in Seldom and Langini so that the five of them could gather. He nodded his head in agreement, but at the same time, it sounded somewhat strange. ¡°Okay. I have a lot of questions for you¡­ Sit down first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He often ignored Nigel¡¯s words, but fortunately he seemed to listen to minor orders. As Inas sat quietly in his seat, Nigel wet his throat with the tea which had cooled down. Instead of Nigel, who didn¡¯t open his mouth right away, Inas spoke frist. ¡°I have something to ask you too.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nigel-nim, since when do you have retain your memories?¡± Nigel, who was flustered because he didn¡¯t think he would say it so directly and casually, bit his lips. Nigel backed away before Inas reached out to him. ¡°¡­ You killed me three times.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The way he answered nonchalantly made him feel upset. Inas¡¯ indifference, who would usually have been affectionate and considerate, was often unbearable. Nigel struggled to suppress the urge to throw the teacup behind Inas. ¡°Why do you keep killing me?¡± ¡°In any case, your death¡­¡± ¡°No, not that. It¡¯s a matter of necessity and efficiency. You don¡¯t have to kill me if time goes back anyway, do you? So why did you even come to kill me?¡± Inas¡¯ eyes widened slightly, as if he didn¡¯t expect to hear such a question. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Inas waved his hand when he gave that ambiguous answer, and a teacup appeared from the air with tea filled up. This time, Nigel eyes went round at the stunt that had just happened, but Inas was calmly lost in his thoughts. It was embarrassing that he couldn¡¯t say it right away. ¡°Did you just kill me for no reason? Because you want to kill me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely not like that.¡± Inas answered firmly, then lightly wet his throat with tea. ¡°It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t think deeply and acted.¡± ¡°So you killed impulsively?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± What do you mean, no? Nigel almost bit his nails without realizing, but he managed to stop. ¡°I told you last time that we repeat the dates from April 14th to March 27th.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t always go back to April 14th. In the beginning, everything returned to November 9th 272 of the kingdom calendar.¡± ¡°272?!¡± Startled, Nigel immediately counted the numbers. If it was the 272nd year of the kingdom calendar, and right now is the 283rd year¡­ That was 11 years ago. Then, did Inas live for nearly 12 years at first before returning? Realistic numbers came heavier than vaguely imagined numbers. Not to mention, between repeating one year and repeating 12 years, of course the latter would be much more difficult. Moreover, 11 years ago was when his father, Luther, was still alive. Luther was a great father to Nigel. However, just as how the predecessing Dukes of Magnus were called dukes without blood or tears, he had received the same evaluation. In particular, Luther was particularly harsh on Inas. Was it to make a knight who could assist Nigel without collapsing under any circumstances? He forced Inas to train in inhumane ways. He fed him all kinds of poison bit by bit to develop poison resistance, and even threw Inas, who was still young at the time, into abandoned ruins infested with monsters. He couldn¡¯t believe he had repeated those years several times. ¡°¡­ It must have been difficult.¡± The emotion that had been choking him up until a while ago disappeared somewhere, and only compassion filled Nigel¡¯s heart. While sympathizing, Nigel considered himself pathetic. But he couldn¡¯t help it. Even after being killed so many times, he still loved Inas, and his heart couldn¡¯t be easily broken.1 As if he fully understood Nigel¡¯s worries, Inas¡¯ eyes softened. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Now Nigel-nim knows it too.¡± ¡°Inas¡­¡± ¡°And living 12 years only happened somewhere in the beginning of this damn regression. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± There¡¯s no way it was alright. It¡¯s highly likely that the vague expression of ¡®somewhere in the beginning¡¯ meant that the number of times was not small enough for him to accurately remember. As he mumbled November 9th 272, Nigel realized something, paling. ¡°Wait, November 9, 272¡­ you said.¡± ¡°Yes, it was the first day I met Nigel-nim.¡± Even though the two didn¡¯t record the day or remember each other, the answer came right away. For Nigel, it was the day when his long unrequited love began, so he had no choice but to remember¡­ ¡°Why that day, of all days¡­?¡± ¡°Probably because from that day on my life became meaningful.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first day I met Nigel-nim, so anything before that doesn¡¯t mean much.¡± Nigel¡¯s face turned red. No matter how much he fanned his hand to cover up his reddened face, the heat didn¡¯t subside. Nigel coughed, muttering that the room was hot. Inas kindly opened the window and made wind with magic. Even asking, ¡°Are you okay?¡± He didn¡¯t know if he was ignorant or shameless¡­ No, he didn¡¯t care about the little things now. It was even okay for Inas to kill Nigel by drilling a hole in his chest and head. Meaning of his life. To hear that he was a person of such significance. When someone you like said that about you, who wouldn¡¯t like it? ¡°Can I continue what I was saying?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ Okay.¡± Confused, Nigel made a stupid sound and nodded his head late. If the duties and responsibilities as the duke¡¯s successor hadn¡¯t been deeply engraved in his bones, he might have lied down on his back, telling him to do whatever he wanted, whether it was to kill him or not. Nigel barely came to his senses and sat up to listen. ¡°Actually, in the beginning, there were many times I didn¡¯t finish 12 years and died. I did a lot of strange things because I was shocked to learn that time was going back.¡± ¡°Strange things?¡± ¡°I¡¯m too ashamed to tell you in detail. I was out of my mind from the shock, so I did a lot of childish things.¡± I couldn¡¯t imagine Inas doing childish things. Well, Inas wouldn¡¯t have been that crazy from the start. How many years did it take for the childish person to mature into such a madman? Nigel tried not to imagine specific numbers. ¡°I started killing Nigel-nim almost from the very beginning.¡± ¡°No, but why?¡± He wasn¡¯t used to it yet, but he started killing right away? Nigel was shocked, but Inas acted like it was natural. ¡°I died often, but my death didn¡¯t really matter anyway. I knew I was going to go back.¡± ¡°Well, that may be so.¡± Nigel also knew that he would be revived, so he didn¡¯t put much weight on death itself. ¡°But if I die suddenly, I never know what will happen to Nigel-nim for the rest of the time. Well, the world would rewind, so Nigel-nim could go back in time too, but I couldn¡¯t confirm it. So I killed you. I killed you as quickly and swiftly as I could, so that you don¡¯t have to suffer and go to the next round.¡± ¡°¡­ Only for that reason?¡± ¡°I hesitated to say it because I thought you¡¯d take it that way, but as I said, there is no value to Nigel-nim¡¯s death. I just prefer the cleaner and more definite method.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for a clean and definite method¡­¡± It was a very uncomfortable and unecessary consideration, but Inas only smiled instead of answering. It seemed that he was determined not to listen to Nigel. He definitely cared about him in a subtle way. Apart from not being afraid of death, it was still difficult to understand Inas, who killed him without any hesitation. He seemed to have killed him every time, and it was unlikely that he would change his mind at once, so Nigel gave up trying to persuade him. ¡°But how did it change to April 14th?¡± ¡°It was my intention to reduce the time that gets rewound, but I didn¡¯t know how much time will actually go back. I still don¡¯t know why April 14th. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s because I can meet Kay from around that time.¡± There was something that came to mind at Inas¡¯ words. The whereabouts of Inas, who disappeared for several days without permission. ¡°Then, did you meet him again this time?¡± As expected, Inas nodded. ¡°Yes. In the first place, Kay must meet me in order to get to the royal capital safely.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an event battle going on before coming here. The battle is more than difficult and Kay¡¯s at the level where he can¡¯t win¡­ In the original story, I appear and help Kay. In the second half, I will personally join the party and go around dungeons together.¡± There were words in the middle that he didn¡¯t know regarding events, but he roughly understood them from the context. Inas would deal with an enemy which inevitably had to be defeated, so that meant that Kay would die if he didn¡¯t meet Inas. He said that he wanted to confirm if things would occur as it was2, so he seemed to have moved as usual so as to not deviate from his original fate. ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get hurt.¡± Inas smiled lightly. T/N: Inas lowkey panicking because Nigel suspected he dated Kay in the past had me ROLLING. But not just Inas, I¡¯m telling you guys Nigel is also down BAD for Inas. One mention of him being Inas¡¯ meaning of life and suddenly he forgave his act of murdering him three times (that he was aware of). He¡¯s hopeless really, there¡¯s no saving him. 1 As in his feelings won¡¯t go away that easily, even if he might sometimes feel hurt at Inas¡¯ actions. 2 Refering to how Nigel wanted to check if the story will actually develop according to what Inas had mentioned before rewinding at the ending.