The carriage rumbled along the cobbled streets of Genise, taking us away from the palace. The sounds of the bustling capital city mixed in with the occasional clop of horse hooves as the carriage moved through the busy streets.

"What did you take this time?" I asked Jasper after he nestled into the seat across from me.

The grin on his freckled face widened.

"A mage tower," he announced.

I blinked.

"An abandoned mage tower?" I asked.

"Obviously. What other kinds are there? But not just any abandoned mage tower." Jasper tapped his fingers together conspiratorially. His voice lowered as if sharing a confidential scheme. "A supposedly haunted one that hasn't been ravaged to bits yet."

"Peep!"

Don't tell me; even mage towers are a thing of the past?

<< There are nowhere near enough mages to oversee their management anymore. They require a lot of mana to run, and the mages nowadays are too subpar to power one. Besides the mages that do exist, most are slaves. >>

No phoenixes. No dragons. Infected lands. Lack of mages. It's as if the natural magic of the world had been stripped away.

<< I suppose that's an accurate way to put it. >>

"Where is this so-called haunted mage tower?" I asked, turning my attention back to Jasper.

"Laupia," Jasper replied.

I frowned.

"Laupia is currently in the midst of a revolution," I said. "Isn't that a rather risky venture—who knows if ownership rights will still be valid? Or it'll even still be standing there when the dust settles."

"It's fine." Jasper shrugged. He seemed unfazed by any potential challenges. "I'll talk with your older brother to get the issue of ownership rights squared away."

"Micah? How will he be able to help?" I didn't doubt my brother could help, but I didn't fathom how in this case.

Jasper's raised eyebrow hinted at a piece of information that I had somehow missed.

"You must be joking," he chuckled. "Your brother is the one behind all the issues occurring in Laupia in the first place. I figured you already knew that."

"No, I wasn't aware." I gazed out the window, the city's vibrant life passing by outside. "I suppose that's another one of those matters I need to discuss with him."

I had diligently attended each of Professor Whistles's history lessons these past couple of days regarding the House of Arkangul. I was aware that my family's ancestors were far more involved in the tapestry of Adovoria's politics than I had ever realized. What the history lessons didn't cover was how we were currently involved.

"Once everything is resolved, I can take you to the mage tower. It could be good fun to explore it. I'll even let you take something as a souvenir."

"Alright, sounds good to me," I smiled at Jasper.

[ Level 2 Random Character Check in progress for Jasper Lith ]

However, to my surprise, two blue slot-like screens rolled in the air. The Level 2 of this skill allowed me to view two random attributes a day, but they had never come up for one person before.

The two screens rolled to a stop, revealing the two stats.

I balked.

[ Perception: 98 ]

[ Luck: 220 ]

<< System, what is this nonsense? How are Perception and Luck so high? Jasper couldn't even tell that he was consuming poisoned tea all this time. And lucky? Really?? He died before. That's as unlucky as it gets. >>

[ Luca, we have covered this before. ]

[ Would you judge a fish by its ability to fly? ]

<< What? No. >>

I was confused by what the System was getting at.

[ The stats you see are a representation of all possible categories. For example, someone might be a genius surgeon and yet an utterly bumbling fool when it comes to matters of state affairs. ]

<< So you're saying there are subcategories to each stat? >>

[ Exactly. Jasper might not be perceptive to the nefarious actions of someone he has romantic feelings for, but perhaps he has other areas that his perception shines. ]

<< Like gambling? >>

[ Precisely. ]

I frowned.

<< Is there a way for me to see these subcategories? Or can I only see that if I move about access to other areas? >>

By moving about my access to other Game aspects, I gained access to the Game Store. However, I still couldn't get rid of all the errors that prevented me from seeing certain information.

[ Technically, yes, but it's not that simple. You would need to purchase an upgrade package to view that level of detail. ]

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Oh?

<< Where can I buy that? In the Game Store? >>

[ Indeed. It's called the Stat #*%# Upgrade Package. ]

I pulled up the Game Store screen and scrolled through the screens.

<< I don't suppose there's a way to filter the items? >>

It was a pain going through the pages one by one.

[ Yes, but that's another Syatem upgrade package. ]

Damn it.

Luckily, the Stat #*%# Upgrade Package appeared on the tenth or so page, so I didn't have to scroll for too long.

But what is with that price tag?

My eyes watered just thinking about how many Ashford Bakery baked goods I'd have to sell in order to afford it.

It would take eons.

I pushed away the Game Store screen, and my eyes settled on Jasper, who was giving me a peculiar expression.

"Luca, just what is going through your head?" Jasper's voice broke through the silence that had settled around us.

Damn it. I got so focused on the screens that I forgot to control my expressions.

"I was just thinking," I began, my gaze shifting between Jasper and the carriage ceiling, "given your connections and everything you've won from gambling to date, how come you're still working as my attendant?" The question tumbled out of my mouth, a hasty diversion to conceal my distraction.

Jasper laughed.

"Because it's way too amusing to be by your side, and I expect it'll only get more interesting," he winked.

I shuddered involuntarily, a sensation of deja vu sweeping over me. It reminded me a tad too much of what Chase Daylan had once told me.

"Young master Luca, I hope you had a good outing." Remlend's presence intruded as he opened the carriage door for me, ending our conversation.

"We most certainly did." Jasper grinned and jumped out of the carriage first.

I followed suit.

"Micah is back?" My eyes fell on one of the servants walking through the courtyard that I knew had been in Ascot alongside my brother.

"He is indeed," Remlend replied. "Young master Micah returned a little after you had left for the palace. He requested that you be brought to him as soon as you returned."

"Good; I wanted to talk with him on a few matters anyhow," I said.

Now that I had a good grasp of my family's history, it was high time I learned about our involvement nowadays. If it was anything like that of the past, I expected some rather shocking revelations.

I walked inside the manor and frowned.

The air felt heavy. Looking at the guards and servants, their expressions looked grim.

I glanced toward Remlend, who was accompanying me. His expression was as nondescript as usual.

"Remlend, what happened? Why is there a dark cloud hanging over the manor?" I asked.

My heart began to race.

Please, don't tell me someone else has died again.

The last time I had seen everyone behaving like this was in the previous round when Jasper had died.

"Did someone die?" The question fell out before Remlend could respond.

“No,” Remlend replied. "No one has died."

I sighed, relief washing over me.

“Yet,” Remlend added.

My eyes narrowed on him.

"What does that mean? Is someone ill?" I guessed. "Remlend, out with it. Just what had occurred while I was out?"

"It's Charles," Remlend replied. "Young master Micah has him in the cellar and is currently questioning him."

I felt my mouth go dry.

Charles? As in the butler Charles, who had served the Frey family longer than I was alive? The same one that had helped me manage the family business when my parents had passed away? That Charles?

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Master, it's been two hours," Seymour's raspy voice sounded behind Micah. "You should eat."

Tsk.

Micah crossed his arms.

His eyes were squarely on one of his people currently interrogating Charles. The old butler was a bloodied mess, yet he hadn't made a single peep this whole time. The woman conducting the interrogation wasn't new to this line of work either.

Micah would have been pleased with this development had it been their family's enemies, the ones interrogating Charles. He was one of the oldest members of the Frey household staff and had access and knowledge that most other members were not privy to. However, he had already long betrayed the Frey family. The question now was how far his betrayal went and precisely what was revealed to their foes so that Micah could do damage control.

At the very least, the "why" had been answered.

Various religious groups and cults existed across the continent. There was, of course, the sham of a religion like the Paragons of Rahosm Temple, which while a tad annoying, was relatively harmless all things compared. Then some focused their beliefs on prayer to specific deities and gods. These types could get heated, and wars had previously broken out based on their differing views, but they were also relatively benign.

And then there were the Guardians of Luminal, a group that believed in an impending apocalypse and focused their efforts to avert it.

Usually, Micah wouldn't have cared about a bunch of crazies that thought the world would end. That is, except the focus of their attention had recently fallen on his family for some reason. Micah wondered if the misfortune he learned about his younger brother had anything to do with them, but their efforts seemed focused on the other Frey family members instead. Luca, luckily, was not a target of their attacks.

Micah would have had the cult vaporized from existence by now, except they were near impossible to identify. Unlike the Spiders Syndicate, which marked their members with their signature tattoo, members of Guardians of Luminal didn't mark their members in any notable way. They didn't even meet on a regular basis as other cults would. It was a complete mystery to Micah how they conducted their recruitment and brainwashing.

However, the Guardians of Luminal did have one somewhat bizarre ritual of staring blankly at the ceiling for several minutes when alone.

One of Seymour's people had managed to catch Charles conducting this ritual, signaling his treachery. No other indications of Charles' betrayal were found, except that he had somehow missed Denise's affiliation to the Spiders. That might have been otherwise chalked up as an honest mistake, but with the connection to the cult, it was clearly more devious.

Knock. Knock.

"Young master Micah, your brother Luca is back," one of the guards announced from the other side of the locked door.

Since Luca hadn't informed Micah about Charles in his massive debriefing ten days back, Micah had surmised that his brother was unaware of Charles' betrayal.

"Thank you, I'm coming out," Micah replied, walking over to the door. "Please have him wait for me in my office."

Having Luca learn about Charles' involvement with that cult and his betrayal is of the utmost importance.

"Perhaps we could hire an outsider that's an expert in the art of interrogation," Seymour suggested.

"You better not be suggesting The Farmer or that wretched witch," Micah muttered and unlocked the door with his runic ring.

"No, no. Of course not," Seymour interjected, following Micah outside. "I've recently found a new talent: Kleave. He's been making a name for himself as of late."

Micah frowned. "Kleave the Kid? That pink-haired punk that my brother bet on against the Ogre?"

"That is most correct, Master," Seymour replied.

"Before that, could I have a word with Charles?" Luca's voice sounded nearby.

Micah turned and saw his brother standing against one of the cellar walls. The little yellow bird that always followed his brother around was nowhere to be seen.

Ah. So he was already down here.

"I assume you heard that Charles had betrayed our family?" Micah walked over to his brother.

Luca solemnly nodded

Based on his expression, Micah confirmed that his brother had indeed also been unaware of Charles' treachery.

"I don't mind, but he's a bit of a mess right now…" Micah trailed.

"Please have him healed," Luca said.

Micah might have assumed that his brother intended to lessen Charles's suffering. However, Luca's eyes told a different story. There was a darkness in them that spoke of calculated resolve.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of conflicted emotions as he observed the expression on Luca's face. It reminded him of the look Luca had after having killed Kaiden.

Micah sighed.

I suppose it was inevitable with enough time and experience.

"Seymour, do as my brother requested," Micah ordered. "Please have Charles healed, and bring Luca up to speed on what you uncovered."

"Very well, Master," Seymour bowed.