Tsing.

The two coins rang out against each other as I juggled them with one hand, tossing the charred black one, then the glistening golden one. It wasn't a true juggling act, as I never had both up simultaneously, so the coins collided in my palm before returning to midair.

My eyes wandered across the large mural depicting the world in Micah's office. The ambient light stones suspended above cast a warm glow, illuminating the map. Outside, rain poured, but the sound barely came through due to Micah's room's heavy insulation and soundproofing.

The world is so vast, yet Adovoria, and really, just the capital city of Genise, is all I've ever known.

Names of distant realms ran through my mind as my eyes traced over their names on the mural: the Daylan Dynasty, the Barakian Empire, the Kingdom of Laupia, the United Republic of Nalas, Brem, Zarez, Vertes, Lellei Kingdom, and the myriad of smaller countries scattered across the continent. Then, of course, there was the second continent with many nations of its own.

My focus returned to Adovoria, which appeared so small in the grand scheme of things.

Tsing.

I suppose it was traumatic enough an event that my memory was wiped clean.

I didn't remember the events of a couple hours back. I knew what had occurred. I knew full well that Micah was dead, as were Claude and Grandov. There were also several guards and people serving under Micah who got caught up in the disintegrating blast caused by Claude, but I didn't recall the visual of it.

And perhaps it's for the best.

I had the events recounted to me by Selena, Micah's primary guard, and Denise, who had witnessed everything, and they provided sufficient and nauseating detail of the sight. Claude Noire had forfeited on getting away and decided to self-destruct instead. Apparently, he had swung his right foot and delivered a blow to his own head as if it were a tarsus ball and he was shooting a goal. This image described was comical, but the events after that were far from it. The moment Claude's head hit the end of the red orb surrounding his body, a buzz sounded, and a second, far larger red orb formed from where his head hung midair, and everything organic within that sphere began to disintegrate.

"It was as if time had set into a swift advancement of deterioration. Everyone decomposed. Their flesh fell off their bones and disintegrated into the floor," Selena explained upon realizing I had lost my memories.

"The floor disintegrated too," Denise had added. "Anything and everything organic decomposed. The staff is cleaning up and fixing the hallway, as even the walls and floor were damaged."

The disintegration didn't end until the bones appeared to be at least a millennium old. The most horrific was the effect on those partially within the orb's scope. One of the guards was tossing a dagger at Claude when the second orb appeared. It resulted in the loss of his right arm right off just below his elbow, with just the bones sticking out. Or rather, he was smart enough to pull his arm back so the layers of decomposition were outlined on his flesh. That was what I was told, at least; I didn't actually remember nor care to see it before his arm was amputated.

Tsing.

Only four items remained fully intact and seemingly unaffected by the disintegration magic. One was the Cursed Iron Letter Opener that I must have tossed at Claude. I didn't recall even tossing it, but I suppose I had given it was found beside his bones. The second item was the little black stone turtle that Micah always kept on him. I found it humorous given how even the hallway's stone flooring had shown signs of wear and tear, and yet this little turtle looked as good as the day I gifted him to Micah. The last two items were the two coins I was currently playing with.

The charred black coin was found in Micah's possession, or rather, beside his bones. The item description for it described it as a Coin of Misfortune, nullifying a singular "luck" producing artifact. Interestingly enough, there weren't any requirements regarding radius, only that it required knowledge of the artifact and to be on the same plane of existence, whatever that meant. It was only possible to use three times a day, for a grand total of six hours a day, but I understood why my brother was so unconcerned about Claude's possession of Chase Daylan's "lucky coin."

Tsing.

The golden coin flew in the air, the glow of the light stones glinting off its shinny surface.

Now where in the world this coin had come from was a mystery. From what I understood, Claude Noire was stripped bare when he was initially examined. Where he managed to stow away his coin and avoid its detention, I did not know. However, it was found beside his bones, so it was evidently in his possession.

[ Item: Lucky Coin

Description: This exquisite golden coin, seemingly touched by the hands of fortune, is an artifact of favorable destiny, providing glimpses into the erratic nature of luck. Its unique ability allows the manipulation of fate, turning its usage into a calculated gamble. Ask what the future has to offer and toss the coin. If the coin lands heads, the outcome shall be positive, while tails is negative. Further tosses can shift fate in the desired direction, but note that this is not guaranteed and can instead further promote the outcome you did not desire. A game of chance, the Lucky Coin offers the potential for extraordinary rewards.

Warning: While the Lucky Coin offers the prospect of favorable outcomes, overuse can lead to a breakage in the equilibrium of fate and unexpected misfortune may be attracted to you as a means of restoring order. To avoid such misfortune, utilizing this coin a maximum of three times a month is recommended. ]

While a frightening item indeed, it appeared that Claude Noire had indeed overspent his luck. Micah's possession of the Coin of Misfortune was about as unlucky as it got for Claude.

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Perhaps in the next Round, if I ever have issues with Chase Daylan, Micah's coin can help subvert his coin's power.

I frowned.

Or perhaps not. At the very least, only if there's a dire need.

Regrettably, this Round also brought misfortune upon my brother. He, like Claude, was, after all, dead. The warning on the charred coin stated that extended use would also accumulate misfortune, much like the Lucky Coin. Even though these coins were quite different, they were to some extent linked by a common thread.

"—master Luca," Henry's voice sounded. "You should eat something."

I looked up and realized that I had drifted so far into my own thoughts that I didn't even hear Henry and the other servant enter.

My eyes wandered over to the food cart the servant had brought in, and a laugh escaped my lips as he removed the cover, revealing all underneath.

"I understand needing to eat, but isn't that a little much?" I said, smiling.

The cart was filled with, to the brim, with enough food to stuff a whole family.

"Or are you joining me for the meal?" I joked.

The man who had carted in the food looked wide-eyed. "No, this is for your bird—"

"Bird?" I frowned.

Henry seemed equally baffled, given his expression.

Whatever did he mean? I didn't have a bird. There were the family messenger birds, but they weren't really mine per se. And in any case, what sort of bird could ever eat that much?

I raised a brow at the large whole cake that sat on one of the lower shelves of the cart.

I couldn't possibly eat that all on my own. No human could.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a sudden headache coming over.

Henry leaned over toward the man and whispered something to him.

"Ah—my apologies, young master Luca," the servant bowed. "Grab what you wish. Fiona has been experimenting with new dishes; the rest I will be carting away to feed the others affected in the blast."

I nodded in understanding and picked out a couple of dishes from the cart: a pair of succulent grilled chicken skewers, delicate lettuce rolls filled with colorful, thinly sliced vegetables, and two tantalizing lemon tarts.

The man left, closing the door behind him, but Henry remained behind.

"Young master Luca, I heard the trauma has made you forget today's events, but you don't remember Leona?" Henry asked.

I bit into one of the chicken skewers, the meat's juices filling my mouth. There was a particular vibrant spice to it that uplifted the taste.

Fiona has outdone herself.

I shook my head. "Who is she?"

"She was a little yellow chickling that you always had with you," he explained.

I smiled, now understanding. "She's the bird that servant referred to?"

Henry nodded. "She was also within the blast's range."

"Ah, is that so," I said and took a bite of the lettuce roll.

Henry seemed a bit distressed at my response, though, which I didn't understand.

It's just a bird. A pet bird that I can't even remember.

"She had an insane appetite, capable of eating everything on that cart and much more," Henry continued. "She once ate me, your sister, and all the guards and spat us out in another area."

"What?" I squinted, feeling my headache worsen. "That doesn't sound like a normal bird."

"She wasn't a normal bird," Henry said. "I don't know what she was, but she was intelligent and happy and loved to eat like no one else."

His eyes brimmed with tears, and I blinked in shock.

"Young master Luca, surely you can remember her?" he asked.

"I'll try," I replied, quickly adding, "I promise."

Henry left shortly after that, and I ate alone in Micah's office.

<< Hey System, tell me everything regarding Leona. And make sure to include all the details. >>

[ Understood. It all began when you decided to find a cure for Remlend— ]

***

Damn it.

I leaned in the armchair and gazed up at the ceiling of my brother's office.

Forgetting the image of Claude's disintegrating blast was a blessing; I could see how traumatized everyone else who witnessed and remembered it was. However, forgetting someone as important as Leona was unacceptable.

The System had even explained how I could eliminate this so-called "blessing" that tampered with my memories when I asked it. It was so obvious and simple. But the trouble was that it was far from easy, and the repercussions weren't worth it. It was equivalent to telling me to die.

I rolled my neck and looked over toward the bottle of some fancy liquor sitting in a corner with a pair of crystal glasses. I didn't know Micah to drink much, and given how full the bottle was, it appeared practically untouched.

Tch.

In my original life, I had used liquor as a crutch to fade away the horrors that I witnessed and inflicted as part of my profession. I drank until it all became a distant and fuzzy memory. This blessing worked in a similar matter.

"Ignorance is Bliss, huh?" I muttered.

It was a guess of what the so-called "blessing" was that lowered my Intelligence and subsequently faded away certain memories. Grandov had muttered the phrase occasionally when I had conveniently forgotten some terrible event. The trouble was that this so-called blessing was also erasing vital and precious memories.

<< Hey, System, add Leona's existence to the list of reminders to provide me with on every restart. >>

[ Understood. It has been added. ]

My memory was shoddy, but the System's wasn't. Inspired by Claude Noire's practice of tattooing information for his future self, the idea of utilizing the System in a similar fashion occurred to me. Better yet, unlike visible tattoos that someone else could discover, the System was unseen, and its information was available exclusively to me.

I sat up and gazed at the mural on my brother's wall.

Now the question was, do I restart the Round or live it out a bit longer, gathering information?

In the initial previous rounds, I ended my life immediately after Micah's demise, but now I was suddenly questioning doing so. It was ironic, given that Micah had explicitly instructed me to end the Round early—or, to be precise—do Chase a favor. Moreover, Grandov was dead, as was Leona. I lost three important individuals in a single moment that I couldn't even remember.

Having talked with Micah previously, I had also accepted that I wouldn't beat this impossibly difficult game anytime soon. It was as Micah had suggested: it would take many Rounds. I hated it, but if Micah said so, it was right. Thus, wasn't it only fitting to accept this as a lost Round and get the most out of it?

And with the Lucky Coin now in my possession, didn't this change the playing field? If Micah knew I had it, would he have suggested a different course of action?

I eyed the map of countries I knew nothing about.

Perhaps. Besides, didn't Micah also instruct me to focus on gathering knowledge? I could finish studying at Lisa's and become a mage of sorts. He had also specifically instructed me to learn about all the different people and nations and what drives them. And wasn't this a unique opportunity to do just that and test the limits of my own luck?

"Henry!" I called out.

"Yes, young master Luca?" Henry propped open the door.

"Can you have Jasper brought over?" I asked.

"Of course, young master Luca."

"Ah, and could you bring the old-looking brass door handle on my table from my room?" I added.

"I'll have Remlend fetch it and Jasper for you," Henry said, closing the door.

Tsing.

I tossed the golden coin in the air and smiled, becoming more confident of my decision to continue out this Round despite the deaths of three of the most important individuals in my life. This Round was as good as dead, but with the luckiest gambler I knew and this Lucky Coin in my possession, this was an opportunity like no other.

I smiled.

Heads or tails? It didn't matter. I just need to have Jasper bet on heads.