"Stop right there," Ben's voice thundered. "Do not come any closer to the young master."

His body moved in front of me, walling me off from Duncan Genuiver. A saber extended from his hand, the tip touching Duncan's chest.

Another two people I had initially assumed to be regular townsfolk also moved to surround Duncan Guiniver with daggers pointed at him.

One was a young woman who had been selling flowers, and the other was a teenage boy who had been eating a pastry.

Looking around, I noted a few other individuals who looked alerted by the situation and ready to step in but remained on the sidelines for now.

I smirked.

Why am I even surprised my grandma had more than just Ben as my bodyguard around town? I finally understood why neither Nirre nor Blake had accompanied me on this outing. There wasn't any need for them.

Duncan blinked in surprise and looked around himself. The piercing gaze he originally had toward me was gone.

"I–I mean no trouble," he stammered out. Unlike his appearance, his voice was soft and lacked confidence.

"Then why did you come like that towards the young master? You even knocked a table over," Ben said. His hand held the saber in place.

Duncan looked back at the overturned table behind him and the people staring at him. His wide-eyed expression indicated that he seemed to only just realize what he had done. But unfortunately, the rest of his face was covered in bandages, so I only had his eyes and tone to comprehend what he might have been thinking.

"I–I was in a hurry. I'm sorry. But I had to talk with you," Duncan's light blue eyes met mine. He tried to step around Ben's saber.

"You will stay right where you are!" Ben announced. His saber followed Duncan, blocking him from getting any closer to me. The woman and teenage boy moved tighter toward him.

"Please, I need to speak with you," Duncan pleaded to me. "It's important. I need your help."

"Young master Luca, do you know this man?" Ben asked without looking back.

I frowned.

"I don't."

I didn't even know that the spoiled Anastasia Genuiver had an older brother until I overheard that bit of gossip yesterday. And the only reason I knew this man was him was because of the Random Character checker.

"Why do you need to speak with me?" I inquired. "This is our first time meeting."

"Ah." Duncan's eyes widened. He seemed to comprehend something. "I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Duncan Genuiver. I am the eldest son of the Genuiver Duchy."

"As if." Ben held his saber in place. "No noble would wander around without a guard."

I took in Duncan's appearance in full.

His face was bandaged up, but it was just the lower part of it, likely hiding whatever scar the lady at the Ashford Bakery had mentioned. Atop his head, long dark auburn hair to his shoulders. It had a shine that indicated good care. His clothing was dirty and worn but constructed of high-quality material. The golden embossed buttons with the Genuiver coat of arms were the most obvious clue. And then there was his posture; it was the biggest giveaway that he had grown up in a type of environment focused on high-class mannerisms.

I glanced at Ben.

I'm surprised he hadn't caught on based on these clues. But perhaps his precautions had taken over?

And it's not like I'm confident this man won't harm me either.

"I'll prove it to you," Duncan moved to pull something out of his inner pocket.

"Stop right there!" Ben called out. "No more movements. Put your hands up."

Duncan froze in place, and his blue eyes pleaded toward me. "Please, I'm telling the truth."

I sighed and stepped in.

"Ben, he is indeed Duncan Genuiver. He's telling the truth. Let's avoid an unnecessary conflict with the Genuiver Duchy."

It was bad enough with Prince Chase Daylan being dead. I didn't need another important figure's bloodshed and the subsequent consequences of dealing with it, especially not the ridiculously wealthy Genuiver Duchy.

"Young master Luca, what should we do with him then?" Ben asked. The young woman and boy holding their daggers against Duncan gazed my way for instructions.

"You mentioned you needed my help—not that I understand how I may be of any. But, nonetheless, what is it regarding?" I asked Duncan.

I was perplexed. By all accounts, this was a most peculiar meeting. He didn't know me, and I didn't know him. And any sort of reputation that I had garnered by now was not the type that would prompt someone, especially a Duke's son, to come and seek my help.

So why?

"A disaster will strike the Genuiver region, and I need your help to circumvent it from occurring," Duncan said. "Only you can help me."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

I smiled awkwardly.

Really, where was all this coming from?

"I'm afraid I don't understand why you think I, of all people, can help," I said. "This is our first time meeting, unless I'm mistaken."

Duncan's blue eyes looked around at the three people with weapons pointed at him.

"It's because… you've lived seven lives," he whispered. Not that there was any point in whispering; everyone heard him.

I felt a shiver run from my arms and to the top of my skull, and it wasn't just because Leona stirred atop my hair.

"Peep!"

Luca, how does this human know that you've lived seven rounds? Does he know about the Game?

I didn't know either.

Is it perhaps one of the unknown fields that the Random Character Checker couldn't show? Can he see that I'm a Player?

"Young master Luca? What does he mean by that?" Ben asked. "And how should we proceed?'

Tsk.

I did not need this conversation to take place around other people. And by now, my curiosity was higher than my fear of what Duncan could see with his Grim Reaper Eyes and what he might do to me.

Worst case, he kills me. And then I'll make sure to avoid him in Round 8. I reasoned with myself.

"Please have him escorted somewhere I can speak with him privately," I said. "Someplace close by."

I didn't want to lug Duncan all the way up to the villa and then explain to grandma what was happening.

"There's an empty inn around the corner, but young master Luca, it is unwise to have a conversation alone with—"

"Ben," I cut him off. "That's an order. And I'll be the judge of what's dangerous or not. I'm sure you've heard what happened on the road yesterday. I'm not entirely powerless. Now, lower your weapons and take us to the inn."

"I apologize," Ben lowered his saber and motioned for the other two to do the same. "I'll escort you both to the inn."

***

I swiped the dust off the wooden table with one finger and rubbed my thumb and index finger together, feeling the grime roll up.

Ben wasn't kidding about the inn being empty. He failed to mention that it's been vacant for perhaps a year. Dust floated in the air, and the windows were either barred up with wooden boards or layered with a heavy coating of dirt. There was also a stale scent in the air.

At least it provides some privacy.

"Peep!"

Why is he staring at me like that?

Leona hopped back and forth across the dusty table.

On the other side sat Duncan. His light blue eyes followed her movements.

Can he perhaps see something about Leona as well?

"How did you know I've lived seven rounds?" I whispered.

Ben and the two undercover guards were outside. I had ordered all of them to stay back and not listen in. Still, without a mana-enforced field to mute our conversation, whispering was the best precaution I had against nosey outsiders.

Duncan met my eyes but then quickly looked away.

"It's a long story." His voice was soft.

"I have time." I crossed my arms and leaned back in the old wooden chair. It creaked under my back's weight. "And if you expect me to even consider helping you, you must tell me. How else am I supposed to trust you?"

"It's not like I can trust you either." Duncan's eyes moved to a space just above my head. "I can tell you're a very dangerous person."

I burst out laughing.

Duncan's whole body language told me that he was scared to be sitting across from me. His shoulders were hunched, his fingers were fidgeting with one another, and his eyes avoided meeting mine directly.

Just what does he see above my head? Can he really see how many people I've killed in my original life? And why despite all that, he came to me for help?

"Well, I suppose to a certain degree, you're not wrong. I am dangerous," I said. "But once again, if you want my help, you'll have to explain how you know I've lived seven rounds."

"I can see certain things that others cannot see." Duncan's eyes refocused on his hands. His fingers twiddled with the golden signet ring on his left hand. "I can see how many lives someone has consciously lived through. That's why I know you've lived seven lives."

Is that one of the hidden pieces of information that the System could not show me?

"Well, on that, you are right. I have lived seven lives." I decided there was no point in pretending with this all-seeing man. "But I don't understand why you would come to me for help. How does having lived several times qualify me to help you? And with what exactly?"

"I can also see how long someone has left to live," Duncan said.

I sat back up correctly in my chair and crossed my arms.

He can see when someone will die? Is that the third hidden field, perhaps?

"Because of this ability, I can see that almost everyone living within the Genuiver Duchy will perish soon. However, when I warned my parents and others, no one believed me. Even when I accurately predicted when someone would die, it only made people afraid of me."

I can sympathize with that.

Because of all the reckless pranks I played, no one believed me when I tried to warn my household regarding Kaiden. So, in the end, I had to take matters into my own hands, somewhat literally.

"That's unfortunate, but I still don't understand where I come into the picture. I can't say I have the best reputation either," I said.

"I recently met someone, or rather, two someones. They told me that if I wanted to save the Genuiver Duchy I needed to come to the Town of Ascot and find a young man who has lived multiple lives." Duncan's eyes moved towards Leona. "And that he'd have an unusual companion."

My eyebrows furrowed together.

"They told me that you'd be able to help me," he said.

"Peep!"

He was looking for you? And am I the unusual companion? Is that why he's looking at me like that?

I rested my elbows on the dusty table and leaned my chin into my clenched hands. I gripped my hands so hard my fingers were going numb.

"Duncan Genuiver, who exactly told you to come to the Town of Ascot and find me? And when was this?"

Duncan's blue eyes met mine.

"It was early in the morning two days ago," he said. "I was traveling on the road when I came across two elderly women traveling by carriage alone."

He can't possibly mean who I think…?

My heart rate gained newfound traction and raced forward, beating erratically. Blood rushed through my ears, and even my eyes seemed to pound.

"Were they called the Misfortune Sisters?" I asked. My mouth felt dry.

Duncan's eyes widened, and even though the lower part of his face was bandaged, I thought I saw a smile.

"Indeed!" He nodded his head. "It was the Misfortune Sisters. They told me to find you here. They said you'll be able to help me."