“Well, you certainly look much better,” I commented upon seeing Duncan.

Ben had escorted me into the family dining room, where Duncan was already seated and gazing about. Large framed paintings covered the walls of the room, depicting the Frey household members along with grandma’s extended long-passed-away family members.

Duncan sat at a circular oak table larger than the one grandma and I dined at the night earlier. It was the one I had eaten at the most frequently when other members of the Frey family came to the villa.

“I will return with Madame Ruth,” Ben said and walked out, leaving us alone.

Duncan’s long dark, auburn hair was groomed and tied back in a ponytail. The bandages covering his face were gone, replaced by a black silk mask covering his nose and mouth. And with new clothing upon his tall and well-postured frame, it was impossible to think that this wasn’t some noble’s son.

“Thank you for your household’s hospitality,” Duncan replied. He looked significantly more relaxed.

Perhaps he has gotten used to being surrounded by servants who all no doubt had high kill counts?

“You know we’re going to have dinner, though? You won’t be able to eat with your mouth covered,” I joked.

Duncan's long fingers ran across his silk mask.

“I realize that, but I prefer to keep this on until then.”

“What happened to your face, anyhow?” I asked and took a seat.

I had overheard that he had a scar on his face while in the Ashford Bakery, but I didn’t have much context on how he got it.

Not that I even knew of his existence until very recently, either.

Duncan laughed bitterly. “When I obtained this ability of mine, it was something another was meant to have. And he was… quite unhappy that I had accidentally obtained it.”

I frowned.

“Accidently? How does someone accidentally obtain a crazy ability like your eyes?”

One doesn’t just stumble upon something as powerful as the Grim Reaper Eyes on accident.

“Peep!”

Didn’t you stumble upon becoming a Player in this so-called Game by accident too?

Leona’s voice echoed in my mind, making me wonder for a moment if she was able to read my mind as well.

I would argue that your ability to restart your life upon death is even more crazier than this human has obtained.

Tsk. I couldn’t argue with Leona on that.

“You're nineteen, right? It was probably around when you were born,” Duncan recalled. “I was just a kid back then. My family was allowing a powerful wizard to stay at our estate. I was fascinated with magic at the time and loved to stick around him. It was magic unlike anything else most mages usually produce.”

“How so?” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair.

It wasn’t like there were all that many mages, as it were. And no one ever talked about wizards except in the context of old legends and myths.

“He conjured magic using some sort of enchanted twig.” Duncan made a motion with his fork. “And he’d say something; the words were important but useless without the stick. I tried.”

Duncan laughed.

“I found him fascinating and followed him around all the time. The sentiment wasn’t mutual, but I suppose he tolerated me because I was the Duke’s heir. But then I did something I shouldn’t have.”

“What did you do?” I asked. “Did you take his enchanted stick?”

“Oh no, not that,” Duncan replied. “But that wouldn’t have gone over well either. One day I wandered into his room and saw on his table this large red fruit that broke apart into smaller red berries.”

“And you ate it?” I asked.

He nodded his head. “I was a little kid. I saw the fruit, and it smelled nice, so I took a few of the red berries and ate them—I wasn’t greedy. I left the rest of the fruit there. I just wanted a taste.”

Duncan sighed.

“But just when I put it into my mouth and swallowed, the remaining fruit vanished, and a strange blue screen appeared and told me that I had obtained the Grim Reaper Eyes. Ever since then, I’ve had this ability.”

“Peep!”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

A blue screen! Luca, isn’t that what you see with the System?

It was. What Duncan was describing was something similar to how I had obtained my Random Character Checker ability and the blue screen that appeared whenever the System was present.

“Well, the wizard was most unhappy with me for having eaten it. Nearly killed me, but I survived with the scar he gave me.” Duncan pointed to his mask.

“How did the wizard get this fruit?” I asked.

I didn’t know there were fruit in our world that could provide abilities similar to how the System did.

Unless they are somehow connected?

Duncan chuckled. He had a very soft type of laugh that rolled out.

“No idea,” he said. “I didn’t get a chance to ask after he nearly killed me.”

“Ah, that’s understandable,” I said.

“I was out cold for about two weeks before I awoke again,” Duncan added.

“You know, you revealed quite a bit about yourself to me.” I leaned towards the table and rested my elbows on the rich oak table. “You revealed rather dangerous information even. How many others know about this?”

I was skeptical as to why he was so open with me. In my original life, my profession before joining The Guard was focused on obtaining information from people, but a lot more effort was required in those instances.

This is just way too easy.

Either Duncan was a fool. Or there was something far more valuable than he was hiding by sacrificing what might, on the surface be his trump card.

“My parents know. And so did one other person, but they have passed away,” Duncan said. “I don’t share this with just anyone; I’m sharing it with you because of who you are. You’re the only one that I know of that can help me. Besides, you’re on your seventh life. You would have eventually figured out all of this if you continued reincarnating.”

Duncan picked up one of the copped pitchers and poured himself some water. The water’s reflection danced in the golden-pink hue of the metal pitcher.

“Peep!”

I wonder what he did in the earlier rounds? This is your first time coming to the Town of Ascot.

I had the same question as Leona. What happened to him in my original life?

“I don’t suppose you can see how much time I have left?” I asked.

Duncan piercing blue eyes gazed at the top of my head, and I saw him smile as he lowered his mask and took a drink of water.

“It won’t help you, even if I tell you,” Duncan said. “So, I won’t.”

A long and ugly faded scar gashed across his nose and zipped down across his lips. It was rather unfortunate because had it not been for the scar, Duncan would have been considered a rather handsome man.

The Genuiver Duchy wasn’t short of funds, so the healing done on his face was the best that money could buy.

What did his original injury look like? Just what did the angry wizard do?

Duncan noticed my gaze and covered his face with the black silk mask.

The large dining doors opened, and grandmother walked in, her long metal cane clicking against the granite floors.

“Ah, you must be Duncan Genuiver. I heard my grandson met you at the festival,” she smiled in his direction.

Duncan gazed above grandma’s head, his blue eyes widened, and he quickly glanced toward me.

He probably saw how little time she had left.

“I-It’s a pleasure, M-Madame Ruth. I appreciate your hospitality,” Duncan replied. He stumbled over his words.

I guess he’s not that comfortable yet, after all.

“So, what brings you to Ascot?” Grandma asked.

Ben slid a chair for her, and she sat at the circular oak dining table.

“I heard from Ben that you requested Luca’s help regarding some sort of disaster that will strike the Genuiver region?” She gazed at Duncan. “And that my grandson is the only one that can help? Despite it being your first time meeting him?”

I glanced at Ben.

I suppose it’s of little surprise that he reported the whole incident to my grandmother.

He swished his fingers, and the servants brought plates of food and placed them on the table. Sautéed vegetables from the nearby farms, golden-crusted poultry, and baked savory dumplings graced the swiveling circle glass top.

“Peep! Peep!”

Leona’s excitement overtook her, and my mind was filled with her instructing what dishes she wanted to try.

“That is correct. Luca is the only one that can help regarding the issue within the Genuiver Duchy.” Duncan replied confidently. To my surprise, he didn’t stumble over his words as he had earlier.

“And what might this disaster be?” She inquired and placed a glazed roasted quail leg on her plate.

“I-I’m afraid I cannot say,” Duncan replied. He placed a few greens on his plate, and he shifted his eyes down to his food. “But Luca is the only one that can help prevent something terrible from occurring.”

Grandmother arched an eyebrow.

“Hmmm, ‘the only one that can help’ is quite a claim. Luca, do you know the disaster that will befall the Genuiver Region? And have you agreed to help Duncan Genuiver here?” Grandma’s gaze shifted onto me.

Her tone adjusted slightly. She had been grilling Duncan, but with me, she was simply asking a question.

“I do know,” I replied and instantly felt Duncan’s eyes on me, no doubt wondering what it was that I knew. “And I have agreed to help.”

“Is that so?” She nodded her head. “Well, I trust you know what you’re doing then.”

The topic was dropped and changed to grandmother inquiring about other news regarding the Genuiver region. She was undoubtedly not passing up the chance of being able to talk privately with the Genuiver’s firstborn.

I took a plate with dumplings and placed a pair on my plate. My plate was already stacked with other foods that I had placed upon Leona’s instructions. Or rather, half had already been swallowed by the tiny yellow bird.

“Peep!”

And grab that small grilled fish too!

Leona had zero interest in the conversations that were taking place. She had been cooing to me from beside my plate this whole time about what food she wanted to eat as the servants brought in more dishes, and I was quick to oblige her.

“Madame Ruth!” A young woman with a long black braid ran into the dining room. She leaned in and whispered something into my grandmother’s ear.

“Hah!” My grandmother exclaimed. “That old toad has finally croaked?”

“What happened?” I asked.

“Queen Yadana Daylan passed away,” she replied. “Ah, note that this is recent news and unknown to the public.”

What.

Even Leona stopped mid-dumpling.

“How?” I asked.

I didn’t understand why she would be dead. Not now, at the very least.

My grandmother shrugged.

“At this point, there’s no news on that yet, but it appears to be a natural death,” she said. “There were rumors that she has been gravely ill, given her recent absence from public-facing events.”

Bullshit.

After all, in my original life, she lived for many, many more years. And when she did pass, her death was far from natural. She was at the peak of her health up until the moment she died; there were even scammers that sprang up across Adovoria selling something called the Daylan Queen’s Secret Elixir that promised the same exuberant level of health as the Daylan Queen herself.

However, even the healthiest of people would be hard-pressed to survive a sword through their heart. She was stabbed by one of her own children while attending a holy celebration within the Daylan Dynasty.

So how in the world would she be dead now?