Player 0.4 [You have died.] [Reset in progress.]

Four sets of eyes gazed at my head when I entered Father's office. They were all no doubt staring at Leona in the form of a fat, overindulged yellow bird.

My eyes, however, stared above the head of the boy in the room, sitting beside whom I concluded to be Sarka Jarbez. He looked the same age as my younger siblings, Elda and Jarvis.

A hovering blue screen had appeared over his head. The random character checker had started for him.

[ Level 1 Character Check in progress for Leonard Jarbez (formerly Leonardo Ashfallow). ]

He must be Sarka's kid, given the original and new surnames are the same.

My eyes glanced towards Sarka. They shared some similarities, but the boy had clearly taken more after his father. He had a dark complexion like his mother, but his hair was winded in golden curls. And then there were his eyes…

Letters and numbers rolled through the blue screen like a slot machine until they finally stopped in place.

[ Skill: Magical Inventor (Level 3)]

[ Leonard Jarbez is capable of mana stone smithing and has an inventor's eye toward reverse-engineering. ]

Huh. Like mother, like son.

I was used to my younger siblings' genius. Still, it was nonetheless impressive for him to be this capable for his age.

"Hello, my name is Luca Frey. You must be Sarka Jarbez. I heard you had just arrived?" I spoke to the woman.

I knew she was slightly younger than my mother, but she could have easily passed for a young thirty-some-year-old.

However, Sarka blinked in response and motioned to Leonard.

"My name is Leonard," the boy introduced himself. "My mother is new to your language, so I will speak for her." He spoke slowly, clearly unfamiliar with the language himself.

I sat beside Father and Micah on the couch, across Leonard and Sarka.

"My son, Luca here, is the one that suggested we invest in you. That is why I asked him to join us," Father explained.

"Very good. Let's continue with our talk," Leonard said.

Leona perked up on my head.

That kid has phoenix eyes too. I wonder if he has any notable talents himself. I wonder what his parents accomplished; parents of such children are usually quite impressive.

I smiled. I didn't know anything of the boy's father, but Sarka Jarbez was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

I had noticed the golden eyes of the boy as well when we entered the office. His mother's eyes were a dark gray, so he had clearly not inherited them from her.

Father and Micah led the discussion with Leonard, who would translate to his mother and respond in kind.

There was frankly no point in me being in the room for this discussion.

I gazed around the office with its white shelves covering the walls, full of books and scrolls. A large desk sat in front of two large windows. The afternoon sun flowed inside the room.

When Father and Mother passed in my original life, I had inherited this room as my office. I shuddered, remembering the sleepless nights as I went through all the documents on behalf of the Frey Merchant Guild, desperately trying to keep the family business afloat. The staff certainly helped, but every project failed even with their careful guidance. It was as if a hidden force from the shadows was working to bring the Frey Merchant Guild down.

Knowing what I know now, there probably was.

"Luca, is there anything you wished to add?" Micah asked me, bringing me back into the present.

I glanced at the four people gazing at me.

"No, I don't see anything else needed," I replied.

I had dozed off from the conversation, but from the pieces I gathered, Father and Micah had made in-depth precautions to ensure Sarka's and Leonard's safety. Sorvagur's new regime that toppled over the original government was very keen on taking Sarka back.

If Father and Micah were this careful against an entire government, it was unlikely that Sarka would fall into the Spider's web this time around.

"Wonderful," Micah stood up. "I will walk you two to your new residence within the Frey manor."

Leonard translated Micah's words to his mother. She stood up and smiled.

"Thank you," she said with a rich accent.

It was strange. I had seen Sarka on perhaps only two occasions in my original life, and she looked exhausted and angry each time. Her reputation as the creator of some of the most horrific inventions also painted her in a certain light.

However, the woman before me had none of the characteristics I had imagined her to have. I could tell she was brilliant, but she didn't appear cruel. It was hard to imagine such a person having been responsible for creating what she had in my original life.

"Thank you," Leonard echoed. Unlike his mother, he had a serious expression on his face, clearly focused on the task of getting through this meeting professionally.

It was rather cute.

What happened to him in the original timeline?

I frowned.

I suspected the Spiders also found a use for him, but I had never seen or even heard of his existence in my first life. Whatever his fate was, I had a feeling it wasn't good.

The three of them left, leaving me alone in the office with Father.

I stood up to head out as well.

"Ah, Luca, before you go, I have something for you." Father walked around to his table and pulled out a locked box.

I walked over, confused by what he might have had for me.

"It's a bit delayed, but here are the twenty-seven phoenix eyes you asked me about yesterday," he said.

I blinked in surprise.

"Why now?" I asked.

It was quite a sum, but I didn't need it anymore. And I had accumulated a considerable fortune already by a lucky gamble.

"It's alright; I managed to get the money I needed," I said. "I don't need this."

Father clicked his tongue.

"Luca, I'm going to teach you a vital lesson that I hope you remember for the rest of your life. It will be especially crucial when you inherit the Frey Merchant Guild in the future."

He unlocked the box open with a key and pulled twenty-seven phoenix eyes.

"Don't ever leave money on the table," he said. "If there's an opportunity, you have to take it. Because the next time around, there won't be such an opportunity."

He put the phoenix eyes into a purple velvet pouch and handed them to me.

"And I'm not giving you these just for nothing. It's for bringing in Sarka Jarbez, or rather, by her more renowned former name, Sarina Ashfallow. A talent like hers working for the Frey Merchant Guild will mean a significant return on investment."

I accepted the pouch of phoenix eyes. The gemstone clicked in my hands as I felt their weight through the soft velvet pouch.

"Thank you," I said.

"Also, I will have you join future meetings frequently," Father continued speaking. He closed the box and put it away within his desk. "As my new heir, there are many aspects of this job that you will need to learn."

I smiled.

I had a similar discussion with Father in my original life when Micah had passed. It was a much somber conversation. I was a complete mess, not just from losing my brother but also from the weight of the duty that had befallen me.

I tucked the velvet pouch into my breast pocket.

"Very well, let me know when you need me," I said.

I was still nervous about having the unpleasant burden of being the new heir befall me. Still, having gone through it once, I knew at least a few certain pitfalls to avoid.

And besides, I now have the System. It can help me piece together future events so I can either avoid or take advantage of them. Not to mention, in the worst-case scenario, I can restart and try again.

"Ah and–" Father began speaking but paused. He was gazing at my head, or rather at Leona. "Nevermind. Nothing changes overnight. I'll let you know the next steps in your heirship with time. You can go."

I stepped out of his office into the red-carpeted hallway and closed the doors behind me.

"Peep!"

The two guards on either side of Father's study glanced up at the sound of Leona.

Luca. You are not going to avoid me anymore. Find somewhere private and explain to me who or what you were talking with earlier this morning.

I sighed. I was half-hoping that Leona had forgotten about that entire thing after today's flurry of events.

"Young master Luca, are you going to attend your lessons?" Henry asked, walking beside me down the red-carpeted hallway.

"Peep!"

Oh no, you don't!

I felt Leona's feathery little body wiggle atop my head.

"Peep! Peep!"

No more interruptions. You are going to explain to me once and for all.

"No, Henry, I'm going back to my room," I said. "I have a small bird problem to take care of."

Henry blinked and looked up at Leona.

"Ah. Is that so?" he said blankly.

Honestly, I had forgotten about my lessons and had no intention of attending them anyhow. I did have a slew of matters I wanted to take care of; however, none of those would be able to be done in peace with a squeaking bird talking into my mind.

 

***

 

I closed the bedroom room behind me and strolled into the bathroom. I had no intention of taking a bath, but at this point, I found this room to be the ideal place to have a private conversation without anyone overhearing. I didn't need rumors of me talking to myself to spread.

I locked the bathroom door and slid down against one of the walls to sit on the cool quartz pink and green stone floor. I lifted Leona off my head and set her down on a basket of fresh towels beside me.

"Peep!"

Are you going to explain everything now?

"Yes." I nodded my head. "However, I must warn you that what I will tell you is something I haven't told anyone. You are the first one I'm telling this to.

Oh? Now I'm really curious.

Leona perched up on the fluffy white towels.

I swallowed. It was tough to get the words out.

"What I will tell you will sound impossible. Insane, really. But it's the truth. However, if anyone finds out, they will think I've lost my mind, so I keep this a secret. Heck, I had initially thought I lost my mind too."

I thought back to my initial thoughts when the strange blue screen appeared on the battlefield.

Leona gazed at me with her golden eyes, patient for once and allowing me to continue at my own pace.

"The truth is, seven years into the future, I had died. The Adovirian Kingdom was invaded by the Kobar Empire, and I died on the battlefield."

Leona cocked her head to one side but didn't say anything.

"Just before I passed away, a strange blue screen appeared and offered me a way to restart my life. It called itself a 'System' and said this world is part of a 'Game,' the objective of which is to save the Adovorian Kingdom from the Kobar Empire. It said no more 'Players' were left and offered to turn me into one of such 'Players' in return for giving me a chance to save everyone I loved."

I felt the words fall out of my mouth. I had never spoken to anyone except the System about my situation. I felt my hands shake from nervousness.

"And so I was returned seven years into the past, and each time I die, the 'Game' restarts from the same morning. So what you heard me talking to this morning was the System."

How many times have you died?

Leona spoke for the first time. Her voice sounded soft in my head.

"This is my seventh life."

I gripped my hands together, feeling them shaking harder.

Leona fluttered onto my thigh and patted my shaking hands with her right wing.

This is beyond what I expected.

"I know how crazy it sounds—" I said.

No.

Leona cut me off.

It's not crazy. There have been many such 'Games' in the past of my ancestors. They were called 'Summonings,' however. And your 'System' sounds much like a 'Divinity' of the past.

My eyes widened, and I felt a wave of shock wash over me.

Heroes from other worlds were summoned to solve conflicts in this world. For obvious reasons, The Summoning was a banned spell, but that obviously didn't stop the summonings from occurring.

"You mean this has happened before?" I whispered.

No. Not like this.

Leona shook her head.

There was never an instance where a System had changed the laws of The Summoning to turn one of our own world's inhabitants into a 'Hero.'

"What does this mean?" I asked Leona.

I'm not sure. But whoever evoked The Summoning this time must have been truly desperate for the Adovorian Kingdom to survive Kobar's invasion.

 

AlekAundra

Oh ho! Now, just what does this mean for Luca?

And who in the world enacted The Summoning? ( /・o・)ノ

 

 

On a personal note... welp. I had to go to the ER again on Wednesday because I couldn't breathe again.

So yeah. It's Long-Covid. Doctor said I'll deal with the inability to breathe properly for likely another 2 months. In happier news, my primary doctor managed to work around insurance and get me the same machine/oxygen mask thing and meds they used on me at the ER. And it seems to be helping, so that's awesome. \( ´⌣`)/