Hmmm?

  I lifted my cheek off my right palm, my gaze shifting to the carriage window. Outside, endless golden sand dunes curved and shimmered like molten gold while jagged orange cliffs stood tall and imposing against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky.

  Despite the striking scenery, something was clearly off, as was evident by my pulsing headache.

  My mind felt fuzzy as if I had woken from a long afternoon nap in the sun.

  As for the actual sun itself, it was evidently too high up in th sky for it to be the same day. My last recollection was from when I stepped onto the patio to speak with Arnold. Back then the sky was already fading into evening amber, the day's warmth softening into a gentle golden glow.

  Damn it. I've lost at least a day's worth of memory.

  A shiver rippled down my neck and arms as an unsettling thought clawed its way forward.

  What in the world could have been so traumatizing to cause this?

  I tore my gaze from the landscape and glanced around the spacious carriage interior. Ornate wood paneling gleamed faintly in the sunlight filtering through the windows. The plush red cushions beneath me were soft, yet their comfort felt distant.

  The carriage could have fit six people comfortably, but I was alone—at least as far as other humans were concerned.

  My sole companions, Leona and Apophis, were in the middle of a heated debate about whether soup or stew deserved greater culinary reverence.

  I was surprised to see that Leona was in her original phoenix form. However, both her and Apophis' voices sounded telepathically in my mind.

  It's simple. Leona fluffed her fiery golden feathers indignantly, her golden eyes glinting. Soup is superior because it requires finesse and balance. It's a culinary painting. Stew? Stew is brute force. Just throw everything into a pot and let time do the work. It's barbaric, although I admit it can be delicious.

  ~Silly phoenix. You call stew barbaric, yet it nurtures more life! Apophis declared, his black form coiled languidly on the seat opposite me. It's hearty and rich and sustains through the harshest winters and hottest summers. Soup is just a diluted afterthought. Anyone with taste knows the soul of a dish lies in its depth, not its daintiness.

  I watched them, bemused despite myself. A mythical phoenix and an ex-Celestial evil snake, bickering over soup and stew like children. Somehow, it felt absurdly comforting amidst my missing memories.

  [[ System, what day is it? ]]

  I decided to address the System and comprehend my situation first before alarming my two companions about my current state.

  [ Hello Luca, it is Day 5 of Round 9. ]

  I closed my eyes and sighed in relief.

  At least it was only two days lost, and more importantly, it was the same Round.

  My heart was still pounding loudly—so loudly that it was the only sound apart from the rhythmic creak of the carriage and the faint rustle of shifting sand outside.

  ~Say, master, what was with that long sigh?

  Apophis' voice slithered into my mind.

  I opened my eyes. He and Leona were staring at me with their respective purple and golden eyes fixed intently, their earlier debate forgotten.

  "Ah, how do I put it..." I sat up straighter, rubbing my temples as though the massage might jog my memory. "I don't remember anything after we went to visit Arnold."

  They exchanged a look. Apophis' expression sly yet unreadable, while Leona's was a mix of concern and quiet knowing.

  ~That's unsurprising. Apophis' tone carried a peculiar weight.

  Indeed, Leona's sunken voice followed after, given what you witnessed.

  My breath hitched.

  Damn it. What exactly happened in the last two days?

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

  "How the fuck did this happen?" Claude kept his voice steady though the weight of displeasure hung in his every word. "And why am I only learning about this now?"

  "It's still being investigated, Master Claude," Belestris replied evenly. "Unfortunately, everyone aside from the Coward was killed, and even he had taken on significant damage. We've only recently placed new people in position around Ascot, but this is what we know so far from his account."

  She extended a rolled-up parchment toward him.

  Claude tossed his linen napkin onto his half-eaten salad and accepted the document.

  He rolled it open, and his eyes scanned over the list of names at the top—a dozen of them, each paired with a rank—all members of the Spiders Syndicate killed in the sudden attack at the Town of Ascot the previous night.

  They were the ones who were dispatched to watch over and protect Luca Frey against any unknown threats. They weren't the absolute cream of the crop of the Spiders Syndicate, but they were far from amateurs. Each and every one of them was a rising star within the organization with immense potential.

  That just means the enemy was even more dangerous. And in greater numbers.

  Claude's fingers curled, crumpling the edge of the parchment as his eyes wandered over the Coward's harrowing account of how his teammates were slaughtered, as well as the many who perished amongst Luca's people. The list of lives lost was lengthy, but miraculously, Luca's own life managed to be protected.

  "Luca Frey was the target," Belestris noted.

  "Evidently," Claude muttered, having read the full extent of the report.

  Per the Coward's account, the assassins were clearly intended for Luca. The Spiders helped take down several of the enemies on the outskirts of Ascot, while the remainder that pushed through managed to be taken care of by the Arkangul's family security. However, it was at a heavy price.

  Claude arched a brow at the mention of a huge fire breaking out at the Arkangul villa in the wing where Luca was staying. This massive fire was ultimately responsible for killing off the remaining attackers. As well as burning down the entirety of that wing.

  Did the Arkanguls always have such a strong fire mage in their arsenal? Perhaps they kept it under wraps and under emergency use; clearly, they're a loose cannon.

  Claude flipped the parchment over, hoping for more answers, however the report cut off, leaving his three burning questions unanswered: Luca's current wearabouts, the identity of who ordered the attack on him, and most importantly, why.

  "Any leads on where Luca is now?" he asked, his gaze narrowing. "Was he taken?"

  "No, that does not seem to be the case," Belestris stated with certainty. "Had he been kidnapped, the Arkangul and Micah's people would have moved into action by now. However, they are licking their wounds instead. It appears Luca is in hiding."

  I'll need to have stronger guardians around Luca in the future.

  Claude made a mental note to update his tattoos.

  "And to think they'd be bold enough to attack during Ruth Arankagul's funeral…" he murmured, shaking his head.

  Ruth Arankangul was a prominent figure in the underworld circles, and the individuals who had attended her funeral were not to be easily trifled with, especially when clustered all together in one place.

  "Master Claude, where did you hear that?" Belestris asked abruptly, her expression tightening.

  Claude glanced up, puzzled by her reaction.

  "About Ruth's funeral?"

  "Yes." She gestured to the parchment in Calude's hands, pointing to a passage at the bottom. "Ruth Arankagul was critically injured in the attack—as you can see in the report here. But last I heard, she's still alive. There hasn't been talk of a funeral. Not yet, at least."

  Claude's eyes narrowed at this.

  The events of this loop have shifted.

  In the previous two loops, Ruth Arankagul had passed away due to an illness that had been eating away at her for some time now. It was a fairly well-known secret she was on death's doorstep, as was a certain powerful Daylan queen.

  However, their fates diverged.

  Ruth Arankagul never lived into the previous future that Claude's tattoos recounted, her name nonexistent, much like anyone else in her family.

  By the same token, Claude's tattoos noted that Queen Yadana Daylan had made a spectacular recovery and was the epiphany of health—until she was stabbed with an enchanted weapon by one of her children. His past iterations had attempted to learn the secret to her great health in previous rounds, but with too much time since her recovery, he never did learn what she did.

  And now it didn't even matter, as Queen Yadana's death came earlier than the Arkangul matriarch. Whatever miraculous cure the Queen used before, she had no access to it, while the matriarch was evidently in better health.

  Someone changed the timeline.

  His eyes swept over the cryptic tattoo on his hand regarding Luca Frey.

  'Luca Frey is a treasure. Protect him. Save him at all costs.'

  He couldn't ignore the possibility that Luca Frey was involved. Ruth Arankagul was his grandmother, after all.

  And if he can extend her life… then perhaps…

  His eyes wandered past the unfinished salad and drifted to the empty glass of green juice on the table, the bitter concoction he drank three times a day as part of his one of many obsessive rituals to prolong his own life.

  If Luca can indeed extend my life, that would certainly make him a treasure worth protecting.

  "Disregard what I said earlier," Claude declared, rising abruptly from the table. "I want to speak with the Coward directly. William, was it?"

  "Yes, it's William. He's recuperating at our safe house in D-10," Belestris said, following closely behind as they left the room.

  Among every team of Spiders, the Coward held a unique and essential role in missions. Cowards weren't chosen for loyalty or valor—they were selected for their ability to survive above all else, even if it meant abandoning their comrades. This ruthless self-preservation ensured that someone always lived to report back, no matter the cost.

  Claude's steps quickened as his mind churned.

  The Coward might have been a spineless individual, but their accounts were invaluable, especially when something unexpected occurred like yesterday.

  If he had been paying close enough attention, William might have gathered a clue as to who was after Luca's life. And perhaps that is the enemy I need to be most wary of.

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