Luca sat up and put on the belt Cassian had given him, then looked at Luxe in her doll from, with her humanoid appearance.
"Papa's awake!"
The doll floated around Luca.
"Has Papa checked the props yet?"
Luca suddenly realized, yes, the prop was the photo album, and this little Luxie girl... could she also be his prop? But why did she call him Papa…? Never mind, thinking too much about it, it's better than Mama.
"It's obvious Papa doesn't understand anything!"
The little girl burst out laughing and pulled out a notebook that had somehow appeared on Luca's desk, making him approach to look at it out of curiosity. Luca pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at the photo album that stood out among the books he had borrowed from the library.
"I'm a talking prop! Of course, I can't talk outside the game, only inside! The reason I'm talking right now is to introduce my function."
"Introduce your function?"
"That's right! Papa, you know Luxie is a high-level prop, and props like that usually have their own consciousness! But their talking time is limited to avoid affecting the players!"
Luxie proudly spoke of herself as a high-level prop, not one of the ordinary props Luca had encountered in his first level. Luca didn't say much, just nodded, perhaps it was reasonable considering Luxie's importance in that level.
"If there's nothing else, just call me when you need me!"
The doll flew to the shelf near the items and sat down. It fell silent, seemingly becoming a very ordinary doll; no one would realize it could speak. Luca then looked at the leather-bound album—the one he had risked his life to retrieve—but compared to before, its current condition was much better.
Inside, he saw the image of a burning rose in the corner of the album.
Could this album contain information about the game levels? Or perhaps it records the levels he'd already played…
Luca still had too little information to figure out what the album was for. But that was enough… Luca temporarily examined the album and Luxie, the doll form. Of course, Luca put the album away along with the summoning scrolls that were already inside. Luca went back to bed and lay down.
"I'm still missing information about so many things…"
He told himself that he now had a job, and he needed to find more information about the 'hospital' clue and that strange prince who seemed to play a very important role. As for other things, like his lost memories and why he couldn't see his own face… it was shrouded in fog, which was strange, but everyone else could see it, so why couldn't he?
Luca shook his head repeatedly. Why did these problems keep popping up just as he was about to go to sleep? It was so annoying. Luca ignored everything; he should go to sleep. After all, sleep would help him recover faster and ease his hunger. Luca unbuckled his belt and lay down. A good night's sleep after everything the world had thrown at him.
...….
Evening followed by the next morning… Luca slept continuously, regardless of the time, to escape his problems… he was lazy and hated having to start work early in the morning.
Luca sighed. He did what a normal person would do: brush his teeth, wash his face, and change clothes. This time, he wore a more decent outfit.
He tied a simple dark tie. The vest underneath was still a light brown but made of a more durable, coarser fabric, paired with a long coat with a slightly pointed "tail" back, but with a minimalist, understated cut.
Luca felt confident, though he wasn't sure if he was dressed correctly, but he figured it looked okay for his first day of work, right?
As Luca stepped outside, he saw Vien waiting for him.
"Oh, you're dressed so elegantly, where are you going? Meeting your girlfriend?"
Luca couldn't remember who this person was, but the way they were talking so familiarly meant they were friends... How had Luca even met this person before? Vien's outfit was worlds apart from his own.
"No, I'm going to work."
Vien stood frozen, unable to believe his ears. Luca going to work?
"So you finally decided to go to work!"
Luca was even more puzzled. Was Luca really that lazy about working?! No wonder he was so poor now.
"Uh, I just want to earn some pocket money."
Luca said, forcing a smile, that he didn't want to get into trouble by saying he couldn't remember anything and didn't even know what he wanted; in short, he was just living day by day.
"Really?... Why didn't you say so sooner? If you knew, I could have helped you get a job at my family's company."
"No need, I'm fine."
"If you say so, then alright, let me take you!"
Vien smiled brightly, secretly pleased that his friend had finally taken life seriously. Vien decided to take Luca to the museum, and they said goodbye at the gate as Vien had to leave, and so did Luca.
As soon as he entered, Luca was overwhelmed by the sheer number of visitors; they all looked very wealthy. While Luca was still bewildered, not knowing where to begin, a boy nearby grabbed his shirt, making him turn around. Wasn't this the kid who had threatened him during his interview with Orion?
"Follow me."
Luca nodded and followed the boy through the crowd… he thought he would be like everyone else? The ordinary people worked, showing off antique paintings, collecting tickets, or working as security guards, but perhaps thanks to the game, his role was a little more special.
They returned to the place filled with mysterious objects—perhaps a special space belonging to this organization—and the boy led him to that room… the place where he had first entered the game, only now there were many more people there.
"You're here!"
Amelie put away her book, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Luca, who was sitting next to Orion, still eating the lemon cake Amelie had made for him.
"Find a seat. I'm going to introduce you to the rest of the members today, so don't be too nervous."
"Yes sir…"
Luca sat back down on the sofa while the boy stared at him with a scrutinizing, disbelieving look. Cassian, noticing Luca's discomfort, simply watched.
"Are you wearing your belt?"
"Yes, I am..."
"You haven't had breakfast, have you?"
"How did you know?"
Cassian sighed and stood up.
"Orion, I'm going to get some food from the kitchen."
Orion nodded in agreement, and Cassian left. Just as Cassian was gone, a boy who looked exactly like the one who had led him to this room appeared and entered, smiling at Luca.
"You're Luca, aren't you? Nice to meet you. I'm Julian Ashford."
Luca nodded and watched Julian look towards the other boy.
"Don't look at him like that. You have to introduce yourself to the new member, right?"
"Kieran."
Julian seemed like the older brother, appearing gentler and more innocent than Kieran, who seemed quite cold towards him… they were twins, but they only resembled each other in appearance and surname.
"Sorry for being late."
Seraphine entered next, still wearing the nun's habit she had worn earlier, and behind her was a boy taller than Seraphine but with a childlike air about him? For some reason, the boy seemed very shy around her.
His delicate face was highlighted by pale violet eyes and short, naturally flowing silver-white hair with slightly messy strands covering part of his forehead. His attire consisted of a white turtleneck under a dark cloak.
"Theron of Vale… it's a pleasure to meet you…"
"Theron is a mage, so he usually wears clothes like that."
Afraid Luca might misunderstand, Seraphine explained, and when she received silence as if Luca didn't mind, Seraphine felt reassured and led Theron to each empty seat.
Cassian returned with a bowl of salad and meat and placed it in front of Luca.
"Eat."
"Thank you."
Luca took it and began to eat. After only a few bites, they all heard a laugh, and the lights in the room went out instantly.
"LEON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Amelie yelled in annoyance. Why? Because she was pouring tea for everyone, and that sudden blackout almost made her spill it all.
"Calm down, my beautiful lady."
The lights came back on, and Leon appeared in the doorway, wearing his hat, and in his arms was a girl… wait, this girl looked very much like the girl Luca had seen in Eirene's subconscious.
Leon was carrying a girl who was sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking up. She possessed a radiant, sweet, and incredibly feminine beauty. She had long, flowing hair the color of cherry blossoms, and wore a pristine white dress.
Leon easily set her down next to Luca, who continued to sleep, hugging her own pillow.
"This is Lysette Everlune, just call her Lyse."
Luca nodded at Orion's introduction. Although everyone seemed present, Luca noticed a particular chair, a special seat, left empty, as if reserved for someone special.
"Are you curious?"
Julian smiled and went to sit next to Luca.
"Yes, but whose place is that anyway?"
"It belongs to Elias. She's very strong, almost on par with Orion, and it seems she's on a mission. She'll probably be back soon."
"Are you talking about me, kid?"
A lady appeared, she walked in and looked at Luca.
Long black hair, an elegant burgundy outfit with a short crimson cloak draped loosely over her shoulders and a long, intricately pleated skirt. Accessories such as a jeweled necklace and black lace gloves gave her a distinctly aristocratic air.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Elias Rowen, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Luca bowed in greeting, and Lady Elias returned to her seat and sat down… finally, he had met all the capable members and entered the organization.
"Alright, you've met all the members. Ask them for help when needed."
Luca nodded… he wanted to ask why there were so many young members, but perhaps the reason wasn't very pleasant, so he didn't want to inquire too much about their past.
"Our job is complicated. To put it simply, we'll be dealing with 'consequences' and those who have lost control."
"What do you mean by 'consequences'?"
Luca knew that 'losing control' could refer to people who couldn't control their abilities, but 'consequences' was a completely new word.
"Simply put, every time the game selects players with abilities, some will lose control or abuse their powers to harm the people, and we have to stop such people. Along with that, the levels are created from the past, and each level only appears once and disappears after it's played. It would be normal if levels that aren't recognized by the system and all participants die were recreated in real life."
Luca fell silent… It was already difficult in the dungeon, and they were already people with abilities, but wouldn't it be incredibly dangerous outside… but saying that is like selling one's life!
"We either kill them or collect them."
Cassian explained further to Luca, and Orion sighed.
"In this day and age, heroes are merely pawns bestowed with titles before being removed from the chessboard."
Lady Elias merely sighed as she watched Orion clench his fists in frustration, as if recalling something. The room fell silent.
"Don't call us heroes. We're simply unlucky people placed in positions no one wants."