The Righteous Player(s)

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 BY JACK RUSSELL

Annan was quietly flipping through the newly purchased dragon language dictionary in the guest study room on the third floor of Geraint’s residence.

He had almost finished this book.

Annan had vague memories of what the Old Grandmother had spoken to him in the past. He soon recalled and had a rough idea of what was said by relying on those memories.

If Annan was not mistaken, Old Grandmother said at that time,

“You have made it, Annan. If you remember this name, I know you have succeeded. If you feel like you’re in danger, go straight to Noah’s royal capital and let the Silver Sire help you get home. Now Maria has the ability to fight Rotten Man, and she will protect you well until I wake up completely. But if you have something you must do in the Noah Kingdom, finish it before coming back. Annan, you have grown up. Be like a man, and do what you have to do. I support you.”

The short and complex dragon language became a long string of words after being translated into the Frostwhisper’s lingual. Then, it became even longer when translated into the standard lingua franca.

In short, She allowed Annan to adventure as he pleased, and he was welcome to return if he was bored or faced severe trouble.

Annan did not expect Old Grandmother to be such a person, which surprised him a little.

Annan initially thought that Old Grandmother, as the “Deity of Tradition”, should be quite strict and conservative. After knowing that the only heir, Annan, was living in another country and might encounter various dangers, Her first reaction should be to order Annan to return to Austere-Winter Dukedom immediately. The goal was to ensure the stability of the lineage.

Unexpectedly, Old Grandmother specifically asked Annan not to return in a hurry.

“Be like a man”… What does it mean?

Are you asking me to defeat Rotten Man to get revenge?

Annan’s expression was a little subtle.

But I can’t really defeat him? Or is Old Grandmother referring to something else?

Could it be that She is referring to Kafni?

“…Hiss.” Annan took a deep breath.

Then, he thought about it carefully and gasped, “Tsk…“

It’s…possible…

Knowing that the Old Grandmother might know Kafni, Annan felt troubled.

Annan had a favorable impression of Kafni, but there was nothing more than that. He just liked having the opposite-gender friend, who was nice and beautiful, spending time with him. However, it did not reach the level of “romance” yet.

That was why Annan was a little troubled after learning that the “family” was aware of Kafni’s existence.

For some reason, this shyness was not hindered by [Winter Heart].

“Also, the Old Grandmother mentioned about me remembering this name. What does it mean?” Annan frowned slightly in thought.

Annan went into deep thoughts for a long time, trying to relate to the memory fragments of the past.

Eventually, Annan realized that he might have transmigrated to this world when he was young or possibly even rebirth in this world if he indeed had his first life already.

This scenario was highly likely because he had heard from Old Alvin that the Little Annan was frail and sick a long time ago. However, Annan preferred the former explanation.

Austerian did not have him at birth, but the name was only given when the child could read and write. This was due to the high mortality rate of newborns during the winter year.

It would be hard to forget the tragedy if the parents blessed the child with a name. Similarly, the parents would not be able to forget how many children of theirs had died. However, the memory would gradually blur if the parents had not given a name to the child yet.

The Austere-Winter Family had another reason. It was the Winter Heart. Without reversing its effect, it would usually make it difficult for the heirs with insufficient quality to live to adulthood.

Annan almost died at the time. At age eight, he received the name “Annan” and officially began to learn swordsmanship from Ivan.

It seemed that it was Annan who put forward this idea and let Old Grandmother help to persuade Ivan Austere-Winter to give him the name of “Annan”.

After all, “Annan” was a neuter-feminine name meaning “kindness”. In Austere-Winter, it was not meant for sons. Masculine kindness would often be associated with weakness, incompetence, burden, and the need for the protection of others.

When the name was pronounced in the accent of Austere-Winter, the pronunciation was more similar to “Anna”.

How could the son of the Grand Duke have such a name?

If nothing else, this was probably to match his real name.

Annan remembered that some rituals needed the “real name” to be activated. Maybe Annan was worried that if he used the other names, he might not be able to meet the “real name” condition, and he would not be able to activate those rituals.

To convince the others of that name, Ivan made up the narration, “I hope Old Grandmother can show more kindness to this child so that his fate will not be too bad”.

Looking at Old Grandmother’s attitude towards Annan, how could She have no kindness towards Annan?

The benevolence was almost overflowing.

“No wonder after transmigrating this world, I found that this body has the same name as me.” Annan sighed in a low voice.

Just then, he heard someone knocking on the door.

Annan turned around and found Kafni unexpectedly.

“—Your Highness Annan.” Kafni, holding the tray of tea and snacks in both hands, called Annan softly.

“Kafni? Hmm…” Annan turned around and was at a loss for a while.

Kafni wore a white waist dress, which outlined her slender figure. The beret that she habitually wore on her head was no longer there, thus revealing her long black curly hair draped to her waist. At the same time, she wore sandals on her feet.

“Are you feeling very hot?” Annan asked subconsciously.

Kafni glanced at Annan immediately, and Annan closed her mouth wisely.

It was also the first time he saw Kafni wearing pure white clothes, and he was a little surprised for a while.

Annan remembered that Kafni usually wore a dark skirt, like a delicate doll. She also did not like wearing shoes. At the same time, she always walked around her room barefooted and wore a thin and fluttering skirt.

Since they were temporarily staying at the Geraint’s house, Kafni put on her shoes obediently.

Annan took the tray, put it on the table, took a sip of Kafni’s freshly brewed tea, and asked casually, “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I’m fine.” Kafni glanced at Annan and murmured.

After having an entire day of regulating her mood, Kafni had calmed down.

Although she still looked a little lost, she had also adjusted her mentality.

“What do you want to do now?” Annan closed the dictionary and turned around from the stool. He looked up at Kafni, who stood in front of him, and said warmly, “Do you need my help?”

“Can you accompany me back to the palace?” Kafni hesitated for a long time before whispering.

Annan paused, wanting to agree directly.

However, he had to ask one more question to be on the safe side, “Who are you going to meet?”

If it was Philip, Annan intended to persuade Kafni to come down. It would be fine if it were the Fourth Prince or the Princess Royal.

However, the Fourth Prince had now managed to recover some of his memories under treatment, and he was still in chaos and had not fully recovered. Maybe Kafni just wanted to see what happened to her father.

However, the answer given by Kafni completely exceeded Annan’s expectations, “I want to seek an audience from the King.”

She said softly, “My grandpa.”