Super Righteous Player
Chapter 407 - 404 Grandma’s Words_1

Chapter 407: Chapter 404 Grandma’s Words_1

In the guest study on the third floor of the Geraint residence, Annan was quietly flipping through the newly acquired dragon language dictionary.

He was nearly finished with it.

The phrase his late grandmother had said to him, with some vague memories, Annan had also recalled and largely surmised.

If nothing was unexpected, his grandmother had said at the time:

"You have succeeded, Annan... if you still remember this name. I knew you would succeed. If you feel you are in danger, go directly to the capital of Noah and let the Silver Baron help you return home. Now that Maria already possesses the ability to counter the corrupt, she can protect you well before I fully awaken. But if you must do something in Noah, handle it before you come back. Annan, you’ve grown up. Act like a man and do what you need to do. I support you."

The short and intricate pronunciations of the dragon language, when translated by a Frostspeaker, turned into a long string, and it became even more when translated back into normal communicative language.

The implication was, go wander about. If you’ve had enough or can’t cope, then come back.

...I never expected my grandmother to be such a person.

This was somewhat surprising to Annan.

He had originally thought that as the "God of Tradition," his grandmother would be quite strict and conservative—perhaps upon knowing that Annan, the only heir, was stranded outside and could encounter various dangers, her first reaction would be to order Annan to return immediately to the Winter Duchy in order to ensure the stability of the inheritance.

However, it turned out that his grandmother specifically told Annan not to hurry back.

"To act like a man"... what does that mean?

...Are you telling me to go beat up the corrupt as a form of revenge?

Annan’s expression was somewhat nuanced.

But I’m not necessarily stronger than him, am I? Or is grandmother referring to something else?

...Could it be she was talking about Kafney?

"...Hiss."

Annan took in a sharp breath.

Then after carefully considering it, he inhaled sharply again: "Hiss—"

It’s possible... indeed... that could be it...

Knowing that his grandmother might know Kafney, Annan suddenly felt a peculiar toothache.

Annan did have a fondness for Kafney. But at this point, it could only be called liking... similar to how one would feel about a classmate of the opposite sex who had a nice personality, was good-looking, and often played together with him, but it hadn’t reached the level of "love."

And for this reason, upon learning that "family" had noticed Kafney’s presence,

Annan subtly felt a bit embarrassed...

This awkwardness... hasn’t even been blocked by the Heart of Winter?

"And... still remembering the name, what does it mean?"

Annan frowned slightly as he pondered.

He thought long and hard, combining the fragments of memories from before.

In the end, Annan realized... if it truly was Annan’s first round, he must have crossed over at a very young age, possibly even from birth.

Considering that Annan had once heard from old Alvin that little Annan had been sickly a long time ago... all possibilities existed. But Annan leaned more towards the former.

Winter people don’t name their children at birth, but only when they can read and write—because of the high infant mortality rate during winter years.

If you name a child who dies early, it becomes hard to forget about it, and even harder to forget just how many children have died. But if you haven’t had the chance to name them, the memory gradually fades.

And for the Rime family, there was another reason—without the Heart of Winter’s reversal, it would often be difficult for heirs of inadequate quality to live to adulthood.

And at that time, Annan had almost died. At the age of eight, he received the name "Annan" and began formal swordsmanship training under Ivan.

Looking back, it was Annan himself who had suggested, which led his grandmother to help persuade Ivan Rime, to give himself the name "Annan."

After all, "Annan" is a neutral, more feminine name, meaning "merciful." It was clearly not a name that should be given to a son in Rime—as a man’s mercy implies weakness, incompetence, being a burden, and needing the protection of others.

And when the name "Annan" is pronounced with the Rime accent, it sounds closer to "Anna" because of the way Rimes speak.

——How could the son of a grand duke possibly have such a name?

Unless I’m mistaken, this must be to align with his "true name."

Because Annan remembers, there are some rituals that require the input of one’s "true name" to activate. Perhaps Annan worried that if he used another name, he might not meet the condition of the "true name" and thus be unable to activate those rituals...

And it was indeed to persuade others that Ivan invented the tale that he "hoped his grandmother would have a heart of mercy for this child, so that his destiny wouldn’t be so perilous."

Now when I look at the grandmother’s attitude towards Annan—how could she possibly not have a heart of mercy for Annan?

Her heart of mercy was practically overflowing.

"No wonder after I came through, I found that this body shared my own name..."

Annan muttered to himself in a low voice.

Just then, he heard someone knocking at the door.

Annan turned around, surprised to find Kafney.

——Prince Annan.

With a tray of tea and pastries in her hands, Kafney softly called out to Annan.

"Kafney? Uh..."

Annan turned his head back, momentarily losing himself in thought.

Kafney was dressed in a white, waist-cinched dress that outlined her slender figure. The beret she usually wore was gone, and her black wavy hair cascaded down to her waist. She wore sandals on her feet.

"...Are you very hot?"

Annan asked subconsciously.

Kafney glanced at Annan, and he took the cue to shut his mouth.

It was the first time he saw Kafney in pure white clothes, and he felt somewhat dazzled.

Annan remembered that Kafney always wore dark-colored dresses, like a delicate doll. She also disliked wearing shoes, always barefoot, donning a very thin, fluttering dress as she walked around her room.

Now that they were staying temporarily at Geraint’s house, Kafney had dutifully put on shoes...

Annan took the tray from her and set it on the table. After taking a sip of the tea Kafney had just brewed, he casually asked, "Feeling any better?"

"Yes. I’ve been fine for a while now."

Kafney glanced at Annan and murmured softly.

After a whole day of settling down, Kafney’s emotions had stabilized quite a bit.

Though she still seemed a bit downcast, she had adjusted her state of mind.

"What do you want to do now?"

Annan closed the dictionary, turned on his stool to face Kafney standing in front of him, and asked in a gentle voice, "Do you need my help?"

"...Would you accompany me back to the palace?"

Kafney hesitated for a long time before speaking softly.

Annan paused, about to agree immediately.

But just to be safe, he asked another question, "...To see whom?"

If it was Philip, Annan planned to dissuade Kafney... If it was the fourth prince or the Eldest Princess, that would be all right.

However, the fourth prince had barely recalled part of his memory under treatment and was still in confusion, not fully recovered. Perhaps Kafney just wanted to check on her father’s condition...

But the answer Kafney gave completely exceeded Annan’s expectations:

"To see... His Majesty the King."

She said softly, "My grandfather."