After learning that Annan’s situation was relatively stable, Salvatore had dinner with Annan and left soon after.
Captain Alexander left even earlier—once he knew Annan was safe, he hurried away.
Even though he’s the chairman of a bank, that doesn’t an he can afford to shirk his duties and slack off every day. His health is good, though, so he didn’t feel much from running back and forth.
Salvatore, on the other hand... was genuinely exhausted.
Concocting a dream potion for Annan in an ergency, and then traveling by carriage had drained all of Salvatore’s energy.
But now he couldn’t just fall asleep and rest... since it was almost dark, if he took another stimulant, he might not be able to sleep that night.
That would be even more troubling.
Salvatore had no choice but to take a walk in the garden to refresh himself before going ho.
He didn’t even dare eat a full al tonight.
Because eating too much, combined with his overwhelming fatigue, might cause him to doze off once he sat down, and that could let his shadow escape.
After returning ho, he would still need to check and correct his apprentice’s howork that he had arranged days ago. Thankfully, young Hornheim has a stable temperant, studies actively, and takes notes, so he doesn’t need to worry too much about him.
Annan had also t the boy.
Indeed, he was a good child.
Salvatore was too busy these days and could only assign howork, handing over tutorial books and his own class notes from past years to the boy, letting him study on his own for now.
"Take care on your way ho, senior," Annan said with a smile, waving at him.
Without turning back, Salvatore waved his hand: "I’m not going to get lost..."
But his steps were a bit unsteady.
...And honestly, I am a bit worried.
Yet after considering it carefully, Annan realized there wasn’t much need to worry.
In a sense, "Sister Vatore" was much stronger than this futile senior. If he were to fall unconscious, a shadow with vicious ans and decisive actions would take over the body—a relief compared to the slow-reacting, benevolent senior.
It was then that a loud cawing sound ca from behind Annan.
"Caw! Caw—"
[You have received a new mark "High-Level Influence: The Caw of the Faceless Raven"]
[If not removed promptly, you will fall into a random nightmare with the keyword "record" in seven days (Difficulty: Distorted).]
A familiar system prompt once again appeared before Annan.
This was the fourth ti he had heard this sound in the past few days.
Knowing Annan had no intention of entering this nightmare, the Faceless Poet thoughtfully let out a couple of caws before appearing himself, refreshing the duration of the influence on Annan.
By repeatedly gaining the influence before it resonates, the duration can be refreshed.
The Faceless Poet seed to like Annan quite a lot, and whenever the Paper Princess was away, They would flow in from who knows where to chat with Annan for a while.
Black sludge oozed from under his bed and expertly ford the small human figure.
Barely one and a half ters tall, wrapped only in a silk-like, dark but magical long hair, the young girl wore a crow mask.
She let out a sharp and loud voice, reminiscent of a bird’s song, "You are truly sothing, Annan.
"I was even thinking about rushing in to save you, but you managed to pull through."
"You can see my dreams?" Annan asked.
The Faceless Poet first held up a finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.
Then she said with a smile, "I am the God of Records and Secrets... I can see everything, but forever remain a silent and clever crow.
"Of course, if it’s you—there might be things I can share, no?"
"...Really?" Annan replied skeptically.
Hearing this, the Faceless Poet let out a loud laugh, "You saw so secrets, didn’t you, Annan?
"Let guess... is it about Dennisiowa?"
"Yes." Annan nodded.
He pressed on, "What exactly is going on with Nicholas? Before, the Paper Princess told that Nicholas is an artificial person with all of Nicholas’s mories and knowledge, and that the Stone Father is watching over him; yet I later learned that there is a great chance that Nicholas is the resurrected man himself... just with modified mories, having forgotten the fact that ’he is himself.’
"Bernadino hinted to ... ’How many Nicholases are there?’ I still don’t understand this issue."
Hearing Annan’s confusion, the Faceless Poet just threw back her head in laughter.
Her laugh was hearty, but for so reason, it always seed to carry a hint of mockery...
"I’m not laughing at you, Annan," she explained quickly, unable to hide the smile on her face, "How to put it... well, now I can probably tell you. After all, the plan is already complete, and since you’ve realized this, we can’t hide it anymore."
"Now?" Annan caught a keyword sharply.
The Faceless Poet nodded.
"Yes, now," she said with a light laugh, "this matter actually has sothing to do with you."
"With ?"
"Right. Because Nicholas, too, is a ’mirror’."
The Faceless Poet answered thus, "He is a mirror of you."
——[The gods erged from the realm of light, aware that their radiant glow is born in mirrors and falls into the void.][The Light of the Seventh Day never descends to the mortal world], [without an equally weighted ’mirror’ to form its cocoon, the true light will not descend from the realm of light]
These three sentences Henry VIII had said floated back into Annan’s mind.
Henry VIII was a person "similar yet opposite" to Annan.
He served as a mirror for a certain ritual, employed to incubate the light of Annan.
This would an that only those "similar yet opposite" to Annan were qualified to beco mirrors.
And Nicholas... in what way was he similar yet opposite to himself?
Is it because he, like , has lost his mory?
...No, that’s not right.
Annan suddenly rembered.
Nicholas of those days was deed a "demon" by Kafney. He slaughtered at will within the Royal Capital, harboring no psychological burden from evil deeds. He even raised several subordinates crowned with demonic nas...
Yet, the Nicholas of today acts with considerable restraint.
"Could it be..."
Annan suddenly understood sothing and slowly inquired, "Has he lost the mories of his past evil deeds?
"And thus, has he beco a good person?"
——Just like Annan.
According to Annan’s speculation, it was very likely that the Annan of the first cycle was unable to be recognized by the ’Justice’ of the holy relics, which is why he reversed the heart of winter, cleared his mory, and comnced the second cycle.
The reason he cleared his mory was probably to prevent his cold recollections from tainting Annan’s emotions.
If Nicholas’s experiences of doing evil were erased, it indeed could return him to the "state before he committed evil acts."
The Faceless Poet quietly shook his head, "Very close, but the most crucial part is still sothing you haven’t guessed..."
"The most crucial part?"
"Think back."
The dark-haired young girl with the corners of her mouth upturned said, "You still rember... the nightmare you just had, don’t you?
"If Denton’s residual will infected your thinking, would you think you are Denton, or Annan?
"The sa principle applies. Do you think that after Nicholas died, there wouldn’t be any fragnts of this will left in the world? He was much more powerful than Denton."
Upon hearing this, Annan froze for a mont, his mind buzzing.
Nurous scattered clues linked together in his mind—
It turns out that from the very beginning, the Paper Princess had neither lied nor spoken falsely!
Nicholas truly was his own artificial human... which is why there was still a body in Nicholas’s grave!
And the mories he had once forgotten, the stone father who watched over him yet let him go... in the Royal Capital, how many Nicholases existed simultaneously?
——Initially, Annan thought there was one.
——Later, Annan believed there were two, the good surveilled one, and the evil demonic father.
——Then, Annan thought there was one again, the forr rely being the latter with his mories washed away.
——But now it seems, the answer is zero.
Not a single one.
They are all fake.
"This is what purpose... no, I understand now."
Annan raised his head and said slowly, "Your purpose... from the very beginning, was to create a ’harmless Nicholas’!
"So this is why the gods allowed his actions, why he so easily discovered that his mory had been altered—because ’discovering that he is the real Nicholas,’ that’s exactly what you intended!
"Using Nicholas’s cognitive imprint, the body of an artificial human, mories modified and then haphazardly completed by himself... you get an ’artificial human who believes he is Nicholas’!"
Having said this, Annan suddenly fell silent for an instant.
He stared at the Faceless Poet and asked slowly, "So... why is he my mirror?"
In Annan’s vision, the Faceless Poet wasn’t highlighted.
"Don’t panic, Annan."
The Faceless Poet just smiled mysteriously, "If I dare tell you, then it’s certainly not what you think.
"What I can tell you is... the Nicolas plan was proposed by the Silver Baron and Yawen; and the reason you are who you are today... this plan was proposed by you yourself.
"And the causal relationship is reversed—it was precisely because the you of the past saw the entire plan that you got the inspiration, and solidified the resolve to discard your mories. My words are without any mistake or omission, as this is my ’record.’
"I’ve told you this much, and you still haven’t guessed what your own plan was back then. That ans it’s not yet ti.
"Let everything happen naturally... I’ll be watching over you, partner!"
With that, the Faceless Poet once again turned to black mud and dissipated.
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