“…… That's right. ”

Annan muttered in a low voice.

He stared at Henry VIII, his ice-blue eyes, pure as jade and clear as a mirror, and the pair of eyes that seemed to care nothing, with a false gentle smile.

In other words, Henry VIII was just watching what was happening in front of him as equals.

Even with Henry VIII's eyes, Annan still felt ...... Henry VIII did not look at himself.

…… It's like the look in Kaphne's eyes when she first saw Annan.

It's as if it's not "Annan", but a painting called "Annan", or something behind Annan......

Kaphne's extraordinary ability to see may have been inherited directly from Henry VIII.

And Henry VIII's ability to "know everything" may have been born from this vision.

So far.

The answer is already obvious.

Why was Henry VIII so indifferent to his own children and yet so eager for himself? He didn't care about his own life or death, nor did he care about the survival of the kingdom, so why did he show favor to Annan?

He wasn't afraid of his grandmother.

Rather, it was because he was interested in Annan himself.

- Annan and Henry VIII are two people who are similar but opposite.

It's like a mirror image inside and out.

There is no reversal of the heart of winter and the child in the cup of birth...... Both of them have not felt the "love" from their parents since they were young, and they are the only heirs of the kingdom, and the two of them finally embarked on completely opposite paths.

“…… You should probably talk to my big brother beforehand. ”

Annan was silent for a long time before replying in a low voice: "I am ...... now Maybe you can't get the answer you want. ”

After all, his Heart of Winter has been reversed.

And his previous memories have been completely emptied.

Perhaps the former Annan ...... Before losing his memory, he was able to reach some kind of resonance with Henry VIII. But now he is completely different from a few years ago.

Without the memory of that period, there is no personality born from memory.

It's strange to say.

In Annan's style, all this should not have been laid out.

Instead, he should respond to Henry VIII's words, try to brush up on the other party's favor, and then grab some benefits from it.

But for some reason, only in front of Henry VIII, only in front of this topic...... Annan didn't want to lie.

His instinct was to look at the subject head-on, to pay attention to Henry VIII – just as Henry VIII did to Annan.

However, in the face of Annan's statement, Henry VIII only nodded gently.

"—I know. I see what you mean.

"But it doesn't matter if you remember the past...... That's not a 'mirror image' that concerns me. ”

“…… Mirror image? ”

The strange word made Annan stunned for a moment.

He knew that Henry VIII was not a transcendent being, nor was he a master of ceremonies.

He may know some mystical knowledge, but he won't go too far into it—some knowledge itself can be oppressive to the soul, and souls who have not stepped on the transcendent path may go crazy if they know it.

But this word, no matter how you look at it, has nothing to do with the current topic.

Unless......

"You guessed right."

Henry VIII nodded, and said in a flat and majestic voice: "Not long ago, Pope Benjamin came to see me once. ”

Like a Soul Reaver who was proficient in mind-reading spells, he said exactly what Annan was thinking.

But Annan felt no trace of the spell at all.

And...... Benjamin?

How could he have anything to do with this?

Since we mentioned mirroring...... That may have something to do with the "Man in the Mirror".

Annan frowned slightly, and suddenly asked, "If you say that I am a 'mirror image' with you, and I am a 'mirror image' with others...... Could it be that I am the center of the ceremony? ”

"Yes."

Henry VIII replied.

"And you're just a part of the ritual?"

Annan asked again.

Seeing that Annan could detect this degree the moment he heard "Benjamin", Henry VIII couldn't help but smile with relief.

He just said calmly: "That's nature, Your Majesty Annan.

The gods were born from the realm of light, and they knew that the glow was born in the mirror and fell into the void. [The light of the seventh dawn has never fallen into the mortal world], [There is no 'mirror' of the same weight turned into an egg sheath, and the true light will not come from the realm of light]. ”

There is a little strange rhyme in all three of Henry VIII's sentences.

Just by hearing this, Annan felt as if his soul had become heavy. It is like a half-full water bag with a boulder, which makes the water bag heavy, and the water called "Divine Sense" rises until it overflows.

Annan is now very familiar with it......

- This is the mysterious "weight".

He fully accepted this weight, which meant that Henry VIII had since imparted this mystical knowledge to himself.

But if it is knowledge of light and mirrors......

Annan realized something.

"Your Majesty, then...... If you knew, if you could tell me. ”

Annan frowned slightly, and asked seriously: "[I]-what is it?" ”

"You're the Skytrain."

Faced with this almost philosophical question, Henry VIII replied without hesitation: "The great thing summoned by the 'Rite of Ascension', the last glow seen by the transcendent, the first light seen by the gods."

"You may be the master of the heavenly chariot, or you may be the chariot itself, or even maybe you are just a light of light. But what exactly you are does not depend on the past, but on the future. ”

- Sure enough.

Like his granddaughter Kaphne...... Henry VIII was also a god-to-god fellow. In this respect, Kaphne is the only one who has perfectly inherited the talents of Henry VIII.

Moreover, Henry VIII's spiritual vision was even far more acute than that of Kaphne.

What Kaphne saw was the essence of Annan's soul—the presence of a real image as he saw it in Salvatore's mirror.

But what Henry VIII saw was not a person, not even something, but a concept.

He could even see Annan's Book of Cranes.

However, "incubation light"?

…… Did he want to help himself?

But it didn't mean much to Henry VIII.

Or rather, it didn't mean anything to him......

- Is it because Benjamin said something to him?

Thinking of this, Annan was silent for a while.

He turned to ask, "Then Your Majesty, do you still have any needs from my side?" ”

"Yes."

Henry VIII nodded, and immediately became serious.

He replied with a firm, almost unobstinable tone that was completely different from his previous amiable attitude: "Remember, you must come to my funeral. And to be the 'Grand Duke of Winter'...... You can talk to Nolan.

"I will die in four days and my funeral will be next Sunday. It's important to come by all means. ”

“…… Good. ”

Annan didn't ask why, just nodded.

This is bound to cause a lot of trouble for him. It will make many people his enemies, and it will expose Annan's location and let his enemies touch his whereabouts.

- But so what?

Annan knew he really wanted to go.

That's it.

Then, without even saying goodbye to the king, Annan silently pulled Kaphni, who was still a little dazed and at a loss, and left.

Behind them, Henry VIII looked at them with a slight smile and a calm smile.

Kaphni was pulled by Annan and looked back subconsciously when she was about to leave the gate.

I don't know if it's a delusion......

Kaphni always felt that His Majesty's smile was the same as the smile she had when she first met Annan a few years ago...... It's very similar.

— but, it wasn't the same laugh.

Kaphne suddenly remembered that Annan had read a poem to herself, or to herself.

It was a poem written by a poet in Winter, and for Kaphne at the time, she didn't understand it at all.

But she memorized it by heart.

The poem goes like this:

"I'm going to fall into the abyss one day.

"My body was burned to the ground, my teeth rotted, and my flesh dissolved.

"—but until then, I will walk with the Light."

…… I see.

He didn't read it to himself, but he didn't read it to him...... Rather, through himself, he will read it to the future Annan......

Kaphne finally realized the decisive difference between Annan and Henry VIII.

In the eyes of Henry VIII, there was never anyone.

And whether it is Annan in the past or Annan now, his eyes are always others.

Annan's eyes always shine with the light of hope.