Anette was surprised.
When Kyran declared he only needed an hour to meet with the people from the Chamber of Commerce, she did not take him seriously. The journey to Noser took more than a day if a person went on foot, even if he walked an average of 10km/h and without stopping. If one used a teleportation token, then the time would be reduced. But using a token was tricky, especially if a person turned to the wrong side because he might end up teleporting in the opposite direction. Even if that person did not make a mistake when using a teleportation token, just how many tokens would he have broken just to get there and back in one hour?
To be precise, Kyran did not use an hour to return because there was still a good ten minutes to an hour from when he left.
'Even with the Regis technique to enhance his speed and improve his stamina, this is too fast.' Anette thought in surprise and at the same time mildly impressed.
A thought crossed her mind, and she frowned slightly.
'Or maybe he did not go to Noser and returned midway,' she thought.
Nolan saw Anette's surprised expression and grinned. He could imagine how she felt. When he first witnessed Kyran's warping ability, he was also shocked. Seeing others having the same look was satisfying though it was not really him who showed off.
Before Nolan could approach the door, Kyran had already pushed it open and entered.
Kyran immediately felt the solemnity of the atmosphere inside as he looked from Nolan, standing near the door, and Anette seated by the bed.
From what he understood of the earlier incident with Anette and Nolan, it appeared that Nolan did not tell Anette about him. This enraged Anette. However, Nolan could not tell her the situation in Kyran's presence, and thus, they had a tacit understanding to have a proper talk when he left.
Kyran was not sure how to feel about this. He already expected that the four of them would talk while he was away, but having this woman he barely knew know of his situation was a little troubling. If before, he did not mind having the whole empire understand what the army did to his clan or about him, now he found the comfort of having fewer people knew of the whole situation. In this way, he could slowly learn about his enemy and accumulate the strength to bring them down. His way of thinking could be said to have matured over the past few days, compared to his reckless behavior the first few days after the army raided his clan.
[She's not really an outsider.]
Nolan's voice sounded in Kyran's head.
He immediately shifted his attention back to Nolan.
[I'll leave first and let you two talk. Honestly, compared to me, Anette can be trusted.]
Without waiting for Kyran's consent, Nolan looked at Anette and said, "I'll go out and talk to the two outside. We have to come up with a plan on how to return to Starhorn while avoiding those annoying people chasing us."
Anette only nodded in reply, while Kyran neither nodded nor said anything.
As soon as Nolan closed the door, Kyran finally looked at Anette. Though Nolan said she could be trusted, in the end, it was Kyran who would be the judge of that.
Sensing Kyran's undisguised vigilance, Anette could not help but smile in approval. His temperament really reminded her of Cade.
Anette patted the space beside her and said, "Come sit with me."
Hearing Anette's words, Kyran's brows creased at once. He did not move and remained standing by the door.
"If you have anything to say, say it. I don't plan to get friendly with you."
Contrary to Kyran's initial expectation of the woman's reaction to his words, she burst out laughing instead of getting angry.
"The first time I met your father, he said the very same words," Anette commented and wiped the side of her eyes from laughing too hard.
Kyran's frown deepened. To be honest, he did not like getting friendly with this woman because he was not comfortable meeting another woman from his father's past. Although this woman's relationship with his father was still unclear, hearing her endearing way of mentioning his father at the same time, having her know of the transmission scroll was proof that their relationship was very close.
Kyran would not really think much about it, but what bothered him was that he had not heard of this woman before.
Nolan was the same. But he was able to present an item that was proof of his relation with his parents.
Anette had no idea of what was going on inside Kyran's head. However, she did feel his apprehension and decided not to tease him anymore.
"You can relax, Kyran. I may have sounded to know a lot about your father, but the truth, I only know so much compared to your mother."
At her words, the look of apprehension in Kyran's eyes immediately wavered. Who could blame him? He rarely met people who commented about his mother. Still, it made him warier, and his wavering emotion instantly stabilized, and his indifference returned.
Anette was not offended by Kyran's attitude. Instead, she took out a small pouch inside her coat pocket and took out a small box. The box was made of wood, and the carved decoration on the lid was a peony.
"Nolan told me he recognized you from the memento your parents gave you," she started and opened the small box before showing it to him.
Kyran's eyes widened after seeing the content of the box.
Inside was a jade ring that looked similar to his parents.
He remembered what Nolan told him the first time they talked inside his domain.
'This and those rings are a set. There are five in total. Apart from me and those two, there are two other people who possessed it.'
'This woman is also...?' Kyran wondered and looked at Anette carefully.
"This ring and the ones with you are tokens to a place we... went to once. It is proof that we conquered that place," Anette started to explain.
"You may think the rings are simple mementos, but it is of great importance. Anyway," she continued as she closed the lid of the box and returned it inside the pouch. "This is only another proof of my relation to your parents. But another one... I guess I can't show proof of it but, once we rescue your clan, Rin can attest to it."
After seeing her ring, Kyran had lowered his guard a little. So far, the first one he met who also possessed it had been... helpful in his own way. He did not trust Nolan as a person, but he trusted his strength. There was a good chance this woman might end up the same.
A thought crossed Kyran's mind as he studied Anette closely.
Could this woman also be a Magus? After all, he could not gauge her strength.
"Your mother is my sworn sister," Anette continued.
'Just like Nolan is my father's sworn brother,' Kyran thought. It made him wonder who's sworn brother or sister, the fifth person from their group of five, who possessed the jade rings, was.
"And I am your godmother."
...
Silence ensued inside.
Kyran stared blankly at Anette as if what she said was spoken in a different language he had trouble understanding. Actually no. He did understand what she said, but the meaning was too shocking! And another thought crossed his mind because they had just talked about a sworn brother or sister.
If this woman was his mother's sworn sister as well as his godmother, did it mean that Nolan was... his godfather?
No, no, no. Was there a godfather who would fatally wound his own godson without hesitation?
Anette chuckled, seeing the dumbfounded look on Kyran's face.
"You know, your reaction right now reminded me of Rin," she said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
"Wait. You? Godmother? But then... Nolan—."
"No. He is not. Don't worry," Anette immediately denied.
Hearing her words, Kyran could not help but sigh in relief.
His reaction, however, made Anette laugh again.
"Is it really that bad to have Nolan as a godfather?" She asked.
Kyran's brow creased at her question. Though there was no proof of her claim of being his godmother, he decided to believe her for now. And in respect to her identity, he seriously pondered her question.
"I don't know. He doesn't strike me as someone who would want to be someone else's godfather," he answered honestly.
Anette nodded her head in agreement, "True. But... though he is not your godfather, he is still someone closely related to you."
"What do you mean?" Kyran asked in confusion. He had always wanted to know Nolan's real relation to his parents, and now that Anette was here, he wondered if he could find the answers from her. He did not expect the opportunity to ask to present itself naturally.
"I don't think it is my right to tell you," Anette answered with an apologetic smile.
Though she did not give him a proper answer, Kyran had a sudden sinking feeling.
He was closely related to Nolan. How many relations were there that could describe his relationship with Nolan? If he was not his godfather and was not his father's simple 'sworn brother', what other relation would it be? Nolan was not a Regis, but he was very concerned about what happened to his clan. Because he was his father's sworn brother? Was it really that simple?
Suddenly, Kyran was reminded of Nolan's offhanded comment on how spirits used to follow his mother around since she was small.
'Don't tell me...'
Realization hit him as he remembered Nolan's hair color. Though his eyes were in a different color if he changed them to light blue and softened the hard contour of his face, then...
Seeing the look of disbelief on Kyran's expression, Anette knew he had already found the answer. Having a brilliant mind was scary.
"He has reasons why he doesn't want to tell you. Do not think badly of him," she told him.
Kyran did not reply.
Taking a deep breath, Anette decided to change the subject and said, "Anyway. Nolan and I agreed that I would accompany you to the ruins."
Kyran closed his eyes. Being reminded of the ruins, he immediately adjusted his mood and train of thought. There would be another chance to confront Nolan. Right now, the rare stone comes first.
"But before we go," Anette stood up and took out a small bottle filled with deep red liquid from inside her coat pocket.
She approached Kyran and handed him the bottle.
"Drink this and rest for a few minutes."
Kyran took the bottle and looked at it in surprise, "This is a blood replenishing potion. You said this will not be available in the open market."
Anette smiled.
"That is because the Alchemist Association has not discovered it. This potion is my original recipe."
Kyran looked at Anette and saw her in a different light. He already anticipated that she would have an excellent background like Nolan, but to think that she was someone who could make potions that even the Alchemist Association had not discovered was out of his expectations.
"Keep it a secret, especially from the association. I don't want to have their people getting on my case again."
Kyran could not help but smile. It was strange how he felt more at ease around her after finding out she was his godmother.
"I will."
Anette nodded.
"Alright. Drink up first, then let's talk about the rare stone."
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