Chapter 35: What a Pity, You're Only a Dog
Nairn returned from Above the Gray Fog, his consciousness flooding back into reality like a tide.
He opened his eyes as the summer afternoon sunlight filtered through the window panes, dyeing everything in the room a layer of lazy gold.
He stood up from the soft sofa and walked to the window, looking down at the slightly aged street below. Afternoons in Tingen City were always like this, tranquil with a unique scent of the industrial era.
In the air, the ethereal and ancient aura of Sefirah Castle seemed to still linger.
He could clearly feel the Chaos Theater within him emitting a pleasant hum because of the little "turning the tables" prank he had just played in Sefirah Castle.
Even Klein's final complex expression, a mix of shock, shame, confusion, and emotion, provided him with a considerable amount of play value.
Mr. Fool is truly the best "lead actor."
Nairn raised his wrist and looked at the exquisite platinum pocket watch; the hands pointed precisely to four in the afternoon.
"Mm, the timing is just right."
A playful smile appeared on Nairn's face.
He naturally knew what it was that Klein wanted to ask but didn't at the end Above the Gray Fog.
It was nothing more than the Antigonus Family's notebook, the motives of the Church of the Evernight, and the secrets beneath the undercurrents of Tingen City.
But what would be the fun in telling him the answers directly?
The real "fun" lay in personally setting up the stage and script, then watching the protagonist walk toward the truth step by step in total ignorance, only to reveal a magnificent expression when the final mystery was unveiled.
Moreover, how could a good show be without an unexpected plot twist?
As for that nonsensical "I'm sorry" before he left... it was naturally meant for Klein.
After all, he was about to "visit" that respected colleague and elder of his.
That old gentleman was one of the few people who had shown pure kindness to Klein since he arrived in this cold world.
Giving a heads-up in advance could be considered a final act of tenderness from him, the "fellow countryman senior."
At this thought, Nairn stretched, his bones letting out a series of crisp popping sounds, like an overture for the upcoming play.
He walked slowly to a full-length mirror in the corner of the room and quietly observed his reflection.
In the next second, a strange and wonderful change occurred.
In the mirror, his height began to shrink at a visible rate. His originally tall and sturdy shoulder line became rounded, and the muscle lines beneath his shirt softened and dissolved.
His Adam's apple dissolved under smooth skin, and his jawline was no longer so sharp, becoming soft and beautiful.
His neat black short hair seemed to be pulled and curled by invisible hands, growing rapidly until it finally turned into a head of flaxen hair with natural waves, draping gently over his shoulders.
His features were undergoing a silent and intense reconstruction.
His eyes grew larger, the color of his pupils shifting from a bottomless black to a watery light brown. The bridge of his nose lowered slightly, and his lips became fuller and more plump.
In just a few seconds, the handsome and mysterious young man in the mirror had completely transformed into a middle-aged lady with a gentle face, elegant temperament, and a hint of faint melancholy in her eyes.
Her appearance was exactly the same as the woman in the sketch presented by Triss.
It was precisely Old Neil's deceased wife—Salist.
Sequence 6, Magician.
One of its core abilities was to weave a "self-fulfilling" Lie.
Disguising oneself as another person was not a simple illusion or makeup, but a perfect "deception" at the level of physiological structure, pheromones, and even the aura of the soul.
This was a living Lie walking upon the earth.
"Now..."
The "Salist" in the mirror gave herself a gentle and sorrowful smile.
Her voice changed accordingly, becoming raspy and soft, carrying a trace of weakness from a long illness, yet containing a charm enough to break one's heart.
"It's time to go to the appointment."
...Meanwhile, the Loen Kingdom, the capital Backlund, Empress Borough.
Audrey Hall was sitting on her soft and spacious princess bed, holding her beloved golden retriever Susie in her arms, but her mind was not at all on stroking that smooth golden fur.
Spread out before her were several sheets of paper filled with strange tables and text.
Those were the corrections Nairn had given to some practical questions Audrey had just raised.
They were the more refined principle analyses of Double-Entry Bookkeeping, along with blank templates for the balance sheet and income statement, which Mr. Lover had passed to her through Mr. Fool.
There were also the step-by-step procedures for the entire subsequent plan, as well as the action guidelines.
She had already shut herself in her room to study for the entire afternoon; the more she studied, the brighter those emerald eyes became.
Susie seemed to sense her owner's distraction and rubbed her large, furry head against Audrey's hand.
"Oh, Susie!" Audrey snapped back to reality and hugged Susie, burying her face in the dog's warm neck, sharing her secret in a voice only the two of them could hear. "I'm telling you, I recently met a su—per amazing person!"
Her voice was filled with irrepressible excitement.
"He knows so, so many things we don't know, and he's taught me a lot of wonderful knowledge! He said if I learn it, I can also become a very powerful person and help many, many people!"
"He's called 'Lovers,' Susie. Don't you think it's a very nice name?"
Susie let out a confused "woof" and wagged her tail happily.
Audrey giggled, her emerald eyes sparkling like gems washed by spring water, or like they were dipped in the starlight of the entire sky.
"I know, you definitely think he's great too, right?"
A young girl's thoughts are always like poems in the clouds, filled with impractical romantic fantasies.
She had already begun to look forward to the next Tarot Club meeting, wondering what kind of appreciative expression Mr. Lover would show when she presented a perfect progress report to him.
Will he praise me?
Will he teach me more and more interesting knowledge?
Will he... be a little bit different toward me?
At this thought, Audrey's cheeks began to heat up uncontrollably again.
She quickly buried her face deep in Susie's soft fur, feeling as if a lively little rabbit was in her heart, thumping so hard it almost jumped out of her chest.
She also knew that going to the Tarot Club and becoming a Beyonder was her biggest secret and absolutely could not be exposed.
Her Connection with Mr. Lover and the things they were doing together could only be advanced in secret.
To push for reform in the Loen Kingdom, a task that sounded incredibly grand and difficult, she would have to rely only on herself for a long time to come, with at most one Mr. Lover silently supporting her from behind.
So, on the surface, it would seem as if she were the only one pushing forward in solitude.
Therefore, she could only turn to Susie to pour out the excitement and secrets that had nowhere else to go in her heart.
Audrey stroked Susie's head and suddenly sighed.
'What a pity, Susie, you're only a dog.'
How wonderful would it be if Susie could understand what she said and possessed intelligence?
It could help her analyze those complex tables, offer suggestions, and even... even help her sort through those messy, hazy feelings about Mr. Lover in her heart that made her face flush and her heart race.
Mr. Lover... his voice is so young and so pleasant.
And his code name is such an... evocative word.
He knows so much, as if he were omniscient, and yet he is willing to patiently teach her.
Powerful, mysterious, gentle, knowledgeable... he was simply... simply the most perfect image in her fantasies.
Audrey felt her heartbeat start to accelerate uncontrollably again, and scenes of balls, walks, and afternoon tea began to pop up in her mind without restraint.