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Even the Night Haunter found it all a little unreal.

He had tried applying Nostramo's current situation to his former world.

He suddenly realized it seemed workable there too. There was no need for the deterrent of fear, only a bloody purge and the rule of law.

That seemed pretty good too.

Curze sat on the lawn outside Han Mingxuan's house, reading the code.

"Boss."

"Shen? What is it?"

"The invitations have all been sent. In half a month, they'll meet us at the newly built grand courthouse to discuss the future governance of the Hive City."

"There's no need to report that sort of thing. I trust you."

"Actually... there's something else."

Something else?

Seeing his right-hand man acting so awkwardly, Curze was a little taken aback.

Throughout the Eternal Night Justiciar Legion, Shen had always been known for his calm, rational mind and decisive actions.

What was wrong with him now?

"If you have something to say, say it. Why are you acting so awkward?"

"Um... we'd like to ask Uncle for his autograph."

"An autograph? And what do you mean, 'we'?"

"Yes. We've all talked it over, and we want Uncle's autograph."

As Shen spoke, he brought out the book he was holding.

"Evernight Code."

That was the new name it had been given after being consolidated and adapted to local conditions.

"How many?"

"Well..."

"Don't tell me the brothers all want one?"

Shen said nothing, just looking at Curze sheepishly.

Tsk.

This is tricky.

"Whew, I'll give it a try."

[You idiot, you'd better not try.]

[You've been awfully active lately, Xenos. Tell me why.]

[Your father loves you.]

Curze fell silent.

Did his father love him?

Of course!

No matter what he did, his father supported him.

And his father had always supported him for who he was.

So there was no doubt that his father loved him.

But if he took five thousand books to Han Mingxuan for him to sign, wouldn't that be a little inconsiderate?

"What are you two doing? Sneaking around like that." Han Mingxuan's voice interrupted their conversation.

"Uncle, please give me your autograph!"

Shen didn't care whether his boss was standing right there. He'd get the autograph first!

An autograph?

What's the big deal?

"Sure. Give me your book and come to the study to pick it up later."

He'd actually agreed!

Shen's mind immediately began racing.

"Is there something else?" One look at Shen's expression told Han Mingxuan he had more to say.

"Dad, well, there might be a few more books."

"That's fine. Gather them up and bring them all over later."

[You bastard, you're using up a father's love for his child!]

[Shut up, Xenos!]

[Heh, even a Xenos can see you're not being at all reasonable right now.]

[Just consider it me being selfish for once.]

After taking a walk around, Han Mingxuan took Shen's book into the study.

Before long, Sevatar's voice sounded outside the door.

"Uncle, I'm coming in."

"Come in, and put down the books you want me to sign."

Sevatar walked in, but the first thing Han Mingxuan saw wasn't his face. It was a stack of books three meters high.

"What's all this?"

"Dad, um... the brothers heard about the autographs, so they all wanted one."

Tsk.

"Curze, was this your doing?"

"Ahem, of course not. They all volunteered. All volunteered."

Whew!

Thank goodness, thank goodness. I can manage that many.

"Two hundred books a day. That's the rule."

"Understood!"

All right!

Uncle agreed!

Sevatar had expected to get a scolding, but he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

"Put them down and get lost, on the double."

"Sure thing. Thanks for the effort, Dad."

[I can't believe that worked. What do you think, big bat?]

[Heh, you're only acting so recklessly because he spoils you.]

[Don't you have a dad?]

[...]

The Night Haunter wanted very much to say that he did have a father, and that his father was the Master of Mankind.

He also wanted to say, I'm you. If things had gone the way they originally did, you wouldn't have a dad either.

So the dad you have now isn't really your dad!

But he couldn't bring himself to say it, nor could he say it.

His current self was simply too different from his former self.

His former self had been driven to self-destruction by the torment of the Warp's power and his own psychic powers.

Not only was his current self unaffected by that damned ability,

but at the very beginning, wearing that ore bracelet, he had even given his Warp Essence a thorough beating in just a few moves.

The change was simply too great.

[Then it looks like you really don't have a dad.]

[You'll understand someday.]

For the better part of the next month, Han Mingxuan always set aside some time to sign the books brought to him.

He also opened the back endpaper, because some people wrote things on it.

Some offered suggestions, some sent greetings, some confided in him, and others simply aired their grievances.

Han Mingxuan patiently replied to all of them. Fortunately, each book only had one back endpaper, or he would have exhausted himself.

Besides, this was an excellent opportunity.

Through this, Han Mingxuan gained some understanding of every member of the current Eternal Night Justiciar Legion.

Some were eighteen or nineteen, others sixteen or seventeen, and the oldest was only twenty.

Reading what they had written on the back endpapers of their books, Han Mingxuan saw each of them as a living, breathing young person.

These people would bring new life to Nostramo.

The members of the Eternal Night Justiciar Legion who received replies immediately spread the news.

When the others further back in line heard about it, they stopped writing just anything and instead began choosing their words very carefully.

As this went on, what had started as simple replies to grievances turned into replies to letters.

It got to the point where Han Mingxuan had to prepare parchment specifically for writing letters.

What?

What about the noble lords waiting for the meeting?

Let them wait!

The longer they had to wait past the appointed time, the more terrified they would become.

Han Mingxuan continued signing until he had finished all five thousand books.

Because of the book in his mind, Han Mingxuan's memory grew stronger by the day.

So he could remember the owner's name for every book he had signed.

Now all that remained was to see their faces.

But one book he came across while signing was strange, even though it was exactly the same as the others.

Its owner's name was strange.

Lemur Solus

To most people, there might have been nothing wrong with the name; it was a classic Gothic-style name.

But Han Mingxuan had signed thousands of books, and this was the first time he had come across a name like it.

A name that perfectly matched a Latin transliteration.

Or rather, one that followed High Gothic naming conventions.

This was the first High Gothic name among the five thousand people.

Lemur Solus

Transliterated from Latin, it was Lemur Solus, meaning "lonely wandering spirit."

Of course, that wasn't all.

This person had not only filled the back endpaper, but had also covered the front endpaper in dense writing.