Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 128 - 49 Kidnapping Case_1

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"I saw your confrontation with Nicholas." Sitting in the carriage on the way back, Pannis recollected his final conversation with Snape, "Thank you for protecting Catherine."

"It’s nothing, I’ve seen a lot of people like him." Pannis, leaning casually in his armchair at the time, waved his hand, "Arrogant and full of Suspicion, whenever they encounter a problem they cannot understand that could potentially endanger themselves, they become extremely cautious and absolutely wouldn’t dare to confront us easily. By the time Nicholas gets a chance to take action in a few years, Catherine and the others, with their talents and efforts, would have already risen to a level he can only look up to. So, Nicholas is not a problem at all."

"I understand, but either way, I hope you will look after Catherine in the future." Snape at this time seemed unlike a world’s wealthiest person, but like a concerned elder of a neighboring child. "The child is stubborn and straightforward, and she likes to meddle in things which can easily put herself in danger, so... haha, anyway, I’m putting her in your hands in the future."

"Hey," Pannis gawked at him, "I’ve already said it’s not what you think."

"I know it’s not," Snape had no disappointed expression at all, "But Mr. Kyle, have you ever thought about it—she’s been with us for several years, I always advise her every time I see her, but rather than finding a random man to appease me, she even brought Lina and lied to me about being interested in women. But today, she brought you. At least it shows that she doesn’t dislike you. Would she have done this otherwise?"

"My head hurts so much." Pannis rubbed his head and groaned, "I’ve actually considered all the things you said, that’s why my head hurts."

"Haha, Catherine is a good girl," Snape said concernedly. "Whether you accept her in the future or not, you are already fighting alongside her. I hope that you can protect her, don’t let her get hurt, in any sense of the word."

"Ah, why did I agree in the first place," Pannis sighed, ending his memory, and his gaze turned to Catherine sitting next to him.

Ever since leaving Snape’s villa, Catherine has been acting very awkwardly and hasn’t spoken a word to Pannis. At this time, Catherine’s body was rigid, her muscles were tense, and her neck was turned dramatically towards the window, as if something very engaging outside the window was attracting her attention.

"I say, Catherine." Pannis was about to say something to ease the atmosphere in the carriage, but was interrupted by Catherine.

"Don’t talk." Catherine was so loud that even she was surprised, "You must forget everything you heard from him."

"Actually, I didn’t hear anything." Pannis said with a bitter smile, "He didn’t tell me anything, it was just a casual chat."

"Really?" Catherine’s rigid motion slowly turned her head, stared at Pannis for a long while before quickly saying, "Regardless of whether you heard anything or not, let me make it clear with you. When I found you to accompany me today, there was absolutely no special meaning. He had been urging me to get married; it became so annoying to the extent that I had to bring you as a shield. It doesn’t mean that I did it because I feel some way for you, you’re not allowed to have any weird thoughts at all."

"I know, I know." Pannis raised his hands perhaps in surrender, choking back laughter, "There is absolutely no special meaning, and I absolutely don’t have any weird thoughts, I promise."

Catherine stared into Pannis’ eyes, filled with suspicion, for a very long moment before she snorted, "I hope so."

"Phew." Pannis wiped his sweat, glanced at Catherine, who finally returned to normal, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Speaking of which, were you...embarrassed on the way back?"

"Hehe, hehe," Catherine trembled a bit, her lips began to twitch, her right hand clenched tightly to the umbrella handle, her eyes dark as she said, "Some people... never learn their lesson, hehe. For such people, they should just disappear from the world, don’t you agree, dear Mr. Pannis?"

"I was joking, I was joking." Pannis hurried to explain, suddenly his eyes not moving away from the window, "Wait, you see, there are two people standing at our gate."

"Really?" Catherine also forgot about her embarrassment and looked out of the window, indeed, two people were anxiously pacing around under the lamplight of the pillar at the gate of No. 6 Fox Street.

"These two people..." Catherine took a closer look, "One of them looks like the owner of the tailor shop on the street, I don’t recognize the other one. What’s their hurry? Never mind, we’re almost there, I’ll ask them in a bit."

The rented carriage slowly stopped in front of the mansion, and unlike her previous etiquette, Catherine immediately opened the door and jumped out of the carriage and ran to the tailor shop owner in a few steps. Pannis also got out of the carriage, walked up to the coachman and said a few words before sending the coachman away.

"Miss Catherine, you’re finally back," the tailor shop owner ran a few steps, almost stumbled in front of Catherine, but was luckily held up by Catherine. "Please help."

"Please don’t worry, take your time." Catherine held the tailor shop owner, a man in his sixties, and looked at the other middle-aged woman she didn’t recognize, "Also, who is this?"

"This is Luna’s mother," said the old tailor, Abeno, "Luna, Luna’s in trouble."

"Luna? Your store employee?" Catherine was a little confused, "What happened? I saw her at noon."

"In the evening, as usual, she helped me close the store, prepared to go home after buying groceries from the market, but Mrs. Eillie, Luna’s mother, was still waiting for Luna at home even after dark. When she thought she should go out to have a look, she found a pack of scattered vegetables not far from the door. She suspects that Luna was abducted at the doorway of her home."

"Did you report to the city guard?" Catherine shook her head, "That’s useless, it’s too soon."

"Yes, the city guard said it was too soon, Luna might have gone elsewhere to play, a pack of vegetables couldn’t prove anything." Luna’s mother, Eillie, chimed in, "But Luna is a very obedient child, knowing that I am not in good health, she rushes home to take care of me every day after work."

"Did anyone in the neighborhood see anything?" Catherine asked.

"No." Eillie shook her head, "Our home is in a secluded alley, so few people pass by."

"What happened?" After having sent away the coachman, Pannis came over, "What’s wrong?"

"Luna may have been kidnapped," Catherine replied.

Mr. Pannis clearly did not know everyone’s name: "Who is Luna?"

"The girl from the tailor shop." Catherine simply described her: "The one you stalked the day after you arrived."

"Oh, that’s her name." Pannis realized, but he said: "However, I didn’t stalk her."

"What?" Catherine was taken aback: "Didn’t I tell you the morning after you came that two girls complained to me about being stalked?"

"Right." Pannis nodded: "But didn’t I also say that I only stalked one?"

"You weren’t joking back then?" Catherine’s voice trembled slightly.

"Of course not." Pannis asserted: "She’s not my type. I have never stalked her."

Catherine blinked blankly, lost for words: "This is trouble. She told me two or three times afterwards that someone was stalking her again, and I assumed it was you. If it wasn’t you, then it means..."

"It means she really has been targeted by someone." Pannis nodded.

"Let’s go and check the scene." Catherine said angrily: "They dare to lay hands on my friend. This is an act of war."

Pannis pointed at Catherine: "Aren’t you going to change your clothes?"

"No time, let’s go." Catherine said to Abeno and Eillie: "Take me to the scene now. The one who planned to kidnap Luna won’t just kill her, I will find Luna safe and sound, don’t worry."

"Miss Catherine, your willingness to help is such a relief." The old tailor breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Luna’s mother and said: "I told you, Miss Catherine is the kindest person. She will help."

"You wait here, I’m going to call the carriage back." Pannis pointed to the two of them: "They can’t walk fast, it’s quicker to ride."

"Give the coachman ten gold coins." Catherine took out all ten gold coins from her coin purse and handed them to Pannis: "Tell the coachman that it’s a deposit for borrowing his carriage while he goes to the city guard to speak on my behalf. Tell them that Catherine of Nellie’s adventure team requests help, they can send anyone, and go straight to Luna’s house."

"No problem." Pannis jumped a few steps away, his voice carrying from a distance.

——————————————

The rolling sound of carriage wheels shattered the silence of the night. The simple carriage moved along increasingly quiet and narrow streets, finally stopping at a narrow alley the carriage could not enter. There were no lights in the alley. Only the dim light of public oil lamps from the street revealed a small patch at the entrance of the alley.

"It’s not far ahead." Eillie anxiously stepped down from the carriage, pointing to the dark alley and said: "My house is at the end of the alley, the bundle of vegetables was also found there."

"Let’s go." Catherine nodded to Pannis, who removed a lamp from the carriage. After walking about thirty meters into the alley, he suddenly stopped.

"The bundle of vegetables was found here, right?" Pannis asked, looking down.

"Yes, right there." Eillie affirmed: "How did you know?"

"The footprints are clear; the scene is chaotic like two elephants had a fight here." Pannis could clearly discern without bending over: "A man and a woman. The man is about 1.7 meters tall, very skinny, limps a bit on his left leg. Is there anyone who matches this description or has any conflicts with your family nearby?"

"I don’t think there is." Ellie replied after thinking for a moment, but was interrupted by Catherine before she could finish.

"Hush." Catherine hushed Eillie and listened carefully before saying to Pannis: "I’m not wrong."

"No, you aren’t." Pannis confirmed Catherine’s judgment: "Ahead."

"Let’s go." Catherine rushed forward: "You two don’t rush, there is no danger around, just trail behind us slowly."

After running for another ten meters or so, Catherine stopped in front of a large door.

"Whose house is this?" Catherine murmured to herself.

"Are you looking to engrave his tombstone or write a birthday greeting?" Pannis shrugged: "If not, why care whose house it is?"

"True." Catherine shot Pannis a look, gripped her parasol with both hands and twisted it, separating the handle from the body. She pulled out a sharp thin sword from the parasol, then kicked open the tightly locked door.

As soon as the door swung open, the sight inside was revealed to both of them.

A long dining table was set in the middle of the room, with an oil lamp placed beside it. A naked girl was sprawled on the table. A rag was stuffed in her mouth, emitting soft muffled sounds; her body was riddled with four dozen varying wounds. A man stood by the table holding a dagger; he turned his head in terror when he heard the door.