Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1425 - 211: The Sluggish Catherine

"Alright, alright, I admit, my inner thoughts were laid bare by a single action." Finche’s ears drooped as he spoke despondently, "Indeed, just like you’ve said, from the very beginning, I’ve been greatly averse to my identity as an Undead. I wished to embrace death with the glory of a Beastman, not live on in the shadows as a miserable wretch in the guise of an Undead. That should not be my fate."

"Even after seeing Luscia, your thoughts haven’t changed?" Pannis countered, "The Guardians’ status and responsibilities weigh heavier than the glory of you Beastmen—that you must admit. Good, it’s fine as long as you don’t deny it. So, if she, as a Guardian, can adjust her mindset and adapt to her new identity, why can’t you? Besides, just because you’ve turned into an Undead, does that mean you are no longer yourself? Obviously, that’s impossible. No matter how you change, your soul has never changed; you are still yourself, still the old shaman who holds justice and seeks glory. In this case, becoming an Undead actually gives you more time to pursue your own glory and create even more splendid achievements. For you, this should actually be a fortunate turn of events worth celebrating. Why resist it so stubbornly? Or is it that, having lost your Beastman identity, you no longer dare face new challenges?"

"I’m well aware of what you’re saying; otherwise, you wouldn’t see me here today." Finche sighed and spoke with a wry smile, "I must admit, what you’re saying is nearly identical to what Nellie told me before. Did the two of you collude? You’re so alike even when persuading others."

"Uh, that was just a coincidence, ahahaha, just a coincidence." Pannis chuckled awkwardly, "It’s because we’re both stating facts, and truth is singular, so naturally, our statements are similar."

"Is that so?" Finche’s smile was ambiguous as he scanned the young girls surrounding Pannis. However, as the old shaman and Pannis weren’t as familiar with each other as with Flare and the others, he ultimately didn’t say anything, merely nodding before steering the topic back, "Lady Nellie saw through my thoughts. But at the beginning, she didn’t persuade me like this; instead, she had a long discussion with me about the Undead. In her view, the existence of the Undead is inevitable as long as the Divine Power of Death exists, and thus, the threat of the Undead to the Yarran World will always be present."

"I agree with that." Pannis affirmed, "As long as the phenomenon of death exists in this world, the Divine Power of Death will always be there. The Undead are merely an extension of the power of death. It doesn’t matter whether the power of death is wielded by a Deity, and specifically who that might be—it doesn’t change this outcome."

"Exactly, that can be considered a definitive conclusion," Finche said. "Then the issue is the Realm of the Dead. Our speculations at the edge of the Sighing Desert weren’t wrong; this indeed is a forgotten Shattered World, filled only with countless skeletons and innumerable dormant souls. In a world devoid of living creatures, yet filled with so many skeletons and souls, it’s a very dangerous thing. It will inevitably give birth to a large number of Undead, and even if we assume that Danacus never fell here and that his Divine Soul never slumbered here, the increase in the number of Undead would surely have given rise to extremely powerful Undead, who would then take over the suspended power of death. Danacus awoke in this world simply because he slumbered here—it wasn’t that he turned this world into the Realm of the Dead. On the contrary, it was this world, rife with death, that led to his resurrection."

"I see," Pannis stroked his chin, lost in deep thought. In the years since he’d regained his vigor, the relationship between Danacus and the Realm of the Dead was not something he hadn’t considered. Using the clues obtained from the moribunds and combining them with previously acquired information, he had always believed that it was the will of the awakened Danacus that revived countless Undead and that it was Danacus’s will that led the Realm of the Dead to collide with the World of the Living, creating the first Death’s Gate. However, Nellie, through Finche, had negated this deduction, suggesting that Danacus simply took advantage of the situation and environment, rather than creating them. If anyone else had spoken these words, Pannis might still be skeptical, but the speaker was Nellie, and aside from Danacus himself, she was probably the most authoritative figure on the subject. Her conclusions were far more credible than Pannis’s speculation. Thus, Pannis fell silent for a while before speaking slowly, "So you’re saying that everything is the result of inevitability, and the breakout of the last Undead War had actually been predetermined, with only the timing of its eruption uncertain."

"Yes, Lady Nellie believes that all of this is inevitable," the old shaman nodded, "The Undead will inevitably appear in this world, and as long as all the Undead hold yearnings for their homeland, the distance between the two worlds will inevitably shrink and collide, leading to the Undead invading the World of the Living and the outbreak of the Undead War. Perhaps, apart from Lord Yarra, no one can prevent all this from happening. Danacus couldn’t, and neither could Lady Nellie."

"But I have a question." Catherine interjected suddenly, asking in confusion, "There’s an unexplainable point in this theory—if the existence of the Undead is inevitable, why did all the Undead fall after Danacus was dealt a heavy blow in the last Undead War?"

"You’re Catherine, right?" Finche looked at the knight girl clad in silver scale armor with an appreciative gaze, "I know you well; Lady Nellie has mentioned you to me and Luscia more than once."

"Lady Nellie? Mentioned me?" Catherine’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as she gazed at the nebulous form of the old shaman, stammering, "Why, why would Lord Yarra mention me? How could Lord Yarra know about me?"

"You still don’t understand?" Finche looked at Catherine in surprise, then glanced at Pannis, and pointing at Catherine, he said, "Kyle, you didn’t tell her?"

"I can’t be sure." Pannis revealed a cunning smile, "It would be highly irresponsible to present uncertainties as conclusions to someone else, wouldn’t it?"

"Hey, Pannis." Catherine barely restrained the urge to pinch him hard, gritting her teeth as she asked, "What exactly are you hiding from me?"

"Uh, I didn’t expect it myself," Pannis scratched his head, "Don’t you know yet why Doris said you’re favored by the divine? Haven’t you guessed who the Deity might be that watches over you?"