Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1438 - 224: Heart of a Young Girl

Pannis’s words did not arouse much concern among the girls, except for Freya, who seemed to sense a vague strangeness. Her oval face bore a hint of bafflement, and with narrowed eyes and a bowed head, she maintained silence without uttering a word, lost in her thoughts. However, in the rush, no one noticed the princess’s difference; even though Catherine paid a little attention, she quickly shifted her focus due to Pannis’s subsequent speech and soon forgot about this minor episode.

"Now, it really is time to say goodbye. Please don’t follow behind me like you did a few days ago, or rather, sneak in front of me. I’ve said before, everything inside is an enemy, even the environment itself will compress you, inflicting fatal injuries. You won’t be able to endure for long," Pannis turned back to look, seeing that Finche and Luscia had nearly completed their tasks, and sighed lightly, "You should know, defying death and recklessly courting it are two different things. Defiance of death is laudable; deliberate self-destruction is foolish."

"We understand, don’t worry," the girls gathered around Pannis. Catherine reached out her hand, smoothing the creases Tifa had left on his collar earlier and tightening his somewhat slackened sleeve cuffs. She said gently, "We came here with you not to pressure you, but to show our stance through actions. We want you to understand our feelings for you, not expressed with words but through actions, to let you know that we love you. We seek nothing more than to live together happily forever. For this dream to come true, we are willing to sacrifice our own lives. So rest assured, we haven’t lost our senses, and we well understand that it is not our place to go inside right now. Entering would only cause you pain and trouble. So, no matter what happens, we will not enter. We will wait here for you, waiting for your safe return, to tell you, ’Let’s go home.’"

"You..." At that moment, Pannis felt his throat tighten, the surging emotions clogging his chest to the point he couldn’t utter a complete sentence.

"Just listen to me, this is what everyone feels. I am speaking on their behalf, but I am not as brave. If you interrupt, I am not sure if I can muster the courage to say it again, so please, can I speak first?" Catherine placed her index finger on Pannis’s lips, her warm finger and moist lips making gentle contact, causing her own heart rate to accelerate and her fingertips to tremble slightly. Behind the trembling fingers, however, was a decisive gaze, her eyes showing no haze, only deep affection and unwavering trust, "We know your heart is filled with pain and turmoil. The past, the present, your heart has always borne endless guilt and regret. Even if you succeed, this guilt will only increase, not decrease, so the future for you is not a beacon of hope, but more painful torment."

"We understand you. For over a hundred years, you have lived carrying a heavy burden, and you are very tired. You hope to lay down all your burdens and rest forever. Your thoughts are not wrong; truly, many times when we see you forcing a smile, we feel pained for you, thinking you really should take a good rest, not bearing these sorrows anymore." Catherine’s voice trembled, her eyes glistening. Freya patted the knightly girl’s shoulder, continuing her words, "Every one of us selfishly hopes you will come out alive and continue to be with us. But just as I said earlier, you are indeed very weary. If you wish to rest, we shouldn’t stop you. We don’t have that right; besides Lady Nellie, no one else does. So, as of now, we will no longer pressure you, not to make promises, nor to make a life-or-death choice. Everything is up to your heart to decide."

"But still, we hope to see you walk out of this door safely," Catherine quickly recomposed herself, patting the somewhat plump hand of the princess to indicate she was back to normal, "This is not a selfish decision, not for ourselves, but because we truly feel that after everything ends, you should muster the courage to face the world again."

"I can understand your pain, very much so," Lina said, hugging her book and leaning on Catherine, looking up into Pannis’s eyes, "In the heart of the Forest of Death, facing our elder sister about to turn into something monstrous, the moment I raised her sword, I already felt this despair and agony. My only thought was to leave with elder sister, so that I wouldn’t have to face the painful reality anymore. But I knew it wasn’t right; it was still an evasion, an escape from the future. That’s why we hope you will make the right choice, not to escape a future filled with pain."

"Pannis, do you remember the phrase we saw on the gate when we first came in? ’Even in sleep within death, never abandon hope.’ This is the maxim Lady Nellie left for the Undead, and perhaps for you as well," Vivian leaned on her magic staff, her petite frame belying the resolute will hidden within, "Maybe the future seems full of pain and despair to you now, but the seed of hope often lies hidden within that pain and despair, just needing the right moment to ignite into a blazing flame. Sound familiar? Ha, of course, because those were your words to me when I was in severe pain and couldn’t stand, cradled in your arms. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten. Most of my life, I’ve lived in despair and pain, yet I’ve always been searching for hope, and finally, you all helped me find it. So why not give us a chance to stand by you, to find that hope together?"

"Everything is up to you to decide; no matter what, we will support you," Catherine took a deep breath and finally said, "If you succeed and choose to come back safely, we will cheer for you. If you prefer not to face the future, we won’t blame you; we will only weep for you. If you fail, don’t worry, your and Lady Nellie’s aspirations will be carried on by us. We will grow as fast as we can, accomplishing the tasks you left undone. So, don’t feel pressured; face the enemy in your best state and let Danacus know that our Nellie Adventure Team is invincible."