Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1035 - 150: The Firm Catherine

Chapter 1035: Chapter 150: The Firm Catherine

When the flickering lightning vanished into the horizon and the crackling booms of thunder gradually faded away, an eerie silence engulfed the battered temporary shelter. No one spoke, no one moved, and everyone’s expression was subtly troubled, their gazes lowered as if preoccupied by personal thoughts. Catherine stared down, her eyes fixated on the gauntlets covering her hands, as if there were some beautiful pattern there. Lina rustled the pages of her book rapidly, too fast to possibly read the words on the pages. Vivian stood a single finger upright before her, a tiny flame twisting atop it into various shapes, both human and beast, the contours of the fire exceptionally vivid. Freya sat beside Vivian, repeatedly assembling and disassembling a Crystal Energy gun as thick as an adult’s thigh. Her fingers were thick and long yet moved with the swiftness of a butterfly dancing among flowers, her actions without a hint of delay. As for Ava, she sat rigidly on a stump, staring straight ahead with an emotionless face, the only movement being the blinking of her eyes.

Pannis sat not far from the girls, his face adorned with a peculiar smile, leaning against a whitevine tree on the ground with a cup of hot water in his hands. His calm gaze stared at the reflection of his own eyes in the cup, oblivious to the bizarre atmosphere, seemingly detached from everything around him. The other Demigods, including the former Queen Nis, also kept their heads down, not communicating at all. The only sound reverberating was that of the distant swarm of mosquitoes buzzing their wings, a noise so persistent it became aggravating. In the silence, the invisible pressure in the air grew heavier and heavier, almost to the point of suffocating.

"Huh," Ava, who had been still like a porcelain doll, suddenly stood up forcefully, her expression blank as she straightened up, turned, and headed towards the exit of the temporary shelter. However, before she could take a step, Lina, who had been flicking through her book, already grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit back down next to her. On the other side, Catherine, who had been staring blankly at her gauntlet, placed her left hand on Ava’s shoulder and shook her head almost imperceptibly. Ava looked at the two family members beside her with a vacant gaze, filled with confusion as to why they were doing this. Although the girl’s reasoning could not provide her with an answer, for some unknown reason, she felt a wetness in her eyes as if tears wanted to emerge.

With her hand on Ava’s shoulder, Catherine continued to gaze absently at her gauntlet, letting time slowly pass until Master Antuin gently coughed once and said indifferently, "Aren’t you going to explain, Kyle?"

Antuin was a quintessential Forest Mage: serious, diligent, cautious, neatly dressed, with meticulously groomed hair. His stern features bore the distinct handsomeness of an Elf, and though he was well over a thousand years old, he still appeared middle-aged. Judging by his appearance alone, it was hard to imagine that such a middle-aged, handsome man could be a powerful Demigod Mage controlling a large Guild. Yet, those who knew his identity were aware that this serious Demigod barely issued commands in the Mage Guild anymore, but still, no one in the Guild dared to go against any of his demands. It could be said that within the Guild, he held supreme authority.

But Pannis remained silent, simply blowing gently on the steam rising from his cup, glancing up at the earnest Antuin with a slight smile. Against all expectations, it wasn’t Pannis who spoke up but Catherine. The knight kept her gaze fixed on her gauntlet and asked in a low, suppressed voice, "May I know what you think we ought to explain, Master Antuin?"

In Antuin’s eyes burned two orbs of magical energy, the blue magical energy making his eyeballs appear exceptionally otherworldly, like two flames flickering continuously. Hearing Catherine’s counter-question, the two orbs of magical energy intensified their dance, yet his voice remained calm, "Are you asking me, knight miss?"

"Shouldn’t I be the one to ask you, Master?" Catherine’s face remained expressionless, and her voice grew increasingly indifferent, "It is not I who needs an explanation, but yourself. Of course, I must put the question to you."

"Hmm." Antuin gave a serious chuckle, "Very well, don’t you think you should explain the identity issue of your teammate?"

"An identity issue, that’s interesting indeed." Catherine narrowed her eyes, her smile eerily similar to Pannis’s at certain times, "Why have I never heard that a registered member of the Adventurer’s Guild is responsible for explaining their own identity to non-Guild personnel? Nor have I ever heard that the President of the Mage Guild has the authority to command independent adventurers to offer explanations?"

From the moment Catherine began to speak, all eyes were centered on her. As the exchange with Antuin continued, the looks directed at her grew increasingly meaningful. As for the young girls, though still silent, each was somewhat surprised inside. For years, when facing the formidable Demigods, the knight girl had always looked up to them with reverence. After coming into contact with these Demigods, she had behaved as a junior, showing them sufficient respect. None of the girls had expected Catherine to confront Antuin’s questioning with such a firm stance in this situation. In their minds, even if she were to refuse, it would be done in a relatively tactful manner. This kind of direct opposition, using a mocking tone, was typically the behavior of Pannis. Perhaps, after spending these years together, the knight girl truly had learned much from Pannis.

"Indeed, the Mage Guild has no authority to make demands of members of the Adventurer’s Guild." Antuin replied with a cold laugh, "However, as a Demigod, I do have the right to question the identity of someone who may impact the Yarran World. There are currently only two living Deities, and both are the highest leaders of the Divine Servants. Therefore, the sudden appearance of a third necessitates ample reason for suspicion, suspecting this third Deity is related to the other two."

"To question is of course permissible, but if you have doubts about a registered member of the Adventurer’s Guild, please present them to the Adventurer’s Guild. In turn, the Guild will seek confirmation from us. We are only obligated to the Adventurer’s Guild." Catherine finally shifted her gaze from her gauntlets and met Antuin’s eyes, where magical energy flickered, speaking in an indubitable tone, "Moreover, I must correct a mistake of yours, Master Antuin. The highest leaders of the Divine Servants are not living Deities; they are moribund, in a state between life and death, and they are not of this world. So, the only true living Deity is Ava. I believe you understand my meaning."