Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1129 - 242 The Sorrow of Pannis

Chapter 1129: Chapter 242 The Sorrow of Pannis

"People who haven’t seen the Realm of the Dead can hardly imagine how harsh that world is." Dillie seemed to recall something terrifying, her tone clearly filled with fear, "The sky is dark, illuminated only by the cold moonlight. The ground is covered in yellow sand, over which endless layers of white bones are scattered. Besides that, there’s nothing else. The only thing moving between heaven and earth is the howling wind. There are no other sounds and no living creatures. It’s a land of absolute silence. I can’t imagine how long I could last there if I were alone. Probably no more than ten days. After that, I might go insane."

"In such an environment, Lady Nellie actually endured for decades," Catherine said, shivering at just the thought of what Nellie might have felt, her tone bitter, "That must be the most painful torture, right? Have you never thought of rescuing her? Oh, right, you didn’t know that Lady Nellie was still alive."

"Even if we had known, we couldn’t have gone, no one could, including myself," Pannis sighed deeply, clutching his hair, "It was impossible before, and even more so now. Not only can’t I go, but I also have to prevent others from reopening Death’s Gate to rescue her."

Pannis did not mention the reasons, but the reasons were obvious to the girls. Nellie’s body had been taken over by a Divine Soul. Maybe there was still some remnant of her own will, but compared to a deity, a mortal’s will is far too fragile. It’s hard to say how much of Nellie’s remaining will could still dominate, and it’s unpredictable when it would be completely consumed by the Soul of Danacus. Rescuing her under such circumstances would amount to releasing the evil god Danacus, which would not only make them sinners of the Yarran World but also betray Nellie’s last wishes, rendering her sacrifices and decades of lonely suffering in vain. Hence, the girls looked at Pannis with a touch of pity, imagining that among all who were involved, he must be the one in the most pain.

"So, these years that you’ve been fighting with the Divine Servants, including this venture deep into the heart of the Forest of Death," Lina stammered, "Wasn’t it, wasn’t it..."

"You’re right, I was personally sending my love to hell, personally destroying her last sliver of hope," Pannis said with a mocking smile, sadly, the mockery was directed at himself, "The person who committed the crime is me, I’m the one who should be punished. Yet now, the criminal is living freely in the world of the living, and still making efforts to ensure that the innocent her can never come out. It’s the ultimate irony of this world."

"So, you’ve thought about all this already," Dillie said with some surprise, looking at Pannis, "During this time, Maya, Tiya, and I repeatedly went over everything that has happened in the recent years, oh, everything related to the followers of Danacus. We were suspecting that maybe Nellie’s will was still lingering, unable to stop Danacus’s plans but possibly interfering with the details. But we never dared to tell you, thinking that the later you realized, the better. I didn’t expect you to have guessed it already, probably even sooner than us. No wonder the day before we entered the Wandering Woodlands, Flare inexplicably told me you were already prepared—apparently referring to this realization."

"Hah, that’s right, I was already prepared," Pannis said with a sorrowful smile, "Since I’m already a sinner, let me bear even more sins. If she harbors any resentment, let me bear it alone."

"The way you talk, it’s as if Lady Nellie still retains her consciousness," Lina said, trying hard to find reasons to console Pannis’s inner pain, "The attack on the expedition client happened forty years ago. So much time has passed, many things must have changed, right? Perhaps Lady Nellie has already..." She paused, then added, "Hey, I know I’m tactless, but you don’t have to be so sarcastic."

Clearly, the priest-girl had heard some critique within her own spiritual world and was complaining discontentedly. However, this behavior slightly alleviated Pannis’s sadness, causing him to show a faint smile and shake his head, "What can be confirmed is that, at least before we went to the Perpetual Icefield, Nellie was still largely able to retain her own will. But after that, her will must have weakened considerably. By now, there probably isn’t much left."

"Because she was cooperating with us?" Catherine mused, "Indeed, nothing was a coincidence or luck. We were able to uncover the Divine Servants’ conspiracy, it seems she was secretly helping us. But why before going to the Perpetual Icefield? Did something happen during that time? Ah, I remember now, during the time at the Perpetual Icefield, you left for a while to help Lord Aske, did you get any news during that period?"

"Yes, the Divine Servants’ last sacrifice was a success," Pannis sighed, "They awakened Danacus’s will, or so they said. However, they, unaware of the specific circumstances, had no reason to deceive us."

"The deity’s will resurrected?" Catherine said, biting her lip, "Doesn’t that mean Lady Nellie no longer has any chance?"

"Yes, that’s why I said her will has only gotten weaker since then," Pannis said, trying not to sound pained, but his trembling voice betrayed his feelings, "Think back, after that, we almost never received any covert guidance from inside the Divine Servants again. She no longer had the strength to guide us. Moreover, you should ask Annie and Little Deer how long it has been since they last had that dream."

"What dream? Oh, you mean the dream of charging toward the undead under the moonlight?" Catherine cried out eagerly, "Little Deer, Little Deer, come out, I have a question for you."

"What’s the matter?" LittleDeer, with an arm that had been pieced together, cradled its own head and popped out from a compartment in Lina’s backpack, asking in confusion, "Is there a problem?"

"How long has it been since you and Annie last had that dream?" Catherine inquired, "The one with many of your companions and some creatures you didn’t recognize?"

"Probably a few months, definitely not a year," Little Deer counted its teeth with its phalanges, "Yes, less than a year. Annie and I have wondered why those dreams we had for so many years just suddenly stopped. Why do you suddenly ask this?"

"It’s nothing, go back to playing." Catherine sighed, coaxing the little one back into the compartment before speaking, "So it really started around that time, huh. But, is that dream really related to Lady Nellie?"

"Of course, it is," Pannis affirmed, "The appearance of Undead with Divine Wisdom is no coincidence. I suspect they are the eyes and hands inadvertently created by Nellie in the external world. She observes this world through their eyes and uses their hands to thwart the intentions of Divine Servants. This is why these little ones were influenced by her and dreamed of scenes they had never seen before. Unfortunately, she can’t tell us her secrets with her eyes, and we have never encountered her hands."

"Ah!" Lina exclaimed suddenly, pointing at Catherine, "Doesn’t that mean, that all these years Big Sister’s behavior has been under Lady Nellie’s watch?"

Catherine’s face turned crimson in an instant, thinking of how these past years, without any guard, she had displayed her fanatic worship and longing for Nellie in front of the two small beings, the knight girl felt an urge to bury herself in the ground. However, Dillie scoffed and said, "Even if they’re eyes, do you think observing across spaces is a simple matter? Unless she’s really that bored, she wouldn’t have the energy to watch how you worship her every day."

"You, you, how do you know," Catherine stammered, "How do you know what I do every day, no, how do you know I worship Lady Nellie?"

"Anyone with normal intelligence would know, are you insulting my intelligence?" Dillie rolled her eyes in disdain, "What do you think the reputation of your Nellie adventure team is like?"

"Ha, thank you," Pannis chuckled, "I know you are comforting me, trying to distract me, but don’t worry, I have truly calmed down now. I was just a bit unsettled earlier when I suddenly verified my own conjecture, but I’m fine now. Besides, I know that Nellie also hopes for me to do this, otherwise, she wouldn’t have continuously guided and cooperated with our actions."

"Yes, I think so too," Freya nodded with her round head, "So you really don’t have to be so sad. Lady Nellie actually died when her body was possessed by a Divine Soul, and now it’s just her will continuing with the aid of the Divine Soul’s power. So if you fulfill her last wishes, she won’t resent you. Not only will she not resent, but if it were me, I would even be grateful to you. We don’t know why you always think you’re a sinner, but I think, whatever you’ve done, as long as you fulfill her last wishes, Lady Nellie will forgive you."

"Of course, I will fulfill her unfinished wishes," Pannis inhaled deeply, "I’ve said before, I’m prepared."

"What should we do now?" Catherine asked softly.

"We must continue moving forward, of course," Pannis stood up slowly and spoke earnestly, "As long as the Divine Servants are eradicated from the world, without anyone in the outside world to cooperate, Danacus won’t be able to reopen Death’s Gate again. This way, the Undead can’t invade the World of the Living, and Nellie can be at peace. As for what comes after that, well..."

A light chuckle masked his own eventual outcome, but it seemed that no one had made the connection.