Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1148 - 260 Old Field

Chapter 1148: Chapter 260 Old Field

The soul was no longer twisted as it had been a short while ago, aside from the entire figure being shrouded in a faint halo, everything seemed normal. The once crumpled appearance had smoothed out, and the mad expression had returned to one of gentleness and indifference. It looked just like the older scholars one would often see in the City of Knowledge, who spent their days immersed in libraries and laboratories, exhibiting not a trace of aggressiveness, but rather exuding a faint sense of kinship. Only then did the girls recall having seen this face before, in the Western-style building they called home, on the wall of the second-floor corridor hung his portrait. Lina had even teased Catherine in front of the portrait, saying that their family members, regardless of gender, all seemed to look exactly alike. However, at that time, the girls could never have imagined that they would one day meet the subject of the portrait in person.

"Ancestor, grandfather," Catherine said blankly as she looked at the ephemeral figure, suddenly unsure if she was still dreaming. She tentatively asked, "Grandfather, is it really you?"

The hazy soul did not respond but smiled warmly, removing the pointed Mage’s hat and holding it against his chest. He bowed deeply to Dillie, who was at the very back, scratching at the ground. His voice, melodic and reminiscent of the nobility from the central middle ages of the Faral Empire, was low, deep, and elegant, supremely dignified yet not haughty, "It’s been a long time, Mr. Dillie. The last time we met was in front of Master Christo’s house, wasn’t it? Time flies; it has been sixty years already. I never thought I would have the chance to see you again."

"Oh? At Master Christo’s house? It’s been so long, I can hardly remember... Oh, oh, yes, I recall now! You were one of those three young people back then, the ones who brought their magic research notes to his house to argue with him," Dillie tried to recall, finally awakening a distant memory. "It’s rare to see someone with the courage to do that, hard to forget indeed. The world is truly small; I never expected it to be you. We left early that time and didn’t see the outcome. How did it go, who won the argument?"

"Ha, I was still young then, fearless of anything, but it was just a theoretical debate, not a quarrel," Old Field’s soul said with a faint smile. "That debate was very enlightening for me; it corrected many mistakes in my understanding. For this reason, I have always been very grateful to Mr. Christo."

"It seems, then, that you were the ones who lost in the end." Dillie didn’t really care who lost or won; what he was interested in was another matter, "Yet, you can precisely recall the last time we met. Does that mean you could sense the passage of time even in that state?"

"Unfortunately, that’s impossible," Old Field shook his head. "I only learned of it very recently."

"That explains it. So whatever happened, you saw it all," Dillie said with a lazy yawn, resting his head on his paws. "That’s good, saves me the trouble of explaining. I’ll have another snooze; getting old really is a nuisance, a bit of activity and I can hardly keep my eyes open."

"Thank you for your care, Mr. Dillie," Old Field turned to Pannis, who lay comatose on the ground, and also bowed deeply, "And you, Mr. Kyle, if not for your help, I would have committed an irreparable mistake in my twisted state. Moreover, for all the care you have given Catherine over the years, I truly cannot express in words the gratitude I feel towards you. Without your support behind her, she could hardly have achieved such success today, and neither would I have been able to return to sanity from the distortion after forty years. Please accept my thanks as both a grandfather and one who has been saved."

Having received a complete education in formal etiquette, Catherine was quite polite and did not speak at this time, but conscientiously followed close behind her grandfather’s soul. When her grandfather bowed, she too bowed deeply toward Pannis. Although the old mage’s current state was so peculiar, the impression he and the girl gave off was akin to that of an ordinary old man bringing his granddaughter to express gratitude, carrying an indescribable sense of harmony.

"Um, Honorable Grandfather, Pannis, he..." Facing a stranger who had just been an enemy, yet also a respected elder, Lina truly did not know how to face the old man’s soul. After saying just that, she promptly nudged Freya, who pretended to be a statue by propping up her chin with her hand. The princess gave Lina a white glance, stood up, and curtseyed, "Mr. Field, I hope you will allow me to also call you Honorable Grandfather. Oh, thank you, Honorable Grandfather. However, Pannis is currently still in a coma and may not be able to respond to your gratitude."

"Heh, it’s alright, my intention is what matters," the old mage blinked oddly, straightened up, and stroked his short beard, showing the girls a kind smile. After staring at them for a while, just as the girls began to feel awkward, he suddenly doffed his hat again and nodded to them, "Thank you for being there for Catherine all these years. Her feelings for you, and yours for her, I’ve come to understand. Having you as family is her greatest honor, and the greatest honor for the Field Family as well. Thank you, and I hope that you will continue to accompany her as you have in the past, living life just as before."

"To have such a sister is our honor indeed," Freya replied with a full-faced, equally proper smile, and spoke with elegance, "We will not leave our older sister. I once thought we were just very good friends. But, when I realized I was about to lose her forever, not long ago, I understood our true feelings for her. We’ve long considered her a real sister, a true family member. How could we possibly leave her?"

"I appreciate that," the old mage’s spirit breathed a sigh of relief and finally turned to his granddaughter, his hand gently caressing the girl’s black hair and whispered, "You have done well, truly worthy of the Field name. I take pride in you, just as both of them do."

"Honorable Grandfather." With tears in her eyes, the knightly girl looked at the ethereal face of the old mage. Although she had never met her own grandfather, the sense of closeness inherited through their bloodline made her unconsciously show deep attachment to this sole relative. Her voice was choked but she didn’t want to reveal her weakness in front of the others, so she could only lower her gaze and her voice, "I miss you very much, and father and mother too."

"I know, I know," the old mage sighed, taking the girl into his arms and comforting her softly, "We did wrong by making you suffer all alone—yet you’ve been strong, withstanding all the pain. You’re the pride of us all."

"No, Grandfather, I am a child of the Field Family, and these are things I must do," Catherine wiped her eyes and revealed a determined smile, "And I am a knight, knights never fear hardship."

"Hahaha, well said, that’s my granddaughter," the old mage’s laugh was extra jubilant as he patted the young girl’s shoulder, "I’m sorry about before, I almost made you turn out like me, you don’t blame me, do you?"

"Of course not, you were a victim at that time too," Catherine said earnestly, "However, it’s Pannis that..."

"Don’t worry about Master Kyle," the old mage’s expression turned strange for a moment but quickly returned to normal, "The master is fine, don’t move him; just let him lie there and rest for a while, hehehehe."

"Grandfather, your laugh..." Catherine felt her cheeks heating up again as she bit her lip and said, "I, I, I-I-..."

"Hahaha, you’ve grown up, and that’s good," the old mage laughed heartily while stroking his beard, then glanced at the other young girls gathered around, "You’ve all grown up, hmm, although it feels strange saying this as we’ve never met, I am indeed very reassured."

"Grandfather," Lina finally adjusted her mood and asked curiously, "Did you, when you were with elder sister just now, see us through her memories?"

"Yes, knowing what you’ve all been through these years has moved me," the old mage nodded, "And seeing how you’ve become stronger and continue to strive for success even after achieving so much, that has put my mind at complete ease."

"The one continuing to work hard should be big sister," Freya muttered under her breath, "Working hard to repay debts."

"You’re doing the right thing there, everything in the Field Family can be lost, except for credibility and responsibility," the old mage nodded vigorously, "But it’s hard on you, child, to bear the burden of our mistakes."

"It’s an honor for me, Grandfather," Catherine said proudly with a smile, "I have already begun to gradually repay the debts. In the past year, I have managed to repay three and a half million gold coins, hmm, although the vast majority was from the reward for this last mission."

"With your Legendary Rank strength, this pace is already very fast," the old man pondered a moment and said, "By the way, that old fellow Snape still owes me a thousand gold coins before I left for the last time. Although I owe him so much, these two debts can’t be mixed, that thousand gold coins were a temporary loan to him, he agreed to pay me back when I returned, and you must help me get it from him."

"Of course," Catherine’s eyes sparked with the same light as the old man’s, "The money that should be returned cannot be less by a single copper coin, and likewise, the money that should be recovered cannot be missing a single copper coin."

"Oh, Blessing of Denia," Lina covered her face and sighed deeply, "I finally understand how elder sister acquired that strange character trait, the transmission through bloodlines is truly a frightening thing."

"After listening to all you’ve said," Dillie, who had been silently feigning sleep, suddenly raised her head and asked, "You’re preparing to leave, aren’t you?"

The smiles on the girls’ faces froze, and the old mage fell silent for a moment before nodding, "Yes, it’s time to go."