Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 271 - 37 - Who Is It Really_1

Chapter 271: Chapter 37 - Who Is It Really_1

"So you’re telling me there was a kid among our opponents?" Catherine asked incredulously in the middle of the valley, listening to Vivian’s report, "And she’s an illusionist at that?"

"Not just any illusionist, a very affluent one," Pannis interjected playfully, "Astoundingly so."

Catherine shot Pannis a warning look before continuing, "Anyway, you’ve done well. But we should share this with Freya. Maybe she might have some insights. Pannis, you’re okay with this, right?"

"Uh, sure, no problem," Pannis answered momentarily taken aback, "Why would there be a problem?"

"Didn’t you mention something about keeping some things a secret?" Catherine retorted irritatedly, "I, of course, presume that this might need to be confidential as well."

"No need for that. I haven’t disclosed anything that needs to remain confidential; you guys don’t even know about it," Pannis responded smoothly, "So feel free to share."

"Alright, noted." Catherine swiftly walked over to the opulent carriage that had been motionless throughout. "Freya, the battle is over," she said.

"Thank you for your hard work," Freya politely answered from within the carriage’s cabin, "I’m grateful for your efforts these three days considering it was for my cause."

"Cut the formalities, there’s something you need to know," Catherine hesitated, sensing something was off but continued anyway, "You saw the fight too. Lina and I missed our targets, but Vivian saw the enemy pulling the strings. We didn’t procure any valuable intel, but we managed to have our first encounter with the mastermind. According to Vivian, she’s a rich, 11-12-year-old little illusionist girl who was masked with a rabbit face and referred to the main orchestrator as ’elder brother.’ That’s about it. Do you remember anyone of such a description?"

Silence ensued from the cabin. After waiting for what seemed like forever without getting a reply, Catherine uneasy, asked, "Freya, are you okay?"

"I’m okay, don’t worry," Freya muttered sluggishly from inside the carriage, "I have no recollection of the said girl, never met her."

"Your voice... Are you eating something?" Catherine realized, "Wait, you mentioned earlier, you only snack when you’re in a bad mood. Are you upset because you thought of something?"

"How could I possibly be in a good mood!" Freya suddenly let out a loud yell, sending the city guards nearby into a shock as they hurriedly distanced themselves, "This is my wedding! I just want to see my beloved! Why are they treating me this way, trying to prevent me?"

"Freya, you need to calm down," Catherine softly consoled her as she lightly patted the door of the cabin, "We will ensure you see him. Please, there’s no need to be so upset."

"I can’t calm down, I just can’t!" Even though her words said otherwise, Freya indeed managed to calm down after a bit, her voice was lower now, and between her words were sobs, "I’m sorry, Catherine, that was not meant for you, I’m just sad. I just want to experience an earnest romance, that’s not too much to ask for, right? Even if I’ve any flaws, or if I’ve done something wrong, there’s no need to treat me like this, is it?"

"Yes, your wish is not too much, they’re the ones in the wrong," Catherine comforted her, tracing her fingers over the carriage door, "You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, and we’ll always be by your side. You are our shining star, and the pride of the Holy City. We’ll do everything in our power to crush anyone who tries to obstruct your bliss. You would eventually find happiness, trust me, Freya."

Freya’s sobbing filled voice formed a sort of unique charm that resonated a shared sentiment of heartbreak with those who heard it. The two beautiful young girls exchanged whispers through the carriage door. Catherine didn’t leave the carriage until about ten minutes later.

Upon her return to her team under the gaze of the other three adventure team members, the first thing Catherine said took them all by surprise, "I’m sorry, I think I messed up."

"What happened, sis?" Lina asked in a low voice, "What did you all talk about?"

"Just told her what Vivian saw and as you’ve heard, she didn’t react so well," Catherine took a breath as she replied quietly, "I could feel it, she’s really sad. Her explanation was unconvincing. I suspect she’s figured out who’s behind all this, and it’s someone she’d least expected, hence the breakdown."

"No, Catherine, you didn’t mess up," Pannis said, stroking his chin with a smirk, "This is exactly what our situation needed. You nailed it."

"What are you scheming?" Catherine squinted at Pannis, "Forget it, I won’t interrogate. Just remember to never harm Freya. But who would’ve thought that just a little girl could clue her in some leads to the mastermind?"

"What little girl?" With the entire city guard busy, Captain Ayrland, who was just passing by, overheard Catherine’s last statement and couldn’t help but ask, "The little girl is involved?"

"Well, hello Captain Ayrland. Yes, she’s involved, Vivian saw her," Catherine gave a brief overview of Vivian’s encounter on the hill, "We have absolutely no idea who she is."

"A little girl?" Captain Ayrland’s eyes widened in disbelief, "Could it be... Could it be..."

"Who is it?" An impatient Catherine interrupted, "Captain Ayrland, have you figured it out? Who is it?"

"Could it possibly be... Miss Shelly?" Captain Ayrland muttered in disbelief, "From your description, it sounds exactly like Miss Shelly."

"Shelly? Who is that?" Catherine thought for a while but couldn’t remember, turning to the other two girls she asked, "Have you two heard of this name?"

"Seems somewhat familiar." Vivian shook her head vigorously, yet Lina, slapping her forehead in thought, insisted, "I’m sure I’ve heard it."

"Dummy, pat your own head." Vivian hid behind her hand and kicked a small stone toward Lina.

"Shelly, Shelly, I remember now." Lina’s eyes sparkled, speaking in a soft voice, "She seems to be a relative of Kara."

"Correct." Captain Ayrland nodded, "Shelly’s full name is Shelly Haynes, Kara’s cousin. Although she’s also a professional, she rarely interacts with others, so few people know about her. It’s said that despite Shelly’s age, her physique and personality are similar to a little girl’s, and she is indeed an illusionist, just as Miss Vivian had described."

"Shelly Haynes?" Catherine instinctively repeated the name, and suddenly reacted with surprise: "If it’s really her, then the ’brother’ she was talking about ..."

"Chairman Kara!" The girls exclaimed in unison.

"We are back to square one." Catherine said with a bitter smile: "We had initially ruled him out as a possibility, I didn’t expect that it might actually be him."

"I was just speculating." Captain Ayrland laughed uneasily, after all not everyone has the nerve to suspect a demigod as their adversary: "It’s not necessarily accurate, I might have guessed wrong, hahaha."

"No, I think your guess might be correct." Catherine pointed to the luxurious carriage: "At least it’s the same conclusion Freya arrived at, or else she wouldn’t have reacted like that."

"The little princess knows as well?" Ayrland rubbed his hands anxiously in place: "It’s bad, it’s bad. The little princess must be upset, since it’s her father-in-law who is opposing her wedding. This is terrible, how can we comfort the little princess?"

"Very strange." Watching Ayrland’s troubled departure, Catherine frowned: "Our previous speculation should have been correct, how could it actually be Chairman Kara?"

"Yeah, if it really is Chairman Kara, then some doubts are really hard to explain." Lina also said with unease: "Could they have all guessed wrong?"

"Two people each making the wrong guess? And making the same wrong guess?" Vivian said: "That doesn’t seem likely."

"That’s not necessarily the case, after all, they only guessed based on the little girl’s clue." Lina retorted: "What if the little girl’s identity has nothing to do with Chairman Kara?"

"It would be too much of a coincidence." Vivian said: "For someone who could silently mobilize so many peculiar professionals, conscript several bands of thieves into his own fight, and needed to hide his identity for fear of being recognized, also having a very unique self-proclaimed little sister, apart from Chairman Kara, how many could there be?"

"There might be someone else." Although Lina couldn’t think of anyone, she stubbornly said: "In any case, I still insist on my view, there are too many doubts, it’s unlikely to be Chairman Kara."

"Why?" Vivian asked: "There must be a reason for insisting on your opinion."

"A girl’s intuition." Lina raised her head, speaking proudly.

"Get out of here." Vivian pretended to kick Lina out of anger.

"Hey, Pannis." As the two girls were bickering, Catherine turned around unintentionally and felt overwhelmed. Pannis had somehow set up a table and chairs by the roadside, had arranged two plates of snacks and a pot of water on the table, and was munching while enjoying the sight of the girls deep in thought, relishing the whole scene.

"Hmm? What’s up? Do you want to eat as well?" Pannis looked at Catherine innocently, pointing to the chair beside him: "Then sit, this is cherry cake, your favorite."

"Oh, thank you." Affected by Pannis’ innocence, Catherine subconsciously sat down, took a bite of the cake, paused in her movements, and glared at Pannis: "Hold on, I am not here to eat. Instead of sitting there enjoying the show, you should at least tell us if we’re guessing right."

"Revealing the answer prematurely is no fun!" Pannis held up his finger and gently waved: "However, it’s not necessarily Kara, that’s a hint."

"Move forward!" Catherine wanted to say something, but a shout came from the front: "Leave the valley, prepare to camp."

"It’s time." Pannis brushed the crumbs off his hands: "Actually, most of the time, there’s no need to overthink things. Just going with the flow is enough. Let’s go, time to set up camp for dinner." (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)