Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 921 - 38 Lina’s Courage

Chapter 921: Chapter 38 Lina’s Courage

The inn’s small courtyard was enveloped in silence, the rhythmic chirping of insects occasionally breaking through, adding a touch of liveliness to the place. The inn, Pannis had insisted on choosing, was probably selected for its ability to blend in with locals due to their group’s unique composition. The inn was large, with a three-story main building at its center and seven or eight villa-like independent courtyards on either side, each housing a structure for travel parties to rent — a bit pricier than the apartments in the main building, but with Pannis’s insistence, still within an acceptable range. Because they had opted for such private lodgings, Pannis and Catherine felt at ease letting the two little Undead scamper around the rooms, knowing they were safe as long as they didn’t leave the courtyard.

When Lina emerged from her bedroom feeling fresh after changing clothes, the once lively living room was now deserted. The girls had returned to their rooms to catch up on sleep, and even the Winged twins and the scorpion-tailed lion Dillie had found an empty room to sneak into — nobody questioned their actions, and even if they did, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

In the face of the emptiness, Lina didn’t show surprise but merely smiled with a sense of acceptance. She hung up her hammer and spellbook and leisurely walked outside. As she opened the door, she was greeted by the bright sunlight, and her spirits seemed just as sunny, her face free of any gloom — as though the pressure of approaching the world from her memories had vanished completely after a night’s sleep. Today, other than her hammer and spellbook, Lina carried no additional items; her various beloved novels lay quietly among her luggage back at the inn as she walked out into the world, empty-handed and in her most genuine form.

"The Temple District, home of the Temple of the Earth Goddess, is a very beautiful place, and right in the middle of the Temple District, there’s a huge, huge garden. After prayers during childhood, my sister and I loved looking at the flowers there the most — it’s truly a beautiful place, but you probably know it better than I do." Standing outside the inn’s front door, addressing the empty air, Lina said softly, "Hmm, I didn’t eat anything this morning and feel a bit hungry now — come join me for a bite, will you? No use hiding; since I’ve been talking to you for so long, it means I know you’re definitely here — come out already."

"Hehe." Pannis, scratching his head, emerged from a shadow on the side of the road, grinning foolishly, "Your alertness is getting higher and higher, haha, even such a hidden spot, and you found me — impressive."

"Tsk." Lina rolled her eyes with a smirk, "You couldn’t possibly not guess what I was going out to do. But Catherine reacted like that, and so did Vivian and Freya, which can only mean one thing — you’d already decided that you would accompany me. Yeah, only with you going along could Catherine feel at ease enough to sleep, but don’t you need to catch up on sleep? You were the most exhausted last night. What really surprises me is this — knowing Catherine’s personality, she would rather strain to keep her eyes open and accompany me than allow you to go without sleep two days and nights in a row. Oh, I get it now, hehe, Catherine is really making a big sacrifice this time."

"What sacrifice?" Pannis, touching his nose, protested discontentedly, "I was the one who got beaten up and forced not to sleep during the day — how did it turn into her making a sacrifice? That’s so unfair."

"Keep playing dumb, dummy," Lina said disdainfully, walking ahead with her hands behind her back and a smile curving on her lips, looking even cheerier, "Let’s go, accompany me to grab some food first, and then let’s go to the Temple of the Earth Goddess to pray to the Lady Goddess."

"I’d rather find a tree to sleep under," Pannis said in a reluctant tone but followed closely by Lina’s side, refusing to leave her even for a step. Lina smiled with her lips pursed and took Pannis’s arm, the two of them clinging to each other like a couple, intimately heading deeper into the city. It was only when he truly felt Lina’s arm did Pannis realize that the priestess’s body had been trembling slightly all along. Clearly, the girl was not as calm as she appeared to be; though she had decided to confront her past, fear and apprehension were still brimming within her heart.

"Don’t you dare make fun of me," Lina, fully aware of her condition and knowing she couldn’t deceive Pannis’s senses, lightly punched him, "I’m already brave enough for not turning and running away."

"I understand, I won’t make fun of you," Pannis said with a smile as he patted the hand Lina had wrapped around his own, "You all accompanied me on the journey thus far, so let me accompany you for this next stretch. Looking back now, the past isn’t as frightening as I imagined it to be. Be it sins or mistakes, whatever they are, as long as you have the courage to face the past, there is the possibility to right the wrongs and the chance for redemption."

"Yes, as long as one is brave enough to face the past," Lina murmured, repeating his words, "You’re right, you know, it’s actually you who gave me the courage to confront the past. Do you remember how you were when we first met? To watch you step by step emerge from that state of self-destruction to where you are now, probably no one besides the few of us can understand the difficulty of that process. So lately, I’ve been thinking, maybe, just like you, I should step out from the protection of those friends and rely on myself to face everything that’s happened."

"It’s not the courage I gave you, it’s the courage we brought to each other," Pannis shook his head, "Without you all, I would probably still be hiding in my own world, spending my days with endless regret. So in essence, you indeed fulfilled the promise of the past and truly brought me redemption, giving me the chance to try to make amends for my wrongs."

"We don’t know what happened to make you suffer like this," Lina said softly, "Of course, we don’t need to know. The elder sister once told us privately that the path you are on now is the final stretch of your road to redemption. It is precisely for this reason that you are like you are now, heedless of everything, using your upmost courage to face all difficulties and dangers. So I also realized this, the risk of this adventure is too high, if I don’t confront my past now, perhaps I will never have the chance again. Since that’s the case, I might as well take the initiative, so that at least before my death, I can reassure myself that I have not lived with regrets."

"Rest assured, you won’t die," Pannis exhaled deeply and shook his head, "As long as I live, I won’t let any of you die before me, I won’t make the same mistake twice."

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)