Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1316 - 102 Our Duty

"Sorry, I took the wrong path," Pannis was rooted to the spot for a few seconds before he abruptly turned emotionless and began to walk away. However, just as he brushed past Dreide, the back collar of his shirt was snagged by the Elf woman, holding it aloft like a crab plucked from the water. His hands flailed helplessly but could not advance even an inch as Pannis struggled and said, "Aunt Aide, what are you doing? Let go quickly, it’s almost too late."

"That’s what I should be asking you, what on earth are you doing?" Dreide said, barely holding back laughter, "You just got here and suddenly say you took the wrong path and then try to run off. Even if you did take a wrong path, shouldn’t you first return to camp, replenish your supplies, and then leave? Otherwise, you’ll die out here in the desert. What’s wrong with your brain?"

"Yeah, you strange gentleman," a sinister voice came from behind Pannis, grinding like teeth, sending a chill down Pannis’s spine, "Where were you planning to go, eh? Could you give us a heads-up next time?"

"Ha, ha, ha, I-I-I-I-I was about to, right, I thought I saw an oasis over there and was just about to check it out," Pannis trembled, turning stiffly to look at the knight-girl behind him, who maintained a smirk, and chuckled, "Hahaha, right, think about it, an oasis in the Sighing Desert, such a miraculous sight, how could I not go see it, right? Hahahaha."

"Yes, indeed, very miraculous," Catherine said, arms crossed, her cold laugh cutting through the air, "Since it’s such a miraculous sight, why not take us with you? We’re curious too, so indulge us."

"Uh, I’ve just realized, that might not be an oasis," Pannis, as if suddenly awakened, said, "That must be a special illusion of the desert, just a mirage."

"Really? That’s too bad," Catherine closed in step by step, her ferocious aura so intimidating that even Dreide, who had led troops for years, couldn’t help but let go of Pannis and step to the side.

"Exactly, too bad, hahahahaha," Pannis continued to laugh dryly, but as Catherine approached, his laughter grew softer until his voice cracked, asking, "Eh, it’s you guys, hahaha, long time no see, how did you get here?"

"Yeah, how did we get here?" Behind Catherine, Lina, with a hammer in her hand, gently thumped it against her palm, speaking with a cold laugh, "One would expect us to still be in the City of Knowledge’s gallery, mourning. So how come we suddenly appear here? What do you think, dear Mr. Pannis, isn’t it an unexplainable mystery?"

"Ha, ha, Lina, calm down a bit, put away the hammer," Pannis stepped back gradually, desperately struggling, "How did you know I would come here? Even if you guessed what I was planning to do, around Death’s Gate, there are over a dozen camps, big and small, how could you be sure I’d appear in this one? On this route alone, there are five camps I could have gone to."

"What do you think?" Catherine let out a series of daunting hums, scoffing, "The reason we could find you so accurately is naturally because someone notified us in advance and gave us precise information."

"I understand now, I finally understand," Pannis finally had an epiphany and said bitterly, "Let me tell you, never trust a certain Elf, especially when that Elf is overly attentive but gives an especially strange smile when leaving, never try to trust her. Such an Elf has been a queen for hundreds of years, unexpectedly vile in character, loves to harm people with a smile."

"Humph, I actually think she is the trustworthy one, whereas someone else is not to be trusted at all." Catherine snorted heavily and said, "How did you guess that it was Her Majesty Flare who told us?"

"Although there are several people who knew I would pass through this camp, the only person who would tell you is her," Pannis said with a wry smile. "Others, in order to protect your safety, would never reveal the truth to you; only she would do such a thing."

"You guessed right," Catherine nodded. "If it hadn’t been for Her Majesty Flare, we really wouldn’t have had any way to know your itinerary."

"This time, I was really trapped badly," Pannis said with a helpless sigh. "But I don’t understand; she had no chance to tell you these things. She didn’t come back to the City of Knowledge with us and couldn’t possibly have told you everything after I left, otherwise she couldn’t have arrived before me and waited at that hollow."

"Right, she really had no chance to tell us afterward," Catherine said, waving an envelope in her hand mockingly. "But, writing letters isn’t just your skill; she can do it too. On the night before we left the Elven Royal Court to return to the Holy City, she handed me a letter, telling me to read it first and, if necessary, let my sisters read it later. Hehe, guess what was written in the letter?"

"She was planning this since that time; how sinister," Pannis said, with nothing more to say but a deep sigh. "What is she thinking? This isn’t the place you should come to. Also, have you seriously thought about why I left alone? This war is truly not something you should be involved in."

"Do you remember the last thing I said to you when we were alone in the carriage a few days ago?" Catherine’s expression turned serious, no longer feigning anger. "Actually, at that time, I had already told you what we were going to do. Have you forgotten? I said that everyone has their own duties to fulfill, everyone carries their own responsibilities. I acknowledge that you have your inevitable responsibilities, but we too have responsibilities that we must take on. What right do you have to stop us from taking on our own responsibilities?"

"But, this has nothing to do with you at all," Pannis said urgently. "This war..."

"Who told you that the responsibility we wish to take on is about the war between you, Lady Nellie, and Danacus?" Catherine interrupted Pannis’s explanation. "You still haven’t understood what I was referring to by ’responsibility’."

Pannis looked utterly confused and asked blankly, "Then what do you mean by ’responsibility’?"

"Your responsibility might be to end this war," Catherine said earnestly. "But our only responsibility is to bring you back alive, or rather, to ensure that you can return alive."