Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1322 - 108 You Win

Pannis found himself at a loss for words. Although Catherine had preemptively revealed the conspiracy that she and the girls had planned with Her Majesty the Queen, Pannis was well aware that he had no way to break it. As long as he entered the World of the Dead with the girls, the outcome Catherine spoke of was very likely to happen.

Due to the invitation Matilda had made in place of the Grimreaper, Pannis was quite certain that the Undead would allow him and his companions to enter the Realm of the Dead. They might even let them walk all the way into the depths of the Temple of Danacus, into the space created by Danacus. For Danacus, there was nothing more tempting than to have regained his Divine Body, restored his former power, and to utterly crush the enemies who had once severely wounded him, both physically and mentally. For that purpose, he would instruct the Undead to let them pass. However, this did not mean that the Undead would allow them to return. If Pannis’s plan succeeded and, with the cooperation of Nellie, caused the fall of Danacus, nobody could guarantee how the Undead would react. Perhaps the Undead would fall back into silence as they had the last time Danacus fell. But for these Undead, who had acquired Divine Wisdom, the chances of such an outcome were slim. More likely, they would maintain their wills and, filled with rage, tear the sinners who had offended the Deity to pieces.

This meant that once the girls went with him, they would be in grave danger. After the plan succeeded, even if they tried to escape with his help, the difficulty would be great, not to mention if he truly committed suicide in front of Nellie’s corpse to atone for his sins and to compensate for his guilt toward his lover, or if he stayed forever with Nellie’s corpse in the space created by Danacus, banished into the endless void. Then, the fate of the girls would inevitably be death at the hands of the Undead, without any chance of escape. In other words, the girls had tied their lives to Pannis’s, showing him through their actions that either he must return alive, or it would be as if he had sent them to hell himself.

How would a man feel when threatened by several exceptional girls in this way? Proud? Excited? Anxious? Fed up? Pannis didn’t know what others might think, but his only feeling right now was an immense and heavy pressure. This moving threat made his heart grow heavier and heavier. Pannis didn’t blame the girls for pressuring or threatening him, because this was their way of responding to the crisis, of cutting off all retreats, casting aside all concerns, and even using methods they despised and had never used to try to save his life. He couldn’t reproach them for this kind of threat and pressure. But with this responsibility and concern, could Pannis really become a ghost who lingered only in past stories as he wrote in his letter, and leave the present and the future to the girls? Unless he could bear to watch several girls who loved him deeply die at the hands of the Undead, it was impossible.

"You girl’s are making this..." Under the blinding sunlight, Pannis’s forehead was covered in sweat, and it was unclear whether it was because of the sun or the heavy pressure he felt. He took a deep breath of the hot air and sighed, "You’re making it very difficult for me."

"I’m sorry, really, we didn’t want to threaten you like this, to force you to do anything. If there were any other way to ensure that you stay in this world, we wouldn’t have made such an excessive choice." Catherine said with her head lowered, speaking softly, "But we won’t change our minds. Since this is the only chance, we must seize it. Otherwise, even if we survive, we would regret it for the rest of our lives. So, even if you end up resenting or even hating us, we won’t hesitate if it means pulling you back. This includes Flare; this is the collective thought of the six of us, and we hope you can forgive our wilfulness and selfishness."

"Why do you always make me owe you more?" Pannis said with a wry smile, "I’m just a sinner burdened by the past. Why do you go to such lengths for me? You girls, and Flare, you must understand that I can never forget Nellie. I can’t make any promises to you; such promises would be nothing more than shameless deception."

"Why? Because we love you. Without realizing it, you have stolen our hearts. That’s why we feel that now is the time for us to do something." Catherine’s smile was filled with happiness, as if reminiscing about some sweet memories, and she didn’t hide the girls’ feelings at all, "Of course, we know that even if together, we can’t compete with Lady Nellie. That’s why I told you yesterday, if Lady Nellie were still alive, we wouldn’t compete with her over anything. But if she truly has passed, we won’t tolerate her taking you away. I think that’s also what Lady Nellie would want; she wouldn’t wish to take you with her either."

"Sigh," Pannis sighed deeply, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the several young girls, the tender Catherine, the sly Freya, the hopeful Lina, the resolute Vivian, and Ava, who, despite her expressionless face, exuded a dependence on their presence. Each of the girls wore a different expression, but not one of them backed down, not one of them showed even the slightest hint of withdrawal, and even if their hearts were shy due to true feelings, they faced Pannis’s gaze and did not concede an inch.

"Even now, I cannot make any promises to you," Pannis said slowly, "You will not receive any reward."

"Whether there’s a reward or not, we don’t care, we’re not even considering promises," Catherine said with a smile, "We’ve just added a few weights to the scale, as for which way the scale will tip, that’s not our concern."

"Don’t you know that too heavy a weight can break the scales?" Pannis made a snapping gesture, "I think, that’s not the result you’re hoping for, right?"

"We certainly don’t think you are that fragile," Catherine shook her head, "And for the sake of getting you back, no matter how excessive it is, we would still do it."

"Alright then," Pannis sighed again, pressing his increasingly aching forehead, shaking his head with a bitter smile, "You’ve won, I can’t stop you, so let’s go in together."

"Thank you, Pannis," Catherine bit her lip, took Pannis’s hand, and said in a low voice, "And also, I’m sorry."