1300: Chapter 86 Catherine 1300: Chapter 86 Catherine The rumbling of carriage wheels shattered the midnight silence, echoing far along the boulevard in the business district.
The monotonous sound, like a lullaby humd by a mother at bedside, made the night in the City of Knowledge seem even more serene.
The crystal energy lamps on either side of the carriage emitted a cold white light, illuminating the dim streets beneath the night sky.
The familiar streets, when viewed at night, appeared so eerie and so strange.
With a “whoosh,” Catherine let down the curtain she had pulled aside, sealing off the inside of the carriage from the outside world.
The orange-yellow light inside the carriage was bright and warm, a stark contrast to the dark and eerie world outside.
“Not too far now,” said Catherine as she leaned her head to one side and covered her mouth with yawn.
Rubbing her eyes, she said, “I actually did nothing all day, but still, I feel so exhausted.”
“That’s why I told you as soon as we got on the carriage, you should take a nap, but you wouldn’t listen.” Unlike Catherine’s dignified posture, Pannis was lounging on the padded seat with his leg propped up and his back against the wall of the carriage, sprawled out like a blob, his eyes half open as he said leisurely, “Actually, it looks like you did nothing all day, but in reality, there’s nothing more exhausting than attending a grand banquet.
I’d even prefer to wander all day in the Forest of Death than spend my energy there with those people.”
“Do you think so too?” Catherine’s eyes curved into a smile, and she said cheerfully, “Whenever I attend formal grand banquets, I feel troubled.
It has been this way for a long ti.
Supposedly, having been educated as a noble, I should enjoy such a lifestyle like the other nobles do, but why do I feel this way?
And you too, right?
I rember you ntioned that you were strictly educated from a young age with the goal of being a standard noble, so you can perfectly fit into any social occasion just like you did today, but like , do you also feel this troubled and tired?”
“Because we have the heart of an adventurer,” Pannis said lazily.
“Compared to the nobles, we actually possess the soul of adventurers.
Even the most standard etiquette can’t hide our true selves.”
“Is there a difference?” Catherine asked softly.
“I’ve seen many adventurers who, after succeeding, exchange their status for that of a noble and start enjoying a different kind of life.
They don’t seem to struggle with it.”
“Of course, there’s a difference.
A true adventurer, while bearing responsibilities, has a heart that longs for freedom.
Free and unrestrained, that’s why people prefer to face danger and death to live a life of adventure.
Think about the Neutral Land beneath our feet; wasn’t it established through the efforts of many generations just for this freedom?” Pannis opened his eyes, as if he could see the night sky through the closed curtain, his voice as light as if he were talking in his sleep, “Those who put aside their adventurer status to blend into noble life are not wrong, they’re just not true adventurers at heart, not like us.
Besides the responsibilities to the world and others, nothing can bind our freedom.”
“You might be right, but in the end, we are still bound by responsibilities,” Catherine sighed softly, saying, “True freedom isn’t really possible.”
“Ha, where is there ever true freedom?
Responsibility exists for everyone,” Pannis hesitated before saying, “Everyone has their own responsibilities, things that must be done, from which one cannot escape or shirk, no matter the cost or how reluctant one is, they still must be fulfilled.”
“And after they are fulfilled?” Catherine said aningfully, “Will we still be constrained by other responsibilities?”
“Of course, responsibility is sothing one can never escape from their entire life,” Pannis said without a hint of hesitation.
“It’s just that, once fulfilled, what binds us again is another responsibility.”
“Another responsibility?” the knight girl mused, chewing over Pannis’s response.
“That might be good.
But, is there really a chance to fulfill this responsibility?”
“Who knows?” Pannis’s answer was as inscrutable as ever.
“Maybe there’s a chance, maybe there isn’t.
No one can provide an answer beforehand.
Give it your best effort, and let ti judge success or failure.
When the mont of truth cos, fully savor both the joy of success and the regret of failure.
Isn’t this uncertain future precisely what makes our adventurers’ lives so charming?”
“Heh, maybe that’s true.
Who knows?” Catherine, resting her chin in her palm, smiled and looked at Pannis, her reply equally noncommittal.
“However, one thing you said is undeniable: indeed, everyone carries their own responsibilities, everyone has things they must do, no matter how hard, tiring, or tough.
We must continue, even if no one else understands, even if it disappoints many, many people.
We must act because it is our own responsibility.”
“Yes, that’s the weight of responsibility,” Pannis closed his eyes and sighed softly.
“A responsibility you can neither escape nor avoid.”
“Since we can’t escape, we can only face it bravely,” Catherine said as if she were speaking to Pannis, but her words seed to hint at soone else as well, making it hard to guess the exact aning: “Only by facing it bravely can we have a chance to fulfill this responsibility.”
“Yes, more than a hundred years have taught the weight of these words better than anyone,” Pannis nodded.
“Avoidance never solves problems; there’s only one way to solve them, that’s to confront them head-on, no matter what the cost.”
“It’s an inescapable destiny,” Catherine spoke.
“However, this destiny is carried by everyone, and everyone is the sa.”
“Hm?” Pannis was startled, the girl’s voice suddenly felt very close, as if coming right beside his ear.
In his haste, as he opened his eyes, Pannis saw a beautiful face closely pressed against his own, and two hot, red lips heavily pressed upon his own.
The girl’s movent was so clumsy that his lips even bumped against her teeth, but it was this very clumsiness that stirred his heart with a long-lost throbbing.
Their lips touched only briefly, just for a few seconds, but for the two of them, a mont was an eternity.
Lips t and parted, just for an instant, yet it felt as if a thousand years had passed.
When they parted, Pannis touched his own lips, a dazed expression on his face completely stunned in his seat.
“Rember your words, after this responsibility cos another.
And rember my words too, everyone is carrying their own responsibilities, everyone,” Catherine, though her cheeks were flushed, was very spirited as she opened the car door and jumped out, shouting loudly, “We’ve arrived ho, dear Mr.
Pannis.”
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