CHAPTER 1554: CHAPTER 340: MY HAND PASSING THROUGH YOUR BLACK HAIR

After the brief but brutal battle, the Divine Kingdom again fell silent and the two stood still at their original spots, facing each other motionlessly as if they had turned into two statues. Pannis held his arms across his chest, looking at Nellie who stood with her head bowed, his expression fluctuating and his gaze filled with worry. In a place where no one could see, Pannis finally dropped all pretenses, revealing his true emotions. Whether a century earlier or now, Pannis always represented the most stable mental support of the team; regardless of what happened, he could never reveal his vulnerability and powerlessness, lest once it was discovered his heart had wavered, it would deliver a fatal blow to his teammates’ fighting spirit. Thus, no matter how hard it was, Pannis always maintained an air of everything being under control, and it was only here, a place no one could see, that he revealed the anxiety and unease in his heart.

The unease stemmed from the fear of unknown causes, and the anxiety came from worrying about the situation spiraling out of control, especially since this incident not only linked to the safety of the entire world but was also closely related to Nellie’s life and death, which magnified the emotions in Pannis’s heart, making him increasingly anxious. What on earth had happened? This question ceaselessly emerged in his mind, torturing his reason. Even the Hunting Arrow failed to awaken her instincts, let alone her reason. What should he do? What could he do to help her? Pannis continually pondered these questions, even feeling his head swell significantly because of them.

In the end, worry and anxiety finally overcame reason, and Pannis decided to take the risk of approaching his lover, to closely observe her current state. Only by getting closer could he more accurately determine her condition and know whether or not she needed help, and what kind of help she needed.

Once he had made the decision, Pannis acted immediately. He spun the Hunting Arrow a few times on his fingertip and tucked it back into the pouch at his waist. After straightening his clothes one last time to ensure his movements would not be affected, Pannis started to step forward cautiously, slowly diminishing the distance between himself and Nellie.

One step, two steps, three steps. The closer he got to Nellie, the more he could see the strands of hair that had fallen across her forehead, the clearer he could see her chest rising and falling with each breath. The closer he got to Nellie, the heavier Pannis’s heart sank. Alert range, attack range, defense range, danger range – with each threshold he crossed, Pannis’s heartbeat accelerated, especially when he finally breached the distance of imminent danger. Pannis’s heart had nearly constricted into a ball. The so-called imminent danger distance represents the maximum range a professional like her, who relies predominantly on physical instinct for combat, could tolerate being approached by someone who might hold hostile intentions. Once someone surpassed this distance, it meant that the person could inflict fatal damage at any moment. Even if someone like Nellie was asleep, once someone entered this dangerous range, she would instantly leap up and launch an attack, never allowing anyone to get close. However, now, not only had Pannis crossed into the danger range, but he was also close enough to touch her, yet the knight still stood there silently, not even lifting her head.

"I say, my dear, if you’ve actually come to by now and just intended to give me a scare, you’ve succeeded already," Pannis maintained a very close distance and dared not move any closer, but stopped temporarily in place and spoke in a low voice, "I admit, you genuinely scared me this time. But the joke has gone far enough, you can wake up now."

However, Nellie clearly wasn’t joking nor trying to scare Pannis. Even though Pannis’s voice was trembling with nervousness, Nellie still stood with her head bowed, completely ignoring Pannis’s call.

"Sigh, I really don’t want to risk my life only to end up with an empty shell. You, even for the sake of my worries, should show some response." Pannis was still not giving up and continued trying to call his lover, "Think about the children outside; they still need someone to take care of them. With you suddenly losing consciousness like this, who will look after them? I’m not confident in taking over your responsibilities; I only agreed just now to give you some peace of mind. Moreover, to them, the deity in their hearts is only you. Neither Danacus nor I can replace your place in their hearts. Even if I told them that I’m their new deity, they would not accept it. Yes, that’s right, so even for their sake, you must wake up. Can you really bear to abandon them?"

As expected, the attempt to persuade through emotions also failed, or rather, it was destined to fail from the beginning. If Nellie was in a state where she could hear nothing, anything Pannis said was useless. He understood this deep down; these words were just spoken holding onto a slim hope, a desperate final effort.

"Ah, you really put me in a difficult position," Pannis said, just over a meter away from Nellie. With one more step, he could reach out and touch Nellie’s body. Pannis knew that his behavior was very irrational now; the most rational course of action would be to maintain a safe distance from Nellie and then just wait for further developments. That would be the safest and most prudent approach, beneficial for both himself and the world. But Pannis couldn’t bear the worry in his heart. Knowing it was wrong, knowing it was dangerous, he still couldn’t help himself. Only by confirming Nellie’s current condition could he calmly face the changes that would follow.

Thus, Pannis cautiously took the final step, minimizing the distance between them. At this distance, Pannis could even feel the airflow stirred by his lover’s breath, could hear the rhythmic beating of her heart.

"We’re this close now, and you still have no reaction?" Pannis grew increasingly anxious. His nervousness now wasn’t due to the potential danger of getting closer, but stemmed from the fear of seeing the very outcome he least wanted on her. This anxiety even made him hesitant to reach out and touch his lover, as in uncertainty, he could still hold onto hope, but once the outcome was confirmed, he might even lose the right to hope.

But, no matter what, there had to be a conclusion; it was inevitable. So, Pannis eventually gritted his teeth and tentatively reached out his hand, lifting the black hair that covered her face, touching the cheek he remembered so well.

"Oh, no..." The moment he lifted the hair and touched the cheek, Pannis suddenly closed his eyes, letting out a despairing groan.