She lowered her head and softly said, "I... I didn't want you to know because I was afraid you would risk coming to find me. The enemy is too strong..."
Hearing Anna's explanation, something deep within Rein's heart seemed to have been struck.
He couldn't help but think of the first time he saw the girl in Flashgold Town, sitting on the steps, nibbling on a wheat bran cake, her face full of satisfaction under the sunlight.
Petite and frail, yet her inner self was incredibly kind and resilient.
"Fool, do you know who is stronger now?"
"Yes!" Anna nodded heavily.
"What will you do next time you encounter something like this?" Rein asked again.
"Find you..."
"Very good, remember this answer." Rein gently kissed Anna's smooth forehead, a gesture that still made the Half-Elf girl's face flush with shyness.
"Don't... don't... Rein, Aunt Delana is still beside us." Anna, like an ostrich, buried her head into Rein's chest, her hands nervously clutching Rein's sleeves.
