Chapter 4 - In the Case of Anna Myers <2>
V
The next morning at five o'clock sharp.
"Ritz-sa~n, good morni~ng, it's morning~"
Anna called out cheerfully from outside the door. She was dressed in overalls, a long-sleeved shirt, and a straw hat. In Vishnu, this was the natural attire for the morning.
After waiting a short while, she pressed her ear to the door, but there was no response from inside the room. He was probably sound asleep. Since it was pointless to just wait in front of the door like this, she had no choice but to resort to extreme measures. Anna, who had been told by Anton to take him to the fields, showed no mercy.
"Hmm, well, I guess there's no choice."
She had a special technique. Its name was 'The Pounce.' Of course, she wasn't the one doing it. She ordered the children to do it. Usually, the victims were the older children who had become poor risers. Ritz wasn't family, but if he wouldn't wake up, it couldn't be helped.
"Should we do it?"
As if they had been waiting for those words, the children who had been waiting behind Anna swarmed the door. Having played with Ritz the night before, the children looked happy, feeling a sense of familiarity with him. Of course, Anna couldn't suppress the smile on her face either. She was very curious to see how this childlike adult would react to the children's attack.
She put her hand on the doorknob. The knob turned without resistance. The orphanage doors had no locks.
"Alright, go, children!"
"Okay!"
As Anna opened the door and gave the order, the children rushed into the room where Ritz was sleeping. Once they were all inside, Anna quietly closed the door. Preparations complete.
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
At the sound of Ritz's scream from inside the door, Anna couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"He's getting it, he's getting it."
After a short while, with a sound of frantic shuffling from inside the door, the children burst out, opening the door with great force. The children, playing happily, ran downstairs in an instant.
After another short while, Ritz appeared sluggishly. His head was a mess with bed hair, yet for some reason, his longer back hair was neatly braided. The culprits were clearly the children. Ritz, looking outside the door, seemed to understand who the mastermind was at a glance and scratched his bed-headed hair.
"Listen, Anna... that's your name, right?"
"Yes!"
"Men have a very hard time waking up. And it's extremely dangerous to have people jump on top of them. Do you understand?"
At Ritz's words, Anna puffed out her chest proudly.
"I do not. Because I'm a girl!"
"...That's true..."
Ritz hung his head in defeat and scratched his head again with a sigh.
"If you shout loudly to wake me up, I'll get up, so please spare me this."
As Ritz, stifling a yawn, tried to return to his room, Anna grabbed him from behind.
"Ritz-san, let's go!"
Ritz frowned in confusion.
"Where to?"
"The field!"
"Who?"
"You, Ritz-san."
The expression 'like a pigeon shot with a peashooter' must have been coined for this exact look. Ritz stared intently at Anna with his sleepy, dark brown eyes. Anna met his gaze. Eventually, when it became clear that Anna's words were unshakeable, Ritz asked back hesitantly.
"Why am I going to the field?"
"He who does not work, neither shall he eat. It's the law of the church."
When she said this firmly, Ritz groaned.
"So that's what he meant by 'stay the night'..."
As Ritz hung his head and groaned, Anna smiled brightly at him.
"We're extremely short-handed right now! Come on, let's go!"
When she said this cheerfully, the sullen Ritz sighed. It seemed he had steeled himself to go out to the field.
"...I'll be right there."
With those words, Ritz reluctantly returned to his room. His reaction was so similar to a child who had come to the orphanage after growing up a bit that it was a little amusing. As she waited outside the room, Anton came with clothes in his hands. It was the work clothes and straw hat that Anton usually used.
"He probably doesn't have any work clothes, you see."
With a smile, Anton knocked on the door and went inside. Listening with her ear to the door, she heard Anton's cheerful voice.
"You probably don't have any work clothes, do you? I'm sorry they're mine, but please wear these. They're a little big on me."
"Thank you."
After hearing that much, Anna left the spot. She could hear the children calling for her from downstairs. Anna had to go down and manage the children. So there was no point in eavesdropping on Ritz getting changed. Besides, today's work was to be done in a place visible from the church, so Ritz would be able to find them when he came out after getting ready.
"Anna-neecha~n!"
"Yes, yes, I'm coming right now!"
Anna replied cheerfully and ran down the stairs.
When she got downstairs, the children were all lined up in front of the orphanage door as usual. The orphanage door, which was closed at night, was left unlocked all day.
"Anna-neechan, what are we doing today?"
The children looked at Anna with sparkling eyes. Looking at their expressions, Anna, who had been taking care of the children for about ten years, felt a sense of peace.
Many of the children at the orphanage were always timid or strangely twisted when they first arrived. Of course, some came to the orphanage as infants. But the overwhelming majority came after they were old enough to understand things. Such children must have had a hard time under their parents or relatives.
But when they came to this orphanage, they regained their bright smiles in a few weeks to a few months. Watching that made Anna happy, and as someone who had lived a little longer than a human, she felt a sense of purpose.
Her appearance was young, about the same as the older children, but Anna's heart was quite mature. She wasn't quite her actual age of thirty, but Anna herself considered herself to be in her twenties.
A natural relationship had formed among the orphanage children where the older ones took care of the younger ones. Anna watched over this, but as the sister to all the children, she strove every day to protect and make them happy.
The children of the orphanage usually left between the ages of fifteen and sixteen. Some settled in this village and became farmers or dairy farmers, while others had their own dreams and went to big cities. Of course, some were adopted into wealthy families and lived happily as their children.
For Anna, this orphanage was a home to send the children off to happiness. That's why she cherished her time with the children, and even when doing farm work like this, she never forced them. But most of the children helped out voluntarily with such joy that Anna was always having fun.
"Anna-neechan!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Today, we'll split into a group to wash and dry the sweet potato stems we picked yesterday, and a group to make a turnip field for winter! The younger group will come with me down to the stream to wash and dry the stems!"
"Okay!"
"The older group will pull the cart down to the village and get some compost! It's heavy, but do your best!"
"Okay!"
After giving brisk instructions, Anna looked at the orphanage door. Ritz hadn't come yet. She planned to have the tall Ritz help with a job that would suit him, so she couldn't go with the younger children without explaining it to him.
"I wonder where he is..."
She muttered as she looked behind her. And then she realized she hadn't thought of who to pair Ritz with. She looked around and found Harris, the best tree climber.
"Harris, you'll be separate from everyone else today."
"Huh? Why?"
"Can I ask you to take care of the orchard with Ritz-san for the day?"
As Anna said this with a smile, Harris's eyes lit up.
"I'll do it, I'll do it! Yay!"
Harris jumped up and down in high spirits. Come to think of it, Harris was the one who had proactively jumped on Ritz to play with him last night.
"Harris, this isn't playtime, so you have to be serious, okay? Apricot jam is an important source of funds for the church."
"I know, Anna-neechan!"
Looking at the excited Harris, Anna became a little worried.
"I wonder if it'll be okay..."
The sky she looked up at with a sigh was as fine as yesterday. This was perfect weather for farm work.
"Alright, older group, let's go."
"Okay~"
The children cheerily pulled the cart down the church hill. Even just the children, if there were ten of them, could push the cart up the hill. At the Vishnu orphanage, which ran a farm, there were no children who would get tired from something like that. As Anna was seeing the children off, she heard Ritz's voice.
"Hey, I'm here~"
"Okay!"
As she ran back towards Ritz, Anna couldn't help but suppress a laugh. Ritz's farm work attire suited him so poorly it was indescribable. Or rather, Anton's work clothes were completely the wrong size.
The already out-of-place work clothes were short in both arms and legs, and the buttons looked like they were about to burst. And yet, the straw hat perched on his head suited him strangely well. He looked like a scarecrow set up in a field during the wheat harvest season.
It was so amusing that the moment she stood in front of Ritz, she burst out laughing.
"What is it?"
"Ritz-san, it really doesn't suit you~"
"I'm self-conscious about it, so don't say it."
"I'm sorry. But you look like a scarecrow in hand-me-downs..."
When she said this with a laugh, Ritz crossed his arms and fell silent with a sullen look. That posture again made him look like one of the orphanage children, which was amusing. To the silent Ritz, Anna suppressed her laughter and called Harris over.
"This is Harris. Ritz-san, today you'll be working with him to pick fruit."
When she said this and placed a hand on Harris's shoulder, Harris grinned happily and rubbed his nose. Harris was a mischievous boy. He was full of curiosity and always had a cheerful sparkle in his eyes. To such a Harris, Ritz extended his right hand.
"Nice to meet you, kid."
Harris firmly shook Ritz's hand.
"Nice to meet you, old man."
At the gang-leader-style words from Harris, Ritz replied with a formidable smile, a vein popping on his forehead.
"I'm Ritz, your older brother, right?"
"Got it, I'll call you Ritz-niichan."
"That'll do."
Anna narrowed her eyes at their cheerful exchange. It was somehow fun and good. They would probably get along well.
"Well then, I'm off. I'll bring lunch, so do your best until then."
"Huh? Lunch?"
Ritz made a dumbfounded sound.
"Breakfast at the church is at four-thirty. Ritz-san, you didn't wake up, so it's already over."
"Wha..."
"I thought maybe you were tired, Ritz-san, so I didn't wake you up?"
When she said this, Ritz hung his head in defeat again.
"...I missed it."
At his extreme dejection, Anna patted his broad back as if to encourage him.
"Well then, I'll be sure to wake you for breakfast starting tomorrow!"
"Please do."
With a small sigh, Ritz scratched his head and looked at Harris.
"Well then, let's work with lunch to look forward to. Harris, lead the way."
"Roger!"
Watching the two of them leave cheerfully, Anna led the younger children and started walking towards the small stream a little way down the church hill. The baskets each child carried on their back were filled to the brim with the thick parts of the sweet potato stems harvested yesterday.
Anna entered the stream, which had become a little chilly with the feel of autumn, and smiled at the children.
"Alright, let's do our best!"
"Okay!"
"Scrub the sweet potato stems with a brush to get all the dirt off. To eat deliciously, there's nothing but effort!"
"Okay~"
Together with the children, Anna devoted herself to washing the sweet potato stems. After washing them clean, they would hang them in a row on the outer wall of the church. Once they were completely dry, they would gather them and store them.
The long winter in Vishnu was deep with snow. The sweet potato stems were as important a food source as the few types of leafy vegetables that could grow and be preserved under the snow, and the root vegetables that could be stored in the icehouse.
And the apricots that Harris and Ritz were harvesting would be made into jam and preserved. If they made a lot, they would sell it to the neighboring areas, and the villagers would also come in droves to buy the jam when it was ready.
Winter would be here in a few months. If they didn't get the work done when they could, it would be a huge problem in the middle of winter.
While working intently with the children, Anna realized her stomach was growling and looked up. Her shadow had become quite short. It was almost noon.
Anna's stomach clock was frighteningly accurate and had never been wrong.
"Shall we go back for lunch?"
"Okay!"
When she returned to the orphanage with the children, the older group had just come back and were preparing lunch. Today's menu seemed to be sandwiches. Since Ritz was here, she decided to be a little extravagant and made sandwiches with special chicken ham.
But Harris and Ritz were slow to return. At this rate, lunch would be over, and Ritz would have missed two meals. Anna couldn't stand that.
Then I can just bring it to them, she thought. Anna quickly finished her own portion and packed sandwiches for two into a basket. She'd need hand towels, too. And a blanket to sit on.
"Alright everyone, after you finish cleaning up, let's all go spread compost in the field."
"Okay!"
Nodding with a smile at the children's cheerful reply, Anna left the orphanage. She walked leisurely towards the apricot trees in the vast orchard that spread out behind the orphanage. Since the children would do their work properly even without her, Anna could walk with this kind of leisure.
When she reached the area around the apricot trees, she saw the cheerful figures of Ritz and Harris. The large Ritz was climbing a tree as nimbly as a monkey, lightly tossing apricots to Harris. Harris, knowing what to do, caught them softly and put them in the basket on his back so as not to bruise them. Under the apricot tree closest to the orchard entrance, there was another full basket. It seemed the two of them had done a full day's work for the children in charge of the orchard, including Harris.
From the entrance of the orchard, Anna called out to them in a loud voice.
"Harris, Ritz-san, you're forgetting to eat!"
When she called out, their faces lit up with joy. It seemed they were quite hungry. Harris ran over as he was, while Ritz jumped down from the tree without a sound and approached with a leisurely stride.
Happy at their expressions, Anna spread a large cloth on the soft grassy ground. The fluffy, soft cloth danced in the wind. After gently holding it down, she arranged the contents of the basket.
"Today's lunch is sandwiches~"
"Ooh!"
To the two who had hurriedly climbed onto the blanket, Anna offered the sandwiches and puffed out her chest.
"We even have special chicken ham."
"Wow, what a luxury!"
Harris and Ritz exclaimed. They seemed to be quite hungry. And so, Ritz's late breakfast-slash-lunch began. Ritz wiped his face with the towel Anna had brought and let out a big sigh. For some reason, that gesture seemed very old-man-like, which was a little amusing. He looked young, though.
Just when she thought he had a childlike face, he would suddenly make a face like an old man. She had never seen an adult like this. As she watched with a smile, Ritz looked at her strangely.
"Hm? What is it?"
"It's nothing."
Anna looked up at the sky. The sky was high and clear, and the wind rushing through the tree branches and across the grassland felt good.
"It's really autumn~"
When she muttered this, Ritz and Harris, who had been looking up at the sky next to her, also nodded deeply.
"It is autumn."
"It's autumn!"
While eating the sandwiches from the basket, Harris happily told Anna how good Ritz was at climbing trees and how fast he was at picking plums. If you believed everything Harris said, Ritz was so good at climbing trees that he couldn't be human, and he was as nimble as a circus acrobat.
When Anna glanced at Ritz, he was listening silently with a wry smile. He seemed a little embarrassed.
"Ritz-san, you're like a monkey."
When Anna said this, Ritz sighed.
"Hey, is that a compliment?"
Looking at Ritz, who said this with a wry smile, Anna nodded vigorously and cheerfully.
"Yes!"
"...Then I guess it's okay."
After saying that, Ritz popped the half-eaten sandwich into his mouth. Anna, who had already finished her meal, poured warm tea from the pot for Ritz and Harris. It was already lukewarm, but the two were happy, saying they were thirsty.
Even after the meal was over, the three of them just lazed around. The day's work in the orchard was done, and since they were slacking off in the orchard behind the orphanage, no one would know.
So Anna asked Ritz various things. One of them was 'why did you come to the church starving?' At that, Ritz's face suddenly turned sour and he fell silent, but he eventually gave in to Anna and Harris's 'why, why' attack and began to speak in a mumble.
Ritz's father was a man of tremendous appetite, and had apparently eaten the entire contents of the lunchbox Ritz's mother had packed for him. On top of that, he had even devoured all the rations Ritz had set aside for his journey, which was just徹底している.
"He must be a father who really loves to eat."
"It's not that gentle. That's what you call an abnormal appetite."
"Hmm. I'll remember that."
Anna nodded deeply. So that's what a person with an abnormal appetite is called. Ritz looked at Anna with a strange expression.
"What are you remembering?"
"Huh? A person who really loves to eat is a person with an abnormal appetite, right?"
Ritz looked a little dumbfounded, then scratched the back of his head.
"...You... are interesting."
"? Thank you."
"That wasn't exactly a compliment..."
"?"
Then Ritz told the two of them about his travels. Ritz wasn't a soldier, but a 'mercenary' who wandered around the world. Anna didn't really understand the difference, but it seemed he was definitely a person who fought in wars. That's why he had traveled not only in the Yuresla Kingdom but also to foreign countries.
Ritz was so unusual that Anna and Harris asked him all sorts of questions, but in the middle of it, Ritz gently placed his hand on Anna's head and sighed.
"...I thought you were mature for your looks, but are you perhaps more naive than Harris?"
"Naive, you say?"
"Yeah. Has no one ever told you that?"
"No. Because in Vishnu, I'm known for being responsible."
When she declared this, for some reason, Ritz's eyes narrowed nostalgically and he chuckled.
"I see."
That smile from Ritz was gentler than before, which made her a little happy. She didn't know why, but Ritz seemed somehow happy.
Such a peaceful time flowed quietly, and about two hours after Anna arrived, a girl from the orphanage came running to them in a hurry.
"Nee-chan, a lot of people from the village came."
"Did something happen?"
Her expression tightened, and she bent her knees to meet the child's eyes. The girl looked up at Anna anxiously.
"They said something terrible happened."
"Terrible?"
"Yeah. Everyone has scary faces."
The girl's eyes darted around fearfully. This child had only been here for a little over a year, so Anna knew well that she was easily flustered. But something serious was happening that would scare this girl. And adults were at the church. Without a doubt, something had happened in the village.
Anna took the girl's hand and stood up.
"I'm going to go back and see."
"What happened?"
When she turned her gaze, Ritz was sitting up and looking at Anna, asking the question. Anna met his eyes and answered.
"I don't know, but adults only come to the church when something has happened in the village. So I think something must have happened in the village, but..."
She didn't know what it was, and that made her anxious, so she decided to go. Then Ritz, who seemed to have sensed something, quietly stood up.
"Should I go too? I might be of some help."
For a moment, she was about to say no, but Anna reconsidered. If something serious had happened in the village, an adult's help would be appreciated, and since Ritz was a mercenary, he would be strong.
"Please."
"Sure."
"What about me, what about me?"
After looking at the questioning Harris, Anna entrusted the girl she was holding hands with to him.
"Harris, take this girl back with you."
"Huh!?"
Thinking he had been left out despite having been together until now, Harris pouted.
"And please clean this up. Go straight back to the orphanage. Ritz-san and I will go directly to the church."
"Aww, I want to go too!"
But Anna looked Harris in the eye and took a firm stance. If something happened and a child got involved, Anna wouldn't be able to forgive herself. To Anna, all the children in the orphanage were her own younger brothers and sisters.
"No. Please."
"But..."
"If something happened to you all, Father Anton would be sad, and I would be sad too. So please go back to the orphanage."
When she told him, looking straight into his eyes, Harris nodded, though his lips were pursed.
"...Okay."
"Then, I'm counting on you."
Saying so, Anna gently patted Harris and the girl's heads with a smile and started walking towards the church. Ritz followed behind her.
"You're a strange one, can't tell if you're a kid or an adult."
"Do you think so? I can't tell with you either, Ritz-san."
When she said this casually, Ritz stopped for a moment, then started walking again as if nothing had happened. After a while, Ritz spoke to Anna quietly.
"I hope it's not an accident."
"Yeah."
She nodded at the calm, adult voice. She really hoped it wasn't an accident. She wished nothing had happened. In this peaceful village, disturbances rarely occurred. That's why Anna was filled with anxiety and half-ran towards the church.
By the time the two of them arrived in front of the church, a large number of people had gathered there. Most of them were dairy farmers who had large pastures a little way from the town.
"Father!"
When Anna called out, the people all turned to look at her at once. Their expressions were anything but ordinary. Everyone was pale, their faces tense. In the center stood Anton, with an equally serious expression.
"Anna."
"What's wrong, Father?"
"...A large pack of silver foxes has appeared around the dairy farms."
"Huh...?"
Anna was at a loss for words at Anton's statement. There were two types of foxes that lived near Vishnu. One was a yellowish, cute fox with perky ears. This appearance made it a familiar fox that often appeared in children's picture books.
The other was the silver fox that Anton had just mentioned. It had a gray coat, and as it grew older, its fur turned silver. It was more than twice the size of a normal fox and was smarter than a fox. On top of that, they moved in packs of ten or more, so if left alone, they could wipe out all the cows on a single farm.
Very occasionally, Vishnu was attacked by silver foxes, brown bears, or large poisonous snakes, but until now, they had been protected by the water barrier created by Anton, so there had never been any major damage. The fact that they had appeared now meant that the barrier had weakened for some reason.
"Father, could it be because of that big storm the other day?"
A villager groaned anxiously.
"Hmm. There was a landslide along the river, wasn't there."
"Yes."
"Then we must reinforce that area."
Anton nodded calmly. This summer, a big storm had brought a rare heavy rain to Vishnu. Because of that, several high banks along the river had collapsed in landslides. Fortunately, there were no injuries or deaths, but the ranchers had been greatly affected. And now, silver foxes. This was too tragic for the ranchers.
Losing a large number of cows would directly impact their income. They had to do something quickly.
The moment Anna was about to open her mouth to say she would go too, Anton, for some reason, looked not at Anna, but at Ritz.
"Ritz-kun, you were on a journey, weren't you?"
Ritz, asked so suddenly, answered with some confusion.
"Yes."
"How long have you been traveling?"
"Let's see..."
Saying so, Ritz looked at Anna and placed a hand on her head.
"I've been traveling for more than twice her age."
The many people who had gathered murmured at those words. More than Anna's age meant more than sixty years. Anna also nodded deeply. That was amazing. To have been traveling for so long was no exaggeration to say that he had overcome many crises.
For some reason, Ritz, the one who had spoken, seemed confused as he bathed in the astonished gazes of all the villagers. Come to think of it, did Ritz know Anna's age, she wondered. She hadn't told him herself.
Thinking about it, Ritz also looked to be in his twenties, but to say he had been traveling for more than twice Anna's age was a strange thing to say. But as if pulling himself together, Ritz looked at Anton with a stern expression.
"Did something happen?"
Anton nodded with a grave expression.
"Hmm, a cow was attacked at a ranch on the outskirts of the village. It seems the culprits are a pack of silver foxes."
"Silver foxes... you say?"
"That's right. And it seems to be a rather large pack. Moreover, the leader of the pack is said to be large. It must have lived for quite a few years."
"...That's a problem."
"It is indeed."
The ranchers also nodded deeply in agreement with Anton. It seemed from this that they were helpless. Of course, Anna would be helpless too. Silver foxes become very clever as they age. And their speed doesn't change.
This land, which belonged to the highlands, was much more prone to wild animals than the area near the traveler's highway. After all, if you went for about half a day, you would reach a forested area connected to the vast Ciedena Forest, and until then, it was a gentle grassland area that was almost untouched by human hands. There was no shortage of dens for wild animals.
That's why Anton had set up a barrier to prevent wild animals from entering such ranches. The barrier used the power of water, and Anton was most skilled at this technique and could manipulate it at will.
And Anton used the power of healing. Anyone injured in this village, unless it was something very serious, would be saved by Anton's healing power. But he was quite bad at other techniques and always laughed, saying that he was a second-rate water spirit user. Even so, these two powers were the most important for protecting the village as a priest.
"So I have a request..."
Anton spoke with a heavy heart.
"Yes."
"Would you come with me to deal with the silver foxes?"
"Huh?"
For some reason, Ritz's mouth fell open.
"Together, you say?"
"Would that be alright?"
"That would be fine. But..."
To the still-confused Ritz, Anton patted his shoulder with a broad smile.
"It's decided then. Well, let's get changed and depart immediately."
"Understood."
Ritz nodded and, at Anton's prompting, headed to the orphanage to change. It would indeed be difficult to move in those clothes that were as short as a scarecrow's.
"Um, Father. What about me?"
"Anna, you stay here and mind the house."
Spoken to calmly, Anna bit her lip. It was always Anna's role to help Anton. Even when there was a medical emergency, or when someone was injured and called for, Anna always accompanied Anton.
Anna was a water spirit user. And Anton himself had taught her that she was a higher-ranking spirit user than him. Anna, who was said to have been loved by the water spirits since birth, had naturally talked and played with water. That's why she wanted to be of help to Anton in a situation that might be dangerous.
But Anton smiled gently.
"It will be alright, Anna."
"But..."
"I'll be back soon, so please prepare dinner. I'm counting on you."
Anton told Anna in a tone that, despite his smile, left no room for argument. Then he reassured the villagers, sent them home, and entered the church to prepare himself. While helping him, Anna was still not convinced.
She thought Ritz was a likable person, but she wasn't quite sure if he was someone who could protect her precious adoptive father's life. And Anna wanted to protect Anton herself. She was confident she could. Yet in a situation she knew would be dangerous, Anna was to stay at home. This would have been unthinkable before.
As if unaware of Anna's anguish, Anton put on a long priest's robe over his everyday clothes and took up a silver staff. The staff, with its dull shine, was an important item that enhanced Anton's power.
When Ritz came down, dressed as he was when he arrived at the church with his greatsword on his back, Anton smiled quietly.
"Shall we go?"
Despite the situation, Anton invited Ritz as if they were just going for a walk. Anna realized that Anton was speaking calmly so as not to worry her. Something was definitely different from usual.
"Let's go."
Ritz, who had nodded, sent a glance at Anna. When she looked up at Ritz, filled with anxiety, he smiled a little and placed a hand on her head.
For some reason, the moment he did that, courage welled up within her. If she was worried and wanted to help... she should just follow them.
After seeing the two of them walk away, Anna rushed back to the dining hall. The children were all there, their work forgotten due to the commotion.
"Everyone! Tonight's dinner is sweet potato and yogurt salad with raisins, and bolognese! I'm going out, so please get it ready!"
Leaving the bewildered children behind, Anna ran off. She knew where the two of them were going. So she could just take a little shortcut and watch from hiding. If Ritz was incredibly strong and there was nothing for her to do, she could just sneak back home, and if not, Anna would help. That way, Anton would not be in danger.
If something happened to Anton, Anna wouldn't know what to do. They weren't related by blood, but Anton was the most important father to Anna.