The Red Wolf of Radagon
With no clear, urgent destination to head for, and with Annie needing to wait for the doll-like young lady Ranni to assassinate a certain "Finger"—she wanted to know the outcome as soon as possible, too—she hesitated for a while before deciding not to leave Liurnia just yet.
Of course, although she wasn't in a hurry to leave, she didn't linger at Caria Manor or in its grounds, either. Nor did she wander around the desolate lakeside marsh. Instead, under the wary, apprehensive gazes of the glintstone sorcerers, she returned to the Raya Lucaria Academy of Magic, where she had caused quite a commotion before.
"Welcome!"
"Welcome, indeed!"
Upon hearing that Annie had returned to the academy, Rennala, the Queen of the Full Moon, immediately set aside everything she was doing and hurriedly teleported to the academy's northern main gate to welcome her. She reached out and pulled Annie into an affectionate hug.
"Annie..."
"It's been such a long time. I thought you wouldn't come back, but I never imagined you'd make a special trip to the academy to see me."
Then, releasing her from the embrace and leading Annie into the academy, Rennala spoke with a smile and a sigh of emotion.
From the relaxed, carefree look on Annie's face, Rennala could easily tell that the little one hadn't come to ask for help with some difficult problem. She'd simply come to visit and have fun. That couldn't help but fill Rennala with heartfelt warmth.
Whatever the case, the fact that the girl thought of her in her free time was proof enough that Rennala still meant something to her. That was far better than her own daughter Ranni, who had received her handwritten letter and still deliberately avoided her, refusing to meet her no