It was not until noon the next day that Farnese finally found Schierke, who had gone off somewhere and had only just returned. After Farnese hurriedly explained the situation, Schierke naturally took her along with Guts and Casca, who looked anxious and restless. The four of them easily found a certain troublesome little girl on a terrace atop the castle, innocently eating something.
"??"
(**;)
Faced with the group closing in on her menacingly, Annie was sitting peacefully at the table, eating her breakfast-cum-lunch. She blinked, glanced curiously at Guts's stern face, then at Farnese's worried expression and Schierke's furrowed brow. At last, she asked in a clear, puzzled voice,
"What are you all here for?"
As she asked, Annie didn't forget to shoot a meaningful little glance at the person sneaking behind Guts.
"..."
Casca had of course seen the threatening look Annie had given her, and understood what it meant.
Still, although she knew she could be accused of ratting them out, she didn't think she had done anything wrong. She merely ducked her head and timidly hid behind the tall, broad-shouldered Guts. She had no intention of running away or trying to explain herself.
"So she really is here..."
"This is bad."
Seeing that the troublesome little girl was indeed still in the castle, Schierke didn't bother answering. Her heart sank. She sighed, then turned to Guts and Farnese with a dejected look. After gathering her thoughts, she said,
"The worst has happened."
"Given the speed of the flying dragons, and considering how much time has passed, I'm afraid Elektra and Isidro must have already reached the skies above Falconia. There's no way we can stop them now."
"If Annie had gone with them, it would have been all right."
"But now..."
"I can only hope they'll