"I overdid it again…" Leon sighed, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
The beast of lust he had become was gone—once more he looked like the graceful prince of Palettia.
On the bed behind him, the two sisters lay fast asleep from exhaustion. Jean and Barbara were still clinging to each other, their hands tightly intertwined even in slumber.
That helpless, pitiful sight almost made the beast inside Leon awaken again.
"Calm down, Leon. They're exhausted."
He conjured a shard of ice with magic and pressed it against his cheek, the chill helping to suppress the desire still burning in his chest.
After a deep breath, he took a blanket from his storage and gently covered the sisters' bodies.
The room, however, looked like a warzone. The aftermath of such a battle was clear—pillows scattered, furniture overturned, sheets torn. It looked as if a tornado had passed through.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—!
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Leon raised an eyebrow.
Who could that be?
But then, from the other side, came a soft and adorable voice.
"Eh? Why won't the door open? Is anyone in there? Hey~ is anyone inside?"
"Huh? Where did that loli voice come from?" Leon blinked.
He rummaged through Barbara's clothes, found the room key, and unlocked the door from the inside.
Opening it, he froze.
Before him stood a tiny, delicate girl with blonde hair, crimson eyes, and pointed elf ears. She wore a red dress and carried a small backpack—she looked like an elementary school student just coming home from class.
"Eh? Big brother, what are you doing here? Did Captain Jean send you here too? Great! Someone else is in solitary with Klee this time!"
"Wait—who are you, little one? You know Jean?"
Leon crouched down, but even then he was still taller than the tiny girl. The height difference made him instinctively reach out to pat her head.
Klee obediently let him.
"Yup! Captain Jean is Klee's legal guardian. Mommy asked her to take care of me! I'm the Spark Knight, and I'm super strong!"
"Spark Knight? You're one of the Knights of Favonius?"
"Uh-huh!"
Klee nodded like a bird pecking at seeds. Leon's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"...Seriously?"
"You don't believe me? Klee doesn't lie! Look, I'll show you!"
The little loli rummaged through her backpack for a moment, then proudly pulled out a knight's medal.
It was indeed the emblem of the Knights of Favonius—behind the bronze-gold shield were two crossed swords, and the golden wings engraved upon it proved it was genuine.
Klee's name was etched on the back.
That alone was enough proof that she truly was a member of the Knights of Favonius.
And not just a low-ranking patrol knight—she even had her own title.
"...Klee, big brother wants to ask you something. How old are you this year?"
Leon kept his elegant smile, pulling a lollipop from his storage and handing it to her.
"Wow! Isn't this the same candy they sell at the Liyue Chamber of Commerce? You're giving it to me?"
"Yes, it's yours."
"Thank you, big brother! You're a good person!"
Klee's eyes sparkled as she tore open the wrapper and started licking the candy, her tiny tongue peeking out adorably.
So cute it hurts…
Leon couldn't help thinking she was unbelievably precious. Klee truly had the superpower to turn anyone into a lolicon.
"I'm glad you like it, but you still haven't answered my question. How old are you this year?"
"Eight! Klee is eight this year!"
She held the lollipop in her mouth and raised five fingers on one hand and three on the other, proudly showing him.
Leon let out a long sigh of relief. Alright, good. A genuine eight-year-old loli—safe territory.
In a world overflowing with "legal" lolis, the illegal ones were thankfully becoming rare.
But still…
"Eight. Only eight."
Leon turned to glance at Jean, who was still fast asleep from the exhausting "work" of the previous night.
[How could you employ child labor, Jean? You've disappointed me again. Don't expect to rest easy tonight. I'll make sure you can't even sit comfortably tomorrow. Be ready.]
It was absurd to think an eight-year-old girl could be a knight.
But if Leon knew just how powerful this cute little creature actually was, he might not have thought that way.
"So, what are you doing here, Klee?"
"Of course, I came to turn myself in~"
"???"
"Klee did something bad, so she came to solitary confinement on her own! No need to tell Captain Jean. Klee's really good at locking herself up now!"
She put her hands on her hips, chest puffed out proudly. That 'solitary is my second home' posture left Leon momentarily speechless.
"Uh-huh… and what bad thing did you do this time? From what you said, it sounds like this happens a lot?"
"It's fine! Not that much—just five times a week or so!"
Leon blinked in disbelief.
"Five times a week? You're adorable on the outside but totally chaotic inside, huh?"
Klee then pulled out a small notebook from her backpack.
"What's that?"
"Klee's Rules for Surviving in the Knights!"
She flipped it open and proudly began to recite:
Don't fire the cannons inside the city.
Don't hurt allies with bombs.
Don't set anything on fire.
Leon read over the list again, his expression twisting subtly.
"Wow… what a unique set of survival rules."
It was probably a good thing she'd been born in this world. If she'd been born in his previous one, not even the child protection laws would've saved her.
Then he noticed a bunch of cute, round bombs tucked inside her backpack.
From his experience crafting magical firearms, he could tell each one of those bombs could easily blow a five-meter crater in the ground.
"Who gave you these bombs?"
"Nobody! I made them myself! They're called Bouncy Bombs!"
"...Fantastic. This is getting more and more terrifying."
Leon's eye twitched as he picked up one of the so-called Bouncy Bombs and examined it.
He even infused it with fire-element power to test its strength.
BOOM!!
His hands were covered in magical energy, so he wasn't injured—but they went completely numb.
Considering Leon's monstrous physical strength—it wasn't an exaggeration to call him a humanoid dragon—
the fact that a palm-sized bomb could do that said everything about its power.
Immediately, Leon activated his special skill that allowed him to see other people's talents.
And then…
Glowing runes appeared above Klee's head: [Super Bomb Expert].
Leon froze, staring at her in awe.
"...I need to adopt this girl. She's too talented to let go."
---
(End of Chapter)