He looked down at the top of Klee's head with sharp, analytical eyes. Her natural-born talent, practically written in bold letters, made Leon's heart race.
With the help of this little loli...
She could definitely solve his "Insufficient Firepower Problem"!!
[To be able to create bombs using her own innate talent in a world of swords and magic — that's both an incredible and terrifying ability. It would be a waste if I didn't make use of it!]
Leon was currently dissatisfied with the lack of power in his [magical firearms]. As he grew stronger, the bullets' destructive capability became disappointingly weak.
Aside from long-range sniper rifles, which were still somewhat useful, not even the magic-enhanced Gatling gun could satisfy his appetite anymore.
After all, with his current level of magic, a single spell from him could already obliterate the surrounding terrain. The only advantage of [Magical Firearms] was their rapid rate of fire and the fact they required no incantations.
But that small edge was meaningless in the face of absolute power, so Leon had long since stopped relying on them.
Now, however, Klee had reignited his imagination!
With her talent, this girl could create bombs powerful enough to shake both his magical and physical defenses — and she was only eight years old. Given time, she'd surely be able to craft something on the level of a nuclear bomb… no, even greater — something beyond nuclear!
"Klee, would you like to come to my house?"
"Eh? Are you inviting Klee to fry fish with you?"
"Fish? Not at all. I want you to come with me and research stronger bombs. Let's see… like one powerful enough to blow up all of Mondstadt," Leon said calmly.
"Blow up Mondstadt? I can't do that! Captain Jean would be so mad, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life in solitary confinement!"
The little Klee frantically waved her hands, shaking her head like a rattle, but...
Leon placed a hand on his head and smiled. Thanks to a certain blonde elf, he was quite familiar with some of the elven race's quirks.
Elves were very different from humans.
The backs of their hands, their necks, and their ears were all highly sensitive spots. Generally speaking, elves had mild mysophobia and hated being touched by anyone they didn't personally approve of.
But their most obvious trait—
Their pointed ears drooped when upset.
And twitched when happy.
The moment Leon mentioned "a bomb that could blow up Mondstadt," Klee's pointed ears twitched up and down twice. It was clear… her heart was racing.
"Wait a minute! Big brother can make bombs too?"
Klee asked in surprise and curiosity. Leon nodded and pulled a few grenades out of his storage compartment.
"That's right, and I'm quite good at it."
"Really? Really really? I wanna see!"
Klee's eyes sparkled as she bounced excitedly, insisting she wanted to see Leon's bombs.
She looked absolutely thrilled — it was probably the first time she'd ever met another bomb enthusiast.
"Yes, yes, there's no need to rush. But before that, close your eyes — I'll show you some magic."
"Yes, yes! I love magic!"
Klee obeyed cheerfully, closing her eyes tight.
Leon looked at her fondly, thinking that this little girl really did have the magical power to make anyone like her. She was, without a doubt, the cutest child he had ever seen.
He casually opened a spatial gate, taking Klee to an open field outside Mondstadt.
After all, it wouldn't do to go around setting off bombs in the city.
"All right, Klee, you can open your eyes."
"Okay! Huh? This place— it's the mountain north of Mondstadt, isn't it? You can teleport this far in an instant?! Big brother's magic is amazing!"
"Haha, that's right. Now we can freely throw bombs here. Klee, let's have a contest to see who can make the strongest explosion."
"Okay! I won't lose!"
Klee's fighting spirit flared to life.
It was her first time ever having a bomb battle with someone — an entirely new kind of fun. With boundless enthusiasm, she pulled out a bunch of bombs from her backpack.
Leon smiled in amusement.
He took out a pile of magically enhanced grenades, magically altered C4 bombs, and magically modified rocket launchers from his own storage to use in the contest.
Then—
Boom boom boom boom boom——!!
Boom boom boom boom boom——!!
Boom boom boom boom boom——!!
Boom boom boom boom boom——!!
Boom boom boom boom boom——!!
The sound of explosions echoed through the mountain for two whole hours.
When a certain sparkling Knight finally tossed her last bouncing bomb with a happy cheer, the two finally stopped.
Leon had also used up about a third of his own explosives.
Even though they had just been sitting in storage collecting dust, the sheer destructive power they unleashed left no ash behind. Even as "retired" weapons, they were still terrifyingly powerful.
Klee was astonished.
"That was amazing! You're amazing! It's the first time I've ever seen such powerful bombs! If you used those to fry fish, you'd catch so many!"
Klee looked up at Leon with sparkling admiration.
She had never seen explosives that strong before — a single bomb could blow apart a massive boulder several meters high.
"You're not bad yourself. The design behind your bombs is different from mine, but their power far exceeded my expectations."
"Yup! But it's such a shame… my backpack's too small, so I can only carry a few bombs, and they run out so fast."
She turned her backpack upside down, but couldn't find a single one left.
Klee sighed, clearly disappointed.
It wasn't easy for her to find an older brother who shared her love for explosions, but in the end, she couldn't fully enjoy it because her bombs were all gone.
Leon, on the other hand, was amazed that she had managed to keep throwing bombs nonstop for two straight hours.
"Klee, lend me your backpack for a moment."
"Okay! But what are you going to do?"
"Nothing much. I'm just going to expand your little bomb storage space… There, done. Now you'll be able to carry as many bombs as you want."
Just looking at this adorable creature made him want to pat her head!
Leon opened a spatial rift inside Klee's backpack. From now on, anything she put inside would automatically be stored in an alternate space.
It wasn't quite infinite like his own inventory, but it would easily let her carry thousands of bombs.
"Wow! Thank you so much, big brother!"
The moment she understood what he'd done, Klee's eyes lit up. She eagerly grabbed her backpack and started testing it.
She dropped a few rocks inside — they vanished instantly — and when she reached in, she could pull them right back out.
That simple discovery filled her with pure joy.
After all, for someone who loved bombs as much as she did, her biggest problem wasn't making strong enough bombs — it was carrying enough of them.
"Mua~~!"
Since Leon was sitting in the grass, Klee easily jumped into his arms.
Then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Klee?!"
"Hehe, I love you, big brother!"
Klee smiled — bright and radiant as the sun itself.
Even though they'd only met that day, she had already completely fallen for him.
For the first time, someone had played with bombs alongside her, helped her solve her bomb-carrying problem, and even invited her to research a super-bomb capable of blowing up Mondstadt.
Today, she was happier than ever before.
At just eight years old, she couldn't quite find the words to describe what she was feeling — but when she grew older, she'd learn that the word was excitement.
(End of Chapter)