Inside Mondstadt, at the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, the sudden blast rolling in from the northwest made Acting Grand Master Jean pause mid-task. Her quill stopped. A faint vibration trembled through the windowpane. She stepped to the glass and looked out over the city rooftops.
A hurried set of footsteps approached.
"Acting Grand Master."
A patrol captain entered and saluted before speaking in a tense breath. "A massive explosion just occurred northwest of Dawn Winery's lake. The shock reached the city walls. It may be an attack by hostile creatures. I have already sent scouts to verify."
"Northwest… toward Cider Lake?" Jean thought for a brief moment, then gave her orders without hesitation. "Alert every knight in the city. Maintain full readiness. Dispatch a squad to survey the lake immediately."
"Yes, Acting Grand Master."
The captain bowed and rushed out to organize the response.
While Jean gathered her staff, the source of the blast stood at the lakeshore.
Klee tugged anxiously at Kael Arclight's sleeve. Her face had scrunched itself into a tight little knot. "Kael, what do we do? Cider Lake turned into that… and the Knights will definitely come here. Klee just got back and now Klee is going to be grounded again."
She had blown up part of Cider Lake before, but nothing close to what happened today. In her excitement she had completely forgotten how much stronger the modified bombs had become.
Kael exhaled softly. "Calm down. Worst case, they put you in solitary again. For you, that is basically going home."
Klee blinked, then puffed out her cheeks. "But then I cannot play with Kael these next few days. Klee only just started using super strong bombs today. If I get out and Kael is gone, what does Klee do?"
"Just go to the Adventurers' Guild and find me. Wait for me at the entrance if you need to." Kael gave her a light smile. "I check tasks there every day. When you come out, we can take commissions together. You make the bombs and I enhance them. Makes everything easier. And we can go fishing again after."
To Kael, bomb materials were troublesome. Buying ingredients needed Mora and time to craft. Gathering them required knowing where to even start. Klee solved all of that. She could produce explosives endlessly. All Kael needed to do was apply Clara's support skill and refine the charge.
It cost him nothing.
Klee's eyes immediately shone. "Then it is decided. When Klee gets out, Klee will find Kael again!"
Kael nodded. "Go back and admit what happened before they start searching here. If you confess first, the grounding will not last as long. Better than Jean sending someone to drag you back."
"Right."
Klee nodded repeatedly although her expression showed how much she disliked the idea. Running was not an option, and she knew Jean would only make the punishment worse if she tried.
Thinking of the coming days in solitary, her shoulders drooped. She nudged a pebble with her toe and muttered in a weak little voice, "Grounding is boring. They do not let Klee play with bombs at all…"
Kael pressed a hand to his temple. "You caused this one yourself. You cannot complain."
"But Klee just wanted to blow up some fish…" she whispered, shrinking further.
Kael reached over and ruffled her hair. "Go say sorry early and you will finish your grounding early. We can plan the next fishing attempt after."
Klee rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, then looked up at him again. There was a mixture of nervousness and determination in her expression.
She stepped closer, held tightly onto his sleeve, and stared up at him. "Kael, you have to wait for Klee to come out. You are not allowed to run away while Klee is grounded."
The seriousness of her tone made Kael pause.
"Why would I run?"
Klee lowered her head and tapped her fingers together. "Because grounding takes a long time. Klee is scared that Kael will be gone when she comes out."
Kael sighed. "I am not going anywhere. We will talk when you get out."
But Klee suddenly sprang up again, voice rising with urgency. "No. You must wait. When Klee comes out, Klee will take you to meet Klee's mom. Then…"
Her face lit up with pride.
"Then Klee will ask Mom to let you be Klee's dad. That way Klee will have endless bombs forever!"
Kael blinked.
"Pff—"
He nearly choked. A laugh escaped before he managed to catch himself. "So you are bribing me with promises now?"
Klee tilted her head. "Bribing? No, no, it is real. Mom is super nice. And if Kael becomes Klee's dad, Kael can help Klee make bombs every day. Then there will never be a shortage again."
Her enthusiasm rose with every word.
Kael, meanwhile, found himself completely speechless ^_^
Only then did he understand. This was not simple childish excitement. She was honestly terrified he might disappear while she was locked up, so she was doing everything she could to anchor him in place with promises.
Before he could answer, something shifted in Kael's sight.
A familiar blue screen opened in front of him, visible only to him. New text spread across the interface, drawing his focus.
The system had updated again.
And whatever appeared next… was very likely a reaction to Klee's "dad" proposal.