"Elias, you're bad!"
"Hehe, what, giving up already?"
"Hmph! I can't catch you anyway. And thinking about it, it was just a cross, right? Not a big deal. At least it's better than what Bronya and Hiko did. i dotes on so much, there's no way she'd mind!"
Kiana declared with confidence.
How could her beloved i possibly get angry at her just for giving Elias a cross?
Back when Hiko and Bronya had snuck off successfully, i didn't even get that upset. So even if she now...
The paracium stared at the handso, perfect silver-haired boy before her, subconsciously licking her lips. Never mind just giving him a cross—
Even if she went to a hotel with Elias tonight and limped back to St. Freya Academy tomorrow morning, i would definitely forgive her, right?
(i: I can't use this paracium anymore!)
Elias raised an eyebrow, not sure why the paracium was suddenly looking at him like that.
A re little Kiana daring to be disrespectful to her handler.
Soone needs a spanking!
But since they were out in public, he decided to let her off for now. Once they got ho, though, she was definitely getting cat ears and a cat tail, followed by a relentless petting punishnt! A cute little kitten like her was born to be devoured! Kekekeke~
"Big sisiter, I'm really glad I got to give the gift to big brother."
"Huh? You're still here, little one?!"
Kiana finally realized this wasn't just a two-person world between her and Elias. The little girl who had pushed her earlier was still squatting nearby, having watched the entire exchange.
Rembering everything she had just done, Kiana imdiately wanted to hide behind Elias in embarrassnt.
But Elias instantly understood everything. He walked over, gently patted the little girl on the head, and smiled.
"Thank you, little sister, for being willing to trade your prize with Kiana. Thanks to you, I received such a wonderful gift."
He pointed to the headphones around his neck as he spoke.
The little girl smiled back.
"You're welco! Big brother and big sister are a perfect match—a couple blessed by the heavens. I wish you eternal happiness. May God bless you both forever."
"Uh..."
Where did this high-quality human loli co from? With EQ like that at such a young age, what's she going to be like when she grows up?
Now that Elias looked more closely, he realized this girl was unusually pretty—golden hair like sunlight and eyes like eralds.
But before he could observe her further, a man nearby called out her na.
"Hm? Daddy's back. I should go ho too. You two, keep up the good work!"
"Uh, r-right..."
Kiana nodded shyly.
Keep up what work? She was too dumb to understand what the little girl ant. Was she cheering her on to eat more food? If so, no problem!
"Also, even though I think being a mistress is wrong..."
Pfft!
"I believe big sister and big brother are truly in love, so please eliminate all those nasty won in your way and steal big brother for yourself! If you two end up together, don't forget to give so credit, okay? Bye-bye!"
"..." x2
Elias and Kiana were completely speechless.
All they could say was—this child is going to be unstoppable one day.
Shortly after, the girl's father thanked them and walked away hand-in-hand with his daughter. As they strolled down the sunset-lit street, their silhouettes radiated warmth and harmony, the very image of a beautiful family.
Elias didn't think much of it.
But Kiana, standing beside him, was left completely entranced.
"So this is what it's like to have a real father and daughter... it feels... really nice."
(Siegfried, get your butt over here for a beating!)
Elias growled his father-in-law's na silently.
Kiana clenched her small fists in envy.
mories of her childhood began to surface uncontrollably in her mind, making her feel even more envious.
But then, in the next mont—
"!!!"
Kiana felt her hand enveloped in warmth. Turning her head, she saw that Elias had taken her hand in his.
A mont later, the white-haired boy gently pulled her into his embrace, softly stroking her head as always. The gentle gesture made Kiana instinctively want to rely on him.
"Thank you, Elias."
"Don't ntion it. If it's you, Kiana, my shoulder and arms are always here for you."
"Mm!"
They had originally planned to head back, but now found themselves seated once again on a bench by the street.
It was Elias' suggestion.
The street bathed in the sunset glow was beautiful, and such scenery always had a way of healing the scars of the heart. It was the perfect setting to soothe Kiana's emotions.
Kiana rested her head on his lap, like a well-behaved white kitten, enjoying Elias' gentle scratches.
Though the view before her was lovely, and the boy beside her even more so, Kiana still felt a hollow ache in her heart as she recalled the warm sight of that father and daughter.
After all, she'd been alone since the age of ten, traveling the world in search of the missing Siegfried while also starting to fight Honkai Beasts.
"Elias, do you think that dumb old man just abandoned ? It's been years and he hasn't even co to see ."
Kiana asked gloomily.
"Don't overthink it, Kiana. Siegfried might be unreliable, reckless, and impulsive... but he had his reasons."
Elias looked at the pitiful girl beside him, and his hand grew gentler.
"..."
After a long silence, Kiana turned over.
She gazed at the sky—half dyed red by sunset, half dotted with stars—and slowly reached out her arm, as if trying to pluck the stars from the sky.
While taking in Elias' presence beside her, the indescribable sense of peace made her lean on him instinctively. Then, she opened up her heart and spoke.
"Elias, did you know? I actually don't have any mories from before I was eight. That dumb old man said it was because my head was severely injured in an accident."
"Back then, he seed to hate . He never smiled at , wouldn't even tell my na. Every birthday, he'd just get completely drunk."
Elias narrowed his eyes slightly, his dislike for Siegfried rising by several notches.
But he could understand. Back then, Siegfried had been drowning in the grief of losing his real daughter.
Faced with Kiana—a girl created by Otto, the very culprit, who looked exactly like his deceased daughter—how could he possibly smile?
"But one ti, I secretly took Judgnt of Shamash and went out to fight Honkai Beasts. I said I wanted to protect others too. That was the first ti the dumb old man smiled at . Then he told ... my na is Kiana Kaslana."
Kiana's face softened with nostalgia.
Even now, she hadn't recovered the mories from before she was eight. She was still curious, but it didn't matter much anymore.
It was when she learned her na—Kiana Kaslana, descendant of a knightly family sworn to protect humanity from the Honkai—that she truly began her own journey.
From then on, she began studying all things Honkai and trained to battle Honkai Beasts.
Fortunately, she had the blood of the Kaslana family flowing in her veins. Otherwise, there was no way an eight- or nine-year-old girl could defeat even the weakest Honkai Beast.
But when Kiana turned ten years old—
Her life took another drastic turn.
"When I was ten, one day I suddenly blacked out. When I woke up, I was surrounded by fire... and Dad's left arm had disappeared."
Kiana paused suddenly, then took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands.
"No, that's not right. Actually, I do know. Dad's lost arm... it might have been my fault. I don't know exactly what happened, but Elias, I have this gut feeling... it was because of ."
Elias gently leaned down and hugged Kiana.
He knew exactly what had happened.
At ten years old, Kiana had gone berserk. The Gem of the Void had awakened, pushing her into a mild Herrscher transformation. Siegfried had lost his King's Arm in that battle... though Elias had already healed it.
After that, Siegfried distanced himself from Kiana.
Because anyone connected to the Second Eruption could influence the Gem of the Void inside her, risking a reawakening of the Herrscher persona.
"Elias, do you think... it's because I'm so terrifying monster, that the dumb old man abandoned ? What if I hurt you soday, or hurt everyone else? If the future ends up hurting you..."
Kiana hugged her knees, curling up. Maybe as an unconscious form of self-protection, she had always avoided thinking too deeply about it. But Siegfried's abandonnt had planted fear in her.
Fear that she'd repeat the sa mistake in the future.
Fear that she might hurt Elias.
But just as Kiana was overco with anxiety—
Suddenly, her cheeks were cupped by two warm hands.
"Elias, what are you doing—wahhh!"
"What am I doing? That should be my line. Why are you looking so down, Kiana? And you, a lazy, gluttonous paracium, think you can hurt ? Try again in a hundred years!"
Elias squished her cheeks hard, ruining her gloomy expression completely, and then started molding her face like clay into various ridiculous shapes.
He genuinely thought Kiana was getting ahead of herself.
Even if she fully mastered the Gem of the Void and beca the Herrscher of the Void, so what?
Standing before her now was a five-core Herrscher of Rebirth! The nearly invincible Elias of the current version, got it?!
"Also, that guy Siegfried was never really that far from you. From what I know, even when you were in Nagazora, he was nearby the entire ti."
"What? That dumb old man..."
"Hehe, feels like you've been played, right? When you were running all over the world looking for him, he was right there the whole ti. Did you really think a ten-year-old girl could wander the world alone without protection? Without soone watching your back, you'd have been dead."
Elias flicked Kiana on the forehead.
The paracium winced and clutched her head, utterly shocked.
"Then why didn't that dumb old man co find ?! Wait—could he be nearby now too?!"
"What are you thinking? This place is near St. Freya Academy, not so random school like Chiba Academy. If Siegfried dared to lurk around here with all these Valkyries, he'd get mistaken for a stalker."
Elias scoffed. Right now, the only welco male being at St. Freya Academy was him. In this garden of maidens, he alone was the sole green leaf.
"Didn't I tell you I saw him at Anti-Entropy a while back? Relax, the guy's alive and kicking. He's been hanging out with i's dad, and his left arm has already been healed by . Besides, none of this was your fault, Kiana, so stop overthinking."
"...I see. But even so, he could've co to see ! That dumb old man—after all that searching, turns out he was right beside the whole ti. So an!"
"Exactly, exactly! So an! Next ti we see him, I'll back you up and we'll give Siegfried a proper beating."
"Mm!"
Kiana nodded, her energy returning. Elias' words cald her, and she instinctively leaned closer to him before relaxing completely.
Elias wrapped his arms around her slender waist and rubbed his cheek against the paracium's. He knew Kiana was actually starved for affection, which is why he spoiled her more than anyone.
And perhaps that was why Kiana, deep down, had developed a dependency on Elias.
Elias now couldn't go a day without petting his paracium.
And Kiana couldn't go a day without being pampered by Elias.
Elias skillfully ruffled her hair as he continued.
"In the end, even if Siegfried's not around, so what? Don't you still have ? With here, I promise every day of yours will be happy and carefree."
"Eh... you're right!"
Kiana blinked and realized he was absolutely right. Why was she still thinking about that dumb old man?
With Elias pampering her, did she even need a dad? That guy could go right into the trash for all she cared.
Kiana imagined Siegfried suddenly appearing before her now. Rather than a tearful, touching reunion, she figured she'd most likely deliver a flying kick!
Even if he had his reasons, who in their right mind lets their daughter roam the world at ten years old looking for them?!
"Yup! As long as I have Elias, that's more than enough! That dumb old man can do whatever he wants. If he won't co see , then fine~ I have Elias treating well—I don't need him!"
Thinking of Siegfried's infamous cooking, this paracium's taste buds—already spoiled by Elias—could no longer accept that Judgnt of Shamash-grilled toast.
Kiana: (My tongue has completely adapted to Elias' flavor... I can never leave him now. Bye-bye, dumb old man!)
"Oh right, Kiana, let teach you a magic spell. If you say it at a crucial mont, no matter what danger you're in, I'll co and protect you."
Elias suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Really? Tell quick!"
"Soting-for-nothing—uh, no wait, got that wrong. Listen carefully, this all-powerful magic spell is: Ich liebe dich."
He pronounced it slowly, syllable by syllable, as if it truly held mysterious power.
To Kiana, the words felt engraved into her soul. She blankly repeated them.
"Ich liebe dich."
"That's right, that's the one. Rember it well."
"Okay! But... what does it an?"
Kiana asked curiously. As she said it, her heart had instinctively skipped a beat. But Elias just shook his head and played the enigma.
"It doesn't an anything. Just a statent of fact."
"Eh~ So mysterious."
"Hehe, well, it's a magic spell after all. Alright, we should head back. If we wait any longer, Theresa might call."
Elias glanced at the ti.
"Okay."
Kiana reluctantly lifted her head from his lap. But as they walked back toward the academy, she very naturally wrapped her arm around his.
Elias allowed the affectionate gesture.
Unlike their awkward act at lunch, this mont now was unmistakable.
To anyone watching, they looked like a close, loving couple.
anwhile, on the rooftop of a nearby building—
A young girl with golden hair and erald eyes watched them from afar, satisfaction written on her face.
"Excellent, excellent. Just like that! K423 has completely bonded with him. They've finally reached this stage of their relationship. Hehe~ It was worth it for the Overseer himself to step in and play wingman!"
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