After confirming Fu Lin would be okay, Kiana☆ looked up at the silent Siegfried, her face full of sorrow and guilt. She bit her lip and said with difficulty,
"I'm sorry... Dad... I just didn't want to see you get hurt again... I... I wanted to protect you too, but... I couldn't do anything. I even got an unrelated person hurt because of me."
As she spoke, Kiana☆ looked toward Fu Lin, who was lying on the ground, his face slowly regaining some color. Her eyes were filled with guilt.
Siegfried silently watched Kiana☆. When he heard her explanation, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then a gratified smile appeared on his face. Yet at the same time, a single tear silently slid from the corner of his eye.
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Siegfried crouched down, gently stroking Kiana☆'s hair, holding her tightly in his arms. His voice was hoarse and full of guilt,
"Right... today is your birthday, isn't it? I've never been able to properly celebrate it with you. I've really been an unfit father..."
Siegfried's eyes were filled with remorse and self-blame. Taking a deep breath, as if making up his mind, he continued,
"Let's go buy a big cake and celebrate properly! Come on... Kiana..."
"My most proud daughter, Kiana Kaslana!"
Siegfried's voice echoed through the air. In this moment, he truly accepted this cloned daughter brought back from Otto.
Lying motionless, Fu Lin slowly opened one eye slightly, secretly peeking at the scene before him.
Meanwhile, Kiana☆ slowly opened her eyes wide, shimmering with crystal-clear tears. She had expected scolding from her dad, but instead, she received an enormous surprise.
Kiana☆ opened her mouth, eyes full of astonishment, murmuring repeatedly,
"Kiana... Kiana Kaslana... that's my name..."
Fu Lin lay quietly, gazing at the scene before him, realizing that this moment held special meaning for Kiana, and so he decided to remain silent and not disturb them.
In his heart, he silently thought,
'If I suddenly wake up now, I might ruin this beautiful moment... I'd better keep pretending to sleep. Let's see if they notice me before I start to stink...'
Not far away, the residual Honkai energy from the defeated beast's corpse began to silently flow, as if alive, creeping toward Kiana☆.
Yet none of this drew anyone's attention.
Siegfried nodded with a gentle smile, his eyes full of warmth. He reached out and softly patted Kiana☆'s head, saying,
"Yes, you are Kiana Kaslana, my daughter."
Then Siegfried's expression suddenly turned serious. Meeting Kiana☆'s eyes, he solemnly said,
"Kiana☆, promise me, no matter how this world changes, as long as it's to protect the one you love the most, you must give it your all."
"Because that's the responsibility that comes with inheriting the name Kaslana."
Kiana☆ nodded vigorously. Her tears had already been wiped away, and her eyes shone with determination. Though her voice was still childlike, it was full of hope and resolve for the future.
"Mm, Dad, I'll work hard to become stronger."
Siegfried looked at Kiana☆ with a proud and relieved expression, pulling her tightly into his arms once more.
Siegfried's voice was still hoarse, but it was filled with firmness and encouragement,
"Good. That's my daughter! I believe in you—you can definitely do it."
In Siegfried's embrace, Kiana☆ felt an incomparable sense of peace and quietly muttered,
"Dad, you need to shave... it's poking me!"
Hearing this, Siegfried subconsciously touched the stubble on his chin and gave an embarrassed chuckle, saying with a laugh,
"Haha, is that so? Looks like I really need to watch my appearance. Let's go."
As the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, Fu Lin thought anxiously,
'Don't tell me they actually forgot me?'
Just as Fu Lin was debating whether to get up, hurried footsteps approached again. He muttered internally,
'They actually remembered to come back—at least they have a conscience.'
Looking at the motionless boy he had nearly forgotten, Siegfried couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
"Almost forgot this kid. But in such a remote, deserted place... where did he even come from?"
Though a trace of doubt rose in his heart, Siegfried didn't show it.
Beside him, Kiana☆ looked at Fu Lin with soft eyes and gently tugged on Siegfried's sleeve, saying,
"Ah, Dad, let's take him back. He got hurt because he was saving me."
Siegfried lowered his head in thought for a moment, then slowly nodded in agreement.
After all, this boy had stepped forward to protect his daughter in a time of crisis—he couldn't just leave him behind.
He still didn't know the boy's origin or background, but... if this boy had been sent by Otto...
At the thought, Siegfried's gaze turned sharp, silently vowing, if anyone dared lay a hand on Kiana☆, they would face the wrath of his twin guns.
With that in mind, Siegfried stepped forward and hoisted Fu Lin onto his shoulder without any regard for his injuries, then took Kiana☆'s small hand and walked off into the distance.
Feeling the pressure on his abdomen, Fu Lin instinctively tensed and furrowed his brows, muttering to himself,
'He really just hoisted me over his shoulder... doesn't he know that hurts the stomach!?'
Siegfried seemed to sense Fu Lin's displeasure but didn't pay it any mind, continuing forward with large strides. Fu Lin sighed helplessly and silently endured the discomfort and jolting.
It wasn't until they returned to the cabin that Siegfried laid Fu Lin on the bed, finally easing his discomfort.
Kiana☆ leaned on the edge of the bed, quietly watching Fu Lin, occasionally poking his cheek gently. She asked Siegfried,
"Dad, when will he wake up?"
"It's just blood loss. He'll wake up soon."
Siegfried walked over with bandages and medicine, frowning at the blood-soaked wrapping on Fu Lin's shoulder, preparing to redress the wound.
However, Kiana☆ quickly grabbed the bandages and medicine from his hands. As she skillfully snipped open the haphazard wrapping on Fu Lin's shoulder with scissors, she said,
"Dad, let me do it. Yours always looks ugly."
Watching Kiana☆'s practiced movements, Siegfried scratched his head and said,
"Alright, I'll leave it to you then, haha..."
Then Siegfried turned toward the door, saying,
"Today's your birthday. I'm going out to buy groceries and cook for you myself, so you can taste what home feels like."
Kiana stopped what she was doing, dumbfounded as she looked at the revitalized Siegfried. A smile spread across her face, but she couldn't help but tease,
"Dad, can you really cook?"
Siegfried turned back to look at Kiana☆, confidently smiling as he replied,
"Don't worry, my precious daughter. I'll definitely make you a delicious meal!"
As the door shut behind him, only Kiana☆ and Fu Lin were left in the room.
Still skeptical, Kiana☆ muttered under her breath,
"Can Dad really cook?"
She shook her head, but then seemed to recall something and turned her attention back to Fu Lin, continuing to bandage his wound.
Once everything was finished, Kiana☆ carefully tied the bandage into a neat bow, completing the final step.
Then she returned the medicine and bandages to the cabinet and quietly leaned on the edge of the bed, gazing blankly at Fu Lin, her face filled with uncontainable joy as she recalled everything that had happened today.
Perhaps feeling lonely, Kiana☆ softly began talking to herself. Her voice was light, as if she was speaking just to herself—or maybe to the boy on the bed.
"You know, I got the best gift today. I finally got my name back—Kiana☆ Kaslana..."
But just then, a voice suddenly rang out, "Is that so? Then congratulations, Kiana☆."