"Bomb fishing?" Tartaglia's face clouded over with worry.
What was bomb fishing supposed to mean? Surely she didn't literally mean blowing up fish with bombs?
No, no. A child this small couldn't possibly be handling something like explosives.
Just as Tartaglia was puzzling it over, Klee swung her little backpack around to her front, pulled it open, and revealed row upon row of Jumpty Dumpty bombs packed inside.
"Klee made lots and lots of Jumpty Dumpties at home! There are super-strong ones with a really big bang, and chain ones that explode over and over, and ones that flash all different colors!"
"Klee's been getting ready for bomb fishing for ages!"
That little speech left Tartaglia and the Electro Cicin Mage staring, dumbstruck all over again.
"B-bombs!?"
Cold sweat broke out across Tartaglia's back. If that lot went off, the Northland Bank would be launched clean into the sky!
Beside him, the Electro Cicin Mage stammered, "L-Lord Childe, I... this subordinate just remembered there are matters I haven't finished handling... this subordinate takes her leave!"
Before Tartaglia could get a word out, the Electro Cicin Mage bolted like a puff of smoke.
Tartaglia stood there trembling, and the way he looked at Klee had changed entirely.
Such an adorable little girl. How had she turned into something out of a witch's tale in the space of a breath?
Klee was practically bouncing with eagerness, and Tartaglia started to panic in earnest. His one terror was that she would simply blow the Northland Bank sky-high on the spot.
"Bomb fishing... ah, that's right! We've got a fish pond in the back courtyard!"
Klee's eyes lit up at once. "Yay~ Off to go bomb fishing~"
And so Tartaglia led Klee out to the back courtyard of the Northland Bank.
The gardener who tended the grounds heard the words "bomb fishing" and hurried over to block their way.
"Wait! Lord Childe!"
He caught Tartaglia's sleeve and lowered his voice. "My lord, you can't blow them up! Those are koi in that pond. Each one is worth a hundred and fifty thousand Mora!"
"A hundred and fifty thousand!?"
Tartaglia sucked in a breath through his teeth. One single fish was worth a man's monthly wages! Blowing up that pond would be a bloodbath of losses.
"Big Brother Tartaglia, we can't?"
Klee looked up at him with such a pitiful little face that Tartaglia couldn't bear it.
He gritted his teeth and nodded. "Blow them up, Klee!"
Call it money spent building a connection with Ye Xi, he told himself.
Besides, the Mora wasn't his anyway. It belonged to The Regrator.
Klee beamed from ear to ear, snatched up a Jumpty Dumpty, and lobbed it straight into the pond.
BOOM—
A plume of red smoke billowed upward, and every koi in the pond rolled belly-up and drifted to the surface.
Tartaglia's heart was bleeding.
He let out a long sigh. "Now all that's left is to wait for that Master Ye Xi to come knocking..."
In the back courtyard, one blast rolled into the next without pause, punctuated by Klee's delighted laughter.
Then, at that very moment, Klee caught her foot on a stone step in the yard and went sprawling onto the ground.
Tartaglia went white with fright and rushed over to help her up. "Are you all right, Klee!"
Years of looking after his younger brothers and sisters kicked in, and he quickly blew on the spot where she'd hurt herself.
He expected her to burst into tears, but Klee didn't look the least bit upset.
She just scratched her head awkwardly. "Big Brother, Klee's fine... it's just that the extra-super-huge Jumpty Dumpty seems to have gotten activated—"
"Oh... what!?"
The blood drained from Tartaglia's face. "Wh-which one!?"
Klee pointed urgently at a Jumpty Dumpty that had tumbled out of her backpack. "That one! That Jumpty Dumpty's got a super-duper big bang, and if it goes off it's all over! What do we do..."
"Klee got into trouble... I'm sorry..."
Tartaglia could barely breathe. Klee apologizing was soft and sweet and unbearably cute, but the problem was what in the world to do about that bomb!
"K-Klee, exactly how powerful is that bomb?"
"Very powerful!"
Klee planted her hands on her hips. "Probably enough to flatten this whole area!"
"Haaah—!?"
Cold sweat poured down Tartaglia's face.
If it went off here, he was finished!
And if Morax found out, he was a dead man for certain!
What was he supposed to do now?
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