Chapter 84: Gifts, Don’t Knock Over

The scenery at the Flowing Cloud Valley was delightful, making every spot perfect for photography.

From the moment Rosvitha led the two kids out, Leon had been snapping away, capturing no less than twenty photos. His idea was that the more he took, the harder it would be to stumble upon those last few shots of the bunny girls.

However, Leon wasn’t just randomly snapping shots. Because if he were just going through the motions, Rosvitha might not have allowed him to continue. So, despite the quantity of candid shots, each one was at a level of “Oh, not bad at all.”

In truth, Leon felt that the skills involved in candid photography were quite similar to those he used when Dragon Slayer on the battlefield. That is, steady, precise, and ruthless.

The hand holding the camera, or wielding the sword, had to be steady; the focus or the dragon’s neck had to be aimed precisely; and when pressing the shutter or striking, it had to be done ruthlessly.

“That’s about it,” Leon mused quietly to himself. “Dragon Slayer truly lives up to its reputation as a noble profession that encompasses all walks of life.”

From inside the castle to the outside, they arrived beneath an ancient tree. Two little dragon girls sat on the trunk, and Leon was just about to take a few shots of them when suddenly, a spotted deer appeared and licked Muen’s cheek with its tongue.

Muen chuckled and petted its head. “Daddy, let’s take a picture with this little deer too!”

“Sure, but you have to make sure it behaves, okay?”

“Mm-hmm!”

All the animals for display in the Flowing Cloud Valley were trained not to fear people, harm them, or beg for food. The little spotted deer stood quietly next to Muen, obediently facing the camera.

After taking a few shots, Leon glanced at Rosvitha beside him. “Let me take a few pictures of just you.”

Rosvitha raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Of course, beautiful scenery deserves a beautiful woman.”

“Hmph, talking so nicely all of a sudden. What’s gotten into you?”

Whether or not he had suddenly become enlightened was uncertain, but once you see the explosive bunny girl photos in the camera, one of us is definitely going to have an awakening, Leon thought to himself with a smirk.

He gestured towards the spot where Muen and Noia had been just now. “Right there, the lighting and angle are perfect.”

“Mm.”

Rosvitha walked over and sat down slowly, her slender legs crossing elegantly to one side. Her left hand rested lightly on her knee while her right hand supported her body. The little spotted deer approached once again.

Rosvitha turned her head and then slowly raised her hand. Originally intending to pat the deer, she didn’t expect it to sniff her smooth hand back, then closed its eyes and rubbed against her fingers.

It was evident that when it had been posing for photos with Muen and Noia just now, the little spotted deer had only been cooperating out of necessity for the “job.”

But now, being with Rosvitha, there was a feeling of being subtly tamed by the queen. Leon seized the opportunity and pressed the shutter button.

Under the towering ancient tree, sunlight filtered through the dense fog and foliage, cascading gracefully onto Rosvitha’s figure. She reached out her hand, accepting the homage and adoration of the living beings around her. The queen’s dignity and the beauty of womanhood were epitomized by Rosvitha in full display. Even the two little dragon girls couldn’t help but exclaim, “Mommy is so beautiful.”

Even Leon found himself reluctant to move his gaze away from the viewfinder.

After finishing the shoot, Rosvitha approached. “How did they turn out? Oh, they’re really good! Let me see the ones you took earlier.”

With that, Rosvitha reached out to take the camera from Leon’s hand.

Leon snapped back to reality and held onto the camera protectively. “Uh, well… let’s take a few more shots, and then we can look at them together.”

Rosvitha didn’t insist. “Alright.”

“How about we go check out the pedestrian street over there and take some photos in different styles?” Leon suggested.

“Sounds great! To the pedestrian street we go!”

Muen cheered as she grabbed Noia’s hand and ran towards the entrance of the pedestrian street. Rosvitha cautioned them to be careful and not to fall as she followed behind.

“There should be a photography studio or something similar on the pedestrian street…” Leon muttered as he walked quickly after them.

The pedestrian street in the Flowing Cloud Valley still retained its quaint and elegant design style, with almost every street corner and shop serving as excellent photo spots.

Rosvitha led the two children ahead to scout for photo locations, while Leon followed not far behind, constantly scanning the surroundings for a photography studio.

At that moment, a couple approached them. Leon went up and asked, “Hello, excuse me, is there a photography studio nearby?”

The couple stopped and pointed in a direction. Leon nodded in thanks.

However, Rosvitha happened to turn her head and saw the interaction.

When Leon caught up with them, Rosvitha asked, “What did they say to you just now?”

“Oh, nothing much, just asking where to take good photos. They said ahead, so let’s go check it out,” Leon replied casually.

Rosvitha nodded. “Alright.”

The couple, each holding one daughter’s hand, walked towards the pedestrian street, while Leon kept an eye on the location of the photography studio.

Finally, from a distance, Leon spotted a photography studio. But he needed a reason to slip away on his own.

Scanning his surroundings, he noticed a candy shop not far from the photography studio. Leon had a flash of inspiration and said, “Noia, Muen, would you like some candy?”

Noia didn’t say anything, but Muen bounced up and down, saying, “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Alright, then you two wait here with Mommy, and Daddy will go buy some for you.”

“Okay~”

With that, Leon quickly crossed the street and jogged towards the candy shop.

“Oh, Mommy, Muen also wants lemon soda!” Muen added.

Rosvitha nodded. “Okay, I’ll go tell Daddy.”

“Don’t forget Sister’s share,” Muen reminded.

“I won’t. Noia, take care of Muen and don’t wander off,” Rosvitha instructed.

“Yes, Mommy.”

Rosvitha got up and walked towards the candy shop where Leon had gone.

The two little dragon girls sat on chairs by the street, their tails and short legs dangling over the edge, swaying gently. Noia kept her eyes on Rosvitha’s figure until the fog obscured her view, then she looked away.

She glanced at her sister, Muen, who was leisurely waiting for her candy and lemon soda while hugging her own tail.

Noia’s thoughts stirred, and she pursed her lips before suddenly speaking up, “Actually, sometimes I envy you, Muen.”

Muen looked up, confused. “Envy me? Why?”

Noia lowered her head, swaying her small shoes as she spoke slowly, “I envy you because you can talk to Mommy and Daddy about anything without any worries.”

Muen still didn’t quite understand. “But, Sister, you can do that too, right?”

“But I’m already a big kid, and big kids can’t just say whatever they want,” Noia replied to Muen, but it sounded more like she was saying it to herself.

All along, Noia had been trying her best to play the role of a “grown-up” or, rather, a “big kid.” But she was a twin with Muen, born just twenty minutes apart. And the pressure she put on herself to mature early wasn’t without reason.

A long time ago, when Noia first gained her own consciousness and thoughts, she began to explore the world around her. Everything seemed so interesting to Noia—her sister, her mother, and the man who should have been called her father but who remained perpetually asleep in bed.

Under her mother’s careful guidance, she and her sister slowly grew up and learned about the world. At that time, their mother seemed like she could do anything.

Until one day, when Noia went to visit Leon and found her mother already there. She was about to greet them when she noticed her mother’s low spirits. She sat on Leon’s bed, head bowed, silent, with a troubled expression on her face.

Completely different from the usual elegant, stern yet gentle mother. That day, Noia didn’t ask her mother what was wrong. But a seed—a desire to mature and take care of her family—had taken root and sprouted in little Noia’s heart. Until today.

When she said she envied her sister, it came from the depths of her heart. After all, no matter how you looked at it, she was just a little over a year old dragon girl. But when she said she couldn’t express her own needs like her little sister could, that was also true.

That gloomy afternoon, with her mother sitting beside her father’s bed in a coma, that silently mournful expression was etched into Noia’s memory. So she forced herself to grow up quickly, to mature quickly, so she could take care of her mother and prevent her from showing that expression again.

“Muen may not understand fully, but Muen also envies Sister,” Muen’s voice interrupted Noia’s recollection.

Noia tilted her head and asked, “What does Muen envy me for?”

“Sister is smart and capable, always taking care of Muen like a grown-up. Muen wants to become someone like Sister in the future!”

Muen’s sudden praise made Noia blush. She felt a bit overwhelmed for a moment. After some thought, Noia replied, “But how do you know what I’ll become in the future?”

Muen blinked her beautiful eyes. “Then what will Sister become in the future?”

Noia thought for a moment and replied earnestly, “I’ll become the kind of person they both daughters should be.”

Meanwhile, the excellent old father Noia admired was currently figuring out how to print the explosive bunny girl photos from the camera.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we can only print photos taken with our cameras here. Your model isn’t compatible,” said the staff at the photography studio.

“…Really?” Could they be so tailored to the tourist area’s theme?

When the Dragon Slayer army comes through, your photo studio will be the first to go!

“Are there any other photography studios nearby?” Leon asked.

The staff member shook their head. “There’s only our photography studio in the entire Flowing Cloud Valley, sir.”

Oh. Damn monopoly.

It seemed that no matter how high-end or sacred a tourist attraction was, it ultimately revolved around making money.

“Well, sir, would you like to take a few photos here to commemorate your visit?” the staff member asked.

“No need. My wife and I might find other ways to leave a souvenir here,” Leon replied.

The staff member: ?

Leon sighed and took out a few candies from his bag, handing them to the staff member at the photography studio, then promptly left.

Standing at the door of the photography studio, Leon pondered what to do next.

At that moment, Rosvitha happened to walk out of the nearby candy store.

“Why are you here?” Rosvitha asked.

Leon was startled. “I… I was buying candy.”

Leon shook the bag of candies in his hand. Before going to the photography studio just now, he had bought candies in advance, just in case.

“Oh… I see.”

Rosvitha asked, “Why did you come up here? Where are Muen and Noia?”

“Muen said she still wants to drink lemonade, so we went to buy some over there.”

“Alright.”

The couple walked a bit further until they found a cold drinks shop. After buying four cups of lemonade and leaving, they noticed a claw machine at the entrance.

The prizes in the claw machine were diverse, ranging from rabbits, foxes, spiders, to bears—everything you could imagine.

“Hey, wait for me,” Rosvitha said, handing her lemonade to Leon before approaching the claw machine. She swiped the room card and began manipulating the mechanical claw.

Leon walked over too. Inside the claw machine were some fluffy plush toys. Leon pointed to the cutest spider at the back. “Grab that one. It’s cute.”

Rosvitha gave him an annoyed glare and continued to focus on her task, ignoring him completely. Her target was a small bear, but despite several attempts, she failed to grab it.

“Maybe let it go,” Leon suggested.

“No way. I must grab that bear today,” Rosvitha insisted, launching into a second round of attempts. She rarely acted so childish, and Leon couldn’t figure out why she was acting this way all of a sudden. He could only wait quietly on the side.

After a few more tries, Rosvitha finally succeeded. The little bear dropped from the claw machine’s exit, and Rosvitha picked it up, then handed it to Leon.

Leon blinked. “What’s this for?”

“To return yours. Remember last time in Sky City, you gave me one?” Rosvitha replied.

Leon chuckled. “The one I gave you was the Bear King. At most, this is just a little bear cub.”

“Stop it.” Rosvitha pinched the bear’s arm and walked away without looking back.

“Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t want it. My hands are full,” Leon said, carrying the candies and holding four cups of lemonade as he casually caught up with her.