"Uh…"
Firefly froze.
Her savior was talking about a "once-in-a-lifetime request," yet the first thing out of his mouth was something that sounded like he was taking advantage of her.
Worse—he'd even called her "Mom" first.
"Um… sir?" Firefly asked carefully, trying to untangle the situation. "I'm truly grateful you saved me, but… 'Dad' and 'Mom'—is there some misunderstanding here?"
"There's no misunderstanding." Wei Qing didn't even blink, and he tried to make his tone sound as sincere as possible. "It's a ritual. A way to mark the deep bond between us. You call me that once, and we're even."
Firefly: "…"
She looked even more confused now, a tiny head full of enormous question marks.
A deep bond? They'd only just met.
But the fact remained: he really did save her.
She could feel it—her body was overflowing with vitality she'd never had before. The weakness that had hollowed her out for years… was gone.
That kind of debt was too heavy.
If this strange demand was what he insisted on as repayment…
Her cheeks reddened faintly. Her gaze darted away as she fought an intense internal battle.
Finally, as if making a decision on the battlefield, she took a deep breath and muttered—so softly it was almost inaudible—one quick sentence:
"…Dad!"
The moment she said it, she ducked her head hard. Even the tips of her ears turned bright red, like she'd just done something unspeakably embarrassing.
A familiar system chime rang out in Wei Qing's mind.
[Ding! Side quest completed!]
[Due to being separated for many years, your daughter has become quite rebellious. However, after your relentless persistence, you have successfully reunited and acknowledged each other!]
[Reward granted: Mask of Mirth]
[Mask of Mirth: When worn, you can mimic anyone's appearance and aura flawlessly. Before you make a move, even the original person would doubt whether they're the fake.]
Wei Qing felt his nerves settle.
Whatever the reward turned out to be, at least this nonsense hadn't been for nothing.
But Firefly's reaction was stronger than he expected.
After that barely-audible "Dad," her entire face turned crimson, like steam might start pouring off her. She yanked the thermal blanket up and covered her whole head, curling into a tight little ball and making incoherent, mortified noises.
…Alright. For a straightforward Glamoth soldier, that was probably way too stimulating.
It made him look like he was harassing a young girl.
A few seconds of silence passed. Then the muffled voice under the blanket spoke again.
"…Benefactor. Um—did you… change my clothes?"
Only now did she realize the severity of the issue.
She was wearing sleepwear, not the cold Glamoth-issue underlayer she remembered. She knew exactly what state she'd been in before falling into deep sleep—if he'd changed her clothes, then that meant…
Panic spilled into her already-overheated embarrassment. Even if she'd been raised as a weapon, she still understood the basics of men and women.
"Yeah, I changed them," Wei Qing admitted without a hint of shame. "I couldn't exactly leave you naked. You'd catch a cold."
The blanket-ball's mortified whimpering got louder.
"Relax," Wei Qing said flatly. "I was very respectable. I didn't take advantage of you."
The bundle wriggled a little. A muffled voice came out.
"Th… thank you…"
"You're welcome." Wei Qing's tone stayed calm. "Now that you're awake—how do you feel? Any discomfort anywhere?"
The blanket-ball wriggled again. Firefly seemed to be discreetly checking her body under cover.
After a moment, she cautiously poked her head out. Her pink-violet eyes still held traces of embarrassment, but what dominated now was astonished wonder.
"No discomfort at all!" Firefly said excitedly. "I feel amazing!"
She clenched her fist, testing, and her eyes lit up.
"My entropy loss… it's really cured? How is that possible?"
"…Who are you, exactly?"
"My name is Wei Qing," he said simply. "Just a passerby. As for how I cured you—that's my secret. All you need to know is you're healthy now."
"Wei Qing… sir?" Firefly repeated the name hesitantly.
She'd slept for far too long; she had no idea that name already shook the cosmos.
But there was something else that mattered more to her.
"Why… did you find me?" she asked. "And why did you save me?"
"Fate," Wei Qing said—a vague, universal answer. "I passed by and fished you out. As for why I saved you…"
He paused, then delivered it casually.
"I'm kind of looks-obsessed. You looked pleasing to the eye. Felt like a waste to let you die."
So… was this "love at first sight"?
Firefly pressed her lips together, then bowed her head slightly and thanked him again, more solemnly this time.
"No matter what, thank you very much, Mr. Wei Qing."
"This debt… I don't know how to repay it."
"You already repaid it."
Firefly's face instantly turned red again. She protested in a muffled, flustered voice:
"That—th-that doesn't count as a proper repayment!"
"Mr. Wei Qing," she said seriously, forcing herself to meet his eyes, "I don't know why you needed me to call you that, but you saved my life and cured my illness. I will repay this properly, no matter what!"
"A proper repayment?" Wei Qing deliberately dragged out the words. "Then tell me—how are you planning to repay me properly? Honestly, you could just call me a few more times and—"
"P-Please don't say that again!" Firefly blurted out, panicked. "I'm a Glamoth Iron Cavalry… I was. I'm good at fighting. I can serve as your guard, or handle errands—anything, until I've repaid what I owe you."
"Guard?"
"Yes!" Firefly nodded quickly, then hesitated. "I'm… I'm strong—"
"I'm not particularly in need of a guard," Wei Qing said bluntly.
Firefly froze. Then she bowed her head at once.
"I-I'm sorry… I was being presumptuous."
"I can do errands!" she hurried on. "Cleaning, organizing, cooking… I'll learn. I'll do my best!"
Watching her flail with sincerity—desperate to shoulder responsibility—Wei Qing couldn't deny it.
This "daughter" was… interesting.
And anyway, his original plan was to use her to draw Elio out.
"Fine," Wei Qing said, nodding. "Then stay with me for now."
"You probably don't even know how much time has passed, do you? I'll explain later."
He studied her a moment, then added casually:
"As far as I know, Glamoth veterans didn't exactly get to have their own names."
"How about you try choosing one for yourself?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( Ending )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
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