Watching the Dragon leave, rushing away in her Elvish form towards the Front Iyr, Adam couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

“Sorry, Lanarot, I didn’t realise she’d scare you,” Adam said, brushing a hand through the back of her hair, which was so thin and whispy.

Lanarot had calmed down a while ago, sucking on her thumb as she rested on her mother’s shoulder, cuddled up close.

“I should probably get to enchanting,” Adam said, rubbing his chin.

“You should be careful with that one,” Chief Peace said. “You should not give out your secrets so easily.”

“I trust her enough, in the same way that I trust you all too.”

Elder Peace stared at the young man for a long while. “Is it true that you have lived multiple lives?”

“Yes,” Adam replied, simply. “The Chief and Aunt know about it, and so does Jurot.” He decided not to mention Lucy, just in case. “Entalia was someone I met in my previous life, and she and I were quite close.”

“How close?”

Adam rubbed his chin. “We almost died together multiple times.”

“That close.” Elder Peace understood just how close they were previously. “She is not the same Entalia that you knew before, however.”

“This Iyr isn’t the same as the Iyr I knew before,” Adam said, looking to Sonarot and Lanarot. “I don’t mind, though.”

Elder Peace wasn’t able to respond to his words. ‘Was the Iyr different?’ She wondered how it could be so different. ‘Was it the Iyr if it was so different?’

“Is it fine if I use the shrines to enchant Entalia’s weapons?”

“We’ve already made our deal, Adam,” Elder Gold replied. “You are free to use the shrines until the end of the year. Since Entalia is someone you trust, we can’t refuse, but she is someone who could become our enemy.”

“I hope she doesn’t become our enemy,” Adam said, rubbing the side of his neck. “It’ll be nice if you guys get along. Is she the Queen of the kingdom immediately to our north?”

“Yes,” Elder Peace replied. “There had been a war when she had first taken power, but that was over a century ago.”

“She somehow managed to survive against the kingdom and its soldiers, bolstered by the force of the Iyrmen?”

“You should not underestimate the northern kingdom. They are not quite as weak as you may think. They are hardened warriors, able to survive between Aldland and the Giants.”

“Good point,” Adam replied.

Entalia and Drakkenlen probably had something which allowed them to survive against hostile forced to their north and south, and considering that she had also stolen a sword from Prince Aksak, she must have been confident in her country’s ability to survive.

“Right, well… I’m going to go and enchant today, thank you for giving me permission.” Adam bowed his head and excused himself.

The group finally returned back to their house.

“Lanarot, aren’t you so lucky to see a Dragon transform,” Sonarot said, gently swaying the girl in her arms, who yawned.

“Are you sleepy, little Lanarot?” Adam asked, brushing her hair. “I’d nap with you too, but I have work to do.”

Jurot remained sitting, still annoyed by Entalia’s comments. He wasn’t entirely sure how to behave with a child yet, someone who didn’t understand him, and then there was Adam who held such a different view about children than himself.

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‘How difficult.’

Adam grabbed the gems he needed, before heading out to enchant at the shrine.

He began enchanting the Rubicule shortsword, placing down the seven gems in their respective places, before expending his Mana.

Mana: 10 -> 8

Enchanting

D20 + 7 = 27 (20)

He gasped as the Mana seeped away from him, focusing on creating a strong base for the enchantment to take hold.

Fire. Ring.

These were the two enchantments which had been promised, and so Adam expended his Mana with those thoughts in mind.

“A natural 20?” Adam smiled. “Nice.” He rubbed his forehead, staring at the shortsword, a gift for Entalia’s friend. ‘I should have asked who the friend was.’

It was raining and thundering in the Iyr, just like it had the day before.

“Huh,” Adam said, noting the time between the flashes and the rumbles as he approached the house.

He was about to ask Sonarot about his findings when he saw Lanarot on all fours, currently twitching her bottom about.

“Lanarot, why are you twerking?” Adam asked, his face full of horror. “Who has been teaching my adorable little sister such madness?”

Jurot looked to Adam, his knife midway through the piece of wood, before he returned to his woodcarving.

“Oh!” Adam gasped as he watched Lanarot twitch. “Come on, Lanarot! You can do it!”

Lanarot kept swaying back and forth.

Adam grabbed Jurot’s head and moved it to look towards the baby, his face contorted into an angry smile. ‘How dare you ignore your adorable little sister!’

She picked up her hand quickly and slammed it down, a little way in front of her, before swaying back and forth again, before picking up her other hand and slamming it down ahead, sliding her knees forward as she did.

She looked up towards her mother, who had been knitting, though the woman had placed her work aside and opened up her arms.

Lanarot babbled happily before she began swaying again, before crawling towards her mother.

“Well done, my Lanarot,” Sonarot said, scooping the girl into her arms.

“Wow! Amazing! My little sister is such a genius! Wow! She’s so strong!” Adam almost began tearing up.

Jurot stared at the pair of them, before looking at Lanarot. He nodded slowly.

“Jurot, you need to cherish your younger sister more.” Adam frowned, before going over to pinch the girl’s cheeks. “Lanarot will grow up in a flash, and you’ll regret not paying more attention.”

“She crawls well,” Jurot said, blankly, unsure of how to be enthused.

“Come on, that’s your little sister! Look how well she’s growing!”

“Of course she is growing well, she is in the Iyr,” Jurot said.

“Right, but…” Adam looked to Lanarot and then back to Jurot. ‘How do I explain this.’

Sonarot smiled, peppering her daughter with her affecting, kissing her all over her face, causing the girl to giggle happily.

“Jurot. What if there was an axe before you, made of Iyrsteel, and the handle made of Iyr Ivory. What would you think?”

“I would think it was made of such great materials,” Jurot said, smiling. “It will cleave into my enemies well.”

“Now let’s say you take that axe outside, and no one admires the axe, nor mentions how great you are cleaving through your enemies.”

Jurot squinted his eyes slightly. “It would be a tragedy for people to not understand.”

“Exactly,” Adam said. “Right now, Jurot, you are unable to admire the axe that is Lanarot.”

“Lanarot is not an axe,” Jurot said. “She is my sister.”

“Which is all the more tragic for an Iyrman to not know how to admire an axe made of Iyrsteel and Iyr Ivory,” Adam said, frowning.

Jurot stared up at Adam, the back of his mind tingling. Slowly, he was beginning to understand.

“I’m telling you this because one day you will regret that you are missing Lanarot’s achievements,” Adam said.

Jurot nodded his head slowly. There were some things Adam said which didn’t make sense, and other things which did. This made sense and did not make sense.

‘I need to figure out how to get Jurot to bond with Lanarot,’ Adam thought.

‘Is that why my heart pains me?’ Jurot thought. ‘I am not appreciating my sister enough?’

Sonarot smiled down at Adam and reached over and brushed his hair. “You love Lanarot so much, almost as much as me.”

“I can’t love her more than you since you’re her mother,” Adam replied, simply.

“Sometimes it feels like you do.”

“Well, I don’t think so,” Adam replied. “I’m not the one who feeds her daily or changes her nappies.”

“Nappies?”

“You know, the cloth around her waist when she soils herself,” Adam said. “You don’t call it diapers, do you?”

“Clothy,” Sonarot said.

“Right, that.”

“Even so, you have done so much for her. You are so eagerly watching over her. I am uncertain there is a brother in this Iyr that loves their little sister as much as you.”

“That’s because that’s my goal,” Adam said. “I will definitely be the best brother in the world. No. The Best Brother In The World.” Adam nodded his head.

Sonarot smiled, hearing the difference in how he stated it. “It seems like you are in love with her.”

“I’m not in love with her, I just love my little sister a lot.”

“You don’t plan to marry her when she grows up?”

Adam pulled back, blinking rapidly. “What?”

Sonarot smiled. “You may not be blood related, but I view you as her brother. You cannot marry her, do you understand?”

Adam’s face contorted. “I know that. I don’t want to marry her. She’s my little sister. I am going to marry a beautiful Demon woman who I have saved.” He smiled wide.

“Not Entalia?” Sonarot half teased.

Adam narrowed his eyes at her. “Aunt, you sure know how to joke.”

“Is it a joke?”

Adam noted the smile on her face, and retreated away from her.