"I miss daddy,” Konarot whispered to her bird, laying down beside it as her tail swayed from side to side.

“Daddy is gone?”

“He is always working.”

“Working hard! Working hard!”

“Yes…” Konarot said.

“Kaka, what is bird saying?” Kirot asked.

“The bird saying daddy is working hard.”

“Yes,” Kirot said, pouting slightly.

“Kaka, can I be friends with the bird too?” Karot asked.

“Yes,” Konarot replied.

Karot smiled and leaned in to the bird. “Hello. I am Karot.”

“Karot, Karot.”

“What does it say?”

“It saying your name.”

“Hello!” Karot smiled wider. “What is your name?”

“No name.”

“The bird does not have a name.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?”

“No name given.”

“No one gave a name.”

“Then I can name bird?” Karot asked shyly.

“Okay.”

“I want to name him too, kaka.” Kirot pouted.

“Okay.”

“Tiger,” Kirot said.

“Paper,” Karot said.

“Tiger Paper is your name now,” Konarot informed the bird.

“Okay.”

“Konarot, Kirot, Karot, come,” Sonarot called. “Ray Vonda is leaving.”

The triplets rushed over to Ray Vonda, who smiled peacefully at the children. She pet their heads one by one, before getting to a child who pouted up at her.

“Why you are leaving, Ray Vonda?” Jirot sniffled.

“I must return to the fort to watch over the people.”

“Why?”

“I am a Ray.”

“Why?”

“I was given the title to watch over the people.”

“Why?”

“Stop bullying her,” the older Jarot called, reaching down to brush the girl’s hair. “She must go to work.”

“Always working…” Jirot sniffled. “I do not like it!”

Jarot chuckled and picked the twins up. “They are working hard for you.”

Jirot crossed her arms and looked away. Little Jarot pouted at his babo.

“Come. Say goodbye. We may see her soon if you behave.”

“I always behaving,” Jirot said. “I am too cute to behave.”

“Yes,” Jarot kissed her forheead.

Adam continued to enchant the various weapons. The weight of the fort lay upon his shoulders, and though he could delegate many tasks to his companions, no one could enchant magical items of his quality and his quantity.

‘A lot of blood on these hands to be able to earn all this gold…’ Adam let out a soft sigh, remaining at the enchanting shrine for a long while in the late afternoon. ‘I’ve got to take the proper breaks too.’

The chill of nightval began to grow within the Iyr, but Adam was warmed by his children, who embraced him so tenderly during his break.

“Daddy, I want to hear story,” Kirot said.

“Which story?”

Kirot furrowed her brows in thought. She pointed up at her father. “Daddy story.”

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“My story? Which story do you want to her? The story of how I killed a dra-bunch of hydras, a story of how I beat up a bunch of nobles in a tournament, or… there are so many stories, which should I impress you with my dear?”

Kirot smiled shyly, nestling up beside her father, while Adam did his best to feed his children one by one.

Adam spoke of the tale of how he managed to annoy the High Alchemist of Red Oak. He decided against informing them he killed the white dragon, Vandra, and instead focused more on his relationships with the people around him.

“So that’s how your father helped out the Sansant family, and a Princess of a sea kingdom.”

“Amazin’,” Kirot said, hugging her father’s arm. “Daddy, I will be as strong as you when I grow up?”

“If you want to be as strong as daddy, daddy will help you,” Adam said, embracing the girl close, kissing her forehead. “Though you have to promise to stay small and cute forever.”

“Okay! I puhrohmis”

Adam went to work the next day, much to Jirot’s chagrin, the girl going to find her nana to complain. Little Jarot glanced over to Jurot before tugging on his leg.

“Yes?”

“Papo Juroh?”

“Yes?”

“Babo?”

“Your babo is at the extended family estate.”

Jarot held up his tiny arms and Jurot picked the boy up, who glanced aside and pointed away. “Babo!”

“You wish to see babo?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“How can he do this, nana?” Jirot asked, as though her father had commit the gravest sin imaginable. “He cannot, he cannot!” She threw her arms down to emphasise her point, her face in a state of utter exhaustion from her father’s antics of working.

“Jirot, come.”

Jirot turned to face her uncle, who held her twin brother. “No.”

“We are going to see babo.”

“No.”

“Okay.” Jurot turned, as though to leave without her.

“Pick up,” Jirot said, holding up her arms to be taken.

“Okay.”

The older Jarot was found drinking tea with Tonagek, who glanced aside to see his grandniece and grandnephew within his nephew’s arms, but not the nephew he expected.

“What is this? Did you miss me, my greatchildren?” Jarot asked, holding out a hand to take the children from Jurot one by one. Jirot squirmed to her greatfather first, cuddling his chest, before little Jarot was plucked like a flower from Jurot’s arms.

“Jarot wished to see you.”

“Me too!” Jirot said.

“Babo,” little Jarot cuddled up to his chest. “Babo, stuhrong.”

“Yes.”

“You fighted my daddy?”

“Yes.”

“You win my daddy?”

“Yes.”

“When I grow up, babo, I am stuhrong like you.”

The older Jarot’s heart thundered within his chest, causing Jirot to stop squirming as she felt it beat against her cheek.

“No. You should stay small and cute for your babo.” Jarot held the boy tighter to his chest.

“Big and stuhrong,” little Jarot whispered shyly.

“My boy! My boy! Jirot, have you corrupted your brother too?”

“No.” The girl cackled, before she sucked her thumb, only to pull it out. “I am Demon Load.”

“The Demon Lord? My greatdaughter?”

“Yes.”

“How amazing! First you must stay small and cute, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jarot smiled, embracing them closer to his chest.

For a moment, Jurot, who could gleam someone’s parentage with ease, wondered if perhaps a Adam was a grandchild of a fae woman his grandfather had lain with.

Mulrot could see the look on Jurot’s face, though decided against telling him how difficult it was to lay with her grandfather, who refused a woman’s touch until he finally decided to complete his familial duty on his return.

‘You should not be as foolish, my grandson.’

Adam continued to enchant as the month of dawnval passed, though spent his breaks with his family.

“Who gave you permission to be this cute?” Adam asked, peppering his youngest daughter with a dozen kisses, before continuing with a dozen more until he finally relented.

“Nana!”

“Nana gave you permission?”

“Yes.” Jirot’s eyes gleamed mischievously.

“You! Why are you so scarily smart when it comes to things like this?” Adam held her close to his chest.

Tonagek, too, wondered if his uncle had lain with an fae woman on his travels.

“Check,” Konarot said, sitting up taller as her tail swayed behind her.

“So it is…” Tonagek replied, pretending as though he hadn’t left the path open for her, moving a piece against the girl’s check.

“Daddy!” Jirot declared with a dagger like finger. “You are so stuhrong.”

“That’s right.”

“Papo is stuhrong?”

“He is.”

“Papo is one.”

“What?”

“Fighting, one! Papo is fuhst pace.”

“Ah, right, your uncle did come first place!” Adam smiled wider.

“Daddy is not, daddy is three!” The girl held up three fingers, holding up her thumb and two fingers in the Iyrman’s way.

“That’s right, I was third place. The vicious nobles, they wouldn’t let daddy take first place so they conspired against him, you know?”

“Is okay. I love daddy all day.”

“I love you too, Jibaby.”

“Daddy,” little Jarot called, hugging his father’s arm. “Babo say I am small, but when I grow up, I am stuhrong.”

“That’s right, you’re small and cute,” Adam replied, choosing to hear the first half.

“I am growing up big and stuhrong, like papo, like, like babo, like Load Stokmah.” The boy said, sitting up taller.

“No way, small forever!”

“No! Kaka Katool telling me I am big when I grow up!”

“Katool? Katool, how can you do this to me? Isn’t that bullying?” Adam recalled when the girl cried when he informed her of that fact. ‘Now you’ve used my own tricks against me?’

Jurot was fairly certain he had seen this scene play out before, but he decided to allow Adam to have his own fun.

As the first month began to come to a close, Adam read to the children, from Larot to Katool. Inakan sat upon his lap and listened carefully, though paid more attention to her scarf. However, Adam brought up the book to her face so she could see the images. She leaned in closer, her nose rubbing against the paper as she stared at the lines upon the paper, which formed so many shapes, to form a greater body.

Adam allowed them to walk and play once he was done reading to them. He had worked hard that entire month, which had gone by in the blink of an eye, and yet had dragged along as the days passed by.

Minool zoomed on by, tripping over, before she stood up and continued to rush off.

“Minool, come,” Adam called.

Minool stopped upon hearing her cousin’s voice, and she tossed her head to glance towards him. She smirked slightly.

Lay on Hands: 35 -> 34

“Seriously, I should tickle your cheeks for making me run after you, you punk!” Adam planted a kiss on the girl’s cheek after healing the scrape upon her knee, before allowing the girl to zoom away from him.

Adam leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. Kiara watched him from the side, wondering why he worked so hard, but as she glanced between Adam and the children, she understood.

If Adam didn’t work this hard, he would be useless.

Adam’s eyes fell to Inakan, who did not go around walking, but instead was sitting upon her mother’s lap, giggling wildly as her mother tickled her with gloves made of all different kinds of materials, allowing the girl to play with her gloved hand, her other hand keeping the girl close, as though she’d be blown away in the wind.

Adam closed his eyes, and thought about how many days were left for him to complete his enchantments. He reached into his book, flipping it to the first page, where he had underlined a name several times. He checked the boxes, which had been filled less than half way. He brushed his fingers along the empty boxes.

‘Soon, my Inakan. Soon.’