Jirot stood tall, snorting angrily. “How you can do this, daddy?”

“Dear, it’s Elder Zijin, he called for me.”

“You must take me!”

“I cannot…” Adam said, before glancing to the aide. “Can I?”

‘Can he?’ The aide thought for a moment. “Okay.”

“Oh. You can come along.”

“Mummy, come, we are going now,” Jirot said, holding up her hand.

“I cannot, I must stay here,” Vonda said. “It is not good for me to move much now.”

Jirot frowned. “Mummy cannot?”

“I cannot.”

Jirot glanced between her mother and father, torn between the pair. She remained stunned. How can this be? She had to choose between her daddy and her mummy?

“Jirot,” Adam called, ruffling her hair. “My dear, you must stay here and protect mummy. I will go and speak with Elder Zijin, and I will tell him off for you, okay?”

“You must tell him off, daddy!” Jirot said, clenching her fist tight.

“Alright,” Adam said, holding up his hand, taking the girl’s hand and slapped his own with it. “It’s at times like this you need to high five me, okay?”

“Okay!” Jirot smacked her father’s hand again.

“You too, Jarot.”

Jarot reached up and slapped his dad’s hand gently. He stared up at his father, smiled, before his face shifted, and he began to cry. Jirot glanced his way, looked up to her father, and began to cry too.

“What happened?” Adam asked, lifting them up. “Did you do poopoo in your pants?”

“No!” Jirot cried.

“Daddy! I did not hit you!” Jarot cried.

“I know, I know, it was a high five, it’s not hitting, it’s different.” Adam peppered his kids with kissed all over their faces, letting them cry into his chest. Their snot ran down their faces, onto Adam’s shirt. ‘Isn’t it illegal for you to be this cute?’

Even as Adam approached the Front Iyr, walking through the Valley of Death, he couldn’t help but adore his children who he had left behind. He stopped, the group of Iyrmen escorting him also stopping.

“Hmph,” Adam said, continuing on.

‘What was that?’ the Iyrmen thought, glancing between one another.

‘That Elder! How dare he take me from my children! This better be important!’ Adam buried his thoughts deep within his heart, understanding how stupid it was to say something like that.

Elder Zijin glanced aside to the half elf, who had answered his summons, having travelled this entire way without complaining, even though he had to walk an entire two days through hills and mountains.

“Elder Zijin,” Adam said, sitting opposite the old man. “Do you think Churot will protect you from my children’s annoyance.” Adam reached over to Churot’s head, brushing his hair gently. “I’ll have you know that my twins adore their papo so much, so he can’t protect you from them.”

Elder Zijin frowned slightly, causing even Adam to pause. “I deserve whatever they say of me. I called you here because I wished to speak with you, and now that the mess has been settled, I finally had time to apologise to you.”

“For taking me away from my kids?” Adam asked, unsure of why Elder Zijin was taking it so seriously.

“When it came to the outing, I had planned it thoroughly. I sent Rajin and Jarot with the twins, thinking they would be enough. I did not imagine that the Count would dare to attack them. It was my mistake.” Elder Zijin bowed his head.

“Ah, well, I mean, it’s my fault too,” Adam said, raising his hands, trying to get the Elder to stop bowing his head. “I should have been more wary myself. It’s not like they were hurt anyway, so, please, Elder Zijin, you’re making it awkward.”

“Adam, if any harm had befallen them, I would not have advised the Rot family against taking action, and then once the matter was settled, I would have given up my position.”

“Well, you don’t need to do that, Elder.” Adam frowned, suddenly feeling his body grow cold, especially at the Elder’s serious look. “Look, uh, Jirot said that I need to tell you off, so let’s keep it at that.”

“Adam?”

“Yes?”

“Please take this seriously.”

“I am,” Adam replied. “I promised Jirot I would tell you off for taking me away when I promised to take it easy until the birth of her younger sibling, and then the next day you called me? Seriously, Elder Zijin. Do you know how much she cried before I left? That adorable little brat, how could she cry, even though she didn’t poop her pants?”

“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you.”

“Well…” Adam thought for a long moment. “Actually, there is? Recently, Merry was born, uh, Nobby’s son. He was born a little early, and well… I just want to say, if a child ends up dying while I’m gone, would you be willing to… help out?”

“The Iyr’s ability to bring back children are reserved for children of the Iyr.”

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“…” Adam raised his brows. “Is there any way you have the ability to preserve their bodies, so that, say, the time for resurrection can be delayed?”

Elder Zijin tapped his finger. “You do not know Fifth Gate spells.”

“Not yet.”

Zijin slowly bowed his head. “I will put in a request, but I cannot make any promises.”

“Just even doing that much is enough for me.”

‘Should I tell him the day his child will be born?’ Zijin thought.

‘I should do my best to help all the kids,’ Adam thought, thinking about the new children that had been gathered. ‘Right, I need to do that too.’ “Also, can I ask for another favour?”

“Perhaps.”

“I’d be willing to…” Adam shook his head. “Never mind. I can enchant it when I can.”

“You have stopped enchanting?”

“I don’t want to miss my child’s birth.”

“It should be safe to continue enchanting for a few more days. The child is estimated to be born the next month.”

“Yeah, but maybe they’ll come early.”

“They will certainly not be born within this month,” Zijin said, taking it as a sign that he can mention it a little.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I know what I know.”

“Alright…” Adam paused. “Well, I already told Jirot I would take the time off.”

“Would you like to enchant in the Iyr.”

“I shouldn’t, not when I promised.” Adam sighed. “I guess I’ll make it for him next month?”

“What are you wishing to make?”

“Ah, just…”

Elder Zijin was surprised Adam was thinking of that so soon, but when Adam clarified, he blinked. ‘What?’

Adam was eventually allowed to return back to the business, taking the stroll back to the business to think about everything which had happened to him up until that point.

‘Right, I still need to head up to the frost giants too.’

“You are thinking so deeply…” Fakrot said, accompanying Adam back to the business.

“Yeah. Just thinking about life.”

“Life?”

“Just life. The past. The future. The unknown.”

“You think so often,” Fakrot said, a charming smile upon his lips. “How much have you lived you think so much?”

“Something like that,” Adam joked, smiling sadly. “It’s just, the Iyr is doing so much. Elder Zijin apologising to me, it felt… dangerous?”

“Dangerous?”

“Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t want the Iyr to apologise to me. It’s dangerous for the strongest to apologise to the weakest.”

“He should do at least that much, since my grandniece and grandnephew were almost harmed,” Fakrot said, with a tone of voice one shouldn’t use against an Elder, one that caused even Adam to glance away.

‘His grandniece and grandnephew?’ Adam thought. ‘Right…’

“He should have offered more, since we held uncle back,” Fakrot said, reaching up to rub below his eyepatch. “Does he think it is easy to hold the Mad Dog back?”

‘What?’ “…” Adam scratched the side of his leaf shaped ear. “You know… sometimes I think of granduncle, Sarot.”

“…”

“We didn’t exactly have the best relationship, but… he was nice to me. We didn’t talk much, and I regret it. If I had the chance, I’d-,” Adam quickly froze, not just with his words, but he physically stopped too.

Fakrot noticed the face Adam made, having not expected the sheer terror. It was so horrifying, that even the Iyrmen tensed up, preparing themselves for a battle, their eyes scanning the horizon, wondering what the half elf had seen.

“What I mean is…” Adam said, awkwardly beginning to walk again. ‘I can’t say something like that! What are you doing, you idiot? Holy shit.’ Adam’s heart pounded wildly. He had said something so dangerous, something so terrifying, that he’d rather try his hand at trying to fight all the Iyrmen around him than to even utter the words. “I… wished we could have spoken more.”

Fakrot paused a long moment. “I am sure he would have enjoyed speaking with you, too.”

“Before he left, he asked me if Jirot, or Jarot, could name a child after him.”

“It is a good name,” Fakrot said, smiling.

“Yeah.” Adam fell silent again as they continued.

Fakrot reached up to scratch beneath his eyepatch once more. He had already promised his father he would become stronger, and yet… ‘…’

They approached the business with little fanfare, with many of the people having finished their evening meals and having returned to their shared estate. Before Adam made his way back to the inner area, where his family awaited, he made his way towards the shared estate.

“I hope you all didn’t miss me too much, especially you, Elsie, that would break my heart,” Adam said.

Elsie smiled, squirming shyly, before she hid behind Cobra. “No…”

Adam smiled. ‘I didn’t even notice that they had become this close.’ He stifled a sad sigh. “George, come here.”

George eyed up Adam suspiciously, but he rushed up towards the half elf, staring up at him. For a moment, he frowned, thinking perhaps he’d finally be in trouble for stabbing the half elf previously.

“Here,” Adam said, holding out a thin necklace of silver with a tiny blue gem connecting the two pieces near the bottom. “I’m lending this to you for now.” Adam latched it onto the boy’s neck.

George reached down to touch the necklace. “Cold.”

“Yeah, just a little, eh?” Adam said, noting the gem glowing for a moment.

“Yeah,” George replied, nodding his head emphatically, since he couldn’t talk.

Fred’s eyes grew wide, snapping up to the half elf. ‘What?’

A ripple of shock filled the air, before George finally noticed, his eyes also snapping up to the half elf.

“I’m only lending it to you for now, since I need to return it back to the Iyr, but you can have it until the Enchanter makes something for you, alright?”

“Huh?” George’s voice flowed out from the gem, causing him to tense up. “Huh! Huuuuuh! Haaaa!”

“I suppose I’ll leave you all to your business,” Adam said, turning to leave, before pausing a moment. “I don’t think I need to mention it, since I trust everyone here, but the necklace still belongs to the Iyr.” Adam let his words sink into the air, before he walked away.

While Adam caused trouble within the business, the one place he was allowed to cause trouble, Fakrot sat opposite his sister, having handed her the letter which the Iyr had received from the Countess. She had heard a letter had passed through into the Iyr, even moving through while she was within the business.

‘…’

One she finished reading the letter, she glanced at the writing on the note.

‘The Rot family may deal with it as they see fit.’

‘Agreed.’

‘I, Mulrot, as the Family Elder of the Rot family, will agree with Sonarot’s wishes.’

The first was definitely the Chief. The second was the definitely Elder Zijin. Sonarot continued to stare at the note. It was rare for the Chief not to advise on how to handle the situation. It was also rare for the Elder to do the same. Then, finally, the Family Elder, had given her ultimate freedom to handle the situation as she pleased.

A sliver of fear entered her.

To give an Iyrman freedom to act as they please was…

The woman let out a long sigh, calming herself. She couldn’t do as she wanted. Though Mulrot had given her permission, even going so far as to ignoring her title, and instead addressing her as an individual, it meant that her mother trusted her completely. She couldn’t make a mistake, not when this matter was so important.

Even so…

‘How dare they ask for justice,’ the woman thought. ‘You should have begged properly.’

“Make it clear, for I will be the one to go,” Fakrot said.

“I should go,” Sonarot said.

“No. It has to be me.” Fakrot caught her gaze and held it.

‘Are you angry you were not able to do anything?’ Sonarot thought, before relenting to him. Of course, that just meant she was able to write a little more than she should.

“Sister…” Fakrot then asked Sonarot about that.

He could see it within her eyes. She knew why he reacted like that. He let the matter drop, since his sister knew about it, knowing that she had allowed him to go deal with the nobles.

While imminent death brewed nearby, Adam returned back to his house, almost falling down as his children swarmed him.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Jirot cried aloud, grabbing him tight, hugging his leg so much, it was like Adam was wearing her.

“Did you miss me?”

“I did not, I did not, smelly boy,” Jirot said, though she continued to hug his leg tight, refusing to let him go.

“I was thinking, isn’t it nice to be rich, but it’s nothing compared to being a father,” Adam said, catching Vonda’s eyes, a wide smile painted across his face.