“Mummy!” Jirot called out, pointing a fi her mother threateningly. “Daddy say you must eat, okay? Is foh the baby, okay?”

  “Okay,” Vonda replied, bringing a potato to her daughter’s lips, the girl quickly distracted by her favourite food.

  Konarot held Adam’s hand, resting her head against his arm, her eyes glued to her younger sister and brother doting on the woman.

  “You’ll have a new brother or sister soon, and papo Jurot is about to have a little birl soon too, your cousin, your first cousin, your first first cousin?” Adam said, almost fusing himself. “We have to look after them, especially since you’re the oldest.”

  “Okay, daddy.”

  “Nana always looks after you, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes.”

  “The Iyr has always looked after us tht? So we have to look after it as well.”

  “Okay, daddy.”

  Adam held his daughter’s hand, brushing along the back of her knuckles with his thumb. “You’re such a good girl, so I don’t have to worry at all, I know you’ll take good care of them.”

  Konarot smiled, burying her head against her father’s arm, feeling his warmth, smelling his familiar st. She gasped as she was hoisted up into her father’s arms, the older man uo tain himself as he ruffled her hair and hugged her tight.

  “I’ll definitely protect you all, my little babbies!” Adam peppered her eldest daughter with kisses, nuzzling against her he girl smiling as she pced her head against his chest and sucked her thumb, her tail swaying lightly.

  Jurot remained silent, thinking of Adam’s words. He wasn’t sure if Adam had let slip his worries on purpose, nor if the children uood what their father had admitted. Jurot’s heart throbbed as a darkness slipped further into it. ‘It will be fine.’

  The m routine of the business tinued as normal after breakfast, with the children following Manager Duo begin their workout.

  “e on, Elsie,” Adam said, holding out his hand for the girl.

  Elsie stared at the hand for a moment, before taking his hand, following after the half elf.

  “Adam, you should take the Aswadian children with you too,” Vonda called out.

  “Ah, right.” Adam gnced back towards the children. “Karim, Ali, Omer…” The trio of boys gnced upwards towards Adam upon hearing their names. “It’s time to…” Adam stared into their eyes, which didn’t reise what he was saying.

  “Karim, Ali, Omer,” Korin called out, before speaking in the Aswadian tohe young Oathsworn’s charming smile coaxing the children. It was only upon Bil’s nod that the children followed after Korin.

  ‘I should learn the nguage. Should I take it now? Or should I pretend like I’m learning it and then take it ter?’

  Karim, Ali, and Omer each took to the workouts quickly, while Elsie followed with some effort. However, at one point in time the boys shifted to a set of lunges, while Dunes led the squats. The boys gnced between each other fused but followed in step with the rest of the children.

  “They do it differently here,” Karim said to Bil upon their return.

  “The Priest is from the Order of Bck Mountain, from the North,” Bil expined. “They train differently there.”

  “It is so diculous,” Ali said.

  “Tickilus,” reed.

  “Ridiculous,” Bil corrected.

  The childrehen taken to bathe, including the new children, each watched over by their guardians, before they joihe rest of the children for tut. Dunes split them between age groups first, teag them with stories first, before then fog on more specific education.

  The only children which didn’t join them were the six children who had e with the Iyrmen, each of whom were bullying their father with their ess.

  “You are always killing hydras, daddy,” Jirot said, almost accusatory.

  “What I say? It seems that hydras are attracted to how handsome daddy is, but they don’t know I’m already mummy’s.” Adam shrugged his shoulders.

  “Silly hydras,” Jirot said, oblivious to the redness of her mother, who couldn’t help but be embarrassed by he their father was.

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “I saying it.”

  “Yes, of course, because you are so smart.”

  Jirot huffed. Her lips formed a small smirk, and the girl cackled lightly.

  “Why doesn’t mummy tell you all about her adventure while daddy goes to che the workers?” Adam said, standing slowly to try and peel himself away from his children, though it pained him so.

  Konarot stood, her younger siblings following after her, each staring expetly at their father.

  “Jirot, Jarot, will you stay with mummy and watch over her?” Adam asked.

  “Yes! I do it!” Jirot assured, standing up with a wide stance, ready to watch over her mother, her amber eyes resolute. Jarot stood up, beaming with glee towards his father, trasting his sister’s aura of seriousness.

  ‘My kids! How they be this cute?’

  Adam walked through the fort, taking in the sight of the four Iyrmen on the walls, before stepping out of the fort to che the workers who tilled the fields. ‘Eh?’ Adam tio t, noting how many workers were upon the fields. ‘ht…’

  A particur older man panted while sitting to one side, wiping his brow, the old man’s shaking light as he sipped his water.

  “What are you doing out here, Gimon?” Adam asked.

  The old man turo see the half elf, before he quickly tried to stand. “Oh, Executive, just takin’ a small break for some water. I’ll get ta whty ho.”

  “No need,” Adam said, reag out toward the cup with a finger, ting a word of magic, chilling the water slightly. “Though I would prefer it if you worked within the fort rather than in the fields. Farming is a young man’s game, we should be using your wisdom elsewhere.”

  “My body’s still healthy,” Gimon said, quickly finishing the rest of his water, noting how cold it had bee. He raised his brows in surprise, sipping the st few drops of water.

  “I hope so. Will you walk with me? I’m showing my children, who may be the future Executives, about how the business works, and I wao take them to the vilge too.”

  “Of course, Executive,” Gimon replied, still unsure of why he o walk along with them.

  Adam led his children through the fields, half in thought about the work he o do for the various nobles across the nd. ‘I probably don’t o take too long to do it, but I should do it as soon as possible. I’ll o make a bunch more fire swords for the aus too, the tess’ swords too. Thankfully her order’s the same as the normal swords, so it’s not that difficult.’

  “M Executive, Little Bosses,” Remy called, tipping his hat towards them.

  “M Little Bosses, Executive,” Jeremy called, also tipping his hat.

  “Remy, Jeremy, how’s work?”

  “Going good,” Remy replied.

  “Doing as much as we before we head out month.”

  “Holiday?”

  “Nah, it’s our turn to take the sword out month. We did it ohird month, sixth month’s our go around, then the ninth.”

  “Take the sword out?”

  “For the aus.”

  “ht, right, sorry. I fot we had set that up.” Adam chuckled lightly. “Do you see, my adorable children? Look at how dependable our workers are! Of course, your father’s eyes are so amazing he pick reat talents, but we shouldn’t fet how amazing our workers are! How dependable!”

  For a moment, Remy thought Adam oking fun, but an instant ter he remembered who the half elf was. “Thank you kindly for your words.”

  Adam waved his hand dismissively. “Kind words won’t feed your stomachs. Ohis year’s done, I’ll see what I do for our hard w workers. How’s the family?”

  “They’re treated well in the business,” Remy said, tipping his hat again. “’t rightly pin.”

  “ yly pin?” Adam joked.

  “’t suppose I could.”

  “If you do have any issues, let Manager Dunes know, or, of course, I’m here too so you tell me.”

  “Nothing I think of,” Remy replied, throwing a look to Jeremy.

  “No pins, Executive, but if I could borrow your ear?”

  “Sure?”

  Jeremy paused for a moment, w if he could mention it in front of the others. “Ya see… I’ve been w, that’s all, nothing too serious, about how I earn me a magical on too.”

  “A magical on?”

  “Aye,” Jeremy said, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Not saying that you don’t treat us right, it’s just that, I’m hoping I work harder so I earn a magical on.”

  “The magical on will e in time,” Adam assured. “You’ve been w with us for… almost five years now, isn’t that right?”

  “Close to it.”

  “Five years…” Adam thought to how much they did together. “Now that I think about it… Jeremy, Remy, were you both…”

  History Check (Intelligence)D20 + 3 = 6 (3)

  “How do I say this… does the name… Lady Eveil, no, Lady Uveil mean anything to you.”

  The cousins each tipped their hats, gng timon, who gnced between them all.

  ‘Were they there then?’ “What does that name mean to you?”

  “Of course, it’s the name of Lady Eveil’s daughter.”

  “Aye, it was an honour for us to be of service for her.”

  ‘It sounds like they were…’ Adam gnced between their eyes. “So… you guys were there with us, right?”

  “Aye,” Remy finally dared said.

  “You reached out to us when we were sinking.”

  Adam flushed slightly, having fotten that he had dove in for them when they had slipped between realms. “Right, right, aren’t I so amazing? Do you hear that Konarot? Your father is so amazing, even though he came third p the tour, isn’t he first pce for being such a great person?”

  Konarot held up a thumbs up for her father. “Good job, daddy.”

  Adam closed his eyes, reag up to his heart. First he had allowed the real sensation of pride flood through him, before he tempered it with his ge. “Do you see that? My kid is so cute, even though I never gave her permission to be so cute!”

  Remy and Jeremy, who had followed Adam all this way, and all this time, smiled. Not once had they regretted following Adam, even though adventuring with him had almost gotten them killed multiple times, but which within their families could ever cim to have sin as many hydras as them?

  “Anyway, since we’ve been on quite some adveogether, I’ll pass on word to the Enter to see when we schedule in some ons for you. Since you’ve been with us from the beginning, along with Nobby, I should have sidered you at first. I passed along ons to Nobby and Brittany siheir work is a little different, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Nothing like that,” Remy assured. “Don’t mind us.”

  “Aye, I didn’t think of anything like that, Executive, I just… as yer showing off to your own children, I wao show off too.”

  Adam smiled, reag out to pat their shoulders. “You’re right. When you work for the United Kindom, you should show off to your kids!” He ughed, causing his children to ugh and giggle too, swept up imosphere.

  Adam waved as he left the farmers to their work, noting that Rid John remaihe others had goo Red Oak to au the on. “Seeing you all work so hard so safely…” Adam paused, basking in what he had mao aplish, not by himself, but with his friends and family. “It brings joy to my heart. Don’t tell them that I said that, though.”

  “I won’t,” Gimon assured.

  “I don’t want any of you w too hard when it isn’t hough. Save your strength for when it’s really needed. If there’s nothing to do, then take a break. Take a break if you feel too tired too. If you’re w harder than the Executives, how we justify our pay?” Adam huffed, fshing Gimon a smile.

  “Of course, sir.”

  A scream pierced the air.

  “Do you hear that?” Adam asked, his heartbeat quiing, before he heard where the scream came from, and he calmed his heart.

  “Yes?”

  “A powerful scream like that, it could only e from one adorable little girl.” Adam puffed out his chest, crossing his hands behind his back as he approached the fort, the sobs and g greeting him.

  Who could it possibly be?