“e home safely!” the children shouted towards Fakrot and the others. They had only remai the fort that night, before leaving a short while after dawn.

  Cirot and Sirot watched their father leave, remaining silent. They had wao go too, but they o stay here, just in case.

  ‘Where are they going?’ Adam thought, but he decided against asking. He assisted Dunes with his work, so the pair could finish their business early. He spent much of his time making the rounds, showing his face, befoing to py with his children.

  “Papa, even if you not have horns, I still love you,” Jirot said, holding Karot, the pair embrag one another. “You are not smelly boy.”

  ‘That’s not the way you’re meant to say that,’ Adam thought, but he wasn’t going the ruin the delicious dessert that was all for him. Each of the children remained in their groups, but he would oftehem pying together, which warmed his heart.

  ‘If only I could get Konarot to accept Vonda…’

  Lud Mara trained by themselves, not wanting to bother the businessfolk, though sometimes Rid the porters would speak with them, much to their wives’ chagrin. However, they weren’t there when the pair of demons stantly assisted them through their journey.

  Jasmine remained close with Morkarai, uanding, somewhat, why the Prince had asked her to remain within the business. The shock of Adam defeating Sir Magpie had washed over her. Though she was from further east, sometimes the Order made its way towards the east, and they were always sidered great warriors. To think that a boy had mao defeat even the weakest, that was surprising, but beyond that…

  “The First Hope?”

  “So it is said.”

  Jasmine had also heard more of their tales. She had assumed Jaygak was one of the weakest, sidering how she stantly mentio, but Jaygak was certainly among the stro of the business. Even within her nd, Jaygak was sidered strong, definitely greater than a typical Expert. Her story was impressive, but the story of her panions?

  Jurot and Kitool were armingly powerful for their age, even more so than Jaygak. Of course, sidering Jurot’s aor, it made sense, but Kitool too? Jasmine dared not covet the woman, but she would have been a great bodyguard. ‘With her and Siten…’

  Then there was him.

  “No! Daddy no! How you do this?” Jirot asked, throwing up her fist.

  “What do you mean? I rolled the dice, the dice! It’s not my fault!”

  “I do not like it!”

  “Me her! How dare you, mister dice, fail my daughter like this, you punk?”

  “Fat!”

  “Jirot!” Adam raised his brows, and the girl flushed, quickly retreating to her mother.

  “I did not say!”

  “Alright, fine, but I don’t want to hear it again, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “What do you say?”

  “Sorry…”

  “Good girl. Now, e o’s make you a new character.”

  “Okay! I am going to be Demon Load again!”

  “Don’t you want to try something new?”

  “I am Demon Load!”

  “Of course, how silly of me.”

  “Smelly boy.”

  Adam raised his brows, and the girl pulled back.

  “Sorry, daddy.”

  “Okay.” Adam assisted her in making a new character, meanwhile the other children were assisted by their aunts, uncles, and their elders.

  ‘He beat the First Hope?’ Jasmine blinked.

  Soon the duskval festival fell upon the Iyr, though Adam and his family remained within the business. He was gd the Iyrmen were around, for they were able to watch over the business while the wot to work shorter hours.

  Remy and Rick exged a look between one ahe pair wallowing ihoughts. Their thoughts were nearly identical, though Remy gnced over towards Nobby, thinking about what the half elf had done for him and his cousin, and their nephew.

  Rick wasn’t sure what to think. Though Adam had said they o whly six hours a day, the farmers ended up w longer hours. Adam had spoken to them about it, but they reassured it was fine, but si was a festival, Adam put his foot down.

  ‘Just take two shifts, and rotate the shifts every day!’

  Except, they already worked less than they had to in Red Oak. He gnced down at the food. He gnced down at his drink, water, then the milk, and then the real drink, the grain wine from the nearby vilge. He gained a hundred silver a month, about a typical wage, a…

  The food? Free.

  The drinks? Free.

  The clothes? Free.

  Not only did he work fewer hours, he made more money. He gnced aside, to the rest of his family who had finally ended up joining. He gowards the Silver Fate Squad who had escorted them. Each of them were so much youhan himself, yet they were eauch strooo. His eyes fell to one of them, the cousin of a pair of Executives.

  Nirot. Just looking at her brought apprehension to Rick’s heart. She was also Mad Dog’s grandchild, and after what happe year, Rick couldn’t deny it. He uood there were too mas he possessed, all of which he’d o take to the grave. Rid the others, they all uood, they were in too deep.

  “Who gave you permission to be this cute?” Adam asked, kissing his children all over their faces. “It’s illegal, you know? I o put you in jail!”

  “Stop it, daddy!” Jirot said, holding up her hand. “ge!”

  Adam’s eyes grew wide. “Who taught you that word?”

  Jirot shook from her father’s expression, before she made to cry, only to be stopped by her grandaunt, who distracted her with a kiss on the nose, and a cheek pinch. Mirot, Nirot’s mother, calmed the girl down almost instantly.

  Lucy cleared her throat. “This drink is so lovely, don’t you think, Mara?”

  Mara, who wasn’t a fan of the grain wine, eve was mixed with fruit, sipped it slowly. “Yes.”

  ‘Should I beat them up?’ Adam thought, before feeling the pressure from Mara. ‘I suppose I’ll five you.’ However, within his heart, he could feel the pain of being called ge by his own children. ‘Damn.’

  ‘I’m gd he is a fool,’ Rick thought, relief filling his soul. If Adam hadn’t been a fool, then he might have been one of the most dangerous existences in the world. He didn’t know much, even the heights of the most terrifying creatures, but he khat much.

  “The fruit’s nice,” Gee’s words stated through the gem.

  “Yeah,” Fred agreed, eating the fruit the business had procured. “It’s pretty good.”

  “Better than the fruit at home.”

  Fred wondered for a moment. ‘Are these the fruit of home now?’ He led his arm against his on, a bde which was not just any old bde, but a Greater Enhanced bde. He didn’t know that it was much worse thahe bde a particur little devilkin baby had been gifted retly, but that didn’t matter to him. Eveer ons were only for the likes of Masters, so him receiving a on that was Greater Enhanced?

  “You drink…” Vonda said, encing her husband.

  “This is the limit that I won’t break. I don’t really care about drinking anyway, so you don’t have to worry.” Adam held her hand with his own, feeling her gloves against his bare skin.

  The music. The food. The drinks. The atmosphere within the business brought a calm end to the rainy season.

  The Mad Dog’s ughter alsht the end, even if there were many who would have preferred it if he had remained within the Iyr.

  “How you do this to me?” Jarot asked, embrag his great children. “They should remain within the Iyr!”

  “Hmph! Their little sibling is almost here! Why don’t you just stay here?”

  Mad Dog growled, but he didn’t reply, instead embrag his greatchildren, from the triplets, to the twins, even Larot, he smothered them with all of his affe.

  ‘Why does he look… different?’ Adam thought.

  There was something off about the Mad Dog. Not quite off, but, certainly, something was different. He looked almost sharper, his eyes holding a huhey hadn’t previously, and his steps were more fident. He even tossed little Jarot up and caught him, bringing the boy to his chest.

  ‘Old geezer… just you wait.’

  The rain weled nightval to the world. Finally, they were doh farming, now enjoying the fruits of their bour, while preparing for dawnval, oblivious to tess Red Oak’s worries.

  Adam checked the ste for all their food, calg how much food they needed with the extra mouths they o food, though they certainly had more than enough. ‘We also get some from the vilge anyway.’

  One evening, Adam pyed with his children, one by one. He lifted little Jirot up above him and she cpped.

  “I am flying! I am flying, daddy!” She squealed excitedly.

  “That’s right.”

  “I am going to learn magic, daddy!”

  “You are, I’m sure.”

  “I going to fly all the pces.”

  “Will you ent too, my dear?” Adam asked.

  “Yes. I learning ent and I going to fly.”

  “Yeah.” Adam pulled her close to his chest, brushing her long hair. “Should daddy cut your hair?”

  “No. I want it like kaka.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Daddy, I have silver hair?”

  “Maybe one day, but I like your hair like this, dark and curly,” Adam said, brushing through her thick hair.

  “Okay…” Jirot smiled and hid her shy fato her father’s chest. “I like your hair too, daddy.”

  “…” Adam kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”

  “Papa,” Lanarot called, yawning. “Reading a story?”

  “I read a story, sure.”

  As the first days of nightval passed, it happened. Jurot had been discussing with Kitool and Jaygak a set of matters reting to the business when Bil dropped down nearby.

  Jurot’s body almost blurred, charging in while his mother and others within the business assisted Pam. Adam, who had been flying around with the children, dropped dowing Lanarot out of his arms, before she noted everyohered around.

  “Kaka?” Lanarot called.

  “e on, Lanababy,” Adam said, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He realised hoard it was for him to be here, while his brother and his wife were currently in the middle of something. He lifted the girl up and patted Jurot on the back, a small smile on his lips. “It’s at this time you should hold her hand.”

  “Okay,” Jurot said, taking his pce beside his wife, holding out his hand for her. He wasn’t sure what to do, his heart thundering in his chest, his throat dry.

  As Adam stepped away, a small otion took his attention. He go the side, the world around him blurring, and his focused fell to his wife, who was blocked off by others beginning to tend to her.

  ‘Eh?’ Adam thought.

  Adam barely recalled what happened during the time, before he came back to reality. There they were. A little boy. A little girl. The pair were so tiny.

  “Look,” Jirot said, pointing to the girl within her mother’s arms. “Is my kaka!”

  “Yes,” Vonda said, gng down at the bundle of yellow, and the girl within. “Virot…”

  “Virot?” Jirot asked.

  “Do you like her name?”

  “I love it, mummy! I love it! So ‘dorable!” The girl giggled and squealed, g her haedly.

  Konarot stared at the little girl. She could see how tiny she was. Her eyes theo her sister’s leaf shaped ears, the same leaf shaped ears they all possessed. She looked up towards her father, then the woman, and then to her you sister. She could smell the st of her father on the girl, but also the st of that woman.

  Adam remained almost frozen, his eyes glued to the little. This was the first time he khat he was there during the child’s birth. Knowing it was his child. The others had e to him as surprises, but Virot? She wasn’t a surprise. No, she was a surprise. It was a surprise that she was so healthy.

  ‘What do I do?’ Adam thought. ‘I should kill a dragon. No, I should beat up a dragon. Yeah, I should beat up a dragon and gift it to my daughter.’

  So 'dorable!