The group spent the few days withi Fort, with Adam spending as much as he could before he began feeling guilty.

  “He’s just… buying stuff?” a young Aldishman asked while eating, his eyes glued to the Half Elf. He wore basic clothing, tan and cream, as most withi Fort did. At his side was a dagger, but many wore daggers at their side, so no ohought much of it.

  “It seems like it…” his panion, another young Aldishman, wearing simir attire, replied.

  “He’s just buying stuff?” a young Aldishman asked while eating, his eyes glued to the Half Elf. He wore basic clothing, tan and cream, as most withi Fort did. At his side was a dagger, but many wore daggers at their side, so no ohought much of it.

  “I see that,” his panion, another young Aldishman wearing simir attire, replied. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the other pair also keeping an eye on the Half Elf. “Looks like the guards are keeping an eye on him too.”

  “Probably just want to keep an eye on him.”

  “Why’s he so important anyway?”

  “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Still, even he wondered what was so special about this Half Elf.

  “What do you think?” Adam asked, holding up ribbons of a multitude of colours towards his brother. “Should be good for our adorable little Cousins, don’t you think?”

  “Yes.”

  “I know you don’t think, but I’m asking how good they are?” Adam stated, seriously, before his lips began to quiver.

  “…” Jurot decided against pying into the joke.

  “I’m just messing with you,” Adam chuckled lightly. “What else should we buy?”

  “ons.” Jurot replied.

  “Jurot, you’re a genius.”

  Ohe group was doh the smith, they headed back out to the guild, with a porter who assisted them with their donkey, which pulled the small cart along with it.

  The guards bli the smith’s apprentice. “He bought the ons and armour for… children?”

  “Babies,” the smith replied affirmatively. “I heard they hadn’t turned o.”

  “…” The guard exged gnces between one another. ‘What?’

  “Don’t ask me,” the smith’s apprentice replied, shrugging her shoulders. “You know how Iyrmen are.”

  “Thank you for the information,” the guard said, pg down two silver s onto the ter.

  The urs bli the porter. “He bought the ons and armour for children?”

  “Babies,” the porter replied affirmatively. “Not eve.”

  “Iyrmen babies?”

  “That’s what I gathered.”

  “Makes sehe urs replied, nodding towards one another. “Thanks Nine Fiom.”

  “Ah course,” Nine Fiom replied, adjusting his ft cap. “I’ve also heard the previous Knight of the West is currently staying at West Peaks. My cousin’s niece works as a server there, and she’s sure of it.”

  “West Peaks, eh? Thanks.”

  “Ah course.”

  “Your wheel’s a little loose, head to Marty’s and he’ll put it right as wood,” the young ur said, nodding at the porter before leaving him be.

  “Thank yous.”

  As the days passed i Fort, the group prepared for their journey.

  “So about a month?” Adam asked. “When’s the childrens’ birthdays exactly?”

  “We will make it on time,” Jurot assured. “Their birthdays begin at the end of the eighth month.”

  “Could we spend a couple of days in Red Oak?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmmm.” Adam looked towards the rest of the group. Really, they could rush back to the Iyr sihey didn’t o take the farmers and porters with them. He did want Nobby, though, si would be the twins’ first birthday and Nobby’s job would be to protect them.

  “Alright, let’s head back soon. We’ll rush back to Red Oak so they return back to their families. It’ll be almost half a year, so there might be issues if they remain any longer outside.”

  “Okay.”

  “You know…”

  “Yes?”

  “sidering the pce is called West Fort, we had very little issues with the Awakened Wolves here.” Adam thought back to how easy it was for them to find lodging for the wolves, and how they hadn’t had any issues at the gate either.

  “Yes,” Jurot replied. “West Aldnd has an affinity with wolves.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “The Horcs to the north used wolves to assist them in the fights against West Aldnd, but they were adopted into West Aldnd to do the same.”

  “Oh. Is that it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are they like a sacred animal or something?”

  “No, but they are not distant from such a cim.”

  “Huh. You know, maybe West Aldnd isn’t too bad. I just expected there to be lions or something.”

  “There are.”

  “There are?”

  “In the mountains.”

  “Mountain lions?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.” Adam slowly nodded his head. “That makes sense.”

  “The ducal family also houses lions which were inally imported from Aswadasad.”

  “Oh? Do they keep the lions as pets?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cool.”

  “The Duke’s personal mount is a lion.”

  “It…” Adam tilted his head. He wasn’t certain he had ever heard of a lion being a mount, but sidering it was a magical world where pigs could probably fly, he supposed that it wasn’t out of the realms of possibility. “That’s pretty cool.”

  “Yes.”

  “Does the Iyr have mounts?”

  “It is not our speciality.”

  “Yeah, but…” Adam noted how Jurot hadn’t replied firmly with a no. ‘Should I ask?’ Adam saw the look in Jurot’s eyes, which asked him not to press any further, and so he decided to do what he did best. “You think the children will enjoy riding the wolves?”

  “Yes.”

  Omen: 11, 13

  “He is leaving?” the older Aldishman asked. He wore simple, well made attire, as usual. His silver hair and green eyed betrayed his retions to the Marquis to all, especially with the strands of gold which still peeked through.

  “The guards have firmed it,” the lightly armoured ander replied. He wore a breastpte, though his bde rested against the side of the table, as to not offend the older Aldishman. His cloak inned by a rge , stamped with the symbol of a lion within a mountairaying the name of his squad.

  “I am only reminded of my good fortuhat I had the wisdom to raise a bunch of loyal cubs,” the older Aldishman joked, though his voice was as direly serious as always. “Surrounded by Iyrmen, one he cims to be his brother.”

  “An adventurer asked, and it was firmed by the female Iyrman to his side.”

  “The same young woman who pced sed?”

  “That’s right.”

  “The Iyr’s retion with the truth is well known,” the older Aldishman stated. “Though they speak the truth, they are not oo speak the whole truth.”

  “It appears his children have been adopted into the Iyr.”

  “His children?”

  “He has five children. A set of triplets and a set of twins. They are a year and a half and almost a year old respectively. The triplets are well behaved, and one of the twins is oftehough she is still young.”

  “How did you find this out?”

  “The guards…”

  “Yes?”

  “Asked.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “They asked the Half Elf, Adam, about his children.”

  “And he just… spoke of them?” the older Aldishman asked, staring at the ander with a suspicious look.

  “He didn’t just speak about them, he gushed about them,” the ander replied. “He spoke of them fh on an hour, and not just his children, but his sister too, the same sister he has with his brother. She is the Iyrman’s sister by blood, but it appears the Half Elf is also sidered her brother.”

  “How you be so sure?”

  “Jurot, the Iyrman brother of the Half Elf, stated that she may be taught by Adam if she so wishes it.”

  “Iing…”

  “It appears his children are also extremely intelligent, even though they are so young.”

  “Is it due to their Fae ary?”

  “It may be the case, though he mentiohat his triplets had horns. He avoided the topic about them, but we realised that he was quite close to the Devilkin Iyrman too.”

  “Could they be married?”

  “They fight like it, but it does not seem to be the case.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Sir Vonda firmed that Adam was unmarried, though he had five children.”

  “Bastards?”

  “Apparently, though we are uain if they are his by blood, siheir definition of family is not by blood.”

  “Did she give up any more information?”

  “She said it was best not to pry too deeply about the children.”

  “Why?”

  “She said…” the ander paused. “I pray to Mother Soza, so I would like for you to live long lives.”

  The older Aldishman remained silent. The young woman was a member of one of the greatest orders in all the nd, and so she could dare to threaten them like this. However, sidering who she was, it didn’t appear to be a threat.

  ‘What is to be doh them?’

  Meanwhile, Adam and the others made their way southward, following along the main road back to Eagle Wing, so they could head south from there to Dead Wood, though they could have veered westward to the middle vilge.

  “So, whose the Knight of the West?” Adam asked, ohey were a safe distance away from West Fort.

  “The current Knight of the West is Sir Johnson, the son of a mert. He was trained by the previous Knight of the West. Sir Johnson became the Knight of the West in the past few years, after his mentor retired from the position.”

  “Oh yeah? How strong was the previous Knight of the West.”

  “Some say he is only slightly weaker than King’s Sword,” Jurot stated.

  “Is he?”

  “The previous Knight of the West, Sir Edward, was the only of the Five Knights of Aldnd to keep his ego in check when they fought otlefield. King Merryweather had oated that of all the Generals he had worked with, Sir Edward was the one he looked forward t alongside most, after the King.”

  “After the King, or did he just say that because he didn’t want to offend the King?”

  “The tter.”

  Adam chuckled lightly. “Right.”

  “In Aldnd, the King is closest with those of North Aldnd, but retly he has bee closer with those of West Aldnd. The Grand Duchess of the North, due to her retion to the previous Queen, mao portherners into the King’s court, and the current King’s Sword is also a northerner. However, the Knight of the West, the uncle of the current Marquis, mao form closer retioween the Lios and the King, and also shuffled westerners into the army, and the current Grand Minister, is a westerner.”

  “Whoa…”

  “The Knight of the West had a part to py in the frigid retionship between King Merryweather and the King. The pair have retired, but the Knight of the West had been more active in the King’s life, beyond just teag him. If King Merryweather had assisted during his retirement, they would not have e to blows this way.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head. He wasn’t sure he’d ever betray Jurot, but perhaps time would have created distaween them, and if something happened…

  “So Sir Edward is a pretty scary guy?”

  “Yes.”

  “I should avoid him then.”

  “It is too te for that.”

  “It is?”

  “The Marquis’ family owns the mines, which Sir Edward assists in managing. Your offer must be known to him, and he has already looked into you.”

  “Oh yeah?” Adam replied, frowning slightly. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It is fine.”

  “It is?”

  “He knows that we know that he is looking into you.”

  “Jurot, why are you bullying me by reminding me about how scary you all are?”

  Umbra gnced between the Iyrmen. She had heard about the Iyr’s fervour, so it was a surprise that the Iyr had sted so long. Though, it appeared to be the case that the surrounding nds had also mao survive for a while, pared to the other kingdoms and empires within this world, all with mortals who barely reached a hundred years of age under perfect ditions.

  ‘Hmm.’

  Whe Fort learns...

  Adam is Adam.