'Who the hell is this guy?' Adam thought, narrowing his eyes at the finely adorned figure wearing full pte. However, he did he silver medallion wainst his chest, which pihe long cloak he wore, which had been almost unseeo how simir the colour was to the pte armour.

  "Marshal Bck," Sir Olivia called, eyeing up the figure. 'A Hope and now the Marshal of East Port? The Marquise surely trusts me the most when I have to face both a Hope and a Marshal.' The knight stifled a sigh, the kind of sigh of someone who was about to have extreme difficulty pleting their task.

  "I heard a otion around these parts," the Marshal said, before bowing his head towards the Hope. "An honour to meet you, Hope."

  "Good evening, Marshal," the Hope replied. 'What has the boy do even the Duchess to cause him trouble?'

  The Marshal gnced betweeire group, the knights on one side, already impressive in their ht due to their e with the Marquise, against the Hope and her Rays, who were even more prestigious. 'Damn it.' He then gowards the heavily armoured man in puthral, who was nowhere near as prestigious as either of them, a caused the most trouble.

  'Is it a different Marshal the other one? Should I beat him up, or should I save him for Jurot? No, I'll let Jurot deal with him, otherwise I'll get in trouble.' Adam’s lips twitched slightly.

  "I'd like to ask you, with the authority grao me by the Duchess, to disperse at ohe Marshall stated.

  "What do you mean to suggest?" The Hope replied, her eyes falling across the Marshal.

  "I mean to suggest that the Marquise and the grand Order of Life's Rose, who I have nothing but respect for, should settle this properly, outside of the looks of the onfolk, that's all."

  'He talks like me,' Adam thought. 'Is he from another world too?'

  "The Marshal is right," the Hope said, eyeing up the the knight once more. "The letter should arrive at the Marquise's estate soon."

  Sir Olivia inhaled deeply. "Of course. I hope the misuanding be resolved."

  "Yes," Hope Willow replied, before watg the knight turn and leave. "Mother's blessings upon you, Sir Seahill."

  The knight paused. She turned, pg a hand over her heart, bowing her head lightly. "Mother's blessings upon you, Hope." The knight turned a, feeling the gaze of the onfolk and the Hope upon her back as she left.

  'The Sister was a Ray? Impossible...' She vaguely recalled the versation she had with the young woman earlier that month when they first met. 'Did she know she was going to bee a Ray? Was she groomed into the position? I'll o report to the Marquise.' Seahill felt a sigh leave her lips. She had failed her Marquise thri such a quick span. 'Was the Marshal's appearance ce? I shouldn't think so, not when it es to the Duchess.'

  "Sir Seahill," Adam called out, causing the others to gnce his way. "I would appreciate it if the trouble on the road begi month."

  The knight stopped, shifting her body to face him. "..."

  "Ray Vonda is still fasting, and it feels like bad luck if I were to kill during the fast."

  The knight refused to refused to reply, setting off once more.

  Marshal Bck let out a long sigh. 'The Hope doesn't seem to have taken any offence by me stepping in.'

  "It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Marshal Bck."

  "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Hope," the Marshal replied, awkwardly. The Marshal pulled off his helmet, revealing his half greyed hair, his deep set wrinkled, with scars of old.

  "Oh! Stone Sword!" Adam blinked, as though he had been spped in the face. 'Right, didn't they mention he had been promoted?'

  "Marshal Stone Sword," he corrected.

  "If I have to call you Marshal, you have to call me Executive."

  "Mine's a title given to me by the Duchess."

  "Mine's a title beaten into the... it was given to me by the Enter."

  Stone Sword smiled, nodding his head slowly. "I heard, was informed, that you were in a bit of trouble, spot of trouble."

  "Are you okay, Marshal?"

  "I'm getting used to the way I should be talking."

  "Yeah," Adam replied, letting out a sigh. "Yeah." He gave the Marshal a knowing, tired look. 'Wasting our damn time because they like to talk so uppity.'

  'I know,' the Marshal's eyes replied. "I’ve, I have been informed I should escort you so you don't get into trouble."

  "The Marshal's going to escort us too?"

  "The Duchess wants to make sure that no more situations arise during the travel."

  'So she's going to babysit us on the way too? Well... it's not like it's a bad idea to take him along with us.' "It's a great relief to hear you're apanying us too. A Hope and a Marshal? That'll keep us out of trouble, or at the very least, I'll think twice before causing any myself."

  "I wouldn't dare suggest I'm quite like the Hope," the Marshal said, bowing his head. "I don't think I'd be able to csh with the Seventh Hope."

  Adam was gd he was wearing his helmet, which was being more useful with every passing moment. "Well..." Adam inhaled and exhaled. "I'm growing up, aren't I, Fourth Hope?"

  "It appears to be so." Willow's eyes appeared as though she knew what trouble Adam wao cause, gd he had kept his mouth shut.

  "I'm sure the other Executives will be gd to hear that Marshal Stone Sword has joined us."

  Stone Sword followed Adam to the temple, where the children had settled well, each eating quietly, though the buzz of excitement filled them all. 'Are they the future Executives?'

  "Good evening, children."

  "Good evening, mister Adam," the children replied.

  'I should teach them how to properly respond...' Adam cleared his throat. "I've got a special person beside me. Does anyone know who he is?"

  The children gowards the heavily armoured warrior beside Adam, noting how old he was. He had removed his helmet, and had handed over his bde to the priests, not wanting to disrespey of the good priestly folk.

  "He's a knight," Gales said, narrowing his eyes slightly. His dark hair was long, c most of his ears.

  “Or, or, or, he might work for a knight or noble,” Derrik added, his messy dark hair much shorter.

  ‘He’s the Marshal of East Port,’ Gee thought, noting the badge on his cloak. ‘That was…’

  “You’re not far off,” Adam admitted. “This is Marshal Bck, also known as Stone Sword.”

  “Stone Sword’s got a Stone Sword, but he don’t,” Gale said.

  “He left it to pay respect,” Poppy said.

  Gale slowly he logic too sound.

  “I heard you had some children, but… isn’t this too many?” the Marshal asked.

  “They’re not my kids.”

  “They’re not? I thought you were causing trouble because of them?”

  “I’m not causing trouble because of them, but…” Adam cleared his throat. “It’s not like we’re in any trouble. The children are going to get to the business safe and sound, ain’t that right?”

  “Yeah,” Copper said. “We’re gono the business safely.”

  “Safely, safely,” Max added, sitting beside Julia.

  “I’ve ‘urd of you,” Jack said. “You’re strong, ain’t you?”

  “I’m not quite as strong as the Fourth Hope, but I am quite strong.”

  “Are you strohan mister Adam?”

  “I suppose I am.”

  “Mister Adam’s strong. He fought the Seventh Hope.”

  “Yeah, he beat the Seventh Hope, you?”

  “He…” The Marshal, Fisher Bck, turo face Adam. “You beat the Seventh Hope?”

  “I was quite fortunate,” Adam replied, fshing a gentle smile.

  Bck raised his brow. He thought back to Adam’s fights the previous year. ‘Was it like that?’ It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for someone like Adam to beat the Seventh Hope, especially with that axe of his.

  “Mister Stone Sword, did you beat up a dragon?”

  “Yeah, I ‘urd you foht a dragon, and you, and you didn’t run aways.”

  “I came across a dragon once, but I never fought it,” Bck replied, noting the way one of the children stared up at him. He sat beside a young man who wore a shirt, and carried a bde at his side. ‘He’s carrying ons within a temple?’ Then he gowards the rge form of Nobby, who carried a his side. ‘At least he’s not wearing armour…’

  ‘Stone Sword!’ Gee thought. ‘It’s really Stone Sword!’

  Gee pulled on Fred’s leg, pointing towards Stone Sword excitedly, before trying to speak up, only to hear the noises he made, quickly sileng himself. ‘…’

  “What is it?”

  “…” Gee remained silent, unsure of how he tell Fred that he once helped Stone Sword out before. He had personally ported for the old man a few years back when he was a walker. ‘He probably don’t remember me.’

  Some time ter, the Iyrmeurned, noting the appearance of the Marshal. They made to swarm him, but instead formed a wall around the children, partly to listen to his stories, but partly to watch over the children.

  ‘Now that I think about it, I don’t know the kid’s name…’ Adam rubbed the side of his neck awkwardly. ‘It won’t be too hard to figure it out though.’

  “The Duchess has sent the Marshal to escort us?” Jurot asked.

  “Apparently.”

  “Okay.”

  “…” Adam gowards Jurot. ‘Is that a good or bad one?’

  Okay is either good or bad with Iyrmen.