Chương 1214: [1134] - Y06.034 - Strong and Scary

"Okay?" Pam asked, reaching out a hand towards her husband.

"Okay," Jurot replied, accepting her hand, feeling the softness of those hands which baked bread. Damrot slumbered against his mother's front, his head resting upon her shoulder, the boy clutching at her sleeve with one hand, the other dangling at their side. He was completely defenceless to the world, but so full of warmth, his heart surely soothed by his mother's affection. Jurot stared against the back of the boy's head, his hair so much thicker now.

"Is Monarot well?"

"She is," Pam replied, a soft smile slowly encroaching upon her lips.

"The Family Head is watching over her."

"She is your aunt too." Pam smiled nervously, unsure of how close she was to the Iyr, but whenever she was beside her husband, she felt the intensity of his name bear upon her. He felt almost like a nobleman, like the Lords and Ladies within Aldland, except it appeared to be the case all those within the Iyr were like the nobles of Aldland. Did that mean she, too, was similar? Like the Lords who married into the Lady's family, or the Ladies or married into the Lord's family?

"Is Bam well?" Jurot asked, breaking his wife out of her thoughts.

"He is still troubled." Jurot slowly nodded his head, feeling the softness of her palm against his fingers. He trailed along the creases, his thumb memorising the side of her hand to memory.

"I understand it is difficult for you to call mother your own." Pam frowned slightly, lowering her gaze, but as the Iyrman squeezed at her hand, she met his eyes, and the pair exchanged a knowing look. The next morning, Adam thought of whether he should take the day off.

'It's not like it's one of the children's birthdays…'

"A silver token?" Jaygak asked, noting the symbol upon the silver token, of the pairs of crosses, which was different to the typical silver tokens Adam handed out.

"Yep. I thought it would be a nice gift."

"Are we children?"

"Well, if you don't want a free Greater Enhanced weapon from the business, give it back!" Adam snapped, and calling his bluff, the Iyrman held out the token. He almost snatched it from her hand with annoyance.

"I can't believe you won't design a weapon with your sisters for the Enchanter to enchant."

"That I can accept," the Iyrman replied, holding out her hand.

"It's too late now! My heart is broken."

"I'm telling Kavgak you won't-," Jaygak began, but she stopped when Adam held the token back out for her.

"Thank you, Adam. It is a lovely gift. I almost feel bad for not gifting you something for your birthday."

"It's fine, since you should focus on my little babies instead." Jaygak shook her head lightly, but she couldn't help but smile on her face.

"It's not as good as your children's gifts to me."

"Of course, since my children take after their mother," Adam replied, having forgotten to help his children with their gifts, but thankfully, his daughter was so smart.

"You cannot blame daddy since I am too smart," Jirot stated, shrugging her shoulders. Jaygak smiled even wider, picking the girl up, nuzzling her nose, before she hoisted little Jarot up, and smothered the pair with affection. She knew the children didn't understand the real gifts the pair had given her, for Jirot was back to her confident self, and little Jarot ate the pepper from her fingers. Kitool remained silent, holding onto the bracelet Jirot had gifted her.

'You cannot rub the red cube, okay?' Jirot had informed, as though Kitool hadn't understood what the bracelet was meant to mimic. Adam went to work that day, thankful his wife had come to protect him from Jirot, though unfortunately for him, it didn't last long. Lanarot rode upon Sun, the half awakened wolf, or rather, she sat upon her mother's lap as the woman rode upon Sun. As the girl hopped off, she could hear trouble, which had a familiar name.

"Pick up your axe," Jirot glared at her father, her stance wide and powerful, her fists clenched together.

"Dear…" Adam replied nervously. Jirot held out her whole hand, revealing her annoyance, pointing at her father's axe.

"Pick it up. We must fight now."

"Why must we fight?"

"You-, you-, you-, always I-!" Jirot huffed, placing her hands upon her waist, before she looked up towards her mother, this time not for support, but for the empathy of someone who had to deal with the half elf.

"You always promise! Seventh! Fourteenth! Twenty first! Twenty eighth! You have worked all this time, and you promised all the time you would play with me, but you do not!"

"Dear, I had a break on Larot's birthday, didn't I? We played Warriors and Wanderers with Larot, I mean, you even killed the hydra!" This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"It does not count! It is twenty first today, and you did not play!" Jirot accused with her entire hand.

"We are fighting now! Draw your axe!"

"Just… a few more days, Jibaby, and I promise to play with you lots!"

"No! We are fighting today!"

"Please, Jibaby!"

"No!"

"Jirot," Vonda called, holding out her hand. The girl pouted up at her mother, but quickly scampered to the woman, holding her hand. The pair cuddled, whispering into each other's ears, with Jirot almost covering her entire mouth as she whispered into her mother's ear. The pair continued to barter between one another, with Jirot furrowing her brows, and hiding her head into her mother's neck shyly.

'Only my kid can be so cute while being so troublesome,' Adam thought.

'What am I saying? It's definitely my fault.' Jirot snapped her head towards her father, pouting.

"Daddy, I going to forgive you, just this once!"

"Thank you, Jirot!" Jirot held her hand up, still with her entire hand, but slowly she clasped most of her fingers so she was pointing with her index finger.

"I want to go home, daddy! Nana miss me so much! How can you do this?"

"Nana?"

"Nana Mirot!"

"Ah!" Adam flushed slightly.

'Right, she always loves the children a lot…'

"Shall I send you home with mummy and nana and babo, and then…" Adam paused, thinking about how much work he had left, only to see his daughter pouting again.

"You see, mummy? You see! Always working! Always thinking!"

"No, no, I was just trying to do numbers! You know how bad daddy is with numbers, I need some time!" Jirot looked away, ignoring her father.

'Daddy! You silly boy!' Adam and little Jarot exchanged a look, sharing the empathy of two who had to deal with Jirot.

"Once I'm done with my work, I'll come back too."

"Jirot," Sonarot called, holding her hand out to the girl. Jirot pouted, but she squirmed out of her mother's grasp and scampered to her grandmother, holding the woman's hand. The pair also whispered to each other's ears, with the girl letting out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her palm across her face.

"We cannot?" Jirot asked.

"Not yet." Sonarot kissed the girl's ear and whispered into it again, causing them to droop. Jirot sniffled, clutching at her grandmother tight, hugging the woman. Sonarot allowed little Jarot to climb up and hug her too.

"Is everything… okay?" Adam asked. Sonarot looked around to all the other older Iyrmen. Malfev may have returned back to the Iyr, but many of those here had no such duties, but even so, they should have returned long ago. That was, of course, unless the Iyr was expecting trouble.

"Okay." Adam noted where Sonarot had looked, and he hadn't thought of it that entire time, but now that it had been made so obvious to him, he realised it too.

'Hmm.' Once Adam had finished enchanting the weapons, he stared down at them. His eyes remained glued to them for a long while, with the half elf trying to understand when he should hand them out, how he should explain them, and… No. Those thoughts fell away as he stared at the weapons.

'It's going to be alright, right?' Adam thought.

'I mean… I did kill the Grand Commander, but they should understand now, shouldn't they?' In his heart, Adam knew the answer to the question. Adam stepped through the mirror, holding the four bundles within his arms, resting them against the wall within the basement. As he did, he froze.

'Wait! I didn't pay the Iyr for last year, did I?' The half elf sighed, already hearing the ghost Jirot's annoyance. The half elf smiled, his eyes tearing up slightly.

'I don't mind if you bully me, dear. Bully me as much as you like.'

"Daddy! Look!" Jirot held up the stone for her father.

"I find it in the village!"

"You found it in the village?" Adam asked, hoisting his daughter up, the pair exchanging kisses.

"Yes! I washed it and kako used her fire and it is clean now!"

"That's right!" Adam leaned in to nuzzle her neck, the half elf closing his eyes shut tight.

"What a lovely stone!"

"Yes! It is so lovely, but ock! Who am I to give it too?" Jirot asked, raising her brows, the girl smirking.

"It is such a good stone! I can only give it to something I love so much!"

"To mummy?"

"I already give one to mummy!" Jirot retorted, already having prepared for her father's point, the girl cackling with delight. Little Jarot smiled, reaching up to grab his father's collar.

"Daddy…"

"Yes?"

"You can have it?"

"I can? Is it a stone? For me?" Adam asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes!" Jirot cackled with delight, the girl still too young and too innocent to understand just why her father smiled so brightly at receiving a stone. Bael stood upon the wall, staring out towards the village. As he did, a small smile crept upon his lips, and soon the rain fell, washing away the stains. He closed his eyes, recalling a memory from his youth.

'Do you understand why my Empire still stands?' Gramps had once asked.

'It's because you're so strong!' Bael had replied.

'That is why I'm the Emperor, but why has my empire not fallen?'

'Everyone is scared of you?'

'That has something to do with it,' the old man chuckled, ruffling Bael's hair.

'Gramps! My hair! Mother spent so much time on my ribbons!'

'Ribbons get in the way of fighting!'

'I'm gonna be so strong, even when I wear ribbons, I'm going to win!'

'What are your father and mother teaching you?' The old man tossed Bael off the island, before smiling towards his companion, who remained still as a statue to one side.

'…'

'…' The giant hopped off the side of the island, falling through the air to the cackling Bael, who did not hold even a touch of fear within their heart.

'Do you see?' the Emperor asked.

'Shara's the one that caught me!'

'You're beginning to understand.'

'…'

'…'

'Your Grace, Bael is not Aina.' The Emperor furrowed his brows towards the storm giant, who remained frozen still.

'…'

'…'

'I thought Aina wore the red ribbons?'

'Bael also enjoys wearing them.'

'They're both so crazy, I forget which one is which.'

'Your Grace, please,' Shara began.

'Your Grace, this, Your Grace, that!' Thunder rumbled in the distance, almost threatening the world.

'Your great grandfather used to-,''Cleave mountains in half trying to kill you, I know, Your Grace,' Shara interrupted. The Emperor smirked slightly, noting the complete neutrality upon the woman's face, his thoughts falling to his old companion.

'Your great granddaughter is not so bad, Otto.'

'Stop making that face!' Bael complained.

'You need to teach me the lesson!'

'What's the rush? You're still too young to know.'

'You do this every time!'

'I don't! That's why your father always complains to me!'

'Then just beat him up!'

'I can't beat up a kid like him!'

'I'll beat him up when I'm bigger then!'

'He's strong too!'

'That's fine! I'm going to be even stronger! I'm going to be as strong as you!'

'You should aim to be stronger than me, at least!'

'Fine! I'm going to be even stronger than you!' Bael returned back to the present, the rain washing away the tears on his face as he reminisced of the past, a past he could no longer return to.

'If I'm not careful, I might lose my position to one of them.' However, Bael was fairly certain he understood his great grandfather's lesson. He had seen it around him almost his entire life, but it was only upon seeing a grieving father smiling so genuinely that he understood his great grandfather's point. However, it was upon seeing Adam's relationship with Jirot, Bael realised something just as important. Just how much his great grandfather adored him when he was just a little troublemaker.

'You're even scarier than I remembered, old man.'