Chương 1218: [1138] - Y06.038 - Doubt III

"Daddy!" Konarot held onto her father's leg, the girl's tail swaying behind her excitedly, before it fell still as her father picked her up.

"Oof," Adam groaned, before peppering the girl's faces with kisses, reaching down to ruffle Kirot and Karot's hair.

"It is time to nap," Konarot said, her eyes hopefuly.

"I want to nap with daddy…" Kirot said, her eyes beaming up at her father expectantly, coming to assist her elder sister.

"Daddy does feel a little tired too," Adam faked a yawn which turned into a real yawn, causing Karot to yawn, the boy rubbing his eyes.

"Where are you going, daddy?" Jirot asked, storming her way towards her father once she was done greeting her nanas and babas.

"We're going to nap." Jirot gasped.

"Daddy! You are napping too?"

"I am." The girl charged towards her father, grabbing his hand.

"Okay! You said it, daddy, you said it, so you must do it now!" Meanwhile, the girl stared suspiciously towards the Chief, before she pulled back towards her mother. Virot wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, not allowing the Chief to steal her mother away.

'At least she does not doubt,' Iromin thought, as the girl cooed towards her mother.

"Chief!" Jirot called, holding up a thumbs up at the older man, stopping her father to greet the Chief.

"You are big strong boss man!"

"Yes."

"I am strong too, Chief," Jirot said, flexing her arm.

"Jarot, come. You show Chief how strong you are." Little Jarot hid behind his father, causing the girl to rub her forehead, but she didn't say anything, deciding to forgive him for being so cute.

"I have heard of your great strength," Iromin joked.

"Yes! I am the Demon Lord!"

"Yes?" Iromin thought about how Lucy might have felt, but he recalled just how close the pair were, to the point the Demon Lord had risked her life for vengeance.

"I protect the Iyr too when I am big," Jirot said. Adam thought to reply, but he kept his joke within him, while Iromin stared down at the girl. The Chief dropped down to a knee, reaching out to brush the girl's hair, ruffling it gently. Indeed, for though Jirot caused the most trouble, even he knew just how much affection the girl gave. She was truly her father's daughter.

"You are so well behaved," Iromin said, his voice clearly full of pride. Jirot returned a smirk that revealed she was her greatfather's greatdaughter.

"Of course. I am always such a good girl."

"Ah, but your brother is such a good boy too?" Iromin mused.

"Yes! My brother is so good! He eats so well, Chief, do you see?"

"I see," Iromin confirmed, ruffling the boy's hair.

"One day, will you be as strong as your babo?"

"Yes…" Little Jarot flushed slightly, but within those shy eyes, there was a pride, the pride of being named after his babo.

"Hopefully you are more well behaved?" Little Jarot flushed again, hiding behind his father's leg, while those around him laughed.

"Stop bullying my greatson!" the old Iyrman growled, reaching out an arm, and little Jarot rushed up to him, the pair embracing.

"How can I bully him when he is so strong?" Iromin asked.

"Hmph!" The older Jarot glared at the Chief, but let the matter drop as he planted a firm kiss on top of his greatson's head.

"Do you see? Even the Chief is jealous I have such wonderful greatchildren! That is right! You should all be so jealous!" If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The old man laughed, before Adam finally stole back his son. His children forced him away to one of the large buildings in the inner fort area, though the half elf decided to pull them further away to their house within the small area beyond.

Iromin smiled, watching the children go, before he made his way onto the walls, watching out towards the village, where the Countess was surely asking around to find out what happened.

"Are you sure it is wise to encourage their behaviour?" an aide whispered beside him, watching out to the village.

"They are children of the Iyr," Iromin replied, ending the matter there.

"Are they really the same?" the aide asked, before noticing the look within the Chief's eyes, and she had not felt so close to death in years.

"Their parents are not Iyrmen."

"The rules are clear," Iromin stated firmly.

"They are Iyrmen. If they grow older and choose to give up such rights, it is also a right afforded to them, as they are for all Iyrmen." The aide swallowed, feeling the intense pressure drop away, the woman's heart beating quickly, pumping blood through her once more.

""Adam has become more dangerous. Is it a good idea to promote him?" The Chief stared up at the sky, looking at the darkness which dared to encroach upon the horizon,.

"When he first came to us, we knew he was dangerous. We did not know how dangerous. Is he more useful than he is dangerous? It does not matter, for he has been adopted into the Rot family, and we cannot tread so easily on the path an Elder has blocked." The aide frowned, and though annoyed by the Elder blocking their path, what else could she say? It was a right afforded to him.

"It is different," Iromin admitted.

"It is not if he is more useful than he is dangerous, it is that he is useful because he is dangerous."

"All the more dangerous."

"All the more useful?" Iromin joked.

"Chief," the aide admonished.

"As he has favoured us, so we shall favour him. His heart is soft, and he willingly hands the chains which he wraps around his neck, and we do not need to even tug upon his leash for him to pull away."

"Will he continue to obey?"

"If he does not follow us as we tug his leash, then it is best to cut it, and let him go," Iromin said, almost coldly, but his eyes darted to meet his aide's, and she could see the gleam within them.

"Even Mad Dogs have their uses."

'Baktu take me,' the aide thought.

"Your jokes are as terrible as ever," Baztam growled, sauntering his way beside the Chief. Iromin smiled, but he shrugged his shoulders, deciding against correcting his friend.

"Are you annoyed you are still not retired?"

"I will retire when I retire," Baztam replied.

"You will not disappoint me, as you normally do."

"Louis would have been a good fight," Iromin joked. Baztam sighed, crossing his arms.

"It is still too fresh."

"He has lost so much…"

"Even my nephew was so excited to fight, the brat." Iromin glanced to the side.

'If you are going to pretend you should hide your smile.'

"Say it to my face!" Baztam snapped, noticing Iromin's gaze.

"Black Shark is a cute name," Iromin whispered, and if he had spoken any louder, he was pretty sure his aides wouldn't have been able to stop Baztam, as the pair grabbed the Iyrman, wrestling him away from the Chief.

"You are a lot scarier when you're like this," Bael admitted.

"Yes," Iromin replied. Bael sighed, thinking back to what his great grandfather used to tell him, before his lips curled into a large smile.

'They really are a bunch of crazy bastards.' As Adam dropped down to the furs, the children swarmed over him, pinning their father under them.

"Kekeke!" Jirot cackled, holding onto her father's head.

"I should have brought mummy too, because there's only one of me, and so many of you!"

"No! I do not want to nap with mummy, I want to nap with daddy!" Jirot declared, though Jarot and Karot yearned for their mother too, they cuddled with their father joyfully regardless.

"Okay, okay…" Adam melted against the furs, allowing his children to completely pin him down.

"Daddy, it is nap time now, so you must be quiet," the girl said.

"If you speak, you will wake up the babies, and my kakas and papas."

"Okay."

"Gosh, daddy, why you are always so…" Jirot shook her head, before brushing through the half elf's hair with her tiny hand.

"So what?"

"What am I do with you?" Jirot tutted at the half elf.

"Nap, my dear. We must nap."

"You can be smart at times like this?" Jirot asked, her brow raised, the girl's eyes full of annoyance, but beneath them, Adam could see it.

"Okay, now it feels like you're bullying me too much," Adam said, snatching the girl, who squealed as he blew raspberries into her neck.

"It's nap time, so be quiet!"

"Daddy!" the girl squirmed, but she eventually gave up, clutching at her father's shirt.

"Do you know how strong daddy is?" Adam asked, pinching her nose.

"The strohges!" the girl replied, giggling loudly at the sound of her voice.

"That's right! Daddy is the strongest! I'm first place, you know, first place!" Adam said, pulling the girl to his chest.

'That's why, you should keep looking at me just like that!'

"Daddy," Konarot called, the girl blinking.

"Mummy is stronger?"

"Of course," Adam and Jirot both replied, the girl giggling.

"Of course…" Konarot repeated quietly, her eyes glued up at the half elf, who was such an enigma to her still. All the while, the others bullied the girl's baba.

"You are all just jealous that she lent me the sword and not you!" Jogak complained, clutching the sword to his chest.

"I will not allow you to take this blade from me!"

"Since she has lent you the sword, you should allow it," Shikan stated.

"I didn't even show it off because I cared for your hearts, but what of mine?" Jogak grumbled.

"What a nice sword it is," another said.

"It is a good sword, one that was fine to gift. Those who gifted it, are they not the best children?" Shikan's eyes fell to Tonagek, who sat beside his sister, and though he sat with his eyes closed, sipping away at his tea, no one was blind enough to miss the pride that emanated from the Iyrman. Amokan felt his hair stand on end, and quietly, he slipped away into the shadows. Timojin followed him, the pair exchanging looks, and as always, Timojin was glad his grandfather was the quiet Bearded Dragon.