Chương 1226: [1145] - Y06.045 - Busy III

"Ranya, Ranya, Ranya," Adam called, the girl's head darting up to the half elf, her smile widening as the half elf picked her up. Adam made loud kissing noises, while holding the girl to her chest.

"Ahm Adam is so happy to see you!"

"Ahmatam!"

"Yes, yes, my dearest Ranya," Adam cooed aloud, swaying with her from side to side as he made his way to Dunes, who sat and drank his tea, awkwardly ignoring the glances from the Lion King who sat so far away.

"Good morning," Dunes greeted.

"Yeah, yeah, good morning," Adam said, dropping down before the priest, standing Ranya on his lap, the half elf narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her.

"Ranya, are you going to pick a fight with me?" The girl smiled wider, before reaching out to her father, calling for him. The half elf surrendered her, and as Dunes stole her from him, the Priest noted the look within the half elf's eyes.

"You, uh…" Adam began, clearing his throat.

"It's kinda awkward for you all, isn't it? I mean, the business, right? You guys, you worked in a particular place, but now…" Dunes heart had begun to quicken at his words but it slowly calmed, though he could see in on the half elf's face, the questioning remaining. Dunes was pretty sure Adam was going to ask him that question soon. The Priest slowly nodded his head in response.

"You know… the Iyrmen, they took all the children away. I know they probably won't take Alex and the others, but… Ranya and Enisa, they…"

"I do not wish to impose," Dunes replied. Adam froze still for a moment, his eyes quickly shooting downwards onto the table, finding his voice weaken to silence. The half elf felt a deep chill invade through him, a cold sweat forming upon his back. He knew what Dunes was saying. The Executive slowly nodded his head in response. Adam made his way to work, continuing his enchanting that day, enchanting the four weapons he had begun enchanting the previous day.

It was the second day of the enchant on the second day of that month, having started on his sister's birthday. Once he was done, it was late in the evening, though he had still finished earlier than the previous day. The half elf remained within the basement for a long while, surrounded by the darkness, and his own thoughts.

'I do not wish to impose.' That was what Dunes had said. The sentiment took root deep within the half elf's heart. At first, he had thought Dunes was being a fool, and he had almost berated the Priest playfully, but he had froze in place. The Iyrman escorting the half elf waited patiently, seeing the young man fighting a battle within his heart. As the evening fires raged, the businessfolk gathered around.

Elder Lykan had eased the businessfolk, allowing them to take the first week off, but informed them they would take a minor role in assisting the Iyr in the near future to keep themselves busy. Within the Iyr, it all felt so… Different. The Iyr was not just different, for even the feeling of different was different.

Though the Reaver threat was to be taken seriously, so seriously that the Iyr had forced the businessfolk into the safety of the Front Iyr, the Iyrmen were acting as queerly as usual, that was to say, it was business as usual. As one might expect, they left early in the morning and returned in the evening, but the way they moved, there was a greater gravitas to them going to work, and even when they relaxed, it seemed more efficient.

Rick could feel the gazes of the others upon him, their expectant gazes crushing his shoulders. As his eyes fell to the side, he noticed his father give a look towards him, and then as he noticed his mother's gentle smile, the Lead sighed. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Rick approached the Manager, who wiped his daughter's mouth, the girl picking up her cup to drink from it, with Dunes holding his pinky against the bottom to help her stabilise it, before letting go.

"It feels so strange staying so still while earning our silver," Dunes said, motioning a hand to allow Rick to sit down nearby.

"I sat with my daughters. I read to them. We walked around the Front Iyr. She played with… her grandfather. Then, a gold coin fell into my pocket." Rick let out a relieved sigh, raising his brows towards the Priest, bowing his head lightly. He didn't know how Dunes did it, but as always, he spoke to soothe the Lead's heart.

"It does feel awkward, especially for my father. He never liked staying still. He worked the fields all his life. It's all he knows to do. He worked them so much, even when he retires, he'll keep working the fields."

"Your father has worked hard enough not to work the fields," Dunes said.

"You Aldishmen, you are so strange. Once your father turns sixty, he should retire."

"Sixty five," Rick corrected. Dunes shook his head, tutting lightly.

"You Aldishmen, you are so strange. In Aswadasad, when you turn sixty, you are to retire soon after. You are no longer taxed, and you should live your life. In Central Aldland, the King hands out grain to each family, but in Aswadasad, you walk into a temple and you eat. The old, the poor, if they allow you to be poor in Aswadasad, the sick, there is no need to pay the tax. In Aldland, they ask you not to sneeze on the silver, on the gold, which you must pay."

"It has been so long since we had to pay the tax, I forgot it existed," Rick stated.

"The business takes good care of you."

"We had a small chance to spend our gold, but…" Rick shook his head.

"I don't know how much the business earns to allow us to live so freely."

"Do you wish to know?"

"No," Rick replied, before trying to recall the phrase the Executive used.

"It is above my…"

"Pay grade?" Dunes said, recalling the joke Adam always made whenever he talked about the Iyr's secrets.

"Mighty fine pay it is," Rick stated.

"More than I thought I'd earn."

"Thirty gold is a lot of money, even in Aswadasad. Is it called…" Dunes began, trying to recall the phrase.

"Big beht?"

"Big beht?"

"As a farmer, you pay one gold each head, and as a crafter, you pay double."

"That's right," Rick stated.

"I would pay… twice as much." Rick raised his brows in surprise, having just realised he had gone from the lower social class to the middle social class, something borderline impossible, not unless he was a powerful adventurer. As the thought crossed his mind, Rick realised he had crossed into the class a while ago, the moment he had become an Expert.

"What is it?" Dunes asked.

"I…" Rick took in a deep breath.

"I just can't believe it. I'm just… the son of a farmer. Adventuring, it was to provide a better life for my family, but… I didn't, we didn't aim to become greater, just… better than a farmer, not quite an adventurer, not a proper adventurer…"

"I do not know how difficult it was for you. My role, my responsibility, it was different. In the Order, we are considered as those above the commoners. I can, if I wish, be called Kal Dunes, but I am Brother Dunes, and if I ask for it, I could earn the title of Father. This kind of role that I have? It is unexpected, but not because it is too great a station for me." Dunes let out a guilty sigh, smiling awkwardly towards Rick, who bowed his head.

"Hello hello," Adam called, nodding towards Dunes and Fred, dropping down beside them.

"We getting all friendly together?" Though the half elf was joking, Dunes could see the weight upon the half elf's shoulders.

'What is bothering you such?' Adam went to bed slightly earlier that evening, staring up at the ceiling. The flashes of the fire. The grey bodies. They kept him up for a long while. As the rays of the sun began to fall upon the Main Iyr, Jirot held her spoonful of porridge up to the boy, who alternated with his sister as the pair ate an entire bowl of porridge together.

"Wow! I am so lucky today! My papa is eating so good!" Jirot said, revealing whose daughter she was. The boy flushed lightly, leaning up against his sister, feeling the weight in his stomach. Though he felt the gurgling within his stomach, he kept his mind occupied elsewhere. He noticed his eldest sister's head darted to the side, followed by his elder sister and brother, and he followed their gaze.

"Ho ho! I am so lucky today! My son is eating so well!" the half elf called, revealing whose father he was, his eyes full of delight.

"Daddy!" Jirot shouted, darting up to tackle the half elf. Adam smiled towards the rest of the figures around, waving a hand towards his aunts and uncles and his cousin, before he dropped down to pepper his children with kisses.

"Look who I brought!"

"Uncle Dunes!" Jirot smiled brightly at the Aswadian, who smiled awkwardly in return.

"Call him Ahm Dunes, so I can spoil Ranya more."

"Ahm Dunes!" Jirot almost exclaimed, reaching up to shake her uncle's forearm. Adam raised his brows to Jurot, who nodded, the Iyrman approaching the Family Head to speak with her. However, Mirot did not need any convincing.

"We will not refuse Brother Dunes," Mirot assured, not needing her nephew to mention just how much Dunes had done for their family. Even if he was not a member of Black Mountain, he had gone to die alongside her nephew, so it wasn't as though he was a stranger.

"Daddy, you are back so soon?" Jirot asked as he returned to her.

"I still need to work, but…" Adam planted a firm kiss on her forehead.

"I need to work properly. I'm making sure to take every seventh day off, like I promised."

"We are going to have so much fun!" Jirot cackled, hugging her father's head so tight.

'You complained so much and now…' Vonda thought, smiling to herself, as who else could match the love she held for Adam other than their children?