Chương 1298: [1214] - Y06.114 - The Father IV

"I'm not asking you to make a choice now," Adam said, still speaking far too much.

"Instead, I want John, and only John, to follow me for the next few months. I'll pay you ten gold each month, sorry, we'll pay you ten gold each month, the business of the United Kindom. We'll pay for your gear, your housing, your food, your drinks, gifts you want to bring back for your friends, family, your friend's family, so on.

I'll also pay an additional ten gold each month to you all, that is to say, in total, to make sure his children, and yours, are taken care of, and I'll even pay three months upfront, and all I want you to do, John, is to follow us and make a judgement with your own two eyes. Whatever you see, well, not everything, just in case we come across something secretive that would put your lives at risk, not that, but everything else, you can tell them."

John remained silent, unable to keep up with the half elf, because ultimately, there was one big question that went unanswered.

"Brother Adam," John called.

"Yes?"

"How does this all benefit you?"

"How does it all benefit me?" Adam replied, as though he hadn't considered it. The half elf paused, falling into thought for a long moment.

"I told you about Brittany, but let me tell you about Nobby. Nobby here, we met him when he was young, and we were all weak and not quite as rich. This was back when we weren't quite so close, and not brothers, about six years ago, at the turn of the millennium. Jurot, before we were so close, he looked at Nobby and said he had a great build. Nobby, he needed the money, his dad was sick.

He was also worried that I'd eat him, apparently elves eat people, I still haven't really heard about that, but anyway, I'm only half an elf, and he needed a hundred gold to help his sick father. Jurot wanted to train him to become a warrior. In one of our first fights, he threw a javelin, and it hit me. Then, pretty quickly after, he joined his first tournament and won. His sick father, I healed him, because I'm a Priest, and I could. Why?" Adam fell quiet again.

He stared at them, and for a long moment he thought, trying to understand why. No. He knew why.

"Life is unfair and I hate that. I was lucky and I hate that. I was unlucky and I hate that. However, I am luckier than I am unlucky. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the Iyr, for Jurot, and, probably the biggest reason why I'm alive, his mother, Aunt Sonarot. I stand here before you, strong, very strong, stronger than you might expect. I stand here before you, rich, very rich, richer than you might expect.

I stand here before you, a father of the most adorable children in the world, married to a Ray of Hope, yeah, I can see the surprise on your face, let me tell you, I'm even more surprised. Everything that comes out of my mouth is the truth, or I just forgot and I was wrong, but since Jurot and Kitool haven't stopped me, I think I've gotten it all right so far. Listen, am I insane? Yeah, absolutely. I'm outright unhinged. I, my children, they…

I'm the guy that went to kill the Vice Commander of an Order, sorry, forget all that, Sir James Greatwood, the Grand Commander of High Garden, who was once the Grand Commander of the Thousand Hunts, came to the Iyr and requested a duel to the death with me, because one of his people killed my kids, and he got mad at me! Well, I accepted. I fought him. Last I checked, I'm here talking to you, and he's not. You're the smart one, right?"

"Yes?" the thin Aswadian replied, eyeing up the half elf.

"You're good with numbers?"

"Yes, Brother."

"Okay, well if I tell you that the Grand Commander requested a duel to the death with me, and we both fought to the death, and I'm here before you, and you've heard he died, then who do you think killed him?" The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"You did, Brother?"

"Do you believe that?"

"I don't know," the Aswadian admitted, and the rest also could not believe it, for the fresh faced half elf seemed so young, even in fae years.

"There's one thing you should know about me. Yeah, I am the Crazy Father. Yeah, I'm insane. Yeah, I love my children, and my wife, a Ray of Life's Rose, as I've mentioned. Yeah, my brother is an Iyrman. Yeah, I maybe should be exiled from this land after the trouble I caused your King. Yeah, the soldier is right behind me and listening to every word, probably very shocked about what he has to report to the King, but you know the one thing you can't call me? You can't call me a liar."

The moment of seriousness sobered the others around, who stared at the half elf in shock.

"That's why, John is going to come visit us, because he's going to see how I am, and I might exaggerate some things in front of him, I might draw back a little in front of him, but I won't lie, and then when he comes back, you can believe whatever you hear from his own mouth."

'He's insane,' was the thought that fell through them, but they remained mesmerised, because who could lie about something so insane while surrounded by Iyrmen, a Brother, and escorted by a soldier.

"My brother said to me that John has a great build. That he has a greater talent than…" Adam paused.

"Sorry, Kitool here, Executive Kitool, whose grandaunt, never mind, I probably can't say that either. Anyway, she said that John here, is talented. The four that we saw, Esp.. Esther? Sam…uel? And… I remember your name was my favourite, because you had an amazing name, but…"

"Amos."

"Yeah, Amos! That was it. Amos. Amos. Well, you should be lucky, because my brother, Executive Jurot, and Executive Kitool, both said that all four of you were exceptionally talented. John, Esther, and Samuel, it was Samuel wasn't it? Yeah, right, all three of you have great builds, like Nobby, for the way they fight. I was told that John, specifically, holds the greatest talent, and that he might even have greater potential than our Executives, which I am quite interested in.

I was told that if we had to accept the others, it would be worth it for all four of you specifically, and if the good Aswadian is half as talented as John made him out to be, then great, we'll have someone else I can teach in alchemy, or magic, and perhaps we can allow him to become an enchanter too, who knows?" The words out of Adam's mouth kept growing more and more ridiculous, but the Iyrmen had yet to stop him.

"So what benefit does it have for me? Is it that I want to allow my family to have fun and train you to become monsters? Sure. Is it because I'm insane? Yeah, a little. Is it because I think if I manage to show you how unhinged I am when it comes to protecting my own, that you will return the favour if the business is ever in trouble? Maybe. Pick whatever reasoning makes sense to you, because in some small part, it might be true. Is it because I'm no better than the nobles I so dislike?

Perhaps, although please don't say that. I'll say this, because as much as all of these things are true in some way, for me…" The townsfolk waited. Their eyes remained upon the half elf, whose face was no longer quite so passionate, now mellowed out into a melancholy.

"I really do hate how the world is so unfair. You, by no fault of your own, find yourselves barely able to thrive, all because you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth. I don't deserve the fortune I have, but I have it. Now? Now I'm strong. I'm rich. I have some power, at least. Though I have experienced my fair share of ill fortune, I'm still perhaps the luckiest man alive. That's why, now that I have this power, this wealth…" Adam paused for a long while, as though searching the answer within his heart.

Meanwhile, those around him tried to understand what he was.

"Shouldn't I help others? Does it make me feel good? Of course! However, it's not just about feeling good, is it? I… if… if it had been one of your children, John. If you were one of mine, like Rick, and if it had been one of your children, or his…" Adam let out a small sigh, then he smiled sadly to himself.

"Ah, what am I saying? Of course I'd have done the same thing, because I'm the crazy bas-, guy, who decided to raise his sword against the Lord Marshal Benjamin Gravesea of East Port, all for the sake of some random boy I had just met because I said I would. Well, he turned out to be a little special, but that doesn't matter to me, as you'll soon find out."

"He is Marshal of the East, not Lord Marshal," Jurot corrected.

"Oh, is that a different title?"

"Yes."

"Well, anyway, if you want to find out if it's true, send word to Life's Rose, because the First Hope came and saved Lord Benjamin from my brother's wrath."

"I would have lost," Jurot said.

"Really?"

"Today, I do not think I would lose so easily," Jurot stated firmly.