Chương 1450: [1359] - Y06.259 - The Peak IX

"Guys, look how cute Barak is!" Adam called, motioning towards the chubby baby, who cuddled against his mother's bosom. As Anka revealed the boy to the world, he twitched, his eyes scanning the face in front of him, the beaming smile of a fool of a father.

"What a chonky little boy you are!" The boy squirmed away from the half elf, towards his mother, and as she reappeared suddenly once more, the boy's eyes lightened, a smile encroaching across his face, the boy cooing so tenderly.

"He's too cute," Adam called.

"This cute little Barak, he smiled so brightly when he woke up and saw his mother, and almost made such a fuss. This little Barak of ours, whose mother stepped away to die soon after he was born, his father who was sent to the north to the assist, this new mother and father working so hard while the rest at the top all laze around within the temple." Adam's laughter filled the air, but there was something dark about it, the young half elf certainly picking a fight with the entire Order with his words.

What happened to him while he was gone, and why did he laugh and grin like a villain?

"Adam," Jurot called, having spent so long with the half elf, and he hadn't seen this foolishness from hi-, The Iyrman thought back to whenever a group of nobles annoyed him.

"I'm going to be very nice and end it here," Adam said, smiling towards Dunes.

"I'll conveniently ignore that, as long as you all conveniently ignore me picking a fight with you." Dunes reached up to his forehead, rubbing it.

'Adam, why can't you just…' Samra turned her gaze upon the Priest. She realised perhaps she had bullied the Priest too much ever since he had returned, especially considering who he had to look after all this time.

"I am no longer able to overlook your rudeness," the Malawi said, though as he stood, his elder brother's gentle hand stopped him from speaking, as Adilnur held onto the younger brother's shoulder.

"I do not know how it is in the United Kindom, but within Black Mountain, we all give up our personal desires for our Oaths," Adilnur said.

"I'll forgive your rudeness if you forgive mine," Adam said.

"My rudeness?"

"Lying so brazenly to my face about giving up personal desires, though, I suppose out of everyone here, you're the only one who could say that about yourself without lying," Adam admitted.

"Although, I'm not going to sit here and pretend as though you all don't have your own personal desires. Why is it that the First Blade and the Second Blade sit here while the Reavers are causing a great mess elsewhere? It's because your personal desire is to defend the temple, isn't it?"

"It is our Oath."

"Aren't your Oaths just your temple's personal desire, over the desire of the shendom you find yourself in?"

"Do you wish to argue semantics?"

"No," Adam admitted, already finding it annoying to do it himself.

"Do you admit you also move upon your own personal desires?" Adilnur asked.

"I'm not so shameless enough to deny that," Adam said, narrowing his eyes towards Adilnur. He let out a soft sigh, calming his beating heart, having riled himself at the thought of Anka being killed by the Poison Sword Dragon, wincing at the thought of that large blade almost bisecting him head to groin.

'I didn't expect this from him,' Adilnur thought, since the half elf hadn't pushed so far previously. As the half elf's eyes fell to Barak, he recalled the fool's epithet. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"I'll forgive you since little Barak is so cute," Adam said.

"Although, I'm not sure if Barak will forgive me, since this ahm of his is so silly, not bringing him a decent enough gift for our first meeting." Dunes could already feel the troublesomeness in the air begin to rise, his eyes falling upon the unsuspecting Anka, who seemed curious. Adam reached into his robes, slipping out a token made of silver, roughly the size of his thumb. Barak's eyes widened at the shiny metal in front of him, reaching out towards it.

"That's right! This token here, I'm gifting it to you, though I'll give it to your mummy for now so she can keep it safe, okay? This ahm of yours will grant a wish of yours if you hand it over, okay? If you want something like a Greater Enhanced sword, that's fine. If someone is bullying you, I'll beat them up. If someone steals this from you, I'll beat them up too."

"It seems you don't understand," Dunes whispered to Anka, who had pocketed the silver token.

"Understand what?"

"Adam is not joking." Anka's smile dropped, the woman's eyes darting to the half elf, who held Barak close to his chest, cooing at him. The boy squirmed and began to cry, wishing to return back to his mother, though the half elf seemed greater at ease now that he had held the child.

'We need to save face,' Taher thought, his eyes falling upon the Malawi, who was kept at bay by Adilnur, who was trying to navigate the relationship with the half elf. Once the half elf had settled down, he inhaled deeply, trying his best not to fall further into his annoyance. Seeing Barak, and hearing that even his father had been sent out to the north had almost caused him to spiral. He clenched his fist tight, hoping he'd never be so shameless that he would dare to do something like that to his own workers.

However, as he thought about it, he grew calmer.

'I guess I don't really understand the exact situation or context…' Adam thought, and as he did, he imagined a scenario in which he may have to take such dramatic actions.

'I guess the Reavers are a pretty big deal and they need to protect their temple. Why didn't they at least send their First Blade out though? Isn't it three times easier to defend than to attack?' Adilnur sat opposite the half elf, who seemed to have calmed down.

"I worry you will cause trouble if you find out that your companions fought our warriors so well."

"No, that's too typical," Adam replied, his lips almost twitching into a smirk.

"That foolish tongue of yours will get you into trouble."

"Yeah, that's how it is," the half elf replied, reaching up to rub his forehead.

"I think I'm pretty strong so I say stupid things without thinking."

"You should temper yourself, or you will cause trouble not just for yourself, but for your business and your people, too." Adam sighed, slowly nodding his head.

"Yeah. Yeah, my bad."

"Taygak fought quite well," Adilnur said.

"She fought two of our warriors and defeated both."

"At the same time?" Adam asked, surprised.

"No," Adilnur replied.

"Oh…" The half elf smirked playfully towards the old man.

"That sounds about right. Our Taygak has already begun her rise."

"Indeed," Adilnur said, reaching down for his cup of tea.

"She must be careful, or we may have to put an end to her rise." Adam raised a brow towards the old man, who sipped his tea, his eyes sparkling with playfulness, causing the half elf to burst out into laughter, almost to the point of tears.

"I hear laughter, but this Arwen isn't the cause of it?" called a figure, who leapt into the courtyard where the group all sat, moving much more swiftly than the guards meant to escort him. He wore a wide smile upon his face, the older man, in his fifties or so, fairer skin than most of the Aswadians, his hair long and healthy, his beard cut into a goatee, each sprinkled with salt. He wore little armour, just thick clothing, and carried a long rapier at his side, which gleamed silver under the noonval sun.

His bright blue eyes, revealing his half Noskan heritage, scanned across the area. He raised a hand towards Adilnur, his other hand holding up a large gourd.

"Adilnur! I brought drinks!"

"I told you not to trouble the children," Adilnur called out, glaring at the stranger.

"Who am I to blame if they are so slow?" One of the members of the Order stopped behind the old man, panting for air, also wearing no armour, carrying a wooden blade at their side. However, Arwan was too swift of foot for someone who had just began to follow the path of those who wielded no weapons, while someone like a Grandmaster may have been able to chase him down, and perhaps, hunt him.

"I hope you brought a nice drink," Adilnur stated.

"I've brought-," Arwan began, but paused. He had been judging the strangers, from the Iyrmen to the sand giant, and was trying to find who to trouble when he saw the gaze of a particular half dragon upon him. He blinked, and as quickly as he had appeared, he disappeared, the fellow turning and fleeing away.

"Who was that?" Adam asked.

"A friend of mine," Adilnur said.

"You may know him as the Jester Sword."

"Oh!" The half elf replied. Dunes had one time joked the half elf was more troublesome than the Jester Sword, and though they were both drunk, the memories returned to him.

"How many crazy old geezers are there in this land?"