Chương 1574: [1482] – Y06.382 – Adam’s Heart II

Virot cackled, the girl's cackle music to their ears, for it was often heard, often seen, often troubled. The girl grabbed the woman's arm, focusing her gaze on it, and as the woman flexed, forcing the girl's tiny hands to move, Virot squealed and cackled once more, her delight filling the air. As the child calmed down once more, she waited, and waited, and waited.

"Waa!" Virot squealed, cackling with delight as the woman flexed her arm, revealing her powerful muscles once more. Virot continued to laugh, tears forming in her eyes, the tiny girl clapping. Damrot, too, smiled and laughed along with her cousin, waiting for his turn to feel the woman's muscles.

"Look!" Virot said, showing off her arm, growling as she made to flex, though her arm was hidden away beneath layers of her clothing, which she wasn't allowed to take off, though she would often try. Haytam stared down at the little girl, her eyes then darting to Damrot, who also raised his arms to show off his muscles to the woman. She thought of how much trouble little Virot would often cause.

"Yes, you are so strong." Virot cackled once more, while Haytam allowed Damrot to feel her arms, flexing her muscles for the pair.

"Virot, Damrot, are you troubling kako?" called a voice, as the silver scaled girl approached, her tail leaving a trail within the snow as she approached.

"No!" Virot declared, though she quickly made to flee, only to find herself in the middle of the air as her eldest sister caught her with ease, for within nightval, she was unmatched.

"Kaka Jirot is calling for you," Konarot said, causing the girl to stop struggling within her grasp. She settled the girl down and held out her hand, Virot taking it, looking around for her sister. Damrot held Konarot's other hand, while Kirot and Karot waited, leading the way once the trio were ready to leave. Haytam watched the children go. Since she was Gorot's niece, the children were open to her, and she made sure to adore them appropriately. However, weren't the children too adorable?

They were too adorable, too cute, too soft. Even her heart, Iyrman though she was, melted when it came to the children.

'How scary,' Haytam thought, for, somehow, she was unable to refuse their trouble.

'You! Virot, how can you do this? Kako is baba's niece, you cannot trouble her!' Jirot had admonished, causing Virot to pout, though eventually the girl relented, but not before instilling the appropriate level of trouble the girl was allowed to cause. Haytam stepped into the training yard, finding no one else here around this time.

She reached up towards her blade, feeling how the leather around her handle was nearly frozen, the young woman first defrosting it within warm water, drying it off so the blade would not rust, before beginning her training. Haytam froze in training, at first expecting Fred, who would sometimes appear, but instead found her uncle approaching.

"You are training well," Gorot said, reaching for his own greatsword, undoing the cloth around the handle, feeling the chill enter his fingers, but he would force it away once he began his training.

"Uncle…" Haytam called.

"Okay," Gorot replied.

"Kako, are you okay?" Jirot asked as Haytam returned back to the business, adorned in thick clothing, and thick bruises.

"Yes."

"Is someone bullying you?" Jirot asked, the girl ready to give them a piece of her mind.

"I was training with your baba, Gorot."

"Training?" Jirot asked, still ready to threaten her baba, just in case. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Just training," Haytam assured, brushing the girl's rosy cheeks. The girl held onto the woman's hand for a long moment, then she stood, kissing the woman's cheek, in order to heal her heart, if she could not heal the woman's bruises. Haytam understood just why the Iyr had spent thousands upon thousands of gold for her, though she supposed, if another child required the gold, they would spend that much gold for them too. It was snowing that day, the white welcoming the carriages as they rolled into the village.

It was that village, wasn't it? The walls were still formed of wooden logs, but were now upon larger mounds of earth. Several small watchtowers sprung from within the village, each made of hard stone, wide and free, allowing them to see across the horizon. The houses within had shifted their position, the village not quite as freely flowing as a flower, now calculated with grids.

The centre of the village was completely different, expansive, wide, with various large estates nearby, one claimed by the Chief, the others claimed by loneliness.

"…" Adam stared at the village he could no longer recognise, his thoughts racing as to how the village had changed so much, though only because he was currently ignoring all the Iyrmen moving to and fro, at least a hundred of them, each shifting the world around them.

"The Iyr offered to assist us in training our villagers to defend themselves, and also offered to change the layout of the village, and fortify our defences," Merl said, though she had been surprised by the offer, since the Iyr was normally more distant with the defence of the village. Typically, they would send their warriors, and sometimes offered to train them over noonval, but this time, it was beyond anything she had heard of.

"I see," Adam said, glancing around the village, ignoring the business, which had also changed more than he expected. However, the half elf couldn't help but feel the Iyr had their own machinations for the village, since they wouldn't have changed it this much just to defend the village, would they? No, they had the nearby fort for that, so why did they change so much?

"You've finally returned," called a voice, of a darker skinned fellow, but not one who was unfamiliar, especially not that fine armour of his, nor the blade he carried.

"It seems you've been working hard," Vasera replied, clasping Dhin's forearm, glancing around the village.

"It was mostly the Deathsingers," the Oathsworn replied, greeting Rook too, though his eyes said so much more, not that he needed to. The Iyr, long remaining within its own realm, was beginning to move.

"Man, so much has changed," Adam whispered, his eyes darting around. He recalled the first time he had seen this village, at first thinking it was a town, since his previous life had been much more tame than this world, generally. He had reached a great height within a single year within that world, far too powerful to live, so it had declared, while in this world, though he may reached a similar height, he was still considered only among the greatest of mortals, and not within the realm of Idols.

"Yes," Jurot replied simply, for though Adam considered the reasons why the Iyr had changed the village, he knew. Of course he knew, since there were few who could trouble the Iyr so, and of course, it was her. Jurot's heart pulsed, the Iyrman wincing, but he stood tall and firm.

"How was your adventure, Executive?" Merl eventually asked, since it must have gone terrible if the half elf hadn't asked about Joy.

"Fine, I think?" Adam replied, still eyeing up the village around him. What was it about this situation which made his mind buzz? It was obvious, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

'What is it? What is it about this place that…' The tiny girl snoozed away quietly, larger, chubbier, her features beginning to peek through, her chest rising and falling. The half elf could see her features clearly even through the dim light, and seeing her sleeping peacefully, he stepped back, looking down to Merry, who looked up to him. The boy shifted to the side, hiding behind his father's leg.

'You punk, how could you bully me like this?' Adam thought, though he smiled, while the boy clutched at his father's trousers. Once the half elf handed over the gold to the village, they continued along their way to the fortress, which was even larger than before, its entire layout shifting, though the half elf was only privy to the outer area, and he dared not even joke about not seeing more, for the mood here was dark.

"You have returned safely," the Iyrman said, reaching out to greet his grandnephews and grandniece.

"Granduncle, how are you?" Adam asked, shaking his forearm.

"I am well," Dogek said, his eyes darting between them all, noting the sourness within them.

"I must warn you, for much has changed since you have left."

"Oh?" Adam replied, his heart beginning to quicken within his chest.

"What happened?"

"…" Dogek remained silent for a long while, for he didn't want to admit what had happened the day before, when he had visited the children for the day. The triplets had taken to his return well, but…

"Have you returned with a fine tale?" Duteous Dogek asked, squeezing Adam's shoulder.

"Not really," Adam replied, finding it awkward to accept Dogek's adoration like this, for this was so unlike him.

"How unfortunate."

'What happened?' Adam thought.

'No?' Vasera thought, recalling all that had happened upon their journey.

'…'