Chương 1693: [1590] – Y07.090 – A Man of Heart V

"Do you see? Our nano is so cool!"

"So cool!" Adam confirmed, for it wasn't just any Iyrman who could make a Fariq Thanwi show so much respect.

"My papa is so smart, so smart! Papa, you are even smarter than me!" Jirot declared, clutching his head tight once more, the girl's heart fluttering with adoration which was greater than all the mountains and rivers of the world.

"Since I am mummy's son," the halved elf replied.

"Gosh! You are so smart, so handsome! Gosh!" Jirot peppered kisses all over his face, having monopolised the halved elf, though offered the boy to her twin brother, who blushed slightly, hugging his father turned brother. Adam flushed lightly too, for his daughter's affection as a sister was so great. As he held onto his son turned brother, the halved elf gently pat the boy's back.

"Kaka, if you spoil me so much, I will become troublesome!"

"Hmph! Who will say you are troublesome! This elder sister of yours will deal with them! Do you think I cannot? I am the Demon Lord!" the little one claimed to the world, much to everyone's chagrin, save for one, who sat up, a wild grin upon his face, and another who also smirked playfully, for if she was that fool's daughter, she should court death so openly.

"Ah, of course."

"Of coas," she said, along with her siblings, causing her cheeks to warm, for they bullied her in return for bullying their father. Rushad closed his eyes, his ears, his heart, for he did not have the courage to die that day. He prayed he would be able to last without-,"Taygak! Fight!" the teen declared, having embraced her brother, the Blood Seeking Sword, and her eyes smouldered with the want to make another bleed, as was her right.

"Taygak, it is not the time to fight," Laygak said, patting the girl's shoulders, for it was still an awkward time for her to step forward.

"Papo Laygak, you should let kako Taygak show off, right kaka?"

"Papo, my papa is right, because my papa is so smart and wise!" Jirot declared, holding up a finger as though it were a dagger, holding the young Iyrman's eyes within her gaze, not allowing him to look away, for he could not dare to look away, not when her finger was up.

'It feels strange to receive such affection from my niece...' Laygak thought, for how could the halved elf wield such a great ability against him, when it should be used mostly against him.

"Papo..." Jirot tilted her head.

"Taygak, good luck," Laygak replied, letting out a soft sigh, all the while his opponent continued his existential crises, which swirled like a maelstrom within his heart.

'Do we not have a choice?' Rushad thought, feeling the ache that was his love of life.

"If the young woman wishes to step forward, I will greet her," a young woman assured, perhaps in her mid twenties, a decade Taygak's senior. She was one of the most beautiful women in the world, her skin as dark as the night sky, her eyes equally as dark, her hair curling down towards her shoulders, and though she was not adorned within her plate, she carried a sword at her side, a sword of scarlet.

Taygak began to strip out of her armour, Laygak assisting her, swelling with pride that she would step forward, even if she was perhaps only half as strong.

"The Gak family has raised many treasures," an old fool said.

"It is the Gak family who Chay and Jay were born within," Gangak reminded the old man, holding his gaze for a moment. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"It was to be expected," Jarot agreed, crossing his arms, peeking towards Taygak and Laygak.

'Taygak, you should take one arm, but if you wish to take her life, it is also acceptable...'

'Taygak, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, just show them the swordplay of the Gak family,' Adam thought, staring at the young teen who had stepped out with them and had already stepped into the realm of an Adept. He stared up towards the sky, bright as it was. It was this sun which Taygak had toiled under. It was this sun which had seen the Gaks' failure to ascend for a millennia. It was this sun which watched the Gaks this day.

"Do not look into the sky, the sun will hurt your eyes," Jirot said, covering the halved elf's eyes. It was this sun which Jirot brutally bullied her foolish father.

"Taygak's sword!" Taygak declared, revealing the blade to the world, simply designed, it was a sword that looked like any other, save for the half rose which was engraved against the flat of the blade, right beside the hilt, the same blade which had claimed victory against the likes of the future Scarlet Sword. She turned to face towards Karot, holding his gaze for a moment. The boy flushed slightly.

She bowed her head, and he returned a bow, and her eyes fell to Konarot and Kirot, who watched over him so well, then to Jirot, who watched over Jarot so well, and to Jarot, who was so well behaved. Lanarot met her gaze and held up a thumbs up, and Amalrot, peeking up at her mother, side eyeing the woman, for the fruit had disappeared from her fingers, and had not yet returned, did not notice.

"I will bet a gold on my sister's victory," Laygak called, his eyes fixated upon the Fariq Thanwi.

"It seems the great Blood Seeking Sword wishes to claim two victories," Rushad replied, bowing his head towards the Iyrman, who flushed lightly at his words. Taygak inhaled sharply, focusing on the blade, clutching it tighter. She did not wield her shield, for it felt awkward to do so since the other woman did not, the pair grasping their blades with both hands to support their swords, so their first blow would fall with the greatest strength.

"I will bet a thousand gold!" the halved elf declared.

"Papa! You cannot misbehave like this! It is because I am spoiling you so much?" Jirot accused, pulling the halved elf close against her bosom, as all her elders would do for her.

"It is my fault! All my fault! You are too young to bet, you silly boy! Ock! What am I to do with you?"

"If that bet is genuine, I shall bet," one of the apprentices called. The halved elf smiled.

"You are misbehaving too?" Jirot asked, her eyes suddenly glaring towards the apprentice, who winced under such a glare, for it was the kind which denoted she was indeed that man's greatdaughter, because he wore the exact same glare within his eyes, as though daring him to act up.

"It was merely a jest..." He mourned the loss of a thousand gold.

'I could have replenished some of our gold,' the halved elf thought, but within his elder sister's arms, he dared not to speak up.

'Like father like daughter...' Rushad thought. After a long moment of silence, the match finally began, though neither of them moved, with one intensely focused on her blade, the other intensely focused on her smile.

"Taygak, step forward and swing your blade," Laygak finally said, and with that, the suddenly tension within the girl loosened. The arrow known as Taygak bolted forward, and as her blade swept through the air, it was exactly as Laygak before her.

"Watch! Carefully!" The sudden burst of voice was suddenly drowned out by the melodic ringing of steel, and as Kadija swung violently to meet Taygak's blade, she skid backwards.

'Heavy!' Taygak's sword was simple. It was efficient. As Kadija brought up her sword, her heart pounding violently, she couldn't help but think it was deadly. It was this sword Flame Brand had wielded against the previous Scarlet Sword? It was no wonder the woman had lost an eye and an arm.

The woman, pressed backwards, thought of wielding her magic, but if Laygak was twenty one or so, and the girl was his younger sister, no, even if she did not know they were related, nor that Laygak was so young, the girl wore no tattoos upon her forehead.

"The sword of the Gaks is grand indeed!" Kadija declared, as her sword forced away the teen, the young teen already sweating, and while Taygak had to press herself to her limits to strike as viciously as she did, Kadija was an Expert, and thus could force away the young teen with ease.

"Unfortunately, it is not enou-," The tip of the sword gleamed under the sun, and Kadija leapt backwards, but the sword followed her eye, though as it followed, almost slicing through her pupils, the woman tilted her head backwards, and twisted her back, until she had flipped onto all fours, with the young Iyrman teen, a decade her senior, loomed over her, the blade which had defeated the future Scarlet Sword poised to strike through her skull.

"Taygak, thank. For mercy." The woman smiled in return, her head thundering within her chest, for she had almost lost her eye to the young woman, and may have done so if she hadn't let go of her pride as a warrior.

"You are quite the warrior." Rushad's heart swelled with pride, glad he had raised the young woman with wisdom.

"I could have won a thousand gold..."

"There are things more important than money," Jirot stated firmly, brushing her brother's hair tenderly.