Chương 1717: [1614] – Y07.114 – Hearts of Fire IV

"Why are you so handsome?" he accused.

"Daddy..." The half elf planted a firm kiss upon his son's cheek, reaching up to poke his nose, though soon a moon of emerald blocked out his vision, the amber stars threatening him.

"..."

"What?" Adam complained leaning in to nuzzle his daughter's nose, causing her to retreat, reaching up for her nose in surprise.

"Do you think this father of yours will fear you when his only crime is adoring his son? Your own twin brother? Are you jealous? Why are you so jealous, since if your brother is handsome, aren't you as cute as your mother too?"

"Daddy, if you remain this wise, I do not know what I will do," Jirot admitted, leaning in to plant a kiss against her father's cheek. Vonda was glad her daughter was still a child, for she did not know which dark depths the half elf's current burst of adoration had stemmed from, the half elf holding his son up close to his chest, the boy who was so light, for one did not need the might of the Rot family to hold him with just a hand. The Rais too, had noticed it, though it had lasted but a moment.

The half elf, all of a sudden, had let the smallest strand to leak. It had all but confirmed he was close to the Iyr, for such a strand of viciousness could only emanate from the likes of an Iyrman, for though he was a father, he was not a simple father.

'What was his epithet?' As the Rais thought about the half elf's epithet, the half elf completely ate up his children, who giggled and squealed, and to escape, they fled into their mother's arms, the woman hesitating for a moment, until the half elf winked at her, and with that she accepted them, holding the pair within her arms, knowing who was who by weight alone.

Though the half elf was no longer with a child, that did not last long, for almost immediately the entire sky was brought upon his lap, one who might have been as heavy as the entire sky, and without a hint of shyness, she had taken her brother.

"Did you miss me, Amal?"

"Papa," the girl replied, staring up into his eyes, the girl reaching up to his collar, with the same hand which she had sucked on a moment ago, causing the half elf to stare into her eyes, unimpressed, but what could he say?

"You think just because I love you so much, you can bully me, huh?"

"Yeh." The half elf leaned in to press his forehead against hers, doing his best not to break, the half elf smiling warmly down towards the girl, the girl returning a playful smile, which revealed she was her grandfather's granddaughter, her sister's sister, her niece's aunt.

'Ah,' Ash thought, confirming his thoughts on the half elf. His eyes then trailed to the side, towards a particular Iyrman who wore a particular set of tattoos, the one who called himself the half elf's brother.

"Young Iyrman, how old are you?"

"Do you speak to I?"

"I do."

"My name is Jurot."

"Young Jurot, how old are you?"

"I am twenty five."

"Hmm," Ash replied.

"You hold quite an impressive look for such a boy. Which realm do you stand?"

"Master."

"A Master?"

"Yes."

"A Master at twenty five is impressive."

"There are many others who claim the realm at my age," Jurot replied.

"Though only a few of us stepped into the realm when we were younger."

"There are others?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Who?"

"My cousins, Kitool, Chosen, Tanagek, and there is another, who takes her place as Elder within the Iyr, Jaygak." Ash had followed the Iyrman's pointing, and slowly the half dragon's eyes returned to the Iyrman, and for a moment the pair held one another's gaze.

'What?' It was one thing for one Iyrmen to possess such talent, perhaps two, but for five Iyrmen, all of whom were seemingly of similar age, and all related, it was not something he had heard of. Other than perhaps the anomalies that were Mad Dog and Flame Brand, who burned brightly and disappeared after blinding the land, who had claimed such a feat?

'Will they, too, burn too brightly?' To Ash, it was the most obvious thought. However, an Iyrman who was related to Mad Dog, and another pair who were related to Duteous and Bloodblade, among others, and then the last, for a moment, he hadn't realised the woman was related to someone nearby, but as his eyes darted to the side, he noted the bald young woman, wrinkled as she was, but still not even half his age, who had introduced herself as one of the Ten Paragons.

Then there was Jaygak, who had done as he thought, burned brightly and taken her position as Elder, though she had been related to Gangak, and so could have claimed a greater name for herself.

"What is your goal?"

"I wish to become a Diamond Rank Adventurer," Jurot replied. Ash remained silent for a long moment, but he bowed his head, his eyes trailing to the woman beside him.

"You are a baker?"

"I am," Pam replied, tensing up slightly, tensing up even further as she felt her husband's body tighten up, and the pressure which emanated from him, daring to threaten the Rais within his own village.

"How did you come to meet?"

"Jurot would come to buy bread from my family's bakery within Red Oak."

"I see," Ash replied, for if it was Red Oak, the closest town to the Iyr, that made sense.

"Did you know he was so powerful?"

"I... knew a little."

"Not to this extent?" The woman confirmed with a nod from his head, and though Rais would have taken it rudely, there was no need to aggravate the Iyrman, for he would wish to step forward to fight him in front of the children, and if he beat up such a child in front of his nieces and nephews, it caused a sourness within his heart.

Thankfully, the ocean crashed down upon the Iyrman's lap, causing him to stop tensing up, as Amalrot turned to look up towards her elder brother, she almost made to cry, though paused to show him mercy, and the Iyrman reached into his cloak, and the girl accepted the bit of cracker from her brother's fingers, a reward for her mercy, as she watched her sister dart away.

"Brother, me too!" Lanarot declared.

"Ah? Alright, let's go." Adam smiled, and he paused a moment to see if Sonarot would come along, but she waved a hand towards the half elf, allowing him to take the girl to use the bathroom himself. Ash's eyes followed the back of the half elf, and though the dragon ruler finally returned, even his eyes followed the two forms away, and he settled himself within all the Iyrmen.

Their eyes met, the father and son pair, both of whom were older than all those within the Iyr's group, and with that age came a great wisdom, and as their eyes trailed away, they found a great many Iyrman daring to catch their gazes, confirming their thoughts.

"Brother, look!" Lanarot called, revealing her wet hands, the water reaching all the way beyond her wrists.

"Oh my, oh my, my sister is so good at washing hands!"

"It is because you taught me, brother, that is why I am so good."

"Oh? Am I good at washing my hands too?"

"Brother, you are powerful with your axe, with your washing, and with your foolishness."

"You could have just stopped with the first two."

"Brother," Lanarot called, holding up her hand, allowing him to hold her hand.

"Jirot is my niece."

"Ah, of course."

"Of coas," Lanarot said.

"Of course, of coas, of course, of coas!" Adam followed his sister, who sauntered without fear within the village, with many eyes staring towards them, and even as those eyes fell upon them, the girl did not shirk away from them, beaming with a smile, waving towards the villagers.

"It is a terrible feeling," one of the young villagers said.

"Can we allow them to take over so much of our village?" another replied, equally as young.

"I will kill you two with my own hands if you speak any more," a third said, older than the two teens, who turned to face him in utter shock.

"You have just become a man and a woman and are courting death so brazenly? You should do so as youngsters, but you should know fear. Even when one reaches the Peak, there are the Idols above." As the two made to speak, the old man's hands caught at their throats, alarming the pair as he held their throats, though did not yet squeeze. Their eyes held his, and noting the sheer fury within the older drakken's eyes, the pair swallowed, and he placed them down.

"Jaksal, were you not young once?" an older woman asked, who fastened a tassel to the sitar.

"My mother called me a fool, but did you ever see me glare so brazenly towards one of the children of the Iyr?"

'Do you think the Iyrmen so strong?' the young woman thought.

"Do you think anyone would stop me from killing you?" the older man asked, reading the young woman's thoughts. The young woman looked around, and noticed the way the others were looking at her, and she noted how far away the rest were, including her own cousins.

"Jaksal, you bastard! What are you doing to my daughter?"

"Rashad, if you do not want us to die, tell your daughter to lower her gaze."

"Do you think I will not kill you?"

"Ask her what she did?"

"What did she do to deserve this?"

"Ask her."

"..."

"..." The drakken turned to look towards his daughter.

"What did you do?"

"I thought."

"Is it a sin to think, you goatdaughter? Half lie again and see what I do."

"I gave a look to the Iyrmen."

"Hmm." The father turned to look to Jaksal, and then back to his daughter.

"Which Iyrman?"

"..."

"Which Iyrman?"

"It was not the Iyrman, it was the half elf, and... a girl."

"A girl?" The father stood taller, holding the girl's gaze.

"Which girl? An Iyrgirl? An Iyrchild?"

"..." The father turned to look to Jaksal, then back to his daughter, and then to Jaksal once more, still angry.

"If she causes trouble, tell me, and I will kill her myself."

"If your daughter causes trouble, I will do it, if my children cause trouble, you may do it." The daughter's eyes darted between the pair. They were just joking. Weren't they?