“The Reavers will cause trouble,” Jarot replied, uanding his grandson was an idiot. "Ohey arrive, the Orders will rally to face them, if they wish to keep their Oaths."

  “ht, yeah, I fot about that." Adam looked down at Konarot, who slowly chewed the fruit, while Malfev rubbed her face. 'It should be alright sihey'll be in the Iyr, right? Ah, right, I said they should stay at the fort...' Adam reached up to rub his pulsing brow. 'Should I have them stay in the Iyr?' Adam felt the shamelessness fill through him.

  'Reavers.' Jarot ched his fist, doing the same for the ghost of an arm within his mind. 'Baktu, is this your message to me?'

  "It seems we'll be busy, brother," Mulrot joked, causing Malfev to smile from behind his beard.

  "I'll o work hard too," Adam said, letting out a soft sigh. "It's a good thing Elder Gold spoke with Jirot, otherwise I don't think I could survive."

  Jarot ughed, grinning like a fool. “Do you see? One grandson will bee a Great Champion, and the other is helping the Iyr.”

  Malfev reached up to tickle Konarot’s nose, closing his eyes from Jarot's beaming eyes. “He is my grandoo.”

  “Whose grandnephew?” Jarot sowards the Family Elder, g his fist even tighter. "Marmak is too far away for you to cim my grandson as yours."

  "Whose grandson?" Adam replied. 'How dare you steal my joke, you old geezer.'

  “If you do not wish to hold Konarot, or feed the children, then Adam may do so,” Mulrot warned.

  Malfev brushed Konarot’s cheek, catg the girl’s eyes, before smiling from beh his beard, though Konarot could see his eyes and brows were full of joy. Jarot held up a piece of fruit Adam had cut, it to Karot, who ate from his greatfather's hand.

  'Strong,' Konarot thought, noting how her greatmother had dealt with the two so simply with her words.

  Jurot returned with a tray of food, from bread buns and butter, to fruit aables, which he and Adam made short work of with their knives. As the pair cut their fruit, a pair of boys approached, each drooling slightly.

  "Murot, Gurot, you have already eaten," Jurot said, only for Adam t pieces of fruit to their lips a moment ter. "..."

  "Our cousins are only growing s because we're feeding them properly," Adam stated, feeding the pair the fruit. "This is why I'm their favourite cousin, isn't that right Gurot?"

  "Nana," Gurot replied, looking up towards his grandmother, before smiling ily.

  "Gurot," Mulrot replied, smiling back towards him, reag up to rub her thumb along his cheek. Meanwhile, little Murot remained distracted by the fruit, the boy chewing his food slowly while Adam wiped his face .

  "You dote on the children so much," Malfev said. "Will you not dote upon the children of the Fev family too?"

  "Is it my birthday too?" Adam asked. "Are you, the Family Elder of the Fev family, giving me permission to spoil the children of the Fev family too?"

  "You should do so now and then, since you are my grandnephew." The old man's beard shifted as he smiled, ign Jarot's gre.

  "Did you hear that, Family Elder? Your brother has given me permission to spoil all the Fev family children! You o tell the Great Elders so they won't pin!"

  "Family Elder?" Mulrot pulled Kirot and Karot up. "You must tell your father to call me appropriately."

  Adam flushed slightly, clearing his throat, also feeling Jurot staring at him expetly. "Anyway, anyway..." Adam tried to find something to talk about. "Right, now that you've given up Phantom, and Jaygak's given up Great Moon, we'll need neons. I was thinking about making a neon too, though I wasn't sure what..."

  "You have given up Wraith?" Jurot asked.

  "I nning oiring it for now, since I want to have a feons too..."

  "Okay."

  'Three neons. Is there something I could make that will be good for all of us? I probably don't need something like it being able to el magic, since I have Battle Mage, so it's not a big deal. I should keep the ring entment, and then the bonus damage. Should I increase the range of the Critical Hits? No, that might be to, and I don't want to give the Iyr any reason to think I'm that much of a threat.'

  Sonarot and Mirot approached the group, causing Konarot and the triplets to gheir way, their tails swaying. Sonarot took her pce beside her son, while Mirot sat beside her uncle, Kng up towards her. After a short versation, Malfev gnced between his sister and his nieces.

  “I should return,” Malfev said, the old man hoisting up Konarot as he stood, before handing the girl to his niece. “Jurot, Adam, you must bring your children to our estate.”

  “I’ll definitely do that,” Adam replied, far too excitedly, but he had far too much to burn after the Iyr had refused so much of it.

  “Okay,” Jurot replied.

  Malfev bowed his head and stepped away, his hands csped behind his back. He made his way to the demons and the Aswadian, the old man reag out his hand. “Lanarot.”

  Lanarot rushed over to him, bowing her head, the old man rubbing the top of her head. Jirot and Jarot also did the same when they were called.

  ‘They are growing well,’ Malfev thought, feeling a gentle warmth swirl within him. “You should e again soon to visit your dado, and your babo, okay?”

  “Okay!” The trio replied eagerly, before following the old man as he stepped away.

  Malfev smiled towards the pair of women, bowing his head to each of them. “Are you both well?”

  “Yes,” Vonda replied, eyeing up the old man, noting his tattoos, the bottom half of a blue semi circle, fnked by green hollowed squares.

  “Yes,” Pam replied, bowing her head towards the old man, who was her husband’s granduncle from his father’s side, the same father she hadn’t yet met.

  The old man reached out to hold their hands, one by one. “Are the children sleeping?”

  “Yes,” Vonda replied, noting how Pam allowed her to speak up first.

  “It is a shame I was uo see my greatnied greatnephew,” Malfev said, smiling ily. “If you have need of this Family Elder, please do not hesitate.”

  “Thank you,” Vonda replied, noting the old man’s gaze, slowly bowing her head. She uood why he felt the o speak those words, and accepted his well wishes. She gnced aside towards the children who had followed him, who he was currently greeting in order to leave peacefully.

  “We will py ime, okay?” Jirot said, allowing the old man to rub the top of her head, before he brushed her hair ba pce.

  “We will, and I will not run up the walls,” Malfev assured. He tickled her nose, causio squeal, before he reached down to pinch little Jarot’s cheek, ever so gently. “Will you e too?”

  The boy blushed slightly. “Yes…”

  Malfev chuckled, before leaving the children be, allowing the Aswadian and demons to watch over them once more. He stepped out of the estate, taking a few steps out before stopping. “Will you not step within, Family Elder?”

  The heavily armoured man, who wore a bde at his side, leaned against the wall of the building. He remained silent, still standing a short way away from the entrance. Malfev smiled towards the old man, bowing his head lightly, before making his way back to the Fev family estate.

  The party tinued, with the Rot family eating and drinking, all for the fifth birthday of one of the children of the shared family. While she was showered in gifts and adoration, her brothers and mother remained in the er, allowio receive all the attention.

  “You are s now,” Sonarot said, reag out to ruffle her son’s hair. “You may be more powerful than I.”

  Jurot’s lips had twitched upwards for a moment, but they quickly fell down upon hearing how powerful he would be pared to his mother. He gowards his mother, who certainly was below that of a Master, but not far away from reag the rank. He, too, was the same. He, at roughly half her age, had grown to be as powerful as his own mother?

  Sonarot smiled, ruffling his hair, only full of pride that her son had mao reach her height so quickly. If she had tio be so active, she would have gaihe rank of a Master, but she had retired fairly quickly to bee the Family Head. Her husband had tio soar, and had reached Master a few years ago, having earhe rank several years before he should have. Though he had done so swiftly, it appeared to be the case that their son was going to soar even further above them.

  ‘We really should slow down on how quickly we’re rising up,’ Adam thought, allowing Murot to py with his fihe boy clutg a finger within his hand, before opening Adam’s palm, staring down at it for a moment, before poking all across the creases.

  “Adam, you will soon leave the children in the fort?” Sonarot asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, flushing slightly.

  “Then it is time I retire my position as Family Head and remain within the fort,” Sonarot said, causing Mulrot and Mirot to gnce her way. Jarot grinned wide, sipping his wine, quietly for once. “It is best for the Family Head to hold no distras, and it is the same for the President of the United Kindom.”

  “You are surrendering the position to me?” Mirot asked.

  Sonarot bowed her head. “Jurot, if you disagree with her as, you may take the position from your aunt.”

  Jurot remained silent. He had married, and had a child, meaning he had more than enough qualifications to fight for the position, though that would mean he’d no longer be able to aim for Diamond Rank in the Adventurer’s Guild. His eyes fell to Mirot, who remained focused on Sonarot, then his eyes fell to Adam, who remaiunned. Jurot could see the expression on Adam’s face as the stability the half elf onew fell under his feet. It was how his children would feel ohey found out their new living arras. ‘Mother will remain at the business with Lanarot? Would she go without?’

  Mirot uood her sister’s threat, though she looked down at the floor for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. Then her eyes fell to Gurot, who held onto Jurot’s shirt tight in hand, the boy resting his head against the young Iyrman’s chest, while his younger brother remained focused upon the half elf’s hand.

  “I will take Lanarot to the business, and she will be taught by myself, and her brurot and Murot will learn the way of the Rot family, and may remain within the walls of the Iyr.”

  Mirot looked to Mulrot, whose eyes were firmly shut as she thought deeply. As the Family Elder, she could veto the ridiculoushat Sonarot stated before them all. It was not doo take a child of the Iyr, one of the main family, and raise them outside of the Iyr’s walls. Even if the business on the Iyr’s nd, this was not doill, Mulrot was stuck between the point of a bde and the tip of an arrow. She could allow it, and take the criticism of the Iyr, but if she refused, then a greater crack would form.

  ‘Damn it,’ Adam thought, uanding that this was all his fault. “You do-,”

  “Okay,” Mulrot said, cutting the young half elf off. Even though she hadn’t fihinking through the matter enough as a Family Elder, she would have regretted allowing Adam to finish his words.

  “Okay,” Mirot said, noting the stress upon her mother’s face for a moment, before the old woman allowed the stress to flow through her. She, too, possessed the tranquillity her brother possessed, since she was married to the Mad Dog.

  ‘Too many things are ging,’ Adam thought. ‘Damn it. Why is everything ging so quickly?’

  Jarot’s lips remained grinning wide, though he could feel it from his wife and daughters, the feeling of uainty. “You brat, how could you tease yrandfather like this? I have to travel so far to the fort to meet with my own granddaughter and greatchildren?”

  “Whose my grandfather?” Adam returhough his heart was not within it.

  As the evening passed, the childreaken to bed, Virot and Damrot already falling asleep. As the childreired for bed, a figure stepped withiate, causing many to gnce his way. The fellow limped into the estate, holding his son’s hand as they walked into the estate.

  “Papo!” Lanarot charged the man, allowing Too lift her up.

  “I have brought yifts,” Tonagek said, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head.

  “I take it all!” Lanarot cackled, before Tonagek pced her down and revealed all the items within the pack. Lanarot gazed down at all the little tris, each with their own story. She called the rest of the children around, including her nieces and nephews, handing out all the gifts from the Gek family.

  “Uncle is waiting outside,” Tonagek said, staring down at the children as they dealt with the gifts, each taking one.

  “If he does not wish to step within, then he does not wish to step within,” Sonarot replied, also staring down at the children, especially her grandchildren.

  ‘He waited all this time?’ Tohought, frowning slightly, his eyes falling down to his grandnieces and grandnephews. He thought of the hat the Reavers may step onto the nd once more, and what his uncle had said when Tonagek had fronted him. Tonagek sighed.

  “Is it difficult?” Sonarot asked.

  “No,” Tonagek replied.

  “Thank you.”

  “You do not o thank me, sister.”

  Lanarot soon found herself cuddling up to her mother, sleeping in one of the empty rooms of the Rot family estate. Her brothers slept in nearby rooms, each with their own families, allowing Lanarot to sleep with her mother alone.

  “Mama.”

  “Yes?”

  “When I am big, I will have many stories, and Jirot will read them.”

  Sonarot smiled. “Yes.” She reached down to brush her daughter’s cheek, the girl smiling bashfully, before she held her mother’s hand and closed her eyes.

  What's with all this family politig? In my wholesome fatherhood simutor?