“What are you doing here?” Tonagek asked, resting his arm between his hilt and his side.

  “If yoing to die, I should watch,” Mosen joked, revealing a toothy smile, dawn’s rays glinting off of the silver hilt of his bde.

  “I will not die, so you may return.”

  “If I do not go, sister will beat me,” Mosen replied, raising his brows towards his best friend.

  “You beat them.”

  “I would not dare to,” Mosen replied, throwing Adam a look with a rge smile across his face, winking at the half elf. He shook the young half elf’s forearm, before doing the same for Jurot.

  “Are you not a child of Bloodbde?”

  “Bloodbde, not Stupidbde.”

  Adam wondered why he wasn’t closer to Mosen. His eyes darted between the pair while they argued, unsure of what to say or do. After all, the Iyr couldn’t carelessly aot sihe Rot family had already denied most of them. Then again, Mosen was reted to him, in a roundabout way.

  “I will watch so that you do not die, and if you die, I will return with your story, and your bones,” Mosen finally said.

  Tonagek let out a small grunt, stifling a growl. If Mosen was going so far to speak those particur words, he had to relent. Rajin and Jarot exged a look, before the pair stepped into the long wagon, the magical steed ready to pull them all along.

  Adam and Jurot remained within the sed carriage, the tarp hiding the rest of the equipmeh.

  “Okay?” Jurot asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, but his tone was low. “You know, now that I think about it, I never heard Larot speak.”

  “…”

  “If he trusts me that much, then I should return that trust, shouldn’t I?”

  “Okay,” Jurot agreed.

  The walls of the business stood tall and strong, the gates opening to allow the long carriages within. Adam gathered himself for a moment, inhaling deeply, before stepping out, feeling the cool chilly winds of duskval against his skin, and the gazes from the businessfolk. With the appearance of the carriages, the mood had shifted. Upon seeing the half elf adorned in purple, a deeper chill than duskval ihe business.

  Adam removed his helmet, revealing his pale face, the dark bags under his eyes, and the smile upon his face, devoid of warmth. The half elf took in another sharp breath, pausing for a moment as a thought crossed his mind, and a gentle light returo his eyes.

  “Hello there.”

  Rick wasn’t sure why Adam was smiling quite so deeply, the half elf sharing a look with Jurot, before he shook his head. He uood there was something to the words, but he had no idea what it could be, his thoughts disappearing upon seeing the half elf’s face turning cold once more.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt dinner,” Adam said, sniffing the air, barely able to smell. “Smells good. Did Korin e back?”

  There was something about the jokes which caused Rick’s hair to stand on end. He felt a gaze upon him, a pair of gazes, from the porters who shared knowing looks.

  Adam stepped over towards the group, pausing a moment upon seeing Lud Mara, having not realised he hadn’t seen them in a few days. He bowed his head towards them, and they returhe bow. He then took in the sights of the faces of the businessfolk. He had wao e here without aowledging what happened, but feeling hoard the air was, he realised he couldn’t just walk in and act like nothing happened.

  “Lead Jonn?” Adam called.

  “Executive?” Jonn replied.

  “Step forward,” Adam said, before nodding his head to Jurot. “Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, Executive.”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Adam said, holding the half elf’s gaze. “We’ll be heading out to speak with someone you’re familiar with, and no offence, you don’t look very presentable.” The half elf accepted the helmet from his brother, holding it out to the half elf. “Try this on.”

  “…” Jonn reached down for the helmet, feeling how heavy it was pared to his typical helmet. He do, before noting the rest of the armour Jurot hao his brother, who then ha to him.

  “This armour looks far more presentable, doesn’t it?”

  Jonn stared down at the breastpte of the full set of pte armour, embzened with the skull of Baktu. “Yes, Executive.”

  “Lead Fred,” the half elf called, causing the young man to jolt awake. “e here.”

  Fred inhaled deeply, stepping towards the half elf, adorned in his full . “Executive!”

  “I’ve known you for five years too, haven’t I?” Adam asked.

  “That is right, Executive.”

  “You’ve done great work for me so far. I’ve granted you a magical bde, Greater Enhanced, something even the Duchess would covet, isn’t that right?”

  “That is right, Executive.”

  “I’m going to need you to hold down the fort while we’re gone,” Adam said. “You ’t be doing that wearing only , what will they say about us, eh? There’s a set of full pte here, and I say you’ve done more than enough to earn it.”

  Fred bit his lower lip. “If you say so, Executive!”

  “I do,” Adam said, patting him on his shoulder. “Thank you for your hard work, Lead Fred.”

  “Thank you, Executive Adam,” Fred replied, feeling his throat shudder, out of sheer relief, and shame.

  Adam allowed the farmer to pick up his full pte, the young man staring down at it ihe breastpte was not stamped in the symbol of Baktu, but a symbol he hadn’t seen before. It was a circle, but it lit vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Fred quickly picked the armour up, stepping away to one side.

  “Where is Manager Dunes?” Adam asked, his eyes darting to Amira.

  “Sick,” Amira replied.

  “He’s sick so he’s got you w?” Adam tutted, shaking his head lightly. “Well, at least we have one Priest on duty, don’t we?”

  Mork raised his hand to greet the half elf, nodding his head.

  “Then of course, we have a very dependable warrior in Tork, and we ’t dist Jaher.” Adam waved his hands towards the pair, who bowed their heads in aowledgement. “When I was in trouble, the three of you all readied to help me. It was a dangerous for me, and though, thankfully, nothing happened, I haven’t fotten. I haven’t fotten how annoyed you were about not going into your deaths too, but I appreciate that you listened. I think, you all have earned your pce here, and with that, I’ve sent word to the Enter about moving up the time required for you to get a magical on. Until then, however, you’ve been promoted to two hundred silvers a month, with a bonus of one hundred silver for this month. Jane, as your bonus, you should receive yical on before the others.”

  “Thank you, Executive,” the trio replied.

  “Of course, I’m not leaving everyone high and dry. I’ve made sure to leave in the books a bonus of fifty silver for all the workers, a bonus which you will receive monthly for the ey of nightval.” Adam smiled wider, while Rick began the g, followed quickly by the rest of the workers, the group only quietening down as Adam waved his hand, motioning for them to quieten down as he preteo smile so bashfully.

  “I just wao say…” Adam cleared his throat. “Actually, first, there is the matter of the equipment for uards. I’ve heard positive things about everyone from Theo to Aria. Some of you are learning the way of the Rot family, which is a little awkward, but for all the guards, from Jeremy to Rick, from Aria to Theo, those who use armour and ons, we have some breastpte over , which should be a little bit of an upgrade from . Thomas, Freddie, I have instead procured ons made of bloodsteel for you. Tommy, Isaac, I, I mean, not I, the business, has made sure to put away some away for you, so you two also receive such items when you are of age.”

  “Executive, sir?” called a voice.

  “Mrs Harriet?”

  “Who will you be taking to go… talk?”

  “That is a family matter that does not the business,” Adam said.

  A wave of fusion and relief filled the business, as Rick shot a look to his wife, slightly annoyed, but also bewildered by the news.

  “Executive?” Remy asked.

  “Yes?”

  “What about Nobby?”

  “He’s staying here.”

  Remy chewed on his thoughts for a moment. “Okay, Executive.”

  “Like I said. This is a family matter. The United Kindom has nothing to do with it. The Executives, Directors, and President are going to run things like normal while we’re gone. We’ll be ba a couple of weeks, and if you have any issues, you take them to Manager Dunes, as always. Although, Rick, you’ve been here for a while. I’ve been thinking about giving you a greater position, as a representative of the businessfolk, who bring issues to the higher up. I’ll give you the position of Lead too, and that’ll be your role.”

  “Thank you, Executive.”

  “Oh, and before I fet, John, Ivy, your bows are made, I just fot t them. Sorry, they slipped my mind, and I checked, and double checked, and I felt like I had fotten something, but seeing you here, I just remembered that your bows have been made for a while now, and I just fot to send them over. I’ll have the Silver Fate Squad bring them over some time ter.”

  “Thank you, Executive,” John said, with Ivy mumbling the words, nodding her head.

  Adam sat dowhe fire, looking across the businessfolk, each eating their meals quietly. The air was still so quiet, so awkward, until a particur Iyrman began to drink, speaking of his tales of killing nobles. Adam looked over to the children of the business. Alex ate his pe full of milk. Elsie asked her sister, Cobra, to pass some fruit. Gee spoke using his magieckce to Fred, eyeing up the armour, toug the symbol.

  Finally, there was Ranya, the girl sitting beside her mring at her bread and soup. She dipped her bread into the soup, before biting it slowly, pining to her mother, who wiped her face, and the girl decided to drop her pints, like how she dropped her bread onto the table in front of her.

  It was in this moment Adam uood the word peace. As his eyes darted between the faces of all his workers, many of whom pretending not to look at him, and when he caught them, they awkwardly owards him.

  ‘When I get back, I’m going to spend some time enjoying this.’

  Adam ate very little, exg himself quickly to walk along the walls, nodding to the various Iyrmen who greeted him. He stopped beside a particur figure who y along one side of the wall, seemingly napping.

  “W hard, or hardly w?” Adam asked.

  “It will rain soon,” Bael said, ign the half elf’s words.

  “Do you have some kind of sixth sense for that?”

  “It is not the sixth.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head. “You ing along tomorrow?”

  “I will.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head as he stared out towards the vilge, before looking down at the wall, u himself to imagine where it had happened. “You stay if you prefer.”

  “I heard there are going to be strong ohere.”

  “Yeah.”

  “If I don’t go, the Demon Lord will beat me.” Bael chuckled lightly, causing the half elf to smile.

  “I see the wolves are having fun in the vilge,” Adam said.

  “They’ve been surrounding the vilge for a few months now.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head. “Have they been fed well?”

  “Dunes feeds them well.”

  “That’s Manager Duo you.”

  “I don’t work for the business, I work for you.”

  “You should still call him Manager Dunes.”

  “I won’t, so that way the business won’t get involved when I fight. You’re not a noble, are you?”

  “Well… I ’t say.”

  “Then you were a terrible noble.”

  “I sure was,” Adam said, smiling even wider.

  Bael stared out at the vilge, to a particur spot. He closed his eyes, recalling the fight he had with the Emperor. Back then, even as a little child, Bael was untouchable, thanks to his great grandfather’s name. No one would have dared to harm him, including the Emperor.

  That was the differeween Adam and his great grandfather.

  ‘No,’ Bael thought, feeling the various gazes upon him.

  There was another differeween his great grandfather and Adam.

  Bael doesn't get enough s time sidering how powerful he really is.