“So Jurot came first, Kitool came sed, and I came third,” Adam stated, finally. “Also, you know, everyone else who did well.”

  The tale had taken Adam a short while, though the others had yet to return to the extended family estate even by the time he was done.

  “That’s right, Inakan, even y brother did so good,” Adam said, right o her ear. “He and I did just as good, so make sure you’re proud of us, okay?”

  Inakan looked back up towards Adam with her narrowed eyes, though her lips formed an i smile, in the same way that Jirot’s lips formed an i smile before she would do something not quite so i.

  “Inakan, please, mercy,” Adam said, holding her closer to his chest, gently brushing her hair.

  The little girl returned back to pying with her block, rubbing it against her cheek, deg to show mercy to the one who had spoken his tale.

  “Of course my grandsons did so well,” Jarot said, his lips a wide smirk, fighting off the heaviness within his face. “First and third, it should be at least that much!” He roared with ughter, causing Gurot to jolt and look back at his grandfather. He looked back towards Adam in shock, before his lips began to tremble, a out a screeg cry.

  “How you do this to my Gurot?” Adam asked, pg Inakan down, befoing to steal Gurot from the old man. Jarot let the boy go, who was still g and screeg, but quickly began to calm as Adam held rocked the boy gently within his arms. “How he do this? I know, I know. Don’t wurot, when you’re big, I’ll give you Phantom and you teach him a lesson.” Adam pced a kiss on the boy’s forehead.

  “Yurot? He is my Gurot!”

  “He’s my Cousin!”

  “Your cousin,” Jarot corrected, “but my grandson.”

  “Yrandson?” Adam asked, rubbing the back of Gurot’s head. “As if he’s your…” Adam suddenly felt hot with embarrassment and shame once more. “Just because he’s yrandson, it doesn’t mean you bully him.”

  “I bully him because he is my grandson.”

  “…” ‘Damn it, the old man’s right!’ Adam held onto Gurot tightly. “Don’t wurot, Cousin Adam will protect you.”

  Gangak held ontranddaughters, cuddling them close. “Do not worry, Jaygak did well. It is good to know when to step forward, but it is more important to know when to step back.” Gangak could only think about how Jaygak felt about stepping back from her first tour. It was true she was unprepared, she should have been given pte mail at least, but to do so well, ued by the time she took a step back, the young Iyrman could take pride in that.

  ‘Third pce?’ Otkan thought. ‘My Shikan?’ Her grandson aimed to bee the Chief, and so of course he would have pced well, the top ten if not the top four, but… for him to lose against Kitool? Shikan, Timojin, Jurot, these were each golden children. Kitool was a golden child too, but her sights were set so much lower than any of theirs. Kitool was also a golden child, but it would have been difficult for her to defeat Shikan so easily.

  No. The on thread betweehing was obvious. Shikan, though possessing a det magical item, didn’t possess anything simir to the likes of Tigerstaff. Tigerstaff was a on which erhaps the greatest in its league, and could match the likes of Phantom and Wraith in its own way. For Kitool, there erhaps no greater on to wield.

  Then, of course, there was the fact that Shaool, one of the top ten stro Iyrmen, was also the young woman’s grandaunt. It only made sense for Kitool to pce well, and mao beat almost everyone, save for Jurot, who she had held back against. She, who had chosen to step back when fag Jurot, though had almost won an eveer victory to share with her family.

  “Don’t worry,” Adam said, smiling widely, an i smile, the kind whiakan had revealed not long ago. “ime, Jaygak’s going to pce at least iop four, if not first.”

  “It is only right,” Jarot said, nodding his head. “You ot fet those by your side, and the sacrifices they make for you.”

  Adam could hear the guilt within Jarot’s voice, and though back to how two of his closest panions had died for his vengeance. “I won’t. I won’t fet anything the Iyr has done for me, her.”

  “If you say so, it must be true,” Jarot said, smiling slightly, though the heaviness had returned. “You will not tihe tale?”

  “The part should e from an Iyrman’s lips, si’s unbelievable,” Adam retorted, shrugging his shoulders.

  “My grandson would never lie to me,” Jarot stated.

  “That’s why he’ll be the oo tell the story.”

  “Will you refuse my affes even now?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Adam replied, his voice light, while he picked Gurot up. “Gurot, are you going to tell the story?”

  Gurot, who had been sug his thumb, smiled down at the Half Elf, before he reached down for more hugs. Adam gave into the boy, hugging him tight. Gurot clutched at his shirt and tio suckle on his thumb, resting his cheek against Adam’s chest.

  “It’s not fair that my Gurot is so cute,” Adam said, with great affe.

  “Yurot?” Jarot asked.

  “My Gurot.”

  “You are so distant with me, but you cim my grandson as yours?” Jarot growled quietly.

  “That’s because Chief Iromin wrote me a letter that said I do this,” Adam said, brushing the boy’s hair. “Since Aunt Sonarot and Aunt Mirot get to dote on my children, and cuddle and kiss them, then it’s only fair I do the same to Gurht? I do the same to Murot too!” Adam grinned wide, the same grin only found on vilins.

  ‘Murot?’ Jarot thought, havio be informed of the new children. ‘A new grandchild?’

  “Speaking of which, you know the hydra we killed? I fashioned some of the scales into a tunid gifted it to Asorot.”

  ‘Asorot?’ Jarot thought, realising who Adam was talking about. ‘He gave up his grandson to me?’ Jarot had wondered why Aso had been hao his family by that man, but to think it was to ie the boy into the Rot family? The few times they had spoken, the boy had mentioned his mother and father, a he was to be hao their family?

  The old Iyrman shared gnces between Otkan and Gangak, before his eyes fell back to Adam. ‘It will be fine, si is Adam.’

  “You have returned,” Jurot called, bringing with him the twins in his arms, with Jirot bbbering about ohing or another, befhing at her jokes, her brother doing the same near instantly.

  “I have,” Jarot said, straightening up slightly. He met Jurot’s eyes only for a moment, before they trailed down towards the little twins. “Who are these two babies? Such a big boy and girl.”

  Jirot and Jarot eventually noticed the older Iyrman, noting the tattoo on his forehead, and then the gentle smile on his face. Jirot smiled shyly towards him, while Jarot stared at the older man, his brain trying tnise who he was, but he only reised the family tattoo.

  “Jirot, Jarot,” Jurot replied, as though their names o be stated.

  Jirot then spotted her father, and she pointed up at him. “Daddy!” She then howled with ughter at her joke, and a short moment ter, Jarot also called for his father and ughed.

  “What are you little cuties ughing about?” Adam asked, still holding Gurot in one arm, but he approached his you children and brushed their hair. Their hair held a sireak of colour, and they both wore a braid, with blue string tying it together. “Did you have fun at the festival?”

  “Noooo!” Jirot cackled, before looking up to Jurot, wanting to see how he’d react. Jurot remained silent, looking turot, who was staring up at the rger Iyrman, smiling shyly.

  “Do you see how she bullies me?”

  “Gangak, do you see? Otkan, do you see? They have grown up so much!” Jarot said, reag up to cover his face. “How they do such things to me?”

  “You should speak of the tale,” Gangak said, Jarot the right.

  “No,” Jarot said, wiping away the tears which had fallen. “I have heard there is a tale I must hear from my grandson. Jurot, I have heard the tale from Adam, but I must hear the rest of the tale from you.”

  Jurot threw a look towards Adam. “You have spoken of the tour?”

  “Yeah.”

  The Iyrman nodded, uanding why Adam left the rest to him, and he pced dowwins. Adam pced down Gurot, who went to hug his Iyrman cousin’s leg, while Adam lifted up his twins and kissed them repeatedly. The pair squirmed and giggled.

  Adam looked towards Jarot with a satisfied look, and the old man smiled, gd that Adam was still willing to tease him like this.

  ‘Should I beat him?’ Jarot thought.

  “You two, look,” Adam said, motioning towards the older man. “It’s your babo.”

  “Bababoo?” Jirot asked.

  “Bah. Boh. Babo.”

  “Babo,” Jirot said.

  “That’s right, babo. It’s your nana’s dada.”

  Jirot blinked, looking to Jarot, who blinked and looked towards her.

  “Babo, he is babo, okay? You have to love him… after daddy, but not before daddy, okay?” Adam kissed their foreheads. “Jarot, do you know what babo’s name is?”

  “Nay?” Jarot asked.

  “Yes, do you know?”

  “Jawoh.”

  “Wow! That’s right! His name is Jarot too!” Adam peppered the boy in kisses, who had only said his own name. Little Jarot didn’t quite uand, but he smiled from his father’s affes.

  “Me!” Jirot anded, also wanting her father to kiss her.

  The older Jarot stared at the twins, before his eyes met Otkan’s. He sighed, smiling slightly, aing to the fact that he owed her. He was gd that she had vinced him to return so that he could see the pair, who were so grown up now, though the price still ate at his gut. He resisted the urge to embrace them himself, waiting for his turn to e.

  ‘Goblins?’ Wazool, the young boy with the sun kissed hair and blue eyes, which betrayed his heritage, thought. He had been adopted into the Ool family, thanks to Jurot and Kitool, and though he thought they were a savage lot, this was something else entirely. He stared at the Goblins, and then to the rest of the Iyrmen, who seemed to think this was pletely normal. ‘By the Divine!’

  Oh no.