“Kekeke!” one of Throm’s panions, a middle aged woman, snickered. “How could you try to bully some random kids?”

  Throm’s cheeks flushed. “Random kids? Apparently they fought iour.”

  “So they say, but I don’t listen to every bird which cheeps so eagerly at me,” a devilkin chuckled.

  “Those kids, who are they?” Throm pondered.

  “Just some kids,” the woman replied, waving her hand dismissively. “Why do you o worry about those children?”

  “That guy is Purple Adam.”

  “He was iour wasn’t he?”

  “He beat Vasera.”

  “Vasera?”

  “Golden Savage,” the Aswadian said, his eyes falling onto Adam from his seat. “That girl beside him, she is Kitool, yes?”

  “Apparently so,” Throm added. “He said his brother was the Iyrman who pced first.”

  “Do you believe every bird which cheeps?”

  “The Iyrman beside him didn’t correct him.”

  The Aswadian hummed quietly. “That priest beside him, the handsome man, he is Aswadian. He is from the Order of Bck Mountain.”

  “What is a group like that doing together?” Throm asked, his eyes falling onto the group again.

  “There is strength in numbers.”

  “No. There’s something else. They say they work for an enter.”

  “An enter?” The woman’s eyes fell onto the party, noting some of them gheir way. She smiled, raising her cup towards them, before sipping her milk.

  “There is only so much big talk they say,” the Aswadian said, chug lightly.

  “That boy wao bet a thousand gold to fight,” Throm said. “He didn’t know who I was, but he saw I was Silver Rank. He’s only Steel Rank, but he’s got the eyes of a beast.”

  “You’re thinking too much, Throm,” the woman said, patting his shoulder gently. “Just drink a.”

  ‘Did they really kill hydras?’ Throm thought, his eyes glued to Adam.

  “So we ’t let them bathe here?” Adam asked. “Seriously?”

  “The guild is for adventurers, and sometimes their families, not for the business,” Dunes said.

  “So I guess we gotta go to the river then?”

  “It’s best,” Dunes admitted.

  ‘It’s not like I make a little bathhouse he river for them,’ Adam thought. ‘Unless…’

  “What are you thinking about so deeply now?”

  “ we grab ourselves a wooden basin?” Adam asked. “Just a few, to fill them up using the river.”

  “What are you pnning?”

  “We could fill up the basins and then warm the water up, allowing them to bathe, before p the water bato the river.”

  Dunes waited for a moment, before inhaling deeply, letting out a soft sigh. He exged a look with Amira, whose eyes returned a doubtful look. “Why don’t you just take them to another inn and allow them to bathe there.”

  “This is why you’re a Manager, Dunes,” Adam said, flushing red slightly. “The inns might now allow the kids inside sihey’re so dirty.”

  “Take enough gems with you and they’ll allow you to take them through the back,” Dunes said.

  “Yeah, right…” Adam rubbed the side of his neck. “Alright. Why don’t we grab them some clothes for them to ge into after too? Any ce I leave that to you?”

  Dunes nodded. “Whin are you making your way to?”

  Adam looked to Vonda, the one arently was from this city.

  “We should find the inn first, for they may refuse us entry even with enough gold,” Vonda said. “I will go find some clothing for the children ohey are at the inn.”

  “That’s why you’re a Manager, Sister Vonda,” Adam said.

  “You’re strong?” a child asked Nobby.

  “No,” Nobby replied.

  The child frowned.

  “Did you wiour st year,” Cobra asked, her eyes taking in the sight of the almost bull of a man by the name Nobby.

  “Yes.”

  “That makes you strong.”

  “No,” Nobby replied. “I am not strong.”

  “Don’t mind Nobby,” Fred said, patting the young man’s back. “We’re just in shock from the reality of the world, that’s all.”

  Cobra raised her brow.

  “You might not have seen it yet, but the Executives, they’re all ridiculously powerful.”

  “I’ve seen Adam fight,” Cobra said, her eyes moving towards the half elf who was being bullied by his panions. “He defeated both of my sisters at the same time.”

  “You haven’t seen Adam fight yet,” Fred said, leaning ba his chair. “You don’t have any fear in your eyes.”

  “You fear him?”

  “I’m not sure if it’s fear, but there’s a least a little bit of fear in me,” Fred admitted. “I’m just a farmer turned adventurer, I’m not like the others. They’re members of orders, Iyrmen, that sort of thing. Me? I’m just a boy with no home, a boy whose been travelling with the group for some time, and a boy whose seen more nightmares in the world than in my sleep.”

  “…” Cobra could see the look in Fred’s eye, one which revealed that the young man had realised his pce as an ant in the world.

  “This group is filled with monsters,” Brittany said. “We’re moo some people too, but they don’t know the things we’ve seen.”

  “What have you seen?”

  Brittany pulled back slightly, her eyes falling to Kitool and Adam, before they met Fred’s eyes, the young man giving her a particur look. “Monsters.”

  “Monsters?”

  “We’ve e across hydras, but hydras aren’t as scary as the monsters we’ve seen,” she whispered, crossing her arms and pulling bato her chair.

  “Weak,” Nobby firmed.

  “Alright,” Adam said, stepping towards Cobra. “We’re going to be heading out to another inn. We’ll load the children onto the cart and take them to another inn to wash up a. Sister Vonda will head out with a couple of others to buy some new clothes for the children.”

  “Jurot has taken the wolves and the horses,” Dunes said.

  “Oh.”

  “…” Cobra bliowards Adam.

  “I could send word and ask if I resummon it here.”

  “I could request another carriage,” Vonda said.

  Adam inhaled deeply, the annoyance of the situation filling him again. ‘Damn it.’

  “I will deal with it,” Vonda assured, bowing her head lightly, before leaving to find a carriage.

  “Jonn, esanager Vonda,” Adam called, causing the young half elf, who wore a breast pte, to follow the priest.

  “Why are you going this far?” Cobra asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re spending so much on taking them to up a and we haven’t even said yes.”

  “I’m pretending as though you’ve said yes already to show you how you’ll be treated going forward.”

  “You haven’t asked our opinion.”

  “I assumed you’d be fih making sure your siblings are fed and ed, or are you fih them being susceptible to being diseased?” Adam asked, his tone light and pyful.

  Cobra narrowed her eyes lightly.

  “Nobby, Brittany, you two will be ing along too,” Adam said. “I want you to assist in esc the children.”

  “Should I e too?” Fred asked.

  “If you’d like to e along, I won’t stop you,” Adam replied. “Actually, why don’t we have Charlie and Greg e along too, you both look pretty tough. Let’s make sure no oarts bother with us as we’ve got the children with us. We’re sidering the children and their older siblings as VIPs.”

  “Vee eye pees?” Dunes asked.

  “Very important persons, or people if you prefer,” Adam replied.

  “So how are we meant to treat them?”

  “You should treat them as if…” Adam paused for a moment. “We will essentially treat them as if they’re my children. If anyone wants to take a single hair on their heads, they’d better be prepared to risk their lives.”

  Dunes raised his brows, his eyes holding a question, though he knew better to ask right in front of those they were esc. ‘Why are you going so far?’

  Adam smiled, befng towards Cobra. “You should uand that the United Kindom is very serious in it’s business.”

  “…” Cobra wasn’t sure what Adam was doing. He ending so much on them. No, if he knew what Alex was, then surely this all made sense.

  “Right, make sure you all bring your ons with you. You probably shouldn’t put on your armour, sihat’s a little too much, but don’t leave without your ons. Brittany, don’t bring along your bow, just your bdes.”

  “Okay,” the young woman replied, leaving to her room to grab her bdes.

  “Nobby,” Adam said, pg a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Remember, you’re my number one enforcer, so I’m going to leave this special task to you. I want you to watch over Alex personally.”

  “Okay.”

  ‘So he does know…’ Cobra thought.

  “Would you like for us to assist?” Korin asked, the young man wearing his breastpte.

  “Hmmm,” Adam thought, his eyes gng across the four Aswadians. They were each members of an order, and three of them were well versed with magic, with half being men and the other half women. Then there was Sara’s status as a noble, which could be useful if something happened. “It might be a good idea t you all along too. We should leave a message for Jaygak for when she’s back that we’re gone.”

  Cobra eyed up the group which arently esc them.

  Dunes, a priest, Korin, a guardian, Amira, a warrior, Sara, who seemed to be a noble from Aswadia, each apparently from an order. Then there was the Iyrman and Adam, who arently a brother to an Iyrman, the pair having pced iour. Then there were the Aldishment, Brittany, Fred, Jonn, Nobby, who had pced first iour, and Vonda, a priest from the Order of Life’s Rose.

  What she didn’t know was that at least each of them were sidered Experts in the nd, while several of them could punch above their weight.

  ‘He definitely knows.’

  The order of the most protected children

  1. Adam's kids

  2. These dirty urs

  3. The children of nobility

  Obviously at 0 we have the Iyrmen children.