“Hmph!” Jirot was adorned iire of the Iyrmen, her forehead dabbed in the vague shapes of the Rot family. Little Jarot was adorned identically, even down to how his hair was styled, except one could easily tell which thich, because while Jarot stood awkwardly, his sister stood with a hand on her waist, and a threatening fiowards her father.

  “ot!” Jirot stated firmly.

  “Hmm…” Adam said, rubbing his .

  “ot!” Jirot warned, raising her brows, wagging her finger. Should her father push too much, she would pce her fists on her waist and gre at him even more angrily.

  “I see. What I not do?”

  Jirot inhaled sharply. She turo her mother, pointing at her father. “Mummy!”

  “Adam, you ot,” Vonda said. “Your daughter has said it so.”

  Adam blinked. “My… daughter?”

  Konarot smiled, reag up to her mouth to cover her smile, gng up towards her grandmother. ‘Hehe.’

  “Of course! Of course you are my daughter, my dear!” Adam reached down and tried to pick her up. “Oh my! Look at how big you’ve bee!” Adam dropped to a squat and tio falter at lifting his daughter.

  “Nana!” Jirot called, pouting up towards the woman.

  “Adam, your daughter wishes to embrace you.”

  “What! You adorable little kids! Of course you’re my children! Who else has such adorable children, if not me?” Adam pulled them both in close and peppered them with his kisses, embrag them even tighter. “You smelly little children, how you do this to your father? You’re too big now! No! You ot do this! I will tell your mother and your nana, you smelly little girl and boy!”

  The businessfolk uood Adam was ge, and Freddie, who had seen how he had behaved with his children these past few months, uood that the young man was ge too. However, just for today, they allowed it.

  “Look, look.” Adam held them both up. “Do you know who that is?”

  Jirot gnced over to the woman, and then back up to her father. “Is…”

  “It’s Sir Magpie.”

  The twins gasped, f tiny circles with their mouths.

  “Ordah of Wings?” Jirot asked, her amber eyes wide, her leaf shaped ears shooting up in shod excitement.

  “That’s right!”

  Sir Magpie sat among the crowd. She had gained all manner of attention from most of the businessfolk, and she had versed with some of the upper ma. She almost had a heart attack whe Bloody Jarot, or as he was more only known, Mad Dog. Indeed, she even knew Fme Brand. Except, this was the most shog of all. She could feel the gazes of her panions upon her. She uood why they were looking at her this way. Meanwhile, she kept her face strictly ral.

  She had spotted the pair of Demons nearby, who eyed the Order up, but she already knew of them. However, the half dragon triplets? The demon baby?

  ‘What in all the Divine is going on?’

  “Why don’t you introduce yourself, my big little girl and boy,” Adam said, pnting firm kisses on their foreheads.

  The old one armed Iyrman inhaled, but his panion pced a hand on his knee, patting it gently, calming him down.

  “It is good for them to meet them,” Gangak whispered.

  “I should greet them first!” Jarot whispered bagrily, but he relented.

  “I am Jirot! I am Demon Load!”

  Sir Magpie blinked.

  “I am Jarot!” Jarot sat up taller within his father’s arm. “I am big like babo.”

  “My kids… they’re too cute! Too cute!” Adam blinked. “You ’t take them, Sir Magpie. Just because they’re cute, that doesn’t mean you steal them from me.”

  “What are you pying at, elf?” Jon, the you panion, asked. “Is this some kind of trick? What is this? Goblins? Are you-,”

  “Sir Magpie,” called a voice, which silenced even Adam’s affe.

  Sir Magpie gnced over towards the woman. “Ray Vonda.”

  “My twins are excited to meet you for their first birthday,” she said, smiling politely as she did whenever she o swing around her authority as a Ray. “I hope you are willing to wish them well today.”

  ‘Excuse me?’ Sir Magpie blinked. ‘What did you just say?’

  “Haha, oh dear, oh dear, it seems like Sir Magpie is stunned by my twins being adorable,” Adam said, pg his children down. “Daddy wants to show you the first part of his gift. Sir Magpie, are you willing to spar with me today, in front of our children, the children of this foolish father, and such a lovely Ray of a mother?”

  ‘What?’ Sir Magpie blinked once more. “As you wish.”

  Adam donned his armour, allowing his twins to help dey him with their thoughts of helping, before he finally wore his puthral pte, and he grabbed his shield tight in hand.

  “It’s my honour to face you, Sir Magpie,” Adam said.

  “Right…”

  “I heard that you are now sidered a Master, please allow me to first gratute you before we begin,” Adam said, crossing a hand over his chest, bowing his head lightly.

  “I thank you kindly,” Sir Magpie said, holding out her bde in front of her, still uain of what was going on. ‘Eh?’

  “Sir Magpie…” Adam said, closing his visor. “I’ve never lost in front of my kids, so I hope you’re willing to show me a little mercy today.”

  “I will hold back appropriately.”

  “Great, me too,” Adam said, holding Wraith in front of him. He gowards Jurot, nodding his head, and Jurot nodded back. ‘Good.’ “Are you ready to begin.”

  “…” Sir Magpie tilted her head slightly. ‘What did he just say?’

  “Sir Magpie?” Adam asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you ready?”

  “I…” ‘I shouldn’t embarrass this boy in front of his children. “I’m ready.”

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 11 (10)

  Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 21 (11)D20 + 10 = 22 (12)Hit!Wraith: 3 -> 2Mana: 25 -> 24Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 33 (5)(12)(7)33 damage!

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 14 (4)D20 + 10 = 27 (17)Hit!Wraith: 1 -> 1Mana: 24 -> 23Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 30 (4)(8)(9)30 damage!

  Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 19 (9)D20 + 10 = 30 (20)Critical hit!4D6 + 9 = 29 (20)29 damage!

  The pair cshed, longswainst axe. Adam focused entirely upon the Master before him, but there was a small problem. Adam was fairly certain he could defeat her, but beating her wasn’t the priority, it was not losing against her. If she mao nd a Critical Hit even once, she could assuredly knock him out. With his great Defence, especially with Shield, the ce for her to strike was extremely low, especially after he himself nded a Critical Hit, due to a particur feat of his.

  SsherWhen Critical Hit a creature while dealing sshing damage, until the start of your urn, the target has Disadvantage on all attack rolls.

  1/400

  0.25%

  Though the ces were small, Adam still worried about those ces. Even as his Wraith fshed white with holy energies, and cold with its charges, he still worried about it. Even as he inhaled, pushing himself forward, he worried about those ces. Even as he mao do it, slip through the woman’s defences with surgical precision. Even-,

  “Adam,” Jurot called, bringing Adam out of his tration, and out of itting a terrible mistake.

  When Adam came to, he stared ahead of him, through his visor, through the visor of his oppo and into her eyes.

  ‘What?’ Sir Magpie thought, her bde shaking in front of her.

  It was all she could think.

  She, who had bee a Master. She, who had trained her body to gain a toughhat could surpass a typical Master. She, who had finally reached the position of gaining Third Gate spells. She, who was still the weakest of the Order of the Wings, but was still double this half elf’s age.

  She, who could only feel how close she was to falling unscious.

  ‘What?’

  “Psst,” Adam whispered, slowly nodding his head. “Go ahead.”

  ‘What?’

  The moments tio pass, and Adam took the ce to raise his shield.

  “e on, we have to make it a good show.”

  Almost everyone around uood what had happened.

  Harriet, Rick’s wife, who had been vio join this almost cult of a business, had heard from her husband.

  The stories.

  Gimon, the oldest orphan, now gardener of the business, had heard from the vilge and the Iyrmen of the stories.

  The stories of them going against dragons.

  Freddie, who had joihem most retly, had heard them from Nobby.

  The stories of them going against hydras.

  Jasmine, who had listeo the Prince, and had decided to stay to check them out, had heard the stories. She had heard Adam had fought against a Prince of the Undersea, someone who could csh with Prince Morkarai himself.

  This was the first time they had seen Adam live up to those stories.

  Sir Magpie hadn’t heard the stories. It wasn’t that Adam wao ambush her for the fight with her being unprepared, but truly because he wanted Jurot to tell the tales during his children’s birthdays as part of the festivities. She hadn’t heard the story about Adam going to kill Vandra, with lots of help, after they first met. She hadn’t heard the story of them killing another dragon. The story about the Outbreak. The story about the first set of hydras. The story about the tour. The dozen or so stories Adam had produced.

  The Executives, Managers, Leads, Brittany, Nobby, the porters, and the farmers, none of them were surprised when Adam defeated Sir Magpie so soundly.

  She hadn’t heard the story of Adam with the other Order.

  The Order of Life’s Rose. Respected all across the nd. In the same way there was Sir Robin and Sir Magpie, the greatest and weakest of their Orders, there was the First Hope and the Seventh Hope, the greatest and weakest Oathsworn. Sir Robin was greater than the First Hope, that much was for certain, but the Seventh Hope, young as he was, was sidered slightly greater than even Sir Magpie. He had been a Master for a while, whereas Sir Magpie had achieved that rank fairly retly.

  She hadn’t heard the story of Adam defeating the Seventh Hope. It bordered impossibility.

  She hadn’t heard the story of Adam defeating the Seventh Hope, then immediately after, without resting, stepped forward to face the First Hope.

  She hadn’t heard the story of Adam almost defeating Lord Marshal Royce, either.

  She only remembered, in this moment, that this half elf had been about as strong as her heir, Jon, who was almost twenty this year. Adam himself robably only a few years older, a…

  The throbbing in her arm.

  The sweat trig down her back.

  The pounding of her heart.

  Adam could see it. The woman was so shocked she was uo move. The Sir Magpie, uo act, because of him.

  A fool of a father.

  “Oh dear,” Adam said, pointing his axe to the ground, taking a half step back. “I was so rude tuests. I apologise greatly, Sir Magpie, for I hadn’t warned you that I was going to use my magical on. I wao show you a demonstration of one of the ons our business had created, but how shameless of me, to use such a on in a friendly spar. Would you mind sidering this a draw?”

  It was only then that Sir Magpie had e back to reality, her arm still shaking violently in front of her, before she pointed her bde downward, resting the tip against the ground. It wasn’t good for the bde to do so, but she couldn’t stop it from shaking wildly, not after g with such heavy blows, she couldn’t help but think Adam was the source of the drago came to his triplets.

  “…”

  Adam pulled off his helmet. “Haha! What a pleasure it was to spar against you, Sir Magpie. Did you see how strong she was, my Jirot, my Jarot?”

  Although the children cheered and cpped excitedly, the adults knew. Not only the adults, but Alex and Gee, even they knew, because they were there.

  They were there.

  They were there when Adam defeated the Seventh Hope with one blow, then immediately afterwards almost defeated the First Hope, only stepping back upon his now wife’s words.

  For o wasn’t Adam who had started the fight, but the Seventh Hope, who had spoken poorly of people he shouldn’t have.

  The old one armed Iyrman gangak, who returned a smile, for they khe story, and it was what they recalled upon seeing how Adam fought Sir Magpie so eagerly. They evehe reason why the half elf raised his axe, and dared to get himself killed.

  ‘Is my grandson not so cute?’ Jarot’s eyes said.

  ‘He adores me more, though?’ Gangak’s eyes replied.

  Meanwhile, Vonda and Dunes appreciated that Adam had finally figured out how to speak with people.

  I'm shocked all these children are growing up so quibsp;