192. Goodbyes

192. Goodbyes

Eventually Adam checked his gear, and changed into his armour. Lucy tickled Lanarot, trying to ease her guilt.

“Don’t you worry, little Lanarot, I will return your brothers to you safely,” Lucy assured. “I’m very reliable, trust me.”

“It’s not good to lie in the Iyr,” Adam said, pulling on his boots.

“I’m not lying. I’ll return you both safely.”

“Not what I was pointing out,” Adam said.

Lucy narrowed her eyes. “I will let it slide this time because I feel guilty.”

“Eh? You can be self aware?”

“Says you!”

Sonarot placed the heavy coats on each of them. “You must return,” she said to each of them, “safely.”

“We will,” Adam replied.

“Yes, mother.”

“We’re not going on a picnic,” Lucy said.

Adam glared at her.

“We’ll do our best.”

Sonarot hugged each of them tightly. “I will pray to Baktu that you are successful in your adventures.”

They were each also given a blanket with the Rot family’s symbol, and she also handed Adam a shield with the same pattern.

“Since your other shield had been ruined by the fight with Wahruv,” she said.

“It’s a nice shield,” Adam said. It was round, with a slight curve to it, the circle of the Rot family pattern was the buckle, which was made of metal which had been forged to look blue.

As they stepped out, Adam noted the children were all gone. He smiled, following Jurot out towards the huge gates.

There he found the children, as well as Dunes and the others, who had been waiting patiently.

“Are you going to miss me?” Adam asked, shaking their forearms.

“Perhaps,” Dunes said. “My heart will feel safe with you gone.”

Adam laughed. “I hope to hear you’re working hard for the Iyr.”

Dunes nodded.

“Make sure Brittany trains properly,” Adam said, shaking Jonn’s forearm.

“Yes,” Jonn replied, simply.

“Make sure you train well,” Adam said. “Even if you are a little star after your adventure.”

“I will,” Brittany assured.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone with Jaygak,” Adam said.

“I am used to it,” Kitool replied.

“Hey,” Jaygak grumbled.

“I’ve also left the rest of the party fund back with Aunt Sonarot, so if we don’t return and you want to adventure, you can ask for it,” Adam said.

Kitool bowed her head. As much as Adam pretended to be an idiot, he was more than wise when it came to doing things properly.

“And you, Jaygak,” Adam said, staring at her.

“Are you going to miss me?”

Adam wondered what he should say. “Probably. It’s a good thing that I took the one with the better horns with me.”

Jaygak narrowed her eyes. “There are things you can and cannot joke about, Adam.”

“No,” Adam said. “There are things you can and cannot joke about, but I can do whatever I want.” He stuck out his tongue.

“Even if you had horns, I wouldn’t want to be with you!” Jaygak declared.

Adam laughed.

Jurot, too, said his goodbyes.

The children all gathered around the three, saying their own goodbyes.

“Cousin Adam, Cousin Jurot, good luck,” they said.

Taygak looked up to Lucy. “You. Be safe.”ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

“Of course,” Lucy said, smiling down at her.

“Good,” Raygak said. “If you die, then how can I kill you?”

Lucy blinked. “Are you going to kill me?”

“After you become the Demon Lord,” Raygak said.

Lucy looked to Adam. “They’re joking, aren’t they?”

“Iyrmen do not lie,” Adam replied.

“You can’t kill me,” Lucy said.

“I can!” Raygak declared. “When I am big like Jurot I will be strong!”

“Aren’t we friends?” Lucy asked.

Raygak narrowed his eyes at her. “No.”

“What? Why not?”

“You do not play with us,” Kitool said. “Adam plays with us, so he’s our friend.”

“He’s our Cousin, so he’s our friend,” Raygak said. “He is really nice to us.”

“I’m nice too,” Lucy said. “I...”

“Thanks, Elder,” Adam said, waving at the Elder, who had guided them this way, before leaving.

Adam returned back to looking at the sky, seeing all the stars, all the streaks of colours of mysterious space phenomena.

“Leaving during Nightval,” Elder Gold said, appearing out of the shadows beside him. “It is just like you.”

Adam’s heart pounded wildly. “Is it?” He wasn’t impressed by all these Iyrmen sneaking up on him.

“It is,” she said. “A Vulfaire is a powerful creature, but I think it should prove a valuable experience for you.”

“I wonder why it is that Elder Gold felt the need to stalk me all the way here?” Adam asked. “Don’t tell me, you’ve finally fallen for my Elvish wiles?”

Elder Gold sat down, bringing out a clay bottle of wine, pouring them into two cups. “Your imagination runs wilder than a child’s.” She offered a cup of wine to him.

Adam accepted the cup, raising it to her for a moment before sipping it. It was sweet, in a gentle, motherly way. “Still, I don’t think you have come to chit chat, have you?”

Elder Gold smiled, placing down two diamonds before him. “For your spell,” she said.

“My spell?” Adam asked.

“You know spells of the Third Gate. The Fireball spell you cast was a spell you learnt from the scroll. You most likely have two other spells, and one of them no doubt requires these diamonds.”

Adam stared at her for a long moment. “Yeah,” Adam said. “So what’s the catch?”

“They are gifts from myself to you,” Elder Gold said. “I do wish to speak to you about another, separate, matter.”

“Dragon scales?”

She nodded.

“What about them?”

Elder Gold poured more wine for them. “I thought you would make a joke about poison.”

“Changing the topic?” Adam asked, sipping more of the wine.

Elder Gold smiled. “Would you be willing to part with them?”

“Willing? I’m sure.”

“What is your price?”

“I don’t know,” Adam said. “I believe that you Iyrmen are fair and won’t rip me off, so you can see how many scales you want, leave me the rest which you don’t require, and pay me accordingly.”

“You trust us so much?” Elder Gold asked.

“Yes,” Adam said.

“Even me?”

“Yes.”

Elder Gold nodded slowly. “We’re not so different, you and I.”

“Yeah?”

“You want to protect them, Jurot and Lucy,” she said. “I, too, have people I want to protect.”

“The Iyr?”

“Yes.”

“Which is why a set or two of Dragon breastplate would be extremely useful,” he said.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll trade you the Dragon scales for a favour,” Adam said.

“What is that favour?”

“You can have the Dragon scales, and if it comes to be that Jurot and I don’t make it back, I want you to look after Sonarot and Lanarot. If either of them die, I want you to-“

“Adam,” Elder Gold interrupted. “Be mindful who I am.”

“Elder Gold, who possesses access to all manner of diamonds, worth three hundred gold and more,” Adam said. “I know who you are, and I’m sure you know what I was going to ask.”

“There are rules in the Iyr, Adam,” Elder Gold said.

“Is there a rule against what I was about to ask?”

Elder Gold sighed, pouring more alcohol for them. “Speak your wish.”

“If either of them die, regardless of their age, bring them back.”

“I cannot do that.”

“I don’t know where Jurot’s dad is, and there’s no one in this world that loves Lanarot as much as Sonarot. If it’s too much to ask for, then at least until she turns eighteen, make sure Sonarot remains alive.” Adam sipped the alcohol. “Then, after Lanarot turns eighteen, no matter what, you have to bring her back until she dies of old age. Do that, and you can have the Dragon scales. You can even lay claim to my weapon, my armour, my spellbook, though you’ll have to get them yourself since, you know.”

Elder Gold sighed. “There are times I wonder if you aggravate me on purpose.”

Adam smiled.

“I cannot do it.”

Adam sipped the rest of the alcohol. “You know, Elder Zijin warned me. He said that sometimes I say things which are terrible. However, he doesn’t pay much attention to it. He said that he’ll watch what I do, for the Iyr pays more attention to one’s actions than their words. I think he’s right.”

Adam placed down the cup. “It’s easy to pay lip service to gain the favour of others, but it’s much harder to actually do it.”

“What you’re asking of me, it may go against their wishes,” Elder Gold said.

“I don’t care,” Adam said. “Tell them it’s my gift to them, as her Nephew, and as her brother.”

Elder Gold narrowed her eyes. “You sure have some guts, Adam. Are you not afraid that I will take it as a threat against the Iyr?”

“A fair trade if I’ve ever heard of one. You get the thorn out of your side, and I guarantee my sister lives a happy life until she dies in bed, surrounded by her loved ones, just like how I wanted to go.”

Elder Gold shook her head. “I heard you wanted to quit joking.”

“I have,” Adam replied. He hoisted himself up onto his feet, wrapping the blanket around himself tighter, until he looked as though he were a croissant. “Good night, Elder Gold.”

“Good night, Adam.”

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Yes. It really did take so long to say goodbye. I'm still sad.