316. Steps For The Future

316. Steps For The Future

Adam eventually returned back to the Rot family estate, finding that his spellbook was exactly where he had left it, no doubt left untouched. Adam looked around to the children, and he narrowed his eyes at them. “Did any of you take a peek inside my book?”

One of the Rot family children puffed out their cheeks incredulously. “No. We did not play with your spellbook.”

“Are you calling us thieves?” another complained. “We are of the Rot family, we do not steal.”

“No thief,” a particularly young girl reprimanded, pointing at Adam. “Bad.”

“I was just asking,” Adam replied, chuckling. He couldn’t help but tease the children. “Of course the good little boys and girls of the Rot family would not peek in my spellbook.” Adam’s eyes fell to Jarot. “Though, can I say the same for the old elder?”

“No! Bad!” the little Iyrman girl admonished, but the slightly older children noted who he was looking at.

“Even if granduncle is silly, he did not peek,” a young teen said, assuring Adam.

Adam snickered, his lips forming a wide, teasing smile. “Even these kids know you’re like that?”

“What else do they know but the adoring granduncle who could not help but spoil them?” Jarot replied, with not an ounce of shame in his voice. These children all only knew the Jarot which had been born after the deaths of his children and grandchild, the same Jarot who still regretted allowing his brother and sister, Zaool and Tangak, to die back then.

One of the children stared at Adam, and then to Jarot. ‘Is Cousin Adam granduncle’s grandson?’ they thought, noting the similarities in their behaviour.

“Did they bully you?” Jarot asked, referring to the Great Elders. “I can reprimand them for bullying my grandson.”

Adam made a face at the old man as he packed up his spellbook. “No, they didn’t. They just asked me to explain all the maths.”

Jarot narrowed his eyes, but noted the children were looking at him, so quickly changed his expression to something more obviously playful. “Maths? I do not know what the Gods were thinking when they introduced such a thing to this world.”

“How else are you going to count how many beasts you’ve slain?” Adam joked.

Jarot chuckled. “I suppose it does have some use!” He had to be careful not to instil a sense of distaste towards maths in front of the children. Jurot, who had never been good at maths, had refused to learn more than necessary because of a joke he had made when the boy was young.

“Will you come to teach our Churot tomorrow?” Mulrot asked.

“I haven’t felt lucky for three days now, so chances are I’ll be lucky tomorrow,” Adam said. “I most likely won’t come tomorrow, but I hope that Churot will keep practising all the maths.”

“Yes,” the boy replied, writing some equations in his book.

“Alright, I’ll see you all later,” Adam said, waving at the Rot family, before heading back to the shared family estate.

Once Adam returned back to the shared family estate, he watched as the families were all ready to eat, this time the Gak family cooking. Adam could already feel the tingle of spice which would numb his lips.

“I heard that you were called by Elder Teacher,” Sonarot asked, cutting some of the egg and salya pancakes for her daughter.

Lanarot stared up at the large man, who held such dark skin. She began to whimper before she cried, causing her mother to pick her up.

“Lanarot,” Adam called, filled with a sense of awkwardness. “You can’t keep crying every time you see a Black guy!” The first time the girl had seen Dunes, who was all but confirmed to be Ashmir’s son, she had also reacted the same way.

“Black?” Ashmir asked, raising his brow at the young man.

Adam stared at Ashmir, puzzled, before his brows shot up in shock. “Oh, right. That sort of thing probably doesn’t exist yet.”

Ashmir threw Adam a curious look, all the while Adam shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “What does that mean?”

“Where I come from...” Adam shook his head. “No, never mind. It’s probably best we don’t talk about it.” Adam had to be careful in bringing certain things to this world.

Ashmir wondered if perhaps Adam was trying to disparage him for being Aswadian, but considering how close he was to his son, and that he was quite welcoming to the Iyrmen and himself, he wasn’t so sure.

Lanarot eventually calmed down, staring at the Aswadian gladiator, who was littered with scars from his history. She eventually squirmed out of her mother’s grasp, who held onto the girl’s waist, before she dropped down to eat her food again.

The children swarmed Ashmir once they were finished with eating, jabbering at him in their language at first, before they realised he wasn’t any good at speaking it. When Sonarot stood up, Lanarot looked up towards her mother, before standing up, the food on her lap dropping on her foot. She stood firmly, her legs planted on the ground like a pair of tree trunks. She stumbled towards her mother, her feet slamming down on the ground, before she grabbed her mother’s leg.

Adam blinked. “Does that count? That counts, right?” Adam said, pointing to his sister.

“Well done, Lanarot,” Sonarot said.

Adam waited, all the while the other Iyrmen praised her, petting her head, brushing her hair. However, Adam pulled the girl from her mother, using his trick, Tricks, to clean her up, before he hugged her tight.

“Look at how big and strong you’ve become,” Adam said, planting a kiss on her forehead, rocking her back and forth in his arms.

The attention caused her to squeal and clap, enjoying the fact that everyone was playing with her.

“Did you see? Those big strong steps!” Adam ruffled the girl’s hair, all the while Lanarot clapped and laughed.

Adam placed her down and pulled back. “Come to me, Lanababy.”

Lanarot held out her hands to try and grab him, stepping forwards twice, before Adam scooped her up.

“Good job! Good job!” Adam continued to praise the little girl. “You are the best, Lanababy.” He continued to play with her all evening, all the while the other Iyrmen watched.

Ashmir looked to the others, wondering how they were responding to Adam wildly praising his little sister. They seem to give him a look which meant that Adam was simply Adam.

Click banner for Patreon!

Thanks for the rating, whoever that was! Please enjoy more double chapters!