Chapter 21

The rest of the year went by awfully quickly, as the family happily greeted a new year.

There weren't any major incidents during the last year after the kidnapping incident.

One of the few things that happened was, the prisoner they had caught died soon after spilling everything he knew, but he didn't know very much.

Someone had organized the event, who it was they didn't know?, but they knew that someone was out there aiming for the children.

Another was that John, Marcus, Anita, and Rita took turns talking to Draco daily.

They had all been adventurers in Orario for a good portion of their life, so they knew a thing or two about what he was feeling.

They catered to his mental health while also teaching all the children reading and writing.

Rose was already made aware of the events that would be taking place in the spring.

It was currently still the beginning of winter; the cold temperature wasn't ideal for the kids' training.

She was fine with it if Clair could get stronger and more successful than her late husband.

She had been considered a part of the family along with her daughter for a while now, so she was comfortable with them teaching her.

Another incident that happened during the past year was the Mark and Rose incident.

Mark had an encounter with Rose when she was bathing; she had forgotten to put the in-use sign up.

It wasn't entirely her fault; the other bathrooms were in use, and Mark didn't usually use the one downstairs, but that day he was running late for work.

Construction of the village walls had finally begun; the village was looking to expand into a town due to the sudden influx of new residents.

The land was fertile and cheap; the only downside was that it was close to a monster-infested forest.

Some people didn't mind it as there were retired adventurers living in the village, so security wasn't nonexistent.

After the incident, there was this weird atmosphere between Mark and Rose.

Most people in the house didn't seem to care about it, except Chise. They just couldn't see it from her point of view.

She was pretty open about most things, but this weird atmosphere between her husband and best friend didn't sit well with her.

She could somewhat logically understand that emotions were complicated, but it still irked her nonetheless.

She had talked to her mother about it, but Rita gave her a reply that put her in a dilemma.

She was told that she could just chase Rose and her daughter out or accept both of them and stop being paranoid.

An option was to help Rose find a man of her own.

They were all still quite young; Mark was around 27 years old while she and Rose were around 26 years old.

She tried talking to Mark about it, but he said that there was nothing going on.

She believed him for the moment because it was true; he hadn't done anything suspicious so far, but she could tell that there was something budding between them.

....

3 more months quickly passed, and it was finally the month of April.

The official training for the children was about to begin.

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning in the village.

The air was crisp, and the birds were chirping, signaling the start of a new day.

In a large open field, a group of 7 young children ranging from 3 to 4 years old eagerly gathered, awaiting the arrival of their beloved grandfather.

It was still the beginning of the year, and most of their birthdays were towards the end.

The sextuplets had theirs around August, Clair's birthday was in October, while Draco's was in December.

Moments later, an elderly man with a kind, chiseled face and a gentle smile approached the children.

This was Marcus, a retired veteran adventurer in charge of the first sessions of training.

"Good morning, my little ones!" he called out warmly.

"Are you all ready for your training session today?" Everyone cheered enthusiastically in response, except Draco.

"Yes, Grandpa! We're ready!" they shouted in unison, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Marcus chuckled and raised a hand to quiet them down.

"Alright, alright, settle down now. Before we begin, I want to make sure you're all hydrated and ready to go." He gestured to a large basket nearby, filled with jugs of water.

"Go on and grab a drink, then we'll start our warm-up exercises," he said.

The children quickly obeyed, each grabbing a cup of water and taking greedy gulps.

Marcus watched with pride, pleased to see their eagerness. Once they had their fill, he clapped his hands together.

"Excellent! Now let's start with some light stretching to get those muscles ready," he instructed.

For the next 15 minutes, Marcus led the children through a series of gentle stretches, guiding them through each movement and ensuring they maintained proper form.

Everyone followed along dutifully, their little faces scrunched in concentration.

"Very good, all of you!" Marcus praised when they had finished.

"Now, who's ready for our first activity?" he asked.

"Me! Me!" the children shouted, hands shooting up in the air.

'Ugh, this feels so childish, but I should just play along since it works, and everyone seems to be having fun,' Draco thought.

Marcus couldn't help but chuckle at their enthusiasm. He thought that since they were very young, they would be against training.

"Alright, alright, settle down. For our first training exercise, I mean game, we're going to work on your reaction speed and agility." He gestured to a collection of colorful painted wooden balls nearby.

"I'm going to stand in the middle, and I want you all to spread out around me. When I call out a color, the first one to grab that color ball wins a point. Sound fun?" Marcus yelled cheerfully.

He and the others had talked about how to engage the kids in training, and the result was that they needed to turn it into a fun game.

Everyone eagerly nodded, quickly arranging themselves in a circle around their grandfather.

"Excellent. Alright, get ready..." Marcus scanned the group, a mischievous glint in his eye.

'This will be easy, and it seems fun too,' Draco thought.

"Blue!" Marcus called out. Everyone sprang into action, darting towards the balls and snatching up the blue ones as quickly as their little legs could carry them.

Laughter and excited shrieks filled the air as they competed against one another.

Marcus watched with a proud smile, calling out different colors and encouraging them as they played.

"Great job, Michalis! Keep it up, Eleni! Wonderful, Draco and Dimitra " he made a mental note of which of the children were quicker on their feet, making a plan to tailor the upcoming exercises accordingly.

After several rounds of the color game, Marcus called for a break.

"Alright, my little warriors, time to catch your breath. Let's grab a snack and some more water, then we'll move on to the next activity," he said.

Everyone happily complied, swarming around the food basket and grabbing their favorite sandwich.

Marcus joined them, handing out fruit slices while engaging them in casual conversation.

"So, how are you all enjoying the training so far?" he asked, taking a sip of water.

"It's so much fun, Grandpa!" exclaimed Dimitra, a bright-eyed girl with green pigtails.

"I love the games and getting to run around," exclaimed Clair.

"Yeah, and I'm getting really fast!" added Vasileios, puffing out his chest proudly.

The other children chimed in with similar sentiments, their faces beaming with joy and accomplishment, except one person.

"I know it's easy for you now, but you won't think that when your Grandma Anita's and Grandpa John's turn comes around. I really pity you, so enjoy things now," Marcus whispered into Draco's ear, seeing his unamused face during training.

"Are you being serious, Gramps? Is it that bad, and why only me?" Draco questioned.

"Well, for one, you have a stronger body, meaning that you can take more punishment. Is what Anita said excitedly with a creepy laugh?" Marcus replied.

"Sigh, I don't mind. I need to get stronger anyway," Draco said.

"You won't think that from next year. Those two are really strong and somewhat crazy" Marcus said cryptically before getting up.

'Just how crazy is the training going to get?' Draco wondered.

"I'm so glad to see that you're all enjoying this, my dears. Now, are you all ready for the next challenge?" Marcus said, switching up quickly.

They nodded eagerly, finishing up their snacks and chugging down the last of their water.

"Alright, then let's get started. This next game is going to test your strength and endurance," he said.

Marcus led the children to a large log that had been positioned horizontally a few feet off the ground.

"I want you all to take turns trying to lift and carry this log from one end to the other. It's going to be tough, but I know you can do it," Marcus cheered.

One by one, the children stepped up to the log, gripping the rough bark and straining to lift it.

Some managed just a few steps before setting it back down, while others were able to carry it the full distance.

Marcus offered encouragement and guidance, adjusting the height of the log as needed to accommodate their varying sizes and abilities.

After several rounds, the children were huffing and puffing, their little faces flushed from the exertion.

Marcus could see the fatigue setting in, so he called for another break.

He instructed only Draco to continue since he wasn't that exhausted.