Chapter 10: Missing
A week has passed since then, and the children are having fun in their new home. The children helped around as well, despite noticing some of them are still unstable.
Who wouldn't understand? They will remember how they were taken away, how their love ones were no where to be found, or forever gone. How these peaceful life so much resembled their own before nightmare came.
This is what Amanda and the girls focused on after settling in the new residence. Oliphym also pointed out that the children must not wander around without anyone looking after them. Being naughty doesn't need to be questioned. Who knows when a child will be suddenly taken away under their noses? No way that is happening.
Especially with only women and children under the roof.
Oliphym wasn't idle either.
He would also accompany anyone when they would go into the city to buy stuffs and ingredients, and sometimes even taking some children along after their pleading, which was mostly Jianne, Zeian, and Wisteria.
During that time, some disturbing news reach his ears, like how some children were missing, and how the Zhou Empire had waged war to it's neighbors. But this was passed around as gossips and no proof was found.
Aside from engaging in training and hell-like sparring matches with Amanda, he also assisted around doing the heavy works. Right now, his main project is building tall fences, second to that is plowing the land for plants.
It's the girls that did the planting, although some girls who have strong genes because of their race, also helped him with the rough work.
Its only the ears, and horns, or whatever was in place of it, that made them different! Although there are still slight distinction due to the small difference in the average height among the other races, they don't look different from humans at all!
Someone please question the creativity of this world's creator. No sense of originality at all.
On the other hand, he couldn't help but imagine what the creator would refute. It should be something like "Who said I based the other races on humans? I based it off of myself! Go look elsewhere where Elves walk on four feet!"
He suddenly felt weird.
Jianne and Zeian also became more close and intimate. It's always Zeian who would come and invite Jianne to go somewhere or play with her, along with Wisteria.
Ever since settling down, Jianne would also stick to him as well when she would rest, eat, sleep, or just sit. It's just that, anything other than playing or helping around, the others would definitely know she would be with Oliphym.
This is a bit more severe than when they were travelling, but she moves around a lot more ever since settling down. She doesn't talk, but she's a handful.
When she interacts with anyone, she would either smile, nod, shake her head, tug their clothes, or even pout and stump her feet.
The last one was totally out of her character and normal expression though!
There was one time when Oliphym was ending the day digging holes for the fences, she tugged his clothes and raised her hands up while looking up at him.
Of course he would pick her up in his arms, and then she just turned quiet after that and fell asleep on his shoulder!
"You're slightly bigger now to be treated like a baby! " Oliphym thought in his mind with a helpless smile.
But he was thankful to her. What didn't escape his notice, is that he would still encounter sudden headaches and short painful throb on his head when blurred visions would obstruct his eyesight, making him pause at whatever he is doing.
But whenever he would hold Jianne, this would almost not happen all the time. He isn't sure if this has something to do with their connection, or out of pure coincidence.
Although he is still managing her needs, including changing clothes and bath, this was under supervision of Amanda when he prepares them, and also because of Canna's persistent request to look after himself and Jianne.
He wonders sometimes when a group of police would suddenly barge in and issue a warrant of arrest for him. He couldn't help but laugh in his mind at the thought. Like that would ever happen.
-
One day, he is holding a digging bar while a girl stood not from him.
Her name is Dune, an Earth Elemental. He got to know her on his second day when he was digging holes for the fence, when she offered her help.
She never got a chance to practice manipulate her powers ever since she was captured.
She can do it, as simple as breathing, but she has yet to have complete control of it. She needed the baptism of Great Elementals so she can be proficient in it, but she has yet to receive that baptism when she was young and taken away, or so she said.
Knowing her situation, this was also an opportunity for her. Their arrangement was, he would break apart the soil and install the posts, while Dune would pull out the loose soil and compress them back in after the post was placed.
"Sister Dune, brother Oliphym, good work for today." Amanda called out to them as she approached them.
Oliphym and Dune turned their heads to see Amanda.
"Amanda, thanks. Is it already that time?" Oliphym asked as he lean the digging bar on the already made fence.
"Yes, you can do this again tomorrow." Amanda replied as she looked at him and the line of fences he made.
It's already more than 2/3rd before the place around the house had fences.
"It will be done, soonest will be tomorrow." he stated with a smile before he received a cup of water from her.
"That is very good to hear." Amanda replied with a smile.
"Thank you very much, sisters." Dune giggled as she took the pale and cup that was brought by another girl that came with Amanda.
"Good work sister, brother." the girl greeted.
"Thank you, sister Noana." Dune and Oliphym greeted.
This is Noana. Ever since settling down, Canna started to look after the children more, and the one that took her place was her.
She appeared to be more mature than Amanda, but Oliphym was just as afraid as ever, asking women their age.
There were rumors of her mastery in sword not losing to Amanda's, but nothing proved it.
Even if that was the case, then nobody would be able to explain how she ended up detained by those bandits, unless it's a very complicated matter.
Compared to Canna who is more of commanding the flow of battle, Noana is more on managing. Thus now, she is displaying her potential by assisting Amanda look after the girls and the place.
Noana looked a lot like human, so when Oliphym asked, he was immediately denied by many of them, and even herself.
She isn't human, but she couldn't even explain it herself, nor would she tell what she was. Even the other women who have better sensitivity to magic and spirit couldn't explain it. It's a mystery.
One thing he does notice, is that although she have dark hair, her irises in her eyes are as blue as the sky, or the sea.
"Then I'll excuse myself to pick up Jianne, then we can go back to practice a little. Please go easy on me Sis-"
"A m a n d a ~" she interrupted with a warm smile, but the threat behind it was very cold it sent chills to his bone. He couldn't help it and just got swept up with the flow, since everyone addresses her as sister.
"..-please go easy on me, Amanda." he could only pray in his mind to pay more attention. He does call her Amanda, but when he would pay attention to how he address her, he always end up adding the word sister.
He suddenly felt a tug on his arm, held by a small pair of hands, when he looked, he saw Jianne already standing beside him.
It seems he didn't need to go anywhere. He pat and rubbed her head gently out of reflex and looked at the girl who came with her.
"Thank you for always looking after her, Sister Zix. I'm very grateful." he greeted her with a thankful tone.
This has always been the case even during the travel, but he only got to meet her properly through Jianne, and it's her who looks after Jianne when she is away from Oliphym. She always did.
There was abit of resemblance between her and Jianne aside from having different hair colour, but she denied having any sort of familial or blood relationship with her.
Oliphym didn't question this, but he is glad that he had less to worry about even if Jianne isn't with him.
"Don't mind it, Brother Oliphym. I still treat little Jianne as if my own little sister, so there's no need to be polite with me." she replied with a charming smile.
Among the group, the maroon colour of her long hair really stand out. Every glance he make at her, his eyes always wander first to her hair without notice. He always wondered if the hair color of these girls are natural or dyed. It must be the former.
He had been very thankful to everyone, and had been thankful to fate that he met no one unreasonable so far, despite the huge demand in cliche.
"Have you been good?"
Jianne nodded with a small beaming smile as he pat her head.
"Sister Amanda! Zeian-..Zeian is missing! " this announcement made everyone surprised as they turn their head towards Canna who was panting from rushing in a hurry.
Amanda's expression slowly turned cold. Oliphym felt nervous as if the whole place around the group turned colder in an instant.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone