"We will go by oldest first, youngest last." Rowan said as he looked at Lilly.
Lilly smiled as she lifted her legs onto the chair and stood up. It was a cute sight as she held the spoon in her fist and raised it in the air.
"My name is Lilliana Blacksun. Mommy and Daddy call me Lilly. All my cute little brothers and sisters can call me Lilly too. My mom, Artemis Minos will one day be the greatest swordswoman."
After her great declaration, Lilly took a bow, and everyone clapped. The kids were genuinely impressed with their eldest sister, who looked so cool just now.
"How old are you now Lilly?" Rowan asked, though he had an idea.
"I turned 7 last winter daddy." she said cutely while holding up 7 fingers. Rowan nodded after hearing this. It aligned with a couple of months after Artemis left him.
"Okay. Whose mother is Nexia Lunecroft? You're up next." That was the name of the second woman to leave him. She was someone who looked like a mature woman in her mid to late 30s.
She was a witch he had saved from being hunted by the church. As for her real age, he had no idea as witches could live for a long time.
"That would be me, Dad." said one of his other daughters. This one had dark black hair and blue eyes as bright as the sky. Her face was slim, and her eyelashes curly and long. There were some light eye bags under her eyes.
It looked like she might have been conducting potion experiments just like her mother. She was a woman who liked staying up late, making crazy concoctions.
"My name is Alexia. My mother is Nexia Lunecroft, witch of the Bloodless Night, Master of the Ravenhold Tower, and the most beautiful witch of the Goldwin region." she said with obvious pride.
"I'm also 7 this year and am already a junior potion master. I will one day be a better potioneer than my mother." Alexia added.
It was obvious this lovely daughter of his is just as proud and ambitious as he remembered her mother to be. It seems these 2 daughters had personalities unlike his, but that is fine. He fell in love with their mothers, who had the same personality as them.
Rowan looked at the boy with gray eyes and black hair. He was taller than his sisters by a bit but had a thinner build than they did.
"Your mother is Lina Gray, right? Go ahead." he said to the boy.
"I'm Alex. My mother is Lina Gray. An accounting employee at a food retailer. I'm 6 years old and was learning accounting with my mother and grandmother."
Alex had a very calm and reserved demeanor and had a look in his eyes that told him that the boy was mentally exhausted. He can't tell why such a young man seemed to have such dead eyes with very low spirit but he has time to figure that out.
Rowan remembered that Alex's mother should indeed be an accountant at a food trading company. She was the most normal woman he had met but there was indeed something strange about her. Just like her son, her eyes held an invisible pressure. Some weight was weighing down on them. She never shared where that look came from. She would always find a way not to talk about it.
Next was the other boy. "Yue Ling's son?" he asked while looking at the energetic kid with brown hair and eyes.
"Yes Father!" the kid saluted Rowan in normal military style while putting on a big smile.
"Darius Blacksun, 6 years old, reporting for duty! Mother hopes you can train me into a capable fighter just like yourself!"
Darius saluted again and then sat right back down on his chair. Rowan froze for a moment and then sighed. It seems this kid's mother had also passed down her desire for strength. His radiating energy as he fiddled around in his chair was reminiscent of her. That woman would always ask to spar with him whenever she could.
"Later, kid. You'll have to train your physique a bit more first." Rowan said this. He had to give a vague answer as he wasn't even sure if this kid of his inherited his or her talents.
"As you order father!" Darius spoke too formally. He would have to fix that. His mother came from a military family and is an officer herself. He doesn't want that kind of atmosphere at home.
Now it came down to the final child. A small, very small daughter with a very cute and chubby face. Her ruby eyes were glowing with curiosity as she looked around the table at her siblings. Her silvery white hair gleamed beautifully as the morning rays shone upon it.
This daughter of his looked the most unique as both her hair and eyes were not something found on most humans. She was also the most adorable looking out of all his children.
With all eyes drawing towards her, the girl put down the small cup she was drinking from and wiped her mouth with her pudgy hands.
"Ahh..." she let out a satisfied noise and then spoke.
"I am Lucia Sangre Von Blacksun. I'm 5. My mom is Cheryl Ichor Von Bloodsworth, heiress of the Bloodsworth Count family. A family of vampires."
Her tone was very cute as she pronounced her words very slowly and carefully. She was the youngest of the bunch, so she obviously had less time to develop speech. So it's fair that she takes her time.
But with that said, all the kids had introduced them, so it was Rowan's turn to return the favor.
"I am Rowan Amadeus Blacksun. A magic swordsman and the 3rd Commander of the Bluecrown Kingdom army. I'm now retired and live life as a farmer on this expansive land. I am your father and I love each of your mothers. I will do my best to give the same love to you."
That's all he could think of saying right now. He would do his best to know more about them and love them to the best of his abilities. The kids all had different reactions to his words. Some were cheerful while others stayed silent.
"Since you're all here now and probably going to be here for a long time, since I won't let your mothers take you guys from me. Them knocking me out with a sneak attack won't work ever again." he declared.
He really wasn't going to let them do that again. That was a one-time thing. He was sure Nexia had made some sort of crazy potions that they used to hide themselves and ambush him. He had already thought of some countermeasures. What hadn't he learned to counter during his years of war?
"This is your real home. Your father's home. The home where one day I'll drag your mothers back to. And then I'll keep them here with us. No matter the circumstance. That is my promise to you all!"
As a man of a traditional family, he was someone who deeply believed that the kids would benefit most from having both parents. Especially in this world where talents are usually copied straight from their parents. Having both parents to guide them both emotionally and mentally is very important.
Plus, seeing that he had kids had ignited a fiery passion that he had been hiding away for the last 5 years. When Lucia's mother Cheryll, had been the 5th lady to leave him, he had given up almost all hope of having a full family. But now, things were different. He would spare no effort to drag those ladies back to him.
He would take out every trick in his experienced heart and toss them at them. A little bit of strong-arming would be used to. Those women are just too stubborn. Though he does like that right of theirs.
His words this time really made all the kids react strongly as they stared at their father with surprise. They had never seen someone with this much conviction.
Rowan didn't even realise how much resolve his face was showing at this moment, with veins popping on his clenched fists and arms. His face was slightly distorted and his eyes had a hidden blaze.
The kids were feeling lost too as it hadn't been a full day and they already missed their mothers. They had spent every waking day of their short lives with their mothers. Being tossed at a man, though seemingly their father and a very good man, they still had their doubts.
No matter how much their mothers had praised Rowan, it was just words. Now seeing the man in person and seeing the clear love he has in a short time, they had a strong feeling. A strong feeling that this man would truly bring back their mothers.
"Daddy! Beat up mother and show her you're the best!" Lily egged him on as she raised her fist again.
She had to support her dad. She wanted her mother to continue her journey with swords, but her dad is a magic swordsman. Surely learning from him would be best. And she really wanted to hug her mother again.
Darius slammed his hand on the table. "Father, you must devise a strategy! My mother is a master tactician in the field! We must outmaneuver her!" The boy's military upbringing was showing, his eyes blazing with the same competitive fire his mother always carried.
Alexia, the witch's daughter, remained quiet, but her blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Mother is brilliant and always has a contingency. You'll need something unexpected, Father. A direct confrontation will lead to a stalemate, or worse, a very colorful explosion." She looked down at her hands, as if recalling one of her mother's more volatile experiments.
Alex, the accountant's son, rubbed his tired eyes. "My mother should be your first target. I don't believe she has much fighting skills and her schedule never changes. My grandparents also want to see her married."
Lucia, the youngest, just quietly sipped water from her cup. Her ruby eyes stared at her father, wide and trusting. "Mommy is very fast," she said simply, her small voice cutting through the intensity. "She can disappear and reappear anywhere. Don't let her bite you."
Rowan listened to all of them, the diverse collection of advice a perfect reflection of the women he had loved...and who had abandoned him. He leaned back in his chair and laughed, a deep, hearty sound that surprised the children.
"You kids are all brilliant," he said, a genuine smile returning to his face. "You've given me the perfect idea. I have to admit, being around you cute little schemers, even if your moms use cheap tricks, they can't beat a well prepared me." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It seems my years of being retired from the battlefield have made me complacent."
He pushed himself up from the table, his muscular frame stretching. "Well, that ends now. This is no longer a farm; it's where we plan our attack. Our very own fortress, and I'm activating every defensive measure I put in place when I first built this house with my own hands."
He walked over to a heavy wooden chest near the stone hearth. He pressed a specific knot in the wood, and a faint blue glow spread across the floor. Almost instantly, the heavy silence of the house was broken by a low, powerful hum.
"I have protective wards around the estate that are fueled by the mana veins under this land," Rowan explained, looking over his shoulder at the children. "They are primarily meant to keep out the creatures that wander the forests, but they also act as a dampener to unauthorized magic. Nexia's potions will be weak, and Cheryll's speed will be cut in half."
He then pulled out a large, worn map from the chest and laid it across the table, smoothing the creases. It was a detailed drawing of his entire land.
"To attack your mothers, I'm going to need the best resources one can get." Rowan pointed to the golden wheat fields on the map. "All my crops are shielded by a growth-accelerating enchantment. It's how I will stock up on resources to fight a protracted war."
He looked at Lilly, whose eyes were fixed on the strawberry bushes on the map. "And Artemis... my Artemis. She relies on her raw skill and speed with a blade. She knows my sword skills better than anyone." He tapped the table with a thoughtful expression. "So, I won't fight her in the fields. I'll fight her where her skills are least effective, and mine are strongest."
"Where is that, Father?" Darius asked, leaning excitedly.
Rowan grinned, a wolfish, battle-ready expression. "The kitchen. It's the place for a proper battle. I don't want a sword fight. My tools of war will be heat, water, kitchen objects... and food. It's my territory. I will fight the war on my own terms. I will attack their stomachs. Now children, who wants to help me pick what dishes to conquer your mothers with?"
It was at this moment that the children and a father who had been abandoned by the cruel mothers/wives had begun a dastardly plan. They were going to capture their mothers by luring them in and keeping them here via their stomachs.