As the demon wolf howled, the surface underneath made a huge crack. The echo forced the kids to cover their ears, but the butler didn't step aback. Instead, he's excited and ready for the fight. He adjusted his gloves on his hands tightly, and he clicked his neck from left to right whilst showing a fearless sight at his enemy. He stretched his arms and bent his body with delight.
"Greetings, you demon pedo. Congratulations on being selected by my Don. Be honor, okay. My superior wants you dead, and this is the only thing I want to tell you for this moment," he greeted, a royal bow without any bloodlust. "Before you say goodbye to this world, let me introduce myself to you. The current head butler and the unreplaceable Consigliere, and the sole right-hand of the great supreme leader of our clan, Justin. Just Justin, capiche. Remember this name and don't be ashamed. I'll ensure your life won't be in vain. Now that I'm done. C'mon little puppy, let's have a little walk, shall we?" he challenged after he introduced himself, inviting the creature to come and get him.
The veins of the demon wolf popped out from its forehead. It howled out loud before it turned its gaze at its target. Its fangs improperly grew bigger than before, a size of a long spear with poisonous saliva, and its whole body began to produce an intimidating aura that the surface began to collapse and crack as it took a single step forward.
In one blink of their eyes, the beast disappeared and suddenly, Justin got thrown away from his position, three meters away. Then, four to five consecutive bites, and a strike of claws from left to right was followed.
Desperate and Frustrated.
The beast used its claw as a bluff to create an opening to his defense. It simpered when it ate him a whole thereafter. But the person who was supposed to be in his stomach was laughing on the side and he gave it a flick to its forehead when it turned around.
The monster realized that it ate his after-image, and it concluded that the person he's facing was a mage. But its will to fight hadn't disappeared and it closed its eyes to analyze and study his movements one by one.
"Oh, you're trying to do what a pro should do, huh. Brilliant," complimented Justin as he cracked his fingers one by one again.
He rushed forward to the beast and disappeared. However, it sensed his presence behind its back and used its tail to strike him so hard. Luckily, his high flexibility and presence of mind dodged it by bending his body in ninety degrees before it reached him.
When it turned around to give him a poisonous blow from its mouth, a heavy uppercut hit its chin, sending the angry beast up the air for three hundred sixty degrees spin. The demon beast fell in the ground like a wimp, and the butler mockingly compared itself to a blimp.
"Oh my, you've got hurt so much? I'm just warming up and gave you a light touch. C'mon, C'mon. Give me some hype already, you filthy scum," Justin bantered, happily.
The beast was infuriated and it rushed towards him faster than a railway train at its maximum speed.
A huge cloud of black shadows appeared in the air and it encircled the creature in pairs. The clouds steadily transformed after the summoner's shape but it was smaller than the original. Four medium-sized demon kin formed and lined up with a mocking grin. The Alpha beast ordered its minions to attack the butler simultaneously.
They obediently followed its first command and rushed like hell to their target thereof.
The butler galvanized and bravely faced his opponents albeit he was alone, outnumbered and poorly equipped with only a short sword hanging on his left waist. The beast's minions onslaught his body but it didn't leave a mark so badly. One of them tried to bite his head, but its teeth broke into pieces, so the butler mumbled a proponent. He grabbed the neck of the toothless and threw its body towards its buddies. They tried to split but their bodies quickly got hit.
"Is that all? Boring after all," he cackled as he combed his hair back, "It's boring to the point I'll puke. Time to finish before somethin' fluke," he gravely declared.
A black shadow underneath of their feet swallowed their breath. The Alpha, surprised, lowered its tail when it witnessed their instant death.
But the Alpha courageously summoned more than a dozen. But in one cast of [Dark Cummonue] from Justin, his special and powerful tier spell buzzed in. The minion's personal shadows swallowed their origins and dragged them all into hell. It gave the butler a deep pleasure while watching the suffering of the poor creatures that were trying to escape from his spell. The Alpha, on the other hand, was starting to rethink its next move, trembling in fear as it witnessed the gruesome death of its frontier.
"Hoho, is that all? Are you telling me those puppets of yours worth scratching me? C'mon, you should summon a thousand. No… more than a million of them if you want to defeat me," said Justin, promptly burst into laughter as he stepped onward towards the demon wolf. Cracking his neck from left to right with a dark face, his vicious voice gave the monster another fear.
The demon wolf started to step back when it finally sensed his huge mana flowing around his body. For such a long time, it had never seen anything like him. It started to doubt if he's a mere human or not. But one word accepted, that this person was extremely dangerous and couldn't be defeated alone. Hence, it opted to escape from the upcoming death. But Justin knew its plan, showing his crescent moon smile.
"Hoho, you're deciding to withdraw now? Do you truly think I would let you do that? Well, it's normal. For the puppy, I mean a weak-hearted cockroach-like you should wave its tail down beforehand. You should've done that before when you've still time. Too bad, it's already too late," he said, tapped his sword holster, "I was planning to use this one but looking at your despicable face, you're not worthy," he added.
The gust of wind blew loud and the surface quaked as the butler showing his inner mana. The demon wolf rethought for a new strategy to prevent its death. Rolling its eyes to find an escape route, it saw the kids behind the rock. The filthy creature smirked when it saw an opportunity. It disappeared in the butler's sight and rushed its body to the twins.
"Oh shit," Justin snapped his fingers and a carpet size of shadow sticks appeared on the ground to stop the beast, but even it hit its limbs, it failed to kill it. It's determined to kill the children as if it was its last purpose before it met its end.
"Graaaarwh!"
The time slowed down as the demon beast jumped for five meters with an open mouth. The twins embraced each other tightly and closed their eyes.
The beast was almost one meter away from its primary targets before someone entered the battlefield full of guts.
"Ah, crap, no, you don't," a familiar voice declared, gravely.
One-click of the submachine gun, several bullets hit the creature's face. The impact pushed the beast further back.
A young man wore a merchant outfit with a mask covered his face. He's carrying a black Tommy gun in his hands and four light-weight copper rectangular magazines hung around his waist. He quickly changed his magazine from empty to a new one, reloaded his gun, and shot the monster in his position where hundreds of bullet shells fell.
The beast's body turned impaired, and its half-cheek where the bullets hit directly showed its inner flesh such as its tongue and teeth from the left side.
The young lad clicked his tongue after he saw its eyes.
Who was he? It was none other than the young Don of the small time business organization. Hermes Archnemesis was the name of the kid. He shot the beast without remorse until he's out of bullets.
Just to be so sure, Hermes changed his magazine again. He moved closer to the struggling monster and shot its feet, cutting it into pieces like Spanish bread one by one. The beast cried out loud as a dog got bullied by a bad owner, begging for mercy.
"A filthy dog needs to learn a lesson. This monster must learn whose supreme race in the world's system. To think it has some guts to kill these harmless children, it's very disappointing. You prove to me that you don't deserve to live any further," he enunciated, reloading once again. The system he was referring to was the ecosystem.
Hermes locked his eyes and aimed his gun at the target, lips pursed. But Justin held the barrel, stopping him from killing it. Despite the fact that his master interfered, he quickly moved his way to stop him.
"Boss, let me do it. It's the servant's duty to finish the dirty job," his butler insisted but his request was quickly rejected. "Move away," Hermes pushed him away and shot the decapitated beast once again.
'Wicked, so wicked. My Don is totally a savage child. I thought he's changed but his hunger for murder is still there. This Justin here is so proud,' Justin commented.
He placed a hand on his chest and heaved a sigh of relief.
"What would you do next to that creature?" his servant asked after the young Don emptied the third magazine, slowly step forward three steps ahead of him. "Reading its vitals, I can tell it won't last any longer. It is completely defeated. Be honest to me, are you capable to kill that creature?" Justin's ears twitched in excitement when he asked about it, and he couldn't hide this feeling of being honored to see the growth of his master, and his devotion increased twice again when he personally witnessed that his master took an action. He had never seen someone capable of doing that on his age.
In reality, fifteen-year-old children won't even have the courage to face the reality of life, and they would push the problem to others when they didn't know what to do thereof. They were still children that needed the consent of their parents and guardian. This was why he's asking this question, he knew it would only traumatize him so much.
"Capable? You're ridiculous. There's no need for requirements. Only fools with immature mental health won't even tend to make a move to kill this monster though. Please do mind that when the person's interest is at risk, he would do everything to protect it at all cost. Whether you're an old, newbie, veteran, or a child like me, your body will automatically make a move to this extent," Hermes abruptly responded, stomping the monster thrice directly to its bleeding stomach.
"So, what're you going to do with these insects, victim of traumatizing event? We've already saved them though. But I'm very sure that those useless and uneducated commoners won't understand your generous contribution. What would be the public think about this event anyway?" asked Justin. "I read a book about this matter, Justin. There's a saying, generous men do not create victims, they nurture victims. Still, this creature was a broken stone. It was not a human life. The most glorious battles in history have those with the biggest number of dead. As if we pay tribute to death and not to life. People out there are not that dumb about this matter. Saving their fellow villagers will do no harm to us," Hermes guaranteed.
"I see, so you're planning to ― I get it. I understand now, my Don," said Justin, pressing a hand on his chest in respect. He moved aside and watched from behind.
Hermes hanged his gun behind his back and approached the kids. Despite his genuine intention, the children pushed him away.
"Why you little piece of shit. Show some respect," Justin demanded. His eyes shook, nostrils dilated. The young Don stopped him before he made a move, telling him to stay in his position. He saw the children's moist eyes were looking at the monster's body.
"I see, you're still scared of this monster. Then, let me end it properly. Justin, come here," called Hermes, pointing his gun at the monster. "Yes, my Don," Justin responded.
"Can you use a soundproof barrier?" Hermes asked, pointing at the children's spot. "Yes, sir. I can do it," Justin answered.
The butler cast a barrier around the children instantly. The twins panicked when they got imprisoned.
"Now then, I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men," Hermes aimed at the head, he saw it struggle and its eyes shed in tears from pain. "You won't achieve your dream without getting your hands dirty. Nice to meet ya, doggy. My name is Hermes Archnemesis. The person who murders you in this world. I'm thankful that at this moment, I will experience to kill something like you. Be honor, you're my first victim. So don't forget it in the afterlife. Yes, it's unfair and I can see through your eyes the despair. But that's how mafia works so you don't have a choice, jerk," he attested as he brutally landed its body with bullets. The head shattered into pieces, blood lay scattered on the ground and the organs on its lower body exploded like a squashed watermelon.
The demon beast's heart dropped from its ribs followed by its intestine and another internal organ. Its eyes were craving its final sight to its murderer before him. When he hit the brain, it exploded into pieces and a small portion of its blood hit his mask. Justin quickly moved closer and wiped his mask before it dripped.
The bullets stopped coming out from the barrel, a small smoke was the last scene when he shouldered it over his apparel. The scarlet-raged sight disappeared and completely went zinc white. The previous hunter, who hunted its prey, passed away.
"Justin, clean up the mess and remove the barrier now," Hermes commanded. "Affirmative, sir," Justin followed.
The barrier around the children disappeared and a dark magic circle surrounded the corpse of the monster.
Hermes peeked at his sleeve which tainted with the monster's blood, and he bit his lower lips to prevent himself to puke. Then, he moved back to the vehicle without saying a word.
He returned the submachine gun and the remaining magazines inside the crate under his backseat. Then, he removed his mask thereafter, a river of sweat dripped down from his reddish face.
'What the hell? I'm faintly embarrassed. Those words come out of my mouth and I couldn't stop to face out. The flask of blood dripped so long from my mask. Bluffing is a must. Thank goodness, Justin came to remove it which makes me sniff better. I keep my cool for much longer,' he thought.
"My Don, may I?" asked Justin, pointing his clothes to be cleaned up. "Proceed," Hermes permitted.
The butler cast the [Clean] and [Neat] at the same time. All of the stains of blood and dust got removed simultaneously. It was like the clothes were new again.
"Amazing," the only word interpreted by the twins who were watching from the side.
Hermes went to check again the children and greeted them. The kids, on the other hand, ignored him.
'Oof, that's really a bad call. I'm very sure. This battle might be traumatized them inside their mind and body,' he simpered.
The young Don's eyes turned at the corpse.
He witnessed how the dark shadow which from Justin swallowed it as a whole, and the rest of its parts like its feet vaporized gradually like a bubble. But the children, scared and hopeless, petrified when he gave a glance, although, he had saved them earlier.
"My Don, all of the evidence has been cleared. Now then, what will you do to the little peasants? Do you want me to purge them or enslave them like an ant?" asked Justin, gravely looked at the children with bloodlust.
His threatening words made the twins flinch and fright by his fierceness sight.
"No, stop it. Neither purge nor enslavement is the right answer for this. We're not here to commit such an impeccable crime for both," said Hermes. "But, my Don. They witness how mighty you are. Peasants like them should be eliminated," Justin affirmed.
"Shut your mouth or I will be smack your throat. Don't tell me what to do, capiche," Hermes determined, explicitly. "Forgive me, sir," replied Justin, pressing a hand on his chest in respect.
"If you insist, then I won't say a word. But, let me tell it straight. If they should do a dull and muddled move and should say something reprehensible words to you, trust me, I will forget they are children, my Don. This is one of my oaths. I won't tolerate anyone who dares to disrespect you. I mean it," Justin openly declared. "Copy," Hermes nodded.
'Shit, this guy is bad news,' Hermes commented with cold sweat.
He approached the twins with his hands raised up. This occasionally worked on his world to approach the children. His method failed to gain their trust, however. It only made the kids in quiescence.
'Am I that scary to make them feel like that? Seriously, they're making me feel bad.' He thought.
"Hey, hey, hey, kids. This young masked man is a friend." He stepped forward for two steps. "I know we just meet each other today, but I don't mean no harm, okay. Oh, please don't show me that kind of face, your sights are showing a block of cold ice. That's not good for children like you," Hermes appealed.
As he approached them, he saw the girl's knee, bleeding. He quickly approached her without thinking and offered her a bandage.
"Are you alright? Please bear this," Hermes concerned, applying a basic medical treatment to the little girl. "Don't touch my sister!" the twin brother chided. He pushed him away from them.
"Wait, let me help her," Hermes pleaded. "Shut it!" the twin brother chastised.
He picked up a tiny rock and throw it directly at him.
Hermes stood up quickly whilst covering his face. The rock hit his right hand and left a scratch.
'Shit, this is bad,' Hermes said inside his mind.
He quickly hid the bleed from his servant.
"D, Don't come any closer or I will throw this rock to you again," the twin brother warned with moist eyes, hands and lips trembled.
"Oh, you've got some guts to hurt me, boy. Do you want me to reply in the same way, you mutt," asked Hermes with a terrifying voice. But it was already contradicted to his inner voice, "Wait wait wait, hold it right there. I'm friendly you know."
"You're showing your true colors. July, we must not befall to his lies. That guy's mask is showing an imperative aura and it's scarier than the beast," the boy said.
"Haha, you mean this," Hermes chuckled as he pointed his mask. "Oh my, so you hit me just for that reason? You're kidding me. What a silly interpretation. If you think I look so scary then why I'm approaching you so friendly? This mask... It's for my own safety. There's a lot of different reasons for a man to wear this kind of stuff on his face though. I can't believe this is how you treat your savior after all we've done so far. How disappointing. The people of the village have no shame," he said. He placed a hand on his forehead and heaved a disappointing sigh. "S, shut up, my father and the others are not like that," the little boy defended.
"Oh, really, boy. Right now, you're disrespecting the person who saved your asses. Is this how you show your gratitude and respect, hmm? Have a shame, will ya," Hermes condemned. "My father taught us a proper manner. Stop ridiculing our people. The villagers are not —D, Don't get too close to us, sir!" the little boy panicked after he saw the butler moved in front of them.
Hermes's eyes opened wide and flinched. In one blink of an eye, his butler appeared behind their back and grabbed their throats.
The children resisted from his grip, but they're no match against his strength.
"Hooo, this is the payment for our service we have done for you," the butler slowly rolled his pointing index from their throat, "Hey you little cubs, did your parents taught you how to say 'thank you' to the person who saved your lives? And, how to treat a supreme being in front of you? You guys are the son of bitches that has no manners after all. Hey, boy, I didn't like your tone and how to reluctantly deny his kindness earlier. I let you guys slide before, but your disrespectful act cannot be ignored. Prepare to meet the beast in hell, good die."
"Halt!" Hermes ordered. Then, he grabbed his arm to stop him.
"No boss, they should learn how to show some respect to you. I should teach them a lesson, they would surely never forget," Justin held the hands of the twins, they resisted to release themselves from his grip.
"Please don't hurt my twin sister, we apologize. Please, please don't hurt her," the twin brother begged, crying.
"Please don't hurt my twin brother too, we apologize. We're so sorry. Please, we don't mean any disrespect. My brother will take back what he said, so please have mercy on us. Please release us," the twin sister whimpered.
"Hooo, now you're talking? But even you beg for your lives to be spared, I will still break your arms like a boiled egg," Justin ribbed, began to tighten his grip.
"Justin, I order you to halt!" Hermes demanded. "But boss, with all due respect, I cannot ignore arrogance. This is an act of treason and disrespect to your authority, my Don. These scums ruined not only your skin but disrespect your existence. I can't help but to do the right thing," Justin insisted.
"Justin, listen here. I order you to halt not once but two times this time. Are you planning to revolt? What kind of servant are you?" Hermes blustered, tightly held his butler's hand. The butler's face dropped a sweat in fright. It was the first time his master confronted his action with such an offensive sight. "A, As you wish, boss," he gave in. He released the pitiful children on the ground.
The twins took a breath whilst rubbing the painful part of their throat.
Hermes rushed in and scanned their condition. The little boy regretted his action earlier, and he lowered his head to apologize.
Although the young Don looked like a monster and ridiculed their people earlier, he was more or else much better than his servant.
"We're so sorry, mister. My twin brother didn't intend to hurt you. He, he just wants to protect me. W, We admit our mistakes," the little girl apologized.
"Me too. I apologize for hitting you, I-I, I'm so sorry," the little boy maintained his position as he addressed it, lips protruded.
Hermes simpered and felt relief. He petted their heads as their reward.
"It's fine. Don't bother about it. It's my fault for wearing this thing in my face. Forgive me for saying sneering remarks of your fellow villagers. I don't mean any disrespect at all. I know you guys are scared because of this mask, but please, next time don't throw a rock at the person who saved your lives, okay?" he cajoled. "Yes, sir," the twins nodded as they were convinced.
Justin clicked his tongue, snarling.
He wanted to kill the children, but he couldn't. He loathed them too much.
'Be thankful that my Don is here, insects. Be grateful,' he said inside his mind.
"W, who are you, mister?" the little asked, sincerely.
Hermes scratched his cheeks as he analyzed first what he needed to say.
"Little girl, I'm just nobody but a small-time businessman," he said, calmly.
"W, where are you from?" the little boy inquired. "I came from Southern Cimeria Continent. It is located in the south of Italia, west of Algeria, and the only way to cross there is through the passageway of Tunisia," he answered.
"Ooh," both of the children marveled.
"Alright, here take this bandage and cover your wounds. I'm so sorry again for what just happened earlier. He was just doing his job as my butler," said Hermes. "N, N, No, it's fine, mister," the twins replied in unison.
All of the information he stated earlier was just a made-up. If he revealed himself, he wondered what would happen next if the villagers found out that he saved them both? Will he be rewarded or his body will be hanged regardless of his action provided? The answer was uncertain. Therefore, hiding his identity was a must.
"By the way, can you explain to me why a demon beast chased you guys?" Hermes quizzed. "Oh, my twin sister and I are just on our way from Seerside garden to our home when suddenly, the beast came out of nowhere and tried to eat us. We tried to run away but its determination to kill us is too strong. Mister mask man, we thank you for saving us. Thank you very much," the little boy answered.
He bowed his head in gratitude.
'I see…' Hermes grinned.
"I'm Aljen the merchant. And you guys are?" he inquired. "M, my name is Troy Camelia and this is my little twin sister, July Camelia. Twin children of Village Chief of Neue Fiona. P, please to meet you, Mr. Aljen," said Troy with a stumble tone.
"N, nice to meet you, Mr. Aljen," July seconded.
"The man behind us is my personal devotee. I mean, a butler. His name is Justin," Hermes pointed his thumb at his servant who wasn't happy to be introduced to the children.
'C'mon just say something like hello. Nothing will be lost if you try to. Just play along, will ya. It is not bad for your health, you know.' Hermes ordered.
Reading his gesture, Justin reluctantly refused.
'C'mon Justin. That's an order,' Hermes insisted.
Justin clicked his tongue and gave in. He placed a hand on his left chest and lowered his head towards them without saying a word. The twins replied with a smile but instead of being happy, his face turned blue, arching one eyebrow.
"T, That's my butler. You see guys, he is a good man after all," Hermes commented with cold sweat.
"Yeah, he is a good man and gentleman," the twins said in unison. But the butler's condition became worse than he expected when he heard the word "good". He excused himself before he puke.
"Oh, right. How about you join us for a ride? It's free." Hermes offered. "Y, Yes," July gladly accepted.
"Is it okay for us to enter your car?" asked Troy, worryingly. "Yep, it's okay," Hermes guaranteed.
"O, Our body and clothes are full of muds and sweat. Father always reminded me that we should mind the opinion of the people who are offering us something before we made a decision," Troy explained. "Don't mind that. As I said, it's fine," Hermes chortled.
"But, but, we can't accept it. We're going to ruin it," said Troy. "Okay, fine. If you're that anxious about your odor and appearance then, I have no other choice but to ask his help. Justin," Hermes called. "Yes, master. What can I do for you?" Justin appeared on his side. "Use the spell that you used earlier to me. No question to ask, just do it," Hermes commanded, pointing his index at the children.
Justin obediently followed without saying a word.
With the use of the spell, all of the stains of mud and sweat from their clothes were removed instantly. The children's eyes sparkled in surprise.
"T, T, Thank you very much," the twins gladly thanked the young Don and his butler.
"Kids, leave the basket. Let my butler carry it. Justin, take those baskets on the trunk whilst I will handle the guest," Hermes ordered. "Yes, master," replied Justin. He disappeared on his side and he instantly appeared next to the baskets. He carried it with one hand and brought it to the trunk.
After a few minutes, he approached his boss and began to speak.
"My Don, seriously, what are you planning?" Justin worried. "Just go in the flow, for now, Justin," Hermes replied.
'Okay, sir,' Justin nodded.
"Yehey, a car. It's really a real car!" Troy rejoiced as he enjoyed the smooth, comfortable, and fluffy feature of the back seat whilst his twin sister was worried about what should do inside. But her face couldn't hide her delight to get a chance to ride the vehicle.