At exactly four in the morning, Hermes got out of his bed and began to pack his things for his escort mission.
As he went down the stairs, he saw his butler was talking to someone via telephone. For some reason, his butler quickly hung up the phone when he saw him in a distance. This reaction made the young Don feel something suspicious.
"Who are you talkin' to earlier?" he asked, gravely.
Justin explicitly replied, "It's our associate from the organization."
Hermes rubbed his jaw with a sharp gaze, "Hmm? From our organization or from the other company?"
"From other company, my Don," his butler answered.
Hermes turned around and he gaped, "Nevermind. I thought it was something serious."
Justin chuckled, "Oh, yes. There's nothin' to worry about, my Don. They are friendly, of course."
The young Don noticed something from his face. He looked very nervous when he said it.
"Is somethin' wrong, Justin?" he asked.
His butler quickly asserted, "I'm okay, boss."
"You look so intense. Relax, Justin. But to be frank, you're acting pretty weird lately. Is there anything I could do to help you with?" the young Don incredulously queried. With this question, Justin assured, "Oh, please. You're making me blush. This Justin here is very pleased. Honestly, there's nothing wrong, my Don. I'm truly fine. Everything is alright."
Despite Hermes nonchalantly quizzed him for information, his butler reluctantly changed the topic which put him too dubious.
Hermes' character had an ability to sense some sort of wariness and mistrust level of affinity increased to his surroundings, especially to his own people, before something terrible could happen, and for an apparent reason, he suspected that his butler's strange act was very questionable.
He didn't know whether he should trust his word or doubt it, however.
The butler realized that the young Don was thinking too deep, so he began to think of a possible way to escape.
"I will prepare the car now, sir. We'll be late if we don't make haste," his butler excused himself to run away, of course.
'Suspicious,' Hermes thought.
The young Don's outfit was a white shirt covered by his silky-made green leather jacket. He's also wearing a tophat that usually used by colonists for exploration and his lower body wore gray pants and black boots. But to be precise, the design of his clothes were suitable for hunting.
"Everything is ready, my Don," his butler lowered his head, opening the door for him.
The young Don nodded and he entered the backseat.
Their destination was the Camelia house. The mission was simple and not that very difficult. It was a secondary side quest to improve his relationship with the Camelia Household.
"Keep your eyes peeled, Justin. We don't know when and where the people from the Visigoth cult will attack," Hermes reminded, gazing at the plain ground of the environment through the window.
His butler peeked at the front mirror and he assured, "There's nothin' to worry about, my Don. The cultist won't do any harm as long as I am here."
Hermes clicked his tongue
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Focus on the road, moron," said the young Don with a disappointing tone.
His butler slightly smiled at his sarcastic reminder.
"My Don, what do you bring for the mission?" asked Justin.
The young Don replied, "A thirty-eight caliber pistol, four boxes of its bullets, a pack of sandwich that I made personally, food and water, and a map of the Dark Scily Forest."
The butler asked, "Is that all?"
Hermes answered, "Oh, I have some candies too."
Justin became unstable when he heard the word, 'candies.'
The atmosphere inside the car froze for a few seconds.
"Let me guess, for the commoners?" His butler's eyes turned crinkled.
The young Don clicked his tongue and he corrected, "Oi, oi, there are not just simple commoners. They are the children of our client. Show some respect, will yah."
The butler heaved a sigh when he said it. He changed the gear from one to two before he responded.
"But sir, let me remind you. That man. That man is a terrible person. He's not a simple guy. My guts kept telling me to be wary of that dimwit. As far as I know, he's not even worthy of our praise and honor," he explained, abruptly.
The young Don folded his arms across his chest and crossed his legs, "Ah, shut it. You don't know anything about him."
"Oh, no, no, no, my Don. I know everything about that person, and I have plenty of evidence to support my case against that man," his butler countered.
"And, in what basis?" the young Don asked.
His butler disputed, "He's a son of a bitch. He is planning a coup against us, though."
Hermes rubbed his neck when he noticed his face fuming.
He sighed and tapped his shoulder.
"You really hate him, aren't you? I know he's a commoner, but isn't that too exaggerate?" he chuckled.
"Oh, no, no, no. Let me correct you, sir. I don't hate him that much. Please, this ain't a laughing matter. This is a very serious topic. Yep, it's not that I hate him because of his status, but because I don't like him too much because he's a troublemaker who is planning to rebel against you, boss," his butler bickered
'So, what's the difference with that, moron? It's the same.' Hermes said inside his mind.
The young Don clapped his hand once and he coughed twice before he talked.
"Alright, I won't trust him too much. He's a guy with a hidden agenda just like me. However, your distrust should be contained and keep hidden. Of course, from that man who are you referring to as an untrusted associate. Make no mistake, I just don't want to ruin my reputation and relationship with the other people backing him up," Hermes gravely assured.
They were almost two kilometers away from the location.
"Good thing you have great confidence in yourself. I just hope you won't forget that face in front of anyone else," Justin chatted after he recalled what he did last night.
"Of course, who do you think I am? I'm Hermes Archnemesis, though. Anyhow, what do you mean by that? Nevermind. Focus on the road, Justin. Make haste," he commanded.
Justin saluted, "Roger, boss."
Justin changed gear when he saw the meter started to crumble.
Hermes pressed his index finger to one's cheek and propping chin rested on his clenched fingers.
He quizzed, "Okay. There's something I want to know. Thankfully, I remember it. How's the prisoner last night?"With his question, his butler chuckled, "Well, he's fine ... for now."
'For now?' His eyebrow raised up.
The young Don asked, "Did you get some information from the guy?" His question only made his butler frowned, "Negative. I'm afraid to say that I didn't get anything from that man last night."
Hermes clicked his tongue with crinkled eyes.
"How disappointing," he muttered.
His butler apologized, "Forgive me, boss."
Hermes clarified, "Naah, forget about it. We'll squeeze him dry later. Nobody can endure the harsh treatment for that long. Anyhow, try to tag along for now with the chief, okay."
His butler nodded, "Copy. I will make sure to play along to his stupidity and absurdity."
"That's not what I want to hear, but whatever," he sighed.
The car entered the entrance gate with ease after the guards recognized their faces. They greeted them with respect and let them in without checking their identification card.
"Boss, are you really planning to go alone on this mission? I'm afraid, it's going to be dangerous," his butler worried.
The young Don confirmed, "Hmm, well, yeah."
"But, you'll be put in a difficult position to protect. How could I possibly guard you when I'm not even with you?" Justin frowned.
Hermes assured with thumb up, "Don't bother. No matter what happened, I can protect myself."
'That's because I have slime.' he affirmed inside his mind.
The slime seconded, "Master is right."
"Shut it, slime," the young Don demanded, angrily.
His butler was surprised by this word.
"What? What do you say, boss? Me, a slime? A slime now, huh. Man, you're getting better for being sadistic," he fretted.
Hermes pointed his index finger at his face.
"Forget about it. Shut your fuckin' mouth. Forget about what I say."
His butler nodded, "Copy, sir."
Hermes's body shivered when they were almost near to their destination. His suspicions increased when he realized that his butler looked too happy for some reason.
"Justin, are you hiding somethin' from me?" he asked for the second time.
His butler chuckled with cold sweat, and he replied, "No, no, you're wrong, my Don. I'm not hiding anything."
"Bullshit, I never saw your face like that before."
The butler shook his head and he defended himself.
"Hmm? How? Am I that suspected to be too suspicious? But to be honest, I'm telling the truth, boss. I ain't hiding something from you. Please trust me."
Hermes kicked the back of his butler's seat.
"Keep your poker face out of my sight. You're really hiding something, aren't you?"
He pulled out the gun and pressed the barrel on his cheeks.
"Oh, no, my Don. This Justin here won't lie. I honestly told you the truth that I ain't hiding something. Oh, take a look at that. We're here."
Hermes clicked his tongue and he returned the gun inside his bag.
"Your face is telling the opposite. But whatever," he carried his thing behind his back. "I'm ready. Drop me closer to their house."
Justin wiped out the sweat from his face, and he sighed with relief thereafter. He handed a red rose to his boss' hand after he exited the car.
The young Don tilted his head on the side.
"What's this?" he asked with a confused face.
His butler lowered his head and hopped in.
"Don Hermes, I will leave right now. Have fun," he saluted and bid his farewell.
"W-W-W-Wait, Justin. What I want to know what's this thing for?" The young Don tried to follow the car, but he failed.
For some reason, Hermes sensed something terrible. His body trembled and he could hear terrifying music inside his mind.
"Oh, my God, he's here!" a familiar voice screamed when she saw him.
Hermes' eyes opened wide and his pupils trembled. His face turned blue slowly and his legs crumbled when he turned around to face the person who called audibly his name.
"W-Why the hell are you here?" the first word came out of his mouth.
The Priestess greeted him, "Hello, Sir. Aljen."
Her summer outfit shone like a diamond. It was made of silk and white pebbles that had an extreme power to deflect any hostile magical assault to her surrounding. On top of her head, a summer hat that suitable for jungle exploration covered her long platinum hair.
The moment the cold wind blew, her uncovered side of her hair followed like water. She tightly pressed her hand on the top of her hat to prevent it from getting removed.
She giggled when it happened.
Her reddish cheeks and smooth skin glowed as a beautiful angel emerged from heaven when she smiled directly at him. That her flashing gaze would captivate any man with a simple look, turning them into a fanatical creature and simps of the present generation.
That her chest tightly fit but with the help of her scarf, it covered her cleavage.
The brown sleepers covered her feet showered with fortification magic to protect her feet from crumbling, and a healing factor to remove any sign of distress and fatigue whenever she walked across the mud, rocky, grassy, and mountainous surface of the forest.
Every man of his generation would fall in love with her unrivaled beauty, with the exemption of the young Don. His past experience created resistance against her love affection.
His knowledge of the game about women, who were using their authority to abuse the boys' dignity, gave him an idea not to touch any girls in this era.
Hermes quickly wore his mask before she saw his face. He quickly turned his attention at the twins instead.
"Brother Aljen!" the twins waved their hands. Both of them were carrying a large basket behind their back.
The twins quickly hit his stomach with their faces, but it wasn't that hard and painful but a gentle embrace of the children of love. Thus, the young Don answered them with a hug because he loved their cute greetings.
The Priestess cried when she witnessed a genuine scene.
Hermes knelt down on one knee and he petted them, "Hey, how are you doing guys?"
On his right side was July Camelia, who had short lime hair and pale skin like the southern Italian girls from his former world. Her blue colletor outfit with a short skirt for hiking suit for her job, whilst on his left, the greenish curve hair boy named Troy Camelia wore a light brown peasant suit like a hunter in the adventure guild.
"Brother, brother, we're all happy to see you again," the little girl smiled with glee.
He poked her cheeks in return, "Oh, c'mon, July. This Aljen here is very pleased to see your happy face."
"Me, me, what about me, brother?" Troy insisted, grabbing his sleeves to get his attention.
He gave a gentle fist bumb for a greeting, "You little lad is very brave. You're growing like a fine man, Troy."
The little boy smiled with delight, "Hehe. Thank you."
Hermes petted their heads once again, "Alright. Are you guys already pack your things?" With his smile, the twins saluted in return, "Yes!"
Hermes determined, "Oh, that's great. Let's ignore the nuisance and head to our destination without worries. Let's go then."
The priestess waved her hands in disbelief, "Eh?"
The twins tilted their head on the side, cluelessly.
Hermes's sight got blocked after a black guy stopped him.
"What the fuck are you doing here too, Mambo?" he asked with an annoying tone.
"Umm, uh, Sir Aljen. What about the priestess?" he asked, pointing at his master.
"Oh, what about her? Good grief, I almost forgot. That is a tough question," he covered his face in disbelief.
Mambo pointed his nose to his master, "She's sulking."
"Ah shit. She's sulking now. Give me a break. I thought I had seen an illusion earlier. Jeez, for crying out loud. What are you people doing here, Mambo?" he asked, gravely.
Mambo showed him a piece of paper, "Sir Aljen, we've already received the same request from the chief. Here's the letter of request."
"Oh, fair enough." He raised his arm onward, "Let me take a look."
Mambo quickly pulled it back and hid it inside his chest pocket, and he said, "I'm afraid, it's unnecessary. Please forgive me but we need to keep it for safety reasons."
The young Don's left eyebrow raised up and his eyes turned crinkled.
"What? That's a little bit disappointing," he rubbed his neck.
"That geezer. Did he set me up?" he muttered aside that only he could hear.
Mambo noticed that he's looking at him with a doubtful gaze, so he made a certain reason for him to believe.
"Y-you don't know, sir?" he asked, bluntly.
As far as he went to that situation, he practically made sure to improve his acting skill for this moment. The priestess momentarily played along with his role.
Mambo added, "Oh, my. As far as I concern, the chief asked us first personally. To be honest, this is my first time to see that you're not well-informed about this moment. Joke aside, how about we work together as a team while taking care of the twins?"
'Goddamn it, stump G. Did you use your power to ruin me? Fuckin' great.' His world turned upside down one more time when he realized he's already facing a big crisis in his life.
"Ah, shit. Nevermind. Do what you want," he gave in. "Let's go, Mambo."
The black guy sincerely asked, "Sir, how about my master?"
"Brother, that girl is very sus," July hugged his left arm while pointing her index at the priestess. "July is scared. Did somethin' happened between the two of you, brother?" With her concerning question, the young Don adamantly denied, "No, no, no. You're wrong."
Hermes wanted to finish the task as soon as possible, so he made a big decision that he really hated the most.
"Hey, priestess," he called her.
The priestess' eyes shook in excitement when he did it, "Hmph?"
'What now? Don't look at me like that.' he asked himself inside his mind.
"Priestess."
"Hmph," she averted her attention to the other side.
"High priestess?"
"Hmph. Hmph." she shook her head and averted her face on the right.
He scratched his head and he said, "Venus?"
"Yes, Sir Aljen," her face full of spirit turned at him. Her reaction flinched him.
"You can come with us. Since you received the same mission, we better work together."
"Yehey!" she raised her hands, closed fist.
On their journey, he clarified to everyone that they should stick together as a group. No one should go alone and they must obediently follow the instructions of the party leader ― Hermes.
Of course, he got elected unanimously by everyone. Due to his realistic logic and charismatic appearance, they literally placed him in this position for respect. Not to mention, the priestess was totally in love with him, to the point she undeniably pushed the leadership to his side.
Hermes suggested, "I guess it can't be helped. Okay, people. There's somethin' I want to use this time. I hope no one will refuse this new protocol. What I want you all to do this time is ― We need a code for each other."
"A code?" everyone tilted their head to the side.
Troy raised his hand, and he innocently asked, "What's a code stands for?"
"Kids, it's a nickname. An alias."
"Cool~," the twins said in unison.
Hermes clasped his hands together and he proposed, "So, people, I want you to give me a specific idea what should we call to each other. Any volunteer?"
The priestess eagerly joined in and she raised her hand, "Oh, oh, me. Me. I got an idea."
"Go on, Ms. Aprodite," said Hermes.
"How about we used the family category as the basis for our alias?" she replied, calmly.
Hermes rubbed his jaw when she proposed it. He simplified it inside his mind. She might be referring to the codenames of the rankers in this game.
"Give me an example," he asked.
She delicately answered with a broad grin, "Here's the deal. I will call this little boy my son, and you, little lamb is my daughter. In other words, a mother of the twins at a young age. Kyaa, I love it."
The twins' eyes turned blank as they looked at her in that scene.
"G-g-good suggestion, so Mambo will play the part of the father now?" Hermes asked with cold sweat.
"It will be very suspicious. Mambo isn't my type and he's already past the age of a breeder."
"Okay, that's a little bit sarcastic. Sorry, Mambo. You'll play the part of the servant again."
"I, I don't mind at all," he wiped the tears from his eyes.
Priestess interjected with a determined face, "You, you will play the part of the father in this fake family, Sir Aljen. It's a good plan. How about I call you honey instead of your name?"
"Okay, here is the plan." He startled when he heard that from her, "W-w-wait, what the heck? W-why honey?" Hermes gulped.
The priestess corrected her statement earlier, "Oh, my bad. Honey is often used nowadays. How about darling?" With her proposal, she nonchalantly showed her affection too much. He pressed his forehead and he scolded her, "That's even worse than the first one. What the heck are you suggesting? We ain't going to use that."
"But you agreed that we will play as a family," she tilted her head to the other side.
Hermes sighed, "Venus, that's not the point. That's even a different category of family."
"I'm the mother, these twins will play as our children, so the vacant sit here is the father. Forget about Mambo. He's not that even important, " she declared.
Mambo frowned, "Gagh, milady. That's hurt."
She covered the eyes of the twins, "Ignore him, kids."
"Umm, why did we even jump to that?" Hermes questioned.
The priestess returned it with a question, "Why not?"
Troy simpered, "I don't know what's going on, but I think this is fun."
"Agree, " his twin sister seconded.
Hermes flicked her forehead when he approached her, and she covered it with a pouted face.
"Y'd know better than anyone of us that this is an escort mission. Our, I mean, my objective is very simple, High Priestess."
"Venus," she interjected.
"High Priestess."
"Venus," she corrected for the second time.
"Okay, Ms. Venus," he gave in.
"Just Venus."
"Alright, alright. Fine. Whatever. Okay, my objective is to escort these children in the forest."
"W-W-Weren't we supposed to go for a picnic or something romantic?" she dumbfoundedly spouted it.
'What?' Hermes's eyes turned sharp when she said something suspicious.
"Oh, shit. Milady." Mambo quickly closed his distance to his master, and he whispered to her ears, "Milady, we're supposed to play as an escort too."
"Ah, my bad." she covered her mouth when she realized her mistake. Her eyes opened wide when she saw her crush looked very angry at them.
"High Priestess Venus, what's that all about?" Hermes asked, gravely.
"Venus," she pouted her cheeks when she insisted to call her that.
Her reaction made the young Don agigated. He should be the one to get mad at all, but for no reason, she reversed the cycle.
"Pardon, Venus. Fine," he surrendered, "Okay, let's have a deal. I don't know what are your intentions for, but let me remind you that please, take this mission seriously. I hope you won't cause any trouble when we're inside the forest. You and your bodyguard, sorry Mambo, ―"
"― It's fine, sir."
Hermes continued, "Mambo will act as a guard since he's more compatible with the job than me. Not only that, he's going to watch for the children while they are doing their tasks. And, you."
She asked, "Yes?"
Hermes added, "You will come with me. I want you to stick close, I mean not closer than a lich. Keep your distance, Venus," he stopped her from jumping to cling his shoulder before she did.
Her face sulked, "I'm so sorry, Sir Aljen. Am I a bother?"
'Yes!' He didn't hesitate to answer inside his mind.
Hermes wanted to do the escort mission by himself to explore the forest privately. However, something terrible happened before his eyes. The high priestess and her bodyguard wanted to join the party with a common interest ― escorting the children inside the forest as a group.
"Don't worry about it," he gave her the rose which made her delighted, "Let's proceed to our destination now before lunch."