Inside the church's meeting room, Chief Zamor and Justin were sitting on the opposite side. Both of them were quiet and no one was willing to open up a single topic.
The butler arrived earlier than the original schedule, and the chief had been expecting this to happen.
Zamor Camelia's outfit was a brown leather suit and a black long sleeve inside of it.
He realized that the butler won't speak, so he decided to start the meeting.
"I know it's already too late for me to greet you, sir. So, please forgive me. Anyways, how's your boss?" he asked, smiling.
The butler clicked his tongue when he saw his face, smiling innocently.
"Oi, Zamor. You are taking advantage of my master's kindness, aren't you? I don't know what are you hiding from us, but I won't forgive you if something bad will happen to my master."
The chief shook his head and he replied, "Of course, not."
The butler put down the folder on his forearm, and he slid it over to the chief.
He removed the seal, and he pulled out a single paper from it.
"Is this the contract?" he asked with a wrinkled nose.
He slowly read the paragraph that was written on it.
Justin answered, "Yes. That's the contract. That means the favor you asked is now officially recognized as a legal request from you. Only you need to do is to sign it."
The chief blinked his eyes, and his mask was removed when he couldn't believe that he's serious about this. He's winking at him.
Impressed. He laughed thereof.
"Stop your bullshit gaze and laugh. You realize that both of us know exactly what I meant," he slammed the armrest and the sound made the chief bite his lower lips.
The chief simpered, "I'm sorry. I can't help but be impressed. To think you make a quick decision to create a formal contract just to make sure that anything that happened to your master would make me, the chief of this village, responsible for any accident or incidents. Say, why do you think I would do such a thing to your boss?"
Justin folded his arm across his chest, and he crossed his legs.
"I don't want to make this long. I want to end this meeting as quickly as possible."
The chief's eyes turned sharp and clasped together with his hands on his crossed legs.
"I'm sorry for delaying your job as a sole attendant of your master, but you haven't answered my question."
The butler looked at him with a tight-lipped smile.
"Enough of your bullshit. Tell me. Who's after your life?"
The chief's eyes opened wide, and he leaned back to his backrest because of the surprising question.
"I'm afraid, there's some misunderstanding here. There's no one tempting to hurt me."
He adamantly denied it, but the butler insisted.
"The boss accepted your request because he knew that you were in a terrible position right now. Do you think that Master Aljen would risk his life for you? No, you're fucking wrong."
The chief tilted his head to the side.
"Then, why do you think he accepted it?"
The butler pressed his index on his forehead, and he looked at him.
"What kind of stupid question is that? It's very simple. He's a man of his words. You already knew that. For all I know, someone like him is a good scapegoat for your crime."
Chief Zamor chuckled after he heard it.
"Crime? Pff, I don't think we should add up some terrible comments to represent my request at all."
Justin noticed he's avoiding the topic, so he answered bluntly, "Yes, a crime. I don't know what you did in this village, but I will find it out."
The chief held his hands tightly, and he took a deep breath before he responded.
"Mr. Justin, take it easy. You don't know what would happen if you stick your nose too far."
The butler simpered, "So, I'm right?"
The chief sighed, "Let's pretend we didn't talk about that. Let's skip it, please. I'm beggin' to you."
"Why are you afraid? Wait, don't tell me. Okay, fine. Whatever. I will accept it in one condition."
'I see, he's contracted as well,' his thoughts.
The chief''s expression turned serious, "I guess you finally noticed. Well, I will give you a hint. No one other than a high ranker can make me talk. That's all. Now, what is your condition?"
'I guess there's a possibility that there's a crucial point to make him talk.' Justin said inside his mind. 'Ah, I get it. Now, I know what I need to demand.'
Justin slid onward to the chief the second folder of his left forearm.
"I want you to tell everything to my boss. I understand that there's something you cannot be revealed to anyone. It is for the sake of your family, am I right?" Justin quizzed, calmly.
The chief gave in and he agreed, "What? He's an ordinary man. Unless he's not only a merchant of a small country."
Justin nodded, confirming his hypothesis.
"Good grief. You're a cunning man, Sir Justin. No wonder your master has never replaced you. I have no other choice. I, Zamor Camelia, head of the Camelia household. As of today, I will tell everything to Aljen the merchant once my kid's safety comes home. I swear to the Gaia, the goddess of the Neue Fiona Village that I adhere viable, liable, and claim the responsibility of any accident that would occur in his quest."
The butler simpered, "I guess, that settles things now. I don't know what should I do to ease the problem here. But let me rephrase the question then. Who's after the kid's life?"
The chief shook his head in wrinkled eyes, "I don't know yet."
"You don't know, huh. Pathetic," Justin wondered.
He hung his head in apology, "I'm sorry."
"What a shame. Why did you ask my master instead of your friends?" he queried.
The chief bluntly answered, "Very simple. I lost my trust. Honestly speaking, I don't know who should I trust the most."
"We are strangers, so why us?" his next question made him sigh.
The chief scratched his cheeks, and he revealed, "Because you guys are new and I know that strangers will do their own thing without getting caught behind the scenes."
"Fair enough. But I do remember that you have a henchman named Uber. Where's your friend, anyway?" asked Justin, sarcastically.
"He's in the village hall right now."
Justin added, "Why do you think he's untrustworthy for the task?"
He replied, "I don't know. It's complicated, to be honest. From my perspective, he's friendly and approachable, but for the time being, my point of view of him is starting to fade away. We've been known each other since our childhood days. But for the past few years, he's acting very dubious. But I don't want to mark him as a suspect of any crime. I just couldn't put my children on his protection."
Justin simpered, sarcastically, "Indeed. The second root is a dangerous organization and there's no doubt that there are some people working with them. There's sometimes the closest person in your life is the one who will stab you in the back. It's the most annoying and painful part for every family."
The chief nodded, "Indeed."
"Is your secretary trustworthy too?"
The butler grasped his hands tightly after he asked it. He's referring to Ilona, the secretary and the receptionist of the village hall.
The chief took for a few minutes to answer his question, and he only replied to him with a single word, "Maybe."
"Maybe? You need to take this seriously, Zamor. We don't know who the enemies are, and we are uncertain that your organization has a lot of holes from the start."
He scolded him, but the chief laughed it off.
"I'm sorry. I can't help it," he explained in a calm tone.
Justin's vein appeared, but he remembered what his boss told him to cooperate with him. He must obey it until the end.
He pressed his forehead and heaved a disappointing sigh, "Whatever. Forget about it. I have to go now. It's almost time."
He was about to leave the place, but the chief asked him something before he did, "Wait, are you sure we should stop here now?"
"Yes." He nodded, "My master has a lot of enemies too, so I have to be there at his side at all times. Not to mention, a wife candidate for my master also needs my help."
The chief giggled, "May I mind who might that person?"
"The priestess," he answered.
"W, wait, what?" the chief chuckled after he heard that.
Justin continued, "It's complicated. Right now, those people are together in the forest."
The chief blinked twice and his jaw dropped when he heard it. The butler told him that the priestess heard the conversation of the chief and his master outside of the church, so she decided to join in without his approval.
This aggressive action of the priestess impressed the chief too much. If she's really interested to be with her crush, she should just tell him everything. He would oblige to help her with her love life.
Justin excused himself and exited, leaving the chief alone in the room.
"Hello, Ylla," a familiar voice called her name.
She turned her gaze at the person, and she replied to her with a smile, "Hi, sis. Good morning."
The sis she's referring to was Daliah. The third district representative of the Neue Fiona Village, and the famous waitress of the Emorial Inn located in the central part of her territory.
Her blue eyes covered by her brown bangs that showed how beautiful she was. Her white Victorian guild waitress had a logo of their goddess on the left side, and her skin was smooth and silky.
Despite her weak appearance, she's a third-grade wind mage. She's powerful enough to protect herself.
"Good morning too. Anyway, I recently saw the chief together with the butler of Mr. Aljen. Do you have any idea why?" she tilted her head on the side.
Ylla scratched her cheeks, and she replied, "Eh, uh, they might be talking about the business-topic-whatsoever that is, I suppose."
"Oh, now that I think about it." She clasped together with her hands, and she mentioned, "Mr. Aljen asked me to dismantle the facilities that were formerly controlled by that gang. Is that connected to that? I hope so."
"What place?" Ylla got interested.
"The former hideout of the Handdog gang that we recently defeated. The remnants of the gang are nowhere to be found, so he must be planning to establish an office in my district. However, I'm still afraid of their presence, and I don't know if that man should be trusted. Well, nevermind. I must be silly or something," she explained briefly.
"So," Ylla asked, "What business you've come here, Sis Daliah?"
Daliah replied with a smile, and she tilted her head on the other side, "I've come to pick up the children who are caught in the act of thieving."
"Oh, those thieves?" Ylla's eyes turned wrinkled.
"Ylla, that's a very unkind statement for a regent of this church. You should consider the possibility that they committed that crime because of their lack of education and self-awareness. We are the ones who should help them get together and lecture them on how to live a normal person in this world. Be considerate, little Ylla," she scolded her.
Ylla pouted and she argued, "You realize that the church only helps the people in need and not the people who dare to take it from us. The people of the Goddess won't tolerate such misdeeds whether they are old and young individuals."
"Well, so far, I don't understand whether should I stick it with it or not," Daliah sighed.
"Hmph, you don't have to worry about it," she folded her arms across her chest and her eyes turned disgusted when she saw a familiar face coming into the church.
'What the heck is this guy doing here?' Ylla thought.
A huge man joined in the conversation of the two ladies.
His name was Rafel Uno. The third-grade fire mage of the village appeared.
His eyes and hair were both red like a flaming gem, and his body had a well-balanced structure and his face looked intimidating because of his fearsome appearance.
He wore a red merchant cloth with a golden string connected to his left and right cover chest.
He later chuckled after he heard Daliah's comment about the children who got caught thieving.
"Oh, for real. You're really an embodiment of sin," he chuckled.
Ylla moved closer and exchange glances with him, "Huh?"
"Huh?" Rafel's eyes turned disgusted at her eyes.
Daliah noticed the heat tension between the two, so she quickly moved between them and she pushed them afar from each other.
"G-g-guys, guys, calm down."
Ylla clicked her tongue and she sarcastically commented, "I don't know why are you here, but shut your mouth, Rafel."
Rafel's veins popped up from his forehead, and he laughed it off.
"Read my lips, woman. I ain't here for your jokes. I'm here for a reason."
Daliah tried to stop the two from getting closer to each other.
"Eh? Eh, calm down, people. We are in the church."
The two aggressors halted their advance, and they clicked their tongues at the same time. Both of them disappointed when she mentioned the church.
'You're lucky we are in the church, woman. You're already toasted.' Rafel's comments inside his mind.
For Ylla's side, "You imbecile bastard. Be grateful that I'm the regent of this church, or else, you're already got busted out of this place."
Lighting sparked against each other when they exchanged glances again.
"Right, sis Daliah is right. So you need to go now," Ylla made a fake smile.
She waved her hands, "Shooo, shoo, leave now."
Rafel held his anger and he replied with a fake smile too, "Like I said, woman. I'm here for a reason."
"Oh, really." Ylla tilted her head to the side, "What reason?"
"I've come here to talk with the chief."
"The chief is busy. So, zip it."
"What the fuck is wrong with you? It's a very important case that needs his attention. This is not some sort of dumbass jokes. This is fuckin' serious problem."
"Okay, relax. Geez, he's on the second floor of the west building. If you're that serious to make me feel guilty then, let me guide you personally."
"Good grief. So be it."
"Ylla, about the topic I would like to ask."
"Ah, yeah. Sis, the children are in the eastern side. The same place as usual. You know we lose a lot of them for the past few years. I don't want to repeat the same mistake again."
"Of course, I will ask the village guards to escort us."
"What's going on? Are you telling me that the orphans in this church are gone missing?"
"Well, zip it. It's not a big deal. Children nowadays are very stubborn. They keep believing that they could do everything like adults."
"What are you saying, Ylla? That's a serious issue, y'know. That's a bad manner for a regent of this church."
"I, I'm sorry for saying that. I stand corrected."
"Hey woman, that's a big revelation, you know. The case that I want to discuss with the chief is somehow connected to your statement earlier."
"What do you mean, Rafel?"
"The thing is... nevermind. It's too dangerous to discuss this in an open area."
"Alright, I understand. Sis Daliah, please take good care of the girls for me."
"Roger, little Ylla."
"C'mon, I ain't that short."
She giggled.
The young Don and his crew happily enjoyed their time in the forest. The children taught the young Don how to differentiate and identified the herbs in one glance.
The red herb served as a medicine for increasing mana capacity. It was also good for the improvement of memory and it prevented anyone to collapse. This type of plant was often used as an ingredient for making a cup of coffee.
The blue herb helped the body for improvements in body temperature and it reduced the progress of any type of illness by following the proper medicinal procedure.
For the green herb, it was often used for the creation of health potion. This type of plant would enhance life expectancy, pain reduction, pain reliever, fast recovery, and body improvement like antibodies.
There were different varieties of herbs that hadn't been discovered, however. Some of it might be hidden in the deepest part of the forest. The family of Camelia tried their best to search for new discoveries, but because the monsters living in the jungle were there, the exploration was put to a halt for centuries.
The children revealed to him that they wanted to resume and restart the family's dream. They wished to explore the place further than before and returned the honor of their lineage.
"To be honest, I don't want to say. Why are you guys are risking your lives for this job? You're all young and have a bright future. But why do you want to continue this?" he asked, confusingly.
Troy sighed, "Like what we told you, brother. We want to bring honor to our family."
"Yes, Troy is right. For the family, we must," July seconded.
The kids were serious. They had a child's body, but their mind was mature. Hermes admired their determination.
Hermes commented, "But last time, you were almost died and got eaten by the demon wolf, though."
The children fell into silence and sulked. The Priestess giggled after she witnessed how the kids reacted to his joke.
But suddenly, she recalled the word, demon wolf. She moved closer to them and she asked, "Wait, the demon wolf attacked the children?"
Hermes nodded, "Yes, Venus. They were saved by my butler at the right time. If we weren't there, they won't be here anymore in this world."
She tilted her head to the side, and she said, "Pardon. But that's a little bit unbelievable story, to be honest. But may I mind where exactly the place did you met that beast?"
He answered, "Outside the forest, Venus. What's wrong?"
'Eeeh?' she was surprised.
"I'm sorry if I'm going to upset you, but the demon wolf won't be able to survive outside the forest. They will die instantly once they step outside of their life boundary," she clarified.
Hermes' eyes turned sharp and he turned his gaze at her, "What do you mean they won't survive? I killed one before my eyes. It certainly stayed alive for a few minutes before it met its end."
"The demon wolf is a type of monster that only serves as a guardian of the forest. Their soul is already attached to the Great Dark Tree in the central part of this place. They are harmful, yes, but they ain't that powerful enough to get out. More like, they are restricted to a certain place," she explained properly.
Hermes quizzed, "Do you mean that the beast that we fought wasn't allowed to step outside?" This question made the Priestess added some important information about the beast. She confirmed, "Correct. They have restrictions. They ain't allowed to go outside of the protected area of the Great Dark Tree. Take a look at this place. Have you seen one of them lurking around? None, right? That means the story is a little bit confusing."
Hermes' eyes opened wide after he heard her explanation. It was a huge revelation and discovery.
After the young Don contemplated the event, the Dark Scily forest was like the hunting ground of the monsters. The monsters would appear in the specific area that the developers had added to the program, and the creatures would respawn again in the same place for the players who would come for the hunt.
By her explanation, he summed up the same idea that the monsters were restricted to go outside of their domain. They were programmed to stay there and they only attacked when they got hurt. For the second thought, they were supposedly stayed there and they weren't allowed to do anything.
"Kids, did you do something to the beast?" he asked.
The twins shook their heads, "No, brother. July is not the type of person to hurt an animal."
"Like my sis, I ain't that kind of person who would do such a thing. I ain't a good fighter," he sulked.
"Why did the monster attack you?" puzzled Hermes as he analyzed the situation carefully.
"We don't know," they replied in unison.
The priestess reevaluated it and she responded with a logical answer, "Sir. Aljen, this type of monster will only harm them if they approach the restricted area, but they won't go further beyond the borders of their protected realm."
"So, why did the beast attacked them?" Hermes queried.
Venus theorized, "There's only one way to do it."
The young Don inquired, "How? What do you mean?"
"By a tamer," she answered.
Hermes, surprised, commented, "A, a tamer?"
"Yes," she confirmed.
Hermes questioned it, "Who would want to hurt the kids of the chief?"
The Priestess blinked twice when he approached her. Her face gradually turned red after he did that.
Mambo avowed, "Sir Aljen, the master doesn't need to spell it for you. You already know the answer to your question. He, he has an enemy. Am I right?"
Her hypothetical answer was indeed convincing.
"Maybe. But that is just an assumption."
"Do you think it's weird?" she asked.
"Yes, it's really weird. Is there a reason for his enemy to do that? Wait, that's right. There is," he tapped his palm after he came up with the answer.
She tilted her head to the side, "What is it?"
He explained properly, "I don't know if it is a right answer, but let's assume that the enemy is someone he got some sort of business. He made a deal with a friend or organization but he crashed it. For example, he failed to pay the money they asked for, or he got a deal but he failed to do what they wanted. There's a lot of plausible answers, but it doesn't mean that it is a correct version of the story."
She nodded and said, "Indeed."
"Kids, may we excuse ourselves for a minute? Please continue your tasks. We have something to discuss," he pleaded.
Venus commanded, "Mambo, watch the kids."
"Yes, master," Mambo nodded.
Hermes warned him before they separated, "Don't let your guard down, Mambo. Bear in mind, I will slice your throat if something bad happened to the children, capiche?"
"Y, y, yes, Sir Aljen," Mambo assured. He turned his attention to the kids and pulled them where the herbs were located, "C'mon kids."
Troy saluted, "Copy."
"Roger," July smiled with guts pose.
Hermes and the priestess went behind the trunk of a huge tree.
"What do you think?" Venus concerned.
"To be honest, I do think the same thing. He might be facing an enemy that he doesn't want to be discovered," Hermes concluded. "I don't get it. He wanted me to protect the kids without telling me the truth, huh. What's the big deal?"
Venus assumed, "He might be trying to limit the numbers of the people he could trust."
"Limit, you say. It's more like I've been used for his own agenda," he sighed.
The Priestess corrected him, "I beg to differ. The chief is not that kind of person. In my opinion, he must be desperate."
"Desperate for what?" he raised his eyebrows.
She explained briefly, "It's complicated to explain, but in my perspective, he's desperate to solve his problem. He wants to open it up with the others, but he's afraid to do so."
"How could you say that?" He moved closer to her, "You only met the person for only a short period of time."
"By the guidance of my God of fate, I put my trust into him. Only him, he helped me understand his agony," she affirmed, confidently.
Hermes heaved a sigh, and he commented, "I don't understand what are you trying to say, but that's not the point of this case."
She sighed, "Sir Aljen, human beings are rational people. Sometimes, there are a lot of people like him who are too secretive and overprotective."
"What do you say?" he quizzed.
She pointed out, "He's a father and the chief of the village. The life of his children is in danger."
"Ah, I see. So, he's been threatened, huh," Hermes presumed.
"Exactly." She concurred, "Anyways, when did you meet the twins?"
"A couple of days ago. Last Monday, I guess? Well, maybe," said the young Don as he told her about an uncertain answer.
"Hmm, this might be connected to my capture," she murmured.
The young Don realized she had something in her mind. Her face turned serious after she contemplated the event. He got a grasp of what she's thinking, so he decided to speak up.
"What's the big deal with that?" Hermes asked.
She replied, "There's some sort of connection, I believe. But maybe I'm wrong to connect it."
"You got captured four days ago. It's a different story," he assured.
She got disappointed, "How boring. I thought I could connect it to this."
"You still want to know who did that you?" he coaxed.
She confirmed, "Yes, but nevermind. I'm sorry, Sir Aljen. I'm just adding some complicated kinds of stuff to your quest."
"Nah, it's fine," he reassured.
Her face glimmered more than ever, and she moved closer at his face.
"So, what do you think? Did I help you somehow?" she teased.
But her effort didn't get through to his barrier. He remained emotionless thereof.
"A little. But thanks. You really help me by giving me an idea."
She pouted, and she answered with a disappointing tone, "I'm glad to hear that."
"Anyway, it's almost a quarter to twelve. Should we take a break?"
"Oh," she clasped her hands together, and she said, "We should hold the picnic in a plain area."
"Venus, this ain't a picnic." he reminded.
She pouted after he said it, and her innocent beauty of a young maiden made him realize that it was pointless to argue with this stubborn lady. He saw her four fingers covered with a bandage, so it would be unfair for this person to be unable to share the product of her effort.
He didn't want to ruin his reputation in the eyes of the people of the church, that's it.
"Whatever, where do you want to set it?" he sighed.
"There. Call the kids for me," she asked.
"Now, I wonder who is the leader in this group," he sighed once again.
Hermes called the children and the bodyguard of the priestess. They followed the tracks of the priestess, and they were surprised by what they saw.
"Welcome."
The priestess put down the picnic basket on the blue blanket. She sat down in a lady manner, and she invited them to join her.
She set up the picnic at the plain field next to the riverside.
"Wow, a picnic!"
They removed the baskets from their back and ran to her side.
"Yehey!"
"Kids, don't you forget something? You should wash your hands before you move here."
"Yes, big sis!"
They ran to the river and followed her instruction. They quickly returned back to her side thereafter.
"Here's your muffins."
"Thank you."
"Please sit down."
"Roger!"
Their smile would make any people feel delighted after they saw their reaction. No one could resist the cuteness of any children unless they lose their humanity within.
"Master, should I prepare the ―"
Mambo pulled out his magical leather bag from his chest pocket.
"No, hold it right there. Put it back in your pocket. We will only eat the food that I made," she demanded.
She called him to her side, and she handed his portion as well.
"Yes, master," Mambo returned it back to where it was taken. "Thank you for the muffin."
Hermes sat down the opposite of the lady. Both of them changed glances.
"This is for you," she offered the muffin and a cup of tea which he gladly accepted.
"Thank you," Hermes lowered his head as a sign of his appreciation.
She later prepared all of the foods and the cups in their respected place. The children enjoyed it.