Meanwhile, the whole third district was surprised by the arrival of the four wagons. These vehicles belonged to Richarde's crew, who was ordered to retrieve the high priestess and the children of their chief.
Richarde instructed his coachman to go to the Emorial Inn. He followed his command and headed to the specific place immediately.
Mambo volunteered to patrol the area by himself, but Richarde insisted it was too dangerous to do it alone. Thus, seven men were called under Richarde's command to assist him with his task.
'Mambo is trying his best to reconcile with his master by doing this simple task, huh. He just woke up from his slumber earlier. Man, he must be upset about what happened earlier. I don't know what happened, but he is too paranoid to let us guard the whole inn,' Richarde commented inside his head.
Upon their arrival, Richarde directed his men to surround the area, forming a perimeter of defense against any hostile enemies within the place. No one was allowed to enter as per see. Then, he called four guards to help him out to carry the children into the inn.
He voluntarily carried the high priestess in a princess carry. He heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing her normal condition thus far.
"Sir, where should we take these children?" asked the henchman on the right. "Take them to the second floor. Find an empty spot and make sure no one is in there. Guard the kids with your life," Richarde strictly instructed, raising up his index on his hand.
His four men gently went up to the second floor with the unconscious twins.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive our sudden entrance in this peaceful place. May I request for everyone's cooperation to exit the place immediately? We have an urgent mission we need to comply with. Please understand our current position right now. I don't mean to scare you all, but if you truly love your lives, please allow my men to guide you outside of this place. Peacefully," said Richarde with a beaming smile.
Everyone was stunned at his short explanation.
"Sir. Richarde, what about our bills?" the old man worried. "Oh, please. You make me blush. Listen up, everyone. All your bills are already credited to my account. So, I'm requesting your full cooperation, people. Men, please guide the customers of my beloved girl out of his place," Richarde clapped a hand and said with smiling teeth.
All of the customers immediately fell in line and followed the guards outside the inn.
"Hey, Blue hair man," Richarde called the lieutenant of his group. "Yes, sir?" he asked with a confused face. "Ask the customers to never say a word about what happened here. If possible, bribe them with our money in the treasury. I don't want to risk the lives of my people for their ignorance. They already saw the priestess and the children here. Tell them to keep it a secret from the public, quick," Richarde strictly instructed with a grave face, pointing his nose at the innocent civilians outside the inn."Yes, sir," the henchmen followed and left the building afterward.
'Where is my beloved Daliah? I need your help right now.'
Richarde's eyes turned sharp upon seeing a small hair strand on the table. He picked it up, he sniffed it like drinking a cup of tea, and he carefully analyzed it to find its owner.
His eyes pupils turned wide after he saw the image of his crush.
'It's from Daliah. She's somewhere here. It cannot be a mistake. Wait, I can smell the little girl too. Wait, Ylla is already an adult. A legal one. Damn, what kind of sorcery did she use to maintain that child-like figure. I feel bad for Rafel for picking interest in that woman,' Richarde silently jeered on his head.
"You," Richarde called the guard next to him. "Sir?" the henchman bewildered at first and moved closer at his side.
"Tell the guards to secure the whole area. No one shall enter the inn as of today. If they ask who ordered it, tell them it is I who said it. C'mon, quick, make haste" said Richarde, spank his henchman's back thereafter. "Affirmative, sir," his henchman nodded and rushed outside to tell his comrades about his orders.
Several footsteps came into the lobby. It was Ylla and Daliah in their signature clothes. The children rushed to their side, and they quickly hid on their backs after they saw the face of Richarde and his crew who were heavily armed with weapons on their bodies.
"What's going on here?" Ylla exploded. "Mamma mia, this, this, this is madness," Daliah bewildered at their faces.
'Oof, bad timing,' Richarde flinched upon seeing two beautiful girls in front of him.
"Wait, you misunderstand. You've got it wrong. This is not what you think it is. I love you very much, Lady Daliah. You're the only girl that I love the most. This, this is just a mission. I don't mean to cheat. I swear to God. I have no intention to lay a hand on the priestess. On behalf of my crew, we are innocent of kidnapping or sexual harassment, okay. By the way, good afternoon, girls," Richarde tried to explain, but he panicked when he saw Daliah's perplexed expression.
"What the hell are you doing here, Richarde? And, why are you carrying our leader?" quizzed Ylla with a growling gaze. "I've been tasked by the chief to bring these people in this place. Please believe me, Ylla. You're only ruining my beautiful image to your friend, " Richarde whimpered.
Suddenly, a red-haired man appeared on the scene and rushed to shield Ylla from the man in front of her.
"Ylla, what happened? Oh, it's the pervert Richarde. Who the hell ― You're excellency!" Rafel was bewildered at first and rushed to the front of the unconscious priestess. "Oi, dude. That's harsh. I'm no pervert, though," Richarde commented, shedding tears out of his eyes.
'Why is everyone so rude about me? I'm not a bad person, though. Please bring justice to this broken soul.'
"Lady Dahlia, please bring the doctor here now!" Ylla requested, "Y, yes, Lady Ylla. Kids, please call for my attendants outside and tell them Lady Ylla is asking for their assistance immediately. There is an emergency request," Daliah instructed, which the kids obediently followed thereafter.
Four attendants responded immediately and rushed to their master's side.
"Lady Daliah, we've come for your aid. What is your first command?" asked Cely, the High Attendant of the four Daliah's special waitress squad. "Cely, call the doctor at his office and tell him that we need him today. No ifs and buts. If he adamantly refuses, tell him I will use force to dismantle his clinic if he doesn't immediately comply. Next, prepare a big meal for everyone. Use the ingredients wisely. We have a lot of customers today," Daliah ordered.
"As you wish, milady," Cely lowered her head respectfully. Then, all of her fellow attendants went to the kitchen and left the lobby.
"Thank you, Lady Daliah. I'm sure my crew will enjoy the upcoming dinner tonight," Richarde placed a hand on his chest and expressed his gratitude to the master of the inn. "Hmph, it is not only for you and your men. It is for everybody," Daliah folded her arms across her chest and said it with an improper response.
'O, ouch, please don't act like that. It is not really hard to say, you're welcome, though,' Richarde cried again inside his heart.
"Sir, bad news. The second floor is already booked for the paid guests. The children have no room to stay," one of the four guards said, looking for another instruction from Richarde.
"Man, this is bad. My love, can I the third floor?" asked Richarde. "Okay, send them there," Daliah agreed without a question.
"Are you perhaps not gonna ask for my condition, my love? Look here, I have a scratch on my booboo," inquired Richarde, teasing her with a kiss. "Stop it already. This is not the time for your jokes, Richarde. Just carry the high priestess to my room on the third floor and tell your men to bring the children to the other room next to it," Daliah instructed.
'I'm just asking if you're worried about me,' Richarde was unhappy.
"By the way, what the hell happened, Richarde?" asked Richarde, checking the faces of his men one-by-one. "Uh, eh, an assassin tried to kill us earlier. We didn't expect a mage to show up that time or sort of," Richarde answered honestly.
"Ylla, let me handle this. Sir Rafel, can you carry the priestess to my room, will you please?" asked Daliah, begging. "O, of course will, Lady Daliah. Hey, man. Sorry about this. Let me carry the princess," Rafel carried the unconscious priestess and went up to the stairs immediately.
"Richarde, where is Sir Aljen?" Ylla folded her arms across her chest and interrogated the man who salvaged the bodies of the children and the priestess. "Umm, he's still outside with his monstrous servant. I don't know what happened next after we escaped from the bloody battlefield. That's all I know right now," Richarde explained promptly.
"Why you? Why the hell did you leave them behind?" Ylla protested, stomping her foot on the floor angrily. "E, eh, calm down, will ya. I, It's not my fault. They volunteered to act as a decoy against the assassin. They bought us a time to escape from the place, though. I'm very grateful for their heroic act against the tyranny of that monster, though," Richarde answered, wearily.
"Are you out of your fuckin' mind?" Ylla thundered. "N, no, please watch your tongue, Lady Ylla. You're a regent of the church. Please act like a decent lady," Richarde requested with a cold sweat.
"What did you say, punk?" Ylla raised her fists, challenging him to a duel. "W, wait, I'm sorry. Please calm down. I'm not here for a fight. Lady Daliah, please help me out of this," Richarde begged, trying to control the situation properly.
"Lady Ylla, please stop it already. If Mr. Aljen and his butler told them to go, then we should believe his statement. We don't need to get angry for this matter. We're the chosen representative of our village. We should consider our current position at first. Rationality is a must, they often said," Daliah cajoled, calming down her friend for now. "Fine, whatever. You're really a useless representative among our group, Richarde. I feel disappointed about your performance," Ylla deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
"C'mon, please believe me. I'm tellin' the truth. For your information, the personal butler of Sir Aljen told me to leave them behind, though," Richarde added, trying to reconcile his dignity in front of his companion. "Huh?" Ylla and Daliah were surprised. "I knew it. You're going to react like that. I anticipated that kind of face. I don't know the reason why he asked about it, but he ordered me to escape with the children and the priestess. Needless to say, it's like he already planned to do it with his master. Sorry, I know it's crazy to say my side, but that man is prepared to use that moment for unknown reason," Richarde pointed out.
"Okay, fine. I'll take it for now. By the way, did you call for help before you went here?" asked Ylla, gravely. "Right. Of course, I did. I urged the gatekeepers to send an urgent message to the chief. I even ordered them to call for backup and send it to the exact location where we left the kid and his butler," Richarde responded brieftly.
Ylla closed her eyes and moved to the chair next to her. Then, she mounted it and placed a hand on her face.
"Phew, I'm glad," Ylla heaved a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it," Daliah placed a hand on her chest and simpered.
"Oi, I'm your boyfriend here. Don't think too much to the child," Richarde condemned. "Gosh, what the heck is wrong with you? He's only 3 years younger than me, Richarde. By the way, how many times do I have to say this, huh? I'm not your girlfriend yet," Daliah flicked his forehead and corrected him. "Gaah, stop breaking my heart too much. I already offered my loyalty of love to you," Richarde cried jokingly.
"Okay, stop flirting in front of me, you two. Get a room please," Ylla waved a hand and shooed both of her friends from her face. "Lady Ylla, please don't misinterpret this situation. I'm not really his girlfriend. And will never be," Daliah giggled, covering her mouth with a hand.
"I know. This moron is just delusional," Ylla rested her cheeks on her palm. "Ouch, please don't pierce me with a sharp knife again," Richarde clutched his hands on his chest tightly and begged for mercy.
"Gosh, here we go again. You're exaggerating too much. I don't even hold a knife or a weapon in my hands, though. Stop talkin' nonsense, Richarde," Ylla corrected. "Man, you don't know anything about literature, Ylla," Richarde heaved a disappointing sigh.
"By the way, where's the personal attendant of milady?" Ylla inquired. "He's currently with the patrol team. Currently, he's busy with his tasks to protect this whole place from possible intruders," Richarde answered honestly.
"Phew, I'm glad he's alive. I don't know what should I tell my liege if something bad happened to her friend," Ylla smiled, wiping a shed of tears from her eyes.
"Lady Ylla, are you crying?" Daliah moved closer to her and looked at her face. "No, I'm not. It is just water, please don't mind me," Ylla pulled out a handkerchief and removed the tears immediately.
"Oh, our little Ylla is crying because her master is alive and well, " Richarde jeered. "Okay, enough already. Hey, guard," Ylla called the guard at his side.
"Yes, Lady Ylla?" the guard asked. "Call some friends and double the guards in the second and the lobby. I need an escort immediately. Lady Daliah, please prepare a clean set of clothes, freshwater, a dinner, and white cloths for our priestess and the children separately," Ylla instructed.
"Copy, I will tell Cely to prepare everything," Daliah lowered her head respectfully. "Thank you, Lady Daliah. I know I can count on you," Ylla simpered.
"What should I do then?" asked Richarde, offering a helping hand. "And you. I want you to accompany me to the church. I have to bring something," Ylla instructed mannerly.
"Oh, sure. I will —" Richarde paused after a huge body blocked his front. "No, let me assist you there. I'll be your escort," Rafel volunteered upon his interjection.
"Huh? What the hell are you up to, Rafel? I'm not asking for your assistance, you moron," Ylla folded her arms and stomped her foot once. "No particular reason, Ylla. I just like to help. Hey, I'll be your escort to the church whether you hate it or dislike too much," Rafel insisted.
"Oi, but you have a mission from the chief, though. Didn't you tell me that you have to deliver the packages to their specific location, huh?" Ylla complained. "After what happened today, I already left the mission to my men. They can do it by themselves. I cannot let you go alone by yourself. Why? Because you're too small to be left alone, " Rafel claimed.
"Huh?" Ylla blushed when she noticed his determination through his eyes. "Nevermind. Richarde, I'm going to send Nicolo to assist the kid and his attendant. May I borrow a wagon from your unit?" asked Rafel with a hoarse tone. "Rafel, please you don't have to do that. The butler told me they don't need a backup," Richarde stopped it.
"Oh, really?" Rafel bewildered at his response. "Yup, and I believe they can handle it by themselves. So, I fully advised to mobilize our men and reorganized our village guards this upcoming night. There is a high possibility of an invasion from an unknown group," Richarde pointed out. "I agree. If they tried to kidnap the children and our high priestess, there's a possible attack from the organization that is behind this situation. Man, this is making me worried," Rafel nodded in agreement.
"Rafel, I think we need to strengthen the defense right now. Man our guard towers and evacuate the people to the evacuation site as soon as possible. The mage looked powerful enough to destroy my tier 4 barrier, though," Richarde added. "Really? Okay, I will order our men to man up the towers then. We definitely need to do this before it's too late. It's better than nothing," Rafel pulled out a pen and notepad. Then, he scribbled the whole suggested plans on his notes.
"Oi, are you perhaps forgettin' something here, gentlemen? We need to make haste. I have to go to the church immediately," Ylla intervene and separated her male friends from each other by pushing them apart.
"I'm sorry, Ylla. I will make sure you will make it there in no time. Richarde, I'm sorry about this. I have to hold this conversation for now. I have to escort this woman to her home," Rafel lowered her head, and he pulled the girl away from his friend out of the lobby immediately.
"Lady Daliah, I will excuse myself. I have to inform the chief about this important matter quickly. I'm sure he will approve this plan," Richarde placed a hand on his chest and lowered his head respectfully. "Sure, go ahead. Stay safe, okay," Daliah waved a hand once to say goodbye.