Ylla and Rafel encountered the two elders at the front gate of the church. Both of the groups lowered their heads and greeted each other politely.

"Oh, why are you such in a hurry, Ylla?" asked Elder Wamo, rubbing his beard as he approached the little girl. "Good afternoon, Elders. I've got somethin' to take inside my room. That's all," Ylla answered respectfully. ​​

Elder Damaso giggled as he saw the two rivals were together. The two opposite magnets which often made friction in front of everyone was now walking together in the middle of the street, so this was the first time he saw them like this.

'If we didn't know them in the first place, ordinary people could mistakenly believe they are couples at first glance. But to tell the truth, these people have a complicated relationship at all. Take a look at this girl, this woman is a little bit eccentric and a high-tempered person among her peers, whilst this young lad has a dense approach with the female group. More like, he's too stubborn to admit he liked to be in a genuine relationship with the opposite sex,' he commented before he sighed inside his head.

"With Rafel?" Elder Wamo inquired, teasing her a little bit. "I voluntarily accompany her, Elder Wamo. Please don't think something disturbing is to be heard. Someone might misunderstand our situation if you said it out loud," Rafel interjected and answered politely.

The elders' eyes opened wide from his sudden interception. Then, they laughed in joy like a proud parent.

'I'm so glad to see them like this. I cannot explain how happy I am right now. These two are hidden gems that we can use in the future somehow,' Elder Wamo simpered.

Elder Damaso removed a shed of his tears from his eyes and covered his face thereof.

'Man, I'm so proud. Finally, these two children are working together like in the past. I was right to kill their parents during the war. If these two worked together, we can easily manipulate them. Use the other one as bait and a hostage if our plan went south. When the light turned dark, these lambs could be used to light up the torch of our success in the future,' he said, smiling.

"Is there something wrong?" Ylla's face turned red upon seeing them like that. "Oh, I'm sorry. Where was I? To tell you the truth, I'm so happy to see you guys are walking together again. I didn't know that the two of you have already reconciled," Elder Wamo jeered, tapping her shoulders twice full of happiness. "Oh, no, no, no. This is a misunderstanding, people. This man is a jerk and there is no way we are going to be friends again. Not to mention, we haven't agreed to set a truce and we didn't even settle our problems together yet," Ylla denied the allegation.

Rafel remained to tuck his lips without saying a word. But his ears were red. Therefore, the elders laughed again and said inside their heads in unison, 'Poor boy. You got brutally rejected once again.'

"Please don't laugh. I ain't jokin', elders. Please don't think something terrible about this situation," Ylla puffed her cheeks and folded her arms across her chest. Then, she averted her eyes on the side angrily. "Man, this is nuts," Rafel placed a hand on his forehead and heaved an exhausting sigh.

"This is your fault, Rafel. If you didn't insist to accompany, the elders won't think something terrible!" Ylla gave him a light punch and covered her blushing face. "Ylla, sometimes I can tell you're cute when you start to act like a normal girl, though," Rafel simpered. Then, he covered his mouth upon realizing his mistake.

"Oooh," the elders rubbed their bears together with awe.

"This is a misunderstanding, elders!" the two of them said together.

'Please just date already. The more you hate, the more you love, they often said,' Elder Damaso commented, smiling.

"What's in the briefcase, elder?" queried Rafel, pointing his nose at the object. "Oh, this. Don't mind it. It is only a generic document related to our development plan in the temple. This is nothing but an ordinary report in our place like we always do," Elder Damaso explained, smiling.

The Elder Damaso saw his two men on the corner, sending him a morse code signal with the invisible magic orb on their hand. Only the elders and other mages of the same league could see it.

"By the way, we still have time to spare. How about we walk together as a group to the office? It is better than walking together like this, milady. All of the citizens might misunderstand your relationship, and new rumors will pop out from the gossips," Elder Wamo offered, trying to manipulate the girl with a sweet warning. "Oh, I'm happy for the offer, elders. But this will take a lot of time, and I don't want to be a hindrance to your work. There are a lot of things I have to take care of, and I don't have a spare time to visit the village hall, too. Oh, who am I to refuse? I don't mean any disrespect. Please forgive me, elders," Ylla explained politely.

"Are you sure, milady?" asked Elder Damaso, moving closer at her side. "Oh, thank you for your consideration, but I'm enough to accompany this tenacious girl, elder," Rafel blocked their views with his height.

"What did you say, punk?" Ylla complained. "What? I just tell them the truth, though. I can handle you by myself. I won't let an insect touch your filthy skin with my might, though," said Rafel, wearily.

Ylla's veins appeared on her forehead, and she grasped his cheeks with a tenacious grip. His face turned into a sandwich form.

"What the heck are you doing now? Get your filthy hands off my cheeks, bitch," asked Rafel, enduring the pain from this situation. "I believe this is enough payment for your stupid answer earlier. Never mind, I hope you learn your lesson," Ylla removed her hands and placed them on her waist together. "I think we're wasting our time. Time is gold, though."

As the two were busy earlier, the two elders received a piece of news from their scouts. Then, their eyes glistered like diamonds.

'Good grief, our evil god is on our side,' Elder Damaso simpered.

'The second root organization will flourish about this great news. Wonderful!' Elder Wamo imagined a wonderful future of his race.

"By the way, I believe you were looking for the chief, Rafel? I heard from my brother that you're hoping to seek his advice regarding the recent incidents," Elder Damaso inquired. "Ah, uh, yes, elder. But right now, I have to make sure that this little brat is still safe from those pedophiles. Oh, you know what I mean," Rafel covered his mouth thereafter.

"Huh?" Ylla glared at him with bloodlust. "Oh, what? We cannot deny that you're appearance is resembling the elementary student, though. I don't think you can defend well if a high-tier mage will come to kidnap you someday. Y' should know that the district representative should always be prepared and safe from any harm. I don't want to hear a piece of bad news that one of us turn into a victim like the children and our excellency," Rafel looked down on her with smiling teeth.

"Hold it, children. Please calm down for a while. I might be intruding on your business today, so please I apologize in advance. Did something happened?" Elder Damaso quizzed. "Oh, The Priestess, the twins, and Sir Aljen were attacked by an unknown assailant. I assume the assailants attempted to kidnap the priestess again," Rafel answered apparently.

'What? The Priestess was with Hermes Archnemesis? Unbelievable. That was expected. Arak should be able to capture them with full force. This is bad. Nevertheless, the plan is still moving on the right path. It is such a disappointment that we failed the first objective, but we still have a lot of cards on our sleeves. We shouldn't overlook our main mission.'

"Oh, my. Really? How unfortunate," Elder Wamo flinched and covered his mouth to hide his smile. "Yes, sir," Ylla added with a sullen look.

"How unfortunate. To think the priestess got involved. I'm so sorry for the chief's loss. Condolence too, Ylla," Elder Damaso placed a hand on her shoulder and comforted her with a fake sullen face. "Eh? The Priestess and the children are alive, elders. Thankfully, she and the children are in the safe hand after Richarde saved them earlier this afternoon," Ylla tilted her head on the side and responded quickly to correct the misunderstanding.

"What?" Elder Damaso's eyes opened wide in shock. His brother tugged his sleeves to calm himself. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm glad they are all safe."

'Damn it, you have one job, Arak. One job. You failed us at all. I will scold you after this meeting,' Elder Damaso promised, clenching his fists tightly behind his waist.

"So, where are they right now?" asked Elder Wamo, smiling. "They are in the Emorial Inn, elder," Ylla answered politely.

"Elder, where is Elder Kilo? I don't see him with you today," Rafel inquired. "He has some business left behind in the temple. It is an urgent task that only our little brother could do properly," Elder Damaso explained brieftly.

"By the way, I remember something very important to report to the chief. I believe this is the time to make things right. I'm sure the elders are thinking the same thing just like me. Richarde and I are planning to strengthen the security within and outside the border of our territory. I request all of you to wait until I head there. I'm gonna seek the approval of the chief after I personally escort this brat back to the inn," said Rafel with a grave look. "Don't call me a brat, you punk. Oh, I'm sorry again, elders. This punk is trying to ruin my image in front of other people on purpose. I cannot comprehend what's inside your mind. Oi, mister. I don't need your help at all. I can do it alone, you know. Hmph," Ylla puffed her cheeks and folded her arms across her chest angrily.

"When are you planning to do this anyway, Rafel?" Elder Damaso worried. "I'm sorry, but this is a piece of classified information. Please wait until I head to the office this evening," Rafel apologized and humbly refused to answer.

'Damn it, this is bad. We need to stop their plan,' Elder Damaso grimaced inside his head.

'Brother Damaso knows the plan will eventually approve. I believe this is the right moment to dispose of Richarde and Rafel tonight. Then, we will allow the two young ladies to stay alive. We will give them as a plaything to our Supreme Being after we succeed to summon him again in this world. Maybe, I can suggest sabotaging their supplies to slow their mobilization program. This will give our pawns from the other side to easily occupy the whole place in one day,' Elder Wamo contemplated a scheme.

"I'm so sorry for taking your precious time together. The sunset is coming soon, so we will excuse ourselves. Please tell the priestess that the temple's gate is open for them," Elder Damaso promised. "Brother, we need to make haste," Elder Wamo whispered.

"Thank you, elders," Ylla simpered. "You're welcome. Farewell," Elder Damaso waved a hand.

Meanwhile, Elder Kilo received an urgent call from his henchmen that someone intruded in their secret lair. He immediately rushed to their side with cold blood.

His security team formed a line, their guns pulled out from their pockets, and their eyes locked at the black-haired teenager in front of them. He walked slowly like a brave man who was ready to face his enemies upfront.

Elder Kilo recognized his appearance, and he realized was something off about him.

'What the heck? It's Aljen. No, It's Hermes Archnemesis on the flesh. What he is doing here?' he asked inside his head.

"Why is he here?" asked Elder Kilo, holding his breath. "He came out from the sewage room, sire," his henchmen answered promptly.

'Huh? How did he learn about the sewage? This is bad. Hermes Archnemesis discovered our emergency escape path. Only my brothers and my race know it for a thousand years. It is a former Ratican Empire's sewage project that the Great Emperor bestowed upon us as a sign of trust to our race,' he couldn't hide his displeasure.

"You, and you. Take the three remaining sacrifices to the secret room. Tell them to procure them properly, understood?" Elder Kilo instructed strictly. "Yes, sire," his two henchmen left his side and followed his command without a question.

"Hmm? Elder Kilo, what are you doing here?" asked Hermes upon recognizing his face. "Ooh, Aljen the merchant. I was about to say the same thing too. What's bring you here to our temple?" Elder Kilo dodged his question and reversed the situation with his diplomatic ability. "My group was attacked by a hideous organization. I luckily found a secret passage in the forest, and I tried to check where it was heading to. There, you have it. Oh, thank goodness. So, this is your temple, huh. I'm glad to see a familiar face," Hermes placed a hand on his chest and heaved a sigh of relief.

'Arak, Arak failed his task? Wait, what happened to the guards? Did he found the corpse down there? I hope not. Unbelievable. Don't tell me that the children are unharmed. No, this can't be right. This is totally wrong. Or did he left them behind to save himself? Maybe, that's the reason for this moment. He must be desperate to escape, so he rushed for the forest to save himself. Then, he found the tunnel connected to the sewage down here. Never mind, there is sometimes that the world will never answer our call, so this child is still lucky to be alive.' Elder Kilo worried with a cold sweat.

"Elder Kilo, tell your men to put down their weapons first. C'mon, I'm sweating here like a bystander mistook as a cat thief in the market, though," Hermes requested, pointing his lips at their pistols. "Men, this guy is a friend. Put them your weapons," Elder Kilo instructed, and his men obediently followed his command.

"Please follow me, Sir Aljen. I'm sure you're exhausted from the long run," Elder Kilo offered him a hospitable service. "Oh, thank you. You're very kind, elder," Hermes simpered.

"Guards, tell the men to secure the perimeter inside the sewage immediately," Elder Kilo ordered, gravely. "That's the right move, elder. There are a lot of enemies down there," Hermes commented.

"Seriously? There are enemies on that forbidden place?" Elder Kilo played dumb. "Yes, and the people are wearing the same outfit as your men. Oh, please. Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to ruin the mood today, elder," Hermes jeered upon saying it.

Elder Kilo's movement halted upon hearing it.

"So, you're suspecting me as an enemy, huh?" he asked, standing still in his position. "Oh, no. I'm not yet thinking about it," Hermes pulled out his pistol and pressed the barrel on his back.

All of his guards rushed on their side and they encircled their position decisively, whilst Hermes held him as a hostage personally.

'This moment should be the right timing to reveal this man to the public. My brothers will rejoice if I do this in front of the masses. Our main objective is to destroy his reputation completely, though.'

"I cannot believe this moment. To think the elders are working with the Second Root. This is a disappointing revelation, sire," Hermes grumbled. "Oh, really? There is no evidence that could prove your worthless assumption. In this world, evidence is a must. You have to prove it in front of the social justice in this place, though," Elder Kilo gurgled.

"Evidence? Do we need a shred of evidence to prove that these assholes are no ordinary humans in the flesh? You must be kiddin' me, sire," Hermes smiled, pulling the trigger slightly to frighten him a bit.

"Sir. Aljen, do you truly think you can escape from this situation? You point your gun to this man who doesn't know everything, and not only mention, I can sue you for trespassing too," Elder Kilo warned. "I don't fuckin' care. All I can see is an enemy who deserves to die and send his soul to hell," Hermes snickered.

"Damn it, this is no laughing matter, child. You must be misunderstanding our position here. You're surrounded by fifteen men. If I die, they will kill you next. I hope you know the possible consequences of your outrageous and unreasonable assumption," Elder Kilo corrected. "Oh, no. I ain't gonna die, though. Believe it or not, I won't die like you, sire. The whole truth is slowly stored in the palm of my grasp," Hermes assured.

"Sir Aljen, you're a madman," Elder Kilo grimaced, lips retracted. "Oh, old man, you're already late to say that. Maybe, being an old jerk is turning you into senile," Hermes sassed.

"You son of a bitch, Sir Aljen. There's a limit to my patience. If you abruptly insulted me like that, I have no other choice but to fight back too," Elder Kilo provoked. "Oh, do it. I'm not afraid to die, though," Hermes dared, pushing him to outrage.

"I don't know what happened to you, but you're making the biggest mistake in your entire life, Sir Aljen. How pathetic," Elder Kilo heaved a disappointing sigh, and he slowly raised his hand up. "Good job, sire. You fully understand your position, huh. Now, tell your stupid morons to give us plenty of space. I'm sure you don't want to die for a stupid reason, right?" Hermes ordered, smiling. "Men, put down your weapons and give us space. Go to the back, five meters away from us. Quick before he changed his mind," Elder Kilo instructed with a cold sweat.

His men obediently followed and watched them from afar. Elder Kilo and Hermes headed to his office together.

'Hermes Archnemesis, you made a big mistake.'

Elder Kilo cast a spell on the doorknob, and a big Celtic mark encircled their position. Hermes, surprised, tried to escape from the spell, but to no avail.

The light blinded their eyes, and they transported to the middle of the street which was crowded with people. All of them were bewildered at their sudden appearance.

'Hermes Archnemesis, time to proceed to our plan. I was about to pay a visit to my brother, but I have to use this opportunity to shatter your heart into pieces with their hatred.'

Elder Kilo revealed the young Don as the Don of the Archnemesis. Hermes gasped upon hearing the sudden introduction of the old man.

'Damn it, I hate the fuckin' mage in this world. What an asshole,' Hermes grimaced.

"Hermes Archnemesis is here. He's lurking within the village to promote violence against the village. Take a look, he has a gun! People of the Neue Fiona Village, listen to me. Believe in me. This madman came to kill me because I learned the whole truth of his true identity. Aljen the merchant is no more no less the man we're looking for revenge. He's the true heir of the hideous and ruthless family of the Archnemesis clan," Elder Kilo spread his arm widely as he unmasked him in front of the crowd. "What the fuck is wrong with this senile old man? Oi, I'm not going to do that. People, don't listen to this fuckin' liar!" Hermes protested.

"Look at this child, he's wearing a mask. He had been concealing his true madness from our eyes, and he's a lone wolf in the flesh of a sheep who was waiting for an open opportunity to kill our loved ones. This rascal is a menace for our village, and I believe he will dictate our lives like his ancestors too. Truth to be told, he's been harassing us for a decade, and not to mention, he's the one who was orchestrated a lot of criminal activities against our society. Take a look," Elder Kilo used his spell to slice his neck secretly. "He tried to assassinate me too. Take a look, it's bleeding badly."

Hermes looked at him with an aloof face.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me now? I'm holdin' a gun, though," Hermes defended. "Well, he's right, though," one of the crowd seconded his statement.

The atmosphere froze for a second temporarily.

"Ahem, Hermes Archnemesis remove your mask!" he tried to change the subject. "No way, fag. Screw you," Hermes whinged.

"See, people. This is how the new Don of the Archnemesis acted in front of the others. He's an ill-mannered, arrogant, and spoiled child!" Elder Kilo pointed out. "Oi, it's enough. You goddamn liar. Are you perhaps trying to destroy my image in front of the public to gain something?" inquired Hermes, lips pursed. "Yes, and I'm trying to resolve the issue right now. Come, people. Call the guards. Arrest this man. My brothers have already accumulated a shred of evidence," Elder Kilo answered abruptly.

"An evidence of what?" Hermes tilted his head on the side. "That you, Hermes Archnemesis is responsible for the death of a million people. You're the one who ordered the kidnapping, embezzlement, and the one who formed the evil secret organization that was pestering our lives for a decade!" Elder Kilo revealed. "Excuse me, what? Are you a moron? I ain't even running something like that, though. FYI, I ain't gonna aim for the position of the president of an evil cult. Why are you tying me with your goddamn stupid cult now?" Hermes protested. "Blasphemy, don't involve me with the disgusting organization!" Elder Kilo snorted, pointing his index at his face.

"Oi, you're the member of the cult, though. Please don't even try to run away from this mess now, sire. At least, you easily prove your stupid statement in front of everyone," Hermes simpered.

Hermes looked around and he recognized the whole place. It was the second district where the people were gathering information outside the territory. There were some members of the media lurking behind the crowd, who were trying to gather more information.

'Man, what a stroke of bad luck. This is like the day of our Golden Age era where the populist presidents of Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Rwanda in Africa, Singapore, and the Philippines are always accused by international media of violation of human rights. What human rights? To be frank, some of the diplomats and higher-ups there were all corrupt and connected to criminal organizations. More like, they are the protectors and guardians of the evil drug cartels and oligarch mafia families. In other words, protecting the people who provided them with money, resources, and increased their influence worldwide is their specialty. What a crap, the mass media of my former world is rotten to the core. Brainwashing the mass is like putting a small cake in front of a hungry mob, who were ignorant and blinded from the truth. Ignorance is a bliss for mankind.'

"I'm so disappointed with these old manipulating tactics. Nothing is new," Hermes placed a hand on his forehead and heaved a disappointing sigh once again. "What did you say? You're spouting nonsense," Elder Kilo grimaced.

"Tell me, you're working with the second root cult?" asked Hermes, wearily. "W, w, what did you say? I'm not working with the guild. Don't call it a cult!" Elder Kilo adamantly denied the accusation.

'Wow, you really corrected my statement. So, it's a guild and not a cult, lol.'

"Why should I? Are you dumb, old man?" Hermes jeered. "Shut it, Hermes Archnemesis. You should know better than this. That you're no longer capable to escape from this mess," Elder Kilo reminded, smiling.

"What? Did I hit the jackpot now? Man, being a proud member of the Elf cult must be entertaining to read in the headlines, right? Take a look around you, elder," Hermes pointed his lips at the member of the national media who was working in the Romue News Department. "Why you? Guards, guards, take him away. Drag him to the Village hall immediately!" Elder Kilo called for the village guards, and he pointed his index at the accused teenager.

'Fuck this shit. I'm afraid my life is completely ruined today. Fuck you, Stump G!' Hermes hung his head as he got arrested by the authorities without resistance.