As the elder left the suspect in the room alone, Hermes sat down with a worried expression. He was concerned about the consequences of his actions this evening.

First of all, Elder Kilo became too formal, and he changed his name-calling from Hermes to Aljen. That situation was really a worrisome event.

According to the game setting, the change of the relationship between the player and the villain from hostile to neutral respect meant the enemy might kill him through a duel, and there was a minimal impact on the social norm of the player.

'I wish I have a cheat ability to read the relationship bar above their head. This is not good. A single fight is no joke at all. I am aware of my limit, but this is no time to reveal my trump card. It has to remain a secret. I still have a lot of enemies who are waiting for me to make an opening.'

Hermes still had the slime on his side, so death was the least issue. But the true enemy was still lurking in the shadow, so he must appear looked weak to lure them out.

Contrary to his comment, he was not even a player, but his character alignment was a villain, one of the final bosses of the game.

Hermes subconsciously placed his hand on the top of the relic, and a purple light blinded his sight for a second.

As he opened his eyes, the light of the relic gradually changed to light blue. Then, the familiar garden appeared in his view.

He later realized the item disappear from his hand.

'The garden again.'

The red roses covered the plain area of the white roses in a cross alignment, the white roses encircled the large fountain like a small barricade, and there was a single Sampaguita flower on top of the fountain.

The flower emitted light as pure as the clear sky on earth. The pure aura of the garden resembled the feeling of his home.

He folded his arm across his chest as he contemplated his position. Then, he moved closer at the fountain, and he sat down on the open spot with a stiff expression.

He scanned his face, and he noticed the slime was not on his side in this domain.

'I see. I am in the strange realm again.'

"Miss ya~~~" a feminine voice crossed his ears.

Two smooth hands covered his sight, and a warm sense of her lips touched his left cheeks in a glimpse.

Hermes' body twitched a bit when it happened out of a blue. But he remained stiff and calm in his position because he was already used to it.

"Fu~Fu~Fu~, guess who?" the girl asked as she closed her mouth on his ears. "Hmph, no idea," Hermes answered promptly.

"Eeh... C'mon, we already did this a while ago. Try to guess who it is," the girl insisted. "With all due respect, I have no idea either since you haven't introduced yourself yet," Hermes removed her hands gently from his eyes, and he slowly turned around to face the owner of the place.

His eyes locked at the enticing beauty of the girl.

She had long silver-blonde hair that reached her feet, violet eyes shone like jewels, and porcelain skin like an angel. Her looks were so magnificent that it was almost out of ordinary.

Her body was too perfect that her curves were too revealing from her long dress.

On the side not, her appearance had a strong resemblance to Venus, but her personality was quiet far from the girl. At least, the priestess looked more normal than the host of this place.

"Booo, you are no fun," she said with puffed cheeks. "Oh, I am sorry. It is a joke. I know who you are. You are the beautiful girl in the seductive dress last time," replied Hermes, attempting to touch her left cheek to remove the strand of her hair.

She grabbed his hand after she mistook it as an intimate action, and she leaned her face on his hand willingly to reward his effort.

"Hmmm, I miss this feeling. I'm so glad to summon you again. You see, I accumulated a lot of points to buy back the scroll that I consumed last time. It is pretty hard to use it here since this place is no ordinary realm of the living and dead people," the girl explained as she rubbed her face like a kitten petted by her owner. "Buyback? I do not understand the purpose of my visit here, but please make it short. I have some business to attend with. Let me remind you, there is a mission that I have to keep in touch with, and I'm aware there is a possibility of consequence if I close our distance. Not only that, I am far different from you who is a mortal human being," Hermes gently removed his hand from her cheeks.

"Far different from me as a mortal? Pfff, of course, we are opposite based on our gender, but we shouldn't keep a distance because of the silly assumptions or whatsoever. That means it is not forbidden by the Almighty God to make close contact, though. Regarding the word 'mortal', our status will perpetually become equal after you reach the specific requirements. I am looking forward to your successful cultivation of souls in the mortal world. Oh, my feet stumbled on the rock. Help me~, " the girl made a fake stumble on the surface, but the young Don slipped from her assault. "Enough of your silly prank. Calm down a bit. Your action is considered sexual harassment. I am far different from the ordinary male human being who likes to be taken lightly by a maniac. Not to mention, I do not remember that we are close. I still don't know who you are, so stop jumping on me like a perverted cat," Hermes suggested, trying to stabilize their relationship.

"Hmmm, do you really want to return?" asked the girl, lips downturned. "Yes, I want to," Hermes nodded.

The girl tilted her head, and her index placed on her left cheek.

"Hmm, what should I do now? I sacrifice a hundred thousand points to increase my charm, but you are still reluctant to accept my affection. On top of that, you are still not reached my level to resist my charm, so why it is really hard to make you accept me? I do not understand. Never mind, it only strongly indicated your special existence in the mortal world. What is more, love takes time to build in between the two opposite sex, so I can still wait for the right progress of your growth. Oh, rest assured. I will immediately send you back later. The fate of the world will punish me again if I don't, you know," the girl clutched her arms together between her chest and smiled at him. "With all due respect, I don't care, so please let me go back," Hermes placed a hand on his forehead, and he heaved an exhausting sigh.

"Hmph, why are you so rude? Look here, there is a beautiful girl who likes to have a little chat with you. Plus, we still have time. I'm sure you have a lot of questions inside your head. How about we used the remaining time to know each other?" asked the girl, closing the gap between them. Then, her smooth and warm slim arms clung across his elbow with smiling teeth. "With all due respect, please act on your age normally. I am still a man who can do something bad in front of a beautiful girl. Someone like you could potentially find a good partner other me. You must be mistaken of me for someone else. Despite I strongly resemble your target, I am not him," Hermes tried to release his body, but the girl stuck on his arms like glue.

"Fu~Fu~Fu~, you are really cute when you are blushing. Silly, you are berating yourself too much. You are the man I've been waiting for," the girl tapped his cheek, and her warm smile refreshed his heart. "I'd appreciate your effort, but I still am not qualified to receive your hospitality," Hermes scratched his cheeks out of embarrassment.

"This side of yours is really cute. I like it," she cast a unique spell on his body, and suddenly, the young Don stopped moving on his own. "I-I-It can't be. Are you going to use your power to control me now? Hh-how annoying. Stop it already," Hermes tried to resist, but to no avail.

Suddenly, a small bench appeared next to them like a dark item in a horror movie. Then, the girl used her unique magic to force him to sit down on the chair.

'T-t-the bench again?'

A piece of scary music crossed his mind.

'T-t-this girl is no joke. She is too dangerous. I don't understand this development. I do not remember that I raise a flag to trigger an event. Is this person what we call yandere?' Hermes gulped his saliva.

"Yehey, we can now make some progress to improve our relationship. Ara, you are sweating too much. Is the temperature making you feel discomfort?" asked the girl, smiling. "No, the temperature is alright, but the method you are using is not right. If we are in a novel, everyone will think you are an annoying perverted woman. Release me now," Hermes resisted her unconditional affection.

His lower half sat down on the bench after she flicked a finger.

"Eeh... I do not care about the readers. Screw them, they are nonbelievers and degenerate human beings. All I care about now is to make you feel at home. Besides, who are they to call me a pervert? They have no right to judge me and tell me what to do. If they are in your position, there is a high possibility that they will feel envious of this situation, though. I waited for a long period to do this again. Therefore, I will use this chance to show you what I got, okay. Oh, my, this is too embarrassing to say too proudly. The true God is really a benevolent being. I am so happy we received his blessing," she said with a blushing face. She placed her hand on the top of his palm, and she compressed it together like a lover. "I told you before. Snap out of it. Calm down. Damn it, your chest is too close. It's too soft," Hermes gritted his teeth, trying to hold down his libido.

"Now then, if you do not want to ask a question, then I will do the job for you. We can enact a short trial," the girl summon the relic, and she forcibly placed his hand on the top of the item. "Pardon? Shit, it's here," Hermes flinched when the relic appeared under his left hand.

Her smiling face looked like an angel, but Hermes sensed a terrifying demon behind it.

'This girl is really bad news!'

"First question, what do you think about the elves in the mortal world?" the girl asked with a stiff expression.

Hermes was bewildered at her sudden change of expression. Plus, the atmosphere between them heated up a bit.

"What you meant is, what I think about their race? They are annoying creatures, honestly," he answered politely.

"Why do you think they are annoying?" she inquired. "Because they are disturbing the peace in the village, hindering my business with my partners, and they think of me like trash that they need to dispose of. I don't know what I did to them, but they are creating a reason for me to hate them," Hermes responded honestly.

"Do you think you can deal with them?" she asked with a worried face. "Yes, I can," Hermes assured.

The beautiful girl rested her head on his shoulder.

"Please be careful, okay. Elves are no ordinary living race. They are stronger than the average human. Their high aptitude in magic is too great, and there is a lower chance to succeed in a single battle by yourself. Only the people of the church and high-tier human mages could be dealt with them," she consoled. "Thank you for your valuable information. But there is nothing to afraid of. I swear I have nothing to lose once I die. Why? Death is no longer a problem in my life because of the slime's special ability," Hermes reassured, smiling.

"Silly, you are still a mortal. Being too dependent on the little girl won't make you feel satisfied with your win. You should keep in mind there is always a price to pay whenever you rely on her abilities. Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while you live. Your insanity level will reach its limit, so you must try your best to stay alive. Or else, the power balance will shake the world again. That's why I recommend acquiring a new familiar to balance the cycle of your talentless mortal body. What do you think about adopting a new little girl?" she poked his cheeks to express her point. "I don't care about it now. A long time ago, I was too afraid to die because my body was unblessed with magic aptitude. But I changed my mind after I met the little girl, woman. She is an annoying, self-centered, soul-eating psychopath, and condescending creature, but she is a reliable ally and devoted familiar. Therefore, adopting another girl doesn't cross my mind yet. But I will keep in mind your suggestion," replied Hermes, earnestly.

"I wish you understand your current position. But never mind, you are already mature enough to make a proper judgment. I'm bored now," the girl yawned, and she discard the relic from his hand. "Phew, good grief. You are really unpredictable lady," Hermes commented.

She loosened her grip out of his arms, and then, she jumped out of the bench.

"Hermes, you are really dense. But I'm impressed how you still keep up your expression after what I did earlier. You've passed," she said without making eye contact. "Well, thank you. But what kind of test did I pass?" asked Hermes, curiously. "Being a gentleman and honest with me," she answered promptly.

The guest stood up out of the bench, and he moved closer beside her.

"By the way, you were right earlier. There are a lot of issues that I need some answers. However, there is a tornado coming closer to destroy me, so I don't have time for that. I know you are trying to help me, but stocking more information will only make my brain explode," Hermes tucked his hands in his pocket as he explained his side. "But information will greatly help you in the future, you know," the girl muttered aside with duck lips.

"If you still insist, then let me use this opportunity to retrieve my reward. Remember, I still haven't received it yet. Silly, don't think you can escape now. What is your name?" asked Hermes, gravely. "Hmph, this is not what I expected to hear. At least, you finally ask personally," she passed him and looked away without taking a glance.

"C'mon now, I still haven't learned your name," Hermes pleaded gently. "Silly, you are really dumb. I already told you my name before," she placed a hand on her lips, and a warm smile was hidden behind it.

Hermes's face turned red after he saw her cute expression.

"Forgive me, but I don't even remember. Can you tell me your name now?" Hermes offered her a hand. "Before I answer your question, do you like the priestess?" she tilted her head on the side, and she placed her hands together behind her back. "No, I do not," Hermes answered with a smiling face.

*Cling*

'Huh?'

Hermes' eyes opened wide when he's finally returned to the waiting room. He blinked several times before he finally noticed the reality in front of him.

"Eh? Who are you referring to? Who is the girl you don't like?" the slime queried. "Silence. You are making me feel guilty. I can't believe it," Hermes covered his eyes in dismay.

"Do you really like the girl you are referring to?" the slime inquired. "I am a man of my word. I don't really like her!" Hermes declared.

*Cling*

'Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit!'

Someone knocked on the door, and Hermes immediately fixed his expression. The relic was automatically deactivated after he removed his hand.

"Sir. Aljen, is there something wrong?" asked Elder Kilo as he entered the room. "Yes, I'm fine, sire," Hermes answered with a stiff face.

Several footsteps came closer at the door. Then, Ilona appeared with the guards.

"Hermes Archnemesis and elder, it is time. Please follow us," Ilona instructed. "Affirmative, Lady Ilona," Elder Kilo answered politely.

"Elder, I believe you are right about something," said Hermes, standing up out of the chair. "Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Elder Kilo questioned, and his left eyebrows raised up. "This relic is defective. It will only lead to a trial of injustice," Hermes passed him and followed the guards willingly.

The elder looked dumbfounded after he said it.