After Hermes impressed the manager, customers and excused himself from the waitress, he went outside to continue his searching. He started to check the clinic where Justin parked the car. When he arrived, it was covered with a wardrobe. He removed the cover and looked for anything useful in its back. Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything that could help him. He returned the cover and leave the place. He then went to several stores such as candy shop, parlor and anything he thought Justin like.

When Hermes tired of searching for his whereabouts, he took a rest under a tree. Drinking the bottle of water he bought earlier to ease his fatigue, he closed his eyes. “Damn it, where the heck Justin went to yesterday? I ordered him to buy me some snacks but he didn’t come back. But… the shadow I saw back then and the strange shit I’ve experienced why it always appeared out of nowhere?” he muttered.

When mustered up his strength, he continued his main objective. He went to the place where they last met. Peeking on underneath of the bench, he saw a paper stuck in one of the middles of its line. He picked up the paper. When he read the contents, his forehead struck by a light beam.

Hermes opened his eyes and found himself in a deserted place. The gust of wind made him feel chilled. When he looked around, there was one table and two chairs on the opposite side in the middle of nowhere. There were no borders, ceilings nor walls around the place. He found himself stepping above the surface. He had no clue how he got summoned in this dimension.

“Take a seat, Hermes.” The familiar voice he heard angered him.

“Stump G! Now I finally can kill you, you bastard! Where are you?” Hermes looked around and searched for him.

“Ha ha ha, Stump G? Really? Haha... hah!”

The sunlight lightened the table like a spotlight, pointing to sit down in one of the chairs.

“Don’t laugh! Where the fuck are you right now?” Hermes grasped his fist tightly, readied to punch the face of Stump G.

“Words, my child, your words. Watch your words, you’re already in my Citadel. Don’t speak foul words inside my domain. Or else, you will get punished. You’ll regret it if you don’t follow my warning.”

“Huh? What the f—” Hermes' mouth had been sealed by unknown magic. His mouth was zipped by a tape. “Hmm mm mm mm m mm m mm m m…. Mm mm.” he tried to remove the thing in his mouth but it won’t let go.

“Stop struggling, my child. We won’t be able to talk properly if you don’t stop doing that.” Even he warned him, Hermes still resist. “Just accept my truce, please.”

“Mmm mmm mmm,” he meant ‘Never, you bastard!’. ’Hermes’ body was forcefully dragged to the chair and sat down. His arms and legs were tied by silver tightly. He screamed so loud but no one can hear his call except the host.

“C’ mon, my child. Stop resisting and moving already. You’re just making hard for you to have peace inside your heart. Just forgive me already.” He asked, offering him a cup.

I won’t forgive you. I’ll definitely won’t! Wait a minute, my voice? Oooh, I can hear my voice through my mind. Hehe, even you covered my mouth, you can’t stop my mind. I’ll tell you, you son of a — Guahahahaha! Two big hands appeared behind him and it tickled his body. Hermes begged him to stop.

Where the heck these hands came from? Stop it! Stop it, already! Guwhahahahaha! Please….. stop…. it!

“Okay, I’ll let them stop… in three conditions, my child.”

What? Show me your face already, darn it! Guahahahahah Please …. Stop this … Guhahahaha.

“C’ mon, just agreed with it. You don’t want to pee in your pants, right? C’mon, c’ mon, c’ mon, my child. Don’t be so conceited about yourself. You won’t even win against those hands. Just agree to my offer. You don’t have a choice anyway. First, let’s talk properly. I will let you go afterward.”

You evil menace! Guahahaha…. Alright… alright … alright…! I agree! I agree!

The huge hands and the ropes including the seal disappeared. Hermes held his pained parts, rubbed them and when the pain is gone, he talked back.

“You imbecile! Why’d you need to do that?” he asked, sitting in cross-leg.

“C’ mon, child. We already agreed to talk first right?” The huge hands appeared, making Hermes gulp.

“Y-yes, we agreed. Forgive me, you... punk…” he replied, shrugging to keep his anger to burst out.

“You’re already forgiven. Now, let’s talk about this one then.”

“What? Am I the one who should be forgiven? Unbelievable. Alright, what do you want with me then?” he asked.

A picture appeared on the table. Hermes picked it up and looked at the back of the photo.

“What’s this thing doing here?”

“Hmmm? This? This is the picture of your servant’s body.”

The young Don petrified when looking at it."And, he was captured? What the heck did you do to him?” He hammered the side of his chair, angrily.

Stump G sighed. And he muttered, "What a troublesome man." The huge screen appeared where Justin was seen awful and injured, but there were some censored images of who was the person responsible for his capture. "Accusing me of such evil is unacceptable. I didn’t do anything to him. Believe it or not, I won’t do such a thing. I’m the fairest among everyone. You’re servant had been defeated by an enchantress. He was trapped and sealed from the place I can't reach.” explained Stump G, showing more photos related to the topic. 

“Keeping yourself safe from accusation." The young Don clenched his teeth, folded his arm while looking at the images on the screen. "Is this kind of treatment not considered as one of the evil deeds. Unbelievable,  a certain person like you who was telling me that he's a God couldn't even have any idea where he was. You're just a fake and self-proclaimed individual. So who was it? Who's the person responsible to his capture? I know you, so don't lie.”

Stump G giggled, and he answered. “Hmmm… well, I give you a short briefing. He encountered a group of mobs. They are from a powerful family residing on this island. A mysterious person wearing a blue cloak defeated him. re from your rival family, after all.” he showed an image of the symbol a certain logo.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Hermes was surprised and petrified when he recognized the logo. 

“What? Do you mean the Verdugo Family? That's not good news. That family must not be there after 3 years. But how? Don’t tell me..." His face dropped a lot of sweat, trembling in fear where his feet were stomping the floor so much. "Oh man, is that family readied to invade the village?” 

“Umm… technically yes. You still have five hours to save them.” replied Stump G, showing a countdown for the upcoming event that he was not fond to join in.

“Huh, you’re kidding me? Five hours, my ass. That’s three years quicker than I thought. The invasion of the Verdugo Family should start when the love and captured targets of all-female protagonists that man named Arata Kingsman, asked for the assistance to end my family lineage. Crap, another trouble to face this time. What is happening to this world? Sh-, I mean, anyway, what kind of magic did they used to him? That moron won’t fall easily if he didn’t face a powerful foe. Also, look at his disgusting face, he was dreaming something weird.”

“Do you want to know?”

“No...” he quickly replied.

“Well, he is currently dreaming about your conquest of Italia. This character is an interesting fellow, you know. Killing thousands of innocent lives, burning the town into ashes and making Italia in the verge of chaos and injustice, he was really an opportunistic person to foresee your goals in the future. You’re lucky, you still have that loyal servant.”

Didn’t I said I don’t want to hear it.

Hermes shivered when he heard about it.

“I don’t want to hear anything anymore about that. It’s entirely your fault that I possess this weak character. But why? Why him?”

“Weak?” he laughed, making him be confusing. “You think your character was just an ordinary and worthless person. Whatever, I’ll let you discover those things when the time has come.”

“I already knew my future and the end of my life. Hermes Archnemesis is just a wimpy and magicless man, eh. I want to know why? Why him?”

“Ooh, you really want to know why?”

“Daah… Of course, I am!”

“Umm…. because you asked me to?”

“Huh? But —”

“Umm… second condition, don’t question me while I’m talking and explaining things.”

“Sh- I mean c’ mon really? That’s against my free will anyway?”

“For now, let’s focus on your new mission. I summoned you in this place because I am asking you a big favor. To save your servants and the people of Neue Village. I want you to use your knowledge from your world to help them out from the upcoming invasion of the Verdugo family.”

“Huh? Why the plot of invading the village have to start so early. Unbelievable, don’t tell me when you summoned me in this world, a lot of bugs came in and you can’t fix it, right? Are you retard? Why should I?”

“Umm… let’s say there’s a little bit of virus affected the whole setting of this world when I tried to download it and make it real like the original world last billion years ago. Let’s take it aside… I heard your prayers. You wanted to live free and ended your misery last eve. Now, I know you. You’re the deepest ambition in your life. You wish to clean your name, right?”

“Yes… but… don’t change the subject. You just avoiding my question but where did you hear that?” Hermes averted his eyes to the other side, avoiding to see his embarrassment of being heard by the person he hated the most.

“I’m a God after all. As I said, don’t question me while I’m talking.”

“Yes, the self-proclaimed God! Stump G!”

“Hoho~, that’s a good name. Keep calling me like that. That’s a good name.”

“Don’t sound too happy ‘bout that. I’m mocking you!”

“Well, let’s keep on the right track. I want to tell you the third condition but I guess it won’t suit to your ears so well.”

“What?”

“The third condition, I will create more conditions whenever I give you a mission. Sound like fun right?”

“What the heck? That’s unfair!”

The cup of tea floated in the air. “By the way, have a drink for now. You look thirsty.”

He picked the cup and smell the aroma. “Alright, you don’t add anything in this tea, right?” he was punctilious in the cup.

“Of course, I add some good flavors.”

He sighed and sip the tea. “Hmm… nice tea.”

“Good, now you’ll be fine.”

“C’mon, now you’re joking right now. I won’t become one anyway. I’m wimpy child, lol.”

“Hahaha. Alright, that’s settle everything. I already tell you what you need to do. Think of it as my blessings, go back to your body now. Think of it as a quest, I’ll give you rewards after you finish it. Goodbye!”

“— the fuck, Stump G! Wait! I have some questions you need to answer!”

Hermes woke up from the bench. His return to his former body gave him a migraine and dizziness. He cursed him once again because of what he did to him earlier.

Damn it, I want to know why I’m seeing a lot of weird perceptions too.

“Damn it, this is why I hate that son of a bitch. But thanks to him, I have a hint what happened to my servant now.”

Picturing the photo he saw earlier, a paper hit his face when a gust of wind passed through. When he took a glance, he saw the picture that Stump G showed to him.

Damn it, you can just give it to me in a normal way.

He punctiliously investigated the whole content of the photo. Justin’s body was sleeping in the ground surrounded by dry grass and dirt. As he apprehensively check the place properly, he saw a red hair in the right side beside the other three shadows.

“Hmm… a red hair, huh. Wait a minute…. That's the same hair color and style I saw to that person. Yeah, I’m sure it was him. The red-haired bandit! So, they are part of the Verdugo family, huh. Impossible, then why the heck they are here. Is Chief know about this? Disguising themselves as bandits but they are part of that mob. I won’t let this to slide. However, I need to make sure I won’t cause a commotion within this place. I need to do plan it well and work in secret.”

He noticed a cup over the bench. Out of curiosity, he picked it up. He sniffed the aroma and he concluded, “It’s a tea. But how? Hmm.. what is this, a letter?” He read the content of the paper under the cup.

It stated: “Drink this cup.”

“What does it mean? He gave me a tea earlier and now this? What gives? Well whatever,” he drank the cup and threw it to the trash bin. Unaware of his body, red and blue electricity merged and became purple. Within his body, he became, even more, relax and calm. His eyes lighted in purple in one blink.

“Hmm… nothing’s really happening. Maybe, it was just an ordinary one.” he said.

On his way, he had been spotted by July when she delivered the herbs in one of the clients. She recognized his mask and outfit. She told her twin brother that she saw him near the bench. The twins were happy so they decided to follow him, to thank him for what he did yesterday. Without their father’s consent, they followed his tracks he went through.

“July, Troy, I have now your favorite candi - ” the Chief was stunned when he realized his twins had gone. He asked the client where did they go to. She said they ran to the western street, mentioning the spotted an acquaintance.

“No way… that’s the location of District 5. Hey, I need to use your phone. Right now. Now!” He grabbed the phone. “Ubert, gather your men. My twins…. My twins went to the western street.”

“Huh? That’s where District 5 located.”

“I know. That’s why I want your help. Take as many as you can.”

“But if we send a lot of men, the other district will -”

“Just make sure to leave some men.”

“Alright, chief. You got it.”

Chief Zamor hanged the phone and went outside to follow the tracks of his twins, praying his children’s safety and health.