Hermes Archnemesis closed his eyes, the rhythmic clatter of the militia's boots on the cobblestones fading into the background as he recalled the moment his day had truly gone to hell. It had all started with that damned newspaper.
I wouldn't have even shown my face if I'd known the cost, he thought, a vein pulsing in his temple. Fuck you, Stump G. Your "tips" told me to let my guard down, but you didn't mention it was because my free trial on life was about to expire. Unreasonable doesn't even begin to cover it.
The mission prompt burned in his mind's eye like a neon sign of doom:
[Virus Objective: The Sacrificial Lamb]
Reveal yourself to the elves and become their captive. You must be condemned by a human and face a public court trial. Allow the citizens of Neue Fiona to vent their hatred, rage, and resentment upon you. Failure to comply will result in a summary "correction" of your existence.
[First Reward: From Pariah to Peer]
Popularity status will shift from Hostile to Friendly. Note: User must endure heavy torment from the villagers first. A man must walk through the fire before he can bask in the light.
[Second Reward: The Vow of the Church]
Reputation with the Church will be immortalized. Constraint: User must strictly avoid infidelity.
(No "cheating" on future commitments).
Immortalized? Infidelity? Hermes grumbled internally. I haven't even had a girlfriend in two lifetimes, and the closest I've come to "infidelity" was buying a second body pillow! You're just mocking me now, aren't you? This is biased! This is a hit piece!
[Third Reward: Dopehead Executioner]
The User shall be granted the authority to execute drug traffickers and those who exploit children for experimentation or labor.
[Time Limit: Nightfall]
[Warning: Failure to comply will result in "Unreasonable Death." Good luck!]
Good luck, my ass! Hermes grimaced, his eyes snapping open.
He was no longer in the quiet halls of the temple. He was being paraded through the streets of the Second District, and the scene was a nightmare. The news of his capture had spread like wildfire. Vendors had slammed their shutters closed to join the fray; residents from the outer districts had swarmed in, creating a sea of over a hundred angry faces.
In the center of it all was Hermes, flanked by the village militia. The national media were already there, their mana-cameras flashing as they jostled for the best angle of "The Fall of the Archnemesis Don."
The air was thick with a toxic cocktail of emotions. Some onlookers clenched their fists, their knuckles white; others shuddered, their eyes wide with a fear that had been suppressed for years.
[Virus Warning: Do not resist. Face the trial with confidence. Do not retaliate. Failure to comply will spike your Infamy to irreversible levels.]
I hate this, Hermes thought, biting his lower lip until he tasted copper. I really, really hate this.
He tried to maintain a mask of stoic confidence, but inside, he was a wreck. In the original Otome game, this was the turning point where the "villain" was stripped of everything—his family, his wealth, and eventually his life. The Archnemesis legacy was a tragedy designed to make players feel a sense of grim justice. Aljen Mura, the creator, had made Hermes a masterpiece of a villain—not just because of his looks, but because of his sheer, indomitable presence.
How long do I have to play this part? Hermes wondered, his heart hammering. C'mon, someone show up and end this.
A flash of a dark premonition crossed his mind: his own body hanging from a public scaffold.
"Man, it's too early to die," he muttered under his breath. "Wait... I can revive, can't I? Why am I so worried?"
"Master," the slime's voice echoed in his mind, sounding uncharacteristically weary. "I don't think I can resurrect you if you die here. The newspaper has placed a restriction on my core. I'm locked out."
Fuck! What kind of god puts a man in this position?!
The crowd began their assault, and it wasn't physical—not yet. It was a barrage of words, a storm of accusations fueled by years of rumors and Kilo's clever framing.
"Die, Hermes Archnemesis! Just die!" a man screamed, tears of genuine rage streaming down his face.
"Return my daughter!" a woman shrieked, lunging forward before a militia member pushed her back. "How dare you! She was only seven! Bring her back, you son of a bitch!"
"You're as corrupt as your parents!" another shouted. "You've raided us every month for five years! Just die, you filthy mafia brat!"
"I lost my job because of your family's 'taxes'! Die, you piece of shit!"
Goddamn it, this is worse than I thought, Hermes lamented. To think they believe I was behind all that. I'm already seeing the pearly gates.
"Everyone, please! Calm yourselves!" Elder Kilo called out, though his smile remained sharp. He raised his hands, feigning a desire for order. "The boy will face a proper trial. Justice will be served in the Village Hall. Do not lower yourselves to his level—not yet. We have a system to follow."
You're just pouring gasoline on the fire, you senile vulture, Hermes thought, hanging his head.
"Wow, he's really banking on your conviction, huh?" the slime whispered, her tone shifting toward hunger. "Master, should I just eat them? They look like such delicious ingredients. I could wipe out this whole district before they can say 'guilty.'"
"No! Stay still!" Hermes snapped internally. "Don't move unless I say so. Got it?"
"Fine, Master," the slime giggled. "But I wonder how long these people will last once we actually commence our real plan. Fufu~"
What plan?! I don't have a plan! I'm just following a homicidal newspaper! Hermes bickered with the voice in his head.
"People, listen to me!" Kilo's voice boomed again. "The Archnemesis clan has held us in a grip of dictatorship for too long! Tonight, we liberate ourselves! Tonight, a new era of peace begins!"
"KILL HIM!" a man roared.
"KILL! KILL! KILL!" the crowd chanted in a rhythmic, terrifying unison.
Fine, Hermes thought, his eyes hardening. Hate me all you want. I was planning on leaving anyway. Once I get out of this, I'm heading for the Unified States or Hispania. I'll take my knowledge of the future and my money elsewhere. So scream until your throats bleed—I'll be the one winning in the end.
"But man, this is exhausting," he sighed. "What would a normal hero do? Use force? Explode the street? I don't have plot armor, you bastards."
"Transmigrators? Hero?" the slime asked. "Is that a type of snack?"
"Just shut up," Hermes muttered.
The Emorial Inn
Meanwhile, in a quiet room on the third floor of the inn, the High Priestess Venus slowly opened her eyes. The ceiling was unfamiliar—dark wood beams and soft plaster. She sat up, the damp towel falling from her forehead to her lap.
Am I... dreaming? Where am I?
She rubbed her temples, the memories of the afternoon slowly trickling back. The forest. The fire. The rescue. And then... her face turned a vivid, glowing scarlet.
The kiss.
She clutched her hands to her chest, a muffled shriek of embarrassment escaping her. She grabbed a pillow and shoved her face into it, kicking her legs under the blankets like a frantic teenager.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Ylla stumbled in, looking panicky, followed by two armed guards. Ylla was lugging a heavy suitcase, which she dropped with a loud thud the moment she saw Venus awake.
"Your Excellency! Are you alright?!" Ylla cried.
"Oh! Ylla!" Venus squeaked, diving under the covers to hide her flushed face. "N-no! Don't look at me!"
Ylla blinked, then realized her liege was in a state of high emotional distress. She turned on the guards behind her, her eyes flashing.
"What are you staring at?! Get out! Her Excellency needs privacy! Forget everything you saw, or I'll have your badges! Move! Out!"
She shoved the confused men into the hallway, slammed the door, and locked it with a sharp click of magic. A second spell followed—a shimmering barrier that made the room soundproof.
"Thank you, little Ylla," Venus whispered, peering over the edge of the blanket, her face finally beginning to cool. "I'm glad you did that."
"High Priestess Venus, I'm so glad you're awake. I'm sorry for being late," Ylla said, her voice trembling as she knelt on one knee upon the plush rug. "Please forgive me for being too hasty. I thought you were being attacked, so I called the guards over here with me. I promise this situation will never happen again, my liege."
"No, no, please stand up, Ylla," Venus spluttered, waving her hands dismissively. "You don't need to apologize for what happened earlier. Please, don't blame yourself too much. I insist."
Ylla stood up, but her head remained hung down, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clerical sleeves.
"Ylla... where exactly am I?" Venus asked, tilting her head as she took in the room. The air smelled of lavender and expensive beeswax, and the furniture was carved from dark, polished mahogany.
"You're on the third floor of the Emorial Inn. To be specific, this is Lady Daliah's personal room," Ylla answered politely.
"Is that so? My... no wonder this place looks so stunning, suitable for a noble lady. Oh, let me ask you something pretty quick. Have you seen the children?" Venus inquired with a worried face.
"They are on the other side of this room, sleeping nice and sound, milady. There's nothing to be worried about since they are in a safe place today," Ylla responded with a smiling face.
"Phew, thank God. I'm so happy to hear that," Venus clutched her hands between her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.
Ylla hesitated, her face clouding over. She clenched her fists behind her waist. "Milady, I know this is inappropriate for me to ask. But, please, I want to know what happened during your trip?"
"We've been attacked by the remnants of the Second Root organization," Venus explained, her voice turning cold as she remembered the hooded figures. "One of the ringleaders named Arak the Tamer is with them. Sir Aljen and I used ourselves as a decoy to block them from taking the children during that incident."
"F-for real? But did you get something from them before you fainted? How did you escape anyway?" Ylla shuddered upon hearing the story.
"Yes, Arak is a fashionista ringleader of the group, and this man has a sort of connection with the businessmen working in the textile industry at the capital. Thankfully, all of them truly believe I'm just a petite and naive girl who only wanted to converse with someone like him. I used the opportunity to buy them time to create an escape plan, and thankfully, Sir Aljen saw it through and used it for their advantage," Venus answered briefly.
"And, after that?" Ylla queried.
"Sir Aljen told me to follow them, but I implored to stay. Then, we escaped. And... and... kyaaaa!" Venus suddenly dove back into her pillows, her face turning a catastrophic shade of red as she screamed.
Eh? Wait, this girl... did something happen between them? Ylla's face turned dark, and her lips curled like a crescent moon.
"I'm curious, milady. This is a girl-to-girl talk. Please elaborate on the romantic event that happened between you and your crush," Ylla entreated her to confess with a smug face.
"No, I don't want to!" Venus diverted her face to the side with a cold sweat.
"Please elaborate on what happened, milady. This servant of yours is begging for information," Ylla pleaded.
"N-n-nothing happened. For real. Nothing... happened at all," Venus pressed her index on her lips and smiled a little.
Bingo. They did it! Ylla rejoiced inside her head. She grabbed Venus's hands and shook them up and down.
"Congratulations, milady. You're one step ahead of getting a lover. You've finally got your first kiss. This Ylla here is very happy to hear the good news," Ylla beamed.
"H-h-h-huh? I didn't say anything about the kiss. No, Ylla! Please don't tell it to my fans or outside of their group. Please don't do anything at all. I don't know if it is a genuine kiss or not," Venus sputtered again.
"Why do you say that?" asked Ylla with a confused face.
"Because I don't feel any love when we did that," Venus answered in a low voice.
Heeeh~, both of you kissed each other. Gotcha, Ylla simpered. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that. It must be a misunderstanding." Ylla lowered her head respectfully.
"Thank you very much, Ylla. I know I can trust you," Venus heaved a sigh of relief.
Thank God. Ylla is a trustworthy servant after all. I'll ensure she gets rewarded for this, Venus thought.
I'm gonna tell it to the Al-Ven faction right away, Ylla declared silently.
"By the way, since you guys kissed each other, I assume you've seen his face personally. Can you describe his face?" Ylla quizzed with a smug face.
"Oh, I remember that he has short black hair and scarlet eyes. He has an average look, but I don't care about it at all. All I can see is a man of action. His assertiveness is tickling my heart, and his confidence shows the side of a soldier like a knight in shining armor. I cannot breathe at all in front of him because he looks amazing, and his choice of words is very thoughtful and tactful. Not to mention, he is a gentleman who will never take advantage like a pervert. You see, he covered my body with his clothes after my dress was soaked with water. Kyaaa, I don't know what to do in that situation. I'm falling in love over and over again with Sir Aljen. Kyaaa!" Venus jabbered.
The atmosphere froze for a second. Ylla gulped her saliva thereafter.
"W-what?" Ylla shuddered.
"Is there something wrong?" Venus tilted her head to the side with a curious face.
"Milady, I don't know if I heard it wrong. Did you say that he has black hair and scarlet eyes?" asked Ylla, panicky.
"Yes, exactly," Venus replied with a smiling face.
"T-T-This is bad. This is really bad." Ylla's knees collapsed onto the floor.
"Ylla! Ylla, what's wrong with you?" Venus tried to stand up, but her servant stopped her.
"Please stay where you are right now, milady. I wish I heard this wrong, but this is really bad for the church. No, it is not only for the church but especially for you, High Priestess Venus," Ylla looked at her with a grave gaze.
"Why do you say that now, Ylla?" asked Venus.
"Because his description resembles the lord of this territory. That man has the same features according to your description. The ruler of this place is a ruthless, cunning, and cold-blooded man on this island. His clan brought nothing but trouble to our territory after he took power five years ago," Ylla explained, lips pursed.
"Is that a little bit exaggerated?" Venus's eyes turned sharp, but she giggled to ease the tension.
"Oh, well. I thought so too. Ever since I joined the church, I lost my interest in this village, so I don't care about it at all. But that's not the point here. The reason behind this, the church would be in big trouble if we formed a relationship with Hermes Archnemesis. There are a lot of rumors connecting this teenager to all the incidents that keep happening to this territory. The villagers loathe him to the point they wish him publicly executed," said Ylla, raising her index finger.
"Ylla, may I ask you a question for a bit. I know this is a serious topic, but please be honest with me: do you hate the man named Hermes Archnemesis?" Venus questioned with a slightly angry look.
"Oh, him? Nope. Not a single bit. I don't know. I don't have any grudge against the person. I was in the church, and my family migrated to the capital before he took power. At the age of ten, he became the lord of his family and the sole lord of this territory, so we didn't experience the same fate as the locals here," Ylla assured.
"If you don't hate the man, why are you pursuing me not to form a relationship with him? Let's say... what if Sir Aljen is Hermes Archnemesis? Should I be afraid of him now? Now that I've learned the truth, should I close my heart to the man that I love? Ylla, that's a bit too much burden for me. I don't know the full details of the past, but I didn't see any dark personality in front of me at that time. All I witnessed was a man who voluntarily sacrificed himself to save the children, and not to mention, he has a genuine side to him that no one but me has ever seen," Venus said with a determined face.
"Milady, that's not the point. That man is a ruthless, corrupted, merciless mafia ruler. A notorious criminal on this island, you know," Ylla insisted.
"No, Ylla. You're wrong. He is not. Despite all of your allegations about him, my perspective of him will remain the same. Based on all we experienced together during our battle against a powerful cultist, all I could feel from him was a man who was suffering inside his heart. A young man who is prepared to die for someone he yearns to protect. To tell the truth, it is not like I am bragging this subject matter to you. You know what I learned from that moment? His personality resembled my grandfather. A man who was hiding his identity from the masses because he was loathed for doing the right thing for his people. He was convicted of corruption, but nevertheless, he dealt with it by enduring the negative opinions of the citizens. And later on, my grandpa became the hero of the city and was promoted to the highest position. Not to mention, he was pardoned from the crimes that were falsely thrown at him. That's why I assume Hermes Archnemesis was falsely accused, just like what happened to my grandpa. Take a look at this point; let me ask you something: how long did the clan rule this place?" Venus inquired with a grave gaze.
"For seven or eight decades, milady," Ylla answered hesitantly.
"Ylla, a second question. I heard a lot of bad things about this island, and I'm sure the Archnemesis and Corleon fought five years ago because of an intervention act made by the Godfather. Right?" Venus quizzed.
"Y-yes, milady," Ylla nodded.
"The war was won by the Archnemesis, but let me get a straight answer. Didn't he lose his family during the war?" Venus agitated a bit.
"Y-y-yes, milady," Ylla shuddered upon seeing her snapped face.
Ylla realized her point. There must be a reason behind all of this. The sole survivor of a clan that protected the people for decades wouldn't dare to hurt the very people his family died for. Someone had manipulated the story to make him look like the villain in front of everybody.
"P-please don't get mad at me. I don't mean to infringe anything between us." Ylla genuflected on the floor.
"Ylla, please raise your head. I'm not mad at all. I'm just disappointed to hear it from your mouth. That's all," Venus replied with a smile.
Her face looked genuine, but she was upset inside. If Aljen the merchant was Hermes Archnemesis, she wasn't surprised why he hid his identity. He was investigating the situation of his own territory, hiding his face to help his people while enduring their curses.
What a remarkable ruler! she thought.
Venus contemplated the situation. She recalled her kidnapping. Why her? Why the missing children? The State and the Church were two separate entities, but they held shared judicial power.
Wait a second. Every High Priestess before me died under unknown circumstances. I was the only one who survived because Sir Aljen saved my life. Maybe this is all connected. The kidnapping, the missing children, the slow development... it is economic sabotage and terrorism.
"The Second Root," Venus muttered, almost silent. They were the only group she suspected, but she lacked the evidence to prove it.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Someone knocked on the door desperately.
"Who is it?" asked Ylla.
"It is me, Daliah. There is a piece of urgent news! I heard the Priestess is awake—may I ask permission to speak with her? It is very important!" she panted.
"You can come in," Venus permitted.
The beautiful waitress entered, maintaining a professional but worried look. She lifted her skirt and greeted the High Priestess respectfully.
"Milady, please don't panic after hearing this. I know the two of you formed a good relationship that no one can replace. Please hear me out," Daliah hesitated.
"Go on, please tell me what you want to report?" Venus entreated.
"Sir Aljen is arrested, and now he's being held in custody inside the Village Hall. The chief is calling all of the district representatives to show up at the conference," Daliah answered promptly.
Ylla and Venus were bewildered. But the Priestess kept herself calm.
"W-what did you say? For what reason?" asked Ylla.
"Elder Kilo found out that he was Hermes Archnemesis. He was publicly revealed in front of everyone. Everyone is distraught," Daliah explained with a cold sweat.
I see. That's what they were aiming for. Now I know what I need to do, Venus concluded.
"Girls, there is something you need to do. Did you bring an outfit for me, Ylla?" Venus stood up from her bed.
"Yes, your excellency," Ylla answered respectively.
Venus looked into their eyes directly. "Help me dress up," Venus instructed decisively.
The two girls exchanged a muddled look, sensing the storm brewing.