In a small village called Vila Mouse, in the green fields of the Kingdom of Gaia, there was a large barn made entirely of wood.
Inside it, on the second floor of the old barn, an old man with an austere appearance and completely white hair gathered his few belongings.
He was preparing to change hiding places once again.
The old man seemed deeply familiar with that process, like someone who had repeated it countless times over the years.
According to the last informant he had contacted, the Commander of the Iron Legion, Taes Dedoldia, seemed to have finally found traces of the leader of the True Order.
But the old man knew that was impossible.
For he was the real Lothair McFarlane, the leader of the True Order.
Not even the newly contacted informant knew who he really was, treating him only as another ordinary member of the order.
After spending nearly ten years in hiding, Lothair had acquired an unshakable confidence that he was the chosen one. The one who carried the responsibility for the survival of the Religion of Milis.
He would never be caught.
There were false leaders spread across the Kingdom, to distract the attention of the Iron Legion. His disguise was perfect.
Therefore, while he packed his belongings, his posture remained calm and composed, without any trace of urgency or fear.
It was then that he heard voices entering the barn.
Lothair did not find that strange. When he had arrived at that place, he had seen some children playing nearby. He supposed the barn was just a meeting point for them to play.
"Hehehe! I told you, that brat only knows how to hit everything he sees, how could he get there first?!"
Lothair continued putting his scrolls away while listening to the conversation.
Soon after, a boy spoke in a hesitant tone:
"I don't know… uncle told us to wait for an adult… are you sure we can come alone?"
"Hmph! Who's in charge here?! When I want your opinion, you can be sure I'll already be at the bottom of the well!"
Lothair chuckled lightly upon noticing the impetuous nature of the little girl who seemed to lead the group.
A little later, he finished stowing his things.
It was at that moment that he heard another voice, this one more timid:
"But… shouldn't we at least wait for big brother?"
The leading girl let out a confident laugh:
"Hoho! Don't worry, little Iris! You're looking at a mage who can blow up this whole country if she wants!"
Lothair froze in place.
His entire body stiffened when he heard the boy's voice again:
"Didn't your father seal your mana? You probably can't even do that right now…"
"It's enough to deal with a random fanatic!" the girl replied, without losing momentum.
Lothair's heart leapt.
For the first time since he had arrived at that hideout, he felt a genuine chill run down his spine.
Slowly, with extreme care, Lothair approached the edge of the second floor and looked down.
The children were walking confidently through the barn.
The three seemed no older than five or six, but none of them were ordinary.
On the right walked a human boy. His hair was blue, something unusual in itself, and he wore swordsman clothes fitted to his size. A real sword was fastened to his waist.
On the left, a little behind, came a shy girl. She was of the beast-like race but had red hair and red eyes.
She wore a mage's cloak and held a tiny staff to her chest, looking around with visible worry, keeping her head down.
But the one walking in front was the greatest anomaly.
A small elven girl.
She wore a long-sleeved white dress, a skirt over it and high boots. She seemed confident and carefree.
However, what made Lothair flinch were her golden eyes.
And her long green hair.
He would recognize that girl from miles away.
Even though he had met her only once, when she must have been three or four years old.
He had been in the middle of a crowd, and yet, the little girl had looked directly at him.
And then, she gave him a mischievous smile, watching him with those fearsome golden eyes.
For some reason, that had been deeply imprinted in his mind.
She was Aurora Adoldia.
One of the daughters of the Apocalypse Beast.
The instant Lothair fixed his gaze on the elven girl, he saw her golden eyes shine.
And, at the same moment, she turned.
Even while he was hidden on the second floor, her gaze met his without even looking for him.
"Ha! So you're there, old man!"
Before his mind could even process what was happening, Lothair moved his aged body at high speed.
Despite his frail appearance, he was a trained Paladin.
Not a renowned warrior, but he still possessed solid training up to Advanced level in North God Style and Water God Style. When his instincts took over, his body did not betray him.
The only thought in his mind was to escape.
To an outside observer, that scene might have seemed ridiculous.
A great High Priest, a Knight of Milis, formerly belonging to a powerful kingdom, fleeing desperately at the sight of some children.
It would be humiliating.
Anyone would conclude that he simply did not want to provoke the Beast God by messing with his children.
That, of course, until they saw the result of that battle.
"Almighty Pull!"
The child's voice rang out clearly, coming from the direction of the elven girl.
Lothair completely lost his composure.
The second floor of the large barn was shattered the instant a crushing gravitational force began to act on him.
The wooden floor split as if it were paper, beams snapped, and the whole world seemed to be pulled in his direction.
He grabbed onto a nearby pillar in the last second before the force became absolutely irresistible.
Around him, everything came apart.
Planks broke, the roof gave way and was ripped off the barn. Wooden splinters cut his body as he clung to the only thing that seemed capable of withstanding that power.
At the origin of the force, a purple energy glowed intensely.
Focused on him.
Lothair's arms strained to the utmost as he put all his strength into resisting the violent pull.
"HAAAAAAAH!"
His muscles trembled, and he screamed stubbornly, fighting against something that clearly overpowered him.
Finally, the force ceased.
For a brief moment, he felt his body levitate in the air. But before he could even sigh in relief, he heard a chuckle.
"Hihihi! Pretty strong, huh, old man?"
Above him, casually sitting on top of the pillar, was the elven girl.
Without wasting time, Lothair pulled out a scroll and channeled his mana instantly.
A burst of fire erupted from the scroll, fired point-blank at the girl, as he leaped to the pillar and ran faster than he had in years.
One look back was enough to see that an invisible barrier surrounded the little elf.
She emerged completely unscathed.
"Don't run, you old man! The reward for your head will be mine!"
The girl moved her hand.
In response, a storm of ice fell violently upon him. Lothair barely had time to turn and activate another scroll — a Magic Barrier scroll — blocking the snowfall at the last moment.
Then, a small blue figure appeared behind him.
The blue-haired boy wielded a short sword.
The attack came too fast.
Lothair barely managed to dodge. He avoided decapitation by a hair, but a deep cut opened on his clavicle, blood gushing as he staggered backward.
In his mind, he immediately identified the boy.
Nel Britz! The Martial God's firstborn!
"Careful, Nel!"
The other voice sounded, but it did not need to be spoken. The instant his attack failed, the boy had already withdrawn.
A Sonic Wave hit the old priest violently.
His body was thrown through the air like a rag doll. Bones broke — bones he didn't even know he still had — and cuts covered his body, tearing his clothes and flesh.
He rolled across the floor until he finally stopped.
Dazed, he could barely support himself on one arm.
As he struggled to breathe, a desperate thought took his mind.
This can't be…
I am the chosen one.
Am I going to fall here… to a bunch of children?
The children's voices continued, arguing among themselves, as if they were not the least bit interested in the pitiable fall of the leader of the True Order.
"Hey, Iris, that was a good one! I told you you could do it!"
"That was even better than planned. Very well done, Iris!" Nel added kindly.
The shy girl did not reply out loud. Her face reddened at the praise.
"Th-thank you…"
Lothair was more than stunned by the situation. His mind went blank for a moment.
But still, he had survived for years.
Always being smarter, and always keeping his objective in mind.
Surprisingly, that was not the first time he had been caught.
Over the years, Lothair had bribed, deceived and killed all those who got too close to the truth — all of them, before these children.
Faced with that extremely strange situation, he regained his composure.
He took a deep breath and spoke.
"Children… you are truly talented, I understand now why Lord Rygar gave me this mission…"
The three looked at him suspiciously.
Lothair then assumed the posture of a kindly old man with unnerving naturalness.
His shoulders relaxed, his expression softened, and he calmly pulled out a healing scroll.
In an instant, the mana spread through his body, closing wounds, staunching blood, restoring muscles and broken bones.
"Hahaha! Who would have thought… little Iris has grown so much!" he said with a warm smile. "I even held you when you were very small…"
He looked at the sky for a moment, with a nostalgic expression.
Then he turned his gaze to Nel.
"And you… truly worthy of being Nina's son. I trained with her a few times—"
"Shut up, you old man!" Aurora cut in immediately. "I don't even know you!"
Aurora was somewhat reluctant. Her Demon Eyes analyzed the old man with attention, mixing curiosity and distrust.
It was obvious to Lothair that she was not certain in her own accusation.
Lothair walked calmly toward them as he spoke, showing no sign of tension.
"Well, I really don't know you, Miss Aurora… but that's because you were quite difficult to take care of when you were a baby…"
He smiled slightly.
"But that was really just a test of your out-of-combat abilities. It seems little Aurora performed better this time…"
Aurora's expression closed as she lowered her guard.
Nel, on the other hand, seemed to relax a little upon hearing that.
That was something only a few people knew — Aurora had indeed been a problematic child due to her... peculiarities. Only powerful mages and warriors could control her unpredictability when she was younger.
Moreover, the old man was extremely convincing.
And it would not be the first time their father tested them that way.
All of that combined made the three children relax a little more. After all, Lothair was a first-rate actor.
He spoke with confidence, with absolute certainty, and convincing a child — even a cautious one — was not difficult.
Nel was the first to speak again.
"Just to confirm, right, old man… Lothair, right?"
He seemed more at ease now. He sheathed the blade.
"I need to see your Beast God mark. Just to confirm, really."
Even convinced, he still had to follow procedure. His mother was strict about discipline.
Lothair showed no change.
He smiled kindly.
"Ahaha! You're like Nina… very well."
He pulled up his sleeve slowly.
On his arm, the Beast God Symbol was engraved.
Of course, he was prepared for that.
All the high ranks of the Kingdom of Gaia bore similar marks, personally engraved by the Beast God's third wife, Verdia.
His was fake — and could be recognized by someone experienced — but it served perfectly for simple deceptions.
The children nodded.
Aurora spoke, puffing out her cheeks in irritation:
"I told you! Our dad refuses to let us really fight a strong opponent! How can he be so hypocritical?!"
Nel remained silent.
Iris spoke softly:
"I… I think he just wants to protect us…"
Lothair remained serene. He had escaped once again.
Now, he just needed an opportunity to separate from those monster brats.
But, at that moment…
He felt the danger of death again.
A roar echoed throughout the place.
A child appeared in a blur and attacked with claws, aiming directly at his throat.
The attack hit.
But, at the last moment, a ring on his finger shone yellow, forming a barrier around his body.
A dry snapping sound spread.
The new member attacked again.
He had silver hair and red eyes. Despite the sword at his waist, he fought using only his claws.
Lothair could not react to the first strike.
Nor to the second.
And so, he was brutally beaten, barely surviving, completely dominated by the kid.
"Wait, wait, wait there!" Aurora shouted, trying to stop the newcomer.
The boy only halted the attack when he saw the pathetic Lothair struggling, completely helpless.
Inside, Lothair was terrified.
He had never imagined being so dominated by a child.
But outwardly, he kept his calm.
He had already recognized the newcomer.
"Hehehe! You can't even defeat a pathetic old man!" the boy taunted. "I won this, Aurora. Surrender!"
He kicked Lothair hard.
The old man clutched his stomach, groaning in agony. He couldn't even keep up with the kid's attacks with his eyes.
Nel spoke firmly:
"That's enough, Perseu. He's just a guy hired by your father. He's not a real enemy!"
Perseu looked at Nel with disdain.
"Ah? And what does that mean?"
Aurora shouted, furious:
"You stupid idiot! It means we shouldn't kill him!"
Perseu flinched at being called stupid. That word bothered him deeply... always had.
He snarled:
"Ah, is that so…?"
Then he smiled.
"If he's subordinate to our dad... someone will come to save him, right?"
He turned back to Lothair.
And attacked with even more violence.
Leaving Aurora, Lothair and everyone else completely stunned.
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