Why is that person here…?
Ilya, who spotted me belatedly, seemed to hesitate for a moment but soon hurried his steps toward Igor.
Just from the brief look we exchanged, I could tell he was very displeased with me being here.
More precisely, displeased with me being next to Igor.
I had been curious about who wanted to meet me, and it turned out to be this damn pervert.
No wonder his sudden appearance in front of the study felt strange.
He must have used this dirty trick because I wouldn’t meet him.
I had suspected it inwardly all along, but now everything felt clear.
“What is the fuss about?”
“I-I’m sorry. It’s just that…”
Ilya approached Igor, who was raising his wine glass, and cautiously whispered in his ear.
He even showed the meticulousness of glancing at me and covering his mouth with his hand, just in case I overheard.
But I didn’t need to eavesdrop; I could tell exactly what he was about to say.
He was likely delivering the news that an S-Rank Gate had opened in the banquet hall, and everyone had been sucked inside.
This was a problem that Igor, as the person who provided the venue, could not simply ignore.
“Everyone?”
As expected, Igor’s brows furrowed, and he clicked his tongue softly with an irritated expression.
He then wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and gently covered the back of my hand as if asking for my understanding.
“Regrettably, I must leave now.”
“Ah, yes.”
I cheered inwardly at his words but nodded, trying my best to appear nonchalant.
No matter if my heart was setting off fireworks, it was a rule not to show blatant delight.
However, before leaving, he added something I couldn’t understand.
“It won’t take long. When I return, I hope a hot bath has been prepared.”
‘What is he talking about? Why does he expect me to prepare his bathwater?’
In any case, I had secured enough time until his return, so I needed to figure out a way to escape this mansion during that period.
To do that, I first needed to get rid of the big guy guarding me.
He, who had been lying prostrate on the floor during dinner, was now silently standing and observing my every move.
Since he didn’t even blink, it seemed difficult to divert his attention easily.
‘Is there no choice?’
Sitting alone at the long table, I cut the remaining steak and then “accidentally” nudged my water glass.
After a moment of deliberation on how to do it, I simply pushed the glass with my arm.
Shatter!
“Oops, a mistake.”
As I intended, the glass shattered, and sharp fragments scattered everywhere.
I thought my acting was a bit awkward, but I quickly picked up a piece of the broken glass with my hand.
It was an inevitable result that my skin would tear from that careless action.
“Ow! That hurts.”
It did hurt quite a bit, and I exaggerated the reaction more than usual.
I slyly held up my bleeding hand toward the man who was approaching.
“Wow, that’s a lot of blood, isn’t it?”
“…”
“What are you doing? Bring a potion.”
“…”
“Hey.”
But no matter how much I tried to emphasize the torn part, he just stood there, looking down without a word.
It felt less like he had figured out my trick and more like, ‘So what?’
I couldn’t feel even the minimum amount of emotion that a human being should have.
“Didn’t you hear the Master say not to handle me roughly? Should I just stay like this? I might die from excessive bleeding, you know?”
“…Wait a moment.”
Finally, only after mentioning Igor did the man move as I intended.
I wouldn’t die from excessive bleeding from just this, but my threat had clearly worked.
‘What kind of threat did Igor put him under, anyway?’
Even in Igor’s absence, his loyalty seemed close to brainwashing.
“Wait, my butt.”
As soon as the man’s back disappeared from my sight, I loosely wrapped the wound with the napkin from the chair.
Then, I pulled off the tablecloth, swept up as much fruit and bread as possible from the table, and quickly dashed to the drawing room.
My destination was none other than the basement beneath the fireplace.
Realistically, wandering around the mansion alone to find an exit was reckless.
It would take a long time, and there was no guarantee of success.
I decided it was better to ask the people locked up first before making any rash moves.
Creak.
When I activated the button inside the fireplace, the familiar passage appeared before me.
I had to act quickly to get out before the man noticed.
As a result, I practically flew down the stairs, stumbling several times in the process.
My heart nearly froze in fear as I almost tumbled down.
This was because the muscle memory was S-Rank, but the actual body was garbage.
Unlike my urgent thoughts, my body simply wouldn’t keep up.
“Mr. Mateo!”
As soon as I yanked the door open, the people who heard my voice rushed to the window.
Their diverse eyes behind the small window all stared at me simultaneously.
Mateo’s eyes, which had been the most hopeful, quickly lost their light.
It happened right after he confirmed my outfit.
“It seems you were caught after all.”
“Ah, well…”
I had no excuse, having boasted that I would return to save them, only to show up in this state.
My heart sank as I looked at the dejected people.
I knew well how cruel it was to give hope and then snatch it away.
“I was caught, but I haven’t given up. I’m going to find a way for all of us to escape, no matter what.”
“…”
“…”
“Really!”
But even with my confident declaration, the darkly shadowed expressions of the people showed no sign of softening.
Some even went back to their beds, turning their backs on me.
Unlike a moment ago, the atmosphere suggested that any hope for me had vanished.
Perhaps, after repeated failures, hope had gradually faded, and they had reached the stage of resignation.
“…Isn’t anyone hungry? I brought some food.”
Feeling sorry for them, I went around to each room and shared the bread and fruit.
When I put my hand into the small opening, they quickly snatched the food and frantically stuffed it into their mouths.
It seemed the quantity wasn’t enough, as most of them inhaled the food in an instant without chewing much.
I had guessed this from their thin bodies, but it seemed they weren’t even being fed properly.
‘Does he ever come down here?’
I felt nothing but a sense of neglect toward them.
But as I was handing the bread to Salim last, my eyes drifted to the room across the corridor.
“Why is this person in this condition? Wasn’t this room empty before?”
A man who looked to be in his early twenties was lying motionless on the floor, not even on the bed.
He was completely naked, and there were severe bruises on his wrists and ankles, as if he had been restrained.
The strange thing was the trail of blood between his legs.
“He was moved here a little while ago.”
“What do you mean?”
‘Then where was he before?’
I raised my eyebrows at the incomprehensible statement and turned around.
Mateo swallowed the last grape and lowered his head with a gloomy expression.
“I told you the owner here plays with us like toys. He was moved here literally because a new toy—you—appeared.”
“…”
“As you can see, his condition isn’t good…”
He glanced at the room across the way, then grimaced and seemed to hold back his words for a moment.
He soon bit his lower lip hard, until the color drained from it, as if recalling a painful memory.
But before long, a shocking truth was revealed from his mouth.
“He was probably tortured sexually a lot, too. I was too. It’s one of that bastard’s sick hobbies.”
As soon as I heard those words, I involuntarily looked at Salim.
The boy, who was clearly young, was diligently chewing with a small piece of bread clutched in his tiny hand.
‘Sexual torture?’
A scene I didn’t even want to imagine instantly filled my mind, and my fingertips trembled.
It was so horrific that my stomach churned.
‘Surely not to a 10-year-old child.’
“Then…”
“Salim is okay. I asked him several times, and he said he was only hit.”
Sensing my change in complexion, Mateo quickly added the clarification.
To be honest, that was also shocking, but because I had imagined the worst-case scenario, I actually felt a sense of relief.
‘Ha…’
Only then did I let out a deep sigh of relief.
It wasn’t the kind of reaction to show in front of Mateo, who was a victim, but I simply couldn’t hold it back.
“But the boy’s brother wasn’t so lucky.”
“His brother?”
“Salim had an older brother, five years older. They were captured and brought here together, but the brother couldn’t endure the beatings… His body wasn’t well from the first day. He ended up being locked in the room and neglected, and his condition worsened until he…”
“No way…”
A five-year difference meant he was only about 15 years old.
The students who came to eat tteokbokki at my father’s store were usually around that age, so I couldn’t help but feel emotional.
‘That crazy bastard.’
The fact that he brutally beat that young child and then let him die through neglect was more than just rage—it was horrifying.
It was something no human could ever imagine doing.
“After that incident, Salim didn’t speak for almost a month. He speaks a little now, though…”
Hearing that, I understood why Salim’s face lacked vitality.
I had only been thinking about rescuing people, but it seemed I had to change my plan.
“I have one question: who is the big guy sticking close to that bastard?”
“The big guy, you mean… Ah, Rod.”
Mateo, who had tilted his head in confusion, soon looked regretful.
“His name is Rod… He resisted heavily on the first day he was brought here.”
