* * *
‘Another estate?’
I tilted my head slightly, weighing the decision.
It wasn’t like we were going to another floor—it was an entirely different location.
And that was honestly… off-putting.
Not without reason.
I’d been kidnapped more than a few times, after all.
Even if Igor was genuinely innocent, even a world-famous philanthropist, blindly following him would still be a reckless move.
“⋯⋯.”
And yet, I didn’t refuse him outright.
Because in about 30 minutes, a massive S-Class Gate was going to appear in the banquet hall.
More precisely, it would happen while Blue Hair was drenched in blood and Cha Rui was wiping off his hands.
The Gate was so massive it swallowed up everyone in the estate.
Our team included.
That marked the official beginning of the “Russia Arc.”
With thirteen S-Ranks present, you’d think things would go smoothly—but of course, the story didn’t make it that easy.
The dungeon they faced progressed in ways no one had ever experienced before.
Within half a day, the Russian hunters’ mental states began to crumble.
In that chaos, S3 ended up taking command. It made sense—those three were the leads of this “movie,” so naturally, the narrative would focus on them.
But the dungeon was vast—endless, even.
Room after room, each one demanding proof of ability or the solving of riddles.
They were pushed into extreme conditions.
They finally made it out three days later, after over 80 hours inside.
If not for the efforts of those three, the Russian hunters might have been trapped there for a month.
That’s why I’d initially thought I didn’t need to be involved in this episode at all.
Sure, if I entered the dungeon with them, we could clear it faster.
Two days, tops.
But that would just mean stealing the spotlight from S3.
This event would cement their reputation—they’d be treated as heroes in Russia after this.
I had no intention of taking that away from them, nor did I want to meddle.
All I wanted was for the story to flow the way the movie intended.
My plan was to quietly leave the estate before the Gate appeared.
So Igor’s offer had come at a strangely convenient time.
If I had to leave anyway, stopping by that other estate he mentioned didn’t sound too bad.
Besides, I’d been curious about the child in that photo.
This might be my chance to find something out.
Still, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
I needed some kind of backup—just one person would be enough.
No need to drag all three into this.
Cha Rui.
I felt a little guilty, but since he was already on protection duty, he might as well move with me.
It might delay his progress with me slightly, but the other two could handle the dungeon without much trouble.
Of course, I wasn’t going to contact him right away.
I planned to send a quick message while we were on the move.
No telling how Igor might react if I reached out now.
“Hmm…”
As I pretended to ponder, rubbing my lips slowly, Igor gave a soft shrug.
“Did I make things uncomfortable for you?” he asked with a nervous smile.
“That wasn’t my intention. I guess I got carried away thinking about the kids…”
“Kids?”
My hand froze at his words.
I’d already been curious about the boy in the photo, and now my expression stiffened without me realizing it.
“It’s nothing grand,” Igor said.
“I just plan to use part of the wine proceeds to help children affected by war.
There are many kids who’ve lost their families and have nowhere to go.
I thought, maybe they need at least one place they can rely on.”
“Ah…”
If you just listened to him, it sounded like a noble plan to build shelters for orphans.
But it didn’t sit right with me.
He said “children,” but the people in the photos looked like they were in their 20s.
Sure, someone in their 60s like him might still see them as “kids,” but once suspicion sparked, it was hard to extinguish.
Igor must’ve misunderstood my expression, because he quickly waved his hands, flustered.
“Ah—I must’ve said something strange. If it makes you uncomfortable…”
“Let’s go.”
“Pardon?”
I extended my arm in a gesture for him to lead the way.
He looked confused, but I had already made up my mind.
“Lead the way. I’ll be the first to buy that wine.”
Inside the car, speeding down a pitch-black forest road.
It had already been an hour and a half since we left the city and hit the unpaved roads.
I was sure he said it wasn’t far, but we’d been driving nearly two hours since leaving the estate.
It was late, and there wasn’t a single streetlamp in sight.
Everything outside was swallowed in inky darkness.
Even if there were any scenery, it’d just be dense trees.
But relying on nothing but the headlights to guide us through the forest… it made even me uneasy.
Meanwhile, the driver and Igor were perfectly calm. Judging by their relaxed attitude, they must come this way often.
‘I need to contact Father, too…’
The estate must’ve been in the middle of nowhere.
My phone had lost signal completely, and it hadn’t come back since.
I’d completely forgotten until now, but once I checked, I realized I wasn’t sure if I’d lost signal before entering the forest or after.
Considering the time difference, the father thought his son would be arriving around 2 p.m. the next day.
Since I was scheduled to leave the country with the three of them in three days, I needed to reach out in advance so they wouldn’t worry.
But the estate was so remote that ever since we entered the mountains, there hadn’t been a single bar of signal.
I’d managed to send a message to Cha Rui before that, but I wasn’t even sure if it would go through.
[Stepping out for a bit. Will text again when I arrive.]
And that was what the text looked like—typed hastily with one hand, it was barely readable.
I’d already missed dozens of calls since we left, but with Igor sitting right next to me, answering wasn’t exactly an option.
Even when I pretended not to notice, I could feel his attention shift every time I moved.
Still, there was no way I could back out now after coming all this way.
At this point, my only hope was that I’d get a signal once we reached the estate.
I mean, people live there—it wouldn’t be completely dead, right?
“It’s taking longer than I expected.”
“Oh, really? In Russia, this kind of distance doesn’t really count for much.”
Igor gave an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his neck like he felt a bit embarrassed.
Fair enough—considering the sheer size of Russia, a two-hour drive probably is a casual trip for them.
But I was Korean.
Naturally, I felt impatient.
Especially in a situation where everything was so uncertain.
Maybe I was showing it on my face, because Igor glanced at his watch and then gave the driver a quiet order to speed up.
“We’re almost there. Just another 20 minutes or so.”
And sure enough, exactly 20 minutes later, a massive mansion came into view.
It was nestled so deep in the mountains that I wondered how anyone even managed to build a house there.
If the first mansion had been grand and extravagant, this one had a more subdued yet intimidating aura.
Even the air felt strangely heavy.
“It looks even bigger than the last one. How many of these mansions do you have?”
“Including the one on Loshino Island, three in total. This one is the second largest. It’s the most remote, but also my favorite.”
“Ah…”
What a peculiar taste.
This mansion had an old-world charm to it too, but the atmosphere was so dark and gloomy it felt like I might come down with depression just by staying here.
Like a 100-year-old vampire could crawl out any second.
Maybe it was because I’d just seen the flashy mansion earlier, but I couldn’t understand how anyone would prefer a place this eerie.
“This way.”
Soon after, he led me inside, and it was even darker than I’d expected.
I wondered if the lighting actually worked in this place.
The vibe gave off serious haunted house energy.
The weird paintings on the walls didn’t help either—if a ghost popped out right now, I wouldn’t even be surprised.
Not exactly a great first impression…
Maybe it was just because the place was so huge and empty.
With barely any people around, it felt even more unsettling.
“Isn’t anyone working here?”
“Of course. But unless I specifically call them, the chef rarely comes out of the kitchen. Cleaning is only needed once a week, so for now, just a few maids are staying here to help around the house.”
“For such a huge place, that feels a bit… sparse.”
“Well, as you can see, it’s pretty big. Haha.”
Igor laughed heartily and guided me naturally to the parlor. But I wasn’t in the mood to laugh.
* * *
