“Follow me closely.”
I walked slowly and looked back, and the two men were following, albeit slowly, with terror etched on their faces.
They seemed to be in such a panic that they couldn’t properly comprehend the current situation.
If their state was this serious, telling them now that Igor was dead probably wouldn’t help.
‘I shouldn’t give them the antidote…’
If their abilities returned while their minds were unstable, a dangerous situation could occur.
For now, leaving them as they were would be safer for them.
“Those people are…”
When we arrived at the main entrance, Mateo and Salim spotted us first and hurried over.
Mateo looked at the people I was carrying with a bewildered expression and then his gaze shifted to the two following behind.
“Roman…? You’re alive!”
He then jumped up and down in disbelief.
It was natural for him to be surprised that a person he had presumed dead had returned alive.
Mateo hugged the man I had first rescued and even shed tears.
Although there were no visible injuries, he was speechless for a while, seeing the man’s ragged clothes and his impaired mental state.
I quietly watched the scene and then suddenly looked around.
I noticed that the other people had disappeared, and the firmly closed main gate was wide open.
‘They opened this?’
I tilted my head and approached the door, where I saw everyone, including the people from the basement, the housekeepers, and the chef, all gathered in one place.
Every single one of them was enjoying their freedom with emotional faces.
Their eyes, looking up at the sky, were moist with a sense of liberation.
“How did you open the door?”
“It was that Mister’s ability.”
Salim, who was now tightly hugging my waist, raised a finger.
The person the child was pointing at was, surprisingly, the chef.
When I listened to the explanation, the chef had also lost his ability, and they had given him the one remaining antidote.
It seemed I had mistakenly taken out one more bottle in the basement, and Salim had kept it well and passed it to the chef.
Even though he was young, he must have known the value of the S-Rank antidote.
In a situation where he could have secretly kept it, the child chose the greater good over his own gain.
“When I heard their story, the housekeepers and the chef had it rough too. They were trapped in the mansion, forced to work their fingers to the bone, and didn’t receive a single penny in pay. They said they had no choice because Igor threatened them by taking their families hostage.”
It was then that Mateo wiped his tears and approached me.
I wondered why people’s reactions had changed, and it seemed he had heard the housekeepers’ stories while I was away.
As I had expected, they also had their own circumstances.
Igor probably lured them with the promise of high pay at first, and then completely changed his attitude.
He was certainly the type of man to do so.
If he threatened their families, they would have had no choice.
They would have realized as the days passed that his threats weren’t just empty words.
“Mateo, wait outside with Salim for a moment. I’ll bring Rod and be right back.”
I handed over Salim, who was still hugging my waist, and the three unconscious people to Mateo, and then turned around.
He looked quite concerned at the mention of ‘Rod’ but didn’t add any separate comments.
There was no need to explain now; he would see it with his own eyes soon enough anyway.
“Time to wake up.”
The treasure vault, located beneath the grocery storage room.
When I went down there again, Rod was still lying on the floor.
His head slowly lifted only after I slapped his cheek several times, as he couldn’t seem to regain consciousness even when I shook his shoulder, perhaps because the elbow blow had been so hard.
He didn’t seem surprised by the sudden situation and slowly raised his upper body.
“How do you feel? Do you still want to lock me up or anything?”
“…”
Rod subtly shook his head at my words.
Fortunately, it seemed that all his previous orders had vanished along with Igor’s death.
The Slave Bug recognizes the first person it encounters upon infection as its master.
Since it serves only that one person for life, Rod would not be swayed by anyone else’s words in the future.
However, only the object that gave the orders had disappeared; his eyes were still not those of a fully recovered person.
Since there was currently no way to remove the Slave Bug, it was uncertain when Rod would regain his full mind.
It might even be impossible forever.
“Then, get up and help me a little.”
Rod looked up at me with a blank expression, not understanding what I meant.
In fact, he had no reason to obey my request, but this was a request to lend a hand, not a command.
I was subtly testing him to see if he could move of his own accord.
“Can you bring me the items here? I need to put them in my item pouch.”
When I pointed to the wide space of the treasure vault, Rod cast his eyes down and began to think deeply about something.
Then, after a brief contemplation, he nodded and stood up.
Every single one of those actions was proof that he was judging and acting on his own.
He spoke even less than before, but in any case, it was a relief.
“…”
He quietly clenched his fist by himself, which indicated that he had just realized his ability was gone.
He might have questioned it, but Rod moved without any particular reaction.
Thanks to the cooperation with Rod, the rare items were soon all inside my item pouch.
Both of us were quick in our movements, and since we worked surprisingly well together, it didn’t take long.
It was the moment when the work I needed to do in the mansion was finally wrapped up.
“Is this the last of it? Let’s get out of here now.”
A moment later, Rod and I returned to the main gate with my bulging item pouch.
As I stepped out of the wide-open door, the warm sunlight poured down dazzlingly.
I hadn’t been confined for very long, but I felt incredibly refreshed.
If I, who had been here for less than 24 hours, felt this way, how much more so for the people who had been trapped in the basement for years?
But at the sudden appearance of Rod, the people who had been happy a moment ago flinched and started watching us cautiously.
Even though he was a captive himself, more than one person must have suffered from his ruthless actions.
“Rod is fine. His mind hasn’t completely returned, but all of Igor’s commands are gone.”
Despite my continued reassurance, the people still seemed unable to let down their guard.
They just looked at each other’s faces with awkward eyes, unable to approach first.
‘This is a problem…’
Just as I was scratching my cheek in this awkward situation, Mateo hesitantly walked forward.
Salim was stuck to his side like one body, glancing at Rod.
“Will he ever come back?”
“I don’t know… We just have to hope that a way to remove the Slave Bug will be found someday.”
Unfortunately, that was a question I couldn’t give a definite answer to either.
For now, all we could do was hold onto hope and wait. In the end, only time would hold the answer.
“Speaking of which, everyone, please find your own item pouches here.”
“Oh? My item pouch!”
As soon as I spread the item pouches I had brought from the treasure vault on the ground, people swarmed around them like a bee’s nest.
They all looked similar on the outside, but seeing them happily taking their own, it seemed they each had a way to distinguish them.
“Now, I’m going to start distributing the items from the treasure vault, and anyone who cuts the line will be sent to the very back.”
The people were startled by the announcement and their eyes widened.
But that was only for a moment; soon, they all started lining up without needing to be told who was first.
I had expected chaos, but they were surprisingly orderly and calmly waiting for their turn.
However, their expressions were filled with excitement, unable to hide their thrill.
I somehow understood that feeling, and a natural smile spread across my lips.
“The rest of you go and line up too. You didn’t receive pay, but if you put these up for auction, you won’t be lacking.”
“Us too?”
“Are you… are you really giving it to us?”
The housekeepers and the chef, who had been watching the scene with hesitation, suddenly had expectant looks on their faces.
Just by their shining eyes, I could tell how much they wanted the items.
Since they were also victims, I had no intention of discriminating against them now.
“You should receive hefty compensation for the damage you suffered.”
Although I said they wouldn’t be lacking, the truth was that selling just one of the items here would create enough wealth for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
I already enjoyed sufficient wealth, so there was no reason to be greedy for more.
After I gave away my share to the very last person, my item pouch became slim again.
Nevertheless, an inexplicable sense of fulfillment and unspeakable satisfaction washed over me.
“Now then…”
“Hyung.”
I was watching the happy people who had received the items with a pleased expression.
At the familiar voice, I blinked for a moment and then belatedly turned around.
To my disbelief, Woo Jaehyun was standing tall next to a large tree.
“Woo Jaehyun? Why are you here…”
I stopped speaking and tightly closed my mouth.
His rigid expression and sharp demeanor felt so unfamiliar.
I didn’t know what had happened, but his hair, which was always perfectly styled down to the last strand, was completely disheveled.
The person who always approached me cheerfully with a friendly smile was now standing there, exuding a chillingly scary atmosphere.
The pressure that seemed to dig into my skin made it difficult to tear my eyes away.
“Who did that.”
“Huh?”
Woo Jaehyun’s eyes, settled in stillness, slowly lowered and then rested on my neck.
He seemed to be asking about the marks Igor had left.
At his persistent and chilling gaze, I instinctively covered my neck with my hand.
Just like I had done in the cave dungeon once before.
I couldn’t understand why I was doing this then, nor why I was doing it now.
