Chapter 8
8
“Is it like granting a wish?”
“Similar.”
What wish could a revolutionary of the dark attribute possibly want from me?
Join the revolution and assassinate the Emperor.
Turn myself in, go to the interrogation room, and blow up the Security Bureau.
Shave my head completely, leaving not a single strand of hair.
Give me that necklace; it would suit me better.
No matter how I look at it, only things like Mission: Impossible come to mind.
“Tell me what it is, and I’ll decide. I’m not omnipotent, you know? There are limits to wishes.”
“Yes, I’ll tell you when I need it.”
What? Why not tell me now? I became very uncomfortable.
“I don’t have much of an appetite, so I should get up soon.”
“You’ve almost finished, though.”
In fact, I’ve never lost my appetite in my life.
I didn’t even pick at my food, thinking, ‘That look… I’m going to get indigestion.’
If I wanted to avoid the situation, I could just eat quickly. I finished all the food without leaving a scrap, got up, and ran away to my room.
* * *
Past midnight.
Back in my room, I paced back and forth, deep in worry.
“This won’t do.”
This contradictory feeling of wanting to chase him away but not wanting to is confusing.
Actually, it’s not certain that he’ll start a rebellion in the future. He could settle down here and live diligently.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, I noticed a figure flickering in the dim garden outside the window.
Mathias is a man who puts on airs by drinking wine in his room in a fancy gown at night instead of sleeping, so it couldn’t be Mathias.
Looking closely, there seem to be about four people.
Seeing the suspicious figures entering the mansion, I stepped back and leaned against the wall.
“Could it be a secret meeting?”
I need to see with my own eyes whether that’s a site for plotting a rebellion or a job celebration party.
I left my room and headed towards Dante’s room, muffling my footsteps.
And then, I came face to face with something.
I was startled and stepped back.
“Wh-Who are you!”
The figures standing in the hallway were unfamiliar men dressed in black. One of them strode towards me.
The moonlight shining through the window revealed a fierce impression, sending shivers down my spine.
A young man with a long scar near his eye, sharply upturned gray eyes, and reddish-brown hair crookedly raised the corner of his mouth.
“We’ve been found out. I heard you lived alone, but you had a servant. You have good instincts for a maid.”
Found out? You walked right in. What are you talking about?
“I’m not a maid.”
“Shut up and do as I say.”
Anyway, this doesn’t feel good. They definitely didn’t seem like Dante’s revolutionary comrades or friends who came to celebrate his job. If they were, they wouldn’t have come in with such dirty, muddy feet.
Suddenly, Mathias’s words about needing to increase security by deploying troops to prevent intruders came to mind. There were many valuable things in this house.
I moved my stiff lips and asked.
“Are you perhaps… robbers?”
“No. We’re only taking one thing. If you don’t want to die, lead us to the hidden basement. The Rose Chapel, I mean.”
The man said, holding out a dagger that reflected the light.
I’m getting robbed. My instincts are sending countless danger warnings.
I may not be good at arguing, but I’m terrible at fighting.
The man with the chilling eyes, who looked like he would swing his knife without hesitation if I screamed or tried to run away, urged me.
“Hey, let’s go, quickly.”
The man’s hand nudged my back.
But what is the Rose Chapel?
“What’s the hidden basement? I don’t know where it is, so how can I take you there?”
“Oh? Then do you just want to die?”
“No?”
My whole body stiffened at the cold feeling on my neck, and my spine tingled. Is he really going to kill me? It seems like it. I desperately used my survival instincts and came up with a quick fix.
“Actually, there’s a password that only I know. If you kill me, you’ll never open it. I’ll guide you, so take what you’re looking for.”
The men looked at each other and nodded.
On the other hand, the suspicious reddish-brown-haired man held the dagger even closer.
“A maid knows something like that?”
Then another bald man stepped forward and pointed at me.
“Boss, she must be the owner of the house. The witch who broke Günther’s arm at the market and left was said to have brown hair like this woman.”
What are you talking about? Wasn’t that a scam? Why do I have to be called a witch? It was self-defense.
At that moment, the reddish-brown-haired man snorted.
“There are plenty of brown-haired people. And she doesn’t look like the owner of this house at all.”
That crazy guy with common brown hair. I kept my mouth shut, fearing something terrible would happen if I retorted that he looked like a robber.
The man, who had scolded his subordinate, raised the weapon he had pointed at me and warned again.
“Anyway, lead the way. If you do anything unnecessary, you know what will happen, right?”
There’s more than one basement, what should I do? I desperately called out to Mathias in my heart. But since he only appears when he feels like it, it seemed like my mental plea wouldn’t even be received.
Then, suddenly, I remembered one basement that was firmly closed. When I stood in front of the door to clean it, Mathias appeared with a fierce look on his face.
“Don’t go in there without permission.”
“Are you going to clean it yourself? Why?”
“You’ll die if you go in.”
“Okay. You must have stored something important there. Like school graduation photos or a secret diary…”
That place where he threatened to kill me if I went in must be it.
If I open the door and let these men in, Mathias will automatically be summoned, and I’ll get scolded and run away.
After finishing the simulation in my head, I immediately turned around, but as soon as I did, a blade was thrust in front of my eyes.
“H-Huh.”
It was scary again, so I stopped stiffly.
The man who was facing me growled.
“What are you doing?”
“I-I have to go this way.”
“Guide us properly. If you do anything stupid, you’ll die right away.”
I shrugged my shoulders, passed the men, and walked ahead. I heard small whispers from behind.
“It seems like it’s really gone.”
“I can’t believe the rumors about it disappearing were true.”
I don’t know what they’re talking about, but isn’t it your conscience that’s disappeared? In the meantime, the men’s conversation continued.
“Could that woman have chased it away? She’s a witch, right?”
“The story about her being a murderous weapon who can break an arm with her finger must have been an exaggeration. She can’t do anything right now.”
“Still, don’t let your guard down. It might not be gone, but a trap.”
They seemed to be very afraid of something.
By the way, how did I become a witch and a murderous weapon in just one day?
I sighed and entered the passage leading to the basement. In the gloomy atmosphere like an old castle, the blue torches hanging on the walls dimly illuminated the underground passage.
When I first discovered this place, I was so worried that I had entered a mystery or horror genre that I felt a strange energy. Even now, the back of my neck is tingling.
“It’s here.”
I stood in front of the old, thick wooden door and turned to look at the reddish-brown-haired man.
Then the man nodded his chin as if telling me to open the door.
“I’m really opening it.”
I said with a nervous face, holding the doorknob. This was to call Mathias.
It’s time for him to show up in a hurry, right? If he doesn’t come soon, I’ll open his graduation album and read his secret diary? Huh?
“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up.”
“The password is very long. I have to pass the official certificate first, and then install ActiveX, security programs, and a firewall. If I make even a small mistake, something very difficult will happen.”
I just said anything to buy time.
The man nodded as if he understood, even though he didn’t understand anything.
“It seems like she put a black magic spell on it, so she’s definitely a witch.”
That devil should have received this house. I looked at the door with a pale face. As it is, I’ll have to sing the Korean national anthem up to the fourth verse to buy time.
Then, the bald man standing behind frowned and raised one hand.
“Hey! Aren’t you going to do it quickly? Do you need to get hit to do it right?”
This is it. I glared and shouted at the bald man with all my might.
“Be quiet!”
The bald man who had been yelling at me widened his eyes. If it’s this loud, Dante and Mathias should have heard it too.
I continued calmly.
“This is a sacred ritual. I don’t know what will happen if I make a mistake or if there’s noise. Everyone, shut your mouths and watch reverently.”
The bald man shut his mouth quietly with an embarrassed face. I put my hand on my chest and took a deep breath.
“Until the East Sea’s waves are dry, and Mount Baekdu is no more, may God preserve our land…”
Dante or Mathias, please come and save me! I’m already at the end of the third verse and starting the fourth!
“With spirit and mind, giving all loyalty…”
Isn’t it too much that no one is showing up when I’m following Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves to draw aggro? Shouldn’t that door open on its own by now?
I recited the last verse with a sad heart.
“Koreans, stand tall and strong, forever preserve our land.”
Clunk-
The door opened.
I Hired the Mastermind as a Housekeeper
