After I said those super cool words like the main character, but why?...
Why... is the atmosphere in this corridor so quiet?. Why is there not a single sound? What does this mean?! I also have shame, you know?!
I frowned, muttering to myself. "Don't just stay silent! Wasn't this supposed to be a cool moment, where you all shout in unison 'Yes, Sir!' or something like that?!"
I held my face so it wouldn't overreact. "I named you Silent Warrior not because you have to stay silent too!" I added, grumbling in my heart.
Instead, they bowed their heads solemnly, and I was truly annoyed. "Hey, Guiver. Why are they just staying quiet?!" I complained.
Guiver was silent for a moment. "Hmm... Try asking them directly why they're being quiet." He replied.
"Ah, fine! Rather than letting this weigh on my heart." I took a deep breath, preparing to ask them directly.
I pretended to cough to break the silence. *Ek-Ekhem!. I closed my eyes.
"Why are you all staying silent?" I asked quietly, opening one eye to peek slightly.
Zero was still bowing his head. "M-My Lord... T-To be honest..." He stammered. He lifted his head slightly, looking at Reigh. "We are hungry." He smiled stiffly.
Hearing that, my face was completely shocked. "What?!" I screamed in my heart.
"What kind of leader prioritizes embarrassment while his followers are starving?!" Guiver mocked.
I replied sharply to his mockery. "Shut up!"
I lowered my head slightly, he smiled stiffly. "I-Is that so?!" I said stiffly.
All of them in front of me nodded slowly.
I wanted to take them all away from here, "Let's go to the kitchen or storage here first to look for food." I said quietly.
"Do you know where it is?!" I asked.
Zero stepped forward, "Follow me, My Lord." He said.
I followed him, followed by the ten of my members behind me. I turned around briefly. "Call the others to eat." I said.
One of them immediately left to follow my order.
[<...A few moments later, Reigh and his followers went toward the kitchen or storage to fill all of their starving stomachs.
But what Reigh did not know, the reason they did not respond to him was not because of their hungry stomachs.
If the problem was only hunger, they had not eaten for days. For them, starvation was like daily food.
The only reason they never spoke to Reigh except Zero was only one, they felt unworthy to speak directly to their savior>]
"Haaah! So full!" I shouted while leaning back.
After about one hour, we were in this kitchen filling the stomachs of everyone who was starving.
To be honest, I was also hungry. For 7 years on the streets, I had never eaten warm food.
Even though I really hated that Beltiro, I still had to thank him for leaving plenty of food ingredients in the kitchen.
We let the servants of this mansion live, then asked them all to cook delicious food for everyone.
They immediately accepted the request because they were only servants anyway.
From what they said, they also really hated Beltiro for his cruel actions toward fellow humans.
So I was not very interested in taking their lives, and Guiver also said that they were not lying.
Maybe because Guiver is a former scientist, that's why he can read someone's movements when they are lying. He said he only analyzed micro-expressions and voice patterns. In short, he helped me a lot in this world.
As for Beltiro's child and wife, the servants said that his child and wife were not spared from Beltiro's cruelty either.
His wife was locked in another mansion room because she was considered to always try to stop his barbaric actions.
And his child was made into a servant in the Inner Dominion. Not only a servant, the child was also forced to search for information that benefited Beltiro.
I was curious, how could people from the Outer Slums enter the Inner Dominion? Wasn't The Caste Wall like an 'Absolute Wall'? Especially with dozens of soldiers guarding every 10 meters.
Maybe Beltiro used his network to smuggle his child in. "Ah, whatever." I muttered quietly.
I looked at my followers. "Are you full?" I asked.
Honestly, I wasn't confident calling them my followers.
Because some of them were even older than me, there was one around 30 years old, Zero, and some around 20 years old. There was even a small child who was 7 years old.
That damn Beltiro truly did not discriminate, anything could be turned into money.
"Yes, My Lord." Zero replied, he helped wipe the mouth of a small child beside him.
When we said we would hold a big meal, all the people who had been oppressed by Beltiro immediately gathered here.
Even the very large dining room was not enough to fit them all.
The total number of people who had been oppressed by Beltiro was approximately 70 people, at least those in the mansion, and the rest, Zero said that all the kidnapped humans amounted to around 4,000 people spread across the Outer Slums.
All the people who had been oppressed by Beltiro and were in this mansion decided to become my followers.
"I have to apologize to the servants for troubling them." I muttered in my heart.
I stood up, all eyes turned to me. "Ek-Ekhem!" When being seen by so many people, I was truly awkward.
"Are you a loner, kid?!" Guiver mocked.
I replied sharply. "Shut up." I shouted to Guiver, which only he could hear.
I looked around the entire room, "Alright. First, we will seize this entire mansion." I said, breaking the silence and awkwardness.
"Seize?" Zero asked.
"Yes," I immediately glanced at him. "There is a lot of wealth in this mansion, right? You can use some to buy your own equipment." I continued.
"I see." Zero said.
Guiver interrupted, "Hey! Don't buy equipment first!" He shouted.
I was startled, "Why?!" I asked.
"Equipment can be made ourselves, the most important thing is logistics! You must buy all the food stock in this city!" Guiver replied, "With money, the entire city can also be controlled." He added.
I nodded slowly, "I see." I muttered, agreeing with him.
The people looked at me strangely when they saw me nodding repeatedly. "Sorry for being rude, My Lord." Zero interjected.
I glanced briefly, "What's the next plan?" He asked.
I could only answer awkwardly. "The plan, huh?" I replied hesitantly, holding my chin.
Suddenly, the children shouted. "Surely My Lord is planning to quickly take over the Outer Slums!" One of the children shouted enthusiastically.
The other children who heard that immediately got excited. "That's right! My Lord is like a god!" One of them added.
Followed by nods from my other followers, both older and younger. All of them showed faces of admiration while nodding in agreement.
"Eh?! What do they mean? I'm just some nobody human, you know! There's no god living in poverty!" I grumbled in my heart, not wanting to disturb their happiness.
But, it was very embarrassing to be seen with such admiring gazes. I stood up and pretended to cough. "Ekhem!" To stop the commotion.
Instantly, the entire room went quiet. "Anyway, the plan to buy equipment is canceled for now." I said, breaking the silence.
Still no one replied to my words, they must have wanted to hear the continuation immediately. "We will first buy all the food supplies in the city of Geaz." I added.
"You will split up to buy all of that food." I ended my statement.
They all nodded without a word. I assumed that they agreed with that.
I must get used to their attitude of always accepting my words without responding, even though I really want them to ask more or anything.
But once they do speak, they praise me far too much like before. Well, I have to get used to this lonely feeling.
Glancing at Zero, "Zero, call a servant to lead me to the treasure room." I said quietly.
"Yes." He replied, Zero stood up from his chair, stepping out of this dining room.
A few moments later, he came back with a middle-aged female servant. "Here she is, My Lord." He stepped aside, introducing the person behind him. "She is the head maid who knows everything about this mansion." Zero added.
The head maid bowed slightly. "How can I help you?" She asked, lifting her head again.
I nodded, and stood up. "Excuse me, Miss. Could you show me the treasure room?" I asked her softly.
"I can." She replied, "But..."
I raised an eyebrow, "But?"
"I do not know the key to that room, because it is only known by the ruler of this city." She added.
Hearing that, I held my chin. Trying to think, "I see." I walked closer. "What is the door made of?" I asked.
Guiver suddenly blurted out, "Of course it's iron, idiot! What treasure room is made of wood?!" He shouted.
I got annoyed by his mockery. "Shut up!" I snapped.
"Iron, My Lord." The woman before me replied.
"Ah, it doesn't feel good being called My Lord." I bent slightly, "Just call me Reigh." I said softly, then straightened my body again.
The woman before me did not reply to my words, I immediately muttered. "But… Iron, huh?" I mumbled.
A few seconds passed,
I grinned, "May I cut part of the door?" I asked her.
The woman before me now looked confused. "Cut? That's iron, you know." She replied in disbelief.
She immediately muttered, "But... It's not impossible either... Even the soldiers clad in iron, I saw piles of flesh and iron all over the corridor." Her muttering was very long, this woman kept rambling as if thinking hard.
I ignored her babbling, "Relax, it's easy." I said quietly, stopping her rambling. "Is it allowed?" I asked.
The woman now smiled warmly, "Of course it is allowed. Since the ruler of this city is gone, then the law of the jungle still applies." She stepped forward, then glanced at me as if inviting me to follow.
I was confused, "Law of the jungle?! How primitive is this city?!" I asked in my heart. Then I followed her alone, leaving all of them behind.
As I walked, Guiver started thinking. "Law of the jungle, huh? Does that mean Beltiro was not the rightful heir of this city, but obtained it through a primitive system?"
"That means... The servants are also indirectly guilty, aren't they? They know everything yet remain silent." He added.
I interrupted, "Huh?! What do you mean?"
Guiver replied, "Well... If they know about the law of the jungle that this city adheres to, why were they willing to work here? For many years too."
I interrupted again. "But! Doesn't that mean they had no choice?! Everywhere, it's hard to find work or income." I replied.
Guiver snorted, "Hmph! You're naïve, kid." He stopped talking, not wanting to continue anymore.
I ignored that, and kept walking toward the treasure room.
A few moments later,
I arrived at a large door. It was bigger than the bedroom doors in this mansion, but it was all black.
"Here?" I asked, turning to look at the female servant.
But, the woman was gone. Without any trace at all.
"Eh?!" I looked in all directions.
Suddenly, a whisper appeared near my ear. "Goodbye,"
I immediately became serious, instantly turning around and blocking the dagger she aimed directly at my neck using my left hand. "HAH?!" I replied.
The middle-aged woman was shocked when she saw me holding her dagger so calmly. "What?!" She shouted, letting go of the dagger she held and immediately stepping back.
"How can you stop that?!" She shouted.
I let out a breath, "Haaa... I'm the one who should be asking in this position... Why... did... you... attack me." Releasing a killing aura.
The middle-aged woman was scared and trembling.
"Haaa... Turns out Guiver was right." I snorted, "Let's begin... The painful torture." I grinned.