As the tragic atmosphere unfolded, Apollo remembered that the wind was still blowing, and thus, time was still ticking away. So, the young man decided to save these valuable and meager seconds by approaching the Gururis who were still sitting in the carriage. Upon reaching them, Apollo curiously observed how the two pink Gururis had several violet bruises on their heads. As Zoe gripped her cane tighter than before, Apollo deduced that the first attack had already occurred during the long journey back to the estate.
—Zoe, Nicolao, Aquiles: Get off the carriage! —Apollo ordered, causing Zoe and Aquiles to exit the carriage while one of the pink Gururis stared at him intently—Why don't you obey me, foul beast?
—My name is not Nicolao! —Nicolás complained, seemingly annoyed that the person who had given him a name a few days ago had forgotten it.
—Oh... um... get down, Nico... —Apollo said, trying to see the patch on Nicolás's clothing, but the truth was, putting a patch on a toga right now didn't seem like such a good idea as when he had proposed it, as the patch was so crumpled and hidden that you could barely see the beginning of the name.
—Nicolás! You gave me that name yourself! —The pink Gururi complained, getting off the carriage with some effort. The two pink Gururis were too young to use magic as skillfully as the experienced Zoe, so they had to throw themselves to the ground from a considerable height to get off the carriage.
—Nico is an affectionate abbreviation; can't you see what a good master I am... —Apolo muttered with some embarrassment—Furthermore, introduce yourselves to your subordinates. Just as I am your master, you are the masters of these insignificant creatures.
—Do they all obey us? —Aquiles asked, somewhat excited, looking at the people crying in the distance who, fortunately, were not eavesdropping on this conversation.
—Yes, but you can't hit them or mistreat them, let alone kill them...—Apolo said, emphasizing the important parts of "healthy" coexistence in his mansion—Remember that if you kill them, you'll have to do their tasks yourselves, and you'll be left without servants to obey you. Learn from Zoe; that's why she has a cane, and you two don't.
—Why can't we hit these creatures, and you can hit us? —Nicolás asked immediately.
—Zoe hit us during the journey; she deserves to be punished! —Aquiles shouted immediately, skillfully using the new rule Apolo had imparted to get rid of the dangerous enemy.
—Yes, she deserves to be condemned to death! —Nicolás shouted immediately, forgetting his question and joining the other pink Gururi in showing Apolo the bumps on his head.
—Zoe can hit both of you... —Apolo replied, taking his head with some fatigue, mainly from seeing how Zoe didn't try to defend herself and seemed willing to accept the punishment without hesitation.
—Why? —Both pink Gururis asked at the same time.
—Because Zoe has a little cane just like I have a cane: you can only hit your subordinates if you have one of these two canes—Apolo replied, shamelessly showing his cane in front of the three small creatures.
—It's unfair; we should have our little canes too... —Aquiles and Nicolás complained at the same time, seeming too coordinated in the request to think it was improvised on the spot.
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—If you want, I'll give them to you—Zoe replied, extending the little cane, causing the two pink Gururis to violently try to snatch it away. But, with his eyes wide open to watch the movements of these scoundrels, Apolo raised his cane as soon as he noticed the attempt to snatch it and began giving out beatings again.
—No, that little cane is yours and no one else's. Never share it! —Apolo yelled with concern. He didn't know that this problem could arise, and during his months of study, he hadn't found any books indicating whether the current Gururis could perform the role of the elder of the house without the traditional Guriris killing him out of naivety. So, Apolo was extremely nervous to see Zoe's passivity—Listen, Zoe, you can't trust these two scoundrels, or they'll kill you while you sleep. They are bad people, and you have to educate them to be good people. Let them learn from you!
—Yes, Master—Zoe commented, but her expressionless face didn't help Apolo understand whether she really understood or not.
—I hope you really understand... —Apolo muttered quite irritated; Zoe's value in his eyes was much greater than the easily replaceable pink Gururis. The harsh reality was that if Zoe died before educating them, he would have to start another bitter and lengthy search.
After saying that, Apolo saw how the servants had stopped crying and took the opportunity to regain the spotlight of this story with a loud shout:
—Attention! I now request that my disciple, Zoe, kneel before me!
The creature in question disappeared and appeared kneeling before Apolo. Then, the young nobleman, under the watchful gaze of everyone present, placed his gold ring on the forehead of the green Gururi and solemnly exclaimed slowly:
—I, Apolo of the Black Forest, appoint my disciple, Zoe, as the new steward of this house!
Upon hearing the news, all the servants applauded vigorously and emphatically, knowing that the time for praise for their new master had arrived. Mateo, for his part, looked at the three Gururis with consternation, finally understanding the reason why Apolo had bothered to "send" that letter to his grandfather. It seemed that the young nobleman had no plans for his bastard "cousin" in this house after acquiring these creatures and had to find him a worthy future elsewhere. Mateo reflected on the matter seriously: knowing the little heart and empathy his former young master had, it seemed that Apolo would only care so much about someone of his own blood. After all, the man had seen with his own eyes how the servants in this house, infected to their core with the blue plague, had a very limited lifespan. However, he had never seen a hint of sorrow on Apolo's face each time he informed him of the deaths of one of his servants. The young nobleman had only one request when he learned of the deaths, and it wasn't offering condolences, a dignified burial, or even notifying their relatives; it was simply to replace them as if they were broken furniture. If it weren't for Orrin, Mateo was one hundred percent sure that Apolo would have used the corpses of his former servants as decorations in the mansion, given the young man's lack of empathy. Nevertheless, Mateo never saw the former steward complain about it; apparently, the old man had already grown accustomed to these behaviors, having witnessed similar things in the castle for many years.
The harsh reality was that in the eyes of the old man, this was the normal attitude that a family of ruthless generals had to have, and the value of this lack of empathy was shown on the battlefield, where his soldiers died but the empire prevailed. And as long as the empire kept winning, its citizens would live in the greatness earned by the victories of the fallen.
—However, since it's a special day, for once, I will give a direct order to all the servants in my estate—Apolo said slowly, as if he wanted this order to be imprinted in the minds of each of his servants—If Zoe were to be killed by the other two pink Gururis: then I order you all to die with her!
The servants swallowed hard upon hearing the "order", which was more of a very clear warning: if anything happened to the new steward, they would all be killed. After making this vitally important matter clear to everyone present, Apolo looked at Zoe again and said loudly:
—Furthermore, as a first order, Zoe, I order you to prepare a farewell party for my former servants and to learn everything you need to know about my estate, my finances, my assets, and everything else you deem necessary from my former steward before he leaves.