Make Our Family Great Again – Chapter 111

I’m not sure if I should say it’s fortunate, but the casino employees didn’t bring out any more food.

For me, it was a rather insufficient meal.

At least each time I served some food to Veronica, Solomon was generous enough to give me more than that.

“Veronica.”

“Yes, brother.”

“If we’re judging high-ranking officials by their influence and the size of their organization, where do McBratney and Elder Leonhart stand?”

“Well, in terms of size, McBratney can be said to be the largest. If we also include authority and influence in the concepts of power and scale… I’d say there are about two more people above him.”

“Should I assume one of those two is Elder Leonhart?”

“Yes, the other one might be someone you don’t know.”

A high-ranking official of the Carmen Family. Though they’re known for strong secrecy, that’s limited to formal members of the organization.

Even the upper echelons of the organization and even the somewhat common executives like caporegime tended to lean towards that secrecy.

“Iktomi. Ever heard of that name?”

“…No. Little Dom, what about you?”

“Yeah, there’s no way I wouldn’t know that. I was part of the Sanchez Family before my own family was established.”

Considering the Sanchez Family’s closeness to the Carmen Family, it was a sensible response. Of course, “closeness” here meant that the territories of the two families were near each other.

“So what kind of guy is he?”

I thought I had built enough knowledge about this world to know just from the name.

But when I heard the name Iktomi, not much came to mind. It felt somewhat African, yet somewhat Japanese. Of course, there are cases where names and cultures don’t align between this world and the one I lived in, so hasty judgments were unwarranted.

“He’s a spider human leading an organization mainly comprised of insect-like humans.”

A spider human. They might be a fitting match for the current Carmen Family, firmly under the control of ‘Spider,’ one of the organizations under the Five Families.

Not to mention, with high-ranking officials like Alex Leonhart, who’s a slime, and Patrick McBratney, who’s an orc, now we even have a spider human.

In many ways, it seemed that Rita Carmen, like me, had a tendency to like unique talents.

Well, that was a sentiment echoed by my late father as well.

“Did I inherit my father’s taste in this regard?”

“Veronica, then between that Iktomi and Elder Leonhart, who is stronger?”

“It varies slightly depending on the criteria. However, overall, I think it’s better to say Iktomi is stronger.”

“Miss Veronica. Then was Iktomi also at that abandoned building we visited earlier?”

Solomon’s question was quite timely. I turned my gaze to Veronica in response to that question.

“Yes, he was in a somewhat hidden area.”

“Was there really such a guy? I don’t seem to remember anyone like that.”

I replied in disbelief.

“He wasn’t very noticeable. The abandoned building lacked light, plus his skin and fur are black… so it’s only natural he wouldn’t be seen in that situation.”

“Are you saying he looked like a black guy?”

“Godfather, let’s avoid ethnic discrimination.”

“It’s not ethnic discrimination; it’s racial discrimination, so let it go.”

“Well, isn’t that a bit much?”

At least McBratney and Elder Leonhart were visible. I had no memory of the one named Iktomi at all.

To be so perfectly stealthy.

‘There can be many reasons why people hate each other, but skin color should not be among them.’

Damn it. Following Solomon, now my status window was going haywire too.

The ingredients and sauce left on the plate were grotesquely moving, beginning to take shape as letters. I clearly didn’t remember the name, but it sounded like something a famous baseball player once said.

That might have been true in the world I lived in, but at least in this world, it was different.

Hebili was not a place without discrimination.

In the world I lived in, racial conflicts were severe simply because of different skin colors, and here, we were talking about different species, so I didn’t have much to say on that level.

“If we’re only talking about visibility in dark places, then I suppose we can say it’s similar to being black.”

“No, even Miss Veronica.”

“That’s just a figurative expression. Right, brother?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

As Solomon watched Veronica and me bounce banter back and forth, he looked at us as if he’d just seen a pair of discriminatory elf siblings.

“What?”

“Oh no, it’s nothing.”

When I asked Solomon if he had a problem with it, he stepped back quickly.

What if we were borderline discriminatory? I was the godfather of this city, and my sister Veronica was now one of the bosses of the Five Families. Of course, Solomon was also one of the bosses of the Five Families.

“Veronica, can I choose both the underboss and consigliere from high-ranking officials?”

“That might be a bit tricky. While the underboss is fine, whether to include the consigliere as a high-ranking official is debatable.”

Consigliere.

To put it simply, they are the strategic advisor or counselor of an organization. However, the role and status vary greatly depending on the family’s situation.

It can be held by representatives of caporegime or high-ranking members, or it can be an honorary position held by an elderly member sidelined from real power. Additionally, if the boss values mafia traditions, then even if they belong to the latter category, they likely won’t be treated like a spare tire.

In contrast, the underboss is usually filled by the organization’s second-in-command or the boss’s successor.

There’s definitely a clearer feeling compared to that of a consigliere.

However, that doesn’t mean the role of the consigliere is unimportant. If the boss and underboss die or are incapacitated, the one leading the organization becomes the consigliere.

Moreover, the consigliere provides advice regarding major matters within the family, meaning they need to be smart and experienced.

Especially, they need to have a good understanding of various academics, including law. The previous consigliere of our family, Bier Salmo, had no law degree but had studied law, and our current consigliere, Tony Salmo, was a lawyer dedicated to our family.

“Wait, does it mean that in the Carmen Family, the underboss and consigliere must necessarily be elves?”

“No, it doesn’t have to be that way.”

However, according to Veronica, there had been no cases where other species were appointed to those positions besides elves.

Well, that was a rather ambiguous situation.

“Miss Veronica, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“Excluding high-ranking officials, are there any candidates who could be appointed as consigliere?”

“….”

Veronica’s expression seemed to show that Solomon’s question was a difficult one to answer.

“First, excluding Veronica’s companions, that leaves the existing caporegimes.”

“The current consigliere and the old caporegimes have declared retirement…”

So that left only relatively young caporegimes who were somewhat dissatisfied with Veronica.

“Let’s just go with high-ranking officials. That way is better. Let’s trample down any rebels during this opportunity and fill the stomachs of those who pledge loyalty to Veronica with the spoils. What do you think?”

“…Yes, that does sound like the best option.”

“Then we’re back where we started.”

As Solomon pointed out, we had to decide among the high-ranking officials who would be appointed as underboss and consigliere.

*

A little later, two or three of Veronica’s companions headed towards Elder Leonhart’s base.

Besides that, there had also been quite a few changes in this casino, the Carmen Family’s stronghold.

First, Veronica’s companions were assigned roles throughout the casino, performing their respective duties. While it was tricky to appoint them as underboss or consigliere, they were certainly capable enough for their assigned roles.

After all, these were the guys who had been caporegimes or had managed specific businesses until the time they defected with Veronica to the Felini Family.

Meanwhile, I left the casino and headed for the Academy.

“Little Dom, stay here with Veronica for a bit.”

“Understood. Should I call for more of my subordinates just in case?”

“That’s up to you. If the atmosphere seems off, contact me immediately.”

“Yes!”

Solomon responded to me with absolute confidence. He was younger than me, but most importantly, he was a hamster human, making the whole thing a little peculiar.

“Veronica, I’ll handle things at the Academy and come right back.”

“Yes, brother. I’m so sorry for the trouble I’m causing you.”

“Sorry for what?”

I said that and hugged Veronica. Even though she was my biological sister, it felt somewhat awkward since we didn’t have that much time knowing each other.

But that was only my impression.

“….”

Veronica paused for a moment before she hugged me back tightly.

“Wait, wait a minute!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

The strength of her grip grew stronger, and I had to shout in a hurry. She was clinging to me so hard that it rivaled Elena’s arm strength and Felicita’s tail strength.

Afterward, I boarded the armored car with the send-off from Veronica and Solomon.

Behind the two were Veronica’s companions, the Wolf Trainees, and Gollymen. Veronica and Solomon were about to attend to their own tasks.

My job was to propose the underboss position to McBratney and prepare for him.

“Brother, where are we going?”

“Let’s head to the Academy. There’s a lot to take care of.”

I ordered another armored car with the same specifications that Elena and I were riding, having to prepare to meet Elder Leonhart at the Academy. Veronica’s companions had relayed the message to the Elder that I would meet him at the Academy for an important discussion.

And with Veronica assuming the role of the Carmen Family boss, someone else was needed to handle the affairs of the Academy.

The first name that came to mind was… Kambara? He seemed to be a perfect fit.

Finally, I needed to share everything I had learned with my two wives.