“First, relay what I said.”
“Yes, brother. Understood.”
Clack.
As soon as I put down the receiver, I felt Felicita’s gaze piercing through me.
“Feli, what’s wrong?”
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Felicita halted her affectionate intentions, catching me in the middle while Elena was in the shower. It wasn’t that she was angry about that; she simply seemed discontented with what I was planning to do.
“I heard one of Darius Russo’s brothers also fell victim to the Vipers.”
“Vesus?”
“You know well. And still, you plan to meet with the Vipers?”
“…”
I moved away from the phone and approached Felicita, gently taking her hands and slowly leading her to the bed.
“Felicita. I understand that you’re worried, but sometimes you have to take risks.”
“That’s true, but Luke has had too many experiences like that.”
Cough.
“Even Luke thinks so, right? You could ask Elena, and she’d probably feel the same.”
Her mention of Elena showed she was quite serious about this. But I also had my own thoughts.
Of course, I needed Felicita’s help to ensure everything would work out as planned.
“Feli, let me ask you one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve heard that slimes are immune to poison. Is that true?”
“…”
At my question, Felicita made a face as if she didn’t quite understand.
“It depends on the type of poison. However, the slime species itself is already a type of toxin…”
She began to share her knowledge about slimes. Perhaps it was the influence of Elder Leonhart being a founding member of the Marinelli Family.
“But why do you ask that?”
“I thought it might come in handy when meeting the Vipers.”
I whispered my plans into her ear.
“…”
“So, what do you think? Is it feasible?”
“It’s not perfect, but if we can combine everything well, it should work. But are the Vipers that level of intelligence?”
“Snake people are indeed quite sensitive.”
Her point had merit. Vipers were generally snake people, and snake people carried some physical traits of snakes. The good news was they couldn’t see infrared light like snakes could.
But aside from that, they were still quite tricky opponents.
At that moment—
“What are you talking about like that?”
The bathroom door swung open, and Elena appeared. She was also wrapped in a towel, but the vibes felt completely different.
Maybe it was because she was taller and had a bigger build.
Sure, I was adequately covered in a towel, but there was no way Elena was at the same level.
“Elena. We all know you’re unnecessarily muscular, so how about you cover up a bit?”
“Are you jealous right now?”
“…What?”
Felicita was taken aback by Elena’s sudden provocation, especially since they were already having a serious conversation.
“Elena, Giovanni called while you were showering.”
“Giovanni? Did he catch a Viper or something?”
“…”
“Really?!”
I nodded silently. Elena couldn’t seem to believe it and asked again.
“For real? Giovanni and Viola found their hideout. Soon, the Russo Family and the others will swarm in, and we’ll be able to completely encircle them.”
“Luke, you’re missing the important part.”
“…”
“What? What else is going on?”
“The Vipers want to meet me directly. But first, I told Giovanni to convey our demands while we have them held.”
It was crucial for Giovanni to buy time while I dealt with the Vipers.
“…So, what did you say?”
“I told him to let them know that they can meet us if they surrender.”
“What?!”
“Elena, you must also think that’s not a good idea, right?”
Elena’s reaction was very similar to what Felicita had anticipated. Not missing the opportunity, Felicita sought to confirm whether Elena shared the same concerns.
“Luke, that’s way too dangerous.”
“That’s why it’s meant to buy time until our allies arrive.”
“What if they accept those terms?”
“If the Vipers surrender to us… it could be worth a shot.”
Both Elena and Felicita seemed to have a lot on their minds.
“Elena. Just calm down for a moment. Let me explain.”
“…Okay.”
I shared with her the same things I’d told Felicita.
A way to minimize risks while meeting the Vipers, using the slime’s immunity to poison in the process.
“Felicita. Is it true that slimes are immune to poison?”
“Generally, yes. It varies depending on the poison, though.”
The poison held by the Vipers was no ordinary toxin. It could be described as an extremely potent venom.
That part was exactly what Felicita was worried about.
“And there’s another issue. Who’s the slime accompanying you?”
“Alex Leonhart. That old man is the first one that comes to mind.”
“…”
The look in Elena’s eyes was quite complex after hearing all of my words.
She respects me but seems too anxious about the many uncertainties surrounding this plan… yet she couldn’t quite vocalize that concern.
That was purely my speculation, but Elena’s expression was profound enough to lead me to such a conclusion.
“Luke.”
“Yeah?”
*
I left my two wives in the bedroom and stepped out of the mansion alone.
Elena and Felicita watched from the window of the bedroom, gazing at their small and cute husband leaving the mansion, and they spoke.
“Is it really going to be okay?”
“Huh… Luke should be fine. And just in case, I’ve added a condition.”
“I hope nothing happens as you expect.”
There was no hint of their usual sharp exchanges or teasing remarks regarding one another. Both shared the same wish for their beloved husband to return safely.
Then Elena called Giovanni again.
She needed to inform him about the conditions that her husband was risking his life to put forth. The content of the conditions she shared with Giovanni was as follows.
The meeting location shall be open and not a closed space.
Approach each other without getting too close, while accompanied by enough attendants.
“Got it? Make sure to convey that clearly to them.”
“Understood, miss.”
Meanwhile, I boarded the armored car waiting in the mansion’s garage.
I had changed into a black double-breasted coat. Normally, I would have worn a white suit and a red shirt, but perhaps I was unconsciously nervous.
“Brother, where to?”
“First, to Elder Leonhart’s territory.”
“Understood.”
Sure, it would be great if I could head straight to the Viper’s hideout discovered by Giovanni, but that wasn’t the case.
I first needed to meet Elder Leonhart and make the necessary preparations for my plan.
More precisely, it could be called groundwork.
“…”
The groundwork for the plan I envisioned was progressing smoothly, contrary to my expectations.
Finding a capable wizard wasn’t overly difficult. Next, I needed Elder Leonhart’s cooperation.
“Anyone who’s a slime should do. How about it?”
“Hmm…”
Elder Leonhart showed a rather delicate reaction to the method I proposed for deceiving the Vipers.
“Why? Are the Vipers’ poisons still too much for the slimes?”
“No, it’s not that extreme. But with a standard slime, it would be impossible to withstand a Viper’s poison.”
“You mean they would have to be of your caliber?”
“Yes.”
Elder Leonhart responded with a rather unpleasant smile.
I wasn’t keen on trusting an ambitious person who had roamed among the Five Families.
“Are you sure about that?”
“They could potentially survive. However, I wouldn’t recommend it with any level of certainty.”
“Tsk.”
It couldn’t be helped.
At least Elder Leonhart didn’t mention anything about what he expected to gain from this venture.
That was quite a positive aspect. Of course, it could turn out similar to what Elena did with Manfredi, where I end up handing over a blank check, but I’m not that easy to deal with.
“But I wouldn’t know if this method would actually work on them.”
“That’s because Elder doesn’t know how much magic has developed these days.”
“Is that so?”
I told him not to take my word for it but to trust in the steadily advancing magical realm in this country.
Elder Leonhart accepted my advice without great resistance.
To mention at this point, my plan to deceive the Vipers was very simple.
Prepare a decoy of myself and use magic to disguise it as me.
Alongside my doppelgänger would be Elder Leonhart, disguised as someone else, having me concealed inside his body.
This way, even if the Vipers clearly intended to harm me, it would create enough confusion.
The one they thought was me wouldn’t actually be me, while the attendant beside me would be the real me.
Moreover, during the time I would be concealed within Elder Leonhart, the Vipers’ most potent weapon — their poison — wouldn’t affect me.
‘If I do get discovered, I should be able to talk my way out of it.’
Although I’d been disguised, I wouldn’t entirely be absent from that spot.
It could be said that I wouldn’t be lying.
After taking Elder Leonhart into the car, we picked up a capable wizard at an appropriate spot.
There were several skilled wizards our family frequently used.
The wizard who joined us this time specialized in disguise magic that distorts the appearance of specific subjects to look different to others.
“Alright, let’s head straight to the Vipers’ hideout. Step on it.”
“Yes!”
The driver began aggressive driving immediately after my order. There was no choice but to maintain high speed.
“If this plan succeeds… the only one left will be Dragovich.”
“Let’s hold off on that thought until after this job is done.”
