It was during the orphanage sponsorship event that everything was happening.
Elena, who had changed her outfit since we arrived, suddenly approached me.
“Could you please step aside for a moment?”
Elena requested understanding from the attendees surrounding Luke.
“Elena? What happened?”
“Yeah, it was something really disgusting.”
“What? What happened?”
“….”
Elena felt unexpectedly good about Luke’s reaction, as if it were her own issue.
The nonsense she’d been rambling about concerning that ridiculous arranged marriage quickly vanished from her mind.
“Let’s move to a different spot. It’s not really the place to talk.”
“Okay, got it.”
Elena headed to a suitable spot with her brother.
The attendees watched as the two siblings held hands tightly, heading somewhere… thinking they looked like a mother and son.
Of course, no idiot voiced that thought out loud.
“Miss, I’ve taken care of everything.”
“Oh, thank you. By the way, what about that guy’s mask?”
“I’ve kept it separately. It’s from the Carmen Family.”
“The Carmen? Why those guys?”
For a moment, I was distracted by my conversation with the attendees, wondering if maybe Elena had been attacked by them.
“No, it’s not that. It might have been better if I had been attacked, though.”
After Armo finished his words, he vanished again.
“So, what happened?”
“How should I say this? That guy Hector Carmen approached me. Without a mask, just his bare face.”
“Hector? …I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”
“You know how the Carmen guys are. They hide in the dark and rarely show up. …Just like Veronica.”
Elena mentioned my biological sister, who was a likely candidate for the prominent Veronica Carmen, mentioned by Felicita.
“Are you that worried about Veronica?”
“To be honest… yeah, I’m really worried.”
“Elena, lean down a bit.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
Elena lowered her head, albeit suspiciously, though our height difference was significant enough that I could barely reach to touch her head without her bending down.
“….”
I silently patted her head, and Elena focused solely on feeling my touch.
“Elena, don’t worry too much. Just because I’m getting another sibling doesn’t mean we’re not siblings anymore.”
Honestly, I felt nothing about Veronica… It was all too sudden, and the sister I had spent most of my life with in this world was Elena.
“Now, back to the main point. What did that Hector guy do? Please tell me he didn’t lay a finger on you?”
“What can I say? He just kept blabbing on about this and that.”
Elena shared how Hector proposed an arranged marriage between the Felini Family and the Carmen Family.
That the Godfather, Vito Felini, wasn’t killed by the Carmen Family but by the Sanchez and Dragovich Families.
And that Rita Carmen had simply asked the Godfather to test other families before he was assassinated.
Even talking about how she and others would make Rita Carmen kneel before them.
“…That guy’s just a lunatic.”
Especially the part about an arranged marriage with Elena struck me as absurd.
Did the Carmen Family really think they had any value? The power in this city had already returned to us.
Marinelli was on our boat, Solomon had pledged his loyalty, and Russo had surrendered to us.
We still controlled the Academy and the drug supply chain, and the central part of the city was ours.
It seemed that he thought he had the right to make such a proposal, despite having accomplished nothing.
“By the way, how did you deal with that guy?”
“Nothing special. I just grabbed his neck and broke it.”
“….”
Did Elena have that kind of strength originally?
Come to think of it, ever since Elena took charge of the Academy, there had been significant changes in her body. She had been gaining muscle mass gradually since before our father passed away.
The result was that as of today, she had become quite the robust individual.
“Well, even so, you still can’t beat Luke, can you?”
“Well, I guess that’s still uncertain.”
Of course, if it was just a test of strength, Elena might have had a chance. But if it came down to a fight to the death… I would definitely win.
Elena was the biological daughter of the Wolf, but she wasn’t raised like one.
In comparison, I had grown up alongside Father and the Wolf from a young age. The number of people I had killed to ensure the Felini Family took control of this city would fill a truck.
“Anyway, the thing that concerns me most from what he said is this.”
“What is it?”
Honestly, they all sounded like nonsense to me.
“That Rita Carmen tested other families on behalf of my father.”
Hadn’t the Sanchez and Dragovich Families expressed their intent to collaborate on my father’s assassination?
Honestly, Mikhail Dragovich was the odd one out. Among the bosses of the five families, he was one of those who hated my father the most alongside Vito Marinelli.
On the other hand, the Sanchez Family was a surprise.
They pretended to be grieving over my father’s death, but behind the scenes, they were doing such things.
However, Hector’s claims had a significant flaw.
“There’s no evidence to back that up. He could just be rambling.”
“Yeah, I think so too. But it could be a possibility.”
My father might have entrusted Carmen with such a task. Although… they had become enemies, they were once trusted allies.
Among the bosses of the five families, Carmen was probably the only one he could have entrusted with that.
But if my father had done such a thing… why hadn’t he informed us about it? Mr. Salmo, the Consigliere, had never mentioned anything like that either.
“Miss, Luke.”
“What’s up, Armo?”
Suddenly, Armo appeared with someone.
“Mr. Hemington has something to say.”
Max Hemington.
Once a legendary assassin, he was now the head of the corporation running the family-owned orphanage.
Although he wasn’t an official clergyman, he wore black robes like a monk.
I remembered hearing from my father that he often wore monk’s garb back when he was infamous in Tyrenia.
“Miss, and young master.”
“It’s been a while since you called me that.”
“If the late Godfather saw you two, he would have been very pleased.”
“…Yeah, I guess he would be.”
I had no idea why Hemington wanted to meet us.
However, there was much to discuss with him. Elena had questions regarding the corporation’s operation, and I was curious if the nuns from the robbery gang were adapting to life in the orphanage.
“By the way, Kazin wanted me to relay something to you.”
After answering our questions thoroughly, Hemington shifted to mention Kazin.
“Kazin?”
“Yes, it seems my brother is starting to make moves.”
“Moves? What kind of moves…”
“Yes, the late Godfather was like a brother to him. You both know that folks like us from Tyrenia are obsessed with settling scores.”
Yeah, that was very well-known.
Vendetta. That was the first concept that came to mind when one thought of the elves of Tyrenia.
While it might be translated simply as revenge in other countries… it was something much more complicated than mere revenge.
To define vendetta more accurately, it would be something like “a significant revenge that must be completed at all costs, even at the expense of one’s entire life.”
It’s a concept inherent to the Tyrenia mafia, but occasionally, even among civilians, there are those who pursue vendetta to its end.
In such cases, even the mafia would pay their respects to that person.
“No need to go that far. We are the ones who will…”
“Miss. It’s not that simple. It’s been a long time since I’ve killed anyone… But if we find out who killed the late Godfather, I would undoubtedly move immediately.”
“….”
“If the Godfather hadn’t taken me in, I would have died that day.”
Hemington’s eyes glinted fiercely, as sharp as his cousin’s.
“Cremona, you’re right that it’s not that simple. But let’s take care of our own vendetta.”
No matter what anyone said, my father’s children were Elena and me.
“…You’re right. However, it would be an honor to assist you in that process.”
It was a relief that Cremona didn’t deny our rightful claim. I hoped his cousin would react similarly.
Meanwhile, Elena appeared deep in thought after hearing the news from Cremona.
“I feel like I’ve said nothing but bad news. There’s also some good news for you two.”
“What is it?”
“It seems my brother intends to send more drugs than usual this time.”
“…How much more?”
“I don’t know that well. But I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Hearing that made me feel more uneasy.
“That’s a bit problematic. We need to know in advance to prepare the payment.”
“No, the payment can stay the same as always.”
When I seemed troubled, Cremona reassured me it was alright.
It appeared the extra drugs were a freebie. They were offering to help with revenge while giving us more drugs for free.
The support from our friends across the sea in Tyrenia seemed very enthusiastic.
*
Afterward, Cremona took his leave.
According to Armo, Bishop Smith had personally shown up at the sponsorship event.
I met him alongside Elena, introducing her to the bishop and vice versa.
“It’s an honor to be in such a gathering.”
“We are the ones who are honored, Bishop.”
“Honestly… it’s been a long time since I’ve been to church, so it’s nice to be here.”
“….”
Little Dom, who was beside us, made an inappropriate remark.
Elena and I shot him an immediate glare, but the bishop instead laughed heartily at what Little Dom said.
“Mr. Felini, is that the sister you were talking about?”
But what followed was a rather sensitive matter. The bishop pointed directly at Karen, who was next to Vanella, and asked.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“….”
The bishop didn’t directly approach Karen or say anything, but when their eyes met, he simply nodded with a humble expression.
Only the bishop would know exactly what kind of feelings he had towards someone who had committed murder and had now become a mafia accomplice.
Later, the bishop left the building with his entourage. Given his schedule, he had probably stayed longer than usual.
While Elena and I returned to Lupus Carlton Hotel ahead of Cremona and Karen as they wrapped up the sponsorship event.
As soon as we got to the hotel, I called for Caporegime Viola Carmen, who was in charge of suppressing the northeastern part of the city.
“Viola, come here for a moment.”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
Felicita hadn’t returned yet.
While waiting for Viola to arrive, I went to Felicita’s Room to feed the animals she kept.
Elena must have been bored as she joined me.
“Oof….”
Of course, she reacted with shock when it came to Hebi and a few of the animals.
Ding dong―!
Just as we heard the elevator ring, Elena and I returned to our room. Naturally, Viola showed up.
“Viola, welcome.”
“Do you recognize this mask?”
As Elena greeted her, I showed her a metal mask.
“….”
Viola seemed to recognize something.
“Yes, it’s one of the masks worn by my sister’s children.”
“There are other types besides those worn by executives and regular members?”
“The owner of this mask is already dead, isn’t he?”
“….”
Before Elena shared that story with Viola, she looked at me.
When I nodded, Elena told Viola about the fate of Hector Carmen.
“…I can’t believe it. Wow, he’s really a fool.”
“Isn’t that right? We think so too.”
“By the way, did you call me to confirm the owner of this mask?”
“No, there’s more. How does someone with this mask rank in the Carmen Family?”
“That depends on the situation. But Hector was someone even I was aware of.”
It seemed that Hector Carmen was somewhat influential within the family, contrary to our expectations.
He appeared to be the eldest son of Rita Carmen. To be precise, he was treated as the eldest son after several of his older brothers had died.
“I plan to use this mask to further incite the war between Sanchez and Carmen.”
“Oh, that sounds quite interesting.”
Viola seemed to appreciate the way I suggested using the mask.
Elena and I decided to entrust that task to Viola. Unlike its previous owner, the mask still had its uses in this world.
Meanwhile, the Carmen Family remained quite at ease despite the death of Hector Carmen.
Of course, those so-called ‘comrades’ of Hector Carmen were in a tight spot.
They confirmed that Hector had gone to a sponsorship event run by the corporation managing the orphanage owned by the Felini Family.
“…Is he out of his mind? Why on earth did he go there?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. He might not be dead yet.”
“What? If he were alive, he would’ve called us to boast about it.”
Those trying to oust Rita Carmen and take control of the family were as panicked as ever.
“….”
“Veronica, say something.”
One of the comrades sought help from Veronica.
Some among them were older than Veronica, and since she held a low position within the family, she didn’t have much influence.
But since she had once been known as the ‘Little Spider’ after Viola, she played the brain role among her comrades.
“Nothing has been determined yet. For now, let’s just observe the situation.”
However, while saying this, she did not forget to send people to confirm Hector Carmen’s life or death.
But before Veronica’s subordinates could bring anything back, Hector Carmen’s fate was sealed.
A group of golems, suspected to be from the Sanchez Family, threw Hector Carmen’s mask into the Carmen Family territory and vanished.
Hector Carmen had been dealt with by the Sanchez Family.
That was at least what Rita Carmen and the heir of the Carmen Family believed.
“….”
Veronica and her comrades were truly relieved.
If Hector Carmen had been killed by the Felini Family, things would have gotten complicated.
But if it was the Sanchez Family that did it, the situation was straightforward. The two families were at war.
Rita Carmen was merely preparing for revenge over her adopted son’s death.
“….”
While the other comrades felt relieved, Veronica was uncomfortable with the tension she felt in the air.
After all, Hector Carmen, who had reached out to the Felini Family, was suddenly slain by the Sanchez Family.
Sure, it was possible they might have handed Hector over to the Sanchez Family, but the likelihood of that was slim.
In reality, Veronica’s prediction was not mistaken.
Hector Carmen was eliminated by the Felini Family, and even that death was used as fuel to escalate the conflict between the two families.
It was indeed a minor but shrewd death.
