High-Level Camouflage (3)
The grand mansion of J. P. Hagen. We had yet to step inside.
"Luke, so what do we do?"
"For now, let's hear what he has to say. I'm curious what kind of proposal that great man has for us."
Sarina was hiding her bloodlust, but it was obvious she was ready to carry out exactly what she'd mentioned earlier.
'After the mayor and the godfather, even the city's top businessman dies.'
It would undoubtedly cause massive chaos. Other businessmen who thought they might be next could flee the city. Hagen's company stocks would crash if they didn't act in time.
Opportunities often arose from chaos, but I didn't want chaos on that scale.
I pushed those thoughts aside and arrived at the mansion's front gate.
As Cambara had warned, the golems guarding the entrance demanded we identify ourselves.
"These bastards called us here and now..."
"Sarina, enough."
"...."
I stopped Sarina and told Cambara to keep her in check. Then I showed the golem the business card from Hagen that Zelaba had given me.
"Please wait while we verify."
"Do as you like."
I thought they were going to search us. But the "verification" the golem mentioned wasn't a body search—it meant confirming with Hagen about the card.
Soon after, the golems opened the gate for us, and an old man dressed like a butler approached.
"Master Luke Fellini. Thank you for accepting Master Hagen's invitation."
"...."
I didn't know what to say. The butler took my silence as his cue and guided us into the mansion.
That's how we entered the grand estate. Even from outside it had looked like a palace, imposing and magnificent. Inside, it was even more so. Most striking was how the visible space inside was clearly larger than what the exterior suggested.
"They must have used magic," Cambara said. Sarina and I simply nodded.
We occasionally used magic or magic-infused items when killing people, but applying magic to one's own home was an entirely different realm.
I watched the butler's reaction to Cambara's words, but he neither confirmed nor denied it. Perhaps both were actions not permitted for him.
"It's truly magnificent."
The butler didn't respond to my comment either, but he seemed accustomed to such reactions. Walls and stairs made entirely of white marble. After climbing the stairs that rose one or two stories high, we saw walls on the upper level decorated with numerous paintings. A ceiling of such tremendous height it seemed impossible to reach. The butler opened a relatively modest wooden door with a natural spin that placed him behind us—a neat trick.
Bang!
When the butler closed the door, I wondered what this room was used for.
'Ah, I see.'
One wall was dominated by a painting of a goblin in a suit holding up a golden pocket watch. This was clearly Morgan's room. Whether it was an office or study, I wasn't sure.
A red chair with lavish gold trim, walls adorned with ornate, antique patterns, and paintings far more expensive and intricate than those in the hallway. The mansion exceeded anything I could have imagined.
If I had to describe my face right now... I probably looked like an enemy soldier during the Russian Revolution, standing stunned before the splendor of a palace.
Inside the room, besides us and the butler, two people were present. One was Hagen. He hadn't moved an inch from his desk, examining something. The other sat demurely in the red chair I'd mentioned earlier—a man dressed entirely in black, the only splash of color a round red hat.
No matter how stupid I might be, I could tell he was a clergyman. But... a bishop? A cardinal? I couldn't determine his exact rank.
"Whoever you are, you seem like someone too busy to be in a place like this."
The city's clergymen were busier than ever. The chaos from the mayor and godfather's deaths had sparked violent protests and looting everywhere. The clergy were moving between police and demonstrators, doing everything possible to calm the violence even a little.
The man before me didn't seem to be doing any of that, though.
"You're greatly mistaken. I, too, was invited here by Master Hagen."
"Everyone, forgive me for zoning out for a moment."
The moment the clergyman finished speaking, Hagen rose from his seat. Even standing, the goblin didn't grow any taller. He was stockier than most goblins, but somehow he seemed smaller than when seated. Setting that aside, he was simultaneously the smallest and the greatest figure in this city.
"Your Grace, let's continue our discussion another time."
"Yes, understood."
So he was a bishop. At Hagen's words, he immediately stood and exited through the door the butler held open.
"Now, why don't you all sit instead of standing?"
"...."
Sarina, Cambara, and I took seats in the red chairs at Hagen's invitation. If they'd known they could meet Hagen directly like this, bringing Elena along might not have been a bad idea.
"Am I next on your schedule after the bishop?"
"That's right. Bishop Smith and I share the same view. Suppressing the citizens' anger with the military would be foolish."
It seemed Hagen also wanted to quell the chaos in the city as quickly as possible.
"Mister Fellini."
Hagen suddenly gave an awkward smile and asked me.
"Do you happen to know why I collect so many works of art?"
A brief silence. I had no answer, but Hagen continued as if he'd anticipated exactly this.
"Because I believe the world might be more beautiful than we think. Above all, I somehow find peace in things I can understand."
"...."
"An event like the godfather's death, where the culprit remains unknown, clearly goes beyond my understanding."
"The police don't seem to have the ability or motivation to catch them."
Hagen stroked his impressive gray beard at my words. I wondered what that gesture meant.
"Stopping the protests spreading across the entire city will be overwhelming enough. And I believe that when someone does something, there are two reasons. One is a plausible reason others can accept, and the other is the real reason."
"...."
Sarina and Cambara said nothing. Though they were present, they knew they had no right to join this conversation.
"So what is the real reason the great Hagen wanted to see me?"
"Ahem."
Hagen gave a slight smile when I turned his own words back on him.
"As you know, Mister Fellini, this city is one of the most powerful economic centers in the world. For that flow to continue... the city must be stable."
"Yes, of course."
An obvious truth. With criminal organizations running rampant and everyone trembling at violent protests, the economy couldn't possibly function properly.
"Since your father's death, this chaos shows no signs of calming. The city's turmoil is more important than your father's death itself. It may sound cruel, but it's an undeniable fact."
Hagen used polite language with me, despite being much older. The content, however, was far from polite. As expected, Sarina was visibly losing patience.
"The fact that you're telling me this suggests you don't have the best personality."
"It would have been nice if I did... but then I wouldn't be in this position."
I had asked the reason he wanted to meet me earlier, but I still hadn't received a clear answer.
*
"Anyway."
"...."
I was about to speak when Hagen continued.
"The Iron King, George Roder, has begun backing Eddie Sanchez."
"...Is that so?"
I found it hard to understand why such a giant would support Sanchez. As far as I knew, Roder had also started as a penniless immigrant kid before succeeding. Maybe he felt some kinship with Sanchez, who had risen from street brawler to boss.
"He's probably helping him from the shadows to quell the city's chaos as quickly as possible."
"It looks like it's already failed."
Instead of calming the chaos, Sanchez and his family were engaged in street battles with the police.
"That's why, unlike Roder, I'm thinking of placing my bet on a different player."
"...."
Was Hagen saying he would back me? I could hardly tell if this was a dream or reality.
"Considering all factors, I predict that you, Mister Fellini, will be able to fill the dead godfather's vacancy faster than anyone else. If we can shorten that period even a little for the city's stability, the money is well worth it."
"I'm honored you think so highly of me."
I couldn't let this opportunity slip. I had no intention of resisting the sweet fruit Hagen was placing in my mouth.
"I won't interfere with what you want. I've seen what I need from you and approached you with a plan in mind. What do you say?"
Hagen asked if I would accept his proposal.
"I accept."
Probably the answer Hagen had hoped for. Satisfied, he poured whiskey from the bottle on his desk into a glass and handed it to me. Then he raised his own glass and clinked it against mine.
Hagen took a sip, and I followed suit.
The form our cooperation with Hagen would take was simple. Hagen would provide us with a regular sum of funds at fixed intervals, and we would report our plans and actions to him regularly.
It looked very straightforward. Of course, if our plans and actions didn't meet with Hagen's approval, we'd have to accept his opinions and make changes. Naturally, there were lines I absolutely would not cross.
"I won't give up on avenging my father."
"...Fear and terror. Those will probably be necessary for a new godfather to be born. As I said earlier, as long as the result is achieved, I won't interfere."
"Good."
After that, I left the room through the door the butler held open, just as Bishop Smith had done moments before.
"...."
Cambara still looked like he couldn't believe how important a meeting he'd just attended.
"Luke, doesn't this mean we've already won?"
"Who knows. The other businessmen won't just sit still."
I tried to appear calm, hiding my hands that trembled with excitement. No matter who the opponent was... with Hagen's support, my father's revenge was practically guaranteed.
After leaving Hagen's mansion, we returned to where we'd come from.
*
The armored car I rode dropped Sarina and Cambara off at the academy before returning to the Rufus Carlton Hotel at the port. I took the familiar elevator up to the top floor and headed to the suite I shared with Elena.
Today was supposed to be Felicia's turn, but I couldn't not report something this important.
"...."
When I entered the suite, Elena didn't come running as usual. Normally she appeared like an eager puppy greeting its owner. Was that not the case today?
"Elena?"
"...Luke?!"
I'd worried she might have stormed into Felicia's room and started beating her, but fortunately that wasn't the case.
"Ah, were you working out?"
Come to think of it, I sometimes forgot, but as Vito Fellini's biological daughter, Elena took training seriously. Not just to keep her body beautiful, but as survival training.
The prominent muscles on her pectorals and abs, the taut biceps and quadriceps—because she was much taller than me, Elena's physique looked especially intimidating.
She quickly wiped away the sweat glistening on her healthy body and approached me.
"You're back earlier than I expected. So what did Hagen say?"
"...Don't be surprised."
"Why? What is it?"
She stopped wiping her sweat at my words.
"Hagen said he'll back us."
"...."
Elena didn't react immediately. There was simply too much information for her brain to process.
"And there's bad news too."
"W-wait a second."
"George Roder is backing Sanchez."
"What?!"
Though the good news was somewhat overshadowed by the bad, Hagen's support was an incredible piece of fortune. I explained to her the general form our cooperation with Hagen would take. It was a necessary process, but it seemed like far too long a wait for Felicia.
"Luke! Come out already!"
She, who was usually so patient, was now impatient to take me away.
"Tsk."
Elena had much more she wanted to discuss with me, but she decided to let me go. More accurately, I'd persuaded her to do so.
"Felicia."
"...."
When I came out of the suite I shared with Elena, Felicia remained silent for a moment.
"Really, do you like me that much?"
"That's a question that doesn't even need an answer."
Even as she replied, Felicia was staring at the door of the suite I'd just left.
"...."
Meanwhile, Elena, who still hadn't given up on me, was glaring at both of us.
"Felicia, let's go inside for now."
"Yeah, let's do that."
What greeted us when we entered Felicia's suite was the giant silkmoth, Hev. The moment it saw the mark Felicia had left on my shoulder, it flew straight at me.
"Hev, that doesn't need treatment."
"Kiiiik!"
Hev reacted extremely violently to Felicia's words. It seemed that healing someone wasn't just natural for the creature—it was closer to instinct.
"Felicia, I actually met the financial king Hagen today."
"Yeah, I heard. Looking at your face, it seems like good things happened."
It wasn't just good—it was far beyond that. Though nothing was set in stone yet, I delivered the good news that Hagen would back us.
"...Certainly. If that's the case, reclaiming this city won't be difficult for you."
Felicia's face wasn't particularly bright as she said this. If that happened, the Marinelli Family's fate would be obvious. Their so-called alliance would become little more than a subordinate branch of the Fellini Family again. Still... compared to the other four families falling before our bullets, it might be a relatively better fate.
"Congratulations in advance."
Felicia suddenly hugged me as she spoke.
"For what?"
"The fact that we'll be able to hold our official wedding ceremony much sooner."
"...."
Felicia and I had gotten married, but due to my father's death and the circumstances surrounding it, we hadn't held a proper ceremony. She smiled as she mentioned that part. That smile surely contained both joy at marrying me and a sense of victory at seeing Elena's envious gaze.
"Yeah, that makes sense too."
While spending time with Felicia, one thought occurred to me. With Hagen's support... it was time to start moving to reclaim our family's original territory.