Nothing Yet Everything (3)
It was Felicia’s room. For some reason, every time I visited the place it felt like the number of rare animals she kept was steadily growing.
“Felicia, can you really handle all of them?”
“It’s fine. A lot of them don’t need much attention, surprisingly.”
She had barely finished answering before she suddenly stepped close. Ah, so that was what I had felt on my back.
“Hev, I told you not to do that.”
“Kiiiik!”
The giant silkworm moth appeared to have neatly erased the scar on my shoulder. It didn’t know that mark had been left by Felicia.
“Felicia.”
“Yeah? What?”
“How are things on your family side?”
Felicia was the real power who, together with her younger brother Manfredi, had been running the family in their father’s stead. With her now absent because she was living with me, I wondered whether any changes had occurred on that front.
“My siblings are managing well enough. It’s not only Manfredi who knows how to use his head.”
From what I remembered, Felicia had quite a few siblings. They weren’t like Darius Lusso’s children from multiple women. If I recalled correctly… two younger brothers and five younger sisters.
“We’ve started distributing through the academy now, so I think we can supply your side with whatever surplus we have.”
“Well, our side is fine with anything as long as it isn’t Blue Eyes.”
The drugs we mainly dealt in were cocaine and heroin. In this world, however, heroin was called Diamorphine. The fact that both were extracted from morphine remained the same. Diamorphine was strongly addictive, but compared to Blue Eyes and the other varieties it was practically negligible.
“For the exact quantities, it would be more accurate to talk with Elena than with me.”
I was the one who had taken direct delivery of the drugs, but my territory had now become the academy. In turn, the port had fallen into Elena’s hands.
“Hmm, I’m a little uneasy about discussing it with Elena.”
“That’s because you keep trying to provoke her every chance you get.”
“Luke.”
Felicia hugged me tightly, as if warning me not to take Elena’s side in front of her.
“…Aside from the drugs, how are things otherwise?”
“Our side is the same as always. Competitors pop up from time to time, but dealing with them isn’t particularly difficult.”
The businesses run by our Fellini Family and the five families were extremely varied. Extorting protection money in their territories, union intimidation, every kind of fraud and robbery were the basics. Restaurants, lodging, loan-sharking, gambling, narcotics, and entertainment followed on top of that.
Among them, each of the five families held clear superiority in several flagship industries. The Lusso Family’s extortion of the film industry and their pornography business, or the Carmen Family’s information trade and entertainment operations, were prime examples. The Marinelli Family operated an auction house for rare animals and goods as well, but that was ultimately a side venture. Their true mainstays were the restaurant and tourism-lodging businesses run through their hotels, along with laundry services.
After Felicia became my lover she had occasionally spoken about their laundry operation. The laundry company owned by her and her family provided service to the entire city. They processed all the sheets, towels, and bedding pouring out of countless hotels and restaurants. On top of that, as mentioned earlier, they already had a foothold in the restaurant and tourism-lodging sectors. There were even small advantages, such as reduced costs for their own laundry needs.
Come to think of it, she had also told me that bold challengers occasionally appeared in the industry. Whenever that happened the Marinelli Family removed them with surgical efficiency—lowering laundry prices, intimidating drivers and staff, and stealing customers. According to Felicia, the method had never once failed.
After that I stayed with Felicia, waiting for Elena to calm down. By the time I judged that enough time had passed, the phone rang with a clamor. When I picked up, Elena’s voice came through.
“Luke, come over here for a moment.”
“All right. I had something to discuss with you too.”
“Yeah.”
The moment I hung up, Felicia drew close.
“How did Elena sound?”
“She seems to have calmed down a little.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
If Felicia went along, there was a good chance Elena would become agitated again.
Of course, because I was weak to her, I had no choice but to head to Elena’s room together.
“…Come in.”
The painting Douglas had shown us had disappeared somewhere.
“Hello, Elena. Feeling any better?”
“….”
Felicia’s sudden jab. But Elena was not one to stay quiet. Grab.
“Huh?”
In an instant Elena had seized Felicia’s face with one hand.
“Elena, Felicia. Both of you, stop!”
Before the situation could escalate any further I caught Elena’s arm and held her back.
“Why do you two act like this the moment you see each other?”
“….”
“….”
My two wives stared silently at each other, each clearly convinced the fault lay with the other.
Women are more barbaric than men in revenge and love.
The cloud floating behind Elena looked slightly strange, and sure enough the messages had begun again. Of course, what Elena had tried to do was barbaric, but…
“Elena, I’ll start with the important part. The Carmens are eyeing the academy.”
“…That woman?”
To show her the evidence I rummaged through my clothes.
“Here. Sarina dealt with one of Carmen’s subordinates and secured this.”
Elena quietly accepted the tightly sealed Blue Eyes.
“They were planning to spread this at the academy?”
Her reaction was hardly different from the one Felicia had shown in the elevator. The very idea was appalling. Above all, if blue pupils became a trend among the academy students, it would cause just as many problems for us. A large-scale investigation would almost certainly follow. Even if our family had nothing to do with it, we—the existing supplier—would be the prime target of any witch hunt.
“I’ve also decided to make some changes to the academy’s business model.”
I told her everything without omission: discounts on degree purchase fees, an increase in drug sale prices, and the fact that Professor Kalma, a goblin, would fill the vacancy left by Professor Botari.
“And one more thing. After we completely secure the academy, before pushing further west, I want to reset Banella’s territory.”
“Banella? Why him?”
“After we recapture his original territory, I think it would be best to entrust its management to him again.”
Richard Banella’s original territory had been near the academy. Currently he was splitting the northern port with Vincent Lumini. If Banella pulled out of that area… Elena could hand it to one of her own subordinates without any worries.
The moment I mentioned it, Elena told me to do as I pleased.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. The guy may be a little insane, but he gets the job done.”
In darkness the blind man is the best guide; in an age of madness, let the madman show the way.
‘….’
It seemed neither Elena nor Felicia could see the messages. I had confirmed that several times already.
Yet when dawn breaks, choosing a blind old man as guide is nothing but foolishness.
The words directed at Banella carried deep meaning. It looked as though the status window, which had been content with mere pranks until now, was even trying to meddle in personnel matters inside the family.
“Elena, Felicia has something to say.”
“Really? What is it?”
“We’d like you to supply our family with drugs. The same way you did when the Godfather was alive.”
“….”
I held my breath and listened carefully to their conversation, ready to intervene the moment any spark of conflict appeared.
“How much do you want?”
“The more the better. How much stock do you have left right now?”
Fortunately, things remained calmer than I had feared. Elena continued by confirming the quantity and types of drugs the Marinelli Family wanted, then discussed the date and location of the transaction.
“And one more thing.”
“Go on.”
“In exchange for supplying your family with drugs, this Sunday I’ll be spending the day with Luke.”
“….”
Felicia said nothing. She simply looked at me for a moment. Even though it was only a single day, the reluctance to hand me over to Elena radiated from her.
“Fine. I’ll accept. If you’re that lacking in confidence, what else can I do?”
“What?!”
Even while accepting the condition, Felicia provoked Elena until the very end. Elena, though visibly angry, refused to take back her words.
“Think whatever you like. Luke will probably enjoy it anyway. At least he won’t have to worry about this nonsense.”
“….”
Normally Felicia would have shot back without hesitation, yet she stayed silent. That was how bitter she felt about losing me, even for a day. Still, with the family’s drug business on the line she could not refuse Elena’s condition. In the end, Elena had taken a hostage and used it perfectly.
“By the way, Luke. What’s with your clothes?”
“Hm? Oh…”
Only then did I realize I was still wearing the academy faculty-union outfit. I quickly stripped it off and changed into one of my own suits kept in the room—a crisp white fabric jacket and trousers. Beneath the white jacket I wore a passionate red silk shirt. Naturally, both wives seemed far more interested in my bare upper body while I changed than in the clothes themselves.
“….”
“You two are staring pretty hard. You see it every day anyway.”
“Ahem, ahem!”
Felicia slightly turned her head, while Elena let out a loud, deliberate cough.
“Right. Elena, why did you want to see me?”
“They contacted us. They say they’ll bring the new shipment within the week.”
“…That’s welcome news.”
I said it aloud, but inside I felt differently. Seeing our current situation, they might try to introduce small changes to our deal. In some cases they could even break the practice of exclusively supplying the Fellini Family.
There was no way Elena and Felicia had failed to consider what I was worried about.
“Wouldn’t it be fine if we let them know the Financial King stands behind you, Luke?”
“That would work, but the problem is how to prove it.”
Felicia’s suggestion was reasonable, yet we could hardly drag Hagen himself here.
“I don’t think we need to go that far. Simply showing that our financial power is completely unhindered should be enough.”
“Yes, Felicia is right about that.”
For once the two of them were in perfect agreement.
“Understood.”
I decided to contact Hagen’s side before their visit and secure more ammunition for the coming war.