The Consigliere's Capture
The territory of Heywoods, belonging to the Lusso Family, had been split after a fierce back-and-forth battle. The north remained under Lusso control while the south fell to the Fellini Family. It was in the midst of this tense division that Damar Lusso revealed himself in southern Heywoods.
Damar Lusso. Younger brother of Darius Lusso, the Boss of the Lusso Family, and their Consigliere. Unlike his older brother, whose hot-blooded temperament turned him utterly irrational the moment flames engulfed his head, Damar possessed both reason and intellect in equal measure. He was the true pillar of the Lusso Family.
"...Are the wolves not present?"
The ones waiting to receive him were Giovanni, Sarina, and several other caporegimes.
"That's right. They happen to be away at the moment."
"A pity. I've come to deliver a message from my brother."
Even as Damar spoke, his eyes never left Viola Carmen among the gathered caporegimes.
"Our family desires no further chaos."
"So?"
"We want peace."
"If you wanted peace, you shouldn't have attacked us in the first place!"
"Sarina."
Giovanni quickly silenced the suddenly vocal Sarina. From Damar's perspective, he had plenty to say in response to her accusation. After all, the woman he kept watching—Viola Carmen—had defected to the Fellini Family. Yet there was no concrete evidence that the wolves had orchestrated her betrayal. It remained nothing more than a strong suspicion.
"Let's not forget that you attacked her district in the dead of night and sent killers to the Academy," Giovanni continued, picking up where Sarina had left off. His tone, however, lacked her emotional heat. Meanwhile, Lumini—the victim Giovanni had just pointed out—cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Yes, we've already missed our chance twice. That's why we wish to end this war here."
Such offers were common in wars between mafia families. When a carefully planned assassination failed, it was often wiser to withdraw cleanly.
"What we want is peace."
"And your conditions?"
"That isn't for us to decide. You're the ones winning this war, after all."
Damar was doing his utmost not to provoke the other side.
"So I'd like you to pass my words along to the wolf. Have him set the terms he wants and convey them to us. If they're conditions we can accept, we'll gladly comply."
"Giovanni, one moment."
Viola, who had remained silent until then, approached Giovanni and whispered something in his ear.
"Excuse me. I need to inform the boss about this."
Damar told them to go ahead. Although the wolf himself wasn't present, confirming the she-wolf's reaction wasn't a bad outcome for him.
Giovanni immediately dialed the Fellini Family's boss, Elena Fellini. He explained Damar Lusso's visit and what Viola had whispered to him.
"It's dangerous. This could unnecessarily provoke them further."
"Even so, it's clearly an opportunity."
"..."
"Miss."
Giovanni explained that time was not on their side. After a brief pause, Elena's voice came through the receiver.
"Fine. But don't make any mistakes."
"Understood."
The moment the call ended, Giovanni gave Viola a meaningful look. In that instant, Viola, Armo, and Lumini drew their guns and aimed them at Damar.
"Wait, what is this—"
"I'm sorry, Damar. We simply couldn't pass up this golden opportunity."
What Viola had whispered to Giovanni, and what Giovanni had relayed to Elena, was the decision to seize and detain Damar Lusso on the spot. There was no stronger card in this war than taking the Lusso Family's pillar as a hostage.
Damar naturally protested the situation.
"Stay still, you mosquito bastard."
What answered him was Sarina's precise application of violence. She knocked Damar unconscious in an instant. Normally, striking the back of an ordinary person's head with that much force would cause severe damage or death rather than simple unconsciousness. Yet Sarina performed the feat one only saw in movies with effortless skill.
"...I'm not sure if this was the right move," Giovanni muttered as he watched Damar being dragged away unconscious. In contrast, both Sarina and Viola wore deeply satisfied expressions.
*
While Damar was taken captive after coming to discuss peace, I was busy organizing the northern section of the city center. In truth, Elena and Salmo had already done much of the groundwork, and with the Solomon Family's support, there wasn't a great deal left for me to handle personally. Still, it was crucial to secure the city center as quickly as possible. Moreover, my sudden appearance in the north along with my pack of wolves must have felt like a natural disaster to the small organizations scattered throughout the central district.
"Avoid the places where they're concentrated. Focus your attacks on the scattered bastards and the poorly defended businesses throughout the districts."
"Yes, boss."
There was no need to give my wolves lengthy explanations. While they weren't on the same level as Giovanni, Sarina, or Carso—who each commanded large packs of their own—I had spent considerable time with these wolves as well.
"Boss, it's a call from the miss."
"Ah, I'll take it here."
I was using a suitable restaurant as a temporary base. The moment I picked up the nearby phone, my sister delivered excellent news.
"Luke, Giovanni and Sarina have captured Damar Lusso."
"Him?"
I hadn't heard the full story yet, but it was outstanding news. A Lusso Family executive, and the younger brother of their boss Darius at that. Darius might have a temper like wildfire, but he was a man who burned hotter than anyone for his own people. It was exactly that weakness our father had exploited to subdue him.
"...We caught Damar last time too, didn't we?"
"Yes. Father took him hostage as well."
Once by our father, and now by his children. It seemed Damar simply had terrible compatibility with us wolves.
"How did you manage to catch him?"
"He came to deliver the Lusso Family's message. Viola suggested we take him, and Giovanni handled it on the spot."
Viola clearly understood Damar's importance, which was why she had made the call. I had no idea how Darius would react, but it was sure to be quite the spectacle.
"It's fortunate that everything seems to be running smoothly even without me."
"Of course. None of them are the type to be taken lightly. By the way, how are things on your end?"
"It'll take some time, but they'll eventually submit to us. With the Solomon crew helping, it won't drag on too long."
In a way, the minor organizations in the city center were effectively surrounded—by me in the north, Elena in the east, and Dom Solomon in the west.
"Understood."
I was about to end the call when Elena spoke again.
"Luke."
"Yeah?"
"Don't push yourself unnecessarily. Your safety is the most important thing."
"...Got it."
For the boss to say the underboss's safety was the top priority—it felt like our roles had somehow reversed, but it was still nice to hear. It made me wonder if this was really the same Elena I knew.
After that, I continued assisting with the cleanup of the city center... but I didn't step forward personally. After all, the boss had specifically asked me not to. And honestly, there didn't seem to be any need for me to do so. The organizations that had already tasted what my wolves could do were the first to lose their will to fight and submit to our family. Fear spreads like a plague, so one organization's surrender triggered the capitulation of two more. Thanks to this continuous chain reaction, the area we controlled in the city center expanded noticeably.
"Still no word from Giovanni and Sarina?"
"No, boss. Nothing significant yet."
Even amid all this, I checked on the situation in the northern district frequently. Giovanni, Sarina, Armo, Viola, and the other caporegimes were holding the line, but one could never be too careful.
While I was drinking my espresso, those abnormal letters appeared above it. It was a phrase I knew all too well. Though using it in this particular situation felt a bit inappropriate.
"If anything happens, contact me immediately."
"Yes, boss."
In truth, I didn't even need to say it. If something occurred on that side, I would naturally find out. There would be a difference between Elena handling it personally as boss and Salmo managing it as consigliere, of course.
Meanwhile, one of the wolves under my direct command kept catching my eye. It was Maximilian Harper, the "hole human" that Vanella had sent me as a gift while organizing the organizations in River West. Compared to the metal human who shared a similar backstory, Harper's performance was remarkably impressive. Perhaps it was due to the lesser-known characteristics of hole humans, but despite being forcibly turned into a wolf, his attitude was as enthusiastic as any of the others.
"Lanon, did you do something to Harper?"
"Huh? No, we didn't do anything to him."
I asked Lanon, the most senior wolf under my command. As a rhinoceros beastman—one of the rarer types in the city—Lanon was so massive that I, a short elf, looked like a child beside him.
"Boss, I think the guy just really enjoys killing people."
"...Is that so?"
No matter the city, individuals with that disposition in the underworld tended to have high job satisfaction. Their lifespans, however, were usually quite short in proportion to that satisfaction.
"Should we educate him a bit before he causes an accident?"
"No, there's no need to go that far. Just keep a close eye on him."
"Understood."
Lanon seemed slightly disappointed by my response, which differed from his expectations. Yes, this rhinoceros beastman had the drawback of being overly concerned with trivial matters despite his mountain-like physique, and he was rather strict about discipline. Of course, in the underworld, those flaws barely counted as flaws at all.
When the chaos in the city center was reaching its peak, news arrived from the northern district.
"..."
"Boss, is something wrong?"
"Well, I expected this reaction, but now that it's actually happening, it feels strange."
The good news Giovanni had relayed over the phone was that Darius Lusso had expressed his intention to personally bow his head to us. Following our cooperative relationships with two of the five families—the Marinelli Family and the Solomon Family—we had now brought the Lusso Family to its knees as well.