The Boss's Funeral (1)
Elena Fellini, the Wolf's only biological child.
Her importance had never waned, but now that her father was gone, her value had skyrocketed more than ever.
After all, she was the legitimate successor to the Fellini Family, no matter what anyone said.
And it wasn't just the small wolf and the five families who wanted her.
"...."
"Big brother, the young lady has awakened."
"Is that so?"
This man right here. Vincent Lumini was no different.
He was the Caporegime of the district closest to the Chamber of Commerce, and following the small wolf's orders, he had headed to the Chamber of Commerce.
People fleeing in panic from the building. And the police swarming the area. Anyone could tell that something had already gone wrong.
"Damn it."
Unfortunately, he couldn't prevent Vito Fellini's death.
"Big brother!"
"Why?!"
He found Armo, who had been in charge of the Wolf's security, and Elena, who had ducked into the bathroom just before the shooting.
"Young lady! Over here!"
"...."
Crack—!
Suddenly, there was the sound of something breaking.
"Young lady!"
Followed by Armo's urgent voice. Then Elena's screams.
Lumini's subordinates tried to head into the room, just in case.
"Don't go."
"Big brother, is that really okay?"
"Her parents just died. It's understandable."
He figured she'd calm down on her own given time. And though it was a cruel thought, Elena herself mattered more than her emotions.
"Big brother, what do you plan to do now?"
"...I need to side with the Wolf."
"With the small wolf?"
Lumini and his subordinate were referring to the same person, but their titles were subtly different.
"The Wolf may be dead, but the wolves are still intact."
"They're already withdrawing from the Academy and gathering at the port, it seems."
"See? They're already focusing their efforts."
"There are quite a few turning away too."
Another subordinate answered Lumini.
"There are still many loyal to the dead Wolf. And most importantly, the Wolf has the highest chance of winning."
After Vito Fellini's death, organizations from the outskirts of the city were flooding into the downtown area. The five families, who had been cowering like the truly dead after losing to the deceased, were starting to raise their heads again.
But the ones from the outskirts weren't worth mentioning.
The five bosses of the five families. One of them was already a wreck, and the rest who were fine were fighting among themselves.
"Well, our start wasn't bad either. Since we have the young lady in our hands."
But Lumini wasn't an idiot. His knack for scheming was well-known enough that people called him Lumini's Wolf.
In this situation, earning merit by handing Elena over to the small wolf would be enough. After that, if he just laid low and looked out for himself, who knew what might happen.
That might be his chance to ascend to the throne.
"Young lady! Just a moment!"
Armo's voice and the sound of a door being roughly opened. In the sudden commotion, Lumini, who had been imagining a sweet future, slowly lowered his gaze from the ceiling.
At the same time, Elena emerged from the room and appeared before Lumini and his subordinates.
"Young lady, have you come to your senses?"
"...Lumini. You're Vins Lumini, right?"
Vins was Vincent's nickname. Lumini quickly stood up.
"Yes, Luke sent me, saying that the Godfather and the young lady might be in danger."
"...."
Thud.
"Young lady!"
Armo's startled cry.
It happened in an instant. Elena pulled out the pistol she had been carrying and aimed it at Lumini's head. Her speed was so fast it was barely visible.
"Young lady. What on earth is this..."
"Shut up. How am I supposed to believe you? It must be another family that sent you, not Luke."
While Elena subdued Lumini, Armo stepped between Elena and Lumini's subordinates.
"Everyone, lower your guns!"
"Tell your subordinates to lower their guns, now."
"...Lower them! Lower them, you bastards!"
Lumini's sweet dream had twisted from the very beginning. After subduing Lumini, Elena took him hostage and secured a vehicle from his subordinates.
Then she headed straight for the Academy.
A place that had once been the small wolf's territory, and now was her own.
*
The incident at the Lumini Family was immediately reported to me.
Sarina had taken the call, but her voice was clearly audible to me and the other wolves nearby.
"Luke, what should we do?"
"Tell them to stick to guarding their own territory. Contact Giovanni and send the guys to the Academy."
"Yes. Understood."
While Sarina carried out my orders, I let out a sigh of relief. Elena, that girl, was alive. And Armo too.
But who would have thought she'd point a gun at Lumini's head and head for the Academy.
"...."
I stood up from my seat.
"Big brother?"
"Get ready. We're heading to the Academy too."
At the Academy, Salmo, our family's Consigliere, would be sorting through the ledgers. I'd told Carso to go meet him, but with things turning out this way, it seemed better for me to go in person.
"Luke, I'll go with you too."
"No, Sarina, you stay here and guard the port."
We still needed at least one person to guard the port with the other wolves.
"And if you have some time, look into what happened to the guys I sent to the Chamber of Commerce."
"...Yes."
Sarina seemed quite displeased that I'd rejected her company. Yet she answered properly anyway. If the situation weren't like this, I might have been able to cheer her up.
"Big brother, preparations are complete!"
At my subordinate's words, I moved away from the strong sea breeze and got into the car.
"Straight to the Academy."
"Yes."
Before the car I was in departed, several vehicles went ahead first. It would be troublesome if something happened while my car was in the lead. So it was unavoidable that other cars followed in front and behind.
"Big brother, Caporegime Carso probably went to the Academy first. Do we really need to go too?"
"Elena is heading there too."
"Ah...."
"While we're at it, I'll meet Salmo at the Academy and bring Elena back to the port. That's the safest option."
"Yes!"
The subordinates in the same car as me answered immediately. These guys weren't wolves; they were regular members of the Fellini Family belonging to my territory, the port.
They weren't on the level of the wolves, but every one of them was a made man who had killed someone to join the organization.
"But it's a bit unexpected. I thought the young lady would go to the funeral home."
"No, she's smart."
There weren't always our members at the funeral home, after all.
On the contrary, times like now when there were fewer people were the most dangerous. Anyone heading to the funeral home to see Vito Fellini's body, my father's corpse, was clearly connected.
So there were definitely people lying in ambush, targeting that very point.
Among the five family bosses, there happened to be one woman who liked that sort of thing.
"But...."
'Elena must have wanted to see her father too.'
Yet despite that, she had headed to her own territory, the Academy.
Was it out of defiance toward me? Or had she risked danger for her territory and her people?
Either way, it was far from the rowdy young lady I used to know.
While I was lost in thought, one of the subordinates gave a signal to the one sitting next to me.
"Ah, big brother. There's one piece of news that came in before we left."
"What is it?"
"It seems Carmen and Sanchez have clashed."
This city, Hevilly's underworld, was originally ruled by the five families. The Marinelli Family, led by my lover Felicia's father, was one of them.
The ones who clashed this time were the Carmen Family led by Rita Carmen and the Sanchez Family led by Eddie Sanchez. Coincidentally, the bosses of both families were the ones who had eliminated their predecessors to rise to their current positions.
"Those two clashed?"
The territories of both families were concentrated in the western part of Hevilly. The Academy and the port were both located in the eastern part of Hevilly.
For a while, the repercussions of their fight wouldn't reach us.
"Yes. Sanchez will probably win, don't you think?"
"...."
On the surface, Carmen didn't stand a chance against Sanchez.
The Sanchez Family had many Golem members, including their boss Eddie Sanchez. A pure combat-oriented organization with no need for debate.
In contrast, the Carmen Family preferred to solve problems secretly from behind using honey traps and their information network.
"No, if the outcome had been that obvious, Carmen wouldn't have started the fight in the first place."
Carmen clearly had something to rely on. Come to think of it, Carmen and Sanchez had never gotten along.
Sanchez, despite rising from a street brawler to boss, valued loyalty and honor. On the other hand, Rita was an expert at blackmailing or persuading people by exploiting their weaknesses. They were polar opposites.
"No word from the other side yet?"
"The Marinelli Family hasn't made any particular moves."
Felicia and her father were truly hard to figure out. Starting from warning me about my father's death, everything about them.
Meanwhile, the other two families seemed to be expanding their territories.
Once they built up enough strength, they would probably target me. Now that my father was gone, I would be a fitting target for their revenge.
*
Even inside the car, the letters visible to my eyes remained the same. I could acknowledge their creativity, but I didn't particularly like how they tried to give me useless advice by using all sorts of objects and nature.
"Big brother, we've arrived."
Before I knew it, we had reached our destination.
Back when the Academy was still my territory, my daytime identity had been a faculty member at the Academy.
And though Elena didn't know... my influence within the Academy was relatively intact. If she found out I'd been secretly helping her, she'd definitely get angry first.
She didn't like receiving help from anyone. Especially not from me.
"Big brother, please get out."
"Right."
I got out of the car through the door my subordinate opened. The moment I stepped out, my view was filled with the gathering place of this country's and this city's talents. The Academy.
"...."
I was probably the first among the group to spot it.
"Wait, that looks like—!"
My subordinates rushed toward the two people hurriedly getting out of a car.
"Let go!"
"Young lady! Just a moment!"
But before my subordinates could arrive, Armo grabbed Elena, who was trying to get back into the car. I could also see Lumini in the passenger seat.
Who would have thought I'd meet Elena like this.
"Armo, you did well."
"Not at all, Luke."
Hearing my voice, Armo quickly clasped his hands and replied. Given the situation, he was holding a pistol.
The guy couldn't meet my eyes properly, perhaps due to guilt over my father's death.
But regardless, the loosened tie and disheveled collar alone made it clear how frantic things had been.
"...."
Meanwhile, the new scar across the bridge of his nose caught my eye.
I didn't know what had happened, but it was clear he had protected Elena.
"Elena."
Leaving Armo behind, I approached Elena, who was still causing a ruckus.
"...Luke?"
"Excuse me for a moment."
Thud—!
I quickly punched her in the jaw with my fist. Her neck jerked back as she was struggling with the other guy.
"...."
Armo and all my subordinates seemed to have lost their words at the sudden situation.
"B-big brother. Wasn't that a bit too hard?"
"No, this is just right."
I answered while scratching my head. Then I personally lifted the fallen Elena with both arms and loaded her into the car we came in.
"Have the others join Salmo and Carso. You guys are coming back with me."
"Yes, big brother."
It was fortunate that Elena was safe. With this, I felt like I could face my father.
"Now I can focus on preparing for the funeral."