Descendants of the Golden Dragon (1)
The Marinelli Family. Their history stretched back farther than any of the five families, yet their time in Hevilly had been short. The family’s boss was Vito Marinelli. By a strange twist of fate, he shared the same name as the Godfather. He was neither a native of this country nor this city. Born into a wealthy house, he had lost everything to the changing tides of the era and found himself cast out onto the streets. But the cruelty of the gutters could not kill him. Given a chance to rise again in this faraway place called Hevilly, he had climbed to his current position. Even if he had lost a great deal of power and wealth after his defeat at the Wolf’s hands.
The Dragon Hill Hotel served as the Marinelli Family’s primary stronghold. Felicia, who had attended the funeral of Vito Fellini—the Wolf who once ruled this city—had now returned to it.
“Welcome back, miss.”
“Mm.”
Once inside the hotel, Felicia naturally shed her somber black attire and transformed into something far more vibrant. For a descendant of the golden dragon, such opulence was everyday wear. She had not needed it when meeting the little wolf, but being with him had made her feel that appearing as she truly was would suffice.
At first, she had approached him only out of curiosity about the Wolf’s successor.
I want to see him again.
Now she had become the little wolf’s captive instead. Her own precious, utterly unique little wolf. If the man in question ever heard her thoughts, he would probably faint on the spot.
“Sister, where have you been?”
“Just out. I attended the Wolf’s funeral.”
“Ah.”
Her younger siblings had approached without her noticing. Like Felicia, they resembled golden maidens. Whatever happened in the outside world mattered little to those inside this hotel. After all, even the family boss felt the same.
“More importantly, sister. Haven’t you been pushing yourself too hard lately? Your scales look terrible.”
“Yeah. The ones on your tail are all rough and dry.”
“Huh?”
Felicia checked her own tail. Could that have been why Luke kept staring at it…? Her face suddenly flushed crimson with embarrassment.
Her two younger siblings tried to help her with the problem, but something more urgent demanded her attention.
“Wait. I need to see Father first.”
Felicia headed for the higher floors where the family boss resided. As the elevator climbed endlessly toward the sky, the images of Luke and Elena she had seen at the funeral kept flickering through her mind.
…
The two of them appearing together had been unexpected. Given the circumstances, it could not be helped, yet for some reason she felt a sting of jealousy. She also resented her past self for not claiming Luke before Elena had.
Ding!
The loud chime announced her arrival. The moment Felicia stepped out of the elevator, her younger brother Manfredi greeted her.
“Felicia, welcome back.”
“…Wait. Did Father hit you again?”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it now.”
…
Felicia hurried toward her father’s quarters. An entire floor of the hotel had been dedicated to Vito Marinelli.
“Father.”
Even at his daughter’s call, Vito Marinelli gave no reply. His golden-dyed hair and ten fingers adorned with gaudy jewels, his still-lavish clothing—everything about him screamed excess. Yet his eyes carried clear traces of tension and exhaustion.
“Father.”
“…Felicia?”
The room where Marinelli stayed was incredibly… ornate and dreamlike. If one wished to depict a world of hedonistic pleasure, this would be it. The sense of hollow emptiness lurking beneath the splendor could not be ignored.
“I attended the Wolf’s funeral.”
“Ah, yes. So the bastard’s dead.”
Felicia was certain that if her father were in his right mind, his reaction would have been far stronger. His sociable and flamboyant personality remained, yet the fear of betrayal and failure seemed to have grown too large. His charisma in leading others was still present, but it could not compare to the past. Most importantly, the man before her was now little more than a wreck. Alcohol, tobacco, women, and drugs—he had become addicted to them all. The father she remembered had understood the importance of balance in life. That man was gone. His monstrous spending and luxury were now devouring the Marinelli Family’s momentum for growth.
If not for Felicia and Manfredi desperately struggling to restore their former glory, the Marinelli Family might have gone bankrupt long ago.
“I delivered Father’s message to the little wolf and the Wolf’s daughter. Someone should arrive soon.”
“Yes, yes. With the Wolf dead, they have no choice but to come.”
Marinelli simply repeated his daughter’s words like an echo. Felicia carefully sniffed the air. She could not be entirely sure, but it was clear her father had not yet emerged from the haze of drink and narcotics. As she quietly observed him, a plausible idea occurred to her.
“Father, I actually have a good thought.”
“…Is that so? Let’s hear it.”
The Rufus Carlton Hotel of the Fellini Family could not have been more different from the Marinelli Family’s Dragon Hill Hotel. Important matters were unfolding there as well.
I, who had just kissed the back of Elena’s hand, rose to my feet and returned to my seat.
“Since the Boss and Underboss have been decided, we should also choose a new Consigliere.”
…
I first brought up the necessity of appointing a new Consigliere. Vier Salmo. The man who had helped my father elevate the Fellini Family to rulers of Hevilly. Unfortunately, he had been unable to appear at the funeral. Because he might be attending his own.
He had grown quite old, and the recent chaos had clearly taken a heavy toll on his body. Even so, he had still gathered all the ledgers related to the businesses at my father’s former territories and the Academy for both me and Elena.
“Elena.”
“Yeah?”
I did not expect an immediate answer. The wolves present possessed outstanding combat ability, but none were suited to become Consigliere. A Consigliere served as the Boss’s advisor—in other words, the organization’s strategist. We could not place Armo, who had been my father’s bodyguard, or Lumini, whom I still did not fully trust, in that role.
“What about Mr. Salmo’s son?”
“That guy?”
Giovanni had suggested a rather decent candidate. Come to think of it, Salmo’s son was a lawyer.
“I doubt Mr. Salmo would allow it.”
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
Elena thought Salmo would oppose the idea, but that remained to be seen. The current situation was hardly ordinary. If Salmo’s son became the new Consigliere, it would mark a perfect generational shift. We decided to first confirm their intentions and moved on to the next issue.
“Elena, I think it would be best if I went to the Marinelli Family alone.”
There was no need for both Boss and Underboss to move together. Especially not in a situation like this. If the Underboss—me—visited them as the Boss’s representative, it would still maintain proper appearances.
…
“Elena, what’s wrong?”
Her reaction was far from positive. It seemed she still could not fully trust me even though I had acknowledged her as Boss just moments ago.
“Luke, you’re not plotting something strange with that woman, are you?”
“…What?”
“Miss. Please, just a moment.”
I asked again, utterly dumbfounded. But Giovanni reacted even more violently than I did.
“Giovanni, she’s not ‘miss’ anymore. She’s the Boss.”
Carso worried about Giovanni’s rising voice. Meanwhile Sarina remained silent, but her expression had grown vicious.
“Everyone, stop.”
I tried to calm them before the mood worsened further.
“Aren’t you all being too rude to the Boss?”
“Then it’s fine to be rude to Big Brother?”
“Giovanni, Big Brother told you to stop.”
When Armo, who happened to be present, interjected, Giovanni shot back. Just as he was about to repeat himself, Carso spoke the words I had been about to say.
“Elena. Do you really think I joined hands with the Marinelli bastards to kill Father?”
“No, of course not. There’s no way you would kill Father. But it’s true that you’re strangely favorable toward that woman.”
She did not suspect me of being the culprit behind this incident, but she did suspect I was scheming something with Felicia. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy about that or not.
“Elena, if you’re that suspicious, you can come with me. I don’t mind.”
…
Once I phrased it that way, Elena really only had one possible answer. If she insisted on coming along now, it would mean she did not trust me.
“Elena. I’m innocent.”
“Sigh… Fine. I’ll leave that matter to you.”
Elena quickly backed down. Carso and Armo both let out sighs of relief. Afterward, Armo swiftly changed the subject to ease the atmosphere. Because Elena’s momentum had been blunted, there was no major clash. However, right in the middle of our discussion, an uninvited guest arrived.
“Big Brother!”
“What is it? Can’t you see we’re in a meeting?”
Giovanni answered the organization members who had come looking for me.
“Attack! We’re under attack! Pier 1 at the northern port is being assaulted!”
…
The moment I shot up from my seat, Giovanni and Sarina followed. I patted the shoulder of a somewhat dejected Elena.
“Elena, stay here.”
I stepped outside. The reason I had volunteered to become Underboss was not to turn Elena into a puppet I could manipulate. It was to do what I did best. What Elena lacked was experience and raw fighting strength. I could fill in those gaps for her.
“How many enemies?”
“At least twenty have been confirmed so far.”
“Giovanni, take the Claws and head to Pier 1.”
“Yes!”
“Luke, what about me?”
As Giovanni left our side, Sarina asked.
“Sarina, station half the Fangs here on standby and send the other half to the southern port.”
“…Understood.”
Her expression hardened at the prospect of being separated from me. I decided to head north with the regular members. The wolves each had their assigned roles. If Giovanni’s Claws were the strike team, then Sarina’s Fangs were the assassination unit. If these attackers represented the enemy’s full force, the reinforcements Giovanni and I brought would be enough. If they were aiming for another location while we rushed north, the Fangs waiting on standby with Sarina could respond.
“What are you idiots doing?! Bring the cars, now!”
Giovanni and the wolves reacted far faster than the regular members. I followed after them with my own group trailing behind like stragglers.
Pier 1 at the northern port. While the dockworkers and laborers retreated, the Fellini Family’s members held their ground firmly.
Thud!
The sound of car doors slamming shut echoed everywhere.
“Wipe them out!”
The moment Giovanni and the wolves arrived, the former workplace of honest labor transformed into a complete battlefield. The workers who had close ties with us acted with good judgment. I did not even wait for the members to open the door. I stepped out of the car immediately and joined Giovanni and the other wolves.
But something felt off. Even by rough estimate, the enemy numbers clearly exceeded twenty. Still, the outcome did not change. The wolves suffered few injuries, but many regular members had been shot, spilling their brains, or lost limbs.
…
“Big Brother, good work.”
“Yeah. Sort out the ones still alive and handle them as usual.”
“Yes.”
After my father’s death, the reptilian bastards who had first attacked the southern port still refused to talk. They were outsiders to the city, but that discipline was commendable. An organization’s closed nature and narrow focus created ironclad security.
I left the cleanup at the scene to Giovanni and returned to the Rufus Carlton Hotel to report the situation. The result had been an overwhelming victory for us. It had taken some time, but the outcome was not bad at all.
She’s probably still awake.
Checking the time, I saw it was already late at night. Elena likely had not gone to sleep yet, so I headed for the top floor. I ran into her as she approached after hearing the elevator.
…
Elena’s gaze immediately went to the various spots on my clothes. In my rush, I had forgotten I was covered in blood.
“Elena. I’ve taken care of everything…”
“I know. Go wash up. I’ll handle the clothes.”
“…Alright. Thanks.”
Elena was the daughter of a mafia family. Handling bloodstained clothes came naturally to her. What surprised me came afterward. After I had washed away all the sticky red blood, I found Elena waiting for me on the bed. I had no idea what this situation meant.
“What are you staring at?”
“Well, this kind of situation isn’t exactly familiar to me. Is it?”
Elena told me not to misunderstand. She was only doing this to soothe the wolves’ anger. Various thoughts flashed through my mind, but I simply lay down on the bed. Of course, I did not forget to report what had happened at Pier 1. Despite Elena’s constant questions, a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me and I wanted to sleep.
Elena found it strange that Luke gave no answers despite her questions.
“What the…?”
At some point he had fallen into a deep, comfortable sleep.
…
He really was a man whose inner thoughts were impossible to read. He had always looked down on her, and that had not changed. But what she found most incomprehensible was something else. The man before her was an object of both love and hate. He was not truly family, yet he had been chosen by her father before her and now acted as one. At the same time, he was the first man to share her bed and the one who knew her best. With her father gone… he was the only family she could rely on.
Even Elena thought her own feelings were strange, yet she reached out and touched the sleeping Luke. No matter what anyone said, they were husband and wife. There was nothing wrong with her actions. A wife simply wanted to check on her husband’s condition. Who could object?
It would be nice if he stayed this quiet all the time.
…
Elena wondered if there might be wounds on her husband’s body from the recent fight. Yes, this was only to check for any possible injuries.
The next morning, for some reason the bed felt particularly messy. Looking at my disheveled hair and the marks pressed into my skin everywhere, it seemed I had tossed and turned quite violently.
…
Elena was still asleep. I decided not to wake her on my way to the Marinelli Family. After her reaction yesterday, it seemed better not to provoke her unnecessarily.
“Big Brother, we’ll go with you.”
The wolves under my command approached. Giovanni was naturally absent. I chose only Carso and Sarina to accompany me. Giovanni was already busy interrogating the captives from yesterday, and I planned to ask Armo to guard Elena. Lumini and his subordinates would need a new territory.
The Dragon Hill Hotel located in the southeastern part of the city. Since the Marinelli Family’s boss practically lived there, it served as their true headquarters. As I stepped out of the car, I had not expected what was coming. While her father was not in his right mind, Felicia had seized the opportunity to make such a proposal.