Chapter 16 - Wake Up As Mafia Boss (1/2)
In a place that no one's willing to live, where even the rats are skipping this route. They were a few pests that only dare to eat their likes and did their dirty habits as usual. The room has a huge round table with a red carpet underneath it. A chandelier hanged with a modest design like in the Victorian era. On its right side, there was a bookshelf full of doc.u.ments filed and one rectangular table suitable for one person.
A person knocked twice before he entered. This man on his twenty's worn a suit lowered his head to the person sitting on his sofa. This one had a lime haired handsome face with a mole under his left eye. He wore a white suit and a rose hanged on his left c.h.e.s.t. He carried a cup of tea on his hand and on the table, there was a plate of cookies and a porcelain pitcher of tea.
”Greetings, sir. It is a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to see you here sitting as usual. As per se, a man of his kind does need to sit like a boss than ever it seems,” Jerald spoke and stepped forward, waiting for the response of his boss. His face looked mad so he coughed once and lowered again his head. ”My apologies, sir. It appears I enter the wrong timing. It is not my intention to do this kind of notice without any possible reason. Hope you don't mind my intrusion.”
The man in the white suit sighed, he placed down his cup after he took a sip. He turned his gaze at him and spoke, ”What brings you here, Jerald? Your annoying voice keeps me from feeling relax and causes my mind unease.”
”Umm,” Jerald hesitated after hearing it. ”Forgive me, it is not my intention to disturb you, sir. However, there is something I need to show you. You need to see this so... please forgive me again but this time, for sure, you won't get disappointed.”
”What?” the boss folded his arm upon hearing it. He intentionally stared at his eyes with a leering gaze. ”What do you want from here? Enough of your fake persona. I know you well, Jerald. I know deep inside of your heart, you don't like me. So do I. Your only job is to report everything to me, right? So, what is it then.”
”Sir,” Jerald slightly giggled. He took a cough after he saw him becoming more unpleased to see his face. So, he spoke, ”Likewise, y' really know me too well. It's an honor to hear that one. I can see that you're not in a good mood today. Like what you said, my only job here is to assist you however, I need to report everything to you as stated to my duty and servitude. Even you like it or not. I need to perform it for the sake of the clan. Sir, I know that my presence here doesn't count as a blessing to you. However, I need to do this even if you don't even ask for it. Because I'm doing this in honor of our beloved Donna.”
The man in the white suit became irritated upon hearing it. ”So, what's in the report?”
”Sir, our boys found some trace of massive fights. Like usual, magic and gunfights are discovered. In the background check, a lot of important things such as rifles, ammo and old arsenals are found but undeniably turned into worthless junk. Because of the unknown phenomena, these things were still unidentified, untraceable and some bodies were turned into dust before our investigation team picked them as evidence. Anyhow, it is very intriguing that this kind of event happened in this occupied territory.”
The man in the white suit sighed, and said, ”Oh, how exactly that happened anyway?”
”Well, not sure exactly. I presumed that these things are destroyed by magic somehow. If you ask me if what kind of skill did it use, I know exactly what cost of it to happen.”
”Can you elaborate on what do you mean? I'm very confused about your statement, Jerald.”
”Uh, eh,” he scratched his chin, ”Boss, can I sit — My apologies, may I sit down because there's a lot of things I want you to check out. I mean to show it, sorry. You see, these doc.u.ments I carried has a lot of secrecy that only you and the mistress must-see.”
”Proceed,” the man in the white suit picked his cup and poured it. His mouth blew the top of his cup before he took a sip.
”Thank you very much, sir.” Jerald slowly stepped forward and put down his b.u.t.t on the sofa that his boss pointed at. ”Now, then, we can start the real issue here. I mean the report, sir.”
”Go on,” he picked up a cookie and ate it.” We're the only people around here. There's no information will gonna leak anyway.”
”As expected,” Jerald simpered, ”You're a really diligent individual, sir. Not anyone has the same caliber as you, Sir Matheus Dante the sole underboss of the Verdugo family.”
”Don't spout my name and rank. That details must be kept only in the mouth of formal family members of this clan,” Matheus pointed his index at Jerald's eyes, ”Y' do realize that we're playing as bandits and we must completely keep hidden our true identities from the public. This occupied territory is only known as a bandit lair and not part of any clan.”
”Aye, sir. That's why we need to be cautious of linking ourselves to the mistress too. The Universal Law of Mafiaocre must be followed or else, the other mafia Dons will come upon us, especially to that man named Hermes Archnemesis. Even he is still a child and known as the sole survivor of his family, he is fully stable in this society. Well, we thoroughly investigated that man daily but only a few parts were still unclassified because some of our spies had never come back for some unknown reason. I don't know if they are being bribed or killed but the fact that no one knows his exact description is undeniably proven that he has powerful servants that keep protecting him from behind. Oh, by the way, there is someone who reported his arrival to the village three days ago. According to the person I talked with, he said he has a mask and always arrived at the place looking for a location to invest his money. Well, he is disguising himself as Aljen the merchant from the Southern Cimeria Desert. However, he is not that kind of good and skeptical like our Donna. He doesn't even know we already controlled this place though for almost five years because he only cares to scheme something from his former territory. How stupid he was. To think he always did that for his own entertainment. Hilarious, right? I haven't seen anyone like him to go there, disguising as a merchant and promised to the Village chief that he wanted to invest his money for a better cause. What a disgusting and pathetic man. Anyhow, forget about him. He is not that important anyway. The point of my visit is this.” Jerald placed down the doc.u.ments on the table and opened one by one all of it to his leader. ”I know there's a risk of showing this but I think you must see this before the other capos find it.”
”What's that?” Matheus got interested and placed down again his cup. ”What can a man like you want to report this kind of secretive information to me. Is there an issue between you and the capos without my notice?”
”Ah, not exactly, sir.” Jerald smiled with cold sweat. ”Sir, it is not my intention to do. There's no issue between me and other members of the clan. Don't worry about it. So, hear me out, will ya? However, to be frank, there's something going on in the family that you and the mistress don't give a second thought though.”
”Oh, is that praise or you want my hands to raise?” Matheus stood up, pointing his index onward at him. Jerald, surprised, waved his hand for forgiveness. He begged, ”Sir, calm down. Hear me out first, sir. There's a reason behind I need to report this first before the capos. I'm not intended to mock the mistress and your clumsiness about these topics.”
”What? Do you want to see the gods and go to hell first?”
”Sir,” Jerald used barrier skill and stood up. He lowered his head in apology. ”Sorry for my sharp mouth. Please calm down and hear me out, sir. It is my duty, to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth in this case. I know it kinda insulting to your ears but it is the truth. Y' do know that my position is to be opened to everyone. Right?”
Matheus lowered his hand and sat down. He folded his arm and leaned his back against the soft sofa. ”Proceed, if it doesn't give a good beating, sorry to say but I need to give you some personal hearing session.”
”Sir, ” he gulped some air and exhaled before he talked, ”Everyone in the place we investigated has already vaporized. Quietly and splendidly cleaned up by someone.” He slid the photo onward to Matheus. The underboss took a glance and placed his other hand on his chin. Jerald sat down and placed his pressed hand on the table.
”And, what's this?” the underboss picked up the next photo that showed a photo of an emblem.
”We picked up some valuable items like this one,” Jerald opened his magic box and picked up a plastic containing the scorched Emblem of their clan. He placed it down and slid it onward. ”I don't know what just happened but to think one of our boys got recked from that explosion. There's a lot of shits going on in here but to think we found a lot of scattered pieces of shits and garbages back home. Boss, there's something wrong going around here.”
”I don't need to hear your theories related to it. If you want to show me some random speculations, I don't want to spend my time on that kind of illogical method.” Matheus tossed it back and Jerald caught it before it landed on the surface.
”Sir, I remember that you order our forces to hunt down one person. The only description you gave to them was, he had a black gas mask and had weird white sleeves. Commonly, we can call that someone like that as a person who has no fashion sense at all. However, to think that that prey has a lot of luck. That time, a company of lower-class members of our men has been dispatched to track him down. Who exactly he was is unknown by them but only you, the underboss of this region do know exactly who he is. I don't want to meddle and ask for more but sir, is that man really worth to catch alive? But to think we lost some men just to capture 'alive' a person you never even dared to name really gives some of our boys to be scattered. We lost more than twenty lads that equivalent to one platoon of soldiers. How exaggerating. Damn, y' got something to explain before the mistress know it? Who is exactly the man, sir? I do hope it is not that man who I mentioned 'worthless' of our time to be meddled to our business.”
”I have nothin' to explain to you nor to listen to your hypocritical, wise guy.” Matheus closed his eyes and scratched his nose. ”You have no authority to ask for more than that.”
”Oh, well.” Jerald sighed with disappointment. ”I just want to know who he is.”
”So, what just happened back then. Any leads? To think I underestimate the classic mindset of that brat.”
”Brat, you say.” Jerald became curious about the person he mentioned but he kept his facade stable as usual, ”Boss, you sent out those men to obediently follow that secret mission. It ain't possibly a simple mission to capture one person to another though. Y' trust their credibility and ability to comply without taking a shit for that person.”
”So, do you have a complaint?”
”Nah, ” Jerald picked out a whiskey from his magic box. He offered his boss with another one but he got rejected. So, he returned the bottle he offered to his magic box, opened up the cover of the whiskey he held and drank it. He spoke after he got refreshed, ”There's nothin' wrong with that. There's nothing wrong to trust them to this confidential mission. But sir, you're really digging too much effort to capture one person yesterday. Y' even ordered one of our capos to guard the entrance of District 4. Wow, is he that important to disregard the secrecy of this mission? Well, its unexpectedly turned south though.”
”Hey, Jerald. Watch your words infront of me. You're speaking to the underboss of our clan. Y' don't have the right to speak like you know everything here. But promise me something here, buddy. Anything related to this subject must not be leaked out from the main office,” Matheus warned. He stood up and moved next to the window with his hands behind his waist. ”I don't trust you and the other capos but I believe in your abilities as my assistant and investigator. But this skills you have will cause a lot of problems in the future not only to the others but especially to our beloved Donna. So listen well and think about it. Promise me this. No matter what happens, eliminate those who try to do anything stupid to ruin our name.”
Jerald, astonished, simpered upon hearing his request. ”Is that a request or an order, sir? I'm honor again to working with you. I will do my best to hide this from the rest, however, I still have some specimens to show you,” he showed another paper, ”look at these photos, sir.” Jerald moved closer to the underboss while showing the photo, and gave it with his crescent moon smile.
”What's this?” the underboss, surprised, turned confused on the content. The face he showed made Jerald happier than before. He replied, ”Remember that purple light last night?” Matheus turned his gaze at him and asked, ”Yeah, it's so powerful that lead me to wake up too early from my original schedule.”
He showed up a new photo where Matheus transformed into an old lady. This material made the underboss choked. ”That is me. How exactly you get this?”
”To think someone like you who dressed as an old hag became curious. However, that's a secret though.
”Forget about it.” He transformed from his original gender to an old lady. His voice also changed to a female voice. ”No one knows about it, nowadays. I only did that in order to conduct the right way of capturing that kid. Do you know what's the risk if I am being identified by that brat? It's going to lead us to our death. He is going to use his power to find a way to destroy us in his own territory. We can't let that happen. So, that photo you showed to me. Are you planning to use it as blackmail?” Matheus slowly returned his body and voice to his original. The moment he realized he was showing his aura, Jerald simpered, ”No, I'm not planning to do it. Don't get too shocked about it. The photo I gave to you is our main topic this time and not this one. I'm just teasing you and not to intend to terrify you, sir. A'ight, focus your eyes at the photo and search something interesting?” The underboss clicked his tongue and turned his gaze at the photo on his hand. ”This one is just common. It has red smoke, so what? What are you implying to, Jerald?”