Chapter 219

Chapter 219

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 219The workshop district located on one side of central Palermo.

Among them, when we opened the oldest and most worn-out door and stepped inside, the dark interior came into view with a creaking sound.

“Cough

- cough

- It's a complete mess after being away for so long.”

Waving away the dust with his hand as he stepped inside, Ludvio first turned on the lights and looked around the workshop.

Tools and interior decorations that were already broken or heavily rusted.

At the sight, he let out a deep sigh and lowered his head.

“...

I don't even know where to start fixing things.”

At this point, it was difficult to even call this a workspace anymore.

“This is too much... I mean, if they seized the workshop, shouldn't they at least have maintained it?”

Elena muttered as she picked up pieces of pottery and tools scattered across the floor one by one.

Looking at the current situation, I couldn't help lamenting as well.‘...

At this rate, the work is going to take a little while.’Since it wasn't someone else's work but my own item that had to be worked on, I couldn't just stand by and watch.

“Maestro. Could you wait a moment? Elena, stop picking those up too. You'll hurt your hands.”

I immediately took out my phone and called one of the numbers in my contacts.

A brief ringing tone.-...

Mm. Hello.

Her voice was much more hoarse than usual.

Then I suddenly remembered that Italy was eight hours behind Korea...

If it's around evening here, then it's dawn in Korea?

“Sorry for calling at dawn. It's urgent.”

-It's fine. I had only just gone to bed. I can simply sleep again.

Perhaps she was being considerate of my position, Haru's voice over the phone gradually became clearer.

-When you say it's urgent. What happened?

“I need supplies for a workshop in Sicily. Is that possible?”-...

Sicily, you say? Fortunately, I have a business partner in Sicily that I am also in contact with.

As expected of Haru. She never disappoints me.

“I'll tell you the address and the things I need. Don't worry about the price, just get the best available.”

Then I listed off the items we needed immediately and the address of the shop one by one.

-Yes. Confirmation complete. I will make arrangements so the items can arrive sometime today.

“Thanks as always.”

-I merely did what I ought to do.

After exchanging a brief farewell, I ended the call and immediately called the next number.

-Yes. Young Master. This is Ratte.

“What are you doing.”

-Working?

“Come help me with something here.

-Uh... right now?

“You don't need to come personally. Just send a few people from the Sicily headquarters' spare manpower. There's somewhere that needs cleaning.”

A brief silence followed my words.

A moment later. Ratte's serious voice came through.

-Should I send them all armed with heavy weapons?

“What?”

-Pardon?

Ah, I get it.

This girl definitely misunderstood the word ‘cleaning’ in another sense.

“...

Not that kind of cleaning. Actual building cleaning. It's a little dirty here, so I need some people.”

-Ah, that kind of cleaning. Yes, then I'll speak to the Don

here and see if I can send a few people. What's the address?

I gave her the address here as well.

Right, the Don here was Uncle Milano, wasn't he?

“If Uncle Milano says anything, just tell him it's my request.”

-Yes. Confirmed. I'll check and contact you!

“Okay.”

With this, every measure I could take right now was finished.

I put away my phone and raised my head, only to see Ludvio and Elena staring blankly at me.

“...?”

While I wondered what they were staring at, Elena spoke first.

“...

Mafia boss's heir. I briefly forgot that you're the heir to Calione.”

Ah. Was that it?

But Ludvio seemed to be looking at me for a different reason.

“No, reclaiming the workshop was already enough, yet you're going this far... we could have borrowed tools from another workshop...”

It seemed he felt like he owed me a debt because I had provided too much service.

Hmm, it doesn't really cost much from my perspective, so it's fine.

“If that's what you're worried about, you don't need to. In the end, these are supplies needed to make my item the best it can possibly be. If it still bothers you... then all you need to do is create the greatest masterpiece of your life, Maestro.”

If spending this little pocket change could earn me the favor of a Maestro-class craftsman and the strongest shoes in the world, how could that possibly be called a loss?

“...

I will make sure to create a work that exceeds your expectations!”

I'd even raised the craftsman's motivation that much, so it really was the best possible choice.

“Other people will come to handle the cleaning, so let's go out and have dinner. Elena, can you recommend a restaurant nearby?”

“Ah! I'm confident about that! Come on, let's go. I'll take you to the place with the best food in Sicily!”

______________

The place we arrived at after following Elena was a restaurant with ‘Anna's Kitchen’ written in Italian.

“...

This place is.”

“My mother's restaurant. Come on, come inside.”...

This is the best restaurant in Sicily?

“Hahaha. Anna's food certainly is the best. Come now, let's go inside.”

Judging by Ludvio's reaction, it didn't seem like she had simply brought us here to promote the business... but would this be okay?

“Mother. I'm back!”

Led by Elena, who entered with a lively voice, we all stepped into the restaurant together.

“You're late for dinner. Where in the world have you been and what have you... oh my, Mr. Marco?”

“Anna. It's been a while.”

“It really has been! You came down to the village with Elena. Did something happen?”

Looking surprised to see him, she wiped the moisture from her hands on her apron and asked.

Ludvio answered with a hearty laugh.

“I've spent enough time doing nothing, so it's time to work again. Things have gone well recently.”

At his answer, Anna smiled brightly as though she was happy too and grasped both of Ludvio's hands.

“That's wonderful. Mr. Marco, you're an amazing person, so things will go well again in no time. Oh, you came to eat, right?”

“Mm. The usual, please.”

“Then... who is this handsome young man beside you?”

She said that while looking at me.

Her facial features definitely resembled Elena's very closely.

“I'll have the same, please.”

“Yes. I'll make it right away?”

“Mother. Me too!”

“You come help me cook, you brat!”

“Ah, Mom!”

Watching Elena get dragged into the kitchen by Anna, Ludvio let out a snicker.

“Anna, Elena's mother over there, has kept this old man's stomach from going hungry all this time.”

“That too is probably proof that you performed many good deeds before, Maestro.”

Most of this village probably hadn't starved to death thanks to Ludvio.

“Hahaha, thank you for saying so. By the way, have you decided where you'll stay tonight?”

“Ah. Yes. I've booked a hotel in downtown Palermo for now.”

“Really? That's good. This old man's house is all broken and falling apart, so I would've felt terrible having you sleep there. Haha!”

To be precise, I'd booked a hotel because I had a lot to do alone, but I simply smiled and went along with what he said.

A short while later.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Elena came out of the kitchen carrying a large tray piled high with food and began setting the dishes on the table.

“Two orders of Alla Norma, as requested! Ah. The caponata is on the house!”

What was placed before us were two plates of pasta and a red stew made mainly with eggplant.

Then she naturally sat in an empty seat and picked up a fork and spoon.

“You said the caponata was on the house. So you brought it because you wanted to eat it. Hahaha!”

“I was hungry too... I moved around a lot for the first time in a while.”

Elena smiled awkwardly and lowered her head.

At that, Ludvio also gently lowered his head and seemed to enter silent prayer.

A prayer before a meal.

It was quite a common sight here.

What were the two of them praying for right now?

If there was one thing I knew for certain...‘Please let the shoes come out properly this time.’I was the most desperate one among us.

______________

After finishing dinner and some light conversation, I returned to my lodging, took a quick shower, and opened the laptop I'd brought from Korea.

Even if I was abroad, I was still the president of a Silver Club and the person in overall charge of the club support business.

My fate was that even if I wanted to rest, I couldn't properly do so.

Well, all I really had to do was check reports and make approvals.

At that moment.[Ratte: Young Master?][Ratte: Young Master?][Ratte: Young Master?][Ratte: Young Master?]

Suddenly, the messenger on my laptop began vibrating like crazy.[Me: What. Is the cleaning done?]

If the cleaning was finished, she could just say it was finished. Why was she suddenly messaging me like crazy?[Ratte: Pardon?][Ratte: Uh. The cleaning is finished, but.][Ratte: That's not the problem right now.]

Hm?[Me: What are you talking about.][Ratte: Ah, yes. This is information the Italian intelligence division just obtained.][Ratte: Right now, toward where you are, Young Master──]

-Knock knock.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“...

Who is it at this hour?”

I closed the laptop I'd been looking at and stood up, stretching.

The place I was currently staying was a suite in a four-star hotel in Sicily. Not just anyone could come here, and I definitely didn't remember ordering room service.

“Who is it?”

I slowly approached the door and looked outside through the peephole.

But there was nothing outside.

“...

What?”

I definitely heard something knock on the door?

Just as I was about to turn around again.

-Knock knock.

Once again, there was a knock at the door.

So I hadn't heard wrong.

“Don't tell me, is this a knock-and-run?”

Knock-and-run.

A prank where Korean teenage boys knock on a door and run away, something most of them had probably done at least once while traveling.

No, wait a minute.

Who would even pull a prank like that here?

Sensing that something was off, I pulled [Al Capone's Tommy]

from the Cube and quietly approached the door.

Suppressing my presence and footsteps as much as possible, I pressed myself against the door and waited for the right moment.

As I quietly held my breath, ready to rush out once the signal came again.

-Knock knock.

Now!

With a bang, I threw the door open with all my strength, aimed the Thompson in front of me, and shouted.

“Which brat dares──”──Bang!

“Ugh!”

Something struck the door, and a brief vibration ran through the hand gripping the doorknob.

“Hm?”

Something white collapsed limply right in front of me.

Wondering what the hell this was, I blankly stared at the fallen person.

“Huh?”

Long white hair that, if she were standing, would nearly reach the floor, and a pure-white outfit reminiscent of a nun's habit.

She looked so harmless that it felt as though the color white itself had been turned into a person, but my eyes were drawn to her forehead, which had turned especially red.

Don't tell me this was the person who'd been knocking until now?

And the reason I couldn't see her through the peephole was because she was short?

“Ha... what am I supposed to do about this?”

It was truly a disaster born from suspicion and a mistake.

As I wondered how to clean up this situation.

“Hm?”

For some reason.

The golden cross hanging around her neck caught my eye.

Wait a minute.

That necklace is definitely...

“The Vatican?”

At the same time, cold sweat ran down my back and forehead.

I had a feeling.

I'd screwed up.