Chapter 221

Chapter 221

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 221“It's already late. Do you have somewhere to stay?”

I asked Michaela about lodging now that she had fully regained her senses.

She said she'd come as my escort... did she get a room downstairs?

“No. I don't.”

“Pardon?”

But shamelessly declaring that she had nowhere to stay, she sat down across from me on the sofa.

“This place Calione Junior reserved is a suite anyway, isn't it? Could you lend me one of the empty rooms?”

“...

Aren't you being a little too shameless?”

It wasn't enough that she barged in without warning, but now she was asking me to let her stay because she had nowhere to sleep. She wasn't a freeloader, and this basically meant she intended to stick right beside me and monitor me closely.

“...

Do you know how much it costs to rent this place for a day?”

“Brother, do you intend to cast this frail little lamb, who has nowhere to stay, out into the cold and dark night? Please show me mercy.”

Now she was even appealing to my emotions.

Judging by how she was even using religious language, I could feel her determination to sleep here no matter what.

Fine... there were plenty of empty rooms anyway, and she was a clergywoman...

“The room beside the kitchen is empty, so use that one.”

Only then did she rise from her seat and bow her head.

“Thank you for your mercy, Brother.”

“...

Yes. By the way, what should I call you? Sister? Commander?”

At that, she thought for a moment.

“I'm not a nun, but most people call me Sister, so I think Sister will be fine. Then, I'll head in first and get some proper sleep. You worked hard today as well, Calione Junior.”

Proper sleep, huh...

After spilling out everything she wanted to say, she disappeared into the room I had assigned her.

“...

What a whirlwind.”

I'd only been in Italy for one day, yet I'd already gotten involved with this many people.

It really felt like an exhausting day.

Yeah, let's just sleep...

______________

“Ah, Eugene. Over here!”

The next day. When I stepped outside the hotel, a red pickup truck that looked like it had been driven for quite a long time was waiting for us.

“Thanks for coming to pick me up.”

“I'm the only one with a driver's license. I'm still a beginner, so I'm not that good, but. Come on, hurry and get in... but Eugene. Who is that?”

“Ah, this person?”

As expected, she asked, apparently finally curious about the identity of the pure-white life-form following closely behind me.

“My escort sent by the Vatican.”

“...

What? That person?”

“Apparently she's fairly high-ranking despite how she looks. Ah, she can ride with us, right? I'll explain the details on the way.”

“Ah, yes.”

With that, I got into the front seat, while Michaela struggled her way into the back seat.

“I am truly indebted to you. Sister. I am Michaela of the Vatican.”

“Ah, yes! I'm Elena. Sister.”

“Elena. That's a good name. Sister Elena, then where are we going in this vehicle?”

“Uh... we're planning to go to the workshop district.”

“I see. As long as I am in this vehicle, I will take responsibility for everyone's safety, so there is no need to worry too much.”

Michaela spoke with an extremely confident expression, pounding her chest.

“You heard her, right? She says she'll take responsibility for our safety, so let's just enjoy Italy to our hearts' content.”

I opened the window and glanced at the scenery outside as we left downtown Palermo.

Green grass covering the surroundings, the blue Mediterranean Sea visible in the distance, and even the faint scent of the ocean mixed into the air.

It was truly the taste of relaxation I hadn't experienced in a long time.

“Calione Junior. I have a question.”

At that moment, Michaela's voice came from behind.

“What is it?”

“I was wondering how you came to meet Sister Elena beside you.”...

So she's finally going to start gathering information.

“By chance.”

“Pardon?”

“We happened to meet.”

Still, giving information away easily wouldn't be any fun.

Go on, give it your best effort, Vatican spy.

“More importantly, Sister. Didn't you say just a moment ago that we only needed to trust you?”

“I did, didn't I?”

“Then I'll trust only you this time as well.”

“...

Pardon?”

And at the same time.───Booooom!!

A tremendous explosion erupted beside the pickup truck, violently shaking the vehicle.

“W-what?!”

At that, Elena tightly gripped the steering wheel and looked behind us through the side mirror.

“W-who are those people?”

There, a khaki-colored jeep was chasing us while roaring fiercely.

“Judging by the vehicle, they look like some nearby gang... doesn't the Medici Family keep their territory under control?”

It was true that the place we were currently driving through was outside Medici territory, but I'd still expected them to at least clean up the surrounding area.

-Yeehaw!

Leaning their upper bodies out of the jeep, they aimed magical wands at us.

No, RPGs.

“W-wait a second. If this car gets wrecked, my mother will kill me.”

“You heard her, Sister. Please take care of it.”

A living trophy system.

It was time for the living, active defense system to move.

No, would calling her an active-defense Sister be more accurate?

“It can't be helped. I am your escort, after all.”

Eventually, she sighed, opened the window, and moved into the truck bed.

Perhaps she had separately trained in physical movement as well, because her motions were extremely natural.

And there she stood in the bed of the moving truck, dressed in pure-white clothes and facing the enemy.

-Hehehe! Fiiire!!

At the same time as a bizarre scream from behind, an RPG began flying toward us.

All right, then.

Let's see what our Commander can do.

“Good grief.”

Her brief voice came from behind.

The shell drew closer and closer.

And.

Thunk

- With a light wave of her hand, as though swatting away a fly in front of her, she knocked aside the warhead.

In an instant, the projectile changed trajectory, flew off to the side, and exploded.

The gang members looked visibly flustered by the absurd sight.

-That outfit! The Vatican! They're from the Vatican!

-The Vatican?! Tell the guys following behind to catch up, now!

For some reason, that seemed to provoke them even more.

“Why do they look like they hate the Vatican so much?”

“Sicily has never had a particularly good relationship with mainland Italy. Perhaps it's for a similar reason.”

“Is that so?”

Their reactions seemed hotter than I'd expected for that, though.

At that moment.

“I wanted to avoid bloodshed if possible... but it can't be helped.”

Saying that, she suddenly took a sprinter's stance.

Wait, don't tell me...

“I'll be back shortly.”

She jumped straight out of the truck, spread both arms, and clung to the front of the jeep.

-A nun flew over here!

-Shoot! Shoot her!”

The gang members in the jeep panicked and aimed their guns, but there was one thing they had misunderstood.

“She definitely said... Commander.”

Her real position wasn't that of a nun.

It was that of a knight.

When Michaela drove her fist toward the driver's seat, the windshield was pierced as easily as if it were made of sugar.

-The specially treated bulletproof glass?!

“What's happening back there?”

“Uh, Sister just grabbed the driver by the collar, pulled him out like she was uprooting a radish, and threw him away.”

With the driver gone, the jeep began swerving wildly, and in the middle of it, she maintained her balance with incredible athletic ability and climbed inside through the hole where the driver had been.

-You damned nun!

-Lord, forgive me again today for my sins──-Bermann!! I'll avenge my comraaaade! Ow! It hurts! It hurts!

-I send this sinful lamb to Your side──-Please spare me! Please spare me!

What followed from there was the merciless fistwork(physical) of our Commander.

“Elena. I think you can slow down now.”

“Ah. Yes.”

After confirming that everything behind us was completely finished, we turned the car around and headed toward the jeep, which had come to a complete stop.

Clunk.

The passenger door of the jeep opened.

Michaela lightly stepped out and walked toward us with clicking footsteps.

“She really is skilled.”

“Seriously. When the Vatican said they were sending an escort, I thought, this tiny person? But she's actually incredibly tough...”

“No, not that. Look at her clothes.”

“Her clothes?”

Even though she was clearly wearing pure-white nun-like clothing, there wasn't a single scorch mark or trace of blood on it.

“They sent someone really interesting, didn't they?”

Even I might have some difficulty fighting without getting blood on myself.

Looks like the title of Commander wasn't just for show.

“I'm back. Are the two of you unharmed?”

Despite having moved so violently, her breathing was incredibly calm.

She looked as though she had truly just taken care of something trivial.

“Yes, thanks to you, Sister. Thank you.”

At that, Elena bowed her head in thanks.

“I merely did what I ought to do. From what I heard those gang members saying, it seems they called for reinforcements. I think it would be best if we leave quickly before the others arrive.”

Saying that, Michaela pulled out a notebook and began diligently writing something.

Hearing her words, Elena stepped on the accelerator again and started moving the car.

“Sister. I have a question.”

At my question, she briefly closed the notebook in her hand and looked at me.

“Yes, what is it? Calione Junior.”

“You threw quite a few punches back there, but it doesn't look like even a single drop of blood got on you. Did you wash it away with holy power or something?”

Thinking there must be some special method, I decided to ask her why.

No matter how I thought about it, it was strange for there to be no blood after beating them that badly.

“Ah, that. To tell you the truth, it's just a minor trick. If I infuse holy power at the same time as I punch, the pain remains unchanged, but no wound is left behind. Since I don't give the blood vessels a chance to rupture, no blood splatters.”

“Oh.”

That's the technique I used when I played Magical Girl Middle-Aged Man.

I guess people really do think alike.

At that moment, Elena cautiously asked her.

“Isn't that basically just a torture technique... Sister. You weren't an Inquisitor or anything, were you?”

“I did serve as an Inquisitor in the past, but not anymore.”

“Ah, so you were...”

She certainly was the kind of talent they'd want to hold onto over there.

For now, I shouldn't pick a fight with her carelessly.

And so, the car continued down the road until we arrived at the small town where the workshop district was located.

“There truly seem to be many beautiful places in Sicily.”

“Is this your first time in Sicily too, Sister?”

“Yes. I normally remained in the Vatican, and only left it when I had missions.”

So that's why she'd been constantly looking around.

“It's our village, but I think it's really beautiful too. Oh, later I'll introduce you to the church in the village as well.”

“A church. Sister Elena, you are quite the devout believer. Then let's do that.”

Apparently she wasn't completely lacking in social skills, because she seemed to have gotten somewhat closer to Elena.

But why was it?

For some reason, I still felt a faint sense of wariness in the gaze she directed at me.

I really haven't done anything.

“Once Grandpa arrives, everyone will be here. Grandpa's new workshop... I'm excited to see what it looks like.”

“It'll be better than yesterday, at least. Ah, there he is.”

In the distance, I could see Ludvio approaching with an expression more expectant than usual.

His steps were light, and his head bobbed slightly.

I wonder what he'll think of the newly renovated workshop.

Maybe because it felt like secretly slipping someone a gift?

I was starting to look forward to his reaction as well.

______________

[Today's Calione Junior Observation Record][While combat was taking place right in front of him, he merely watched without offering even the slightest bit of help. A little too much. Furthermore, he was also observed smiling as though he found it entertaining at the time. It is judged that he may be a crueler individual than initially expected. Caution advised.]