Chapter 222

Chapter 222

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 222“Looks like... you all had a rough time.”

When we got out of the truck that had come to a stop with a creaking sound, Ludvio greeted us with a pitying look.

“There was a little trouble on the way here.”

Perhaps because of the explosion and rough driving earlier, smoke was already billowing from the engine, and an unknown creaking noise was echoing as well.

Elena, the owner of the vehicle, could only stand there blankly staring at it.

“Aventador!!”...

The car’s name is Aventador?

That’s impressive, seriously.

“I’ll buy you a new car, so don’t be too sad.”

“...

Really?”

“Would it be okay if you bought me a real Aventador?”

“Actually, the car was so old that I was thinking it was about time to replace it. Well, this one’s a junker.”

In an instant, the (former)

Aventador had been discarded.

Ludvio scratched his head as he watched us.

“Still, I’m glad you seem to be getting along better than yesterday... but who is the person beside you?”

He looked startled as he asked, seeing Michaela getting out of the truck last.

Probably because her outfit was openly proclaiming, ‘I came from the Vatican.’

“She’s apparently my escort sent by the Vatican.”

“...

Your escort?”

“Yes. Well, I assume they attached her to me as a monitor so I won’t cause trouble.”

When I turned my head as I said that, I saw her flinch and tremble.

She stared at me with eyes asking since when I had known.

No, anyone could tell that much at a glance. Isn’t she overreacting?

“I see. Certainly, someone like you receiving the Vatican’s attention is hardly strange.”

Saying that, he turned toward Michaela, extended his hand, and smiled.

“I’m Ludvio Marco, an old man who makes shoes in this small village. It is an honor to meet one who serves God.”

After hearing Ludvio’s name, Michaela slowly raised her small hand and grasped his rough one.

“...

I am Michaela. It is an honor to meet the person called Italy’s national treasure and a Maestro.”

Perhaps he had thought she wouldn’t recognize him.

At Michaela’s response, Ludvio looked slightly surprised before bursting into laughter.

“Kahaha! Aren’t you gilding my face a little too much? Still, it is an honor that you recognize me.”

“The Cardinal who oversees me wears shoes made by the Maestro. I am well aware of the Maestro’s abilities and legends.”

So that was how she knew him.

Apparently someone she knew owned one of the Maestro’s works.

“How embarrassing. Well then, let’s all go inside. I haven’t seen the interior yet either, so I’m quite excited.”

With Ludvio leading the way, we all headed toward the workshop.

From the outside, it was still just an ordinary old building with no noticeable changes.

But the moment we entered through the door that opened with a click, an interior completely different from the exterior revealed itself.

“Wow...”

The interior, which had previously been lit by only a few old-fashioned lights, had been replaced with full LED lighting. The floor had become marble tile, and the display cases had also been prepared with the best items currently obtainable.

“Grandpa! It really feels like a completely different place!”

Elena entered with an expression as though it were her own business and began looking around everywhere.

“Maestro, why don’t you take a look around too?”

“Ah. Y-yes, I shall.”

Even he, who had been frozen blankly, slowly began walking around and inspecting the surroundings.

“...

Ha. I was wondering why my account balance dropped much more than expected, and now I think I know why.”

Last night.

Far more money than I had originally expected had disappeared, so I had wondered what had happened, but it seemed Haru had truly brought in only ‘top-grade’ goods.

That machine looks brand new, and that one, and that one too... how much did all of this cost?

She really went shopping generously this time.

-Kahahahahahaha!!

Enough for even a Maestro to laugh like that.

“Why don’t you look around too, Sister? This must be your first time in a workshop like this, isn’t it?”

When I turned toward Michaela, our eyes met while she was busily writing something.

“Sister?”

“Ah, yes.”

At that, she hurriedly stuffed the notebook away and immediately pretended to do something else.

Ahh... is that the report notebook she’s using while observing me?

I suddenly felt like teasing her.

“May I ask what you were writing just now?”

When I asked with an interested expression, she desperately looked away.

“It was nothing. Just a hobby... h-hymns! I was writing hymn lyrics.”

“Ahh. I see.”

I wondered who would write hymns as a hobby in a place like this, but decided to let it go for now.

At least now I knew which notebook she was writing in.

A short while later, Ludvio approached with a completely satisfied expression and suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Sometimes you feel as though you were sent by God himself. How can everything begin going so smoothly the moment you arrive... truly, truly, thank you!”

He seemed extremely satisfied with the things I had prepared.

As expected, the saying that a craftsman doesn’t blame his tools is a blatant lie.

“I’m glad you like them.”

Of course you should be satisfied.

The amount of money spent here would have been enough to acquire an entire small or medium-sized company.

But I didn’t regret it at all.

Because I already knew.

Properly made equipment could become valuable enough to purchase not only a company, but even a small nation.

“I hope these facilities will allow you to make some very good equipment, Maestro.”

Yes, very good equipment.

──For me.

______________

“Calione Junior. Where are we going this time?”

Inside the car I had caught through Uber.

While I silently looked at my phone as we traveled, Michaela, who had been sitting quietly, spoke first.

“To work.”

“Are you going alone this time?”

“I’m not alone. Sister is coming with me.”

“That is true, but I was wondering if you could at least tell me where we are going.”

Where were we going?

It wasn’t difficult to guess why she was restlessly asking about the destination.

We had requested eight Ubers just to get here.

Even the final one had tried to reject us, and I only managed to secure it by offering double the fare.

“You can just think of it as going to meet someone I know.”

“...

Someone you know?”

Right.

Someone I know.

We had seen each other before and talked, so couldn’t we call each other acquaintances?

At that moment, the car we were riding slowly stopped in front of a market.

“We agreed to go only this far. Get out quickly.”

The driver spoke as though he wanted to leave this place even a second sooner.

As promised, I paid him double and got out of the car with Michaela.

The car disappeared in an instant, leaving the two of us alone in this area where not a single person could be seen nearby.

“Calione Junior. This place is?”

“An old market that used to be used long ago. Now that the commercial district has moved, ordinary merchants no longer do business here.”

“Then doesn’t that mean there are no shops here? Why have you come to this place?”

“We didn’t come looking for ‘ordinary merchants.’”

“Pardon?”

Leaving her behind with a confused expression, I began walking deeper into the market first.

After passing through an empty plaza and entering an alley, I gradually began sensing people.

Soon, stalls and people began appearing, and Michaela finally spoke as though she had realized it.

“...

A black market.”

“Yes. It’s the second-largest black market in Sicily.”

For reference, the largest is the black market operated by Calione in the port city known as Messina.

“Merely having someone who serves God standing here seems to be drawing quite a few eyes.”

“Ah, that can’t be helped. Everyone here does business while avoiding the government’s eyes. In the first place, it’s illegal.”

Indeed, everywhere we passed, people sent us hostile looks or turned away to hide their faces.

Even in Sicily, it showed just how much influence the Vatican possessed.

“Ah, there it is. The meeting place.”

After passing through the shopping district, we arrived at an abandoned cathedral surrounded by collapsed walls, shattered mosaic windows, and moss, as though it had long since ceased operating.

“...

This place is.”

“The person I’m meeting is Catholic. Apparently he quite likes meeting in churches.”

More precisely, it was probably a message saying we should meet in a cathedral to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

“Doesn’t this place suit us perfectly, Sister?”

When we entered the abandoned cathedral, a chapel with far more people waiting than usual revealed itself.

“Calione Junior. You’ve come a long way.”

The only person who had been sitting rose from his seat and called my name.

“Don Medici. You really do seem to like churches.”

“Haha! Aren’t you the same! Though... I never imagined you would come with a Sister from the Vatican.”

Apparently he had placed people separately at the entrance, because he already knew I wouldn’t be coming alone.

He even knew that the person with me was a Sister.

And I intended to exploit this situation to the fullest.

“Ah, I should introduce my companion. Sister, that man is Don Medici. One of Sicily’s Godfathers and the Don

of the Medici Family.”

Hearing my words, she shifted her eyes toward Medici.

A moment later, she gently lowered her head and spoke.

“I am Michaela, one who serves God.”

“And she is the Commander of the 0th Order of the Holy Knights of the Holy Vatican Empire.”

“What?”

Medici asked again as though he had misheard me.

“You heard correctly. She is a Commander. Though right now... she is serving as my escort. Come, Sister, let us go.”

Saying that, I walked through the chapel and casually sat down beside him.

I had already roughly expected that they would arrange the surroundings and personnel to create an atmosphere intended to intimidate me, but...‘There’s no way you could have anticipated this.’Who could possibly have imagined that I would bring a Knight Commander of the Vatican Empire as my escort?

If something happened here, the Medici side would be overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

Even they couldn’t recklessly lay hands on someone with standing in the Vatican.

“Haha. That Sister is a Knight Commander? Your joke is going too far.”

“Would I really try to deceive you using someone wearing a cross? Sister must also have come here with honor in her heart. Please do not disparage her. Don Medici.”

Since she had not yet personally revealed her identity, Medici seemed to be trying to convince himself somehow that it couldn’t be true, but I naturally intertwined her honor and the truth so she would have no choice but to confirm it herself.

“...

My title as Knight Commander was personally bestowed upon me by His Holiness the Pope. I do not think it is proper to doubt it.”

And as expected, thinking that both her own honor and the Pope’s honor were at stake, she ultimately spoke clearly.

With this, in the eyes of the Medici Family members present, I would appear like this.

‘The heir to the Calione Family moving together with the Vatican.’

And to Michaela, I would probably appear like this.

‘Calione Junior plotting something together with the Medici family.’

──It was an absolutely perfect situation for me.

A smile naturally formed on my lips.

“Now then, let us talk as discussed. How about it, shall we go to the confessional?

______________

[Today’s Calione Junior Observation Record][Confirmed his connection with Ludvio Marco, called one of Italy’s national-treasure-class craftsmen. It appears he completely renovated the workshop this time. As expected of the heir to the Calione Family, he has a lot of mon────almost got caught. From now on, I will be more careful while writing observation records.

For the sake of my alibi, I plan to begin writing hymn lyrics.

For some reason, I feel like I might be good at it.][P.

S. Received a reply from Priest Francesco telling me to follow the report format. I have no memory of ever learning how to write reports, so I will begin studying today.]