The heartbeat that should have been there. I couldn't feel it at all. Sweat poured from every pore on my body.
No, keep cool. If my heart is really gone, I would be dead by now.
Then, is it some form of illusion? Talkers are resistant to mental debuffs, but it's possible for the higher ranked Finocchio to make me see illusions.
But I felt it in my bones. This was not an illusion.
「As expected, you're able to calmly assess the situation without losing your composure」
「......What did you do to me?」
「This is a Skill called Judgment, and it can forcibly gouge out the target's heart after meeting its activation requirement of having my requests rejected twice in a row by the target」
「An instant-death Skill specialized against people, I see...... But I'm still alive」
「That's because it's linked to you through space. If you're more than five meters away from me, or if I crush it with my hand, then you'll die instantly. In other words, your life is literally in my hands」
Finocchio smiled and stroked my heart lovingly. There was no pain, but nauseating chills ran through my whole body.
「Noel, you're a little too......no, you're too outstanding to the level where it's no longer a laughing matter. It's unthinkable that you're just a 16 year old brat. This is just a drag queen's intuition, but you'll someday bring disaster to the Luciano Family. Yes, I'm sure of it」
「And that's why you're nipping the source of the calamity at the bud」
「That's right. But I'm not a demon. I'll give you one final chance. Noel, join the Luciano Family. If you do that, I won't take your life」
「I see. That's very kind of you......」
I turned over my options in my mind, thinking of plans to break out of this situation.
My body can't move properly because of my earlier fight. Even if it could move, I couldn't possibly escape an A Rank.
Should I use Link to call Alma? No, Alma also wouldn't stand a chance against Finocchio. What if I asked Alma to call Raios over? As another A Rank, it's probably possible for him to subdue Finocchio.
The problem is that if I aggravated the situation, Finocchio would surely crush my heart. This drag queen isn't fool enough to allow others to butt in.
Then what should I do? Succumb to the drag queen's threat?
「............Hmpt, that's not going to happen」
I pushed my staggering body up and walked towards Finocchio.
「What? Coming to take back your heart? Just to make things clear, with the difference in our fighting abilities, such a reversal is impossible. Even if you beat the billion to one odds and do get it back, it's still curtains for you. So long as I don't release the Skill, your heart will never return to you」
「Finocchio Bargini, you're correct」
「What? What are you talking about?」
I took one step closer to Finocchio, who had tilted his head quizzically.
「I'm the man who will one day stand at the top of all Seekers. Once I've done that, even the Luciano Family won't be able to touch me. So if you want to kill me, now's the time」
「Wa, wait! Don't come close so suddenly! If I drop your heart, you'll die instantly! Do you understand what I'm saying!?」
「You want to kill me, don't you? Do it. Come on, do it」
Another step forward. The distance between Finocchio and me was now close enough that we could feel each other's breaths.
「But don't forget. The moment you kill me, you'll lose your pride as the Don of the Bargini Family, the direct affiliate of the Luciano Family」
「What, what did you say?」
「Killing a person who will become troublesome in future while they're still weak is the correct choice in this dog-eat-dog world. But that's not what a true man would do, is it? To put it another way, you're just scared. Where is the heart(caliber of a man) in that? Answer me, Finocchio」
「Y, you......in a situation like this......」
Finocchio's face was twitching with anger and bewilderment. Finocchio was taller by a head so I was looking up at him.
But, without retreating one step, I stared straight at Finocchio.
「My King is only me. I won't be tied down by anyone」
「Urg, y, you......」
At that moment, Finocchio took a step back. He gave an incredulous look at the fact that he had retreated.
「I, I......yielded......and lost in courage......?」
The stunned Finocchio eventually started to laugh loudly.
「Ahahahahaha! Gosh, silly Noel, such a scary face! I'm joking, I'm joking! There's no way I would want to kill Noel, right? Alright, that's the end of the entertainment!」
When he flipped over the hand that was holding my heart, my body started pulsating. It was proof that I was alive. Ba-dump, it went, beating deep inside my chest.
「I'm so sorry that I surprised you. Well then, I have to go. Bye bye~!」
Finocchio, while heading to the door, muttered in a deep, threatening voice.
「Words once spoken, can't be taken back, you shitty brat. If the man who made me yield in a battle of courage meets his end before reaching the top, I'll never forgive him」
「That's a given. Just watch on silently」
†
†
In the falling rain, Finocchio walked silently with a frown under a purple umbrella with petal-like frills.
One of the strong underlings behind him opened his mouth with a sigh.
「Mistress(Don), was that really okay?」
「Huh? What?」
「I'm talking about Noel. Won't he become a problem if we continue to let him run wild?」
「I don't know anything about that! He's got no choice but to be a problem!」
Finocchio responded in a sulky tone, but abruptly stopped and dropped his shoulders.
「......As expected, that was bad, wasn't it?」
「It's bad. He will definitely become trouble in future」
「That's right....... My intuition is really accurate after all......」
「Should we go back and kill him now?」
「A, as if I could do such an embarrassing thing!」
Contrary to all reason, Finocchio couldn't summon the will to kill Noel. However, looking at their Don, rather than feeling disappointed, the underlings felt something that made them smile.
「Mistress, is Noel Stollen such a good man?」
At that unexpected question, Finocchio made an expression like he had swallowed a bitter pill.
「W, well, he's a good man who has guts despite his age...... Even though he's actually really weak, he gives his all so desperately, and just looking at him makes you want to root for him...... B, but! I totally don't like men with faces where you can't even tell whether they have a pecker or not!!! My type is dandy middle-aged guys, you hear!!!」
「Mistress......」
「Wh, what?」
「It's love, isn't it? That's marvelous」
「HUUUUHHHHHHH!!?? What did you say!? I'll kill you!!! There's no way I'll fall for a brat like that!!! You, you......, pay cut!!! One month's pay cut!!!」
Another underling appeared during the rowdy conversation.
「Mistress, we've caught Albert」
A mud-covered Albert was thrown onto the side of the road. In a turnabout from his usual tyrannical air, he was trembling like a puppy.
「Oh gosh, little Albert. You've gotten so dirty」
「Eeek, Fi, Finocchio!」
「Big sister, remember? Oh, but you aren't involved with us anymore, so I guess it's fine」
「Pl, pl, please save me!!! No, I don't want to die!!!」
Finocchio gave Albert, who was begging for his life in an unsightly manner, an icy look.
「On one hand, a man who didn't lose his pride even when his heart was in the grasp of someone else, and on the other, a piece of trash that doesn't even have pride that's worth protecting. It's really unbelievable that they're both the same race. ......You really don't want to die so badly?」
「I don't want to die!!! If you save me, I'll do anything!!!」
「Then I'll save you」
「Re, really!?」
「Yes, I don't mind」
An ominous smile appeared on Finocchio's face.
「I'll raise you at my pig farm」
「......P, pig farm, you said?」
「Yes, pig farm. I'll cut short your arms and legs so you can walk the same as the pigs. You'll be the partner for my sows」
「Wh, wh, wh......」
Hearing the far too cruel treatment that awaited him, Albert was tongue-tied.
「Ah, but pigs are omnivores, so they might even eat Albert. At that time, I'll apologize. Do work hard to please the sows」
「D, do, don't mess with me!!! H, hey, stop it!!! Don't touch me!!! Let go!! Let me go!!! Stop it!!!」
Finocchio's underling carried Albert onto his shoulder without question. Although he desperately struggled on the underling's shoulder and screamed for help, there was no longer anyone who would save Albert anymore.
「I wonder if the sows will like their new lover?」
Finocchio put a hand on his cheek and tilted his head. That twist at the corners of his mouth was the very image of a Mad Pierrot's smile.
†
†
The day after the duel, Finocchio transferred the 50 million Fil into my account.
After all that had happened after the duel, I had thought that he might attach some conditions before giving me the reward, but there was none of that. So he was a drag queen with integrity when it came to things like this.
I used 30 million out of the 50 million Fil to buy the Skill-book for Exorcism. When I came as promised with the full sum, the shop owner was probably surprised, but he also looked happy at the same time.
Also, an item that I had requested as a bonus had arrived. It was a silver ring and a parchment with words written in blood. It was the covenant of servitude that bound Kouga.
「Well then, with this, I've become your owner」
I sat cross-legged in a chair and spread the parchment.
We were in a room rented from the Stardrop inn. Right now, there were two other people besides me in it. Alma, who had a grumpy expression, and Kouga, who was standing impassively.
「But I'll make things clear. I don't need something like a slave」
「Then why did you acquire that? As long as you have that, I belong to you. You're free to do whatever you wish with me」
「Don't get full of yourself just because you're a little skilled. In the Seeker world, your strength is the lowest of the low. The ones above you are at a level where a mere slave can't hold a candle to them at all」
「......What is your wish?」
My wish, huh.
Something like that had already been decided two years ago on the day I swore to Grandfather in his dying moments.
「I have but one wish. And that is to stand at the top of all Seekers. In order to achieve that, what I need is not a weak and skinny domesticated dog. Only a ferocious wolf」
I took the ring and parchment and offered them to Kouga.
「Do what you wish with these. You're free now」
「Free......」
「With that in mind, I'll ask you. Are you a skinny, stray dog? Or a ferocious wolf?」
Kouga looked at the covenant of servitude he held in his hands.
「I......I've always led a life being used by others...... So now that I've gotten my freedom, it still doesn't feel real. Like you said, I'm currently only a skinny, stray dog. ......But I've realized one thing」
Kouga lifted his head, and a strong purpose shone in his black eyes.
「Noel, I want to be watching beside you when you make your dreams come true. If it's a ferocious wolf you want, then that's the path I need to go down. So, please. Let me be your ally」
「I accept, Bladesman, Kouga Tsukishima」
The sunlight shining through the window illuminated the three of us.
I had finally obtained a second ally. With this, the party was now in good shape. Now that I was right back where I began, I could finally move forward.
It was a very small step in relation to the goal I needed to reach, but it was definitely a step.
I'll start the ball rolling with this one step, and start running from this point on.
Moreover, I'm sure of it.
That with these members, I'll definitely be able to create the strongest clan.
「In that case, let's go outside. We'll start immediately on training to match our movements as a party」
This brings to a close this long and winding Yakuza arc. It’s been several decades since serious Yakuza stories were popular but this arc really reminded me of them. The themes of duty/obligation, righteousness and manliness, which may feel a bit corny nowadays, was really nostalgic. Hence, tons of guys fell for Noel in this arc lol.
And so, the first to be confirmed to have fallen in love for Noel in this story turns out to be Finocchio!?
And lastly, Noel has finally assembled a proper party. I’m sure most of you realized that the entire Part 1 of the story was about that. Noel will finally be back to challenging Abysses with epic boss fights, with both new and returning characters and more arc-crossing plot lines! But before the new and exciting Part 2, there’s one final chapter to close out Part 1! Don’t miss it!
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