I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 112

The people who would go to C Territory with me were decided in an instant. It was because the members of the organization living in C Territory volunteered in large numbers with fierce looks in their eyes, saying they would go themselves.

The members of the organization lined up in front of the mansion.

All of them were wearing the gas masks I had distributed, waiting for orders.

Just as we were about to set out.

"I am late."

Parnello, wearing a gas mask, approached us with a smile in his eyes.

"Parnello."

"Since the Young Master is taking action himself, and considering Alessia and Ratte are involved, shouldn't I be by your side?"

"......What about Father?"

"The consigliere said he would personally stay by his side. With him there, you can go with peace of mind."

"......Indeed, that's true."

The consigliere, though overshadowed by the monster that is Parnello, was a man with the power befitting the third in command of Calione.

With the consigliere, I can be at ease.

"Have you contacted the agents isolating C Territory?"

"Yes, the information department has already informed them."

"Let's depart immediately."

"I will escort you."

The all-purpose Parnello who can do anything.

Is this the level of sense and ability required to be called Father's right arm?

He was truly like a thousand troops.

I immediately boarded the sedan driven by Parnello.

Twelve vehicles leaving the mansion.

As we headed towards C Territory in a long procession, we could see a strange sight.

A group of cars flashing blue and red lights at the entrance, and the members of the organization blocking them.

"......Police?"

"I will go and check."

As I was puzzled by the sudden appearance of the police, the member of the organization in the passenger seat got out first and walked towards the police.

Three people having a conversation.

Noticing the police's expressions becoming increasingly strange, I got out of the back seat and approached them.

"What is the matter?"

The police turned their attention to me upon my arrival.

"Are you the one in charge of these people......? Oh, you're from Calione......?"

One of them suddenly screamed in shock, while the police next to him looked clueless, wearing a bewildered expression.

It seemed they knew my face, indicating some connection with Calione.

"From your reaction, it seems you know me...... We must have met before."

"......I was at the scene when the Blunte Family disappeared."

"Ah, I see. If you were there at that time, it's a pleasure to meet you. It seems we can communicate well."

I slowly approached him and lightly tapped the dust off his collar.

"However, there is one thing I'm curious about."

"Yes? What is it......."

At the same time, my aura momentarily engulfed the surroundings.

"May I ask what you are doing in Calione's territory?"

The police swallowed hard and started sweating coldly.

The police, who hesitated to speak at first, finally sighed and opened his mouth.

"We received orders from our superiors to investigate because we lost contact with the police officers working in C Territory. However, as you can see, the members of Calione are blocking us, which is different from usual. May I ask the reason for this?"

......There were police inside too.

If so, it was understandable why they were here.

They were simply following orders and had come out.

"The reason is simple. If you go inside, both of you will die."

"......What?"

"Ah, even for Calione, that's a bit......"

Their eyes widened as if they couldn't understand my words.

Or did they interpret my words differently?

To avoid any misunderstanding, I decided to provide a bit more explanation.

"There's something quite dangerous inside. We're here to deal with it. Since it's a Calione operation, I can't go into details, but...... we will ensure the safety of the police officer inside."

"No, what does that mean──."

"Detective Kim. Stop."

As the guy with a foolish expression tried to say more while holding a walkie-talkie, the police next to him intervened.

"I understand what you've said. Then, please take care of it."

He said so and extended his hand to me.

"Yes."

After lightly shaking hands, I headed towards the entrance, with Parnello naturally sticking by my side.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes, I remember him as well."

"Really? Is he trustworthy?"

"Yes. I don't know about the other one, but the man who just shook hands with the Young Master has been with Calione for a long time, so he'll handle it well. Moreover...... he made eye contact with me just now."

......In that case, even I would keep my mouth shut.

Eventually, leaving the departing police behind, we approached the entrance, where the members of the organization bowed in greeting.

"How is the situation inside?"

I asked the person who seemed to be in charge here while taking out a gas mask from my bag.

"At first, there were many people asking to lift the quarantine, but now it's as quiet as a mouse."

"......Is that so."

There's a possibility that the organization members might have been infected during the quarantine enforcement process.

After ordering everyone who came with me to wear gas masks, I spoke to the person in charge.

"If anyone among the staff here shows any unusual symptoms, send them to the mansion immediately. The organization members wearing protective suits will guide them."

"I will do so. Young Master."

After sending the person in charge away, I briefly explained the operation to the organization members wearing gas masks.

"Our job is to find Plague, or anything suspicious at a glance."

An organization member raises their hand.

"......You mean something suspicious?"

"Yes, most likely...... it will probably be something that looks like a giant mushroom. If you find something like that, report it immediately. There might also be villains hiding in this territory, so if a confrontation occurs, be ready to fire a flare into the sky. Any questions?"

This time, no one raises their hand.

The organization members just look at me with eyes full of determination.

They, too, must want to end this situation quickly for the sake of their families.

"That was a long speech."

I muttered that as I stood in front of a 2-meter-high iron gate blocking our way.

"Then, let's go in."

Kiiik───

As soon as the gate opens, everyone starts running towards the city center.

If Plague activates its ability, it would have surely scattered its power around places where many people gather.

The vibrant streets that Alessia and I had walked through looked eerily quiet, like a city that had gone through an apocalypse.

"There's no sign of anyone around. It seems like they've moved somewhere as a group."

Parnello, sensing something strange, said while looking around.

In such a situation, did all those people move somewhere?

"Parnello. Is there a building or a space in C Territory where people could gather?"

"Hmm...... there is a place that comes to mind. But would people gather in such a situation?"

"Normally, they wouldn't. But...... if someone was controlling them? If the streets are this quiet, it can only mean they've been moved somewhere."

"I see...... Then, let's head there immediately."

This time, Parnello takes the lead and changes direction.

The destination is a commercial street slightly away from the city center.

There, the largest hypermarket in C Territory stood.

"If they gathered, it would likely be here."

Parnello, standing in front of the hypermarket, said while looking around.

Using [Skill: Aura Sonar] out of curiosity, I detected people inside as expected.

As he said, it seemed they were using this place as a shelter.

"Let's go in."

Even though it was a hypermarket where people gathered, there were no visible lights from the outside, so we activated night mode and entered.

The people detected by [Skill: Aura Sonar] were on the second floor.

Ignoring the chaotic first floor, I tried to quickly climb the stairs.

"Huh?"

I realized that the door to the second floor was locked.

Is there a need to lock the door?

Thinking that, I transformed my aura and inserted it into the keyhole to open the door.

Click──

As the door opened with a light sound, a faint light greeted us.

And at the same time.......

Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek── Cheek──

We were confronted with the sight of countless rats surrounding us.

"......I can see who's here for sure."

"Indeed."

The rats circled around us as if checking our faces.

After a while, the rats began to disappear elsewhere, and from a distance, the sound of footsteps approached, followed by a dark figure.

"Ha, Grandfather and Young Master?"

A trembling voice, as if frightened.

Beyond the darkness, I saw a girl with white hair and red eyes.

"Ratte...... is it?"

The last time I saw her, her face was swollen from torture, covered in dust and blood, so this was the first time I saw her properly.

Of course, it was hard to call it a proper appearance, considering the blood stains on her clothes.

"Y, yes. How did Grandfather and Young Master get here......."

"We came to sort out the situation. First, I have something to ask...... Are all the people who disappeared from the streets here?"

"Ah, yes. I'll guide you inside first."

Saying that, Ratte started walking ahead.

As we followed her inside, the light gradually brightened.

There, we saw people slumped down and rats moving around, supplying them with water and food.

It seemed I understood the situation.

"Ratte, did you evacuate the people here?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. Alessia told me to do so."

"......Alessia?"

"Yes."

Alessia, who was on her usual 'Night Walk,' suddenly collapsed due to a sudden chest pain.

However, it wasn't just her problem. At the same time, other people around her also began collapsing one by one.

"My sister said this is definitely a terrorist attack aimed at Calione. And she also said that the mastermind must be somewhere here."

Alessia, who somehow managed to steady herself, left instructions for Ratte and departed to find the mastermind of the attack.

And the instructions she gave her were precisely.......

1. Gather as many people as possible in one place.

2. Separate those showing symptoms from those who aren't.

3. Stay hidden until additional support or contact comes from Calione.

These three things.

At that moment, Parnello, who had been standing behind me, observed the situation and asked.

"Most of them seem fine for something like this. What's going on here?"

"Ah, about that. Just in case, I checked the rats and found many of them were infected. It seemed related to this incident, so I quarantined them all."

This could only be considered incredibly fortunate.

Rats are the guy's primary means of transmission.

But it was sheer luck that Ratte, who could control rats, happened to be here.

"How many ordinary people are infected?"

"Yes, for now, there are only 30 people quarantined separately on the third floor. I'm not sure about the situation outside, though."

Thanks to the quick response, the situation wasn't as bad as expected.

Just as I was about to tell Ratte she did a good job, letting out a sigh of relief.

──!

One corner of my vision began to turn red.

"That is......."

A red light floating in the sky beyond the window.

It was undoubtedly the flare gun light given to the organization members to use when encountering enemies.

But then.

───Whoosh. ───Whoosh.

One by one, more and more signal flares began to be fired.

Before long, the sky over C Territory turned red with countless signal flares.

───Whoosh. ───Whoosh. ───Whoosh. ───Whoosh.

"Young Master. That is......."

"Yes."

It was clear that the situation was turning strange.