Chương 46: Nostrade

While Aren and the others drove toward Villa 21 at Chinkola Point, the atmosphere inside the villa had already become tense. A black-haired man in his thirties sat in a leather office chair, listening to the report of his closest bodyguard. He looked mature and composed when circumstances favored him. At the moment, neither quality helped.

"Boss," the bodyguard said, "the Black Shade Bar on Emerald Street may have been attacked by the Fanobi Family. According to our people, the two men at the entrance were decapitated in public." The black-haired man's expression turned grim.

"Are you sure? Can you confirm Fanobi was behind it?" The bodyguard wore a suit, sunglasses, and a close-cropped haircut. He looked exactly like the professional protector he was. He shook his head.

"We cannot confirm it with certainty. But in Gambi Town, only Fanobi would decapitate men in the street so openly. Every other group makes at least some effort to preserve the authorities' dignity." The black-haired man collapsed into his chair.

"What the hell do those bastards want? Are they really trying to exterminate us just because we recruited people from Meteor City once?"

"We didn't recruit them to challenge Fanobi's position. We needed people to answer the Bolan Family's pressure. I refuse to believe Fanobi doesn't know that." The man was Light Nostrade. Normally, he projected the confidence of someone who believed every card was already in his hand. In truth, he thrived only when the wind was behind him. When circumstances turned against him, his confidence collapsed quickly. The bodyguard was used to seeing it. Most of the Nostrade Family did not know Light's true personality.

Bart did.

"Boss," Bart said, "we need to decide whether to send reinforcements. Or should I go personally?" The pressure around him changed slightly as he spoke. Bart had once been a mercenary, and the iron in his presence had never disappeared. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Three years earlier, he grew strong enough within his mercenary company to alarm its commander. Bart was also blunt.

He opposed bad decisions openly and never learned the habit of flattering authority. The commander treated that honesty as rebellion. Assassins came after Bart. He fled across the region and reached this small border town half-dead. There he met Light Nostrade, who had accomplished little but carried ambitions far beyond his position. The moment Light saw the wounded mercenary, he recognized an opportunity to change his fate. He protected Bart even when assassins slaughtered his parents and brothers.

Light had nothing, yet he gambled everything to keep Bart alive. Bart eventually recovered and killed his former commander. From that point on, he swore loyalty to Light. With Bart's strength and Light's cunning, the Nostrade Family began to rise. Unfortunately, Light remained a lucky, ruthless street thug at heart. The more status he gained, the more afraid he became of dying. Instead of using Bart's strength against his enemies, Light ordered him to remain nearby at all hours as a personal shield.

Otherwise, the Bolan Family would never have forced Nostrade to buy recruits from Meteor City. Bart and a group of ordinary men could have handled the problem. That mistake drew the attention of Fanobi, the dominant family in Gambi Town. And now, with danger rising, Light cared even more about his own survival. He was no longer the desperate man who had possessed nothing and could gamble everything.

"No," Light said.

"You stay here. They may come directly for me. Besides, by the time you reach the bar, the attackers will be gone. Let this one go." Bart did not argue. Back when he was a mercenary, he had never intended to betray his commander. He had only spoken honestly. After that honesty was taken as rebellion and nearly killed him, he stopped openly contradicting the people he served. Even when he disagreed with Light, he kept the thought to himself. He sighed inwardly and prepared to die in the villa if necessary.

As a former mercenary, Bart understood the underworld more clearly than Light did. Violence alone did not control it. Deterrence did. If you opened a path with one decisive blow, you spared yourself a hundred later attacks. If you failed to answer an enemy today, a pack of hungry scavengers would come tomorrow to tear away pieces of your territory. Gunfire erupted outside. Light shot to his feet.

"Fanobi? They actually came here? How dare they? This is one of Gambi Town's main tourist districts!" That was why Light bought Villa 21 at Chinkola Point. Even Fanobi could murder people in the street and expect the authorities to look the other way, but attacking a tourist district was a direct insult to the officials who promoted the town. Bart's gaze sharpened. Something felt wrong. The people who attacked the Black Shade Bar and the people attacking the villa might not be gangsters at all.

A subordinate slammed the office door open.

"Boss! Mr. Bart! There are monsters outside! We can't stop them!"

"Monsters?" Bart repeated. The word mattered. Before the man could explain, a blade flashed from top to bottom. A red line appeared on his forehead and traveled down his body. The subordinate split cleanly in half. Blood sprayed across the white carpet. As the body fell, Nobunaga stepped into view, sword already returning to its sheath. He had styled his hair like a samurai and was in the middle of a dramatic entrance. A gangster Uvogin punched through the wall flew past Nobunaga's face.

Nobunaga's forehead twitched.

"Uvogin! Can you watch where you're throwing people?"

"Ah, sorry! Next time!" Uvogin called back. His laughter made the apology completely unconvincing. Only then did Light and Bart see the garden and hallway beyond the office. The villa had become a scene from hell.