novelraw Chapter 106
Chapter 106
Chapter 106. Franchise Open (1)
The city hall, concerned about public unease, had issued a press control order to the media outlets.
But the strife between the Gray Council continued fiercely for over a month. Some days a senior figure was stabbed to death; other days the boss's right-hand man was found floating downstream in the river.
Countless sponsors stoking the fight in a bid to seize control of the underworld. On top of that, the crisis of not knowing whether a traitor still lurked within.
Since suspicion ran between everyone and the strong preying on the weak was simply the nature of the underworld, no one could be the first to step back……or so it was.
The remaining seats now numbered a mere five. Mafia members were people too.
"Let's call it quits now."
It was only natural that these words came out.
5th Seat Benjamin, 8th Seat Ignacio, 9th Seat Roscoe, 11th Seat George, 12th Seat Montague.
A total of five board members convened an emergency meeting to bring the strife to a halt.
The board members gathered for the talks bore little resemblance to figures who each commanded a corner of the criminal underworld. Their nails, gnawed at by habit, were ragged; their lips chapped; the skin beneath their eyes hollow. Every one of them looked utterly exhausted.
"I'm too afraid of a bomb going off under my seat. I haven't been able to start my own car for a week now. I can't live like this."
"Who the hell is it, for goodness' sake? Isn't this more than enough? I swear I won't touch a single scrap of the interests of those already dead — just leave me alone!"
"My grandmother appeared in my dreams last night. She said I was going to die…… she said I'd die today……."
A group of patients in the grip of a full-blown nervous breakdown, truly.
But it could not be helped.
"Let's set everything else aside for now and first discuss the matter of Marcus's death. It is certain there's an enemy within our ranks, yes?"
"Without question. The chairman included, and half of us were gone in a single night. They were all found as corpses inside their own safe houses or homes, weren't they?"
An enemy within, and that enemy is on a rampage. If one's life were a single coin in a real-life Mafia game, anyone would suffer a nervous breakdown.
4th Seat Benjamin, looking weary, opened his mouth.
"I think we can all agree that the culprit is somewhere in this room."
12th Seat Montague fixed Benjamin with a murderous glare.
"It's you, you bastard, it's you! Did you think I wouldn't know you sent a hitman after me?"
"Ridiculous. You were first. All I did was redeploy some defensive forces."
"Are you out of your mind? You call sending your men into my territory 'redeploying defensive forces?'"
"For preemptive strikes in an emergency."
The one who mediated between them was 9th Seat Roscoe.
"Come now, that's not what we gathered here to discuss, is it? There's no point in arguing about who was wrong first anymore. There have been far too many clashes between us since that day."
It was not only Benjamin and Montague who had a conflict.
Every one of them regarded the others with suspicious eyes.
The Gray Council, which had at least aimed for mutual benefit, had already collapsed from within.
"Which is why I propose a temporary ceasefire. An agreement that for the time being, none of us sets foot in any of the others' territories."
"Will that be sufficient?"
"If there is anyone who breaks this ceasefire agreement, the remaining four can unite and attack. There is a high likelihood that person is the culprit who instigated the strife in the first place."
"Treating the one who moves suspiciously as the traitor, and keeping them in check with the remaining four……."
A plausible proposal. But even if it were not plausible, they would have nodded along.
This past month. They were already far too exhausted.
Never mind interests and the rest — this was the time for each of them to stabilize their own organizations and businesses. No matter how hard the nobles holding their reins might crack the whip; no matter how fierce the hunger for power. Nothing could be worth more than one's life.
"Very well, let us do that."
The Gray Council agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
.
.
.
At that very hour.
Aiden and Jurgen had infiltrated the mansion of 12th Seat Montague. Since Aiden had first stirred up the Gray Council, the mansion's security had become ironclad — but it posed no problem for the two of them.
"Honestly, Captain, doesn't this bring back the old days for you too? Reminds me of the time we rescued the Third Princess."
"The time you wet your trousers, you mean?"
"And the Captain ate a poisonous mushroom because he was hungry and spent three days hallucinating."
"I had no way of knowing it was poisonous."
Idle banter of that sort, and they cut through without difficulty.
The place they arrived at was a fine garage housing a splendid limousine that would have made Serena drool. Aiden opened the engine compartment and produced something clay-like from inside his coat, kneading it between his fingers.
Start the engine and it reacts with Magic Power — bang! A simple improvised explosive.
Aiden's eyes sparkled brightly, as though in the midst of doing something tremendously enjoyable.
"Why are we still making moves at this point though?"
"Ah, well — watching how the fighting was going, it looked like they were starting to pull back."
Certainly. The exchange of gunfire between internal members had lasted a fortnight. The pattern had been one where the actual 'boss'-level figures emerged without a scratch, while only the foot soldiers died. Since then it had continued in the form of small-scale skirmishes.
"Whether it's the Black Council or the Gray Council, impressive-sounding names and nothing more. Northern types lack spine. Southern ones will keep gnawing until they've wiped out your children and grandchildren."
"So you're going to stoke it further?"
"It's a good deed. Truthfully, I've been wondering why the Captain left these lot alone for so long."
Well, once the Culinary Revolution got on track, he had been planning to pick a moment and deal with them. They operated on the semi-legal side of things, and he had simply watched and waited because he couldn't be sure what chain reaction might set off if he touched them unnecessarily.
"Things went smoothly thanks to you."
"Oh my, to hear those words from the Captain. I've grown, haven't I."
The story had changed with the arrival of Aiden, who had a firm grip on internal Gray Council intelligence.
"12th Seat Montague and 4th Seat Benjamin have bad blood between them. Their business interests overlap in many areas. How about we plant the bomb in this fellow's car, then head straight to Benjamin's place and set it on fire?"
"……."
He wondered whether this was really alright……
But seeing Aiden's energetic enthusiasm, so full of conviction, he felt like it probably was. If he were being candid, Jurgen was enjoying the nostalgia himself!
The Secret Burial Unit days had been gruelling on the body, but they say the past gets romanticized and only the fond memories remain. Those years when beating up villains without a warrant and throwing them into cells was permitted——
Had been genuinely fulfilling.
"How has the investigation into Bell gone?"
"Ah, that……."
Aiden's expression, cheerful throughout, turned vague.
"Honestly, the investigation hasn't been easy. The most important thing is not to leave any trail on our end, yes?"
"That's right."
"But if I pry openly it'll leave a trace immediately, I've no way of knowing how many of the informants have been bought, and you said I can't beat it out of anyone directly."
If they crossed the line, Jurgen would cross it without hesitation in return — but Bell was still, for now, keeping to a certain boundary. Above all else……
"I don't mind for my own sake, but there's no telling what kind of sparks might fly Penelope's way."
Regrettably, even if Y&P were to achieve great success, the difference in weight between Clarisse and Penelope was plain.
Carelessly touching a powerful person's right hand? It would be tantamount to a declaration that one was prepared to stake one's own neck as well.
Aiden clicked his tongue.
"Things are running in such an inconvenient direction. If it were me, I'd have just swept the whole lot away with a special ministerial order."
"Intervening as Minister of Internal Affairs would make things twice as messy as they are now."
From generation to generation, the Minister of Internal Affairs was assumed by the queen's most trusted confidant.
The fact that Minister of Internal Affairs Hanbin was attached to Penelope Rosemore would, to the Rosemores, be received as a grave threat to their autonomy and an act of interference from the centre.
And then what would become of Y&P Trading Company's future? Whatever happened, it would not be peaceful.
Aiden nodded his head and continued.
"You're quite fond of her. That young lady."
"Something like that."
Their first meeting had been by chance, but this had turned out to be no ordinary connection. In truth, he could never have imagined they would end up staying together like this for so long.
"Is she perhaps your sweetheart?"
—Smack!
"Bloody hell, just use words……!"
"Bloody hell?"
"Well, I caught a glimpse of her from a distance and she's pretty. And her spirit seemed appealing too, so I thought…… What does age difference matter in noble society? The place is full of old men keeping concubines young enough to be their granddaughters."
"Enough nonsense — finish what you were saying about Bell."
Aiden shrugged.
"Honestly, there are no results to speak of. But I've definitely diverted attention."
"That much is true."
Nearly a month.
The pressure on Y&P Trading Company, which had been preparing its Franchise Launch, had vanished cleanly. Proof that Bell had been focused on seizing real power in the underworld rather than on Penelope.
"Shall I keep moving busily from here on too?"
Just one day to the launch. There was honestly no particular need to stir things up right at this point, but——
"Can't be helped."
On Jurgen's face, as Aiden saw it, there sat a thoroughly satisfied smile.
***
Long queues still stretched in front of CCC.
Setting aside the multinational adventurers, the total population of the North alone exceeded ten million. Moreover, since the Royal Warrant was granted, travellers making their way even from far-distant corners of the kingdom just to eat the chicken had arrived in droves.
Well, for most of them it was less about the chicken itself and more about enjoying the hot springs while they were at it, and adding to their life record the achievement of 'one who has eaten Royal Warrant cuisine'……
In any case, the point was that the long, long wait had people growing weary.
Thomas the Porter was one such person.
"Haah…… why in the hell did I have to go and eat that thing back then……."
That day he had come out of the Demon Realm empty-handed. The day of CCC's opening, when they held the Free Tasting Event at the stall.
Thomas had been cursed. A terrible Culinary Curse — one that made it impossible for him to sleep unless he stopped by CCC on his way home after every pay settlement and bought himself one Seasoned Chicken.
The problem was that the cure was damnably hard to come by.
"Why do I have to queue up for three nights and four days every single time……."
In truth, he had eaten there about three more times since, each time having heard that new menu items had been added. Every time, he had been moved to tears by just how astonishingly delicious it had become.
But that was that, and reality was reality. For a freelance Porter, clearing three nights and four days just to eat something was a matter that affected his livelihood.
"Just about eight more hours to wait now."
"Finally getting to try it."
"I'd been trying to leave from the second day but the time I'd already invested felt too precious to abandon, so I've been holding out — I'm never coming back again."
And so Thomas did not click his tongue at the long line of people waiting.
He understood their hearts and sympathized with their feelings. And he pitied them.
"I used to say those words myself."
They were about to be struck by a terrible curse. And that curse would bind their very souls, leaving them to writhe in endless torment.
Just then.
A group of people came into view, running with a cloud of dust in their wake. Even people standing far back in the queue could be seen breaking ranks and charging off with shouts.
He'd heard the Mafia lot had been causing trouble lately — had a stabbing broken out in the street? That didn't quite fit, given how buoyant everyone looked.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Thomas grabbed a factory worker who was running past and asked.
"Well, I, you see — apparently CCC has opened a new one!"
"What? What sort of nonsense is that? CCC's right here in plain sight."
"Stop grabbing people when they're busy and see for yourself!"
The factory worker shook him off and left. After grabbing a few more passers-by and asking, Thomas came to learn a truly miraculous fact.
"They've opened branch locations?"
CCC had opened a total of fifteen branch locations across the North.
He knew what branch locations were. Wasn't that the thing that prosperous banks and shops sometimes opened?
In all his born days, he had never heard of a restaurant opening branch locations.
Strictly speaking they were Franchise locations, but that was beside the point.
Thomas ran.
Past the Pub District and arriving at his destination — there stood a building that looked almost identical to CCC. A signboard with a white Crown Logo set against a red background.
[Crispy Crown Chicken ——Lichfield Square Branch——]
"Ah…… ahh……."
Fat tears rolled down the cheeks of Thomas, a man amongst men.
The long-awaited project that CCC had been preparing in secret. The Franchise Open.